21. Which company is the title sponsor of Maharashtra Open tennis tournament?
[A] Byjus
[B] Unacademy
[C] Tata Motors
[D] Paytm
Answer: C [Tata Motors]
Notes:
Automobile major Tata Motors has announced that Tata Safari will be the official partner for the Maharashtra Open tennis tournament.
This is South Asia’s only ATP 250 tournament, which is scheduled to be held in Pune. Tata Motors committed itself as the title sponsor for the fifth consecutive year.
22. Antim Panghal, who was seen in the news, plays which sports?
[A] Chess
[B] Wrestling
[C] Shooting
[D] Badminton
Answer: B [Wrestling]
Notes:
Indian female wrestler Antim Panghal has been nominated for the honour of United World Wrestling Rising Star of the Year
In addition to Panghal, the five women across the world who were nominated for the award include Nonoka Ozaki of Japan, Amit Elor of the US, Emma Malmgren of Sweden, and Andreea Ana of Romania.
23. Who has been named as the captain of the Indian squad for the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023?
[A] Harmanpreet Singh
[B] P.R. Sreejesh
[C] Amit Rohidas
[D] Rupinder Pal Singh
Answer: A [Harmanpreet Singh]
Notes:
Harmanpreet Singh was named the captain of the 18-member Indian squad for the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup.
Hockey India announced the squad for the FIH men’s World Cup scheduled from January 13 to 29, 2023 in Bhubaneswar-Rourkela, Odisha. Amit Rohidas will be his deputy for the event.The Men in Blue will play its opening game against Spain at the newly built Birsa Munda Stadium in Rourkela.
24. Which Asian country has officially recognised e-Sports as part of multi-sports events?
[A] Sri Lanka
[B] India
[C] Bangladesh
[D] China
Answer: B [India]
Notes:
The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, in exercise of the powers conferred by clause (3) of article 77 of the Constitution amended the rules governing E-sports.
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Sports Ministry are asked to include ‘e-Sports as part of multi-sports events’.
25. Who is the first bowler to take a hat-trick in the first over of a Ranji Trophy match?
[A] Jaydev Unadkat
[B] Ravichandran Ashwin
[C] Jasprit Bumrah
[D] Mohammed Shami
Answer: A [Jaydev Unadkat]
Notes:
Saurashtra cricket captain Jaydev Unadkat became the first bowler to take a hat-trick in the first over of a Ranji Trophy match.
The bowler achieved the feat in Saurashtra’s Elite Group B match against Delhi at Rajkot, after picking up six wickets for 29 runs in his nine overs. Unadkat was recently part of India’s squad that toured Bangladesh.
26. Who is the first Indian Tennis player to win a WTA singles title?
[A] Yuki Bhambri
[B] Sania Mirza
[C] Ramkumar Ramanathan
[D] Lakshya Sen
Answer: B [Sania Mirza]
Notes:
Sania Mirza became the first Indian to win a WTA singles title in 2005. She reached her career-high ranking of world number 27 by 2007.
Recently, the 36-year-old has confirmed her retirement from professional Tennis. She will be playing at her final Grand Slam appearance in women’s doubles at the Australian Open alongside Kazakhstan’s Anna Danilina. She will retire at the WTA 1000 event in Dubai. Sania Mirza has won six Grand Slam doubles titles, the first for any Indian.
27. Which state/UT released the ‘Hockey & India — A Golden Legacy’ book by Sportstar on Indian hockey?
[A] Odisha
[B] West Bengal
[C] Andhra Pradesh
[D] Uttar Pradesh
Answer: A [Odisha]
Notes:
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik released the publication titled ‘Hockey & India — A Golden Legacy’ book by Sportstar on Indian hockey.
With 192 pages of old and new pictures from 1928 to the present, the book is a collector’s edition for public in general and fans of Indian sports in particular.
28. For the first time in football history, which country initiated ‘white card’ in a match?
[A] UK
[B] Brazil
[C] Portugal
[D] Argentina
Answer: C [Portugal]
Notes:
A white card was shown for the first time in a women’s cup quarter-final match between Benfica and Sporting Lisbon in Portugal.
The card was initiated by Portugal to try and improve ethical value in the sport. It is in contrast with yellow and red cards which are used to discipline players for misconduct. The exact purpose and consequence of the card are yet to be announced. When a fan fell ill in the stands, the medical teams from both the teams rushed to the spot and the card was shown as an appreciation to the medical teams for their spirit.
29. Who is the only female Indian tennis player to win six grand slams, till date?
[A] Sania Mirza
[B] Saina Nehwal
[C] Ankita Raina
[D] Karman Kaur Thandi
Answer: A [Sania Mirza]
Notes:
Sania Mirza is the first and only female Indian tennis player to win six grand slams, till date. Recently Sania and Rohan Bopanna lose Australian Open mixed doubles title to the Brazilian team.
Sania will retire in February following a competition in Dubai. Sania has won six Grand Slam tournaments, three of which were in mixed doubles and three in women’s doubles championships.
30. Which sportsperson is the brand ambassador of the mining PSU NMDC?
[A] Mary Kom
[B] Nikhat Zareen
[C] Sania Mirza
[D] P V Sindhu
Answer: B [Nikhat Zareen]
Notes:
World Boxing Champion Nikhat Zareen has been chosen to represent mining PSU NMDC as its brand ambassador.
NMDC is the National miner and India’s largest producer of iron ore. Nikhat Zareen is the gold medal winner of Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.