Sports World, December 24, 2023: Manchester United's Christmas Eve Sale - Sir Jim Ratcliffe Buys Minority Stake; India Women Beat Australia In Historic Test Result; WFI Suspended Again - As It Happened

It was time to rejoice for Indian women's cricket fans, as the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side registered a historic victory over Australia in the one-off Test in Mumbai. Meanwhile, the Indian wrestling controversy raged on after the election of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh loyalist Sanjay Singh as WFI president, as the sports ministry suspended the newly-elected body. In the Indian Super League, Kerala Blasters beat Mumbai City 2-0 in the evening. Elsewhere, British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe bought a minority stake in Manchester United. Catch the highlisghts of all the action on Sunday, December 24, 2023, here. (Cricket News | Football News | Wrestling News | December 23 Highlights) 

10:30 PM: Ratcliffe Buys Minority Stake In Man Utd 

In a Christmas eve sale, more than a year after the storied English Premier League club sought suitors, Manchester United said on Sunday that British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe had agreed to buy a minority stake in it. Read all the details of the deal here.

9:30 PM: Dravid On 'Heartbreaking' World Cup Final Loss

India head coach Rahul Dravid on Sunday detailed how Rohit Sharma’s men coped with the heartbreaking World Cup final defeat to Australia. Check out what he said here.

8:10 PM: Waqar Laments Lack of Pace In PAK Bowlers

Following Pakistan's crushing loss in the first Test against Australia, Waqar Younis has said he is "really worried" about there not being a battery of fast bowlers in the international or domestic scene for Pakistan. The legendary pacer also expressed his concern regarding Shaheen Shah Afridi's loss of speed. Read all about it here. 

7:05 PM: Saudi And Sports In 2023

Be it Cristiano Ronaldo joining Al-Nassr or the world's third-ranked Jon Rahm joining LIV Golf, Saudi Arabia's impact on the global sports economy rose dramatically in 2023. Here is how the events transpired, and what is expected in 2024. 

6:15 PM: WFI Update

Soon after suspending the newly-elected Wrestling Federation of India, the sports ministry has asked the Indian Olympic Association to constitute an ad-hoc body to control and manage the affairs of WFI. Find out all the details here.

5:10 PM: Tom Curran's BBL Ban Stays

Despite England and Sydney Sixers all-rounder Tom Curran expressing "deep regret" for his actions ahead of a Big Bash League match against Hobart Hurricanes on December 11 in Launceston, the BBL has dismissed his appeal to overturn a four-match ban against him.

Find out why in our report here. 

4:02 PM: Virat Kohli Rejoins India Squad

Batting mainstay Virat Kohli has rejoined the Indian red-ball squad in South Africa ahead of the Boxing Day Test at Centurion against the Proteas, according to an ANI report. Kohli had reportedly been away for the last three days for personal reasons and is said to be back in training, ahead of the first Test.

3:30 PM: Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh On WFI Suspension

After the Union sports ministry suspended the newly elected body of the Wrestling Federation of India, former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh says, "The elections were held in a democratic way on the direction of the Supreme Court and the body was formed...Now it's their (federation members) decision if they wish to talk to the government or take the legal course of action. I have nothing to do with this..."

2:45 PM: ICYMI - Football Round-Up

Premier League - Arsenal and Liverpool played out a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Anfield in a much-awaited top-of-the-table Premier League clash. Manchester United, however, continued their poor form after losing to West Ham United. Elsewhere, Tottenham beat Everton, Luton Town defeated Newcastle United, and Burnley got the better of Fulham. 

Serie A - Nine-man Napoli lost to AS Roma on Saturday night, with Lorenzo Pellegrini and Romelu Lukaku the two goalscorers. Juventus beat Frosinone, courtesy of a late goal by Dusan Vlahovic, while Inter Milan disposed of Lecce by two goals to nil. 

1:30 PM: Happy Birthday Neeraj Chopra! 

The Indian Olympic gold medallist turns 26 years old today, December 24, 2023. Chopra will have his eyes set on the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024, where he'll hope to continue the form that has seen him scale to the very top of the pyramid in Athletics. 

12:50 PM: HISTORY MADE! 

The Indian women's national cricket team has beaten Australia for the first time in a Test match! India's historic win was achieved at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, where they limited Australia to a 75-run lead before chasing it pre-Lunch on Day 4 of their one-off Test. It is also India's second Test win in a row on home turf; the Women in Blue had defeated England in the same format in Navi Mumbai just days earlier. 

Read more here. 

12:00 PM: WFI In More Controversy 

The Sports Ministry has suspended the newly-elected Wrestling Federation of India until further notice. The new WFI President Sanjay Singh had hastily announced the U-15 and U-20 Nationals dates before the end of the year, which prompted the Ministry to step in and suspend the federation. 

Read more here. 

11:00 AM: India Within Touching Distance Of Historic Win  

The Indian women's national cricket team recovered sensationally on Sunday morning to limit Australia to a 75-run lead, which they will now look to surpass to record their first-ever Test win over the Aussies. The Women in Blue allowed Australia to add merely 30-odd runs to the 233 total they had left the pitch on Day 3 with, courtesy of superb bowling spells from Sneh Rana and Rajeshwari Gayakwad. 

10:00 AM: Suryakumar Update 

The number-one T20 batter in the world, and India's T20 captain of late, Suryakumar Yadav, will likely miss out on the series against Afghanistan after suffering a Grade-II tear during his team's tour of South Africa. Surya revealed the extent of his injury through an Instagram post, sharing a positive message as he looks to return to action as soon as possible. 

Watch the video here. 

9:00 AM: Cricket Update 

IND-W vs AUS-W in Mumbai, State of Play - Having enjoyed two brilliant days at the Wankhede Stadium, the Indian women's national team suffered a setback on Day 3 of their one-off Test against Australia. The Women in Blue had hoped to strike out the entire opposition before close, but, as things stood at Stumps, Australia had racked up a 233-run score after losing five wickets. Consequently, the two teams switched leads, with Australia now 46 runs ahead of India. 

Play will resume on Day 4, with India aiming to limit their opponents as low as possible, before embarking on the final chase.