A 1985-batch IAS officer with a reputation for industriousness, Murmu is currently special secretary in the revenue department.

Australia's quest for a record hat-trick of titles started with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Ireland in the opening Pool D match of the men's hockey World Cup, in Bhubaneswar, on Friday.

"The Hockey India League made a big difference. It played an important role in the re-development of hockey in India," he said.

Agustin Mazzilli and Gonzalo Peillat scored a brace each to help Olympic champions Argentina eke out a 4-3 win over Spain, while New Zealand scrapped past France 2-1.

The new hires will work in cutting-edge domains of artificial intelligence, machine learning, IoT, natural language processing, camera technology and 5G networks.

Bollywood heart-throb Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit and renowned music composer A R Rahman dished out enthralling performances, in Bhubaneswar, on Tuesday.

Hosts India, who are looking to win their second World title, are placed in Pool C along with Belgium, South Africa and Canada.

'We are coming into the World Cup with players needing to pay from their own pocket. They paid to be part of the camps. Our challenge is to get the funding in place. We are lucky to have a few sponsors but the sponsorships we have don't really cover the budget of the World Cup.'

India will seek to end 43 years of hurt when they begin the Hockey World Cup campaign against South Africa on Wednesday.

Famed music director A R Rahman will perform in both the opening events in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.

With an increased seating capacity and re-laid new turf, the Stadium is all set to host the 14th edition of the quadrennial showpiece.

India's only World Cup triumph came in the third edition of the championships way back in 1975, after a 2-1 win over Pakistan at Kuala Lumpur.

Creating a nationwide buzz, India's music icon A R Rahman on Thursday shared the teaser video which features Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and him doing the 'Hockey Hook Step'.

The World Cup will begin in Bhubaneswar from November 28 and Rizwan said his team is well prepared to handle the pressures during the prestigious tournament.

As the much-awaited hockey men's World Cup is inching closer, music maestro AR Rahman has shared the glimpse of the much-anticipated official theme song and video of the hockey tournament, slated to be held from November 28 to December 16 in Bhubaneswar.

The mega event begins November 28 and will conclude on December 16 at the city's Kalinga Stadium.

Not only did the Indian High Commission issue visa to the players, the new sponsors have also released nine million Pakistani rupees to cover the team's expenses in the tournament to be held in Bhubaneswar from November 28 to December 16.

Ranji Trophy: Birla scion Aryaman hits maiden first-class ton, MP salvage draw against Bengal

A round-up of Ranji matches played on Wednesday

Veteran striker Sunil's participation in the mega event was always in doubt ever since he picked up a knee injury during the national camp in the lead up to the Asian Champions Trophy held in Muscat last month.

Pakistan Hockey Federation had sought a loan from the PCB to send the team to Bhubaneswar and clear the outstanding dues of players.

The India Test vice-captain has scored just three hundreds and eight fifties from 48 innings since 2016.

Star wrestler Vinesh Phogat on Saturday backed the #MeToo movement that has been sweeping through India, saying the country must find ways to prevent sexual harassment of its women.

The Indian team has set 16.1 as the Yo-Yo test benchmark for the past couple of years and any player failing to clear the test is not selected.

The Committee of Administrators (CoA) has suggested the Supreme Court to take stern action against those named in the Justice Mudgal panel dossier, currently in a sealed envelope with the apex court.

A round-up of Ranji Trophy matches played on Friday

India are favourites to 'steamroll' Australia in the Test series Down Under due to the absence of the experienced duo of Steve Smith and David Warner.

The India Test spinner had one wicket to show in 21 overs during Day 1 of the Ranji Trophy Group B match against Madhya Pradesh.

L Eswar Rao said it took him three days to complete the art.

Heavy rain since evening delayed the start of the final and even though the skies relented later, but by then the damage had already been done.

Heavy rain since evening delayed the start of the final and even though the skies relented later, but by then the damage had already been done.

The MeT department warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall in Gangetic West Bengal till Saturday, ahead of Durga Puja festivities.

'That's the beauty of Naveen.' 'His intermittent support to the NDA and Modi confuses BJP workers in Odisha.' 'It gives an impression that Naveen has a tacit understanding with the NDA and that the BJP will not really challenge him wholeheartedly.'

'I am still hopeful because a week has already passed and recovery from the LCL injury generally takes four weeks. Let's see what happens'

The India Meteorological Department said rainfall would be accompanied by gale wind speed reaching 140 to 150 kmph and gusting to 165 kmph along and off Odisha and north Andhra Pradesh coasts.

Cyclone 'Titli' did dampen the spirits of hockey fans to some extent but not veterans like Dilip Tirkey and Dhanraj Pillay who were excited about the exhibition match played, in Bhubaneswar, on Wednesday.

The court granted bail to Rabri and Tejashwi Yadav in the CBI case on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and a surety of a like amount.

Young pacer Tushar Deshpande recorded his career-best figures of six for 70 to help Mumbai earn a sizeable first innings lead against Railways on the third day of their Ranji Trophy Group A encounter in New Delhi on Saturday.

'In being dismissive of Naveen, his colleagues showed incredible naivety.' 'On the few occasions that he put his foot down, the overconfident party leaders, who believed they were using him and not the other way around, failed to read the signs of what was to come.'

A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday.