Indian sports wrap, December 16: India to host first-ever UCI 2.2 cycling event in Bajaj Pune Grand Tour next month

Bringing you the major updates, scores, and results of Indians from the world of sports on Tuesday.

CYCLING

India to host first-ever UCI 2.2 cycling event in Bajaj Pune Grand Tour next month

A historic moment awaits India’s cycling landscape as the country is set to host the first-ever UCI 2.2 Bajaj Pune Grand Tour 2026, a continental men’s team elite road race from January 19 to 23 in Pune district.

The tour will kick-start the international cycling calendar with a four-stage, multi-day challenge.

The Bajaj Pune Grand Tour is a four-day, four-stage 437-km continental team men’s road race, expected to witness over 150 professional international cyclists from 26 countries in action.

The race is being organised by the Government of Maharashtra and Pune District Administration, along with the Cycling Federation of India.

– PTI

TENNIS

Sumit Nagal to lead India’s challenge at the milestone 10th edition of Bengaluru Open

Sumit Nagal is set to lead the Indian challenge at the Bengaluru Open, an ATP Challenger 125 event that will be held at the S.M. Krishna Stadium from January 5, 2026.

The 28-year-old has entered with a ranking of 273 and is the 10th best in the field. The leading man on the list is top-100 player Pedro Martinez, and the Spaniard was ranked as high as 36 in February this year but is now down to 93.

The other notable names in the roster are Great Britain’s Dan Evans (former top-25 player), South Africa’s Lloyd Harris (once No. 31 and a US Open quarterfinalist in 2021), Croatia’s Borna Gojo (Davis Cup winner in 2021) and India’s very own Aryan Shah, who has got in with a ranking of 399.

Interestingly, for a Challenger 125, Bengaluru Open has a surprisingly low cut-off for main draw entry, with the last man being Austria’s Neil Oberleitner at World No. 442.

– Team Sportstar

ATHLETICS

India to send 57-member national arts team to 1st Youth Delphic Games of SCO member states

The International Pythian Council (IPC) on Tuesday announced that a 57-member Indian delegation will represent the country at the first Youth Delphic Games of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states.

Scheduled to take place in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan from March 23 to 28, the event marks a paradigm shift in global cultural diplomacy. For the first time in Indian history, a structured national team of artists will represent India in an international competition under the banner of the Modern Pythian Games.

Following the model of major sporting events like the Olympics, this 57-member contingent has been curated to compete for national glory across specific categories.

This participation is the direct result of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the International Pythian Council and the International Delphic Committee, symbolising a new era of cooperation in the global creative economy.

The diverse 57-member delegation will showcase India’s rich heritage and modern creativity across a spectrum of competitive and festival categories, including piano, folk singing, and pop singing, fine arts and folk dance, DJ competitions, folk instruments, and arts and crafts.

– PTI

CRICKET

Tata Motors honours Indian Women’s Cricket Team with band new cars

Following their landmark victory at the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025, the Indian Women’s Cricket Team was formally felicitated by Tata Motors in recognition of their outstanding achievement.

At a ceremony held at the Bombay House on 16th December 2025, the company announced a special gesture of appreciation under which each member of the world cup winning squad will be awarded a Tata Sierra, the recently unveiled model.

– Team Sportstar

Wasim Iqbal shines in India B’s win in Physical Disability T20 series opener

Opening batter Wasim Iqbal slammed a 51-ball 66 to help India B defeat India A by a huge margin of 83 runs in the first game of their three-match Physical Disability T20 Series, here on Tuesday.

Iqbal put on 77 runs for the second wicket with Vikrant Keni as India A struggled for control with the ball. G Shiva scored 41 runs while Keni made 23. Jeetendra VN took 2/23 for the India A side.

India B put on a healthy 170 for nine batting first and in reply, India A were shot out for a mere 87 in 16.5 overs with Akash Patil being the top scorer with 30. For the winning side, Ganesh Pisal took four for 25.

The contest was played here at the Wankhede Stadium which will host the remaining couple of matches over the next two days.

– PTI

SHOOTING

Aishwary Pratap Singh hits 50m 3P world record score to claim gold, Gurjoat Singh wins skeet gold at 68th NSCC

World Championship silver medallist Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar delivered a landmark performance at the 68th Shooting Nationals on Tuesday, firing a world record 470.5 to clinch gold in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions final at the Madhya Pradesh State Shooting Range.

Aishwary’s score is 1.6 points more than the current world record.

In simultaneous shotgun action at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range in Delhi, Gurjoat Singh produced a composed display to win the skeet men’s gold with 55 hits, narrowly defeating nine-time national champion Mairaj Ahmad Khan, who finished second with 54 hits.

Aishwary was clinical from the start, equalling his own national record of 597, which he had first achieved at the recently concluded ISSF World Cup Final in Doha, to finish on top of the qualification.

Navy shooter Niraj Kumar secured the silver with 463.7, and Uttar Pradesh’s Akhil Sheoran completed the podium with 451.8.

Defending national champion Kiran Ankush Jadhav finished fourth with 440.0, followed by Paris Olympic bronze medallist Swapnil Suresh Kusale with 429.7, and his teammate Arjun Babuta in sixth with 414.9.

Monu Kumar with 403.2, and Manvendra Singh Shekhawat with 401.6 completed the final line up.

– Team Sportstar

Published on Dec 16, 2025