Kalyani, Sep 24 (Football News) FC Goa marched into the Durand Cup semi-finals with a dominating 5-1 win over Delhi FC at the Kalyani stadium, here on Friday. Goals from Devendra Murgaokar, Muhammed Nemil and Brandon Fernandez in the first half along with Leander D'Cunha and Romario Jesuraj adding to the tally in the second half.

Delhi FC got one back courtesy Nikhil Mali.

Delhi created quite a few opportunities in the first quarter but Anwar Ali and Willis Deon Plaza could not convert.

In the 15th minute, Devendra Murgaokar scored the first goal and his fourth of the tournament to put the Gaurs ahead. Muhammed Nemil scored another three minutes later.

Delhi FC had chances in the remaining part of the first half but it was good work from Goa's defence that kept them at bay.

Brandon then lobbed a curler from the left flank over Delhi keeper Lovepreet in added time, to give Goa a big cushion of 3 goals at half time.

Delhi FC looked like they came with a plan in the second half and showed some resilience initially but luck was not smiling at them on the day. They did pull one back in the 82nd minutes. Mali scored a smart goal after an even smarter Willis Plaza dummy inside the Goa box, spoiling the clean-sheet of Dheeraj under the Gaur's bar.

It took Goa just a couple of minutes to regain the three goal cushion as Leander D'Cunha scored from an overhead kick which did not quite catch his foot where he would have liked it to.

Jesuraj scored the fifth and final goal in injury time to seal the deal for FC Goa.

Also Read : Army Red withdraws from Durand Cup quarterfinal after positive COVID-19 cases in squad

News Source : PTI

Vadodara, Sep 24 (Cricket News) Former Australian cricketer and World Cup-winning coach Dav Whatmore has joined the Baroda team as its head coach for the upcoming domestic season.

The development was confirmed to PTI by Baroda Cricket Association secretary Ajit Lele on Friday.

"He (Whatmore) joined the day before yesterday as the head coach and he will guide other coaches also, other age groups," Lele said.

The 67-year-old Whatmore has got years of experience in top-flight cricket and was coach of the Sri Lankan team that won the World Cup in 1996.

He then went on to coach various teams and in the Indian domestic circuit, he has had Kerala under his tutelage.

His last assignment was with Nepal.

The BCCI has already announced the domestic schedule for the 2021-22 season and this time the Ranji Trophy will also be played after it had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic last season.

Also Read : Women's ODI: Mandhana's 86 steers India to 274/7 against Australia

News Source : PTI

Dubai, Sep 24 (Cricket News) Uncapped medium pacer Umran Malik was on Friday named as a short-term COVID-19 replacement for T Natarajan in the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad for the ongoing Indian Premier League.

Natarajan had tested positive for COVID-19 before the team's fixture against Delhi Capitals on Wednesday.

"Sunrisers Hyderabad have brought in medium pacer Umran Malik as a short-term COVID-19 replacement for T Natarajan for their VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 campaign," an IPL release stated.

The 21-year-old Malik has played one T20 and List A match for Jammu Kashmir and has picked a total of four wickets. He is already part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad as a net bowler.

"Under the Regulation 6.1 (c), franchises are allowed to sign a short-term replacement player until the original squad member is permitted to re-enter the team's bio-secure environment." "Hence, Malik will only be a part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad side until Natarajan recovers and is allowed to join the team," the release added.

The left-arm pacer is currently under isolation for 10 days and will have to test negative twice before being allowed back into the bubble.

The 30-year-old Natarajan has 20 IPL wickets from 24 matches.

Also Read : SRH's India player T Natarajan tests positive, match against DC to go ahead as scheduled

News Source : PTI

Jamshedpur, Sep 24 (Football News) The Indian women's football team will play multiple international friendlies, starting next week in the UAE, as part of its preparation for the 2022 AFC Asian Cup at home.

According to the itinerary unveiled by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the women's team, which has been training in a camp in Jamshedpur for around a month, will play two friendlies against the United Arab Emirates and Tunisia. The team will leave for the UAE on September 30.

The Indian Women's Team will then travel to Bahrain to play two more friendlies against Bahrain and Chinese Taipei.

That is likely to be followed by a brief stint in Sweden, where they are set to face two Damallsvenskan league teams, subject to permission to Indian citizens arriving in Sweden from relevant authorities.

"Besides the four matches against UAE, Tunisia, Chinese Taipei and Bahrain, we also have two confirmed matches against two Swedish premier league teams," Head Coach Thomas Dennerby said in a release issued by AIFF.

"We are in the process of sorting out the travel protocol to the country as entry of Indian citizens to Sweden is still not open yet.

"I appreciate the efforts of the AIFF in finding us teams willing to play matches against us under such circumstances." Dennerby said the quarantine rules in different countries in wake of COVID-19 has left India with very few options.

"We have been training in Jamshedpur for a month, in our quest to prepare for the AFC Women's Asian Cup India 2020 (January-February)," he said.

"Unfortunately, the current pandemic situation is tough and the reality is that there are different quarantine restrictions in different countries which kills many options for the Indian teams as entry for Indians in some countries is either still not yet open, or involves a major quarantine period." Dennerby has already spoken about the importance of playing quality matches to get the girls match fit ahead of the big tournament, and he believes that the friendlies in UAE and Bahrain will help the team assess itself.

"The matches in UAE and Bahrain will allow us to judge ourselves where we stand against some good competitive opponents. Teams need to build up their defence, and also the build-up process, and all of that is judged in an international match," the coach said.

The Indian women's team, as part of their preparation for the AFC Asian Cup, will be based out of Jamshedpur, training in facilities provided by the Jharkhand Government.

"It's difficult to arrange such things during a pandemic, and it has been very helpful to have the facilities to train in Jamshedpur. The Jharkhand Government has left no stone unturned in providing us with the necessary facilities, and we are all thankful for that," he said.

"I hope with the correct mixture of training and friendlies against quality opponents, we can be more than ready for the Asian Cup."

Also Read : Kochi to host women's international tournament in December ahead of AFC Asian Cup next year

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Sept 24 (Hockey News) He played a pivotal role in India's historic hockey bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics and midfielder Simranjeet Singh's next aim is to further hone his skills to become a regular feature in the team for the upcoming events, including next year's Asian Games.

Singh had scored twice as the Indian men's team defeated Germany 5-4 in the thrilling bronze-medal play-off at Tokyo.

"I feel very fortunate, honestly. It was a great experience I had in Tokyo and my aim was to execute the role I was given to perfection," he said in a release issued by Hockey India (HI) on Friday.

"Now, I am waiting to return to the camp and analyse our performance in detail and understand the areas I can further work on and improve." Singh was part of the India Colts team that lifted the FIH Junior Men's World Cup in Lucknow back in 2016.

"That victory in Lucknow truly changed our lives for good. It really was the stepping stone for many of us and the journey so far has been fantastic," he said.

"From here on, my aim is only to get better and be part of India's upcoming campaigns at the FIH Hockey Pro League, Asian Games and so on. There is still a lot that I feel I can improve upon." With the FIH Men's Junior World Cup scheduled to be held in India starting November 24, Singh is excited that the best talents from across the world will get to experience the facilities in Bhubaneswar.

"It is great that the best junior players from across the globe will get to experience the world-class facilities in Bhubaneswar.

"We have played in many venues across the world but playing in Odisha is always special because of the facilities there, the Odisha State Government's hospitality and the fans.

"I am really happy that hockey festivities are returning to India after nearly two years of no action in the country due to COVID-19. I hope all the players enjoy the tournament and wish them good luck," Singh signed off.

Also Read : Odisha to host Hockey Junior World Cup in Nov-Dec: CM

News Source : PTI

(Football news) The World Cup 2022 hosted in Qatar will be a unique one, especially considering that while the tournament is traditionally held during the summer break once the season ends, this particular World Cup will be held in the middle of the domestic season. The question on everybody’s mind is how will the football world incorporate the biggest football tournament in the world right in the middle of the domestic league campaigns? How will it affect the fitness and fatigue of the players and how viable of an option is it to begin with?

The Premier League is expected to break next season after the weekend of November 12th before resuming fixtures on Boxing Day. This means that players will just have one week to prepare in their national team camps before participating in the World Cup and only eight days to recover if they reach the finals on December 18th. Keeping this in mind, the Premier League has decided to start a week earlier than usual, which means next season will begin on Saturday, August 6th and finish later than usual, with the league campaign concluding in late May while the FA Cup has been shifted to June.

In a scheduled meeting by executives of all 20 Premier League clubs, a number of issues were discussed including the programme for the 2022/2023 season and the COVID-19 protocols including the need for Covid passports. Christian Purslow, Aston Villa’s Chief Executive described the prospect of a winter World Cup as “crazy”. In an interview, Purslow said "Next season when we play in an equally crazy idea, which is a winter World Cup, we won't see any Premier League football at the peak of our season between November and December, which is something that people are going to have to get used to.

"These are decisions that were taken a long time ago. They bite, quite soon. Next season, we'll all see that. I always have concerns about player welfare but I have more concerns for our fans missing Premier League football in the winter for five weeks, which is our great national tradition and our great national heritage."

In addition, the 2021/2022 EFL season is also expected to begin earlier than usual and will begin in July to accommodate the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The matches will now begin on the weekend of 30th and 31st July and will pause after the weekend of November 12th and 13th. However, the EFL will resume soon after the group stage ends but no date has been finalized yet. As per the current plan, no extension would be required for the EFL to conclude their campaign with the finals expected to be played on the bank holiday weekend at the end of May. League One and League Two are expected to continue their seasons as usual.

Also read: North London derby and Chelsea vs Manchester City headline massive gameweek 6

Dubai, Sep 23 (Cricket News) The ICC on Thursday launched the official anthem of the upcoming T20 World Cup along with a campaign film featuring 'avatars' of Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli and West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard.

The tournament will begin on October 17 in Oman and UAE, with the final to be played in Dubai on November 14.

Composed by Bollywood music director Amit Trivedi, an animated film features young fans from all over the world engaged in T20I cricket and includes some of the sport's biggest superstars.

India captain Kohli leads the group of players brought to life as 'avatars' in the animation, that interact with each other throughout.

Kohli is joined by fellow captain Pollard of the reigning champions, West Indies as well as Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell and Rashid Khan of Afghanistan.

Launched in collaboration with ICC's global broadcast partner Star Sports, the film premiers worldwide on Thursday across ICC, BCCI, and Star Sports' social media handles.

The animation features a brand-new broadcast technology that blends both 3D and 2D effects to create the film.

A production team of over 40 people, including designers, modellers, matte painters, animators, lighters, and compositors, worked round-the-clock to produce the final version.

A total of 16 countries, featuring the sport's biggest names and best teams, will compete in the sport's biggest event since the COVID-19 pandemic.

"There is something magical and special about putting on the West Indies jersey and stepping onto the field," said Pollard.

"This upcoming World Cup will give us more special moments. We know our fans will be fully engaged, watching, and supporting and we want to give them plenty to cheer about," he added.

The opening fixture of the tournament takes place on October 17 as Oman take on men's T20 World Cup debutants Papua New Guinea at Muscat's Oman Cricket Academy.

Claire Furlong, ICC General Manager, Marketing and Communications said: "Cricket has more than a billion fans around the world, and we wanted to put our young fans in the heart of the action alongside their heroes and allow them to live the game."

Also Read : The fantastic four who have made a mark in the T20 game for the country and in IPL

News Source : PTI

Palm Beach (USA), Sep 23 (Golf News) Eager to be back on the course after a month-long break, Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri will compete in next week's Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, hoping to present a stronger and faster version of himself.

Having recovered from a tough season, and despite losing valuable time, tournaments and physical strength after contracting the COVID-19 infection, Lahiri did exceedingly to qualify for the Olympics.

He also managed a punishing schedule and kept his PGA Tour card even as many top stars lost their full playing rights.

Lahiri recognises that the way he played towards the end of the season and even got into the Play-offs after a long time, augured well for the coming year.

"I knew I was getting into my rhythm. So I want to continue with the same mindset. So, the key is to start this season in the same vein, albeit fresher, stronger, faster and I will be able to manage my schedule better and not have to wait till the last minute," he said.

Talking about the off-season, Lahiri said it was mostly spent rejuvenating in the company of his family.

"It has been a good month; a much-needed month which started off by taking some time off with the family to vacation. That was a first after a couple of years. It was probably what I needed after the hectic end to the schedule.

"Physically I found myself quite drained and I think I played like seven out of nine weeks to finish the year. That included travel to Japan and back and the play offs," said Lahiri.

"...the Olympics; managing the travel and the fatigue and the energy levels. Frankly, there was a lot on my plate and I am quite pleased with the way I handled the pressure with the COVID situation.

"I am glad I was able to do that and I had to dig deep. I am proud of how I managed that." Lahiri, who last won in 2015 at the Hero Indian Open and then made his move to the PGA Tour by the end of that year, is still looking for his first win on the PGA Tour.

"I was totally spent every which way and all this happened within 3-4 months of having COVID. The last two and a half weeks or so I have gotten back in the gym; have started working out a little bit more trying to work on endurance as much as possible.

"At the same time, I am trying to keep an eye on all my parameters...I am recovering my strength and have been in touch with my coach Vijay Divecha as well and just trying to get back into the same rhythm that I had found towards the end of the season last year." The Indian ace, who has now spent more than seven seasons on the PGA Tour, the toughest professional golf Tour in the world, is now all set to start the 2021-22 season next week.

"I want to hit the ground running and check some things off my list," added Lahiri.

Also Read : Saudi International, Asian Tour come together for historic USD 5 million event to start 2022 season

News Source : PTI

Kolkata, Sep 23 (Football News) Army Red were on Thursday forced to withdraw from their Durand Cup quarterfinal against FC Bengaluru United after COVID-19 cases were detected in their squad, allowing their opponents to move into the last-four stage.

The match was scheduled for Friday but has now been called off.

"The Local Organising Committee (LOC) of 130th Durand Cup, has called off the quarterfinal game between Army Red and (FCBU) scheduled for Friday, September 24, 2021, at the Kalyani stadium due to positive COVID cases reported in the Army Red squad," a media release said.

"All decisions have been taken, keeping in mind the health and safety of players and officials primarily and the continuity and success of the tournament," the release added.

The other quarterfinal between Goa and Delhi FC will be held as scheduled on Friday. 

Also Read : Full vaccination mandatory for I-League players, except U-18 and those recovered from COVID recently

News Source : PTI

(Football news) The words Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are firmly associated with decades of dominance in world football, a bucket load of goals and many Ballon d’Or awards. With the number of records each of these footballers have broken, their achievements both individually and collectively with the team, it’s no wonder that both of them have also been the highest paid athletes in their respective sports for a very long time.

With both these iconic legends moving away from their clubs this summer, as Cristiano Ronaldo rejoined Manchester United and Lionel Messi shocked the sporting world by moving to Paris Saint-Germain from his boyhood club Barcelona, their new deals have also changed the dynamics of who is paid more. According to a report by Forbes, Ronaldo is now the highest paid footballer in the world, earning $125 million before taxes in the 2021/2022 season. Ofcourse, being the world’s most popular athlete with a combined number of followers amounting to nearly half a billion across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter helps, with commercial deals with Nike, Herbalife, Clear and the CR7 brand amounting to nearly $50 million of his revenue.

Only three other active athletes, namely Roger Federer ($90 million), LeBron James ($65 million) and Tiger Woods ($60 million) earn more than the Portuguese superstar commercially. However, Cristiano’s longtime rival Lionel Messi earns about $110 million, nearly $15 million less than the current Manchester United player. This is because Messi’s endorsements with Adidas, Pepsi, watchmaker Jacobs & Co. and Budweiser earn him $35 million, significantly lower than Ronaldo. Paris Saint-Germain currently employs three of the top five earners in world football with Neymar in the third position with an estimated value of $95 million and Kylian Mbappe in the fourth position with $43 million.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the top 10 highest paid footballers will earn an estimated $585 million before tax, about $15 million more than last year with salaries and bonuses amounting to nearly $415 million of the total. These figures are despite the report by Europe’s governing body UEFA, which claimed top flight clubs endured an $8.5 million pandemic related revenue loss.

Also read: Manchester United crash out of the Carabao Cup while Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham progress to Round 4
 

Dubai, Sep 23 (Cricket News) Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Trevor Bayliss has asserted that their pacer T Natarajan's positive COVID-19 result did not impact their performance against Delhi Capitals on Wednesday since all the players are used to last-minute setbacks. The game went ahead after other members of SRH squad tested negative but Delhi Capitals cruised to an eight-wicket win with 13 balls to spare.

"I don't think that would have affected the result of the match. They played way too well for us tonight. It was a little bit of an upset," Bayliss said at the post-match press conference.

"Natarajan was going to play, but these guys are professional players. Every now and then, there's an injury just before play and you have got to make a late replacement. So, I am sure all of the players are, in a way, used to that. But we hope Nattu (Natarajan) gets over it pretty quickly and we can move on," added Bayliss.

The Sunrisers Hyderabad coach said Delhi Capitals' world-class tall pacers used the wicket pretty well and deserve the credit for scripting their team's victory.

South African pace duo of Kagiso Rabada (3/37) and Anrich Nortje (2/12) wreaked havoc to help DC restrict SRH to 134 for 9 on Wednesday night in an IPL match. The Rishabh Pant-led side then cruised to the target in just 17.5 overs. "Give Delhi the credit. They bowled particularly well. They have got some world-class bowlers and upfront some world-class very fast bowlers, so they had a good day. We didn't have such a good day and that's the game of cricket," Bayliss said. "Their bowlers upfront bowled exceedingly well. A lot of pace and used the wicket well with cutters, with the ball just holding in the wicket little bit and jumping up a little-bit, those tall fast bowlers took full advantage of it." With Natarajan missing from the playing XI, SRH went in with left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed and speedster Sandeep Sharma had to play a different role.

Sandeep was introduced late in the attack as Khaleel opened the bowling with seasoned Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

"Khaleel (Ahmed) in our practice matches has probably been one of our best bowlers. He was getting the ball to move around in those practice games. He is a little bit taller.

"We thought the balls for the taller guys were sticking in the wicket. He basically bowled quite well. It was one of those things, trying to fit three new ball bowlers into two.

"Today, we went with Khaleel, which meant Sandy (Sandeep Sharma) had to play a little bit of a different role," Bayliss said.

Also Read : I respect team's decision to let Pant stay as captain: Iyer

News Source : PTI

Dubai, Sep 23 (Cricket News) Shreyas Iyer says he relished captaining the Delhi Capitals in the IPL but completely respects the team management's decision to let Rishabh Pant stay as leader of the pack till the end of the 2021 season.

Iyer had led the Capitals to the summit clash of the 2020 season but he missed the first phase of this year's season due to a shoulder injury and the management asked Pant to captain the side.

The 26-year-old returned to the side before IPL's resumption after the COVID-19 forced break but the Capitals chose not to change the leader again, keeping Pant in the captain's chair.

The young Mumbai batsman, who hit a blistering 47 in team's win on Wednesday night, said he understands team's policy and has no complaints.

"When I was given the captaincy, I was in a different frame of mind and my decision-making and temperament level was very good and I benefited from it in the last two years," Iyer said at the post-match press conference.

"This is part of the decision-making from the franchise or whatever decision they took, I respect the fact and Rishabh is leading the side well from the start of the season and they thought that he should be continued till the season end and I completely respect the decision," he added.

The 26-year-old said he continues to enjoy the pressure situation as he thrives in such circumstances.

"And no drastic change has come that my focus has increased in batting. when I was captain, I like to soak in the pressure, when there is pressure, there are more challenges and, in such situations, I perform, that is my mind-set.

"Even today (Wednesday) when I went in, there was pressure to win the game. The wicket was playing uneven, so the mind-set is the same that being a main part of the team, you have to finish the match and whenever I play, my mindset is that I play till the last ball and see to it that I make the team win." The aggressive batsman it is a "really good feeling" to contribute in team's win in his first match post comeback.

"I wouldn't say that I'm satisfied because the hunger has just gone up and the appetite keeps on increasing every match you play, so yeah, not satisfied or not contained," he said after DC demolished Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets.

Iyer said the injury period was difficult for him but he had the right people around him.

"I have a very close-knit family and friends and they never made me feel that I was going through an injury.

"When I got injured, it was really difficult for me to adapt (to) the fact that I was injured because I keep doing so many activities here and there and I never think about that situation and that occurred, so it was really tough for me to adapt.

"They kept me busy and in a positive frame of mind and never made me feel that I am going through an injury.

"When the rehab started and I started gaining strength, that feeling was really amazing and that put me in a really good frame of mind that I will come back positive and strong," shared the top-order batsman.

Delhi Capitals is at the top of the table and Iyer said the key now is to maintain the momentum.

"When we came in here, we were still on the top of the table and we have to maintain the same rhythm that we created in the first half of the leg and the mindset has been really positive in the dugout," he said.

Also Read : SRH's India player T Natarajan tests positive, match against DC to go ahead as scheduled

News Source : PTI

London, Sep 22 (Cricket News) Former captain Michael Atherton says it was strange that England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) called off the Pakistan tour, citing players' welfare but allowed them a three-month window to play the IPL.

In a scathing assessment of ECB's decision, Atherton said it was worse than India's recent withdrawal from the Manchester Test.

There are questions in England cricket fraternity on how a few England players, who would have had to play the short white-ball series in Pakistan, can now play for their IPL franchises in the play-offs if required.

"Citing player welfare is strange when the ECB has essentially washed its hands of its players’ travel and cricketing commitments for three months of the year so that they can play in the Indian Premier League," Atherton wrote in his column for 'The Times'.

"If, as an employer, it is so wary of bubble and cricket fatigue, surely it should take more interest in the players' availability for the IPL?," he was blunt in questioning the ECB decision.

"Now, of course, those who are playing in the tournament will be available for the knockout stages. It suits India and England, but not Pakistan, who have no direct stake, their players being barred still from the competition." Atherton said it was difficult to understand the reasoning behind the decision.

"This decision is worse than England's withdrawal from South Africa last winter and India's cancellation of the Manchester Test this month. While both those actions were hard to justify, they were at least understandable given Covid had come into close proximity to both teams." Atherton said he understands that the "sense of anger and betrayal in Pakistan is real and understandable," after England pulled out from their away series without any tangible reason.

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) cited concerns from players rather than security issues, which was the reason for New Zealand to pull their team out of the tour after being in the country for more than a week.

Atherton in his column made it clear that both administrators and players were wrong in selling a dummy to Pakistan when they should have shown gratitude for their magnanimity last year when they toured UK in midst of a raging pandemic.

"English cricket, the governing body and players, had a chance to do the right thing this week. They had a chance to repay a debt, uphold their honour and side with a cricketing nation that has undergone challenges others cannot even begin to contemplate. Instead, citing a mealy-mouthed statement, they did the wrong thing," he wrote.

Atherton felt that Pakistan's worst fears were always going to come true as 'low expectations of England's responses were duly met" once New Zealand called off their tour.

The former England captain also feels that Australia's decision to tour Pakistan won't be any different.

"Australia's reputation for doing the right thing is as bad as England's, so it would be a surprise if they front up in February. Pakistan will be facing a financial hammer blow," he further wrote.

Atherton observed that while it was completely understandable that a lot of players are suffering from bubble fatigue in COVID-19 times, the ECB could still have picked a team to tour Pakistan.

"Player welfare is an important issue, especially so with Covid, and the implication is that the wariness of travelling to Pakistan after New Zealand's withdrawal would exacerbate those concerns. The players were spooked.

"Player welfare in this regard does not wash: while many players have spent long periods in Covid-restricted environments, there are many within the English game who have not, and who could have been asked to tour if others were unavailable." Atherton didn't want to believe that ECB couldn't find 14 willing players "It was incumbent upon the ECB to try to put out a team, any team, once the security arrangements were deemed satisfactory. When a Covid outbreak ruled out England’s one-day squad in July, the ECB was happy to play Pakistan with a second/third team. Why not now? " Atherton understands the anger of new PCB chairman Ramiz Raja.

"They do not expect England to travel, despite the commitment, and have lost any trust and faith in them. It is hard to blame them."

Also Read : ICC charges Marlon Samuels for breaching anti-corruption code

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Sep 22 (Football News) All the footballers taking part in the I-League starting in December will have to be fully vaccinated except for U-18 players and those who have recently recovered from COVID-19 infection, League CEO Sunando Dhar said on Wednesday.

The I-League 2021-22 is expected to be held under bio-secure environment with strict COVID-19 protocols in Kolkata and its surrounding suburbs.

"It will be mandatory for all the players and officials taking part in the I-League and I-League qualifiers to have both doses of COVID-19 vaccination. The only exception will be the players who are under-18 years and those who cannot be vaccinated due to recent recovery from the infection," Dhar told PTI in an interview.

"Last year, double dose vaccination was not mandatory but we have made it mandatory this time. In that sense, it is stricter this time," he added.

The U-18 players and those who have not got their jabs due to recent COVID-19 recovery will have to undergo more frequent testing during the tournament than the vaccinated players.

"If the fully vaccinated players are having test for every 5-6 days, they (U-18 players and recently recovered players) will be tested every 3-4 days," he said.

All the players and officials are also required to remain in quarantine for six days in their respective hotels after arrival. They will be tested twice during those six days.

Anybody who tested positive will be isolated in a different floors of the hotel and he will have to have three consecutive negative test results before joining their team-mates.

Dhar said it will be more challenging to manage the bio-bubble this time as 13 teams are competing as against 11 last year. The 13 teams and match officials will be put up in a bio-bubble comprising three hotels. Last year, the 11 I-League teams were put up in two hotels in Kolkata.

"We have the experience of last year, we were the first in the country to stage tournaments inside a bio-bubble. So we already have a template to follow.

"But the challenge will be to live up to expectations. Moreover, there are two teams more this time than last year. So, more matches and longer duration of the league. But we are hoping we will pull it off smoothly just like last year." He also said that only six COVID-19 cases were reported during last year's I-League out of the 12500 tests conducted.

Dhar also made a point that the AIFF's COVID-19 management abilities have been appreciated by other countries also.

"I had gone to Kathmandu for a workshop organised by All Nepal Football Association. I was invited to make a presentation on the bio-bubble management of the AIFF so that they can learn and apply in their domestic competitions," he said.

The I-League qualifiers will be played in Bangalore starting October 4 among 10 teams from which one will be promoted to the I-League. Out of the 10 teams, seven are new teams. Last year, only five teams competed in the I-League qualifiers.

"We had put all the players and officials inside one hotel last time. This time, we will use two hotels in Bangalore as bio-bubble.

"Seven teams will be in one hotel and the other three teams along with match officials will occupy another hotel. The players and match officials in the second hotel will occupy different sections." The matches will be played in front of empty stadium.

He said there will be live streaming of the I-League qualifier matches and even they are trying for live broadcast the games on television.

Dhar also said that it was unfortunate that the Golden Baby League grasssroot programme and other age group leagues have to be stopped due to the pandemic. The All India Football Federation is, however, hoping to resume the programmes next year.

On the Indian Women's League, which was not held this season due to the second wave of the pandemic, Dhar said, "It should happen in March-April next year after the Women's AFC Asian Cup."

Also Read : Delhi FC reach Durand Cup quarterfinals with 1-0 win over Kerala Blasters

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Sep 22 (Badminton News) The Indian men's doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy has pulled out of the Sudirman Cup mixed team championships on medical grounds.

The World no.10 pair was part of the 12-member Indian team announced by the Badminton Association of India for the prestigious event to be held from September 26 to October 3 in Finland.

"Chirag and Satwik have withdrawn on medical grounds as the former is not well," a BAI source told PTI.

"It is also uncertain if they will participate in the Thomas Cup which will be held after the Sudirman Cup. It will be subject to Chirag's recovery from illness." The nature of illness couldn't be ascertained as neither Chirag nor Satwik answered calls.

The Thomas and Uber Cup will be held from October 9 to 17 at Aarhus in Denmark.

Double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu had already requested not to be considered for the two events citing post Olympics recovery.

The Sudirman Cup will be the first BWF tournament to be held this year since the world body was forced to cancel or reschedule a number of events due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Chirag and Satwik's absence, the onus will be on Dhruv Kapila and MR Arjun, who were the top-ranked doubles pair in the selection trials, to win India the men's doubles matches in the tournament, which comprises two singles and three doubles ties in a rubber.

The squad also comprises Kidambi Srikanth, B Sai Praneeth, women's doubles pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy and youngsters such as Malvika Bansod, Aditi Bhatt, Tanisha Crasto, Rutuparna Panda.

The biennial tournament will see the Indian team competing against defending champions China, Thailand and hosts Finland in Group A. 

Also Read : BWF cancels Syed Modi International badminton tournament

News Source : PTI

Dubai, Sep 22 (Cricket News) Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer T Natarajan has tested positive for COVID-19 but the team's IPL match against Delhi Capitals on Wednesday will go ahead as scheduled, the BCCI said.

Left-arm pacer Natarajan, who is coming back from a knee surgery, has been isolated along with six close contacts which also include out of favour India all-rounder Vijay Shankar.

"Sunrisers Hyderabad player T Natarajan tested positive for COVID-19 at a scheduled RT-PCR test. The player has isolated himself from the rest of the squad. He is currently asymptomatic," a BCCI release stated.

"The rest of the contingent including the close contacts underwent RT-PCR tests at 5AM local time this morning and the test reports are negative.

"As a result, tonight's game between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals will go ahead at the Dubai International Stadium, Dubai," it further stated.

The close contacts identified by the medical team also include Vijay Kumar(Team Manager), Shyam Sundar J (Physiotherapist), Anjana Vannan (Doctor), Tushar Khedkar (Logistics Manager), and Periyasamy Ganesan (Net Bowler).

The IPL resumed here on Sunday after it had to be halted in May due to multiple COVID cases in its bio-bubble when the event was being staged in India.

Also Read : IPL: Delhi Capitals take on struggling Sunrisers Hyderabad in match 33

News Source : PTI

Bellary, Sep 21 (Boxing News) Rohit Mor stunned defending champion Mohammad Hussamuddin but the accomplished duo of Shiva Thapa and Sanjeet lived up to expectations by clinching gold medals in their respective weight categories at the Men's National Boxing Championships here on Tuesday.

Deepak Kumar (51kg), Akash (54kg), Akash (67), Sumit (75kg), Sachin Kumar (80kg), Lakshya (86kg) and Narender (+92kg) also secured gold medals by winning their respective final bouts at the Inspire Institute of Sports. All of them are from Services team.

All the gold medal winners of the National Championships will represent India at the World Championships scheduled in Belgrade, Serbia from October 24 to November 6.

All of them, except Shiva, will be competing in their maiden world championships.

Delhi boxer Mor dished out a dominating 5-0 win over Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Hussamuddin, one of the strong contenders for the title in the 57kg.

Reigning Asian champion Sanjeet, also representing Services, outclassed Haryana’s Naveen Kumar by unanimous decision.

Seasoned boxer Shiva Thapa of Assam, a bronze medallist at the 2015 world championships and also a five-time Asian medallist, successfully defended his title as he recorded an easy 5-0 win over Dalveer Singh Tomar of Services in the 63.5kg final.

Karnataka’s Nishant Dev also continued his brilliant run at the championships. He blanked Amit Kumar of Daman, Diu & Nagar Haveli to win the 71kg title.

Deepak, an Asian championships silver medallist, was adjudged best boxer of the championships for his impressive performance.

Services defended their team championship title as they won 12 medals -- 8 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze.

Railway (2 gold, 2 bronze and 3 silver) and Delhi (1 gold, 4 bronze) claimed the second and third position respectively.

For Railways, Varinder Singh (60kg) and Govind Sahani (48kg) claimed gold medals with identical unanimous victories. While the 2021 Asian Championships bronze medallist Varinder defeated Services' Etash Khan Muhammed, Govind got the better of Chandigarh’s Kuldeep Kumar.

The Championships, which returned after a gap of one year due to COVID-19 pandemic, saw participation of 35 States/UT units and Boards and close to 400 boxers.

While the gold and silver medallists from each category of the Championships will also get direct entry into the national coaching camp, the two bronze medallists will take part in the selection trials where they will compete alongside the boxers representing the second team of top-3 teams of the last National Championships -- Services, Railways and Haryana.

The announcement of the remaining two names for the national camp will be made on September 24 on the basis of results of the selection trials.

Also Read : Shiva, Sanjeet, Hussamuddin one win away from world championship selection

News Source : PTI

Bengaluru, Sep 20 (Sports News): Bengaluru racers - Ruhaan Alva, Rohaan Madesh and Nikhilesh Raju - won the three titles on offer in the Meco FMSCI National Karting Championship here recently.

Alva clinched the Senior title in the NC Racing MSport X30 India class in an emphatic manner while Rohaan Madesh (Junior) and Nikhilesh Raju (Cadet) had to fend off stiff challenge from their rivals to take the top spot.

Local lad Nigel Thomas took the second place in the Seniors section and Zarah Misra the third in the Cadets.

Fifteen year-old Alva (167 points) was in a league of his own, impressing in each of the five rounds that were held under prescribed Covid-19 norms. In Rounds 2, 3 and 4, he won each of the four races that eventually proved to be the difference.

In the final round too, he suffered only one minor setback, taking the second position in the second race. But by then he had already sealed the championship.

In the Juniors, Rohaan Madesh (146 points) had to ward off a stiff challenge from Jaden Pariat (134) and younger brother Ishaan (130). Final championship table: Cadet: 1. Nikhilesh Raju (Bangalore; 167 points); 2. Arafath Sheikh (Pune; 157); 3. Zarah Misra (Bangalore; 76) Junior: 1. Rohaan Madesh (Bangalore; 146); 2. Jaden Pariat (Guwahati; 134); Ishaan Madesh (Bangalore; 130) Senior: 1. Ruhaan Alva (Bangalore; 190); 2. Nigel Thomas (Bangalore; 120); 3. Nirmal Umashankar (Chennai 3). 

Also Read : After winning 200m gold in only his 2nd senior level race, Amlan Borgohain wants to just run fast

News Source : PTI

Dubai, Sep 21 (Cricket News) Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting feels his young skipper Rishabh Pant's level of maturity "has gone through the roof" in the last couple of seasons as he has evolved from a swashbuckling keeper-batsman to a leader of the pack.

The 23-year-old Pant was given the responsibility to lead Delhi Capitals in the first phase of IPL 2021 after regular captain Shreyas Iyer was ruled out due to a shoulder injury.

"Rishabh's level of maturity in the last two seasons has gone through the roof," Ponting, one of the game's all-time greats, described the cricketer on Tuesday.

"When I first came in, he just burst on to the scene. I had said we are going to see the unearthing of someone who is going to play for India for a long time. I could see that coming. I could see how much he wanted to be in every Indian team..

"It will take a very good player to knock him off that Indian team." Under Pant's captaincy, DC reached their maiden IPL final last season though they lost to Mumbai Indians in the summit showdown in the UAE.

"He has done a terrific job so far (leading DC in IPL). We are all striving for something special. This year we want to go one step further and Rishabh is going to play an intergral part in that." Before the first phase of the league had started in India earlier this year, Ponting had backed Pant as the team's skipper in the absence of Iyer, stating that the youngster would enjoy the extra responsibility.

And he did as DC topped the standings with six wins from eight matches before COVID-19 cases in the IPL's bio-bubble led to a suspension of the event.

Eager to in their first silverware, Pant said the team needs to give just 10-15 percent more than last season.

"We are better than last time this year. We have been focussing on the process for two-three years. We don't have to do too many things differently from last year. We can do the same things and give 10-15 percent extra," Pant said on the eve of their opening game against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

With the presence of people like Marcus Stoinis and Shimron Hetmyer in the team, besides Pant, the Australian legend has a lot of confidence in his middle-order.

"Stoinis has had actually really big impact on us. He has the talent to be a great all-rounder in world cricket, especially in white-ball. We have got a lot of finishing power there with Hetmyer, Stoinis and Pant... makes our batting lineup really strong and really deep." Ponting is delighted to have Shreyas back in the squad, lending additional firepower to the batting lineup.

"I am delighted to have him back in the team. He has been an exceptional player for Delhi, a world-class player. It does make our team look a little more complete." He said the inclusion of Shreyas in the playing XI will not disturb their bowling combination that has two highly effective South African pacers in Kagiso Rabada and Andre Nortje.

Ponting said the vibe and atmosphere around his group is good going into their first game in the second phase of the league.

DC have plenty of senior players in their ranks including Steve Smith, Ajinkya Rahane and Ravichandran Ashwin, and some of them often miss out on game time, but the head coach said managing them has never been an issue as he treats everyone equally.

"I manage everyone the same way, everyone is on the same page in our team. We treat each other equally, that's certainly the way we try to go about. We have a good mix of youth and experience..

"We also do rely on our senior players as, at the end of the day, Rishabh is not always going to be right. So we bring everybody along the journey." Pant said the team's performance in the first half is good from the psychological point of view but they don't talk about what happened few months ago.

"That performance in first half counts obviously but we just want to focus one match at a time. We don't discuss that as a team and focus on our process.

"As a player, I don't think too much. I try to make most of the opportunity I get, move on, and keep learning everyday." Asked about his biggest learning from his predecessor in the Indian team -- the legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni -- Pant said, "Focus on the process and results will follow." When asked about his leadership, he said, "I just try to keep the environment light. Anyone can discuss anything with me or Ricky. The combination of youth and experience helps us to go forward.

"I have learned from Ricky that everyone should be treated equally in the team -- players and also the support staff. Only then special things happen and as a skipper, that's the only thing you want." About Wednesday's opponents, Ponting observed that SRH are not a high-scoring side but "they back their defensive side of the game" and are always up for a scrap.

"We feel like we are well prepare. I am very confident that our boys will get the job done." 

Also Read : We've given ourselves a good chance to qualify for playoffs: Rabada

News Source : PTI
 

New Delhi, Sep 21 (Sports News) He has won a gold with the fifth fastest time ever by an Indian in only his second 200m competition at senior level but Assam youngster, Amlan Borgohain, wants to take one step at a time and refuses to harbour lofty ambitions.

The 23-year-old Borgohain, hailing from Meleng village in Assam's Jorhat district, claimed the men's 200m gold on Sunday with a time of 20.75 seconds during the National Open Championships in Warangal, Telengana.

His time was the second fastest on the country's soil and fifth fastest ever by an Indian after national record holder Muhammed Anas Yahia (20.63), Dharambir Singh (20.66), Arokia Rajiv (20.66) and Anil Kumar (20.73).

"It was my first senior level 200m final race since I started taking part at senior level in 2019 and I don't have any international experience," Borgohain told PTI in an interview from Bhubaneswar, where he is training at the Reliance Foundation Odisha Athletics High Performance Centre (HPC) since April last year.

His first senior level 200m race was during the 2019 National Open Championships in Ranchi, where he had clocked 21.99 seconds. He had also won a silver in the 100m dash with a creditable time of 10.34 seconds in Warangal.

Asked what are his targets, he said, "I have just started my career and I want to just run fast.

"Olympics is any athlete's ultimate dream but, at the moment, I am not looking very far. I want to take one step at a time. My coach is there to help me and chalk out my future course of action." Borgohain is under the tutelage of Welshman James Hillier, the head coach at the Reliance Foundation HPC, who has mentored the likes of Rio Olympics 4x400m relay bronze medallist Emily Diamond in the past.

"Of course, there is Asian Games and Commonwealth Games next year but I am not going to put pressure on him by telling him about medals. There is a lot of room for improvement and we are focussing on that.

"He is certainly the best 200m runner in the country at the moment. I am planning to take him to Europe next year to compete on the European circuit and get some more experience competing against quality foreign athletes.

"He has the right attributes to become a top-class athlete. He is always eager to learn, wants to work hard and also very actively participates in anything, not the kind of shy or reticent athlete, he is the leader of any pack." Borgohain also took part in the Federation Cup in March in Patiala where he ran 10.44 seconds in 100m but did not run in 200m due to a hamstring injury. A bout of COVID-19 infection -- he tested positive on his 23rd birthday -- forced him to miss the National Inter-State Championships in June.

A fan of Cristiano Ronaldo and Sunil Chhetri, football was Borgohain's first love but took up athletics once his armyman father was posted in Hyderabad, where they shifted from Assam. His father BC Borgohain retired as Subedar Major in 2009.

"Just like most of northeasterners, my first love was football and I played the game in my childhood and school days. But once our family shifted to Hyderabad, there was little scope for football. So, I shifted to athletics. That was in 2015," he said.

Asked if he had faced financial issues during his formative years in the sport, Borgohain said, "We are not well off but the situation was not that bad. It is not that I will not get things like running shoes with spikes, but it takes some time for my father to gather money to buy the stuff." His first athletics medal came at the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) Nationals in Lucknow in 2015 and podium finishes in the Under-18 and Under-20 categories at state level followed.

Borgohain, whose family has now returned to their native village in Assam, then took part in the Reliance Foundation Youth Sports (RFYS) nation-wide athletics competition in 2017.

He clocked 10.84 seconds in 100m and 22.06 seconds in 200m in the 2018 RFYS national finals.

Hillier spotted him at the Khelo India Games in Guwahati in January last year and invited the youngster to appear for an evaluation at the HPC in February. After four weeks of intensive training and assessment, Borgohain was confirmed a spot at the Reliance Foundation High Performance Centre in April last year.

Also Read : Amlan Borgogain, Praveen Chithravel share limelight with Manju Bala Singh

News Source : PTI

Dubai, Sep 21 (Cricket News) Delhi Capitals pacer Kagiso Rabada feels the the team has given itself a good chance of qualifying for the IPL playoffs following a brilliant performance in the first half of the season.

The Delhi franchise registered six wins from eight matches in the first half of the tournament and led the points table when the league was suspended midway in May owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I think the guys are in a good space as we have been playing some cricket since the first half of the tournament. That's a positive for the team," Rabada said in a media release.

"It's also nice to start the second half of the season being on top of the table. However, we still have a lot of work to do. We've given ourselves a good chance to qualify for the Playoffs and earn a spot in the final," said the fast bowler.

Speaking about the return of Shreyas Iyer, who had missed the first leg due to injury, Rabada said that the batsman is great for the balance of the side.

"It's awesome to have Shreyas back. He's a phenomenal batter and an integral part of our team. He's good for the balance of the team. I'm sure he's itching to play. He seems to be in good spirits and he seems to be hitting the ball well." The fast bowler, who has snared eight wickets this season, expressed that the Delhi Capitals who finished runners-up last season, will give it their best shot to win their maiden IPL trophy this time.

"We've had unfinished business since the day the Delhi Capitals didn't win a final. We are coming back after a break and it's just one final stretch for us.

"Hopefully, we can do it for our fans and our families this season. We are just going to give it our best shot. The guys believe that they can do it so that's a great sign." The Rishabh Pant-led side will begin its second leg campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Wednesday.

Also Read : Virat’s decision to quit captaincy didn't impact RCB's performance against KKR: Hesson

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Sep 20 (Cricket News) The BCCI on Monday announced that domestic cricketers affected by the COVID-curtailed 2020-21 season will be paid 50 per cent additional match fee as compensation for the disruption and also hiked their remuneration for the upcoming season.

Many Indian cricketers struggled financially after the Ranji Trophy was not held last year for the first time in its history due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The BCCI compensation package for these players was awaited for a long time.

"Cricketers who participated in 2019-20 Domestic Season will get 50 per cent additional match fee as compensation for season 2020-21 lost due to COVID-19 situation," BCCI general secretary Jay Shah said in a tweet.

The decision to give compensation and increase the match fee was taken during the BCCI's Apex Council meeting on Monday.

The per day fee for the top Ranji cricketers, who have played more than 40 matches, was also almost doubled to Rs 60,000, which will ensure that such players earn Rs 2.40 lakh per first-class match.

Those who have played 21 to 40 matches will be paid Rs 50,000, while players with experience less than that will be entitled to a remuneration of Rs 40,000 per day.

The move will likely benefit more than 2,000 male cricketers from the under-16 to the senior level.

Shah also said that domestic players will be paid an increased match fee.

According to the announcement, the cricketers in under-23 and under-19 category will get Rs 25,000 and 20,000 per day respectively.

"I am pleased to announce the hike in match fee for domestic cricketers," Shah tweeted.

Before Monday's decision, a first XI player in a Ranji Trophy game was entitled to Rs 35,000 per day. For Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the BCCI pays Rs. 17,500 per game.

The BCCI also announced remuneration for women cricketers and the senior players will now be paid Rs 20,000 per match instead of Rs 12,500.

The recommendations to increase the payout were made by a working committee comprising former India captain Mohammed Azharuddin, Yudhvir Singh, Santosh Menon, Jaydev Shah, Avishek Dalmiya, Rohan Jaitley and Devajit Saikia.

Also Read : PCB reaches out to SLC and BCB for short tours but no series could be planned

News Source : PTI

Abu Dhabi, Sep 19 (Cricket news) The opening pair of Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana may not have fired in the first leg of IPL but Kolkata Knight Riders chief mentor David Hussey believes the duo can "shock the world" with their batting in the second phase of the tournament beginning here on Sunday.

While Gill scored just 132 runs, Rana managed 201 runs in the first seven games for KKR in this year's IPL, which was postponed in April following multiple COVID-19 cases inside the bio-bubble in India.

However, Hussey pinned his hopes on the duo, calling them the 'next generation of Indian players'.

"They both are quality players, they are determined to do very well for the team and for themselves and they have a taste of international cricket now," Hussey told ESPNcricinfo.

"I think they are about to shock the world that they are the next generation of Indian players, not just for one or two series but for perhaps a decade, so if they get going look out for them in the IPL." Hussey also backed skipper Eoin Morgan to come good in the second leg after a lacklustre performance in the first phase.

"As a captain, he is going to lead from the front. We need some big performances from him. His is probably the hardest position to play in the middle order. He comes in either in deep trouble or coming in with 3-4 balls to go when top orders have done realy well," he said.

"He also has to lead on the field, get the fields correct, take wickets and also gamble a few times...Eoin will be a little disappointed with the last seven games, but knowing well that he is going to be prepared really well, I back him to be dominant in the next 7 games not only with the bat but captaincy as well." The road ahead, however, is extremely difficult for KKR as the team is languishing at the seventh position on the points table.

However, Hussey believes his team can script a turnaround.

"All we have to do is win this ... We have done it before and so we can do it again... I feel we have the squad to do it also. You qualify for the finals and whole competition starts again," he said.

In the 2014 edition, KKR had won nine matches in a row to claim the title.

Hussey said coach Brendon McCullum is determined to prove a point this time.

"Brendon has been phenomenal, been very consistent, whether we are winning or losing. He has been a consistent person, this time there is a bit of determination in Brendon, he really wants to show that this squad can go a long way in the tournament." KKR will face Royal Challengers Bangalore in Abu Dhabi on Monday.

Also Read : IPL: Kolkata Knight Riders meet Royal Challengers Bangalore in match 31 of the season

News Source : PTI

Dubai, Sep 19 (Cricket News) Delhi Capitals all-rounder Axar Patel says the team will look to build on its "happy memories" from the previous season, when it reached its maiden final, and go a step further in the second leg of IPL-14.

The IPL, which was suspended midway into the 14th season of the league in May owing to multiple COVID-19 cases in its bio-bubble, resumes in the UAE on Sunday.

The Capitals, who are currently perched on top of the points table, had reached their maiden final last season when the tournament was held entirely in the UAE. The Shreyas Iyer-led side had lost to Mumbai Indians in the summit clash.

"When it was announced that the second half of the tournament will be held in the UAE, I thought about our performance the last time we were here," Axar was quoted as saying in a media release.

"We have happy memories from that tournament as we reached our first-ever IPL final. We are looking to repeat our performance and hopefully, just go one step further in the final this season," said the all-rounder, who had picked up nine wickets in 15 matches last season.

Axar, who was part of the Indian squad for the recently-concluded Test series in England, spoke about the massive difference in weather conditions between UK and UAE.

"It's been a drastic change for us as far as the weather is concerned. It was quite cold in England and now we are getting used to the heat here.

"When we stood on our balconies during quarantine, we got an idea about the heat, but we got to know the full extent of the weather conditions when we started practising in the nets.

"We are looking to get used to the conditions in the next 2-3 days," he said.

When asked about his personal goals for the remainder of the IPL season, Axar said, "My personal goals are always aligned with the team goals.

"I always think about what the team needs and then set my personal goals accordingly. I always carry out my preparations according to the team's requirements. And personally, I just look to get better with every match in every season." Delhi Capitals are set to take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad on September 22. 

Also read : Match readiness will be an issue for some of IPL players: RR all-rounder Chris Morris

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Sep 20 (Hockey News) Disappointed to lose out on a place in the initial 16-member squad for the Olympics, Indian men's hockey team defender Varun Kumar considers himself lucky to make a bronze medal-winning debut in the Tokyo Games after he was called up in the side as an alternate player owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Varun, a drag-flicker, and and mid-fielder Simranjeet Singh made their Olympic debut after they were added to India's squad following the International Olympic Committee's decision to allow "alternate athletes" in team events due to the pandemic.

"When the squad for the Olympics was announced, my name was not part of the 16-member squad. I still remember that day very well and I was evidently disappointed," recalled Varun.

"But after a few days when IOC allowed hockey teams to expand to 18 players, Simranjeet and I were called up as alternate athletes. It came as a huge relief but somewhere at the back of my mind I was still upset about not making it to the final 16 and I really wanted to prove myself." Varun further stated that skipper Manpreet Singh's one-on-one chat with him before the team left for Tokyo helped him a lot.

"It really helped that captain Manpreet had a long chat with me and pumped me up mentally. Manpreet has been a big influence in my career from a very young age as we played in the same academy and him talking to me made a lot of difference.

"I stopped beating myself up for not being good enough to make the 16-member squad. I started focusing on how I can make this opportunity count and deliver when the team needs me," stated Varun.

What followed in Tokyo is now part of history as the Indian men's hockey team went on to clinch an Olymipic medal, bronze, after a hiatus of 41 years.

Varun played a key role in India's 3-1 win over Argentina in the pool stages as he scored the first goal of the match. He was effective in the backline and impressed with his performance every time he was called up.

"It was indeed a fantastic experience in Tokyo. Winning the bronze and standing on the podium along with my teammates is perhaps the best moment of my life. Now my priority will be to improve in every aspect.

"We have had a good break after the Olympics and we are all waiting to return to camp in October," he said.

Also read : Hope my Olympic bronze will inspire youngsters of Manipur to take up hockey: Nilakanta

News Source : PTI

Dubai, Sep 20 (Cricket News) The COVID-forced four-month break between the first and second phase of the Indian Premier League is sure to affect the "match readiness" of some players and they might just "struggle" to shake the rustiness off, feels Rajasthan Royals' South African all-rounder Chris Morris.

While most of the foreign players were freelancing in leagues and also playing international cricket, the Indian domestic players haven't had any game time after the IPL stopped in the first week of May due to COVID-19 cases inside the bio-bubble.

"Match readiness is going to be an issue just like last time when IPL was played in Dubai. People will take a couple of games to get rustiness out of their way," Morris, one of the mainstays in this Royals line-up, said when asked about challenges of having the IPL in two halves.

"Fortunately, overseas players have been playing some cricket. I have done pre-season at home, trying to lose weight. Match fitness is always the best type of fitness. We have had two warm-up games now and we have spent time on our feet," Morris said.

The fast-medium bowler and lower-order explosive hitter feels that simulations can never match the intensity of real games.

"You can never simulate match intensity and I think a few guys will struggle to get that rustiness off. That's the nature of the beast of COVID at the moment," he said.

"Some guys will have to shake off their rustiness and I think that's part and parcel of the game. You have to find out a way to get out and make it work," he added.

For Morris, all the freelance overseas players like Liam Livingstone, and Evin Lewis to name a few, will add a lot of intensity to the game.

"The guys who are there are playing leagues and scoring quite a lot of runs and making massive impact around the world," he said.

Morris also said that the Royals' bowling unit has quality to restrict the opposition.

"The bowling unit is going to be under pressure as it's the bowlers who win you matches, we know we have quality to restrict teams and at business end, we will come out all guns blazing," he added.

Also Read : Battle of explosive top-orders as Rajasthan Royals meet Punjab Kings in IPL

News Source : PTI

Dubai, Sep 20 (Cricket News) Star allrounder Hardik Pandya was kept out of the IPL game against Chennai Super Kings as a precautionary measure as he had a little niggle, said Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene.

"Hardik was training, had a little niggle, so again precaution, we thought, lets just give him extra days to see how things are, but nothing serious,” the former Sri Lankan skipper said during a virtual press conference.

MI skipper Rohit Sharma had also opted out of the match and Jayawardene said he should be available for the next match.

"Rohit was batting and doing his running as well, but after coming back from the UK, we felt that, he probably needed an extra few days, so should be fine to play the next game," he said.

Mumbai didn't have a good start to the resumption of the IPL as they lost the opening match by 20 runs and Jayawardene lamented that none of his batters took the responsibility to bat through the innings.

Ruturaj Gaikwad hit an unbeaten 88 while Dwayne Bravo, batting at number eight, smashed 23 off just 8 balls as CSK made 156 for six after opting to bat first.

The total proved to be more than enough as CSK restricted MI to 136 for 8.

"We probably gave couple of soft dismissals. It just needed someone to take a bit more responsibility and bat through the innings, which we did not do and that was a difference with Ruturaj (Gaikwad) doing that for CSK," Jayawardene said.

"So, even though they (CSK) lost wickets, there was a set batsman, who went till the end. So, I think we're disappointed, the way we handled the situation, the game awareness and the approach." Chasing 156, MI slipped to 37 for three in the sixth over, before further slumping to 58 for four in the 10th over. Saurabh Tiwary (50 not out) was the top-scorer for MI but he didn't get enough support.

"...probably needed a bit more application of taking that responsibility and giving yourself a bit of time because we felt that the second half of each innings was much easier to bat," Jayawardene said.

“So, I put it down to game awareness and taking that kind of onuses, but not too concerned, because the guys (have) been hitting the ball pretty well, it is just the application out there in the middle, that is something we need to work on." Mumbai did well in the Delhi-leg of the cash-rich tournament when the IPL was called off earlier this year due to outbreak of COVID-19 cases.

Jayawardene admitted it is hard to create that kind of momentum again.

“Yeah, I mean, not in our control. Obviously, we played a couple of very good games in Delhi but unfortunately the tournament had to stop and everyone went away, was playing a lot of different cricket in different parts of the world and then coming back together again and trying to create that kind of momentum is going to be harder.

"We knew we need to be sharper, especially against the experienced Chennai team. But I think we probably competed that first 10 overs and probably another five overs in between in a 40-over game.

"So, I think when you're playing an opposition like Chennai, if you're not in the competition for that many overs, it's always going to be tough," he said.

Also Read : Rohit Sharma rested due to knee niggle

News Source : PTI

Dubai, Sep 19 (Cricket News) The gifted Ruturaj Gaikwad laid the foundation with an unbeaten 58-ball 88 before Dwayne Bravo led an excellent bowling display to power Chennai Super Kings to a crushing 20-run win over Mumbai Indians in the IPL here on Sunday.

Gaikwad batted through the innings to lift Chennai Super Kings from a precarious 7/3 to 156 for six as the IPL-14 resumed in the UAE after the first phase in India was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in May.

The late spark was provided by Bravo (23 off 8 balls) as CSK recovered from a disastrous start to put up a fighting total.

Chasing 157 on a pitch where the ball often stopped on the batsmen, MI too were off to a poor start as they slipped to 37 for three in the sixth over at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Both Quinton de Kock (17) and debutant Anmolpreet Singh (16) got out after getting starts, the bowler being pacer Deepak Chahar on both occasions.

Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan too made their way back to the dugout in quick succession to leave MI in a spot of bother at 58 for four in the 10th over.

Saurabh Tiwary (50 not out) and stand-in skipper Kieron Pollard tried to forge a partnership before Josh Hazlewood had the big-hitting all-rounder from Trinidad trapped in front of the wicket.

CSK brightened their prospects further when Krunal Pandya was run out by the Dwayne Bravo-MS Dhoni combination.

Tiwary and Adam Milne tried but could not succeed, with the latter getting out to the experienced Bravo in the second ball of the 20th over.

Bravo picked up 3/25 while Chahar had 2/19 as MI ended at 136 for eight.

Earlier, the 24-year-old Gaikwad added 81 runs for the fifth wicket with Ravindra Jadeja (26) to steady the ship after they lost skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the sixth over with the score reading 24 for 4.

Gaikwad smashed nine fours and three sixes, while Bravo hit three maximums as CSK scored 112 runs in the back 10.

CSK lost four wickets in the power play, including the wickets of skipper Dhoni and the team's seasoned run-getter Suresh Raina, as three top-order batsmen failed to open their account.

The start was inauspicious for CSK as Trent Boult dismissed Faf du Plessis in the fifth ball of the very first over when the New Zealand pace spearhead had the veteran South African caught by the backward point fielder Adam Milne, who was standing very fine, after the batsman had shaped himself up to play the cut shot.

One for one became two for two in the next over as Milne got Moeen Ali who slapped a slightly short ball straight to Saurabh Tiwary at cover.

What didn't help Moeen was that the ball seemed to stop as the England all-rounder went for his shot.

More trouble was in store for CSK as the three-time winners lost the big wicket of Raina in the third over when the experienced left-handed batsman, who has helped the team win so many matches in the past, got out to an irresponsible shot when he miscued one while trying to attack the Kiwi seamer.

Meanwhile, Ambati Rayudu retired hurt after taking a blow on his body to make matter worse for the Super Kings.

If that was not enough, holders Mumbai Indians piled more misery on CSK by sending the veteran Dhoni back to the hut for a poor score.

The World Cup-winning Indian captain timed his shot well but, to his shock, Boult completed a well-judged catch at deep square leg, capping a forgettable powerplay for the unit from Chennai.

After that, Gaikwad and Jadeja put together invaluable runs by mixing caution with aggression to give their team a total to defend against a side that is missing two of their big players in regular skipper Rohit Sharma and all-rounder Hardik Pandya, whose seam-up bowling was missed when the Chennai duo was rebuilding their innings.

Also Read : Kohli to quit RCB captaincy after this year's IPL

News Source : PTI

(Football news) Derby County are on the brink of insolvency, with the EFL confirming that the Rams will face a 12 points deduction in addition to the nine points penalty that was agreed earlier this week for the breach of financial fair play regulations.

Citing the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and a series of failed takeover attempts as the reason for the situation to be as dire as it is, Derby County owner Mel Morris has expressed that he is “devastated” by the current state of affairs at the club, which has steadily been losing up to 1.5 million every month. The EFL has expressed its disappointment about Derby County citing the pandemic as a reason, having offered the same financial support as the other 72 clubs.

Complete control of Derby County’s finances will be taken over by administrators, who are set to be appointed early next week. The club has failed to pay their debts and are currently in 16th place in the Championship after the opening seven games with Wayne Rooney at the helm. Owner Mel Morris has reiterated his priority to make the process smooth and painless, with the priority to pay off creditors and HMRC as well as to look after the club’s employees.

A statement released by Derby County said (read it in full here) “This action was made necessary by a number of developments. Last week, it became clear that the process which has been underway to identify a purchaser likely would not be productive over the near term, despite the number of negotiations with credible parties.

“The irony is that the club's financial forecasts show the emergence of a financially sustainable picture. Absent the COVID-19 pandemic, we undoubtedly would have been able to trade through. However, the impact of COVID-19 pandemic and the unpredictability it has created represents too much of a strain.

"We appeal to the EFL to now assist the club and the Administrators in any way they can in the effort to find a purchaser."

After the statement, the EFL confirmed "The club will be subject to an insolvency event under the terms of the EFL's Regulations. As a result, the Club faces a 12-point deduction. Once the EFL has received formal notification of the application, the deduction will be applied.

"The League is disappointed with the comments made by the club in respect of COVID lending facilities. The EFL entered into a debt raise to provide its clubs with access to funds that would support them in dealing with the impact of COVID and, as with any loan, this was subject to a timeframe and eligibility criteria which Derby County was unable to meet.

"The EFL will in due course engage in discussions with the relevant parties with the aim of achieving a successful outcome for the long-term future for the club."

Also read: Is Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the right man to lead Manchester United back to the glory days?

Dubai, Sep 18 (Cricket news) Players will be getting valuable experience in the UAE conditions ahead of the T20 World Cup while the Indian cricket board will be hoping its money-spinner stays away from the looming COVID-19 shadow when the IPL resumes with the blockbuster Chennai Super Kings-Mumbai Indians clash here on Sunday.

As the second wave of COVID-19 wreaked havoc in India in April-May, the water-tight IPL bio-bubble was also breached, forcing the suspension of the tournament after 29 games.

With too much at stake for all stakeholders including the players, teams and BCCI, there was little doubt over the completion of the world's biggest T20 competition. It was only about when the BCCI would squeeze in the IPL in an ever-pack global calendar.

After a few alterations in the franchise cricket and international calendar, the best possible window was found with the BCCI slotting in the tournament as the lead up to the T20 World Cup.

Last week, doubts over smooth conduct of the tournament resurfaced with the outbreak of COVID-19 in the Indian team's camp in England but fortunately for the organisers, the issue did not escalate and the available Indian and English players arrived here safely.

The entire IPL was held in the UAE last year without any hassles and the BCCI will be hoping for a similar experience this time around.

Fans, albeit a limited number, will also be present at an IPL venue for the first time since 2019, adding immensely to the event's spectacle.

Though the squads have already been announced for the World Cup, an IPL performance seldom gets unnoticed and there could be some players, including Indians, who make the squad in the 11th hour in case of injury with the ICC allowing changes until October 10.

India skipper Virat Kohli, who will step down from T20 captaincy after the World Cup, would love to get his hands on the elusive trophy and Royal Challengers Bangalore showed signs earlier in the season that they could finally go all the way.

Delhi Capitals, who finished runners-up in 2020, are leading the points tally and are primed to win their maiden title. The other teams in the top four are CSK, RCB and the mighty Mumbai Indians, the winner of a record five titles and the team to upstage.

There are 31 games to be played in UAE conditions instead of the usual 60 and that could mean good pitches for the majority of the tournament. With the conditions different from India and pitches expected to be slower, all teams have emphasised on starting from scratch.

CSK and MI renew their celebrated rivalry to kick start the IPL resumption on Sunday.

Having already played half of their 14 league games, MI, who have three wins from seven games, can't afford another slow start.

CSK, aka Dad's Army, finally seemed to have found a winning combination after the disappointment of 2020. Their young guns like Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sam Curran delivered in the first half of the season while their spinners -- Imran Tahir, Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja -- also came to the party. Moeen and Jadeja also impressed with the bat.

Now the team will be hoping its stalwarts, skipper Dhoni and Suresh Raina, too find their touch.

MI, on the other hand, will be hoping to up their game like they often do in pressure situations. Their famed middle-order did not exactly set the stage on fire and their bowling in the powerplay also can be better.

Skipper Rohit Sharma, who has been in stellar touch of late, will be expected to continue in the same vein and the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan and leggie Rahul Chahar, come into the event a more confident trio having made the World Cup squad.

Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya would be expected to bowl regularly in the tournament which will also tell the India selectors on how he is shaping ahead of the ICC showpiece.

The teams which have been affected by withdrawals of key players include Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders, who all are struggling to survive in the competition.

Punjab had to seek replacements for Dawid Malan, Riley Meredith and Jhye Richardson. They managed to rope in the services of rising Australian pacer Nathan Ellis to boost their death bowling. England leggie Adil Rashid too has come into the squad.

KKR will be missing the services of star pacer Pat Cummins who has been replaced by Tim Southee.

Royals were anyway without Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes and now Jos Buttler has been added to that list. The English player to watch out in the squad would be Liam Livingstone.

With one win from seven games, Sunrisers Hyderabad will have to come up with something special to resurrect their campaign. They will be without star opener Jonny Bairstow.

Also read: Punjab Kings look to break their 6 year streak to qualify for the playoffs

News source: PTI

London, Sep 18 (Cricket news) His tenure set to end after next month's T20 World Cup, India head coach Ravi Shastri conceded that there would be a bit of "sadness" but he has no doubts that he is going out at the right time, having "over-achieved" during his stint.

Shastri's first stint as head coach began in 2017 before he was reappointed in 2019. The T20 World Cup starts on October 17 in the UAE.

The 59-year-old is currently in quarantine here after testing positive for COVID-19. Speaking to 'The Guardian', Shastri said to win the T20 World Cup would be special but the team has already done special things in his time.

"I believe so because I've achieved all I wanted. Five years as No.1 (in Test cricket), to win in Australia twice, to win in England.

"I spoke to Michael Atherton earlier this summer and said: 'For me, this is the ultimate – to beat Australia in Australia and win in England in Covid times.' We lead England 2-1 and the way we played at Lord's and the Oval was special," said the former player.

India were leading 2-1 against England when the fifth and final Test in Manchester was called off after a COVID-19 outbreak in the touring camp.

During Shastri's tenure, India also recorded T20 series wins in South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and England.

"We've also beaten every country in the world in their own backyard in white-ball cricket. If we win the (T20) World Cup that will be the icing on the cake. There is nothing more.

"I believe one thing – never overstay your welcome. And I would say that, in terms of what I wanted to get out of the side, I've over-achieved. To beat Australia away and to lead the series in England in a COVID year? It is the most satisfying moment of my four decades in cricket." The flamboyant coach would love to sign off with an ICC trophy, which the team has not lifted during the Shastri-Virat Kohli phase.

"We're going to give it everything. Absolutely. We've got the team to win if we play to our potential. Above all we're going to enjoy it. Forget Test match pressure. T20 cricket is meant to be enjoyed. I plan on going out on a real high," he asserted.

"Yes there will be sadness it's ending because I've worked with so many great players and personalities. We've had some great times in the dressing room. But, above all, the quality of our cricket and the results we've achieved has made it one heck of a journey," he said.

He also spoke on the emergence of Jasprit Bumrah as a lethal Test bowler in his tenure.

"No one believed Jasprit Bumrah could play Test cricket. He was a white-ball bowler. But when I took over as coach I asked myself: 'How do I take 20 wickets overseas?' "I knew I needed four great fast bowlers because I had played so much Test cricket against the West Indies. It started in South Africa in 2018 and we lost that fantastic series 2-1. I wanted to unleash Bumrah in that first Test in Cape Town.

"I bounced the idea off Virat months before and told the selectors: 'Do not unleash him in India. I don't want the world to see him in Test cricket before Cape Town.' "That was three years ago. Since then he's taken 101 wickets (in 24 Tests). It's remarkable."

Also read: BCCI may approach Anil Kumble, VVS Laxman for head coach's post

News source: PTI 

(Sports News) The power of sports is universal, it spans across cultures, languages, countries and continents. It’s one of the most lucrative spots for advertisers, with the price of a 30 second commercial at the Super Bowl costing $5,500,000 simply because of the sheer number of eyeballs at the event. While some sports are bigger in certain areas than others, the influence of these events is simply getting bigger by each passing year.

Here are the top five most watched sporting events in the world

5) Winter Olympics

There are many sports that are not given the limelight they deserve such as figure skating, alpine skiing, ice hockey, and snowboarding, until they are featured at the Winter Olympics. Although it’s the less popular cousin of the Summer Olympics, it still reaches a broad audience because it hosts a number of countries. This 17 day event got 2.1 billion in TV viewership in 2006 and will be held in Beijing, China from February 4 - 20, 2022.

4) Cricket World Cup

For many parts of the world, especially the Indian subcontinent, the cricket mania is off the charts. The Cricket World Cup is a championship featuring many countries from across the world competing in a One Day International Format. The tournament lasts just over six weeks and takes place every four years. The 2019 Cricket World Cup hosting in England and Wales set a new viewership record with 2.6 billion people tuning in to become the most watched cricketing event in history. The next Cricket World Cup will be hosted by India from February 9th to March 26th, 2023.

3) Tour de France

The Tour de France is undoubtedly the most prestigious event in the world of cycling and arguably one of the biggest sporting events in the world, dating back all the way to 1903. The race is held across 2,200 miles at France’s scenic mountain roads across 23 days. With 21 stages in the race, competitors race as an 8 person team to get the fastest time. Approximately 190 countries tune in to watch the Tour de France with an estimated viewership of 3.5 billion people according to race organizers and 12 million roadside spectators.

2) FIFA World Cup

It’s only fitting that the FIFA World Cup to be one of the most watched sporting events, considering that football is the most popular sport in the world. In fact, the FIFA World Cup should be THE biggest sporting event in the world if we refer to single sport events, but for the sake of technicality, it remains in second place. This 32 team event, which will be expanded to 48 countries in 2026 is only getting bigger, thereby getting more viewers. To put it in perspective just how big this event is, the 1950 World Cup Final had a record attendance of 199,854 spectators in an enclosed stadium. Nearly half of the human population (estimated to be 3.57 billion) tuned in to watch the FIFA World Cup in Russia, 2018 and the sport is expected to grow even more by the time it’s hosted in Qatar in 2023.

1) Summer Olympics

The most watched and biggest sporting event on the planet, the Summer Olympics is the pinnacle of every athlete's career. Not only does it feature a wide variety of sports, it has all the action, drama and surprises that make us all love sports. From shock underdog victories to new records being broken and personal dreams being fulfilled, the Olympics is a stage unlike any other. Held every four years, the Summer Olympics is viewed across the globe with the 2012 London Games and Rio Olympics being viewed by an estimated 3.6 billion people. The next edition will be held in Paris, France in 2024 from July 26 – August 11.

Also read: Japan will not host the FIFA Club World Cup 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Kolkata, Sep 17 (Sports news) Battling depression due to a nagging back injury, Asian Games gold medal winning athlete Swapna Barman has decided to call it quits, a formal announcement of which will be made in a few days.

The decision comes less than 24 hours after Swapna, a North East Frontier Railway athlete, won a gold medal in high jump at the 60th National Open Athletics Championships in Warangal.

"My body is not taking the toll anymore. Mentally, I'm very depressed and it's not easy," Swapna told PTI from Warangal.

"I’m a bit confused, but I’ve mentally prepared 80-90 per cent to call it quits. I will make the ‘big’ announcement after reaching Kolkata.

"I never wanted to participate, but because of Railway commitments I had to participate here," Swapna, who skipped her pet heptathlon event in Warangal, said.

After becoming the first Indian heptathlete to win an Asian Games gold in Jakarta 2018, Swapna, who has six toes on each foot, struggled with injuries and won a silver at the Asian Championships in Doha a year later — her last International competition.

The lockdown triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic meant that Swapna could not take part in any competition in 2020 and while in 2021 she aimed for the Tokyo Games qualifying mark but again injuries and a second wave of the pandemic derailed all her plans.

This year, she took part only in the Federation Cup and at the ongoing Open Nationals.

"It seems I was not destined for it. I tried hard but could not make it and struggled a lot with injuries," she said.

Swapna had delayed the surgery on doctors' advice and relied on rehab but she said she had enough of it.

"Ultimately I have to go for the surgery, even during this meet I was troubled by the back pain. It does not feel well anymore," an emotional Swapna said with a choked voice.

The Jalpaiguri athlete was also mired in controversy last year after her house was raided by forest department officials for alleged illegal possession of timber as there were wide protests in the area. "People are jealous of my achievements and my mother is subjected to a lot of harassment. I can’t take it anymore. I’ve to be with my family and deal with it,” she concluded."

Also read: Ministry directs NRAI to initiate fresh election process

News source: PTI 

Sydney, Sep 17 (Hockey news) Australia on Friday pulled out of several upcoming FIH tournaments, including the junior men's hockey World Cup slated to be held in India later this year, citing COVID-19 related government travel restrictions.

The junior men's World Cup is scheduled to be held in November-December this year. The venue is yet to be confirmed.

Hockey Australia also announced that the Tokyo Olympics silver medallists and their Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand will also skip season 3 of the Pro League, which starts next month.

"Australia and New Zealand will not take part in Season 3 of the FIH Pro League (scheduled to start in October 2021) as a result of COVID related government travel restrictions and uncertainty in both nations," HA said in a statement.

"All participating countries and the FIH Pro League Council agreed it was untenable for international teams to travel to Australia and New Zealand, as well as for Australian and New Zealand teams to play overseas and return without having to quarantine," it added.

Australia and New Zealand have strict COVID-19 quarantine restrictions in place, making it difficult for them to hosts other teams.

"Based on risk assessment and current Australian government health advice, Hockey Australia is not considering overseas hockey-related trips at this time," said HA Acting CEO, Michael Johnston.

"The decision on our absence from the FIH Pro League was a collective one agreed on by all nations based primarily on other countries’ difficulty or inability to travel into Australia and New Zealand.

"In Australia it is apparent the easing of international travel restrictions is still a way off and none of the competing countries wanted to enter the next Pro League season without a level of assuredness," he added.

Apart from the tournament in India and Pro League, Australia will also miss the junior women's World Cup in South Africa later this year and the Indoor World Cup in Belgium and the Masters Indoor World Cup in the USA in 2022.

HA High Performance Pathways Manager Ian Rutledge, who has been overseeing preparation for Australia's participation at the junior men's and women's World Cups, said: "The past 18 months have been such a challenging period for these athletes who are currently in the window to compete at these World Cups and who are aspiring to become the next crop of Hockeyroos and Kookaburras." "Hockey Australia's top priority is the safety and wellbeing of its athletes and staff and this decision reflects that."

Also read:  Hope my Olympic bronze will inspire youngsters of Manipur to take up hockey: Nilakanta

News Source: PTI 

Doha, Sep 16 (Snooker news) India's ace cueist Pankaj Advani on Thursday defended his Asian Snooker Championship title defeating Amir Sarkhosh of Iran here.

The Indian great was competing in his first assignment in almost two years due to COVID-19.

Advani had won the title in 2019 before the 2020 edition got scrapped due to the pandemic.

His tally of Asian titles across both snooker and billiards now stands at 11, apart from the two Asian Games golds of 2006 and 2010.

"I’m glad to defend this title and pick up from where I left off before the onset of the pandemic. The gap only increased the drive and hunger to compete and do well on return," said Advani.

In the best-of-eleven final, Advani was up against former winner and a seasoned campaigner Amir who was in formidable form.

It was the Indian though who dictated most of the final in his 6-3 victory. Advani drew first blood by winning the first frame with a 55 break. After that a 50 break in the second and some fine potting in the third made the ultimate winner enjoy a 3-0 lead before the Iranian pulled one back.

At 3-1, the Indian employed his billiards knowledge to give his opponent limited scoring opportunity and capitalised on every opening he got to go 4-1 up. The next two frames were shared by the finalists with a remarkable display of quality potting from both players.

However, just when the Indian was one frame away from getting his hands on the coveted trophy, Amir found his touch and bridged the gap to 5-3.

A fine break of 43 gave Amir the lead in the ninth frame but the crowd got to witness a perfect climax from the 23-time world champion as he pieced together an exquisite championship-winning clearance break of 63 to end the match and a two-year wait for an international title.

Advani will stay back to compete in the IBSF 6-Red Snooker World Cup starting Friday.

Results: Final: Pankaj Advani (India) defeated Amir Sarkhosh (Iran) 6-3 Frame Scores: 72(55)-42, 72(50)-0, 70-49, 41-66, 70-17, 30-68, 34-74, 50-12, 64(63)-44.

Also read: ECB urges government in an open letter for COVID certificates to ensure "great sporting summer" with full grounds

News source: PTI 

Wellington, Sep 16 (Cricket News) India will not be touring New Zealand later in the year due to a packed calendar and COVID-19 related restrictions.

India would have had to quarantine for 14 days to play three ODIs as part of the World Cup Super League.

A New Zealand Cricket (NZC) spokesperson confirmed to Stuff that the India games will be played after the T20 World Cup in Australia next year. New Zealand anyway are scheduled to tour India in November for two Tests and three T20s.

New Zealand will be hosting Bangladesh, The Netherlands and South Africa in the summer besides the seven teams in Women's World Cup in March-April.

The Tests against Bangladesh and South Africa are part of the World Test Championship.

"We've got to be mindful of players coming back from a long winter and we've got to give them time at home as well,” NZC chief executive David White said.

The Black Caps will undergo 14 days of managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) after returning from India just before Christmas. That won't allow NZC to host the Boxing Day Test on December 26 and the opener against Bangladesh could begin on December 28 or later.

Also Read : ICC T20 Rankings: Virat, Rahul remain static at 4th and 6th places, no bowler in top-10

News Source : PTI

Dubai, Sep 16 (Cricket News) Kolkata Knight Riders captain Eoin Morgan is excited at the prospect of fans returning to the stadiums after the lifting of the coronavirus-enforced restrictions and cheering them on when the IPL-14 resumes in the UAE on Sunday.

The IPL, which was suspended midway into the 14th season of the league in May owing to multiple COVID-19 cases in its bio-bubble, will restart in the UAE on Sunday.

On Wednesday, it was announced that fans will be allowed to watch the matches in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah in limited numbers, keeping in mind the COVID protocols and the UAE government regulations.

"Incredibly excited to have fans back at the IPL this year. It's been too long to hear that roar of the KKR fans at Eden Gardens. Unfortunately, it's not at home but I cannot wait to hear it here in the UAE," Morgan was quoted as saying by the KKR website.

The England limited overs skipper was speaking on the sidelines of a training session.

Head coach Brendon McCullum too welcomed the move and believed that support from fans will spur them on as they seek a play-offs berth.

"That's actually fantastic. We were talking about it whether the fans would be back. Now that we know they're going to be, it's fantastic. Hopefully all of the stadiums will be jam-packed with KKR fans.

"We can certainly use their support. We have got a big task in front of us and we will certainly rally when we get the support of our fans. So, hopefully we get plenty of it in the UAE." Batsman Rahul Tripathi also was excited over fans coming in for IPL matches for the first time since COVID-19 pandemic struck the world.

"We have missed them (fans) a lot during this period. It's always fun when somebody is there in the stands to cheer for you. I must say welcome back to the fans." The two-time IPL champions are placed seventh in the points table with four points from seven matches.

KKR will start their second leg of the campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Abu Dhabi on September 20.

Also Read : There were times when we were paralysed by fear: KKR coach McCullum

News Source : PTI 

Dubai, Sep 16 (Cricket News) Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting feels his team will need to start from the scratch as its table-topping performance in the IPL's first half won't matter when the lucrative league resumes in the UAE on Sunday.

The IPL was suspended midway into the 14th season of the league in May owing to multiple COVID-19 cases in its bio-bubble.

"It doesn't matter what we've done in the first half of the season. It's been four months since when we played some really good cricket, so we really have to start again," Ponting said in press release issued by the franchise.

"We have to build ourselves as we go along in the tournament and make sure that we are playing our best cricket at the back end of the tournament.

"Our performance in the first half of the tournament was because of how well we played and how hard we worked, but I don't think we played our best cricket," added the Australian batting great.

The IPL resumes in the UAE on Sunday. DC lead the points table with six wins from eight matches.

Ponting said that the players have shown great intensity during the pre-season camp here.

"I have been waiting for four months to come back to the Delhi Capitals camp. I have such a great time when I work with the team and it's a great time in my calendar year. I have been keeping a close eye on what's been happening here.

I have been speaking to the coaching staff here and they have done a great job so far (in the pre-season camp). You can see with the intensity and the attitude shown by the players that it's been a really worthwhile camp so far.

"I am really excited about what we've got coming up in the next four-five weeks," said the 46-year-old.

When asked about Shreyas Iyer's return to the Delhi Capitals side post recovering from his shoulder injury, Ponting said, "It's great to have Shreyas back. He has got an infectious attitude.

"I have been talking to him a lot and his training has been great. He's so keen to get back into the field, score runs and win. He's a world-class player and he's going to add a lot to our team, there's no doubt about that." The Delhi Capitals will take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad on September 22 in their first match on resumption.

Also Read : A look back at what happened in the 1st half of Indian Premier League 2021

News Source : PTI

Dubai, Sep 16 (Cricket News) One of the most notable omissions from India's T20 World Cup squad, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal on Thursday asserted that he will be his wily, old wicket-taking self in the upcoming second half of this year's IPL.

During a training session for his team Royal Challengers Bangalore, a cheerful Chahal offered to bat, but only if the swashbuckling Glenn Maxwell was the bowler.

Reflecting on his first training session with the team, Chahal said, "Obviously, the feeling was good, it was okay and I'm happy with the way I bowled today.

"I'm very pumped up, especially, you know, we're good on the points table and we have a very good chance to stay at the top of the table and when you bowl well after a long time you always feel good. Today, I can say that the old Yuzi is back." The IPL-14, which was suspended midway into the league in May owing to multiple COVID-19 cases in its bio-bubble, will resume in the UAE on Sunday and Chahal will be one of the many players trying to reclaim his place in the national team.

Chahal was far from his best in the first leg of the IPL in India. Despite his team playing in spin-friendly surfaces such as the one in Chennai, the leg-spinner struggled for rhythm and could only pick four wickets in seven matches at an economy of 8.26.

During the training session, South African legend AB de Villiers was seen welcoming both Chahal and Maxwell back into the team before the net session commenced.

Head coach Mike Hesson laid out the plans for the session and said, "In terms of practice today, we all know what the role is. We've all had those meetings for what we're training for. So when we go in the nets, we're really specific about what we're trying to get out of it." When the league was suspended, RCB were placed third in the points table with five wins from seven matches.

After the net session, de Villiers was joined by Maxwell to compete in a game where both players attempted to hit the stumps from 22 yards, but with a tennis ball and a racket.

The versatile de Villiers said that he played the sport quite a lot in his younger days and Maxwell responded that he was not surprised at all.

Also Read : IPL in UAE will level playing field for T20 World Cup: Maxwell

News Source : PTI

Dubai, Sep 15 (Cricket News) Star Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell believes having the Indian Premier League in the UAE will level the playing field "a fair bit" in the T20 World Cup to be held at the same venue next month.

The IPL will resume on September 19 in the UAE after being suspended in May due to the second wave of COVID-19 in India, which led to multiple cases inside its bio-bubble.

It will be followed by the T20 World Cup from October 17.

"The tournament being in UAE probably levels the playing field a little bit," Maxwell, who plays for Royal Challenger Bangalore in the IPL, told 'icc-cricket.com'.

"Probably makes it a little bit easier for there not to be as much of a home ground advantage. For the IPL to be there to have a lot of international players that are potentially going to be in that World Cup over there playing, I think it's probably levelled the playing field a fair bit." Australia's top players, including Steve Smith, David Warner, Aaron Finch and Pat Cummins, have not competed in the last few months and will be back in action at the IPL.

Maxwell said the IPL stint will help the preparation of the Australian players.

"The fact we've got a lot of guys going over for the IPL as a preparation, get a few games in those conditions, it's going to do wonders for our batters," he said.

"Our bowlers are going to be up and firing by the time the tournament starts. I can assure you everyone is looking forward to hitting the ground running over there." Australia will have to battle it out against defending champions West Indies, world number one England and South Africa in a tough group in the Super 12 stage.

With their key players missing, Australia suffered 1-5 series losses against the West Indies and Bangladesh but Maxwell has no doubts they'll manage a better performance at the big competition.

Talking about Australia's chances at the World Cup, Maxwell said: "I think they're very good. When this team comes together, I think we'll slip straight back into us being in a great position.

"We're all looking forward to it. You look through our line-up, we've got a team full of match winners and guys that on their day can take the game away from the opposition.

Asked about the draw in the T20 World Cup, Maxwell said: "There are no weak teams in this World Cup and we know that. We know we've also got a very good chance of beating everyone on our day. Both groups are going to be tough, it doesn't matter.

"If we play our best, I feel that's going to be good enough on the day. I think we'll be focussing solely on what we can do every game and hopefully, that is good enough at the end of the day."

Also Read : Had to give up one, so chose World Cup and Ashes over IPL, says Woakes

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Sep 15 (Cricket News) Limited spectators will be allowed into the stadiums when the much-awaited Indian Premier League resumes in the UAE this weekend, the event's organisers announced on Wednesday.

The IPL, which was suspended midway in May due to COVID-19 cases in its bio bubble, will resume from Sunday with defending champions Mumbai Indians taking on Chennai Super Kings at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

"This match will be a momentous occasion as IPL will welcome the fans back to the stadiums after a brief hiatus owing to COVID-19 situation," an IPL statement said.

"Matches will be played at Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi with limited seating available keeping in mind the COVID protocols and UAE government regulations," it added.

It will be the first time since 2019 when the IPL will be played in front of an audience.

Last year, the league was played behind closed doors in the UAE while the first half of the 2021 edition was also played inside a strict bio-bubble.

Although the league organisers did not specify the exact number of fans who would be let in but sources said their presence would be 50 per cent of the stadium capacity.

"Fans can buy tickets starting September 16 for the remainder of the tournament on the official website www.iplt20.com. Tickets can also be purchased on PlatinumList.net," the league organisers said.

Also Read : E-bidding for new IPL teams planned on October 17

News source : PTI

Dubai, Sep 15 (Cricket News) Assistant coach Mohammad Kaif reckons the first match in the second half of the Indian Premier League will set the tone for the rest of the tournament for table toppers Delhi Capitals.

The second leg of the T20 league, which was suspended in May due to the increasing COVID-19 cases in India and multiple infections in the IPL bio-bubble, is scheduled to resume in the UAE from September 19.

The Capitals are currently perched on top of the points table with 12 points from eight matches.

"There has been a big break after the first half of the IPL, but we are fortunate that most of the players have been playing international cricket regularly," Kaif was quoted as saying in a media release.

"We have a well-balanced side as there are players with international cricket experience and domestic players, who have been putting in good performances. The first match is going to be crucial for us.

"Our performance in the first match will set the momentum for us," he said.

Kaif added that the roles of some of the players in the team may change because of the change in venue from India to UAE.

"We played well in India and now we have to carry forward our performance here in the UAE. The roles for some of the players compared to the first half of the IPL may change because the conditions are different here.

"We have to start afresh in the second half of the tournament. We are looking to get used to the conditions here in the next few days and also play a couple of practice matches," said the 40-year-old.

Star batsman Shreyas Iyer, who missed out on the first half of the season due to a shoulder injury, his returned to the side for the second leg.

"There are not many changes to the squad as compared to the first half of the tournament, however the biggest plus for us is that Shreyas Iyer is back in the squad.

"He is a fantastic player and he's been playing well for us in the last couple of seasons. We are looking forward to seeing him play this season," Kaif said.

The Capitals are set to take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad on September 22.

Also Read : Iyer's return will strengthen team, need to start on a high note: Dhawan

News source : PTI

Colombo, Sep 15 (Cricket News) Head coach Mark Boucher hopes South Africa's T20 World Cup bound players can pick up "bits of information" about the UAE conditions during the Indian Premier League which he feels will stand the team in good stead during the marquee ICC event.

The 44-year-old emphasised that the players need to manage themselves during the league so that they can peak at the right time as a unit for South Africa.

"We've spoken to the guys going to the IPL. They need to stay quite disciplined and realise we want to peak at the right time as a unit," Boucher was quoted as saying by 'ESPNCricinfo'.

"They'll be picking up bits of information about playing in those conditions that will really get them ready for a big tournament and if they manage themselves well and get some good time in the nets and get used to facilities it will stand us in good stead." The IPL, which was suspended midway in May due to multiple cases of COVID-19 in its bio bubble, is scheduled to be held in the UAE from September 19 to October 15.

The T20 World Cup is slated to begin on October 17 in Oman and UAE.

Boucher's comments come in the wake of South Africa's 3-0 T20 series win over Sri Lanka. The Proteas had earlier notched series victories against West Indies and Ireland.

"This team realised that we are definitely not the finished product, so there's a lot of things we speak about," Boucher said.

"We had a good chat about the lessons we've learnt and where we want to go as a team. We tied the record for the most T20 wins by a South African team. That was one of the records that we were playing for.

"We understand that going into a World Cup each game is as important as the others and this becomes a habit. This is just part of the growth of the team," Boucher added.

Also Read : You can never get used to this Indian bowling attack: Dawid Malan

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Sep 15 (Cricket News) England big-hitter Dawid Malan feels Indian bowlers are subtly different from each other, making it nearly impossible for batsmen to fully get used to them.

The India pacers were better than their English counterparts in the recent intensely-fought Test series and the visitors were leading 2-1 before the fifth match was called off following multiple COVID-19 cases in the Indian camp.

Malan, who made a Test comeback in the series after three years, said the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami and Mohammad Siraj are different from each other and batsmen struggle to cope when they bowl in tandem.

"They've all been pretty tough. I think the one thing about this Indian attack is they're all slightly different. They all have different release points and different things they do with the ball, which makes it so challenging you know you can never get used to (them)," Malan told PTI in an interview.

"If you think you are getting used to one of them, they just come at you with different challenges all the time so you know it's really tough to pick them. They've all been really, really good this series," the batsman, who has pulled out of the IPL ahead of the T20 World Cup, said.

The southpaw, who lent much needed solidity to England's struggling batting line-up, was also happy that R Ashwin was not part of the series.

"It's not because he's not a great bowler, he is a serious bowler. He is one of the best spinners that's ever played the game, but you know, it's hard for me to comment on why he wouldn't be playing," he said when asked if he was surprised about Ashwin missing all the four Tests.

"...If you look at the conditions and if you were playing two spinners he would probably be tougher (Ravindra Jadeja). I guess the captain, or the leadership of the Indian team probably had the decision to make between Jadeja or Ashwin and they went the other way.

"They led 2-1 so you know you can't really argue (with that decision). I'm quite happy as a left hander that he did not play, which is pretty good," said the world's number one T20 batsman.

Talking about his Test comeback, Malan wasn't completely satisfied with his performance though he looked assured in the middle from the word go.

"Yes and no. You know, to get a score in that first Test was good.. disappointed not to (have) capitalised on that one to score a hundred. It was a really good batting wicket so to get out the way I did this was obviously disappointing," he said.

"And then the first innings at The Oval. To get to 30 once again on a wicket that was playing well and to get out was tough, was disappointing from my point of view. You know I've come in, I feel like I've hit the ball well I've moved well," he added.

The interaction was arranged by Gonuts which claims to be "India's largest and most influential platform for fandom and celebrity commerce."

Also Read : Slinger Malinga announces retirement from all forms of cricket

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Sep 14 (Sports news) Football Delhi is organising the second edition of the Delhi Futsal League from September 14 to 17.

The league is being played at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium and has attracted participation from 20 teams and over 240 players.

In the first edition eight had participated.

The opening matches of the Football Delhi Futsal League 2021 are being played between Delhi FC and Punjab Heroes FC and Delhi City Futsal Club and Growing Stars SC.

The tournament is being played in a league-cum-knockout format and the final match will be played on Friday.

Football Delhi's president Shaji Prabhakaran said, "Futsal has a great potential in Delhi and we would like to make Futsal an integral part of football development pyramid in Delhi by taking Futsal to schools and each of our member clubs in Delhi." The winner of the tournament will be eligible to qualify for the first ever National Futsal Championship organized by All India Football Federation.

All the matches will be broadcast live on Football Delhi's Facebook and Youtube handles by Sports Cast India, its broadcasting partner.

Futsal has been growing rapidly and Football Delhi intends to promote it among the youth. The league is being organized by following all COVID-19 protocols. No spectators are allowed.

Also read:  Football Delhi to Launch '37 Plus League' on Delhi Football Day

News source: PTI 

Bellary (Karnataka), Sep 14 (Boxing news) Aiming to secure berths in the world championship squad, close to 400 boxers, including the likes of five-time Asian medallist Shiva Thapa and former world bronze-winner Gaurav Bidhuri, will be competing in the National Men's Championships starting here on Wednesday.

The gold-winners from the event will be automatic selections for the world event, while the silver-medallists will fetch a place in the national camp.

"The rest two spots (in the national camp), will be decided on the basis of selection trials among the bronze medallists and the second teams of the top three performing units of the last National Championships SSCB (Services), RSPB (Railways) and Haryana," the Boxing Federation of India said in a statement.

The Olympic-returned group of five, including flyweight star Amit Panghal, has decided to give the event a miss due to lack of practice time and niggles.

While Thapa will compete in 63.5kg category representing Assam, Bidhuri will be in action in the 57kg division for the Railways.

Head guards will be used during the competition as was reported by PTI earlier this month.

The world event will be held from October 26 and it would be the first major international competitive outing for the boxers after the Tokyo Olympics.

Apart from Thapa, Commonwealth Games medallist Mohammad Hussamuddin (Services) and Asian silver-medallist Deepak Kumar (Services) will also be among the country's top boxers who will be vying for the titles.

Altogether, 35 States/UT, Units and Boards will compete in the championships that will be played as per the International Boxing Association's (AIBA) revised weight divisions.

The revised weight divisions for men, after being increased from 10 to 13, are 48kg, 51kg, 54kg, 57kg, 60kg, 63.5kg, 67kg, 71kg, 75kg, 80kg, 86kg, 92kg, and +92kg.

The marquee domestic boxing event is making a comeback after a gap of one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Also there would be Asian champion Sanjeet, who is also a former India Open gold-medallist.

The tournament requires boxers, participating officials and support staff to present a negative RT-PCR test report obtained 72 hours before landing at the competition.

The boxers' temperatures is also being checked on arrival.

Also read: Indian boxing's coaching staff could be overhauled after world championships as Tokyo Olympics review continues

News source: PTI

Warangal (Telangana), Sep 14 (Sports news) The season-ending National Open Athletics Championships, beginning here on Wednesday, will be an opportunity for youngsters to create a mark after the country's big guns opted out of the event.

This is the 11th national-level track and field competition this year.

Race walker Bhawna Jat and quarter-miler V Revathi are the only two athletes from Tokyo Olympics contingent participating in the event.

Railways have entered the largest contingent of 87 athletes, including 43 women, while Services' 57-member all-male squad is the second largest ahead of All India Police which will field 50 athletes, including 24 women in the five-day competition to be staged at the swanky new Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Hanamkonda here.

It is the second national competition in Warangal in two years. The city had hosted the national cross-country championships in January 2020.

The Telangana Athletics Association and the district administration of Warangal have left no stone unturned to ensure that the competition is held according to the Athletics Federation of India's SOP for COVID-19.

A number of athletes will be looking to make a mark as most of those who competed in the Olympic Games have chosen to rest and recover.

The 2018 Asian Games triple jump gold medallist Arpinder Singh could be the biggest draw in the men's events. But the battle between VK Elakkiadasan and Shanmuga Srinivas Nalubothu, India's fastest 200m sprinter this year, in the half-lapper can be very interesting.

Muhammed Anees Yahiya and Yugant Shekhar Singh's rivalry at the long jump pit will be worth tracking.

In the absence of teen sensation World U20 silver medallist Shaili Singh, the likes of Priyanka Kerketta, Sherin Abdul Gafoor and Nandini Agasara can make the women's long jump competition very intense.

Similarly, in the women's hammer throw, long-standing rivals Manju Bala and Sarita R Singh can also produce a keen contest.

Summy Kaliravan, part of the mixed relay squad that won a 4x400m medal in the World U20 Championships, may be up against Olympian V Revathi.

Bhawna Jat, discus thrower Navjeet Kaur Dhillon and sprinters Archana Suseendran, Himashree Roy and C Kanimozhi are some familiar names.

There will be considerable attention on 15-year-old high jumper Pavana Nagaraj, who has a personal best of 1.73m, but it will be Tripura sprinter Priyanka Bhowmick who will claim the credit of being the youngest athlete in the competition at just 14 years of age.

Also read: AFI sacks long jumper M Sreeshankar's coach after Tokyo debacle

News source: PTI 

(Esports news) After a brilliant performance in the regional qualifiers, reigning national champion Hemanth Kommu has made his way into the finals of the 13th Esports World Championship. He finished in the top position in PES 2021 in the South Asia region to become the first Indian to seal a spot in the prestigious tournament.

Currently pursuing his Masters degree from IIT Guwahati, Hemanth faced athletes from Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, Maldives and Sri Lanka at the regional qualifiers, held online due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The 24 year old displayed excellent skills and strategy and has secured himself a berth in the World Championship Finals which will be held in Eilat, Israel from November 14-19.

"It’s a great feeling to represent India in the PES series, the game which I have loved playing since my childhood days. It’s sheer dedication and hard work resulted in getting the spot in the Finals of EWC’21 and it allowed me a chance to bring the laurels for the country. The right mentality and proper grind towards the game makes everything possible and a sure-shot path to get the success,” elated Hemant aka peshemak7 said after securing the Finals berth at the World Championships.

The regional qualifiers will also see a five member CS:GO team comprising Ritesh Sarda, Shuvajyoti Chakraborty, Anshul Adardkar, Hrishikesh Shenoy and Harsh Jain, and Tekken 7 player Hitesh Khorwal in action to secure their place in the World Championships Final on October 5th. The matches will be streamed live on the International Esports Federation’s official channels.

Also read: Yuvin Esports announce Tata Motors as title sponsors for Yuvin Valorant Invitational tournament

Dubai, Sep 14 (Cricket news) Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Brendon McCullum says they were "paralysed a little bit by fear" when coronavirus struck the first half of the IPL in India.

It was KKR spinner Varun Chakravarthy and seamer Sandeep Warrier, who first tested positive for COVID-19 in May in the middle of the League, which was eventually postponed.

The Purple and Gold brigade led by England white-ball skipper Eoin Morgan had an underwhelming first half. They are languishing at the seventh spot but McCullum is hopeful for a strong showing when action resumes from September 19 in the UAE.

"In regards to the tournament which is upcoming (second half of the IPL phase), we can end it right. We can take the game on and we're in a situation where we need things to go our way," McCullum was quoted as saying by the KKR website.

"We need to hit the ground running, challenge one another privately, support one another publicly and try and get the best out of one another in the next 4-5 weeks. Who knows where we can go with this.

"There were sometimes throughout the season when I just felt we were being paralysed a little bit by fear," he added.

The virus had wreaked havoc in India at that time, claiming thousands of lives.

The 39-year-old former New Zealand skipper, who started his IPL journey as a player with KKR, is hopeful the team will be able to get rid of the angst that had been built in the first phase of the league.

"I wasn't able to free the guys up enough to understand that and that's sort of a challenge for me. But it is also a good challenge for the guys as well that they need to push the envelope of their own thinking as well.

"Hopefully we will be able to strip away a bit of the angst which had built up in the first part of the season, just go out there and try and enjoy ourselves."That's the ambition that I have got for the franchise and hence why I am unapologetic and unrelenting in my belief that we need to play a braver style of play," he said.

Talking about his coaching style, McCullum said, "When we left India (after IPL was called off due to Covid), I think everyone understood me as a coach on how I want our team to play." "I am unapologetic about that as well because my job is to try and build something at KKR that is going to last far longer than I am going to last for the franchise," McCullum added.

KKR will open their second-phase campaign against Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore on September 20 in Abu Dhabi.

Also read: Unfortunate we ended up in IPL early, hopefully we can maintain strong, bio-secure environment: Virat Kohli

News source: PTI

Brisbane, Sep 14 (Cricket news): Indian women's cricket team opener Smriti Mandhana says her side has improved "massively" since the World T20 final defeat to Australia last year and will be "extra competitive" during the upcoming series here which also features its first day-night Test outing.

India and Australia are set to lock horns in a multi-format series comprising three ODIs, the day-night Test and three T20s, starting on September 21. The Test will be played from September 30 to October 3 in Canberra.

The last time the two sides met was at the women's T20 World Cup final at the MCG last year where the hosts had hammered India by 85 runs to lift the trophy.

"The team has grown massively (since the T20 World Cup)," Mandhana told 'The Scoop podcast'.

The Indian squad finished its 14-day hard hotel quarantine on Monday.

"COVID was a big break after the T20 World Cup and a lot of girls had a chance to go back and understand more about their games, where they lack as an individual and come back stronger." The stylish southpaw said that after the COVID-19 enforced break, the Indian team is slowly getting back into the rhythm of playing cricket.

"The whole team has worked on their fitness and skills...we are still getting into a rhythm of playing matches continuously but the last five, six months we have been playing cricket and now we are getting back into the match mindset. Hopefully the series goes well for the whole team" India have reached Australia after a multi-format series against England in June and July, while a few players like white-ball skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, teen batting sensation Shafali Verma and Mandhana also featured in The Hundred tournament.

The swashbuckling opener said playing against Meg Lanning and Co. is always competitive and the team tends to enjoy batting on the bouncy tracks Down Under.

"We all love playing against Australia, because they are one of the best teams in the world and quite competitive," Mandhana said.

"When it comes to Australia, you're a bit more pumped because the level of competitiveness the Australian team, it just rubs off on us and we also start being extra competitive." Mandhana is the only Indian woman to score a century in Australia, a 102 at Blundstone Arena aged 19 in 2016. She also holds the record for the highest T20I score in the country by an Indian woman.

"Australian wickets have a true bounce and I think everyone loves batting in Australia. No one will tell you they don't like batting in Australia," Mandhana said.

The team is also looking forward to play its first-ever pink ball game.

"We are all just really happy to play cricket, whatever the quarantine period may be," Mandhana said.

The teams will play a warm-up match in Brisbane on Saturday.

Also read: COVID-19: Indian women's cricket team's schedule for Australia could be altered

News source: PTI 

Dubai, Sep 13 (Cricket news) India captain Virat Kohli said it is unfortunate to "end up here early" for the IPL after a COVID-19 outbreak led to the cancellation of the fifth Test against England and hoped for a "secure" bio-bubble in the league to tackle the "uncertain" times.

Kohli, who will again lead Royal Challengers Bangalore in the tournament, along with other Indian players refused to take the field in the fifth Test against England at Old Trafford, after junior physio Yogesh Parmar became the fourth close-contact support staff to test positive for COVID-19.

"Unfortunate that we had to end up here early, but with COVID in place, things are very uncertain," Kohli told the RCB's digital media platforms.

"Anything can happen at any time. Hopefully, we're able to maintain a good, strong, and secure environment, and have a quality IPL.

"It's going to be an exciting phase and a very important one for us at RCB and then for the Indian team at the T20 World Cup," the Indian captain said.

The IPL begins on Sunday and RCB will play their first match on Monday.

Also read: We want rescheduled Test to be 'fifth' of series and not one off: Sourav Ganguly

The RCB will have some exciting new additions to their squad including leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga and Singapore batter Tim David. The skipper is looking forward to meet the new recruits.

"I've been in touch with everyone. We've had discussions over the last month or so, a little longer than that with the replacements, who's coming and who's not. Eventually, we ended up replacing our key players with some top-quality cricketers," the RCB skipper said.

He believes that replacement players will fit into the system perfectly.

"Our key players will be missed, and they are a part of the family, but the people coming in as well have great skill sets, especially for these conditions.

"So, I'm very excited to see them, with the whole group at practice and certainly very excited to resume a very good season that started last time around," he said.

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Sep 13 (Cricket news): The proposed "standalone" Test between India and England should be treated as the series-deciding fifth match that was cancelled last week owing to a COVID-19 outbreak in the Indian camp, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly told PTI on Monday and ruled out the possibility of it being treated as a one-off game.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has written to the ICC seeking a Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) verdict on the fate of the cancelled match that was to be played at Old Trafford, Manchester. The ICC is yet to comment on the matter.

"We want the series to be completed as this will be our first series win (in England) since 2007," Ganguly told PTI in an exclusive interview.

"The BCCI maintains that Test cricket is the ultimate format and we won't compromise it for anything," he made it clear.

India were leading 2-1 when the match was called off last week after the visiting players refused to step on to the field following positive COVID-19 cases among its support staff, including head coach Ravi Shastri.

A forfeiture will allow the ECB to get insurance reimbursement of 40 million pounds that, it claims, would help offset its losses because of the cancellation.

Asked if BCCI has offered to play two extra T20 Internationals when the team tours in July next year for a white-ball series in lieu of the Test, Ganguly said: "We are ready to play extra ODI and T20Is and that's not an issue.

"Just that the Test match that will be played later will be the fifth match of the series." If the ICC deems that the match was abandoned due to COVID-19, then India will officially win the series 2-1 as such a cancellation is considered an "acceptable non-compliance" under the World Test Championship rules.

"There is precedence of series being cancelled because of COVID-19 in the past 18 months. The BCCI cancelled its home series against South Africa last year which cost us around 40 to 50 million pounds," the former captain said.

He also hoped that in near future there will be concrete "medical advice" on offer that will allow series to go on even with COVID cases within the team.

"Because we understand how detrimental it is to the game in terms of spectators and viewers' interest (TV and OTT) especially when the series has been of such high quality. Test cricket is BCCI's foremost priority," he stated.

Ganguly said that the BCCI is "disappointed" that the match was called off but it could not have pushed the worried players beyond a point.

"We are extremely disappointed that this series had to be called off. The only reason is COVID-19 outbreak and players' safety. We could only push them to a point.

"But the pandemic is so severe that one can only go that much distance," he explained.

Asked if the option of fielding a fresh team by resting some of the senior players, who were not comfortable, was considered, Ganguly answered in the negative.

"No that wasn't an option. If you see the Yogesh Parmar (the junior physio who tested positive just before the match) was a close contact of every player," Ganguly said.

"So obviously that was a cause of worry. It was something nobody had any control on and they (the players) had families travelling with them," he added, justifying the anxiety in the camp.

ECB CEO Tom Harrison had also said that every effort was made to comfort the travelling players but the "perception of what might happen" made them fearful of playing.

Asked if he would try and sort it "amicably" with Harrison and ECB head Ian Whatmore during his personal visit to London on September 23, Ganguly said: "Even the Test match was called off amicably. I am going there and let's see, we will figure out something."

Also read: There will be more technological influence on decision making in future: Kumble

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Sep 13 (Cricket news): Former India opener Gautam Gambhir expects K L Rahul to have a stupendous IPL campaign when the league resumes later this week as he believes that the big-hitter's best has not yet been seen despite an average of over 50 in the last three seasons.

Punjab Kings captain Rahul is averaging 66 after seven matches this year with a strike rate of 136. The IPL was suspended in May due to COVID-19 cases in its bubble and will resume on Sunday in the UAE.

"We haven't seen the best of KL Rahul. Yes, he has got runs, but we still haven't seen, what he can achieve in his batting," Gambhir told Star Sports show Game Plan.

"You could have a season like Virat Kohli had once. He's that kind of a player in white-ball cricket, where he can get 2-3 hundreds in a season and at a very good strike rate as well," he said.

The 29-year-old Rahul has already amassed 331 runs from seven games this year, including four half centuries. He is second on the list of 2021 IPL's top-scorers.

Speaking of other teams, Gambhir said the conditions in the UAE will favour defending champions Mumbai Indians.

Mumbai and Chennai Super Kings will clash in the first match of the resumed season on Sunday. "When you see the conditions in Chepauk or Delhi, they are completely different from what you get at Wankhede. And, as I mentioned, they are going into conditions that are suited to their fast bowling - people like Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult," Gambhir said.

"There will be swing upfront, so they will be very dangerous. Plus, Mumbai wants balls to swing and you've got quality fast bowlers and it's going to be an advantage for them.

"Plus their batters, want the balls to come on to the bat as well, people like Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, all those guys struggled at Chepauk, because it was gripping and turning." Gambhir also felt that Mumbai Indians can't afford a slow start since they might need to win five of their remaining seven matches to qualify for the Play-offs.

Talking about India skipper Virat Kohli and his Royal Challengers Bangalore teammate AB de Villiers, Gambhir said they will come into the tournament with different challenges.

"There's going to be a challenge for Virat and there's going to be a huge challenge for AB de Villiers as well because he will be coming into the tournament without playing any cricket at all.

"Virat Kohli will have to adjust really quickly because there'll be hardly any time for him to get used to it.

"From the five-Test-match series to the T20 format, and AB as well, because these guys need to get runs if they have to have a chance to first qualify for the playoffs and then probably go on to win the title."

Also read:  Bangladesh win T20I series against New Zealand amidst World Cup preparations

News source: PTI

Manchester, Sep 12 (Cricket news): India head coach Ravi Shastri and his support staff colleagues Bharat Arun and R Sridhar are likely to leave for India on Wednesday provided they have two negative RT-PCR reports prior to their departure date.

Shastri, who tested positive for COVID-19 prior to the fourth Test at the Oval, has been in quarantine since September 4 and is expected to complete his 10-day isolation period along with Arun and Sridhar on Monday.

However, the trio needs to have negative RT-PCR reports before they leave the UK shores for India and are expected to join a much stricter bio-bubble in Dubai, post IPL when the Indian team assembles for the T20 World Cup campaign.

"Ravi, Sridhar and Arun are all doing well physically and are mostly asymptomatic. They will take their RT-PCR test on Monday and if all goes well, they can fly out on the original date of departure, that is September 15. The final call will be taken by the medical team," a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

Meanwhile, the other support staff members of the contingent will be flying out on Monday afternoon by commercial flight via Dubai.

However, junior physio Yogesh Parmar, who tested positive on September 8, will have to remain in isolation for a few more days before he is able to fly back home.

The fifth Test between India and England at the Old Trafford was cancelled after Virat Kohli refused to field his team apprehending more cases during incubation period.

The standalone Test in all likelihood will be held in July next year but the ECB has already approached the ICC for a quick decision by the Dispute Resolution Committee on the issue.

COVID-19 is an acceptable non compliance and the Indian camp has stated that it was unable to field a team for the match.

If the ICC rules it as a Test abandoned due to COVID-19, India would win the series 2-1 or else a forfeiture would mean series levelled at 2-2 and England making a successful claim to the insurance company for reimbursement of GBP 40 million loss.

Also read: India's IPL stars off to Dubai after second successive negative RT-PCR reports

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Sep 12 (Sports news): Paralympics gold medallist Pramod Bhagat has attributed his calm on-court demeanour under pressure to the inspiration he took from the sportsmanship and graceful behaviour exhibited by the iconic cricketer Sachin Tendulkar in his career.

Bhagat, the reigning world champion, clinched India's first Paralympics gold with a straight-game win over Great Britain's Daniel Bethell in the SL3 class finals in Tokyo last week.

The 33-year-old Indian, who had contracted polio when he was 4 years old, showed great mental fortitude as he recovered from an eight-point deficit in the second game to come up trumps against his opponent.

"I used to play cricket during childhood. During that time we used to watch cricket on Doordarsan and I was always fascinated by Sachin Tendulkar's calm demeanour, the way he conducted himself and it had a big influence on me," Bhagat told PTI in an interview.

"I started following him. His sportsmanship influenced me a lot. So when I started playing, I followed the same thought process and it helped me to make some memorable comeback in many matches, including World Championships.

"When I was 4-12 down in second game of the final, I was confident that I can recover and so I could held my nerves, stay calm and comeback and win." Bhagat had met Tendulkar after returning to the country from Tokyo. He gifted his racquet, which he used in the final to Tendulkar, who gave him an autographed tee-shirt and his autobiography book.

"I have always been inspired by Sachin, right from childhood, so it was a big moment for me when I met him. He told me about the balance of life and sports. It was a dream come true moment." Bhagat, who hails from Attabira in Odisha's Bargarh district, said he didn't see any future in the sport when he started but now he feels overwhelmed with the response that his gold medal has generated.

"When I started badminton in 2005, I used to feel there is no future but I won in 2009 world championship title and once BWF recognised para-badminton, things changed slowly," he said.

"But there was not much recognition for para badminton and somehow I knew that a gold at Paralympics may get me recognition and I should say I am overwhelmed with all the attention." Indian para shuttlers claimed as many as four medals, including two gold, a silver and a bronze, from the Tokyo Paralympics where badminton made its debut this year.

Bhagat, who has over 45 international medals under his belt, including four world championship gold medals and a gold and a bronze in 2018 Asian Para Games, said time has come for para shuttlers to dominate the world.

"It is just a start for us. The struggle time is over now and it's time to step up and achieve more," he said.

"In Tokyo, we have proved that we are the best and in years to come, you can expect much higher level performances and I feel in next year's Asian games and 2024 Olympics, we will do better." Bhagat was supposed to play next month's World Championships in Tokyo but it has been postponed due to COVID-19 and he said his next aim remains to win a medal at the tournament which might happen in December or March.

Bhagat also acknowledged the contribution of childhood coach Shiba Prasad Das.

"He actually found me, trained me and made me what I am. He is my first guru (coach). I used to play outdoors, he introduced me to indoor badminton and it was under his guidance that I won the 2009 world championship title.

"He helped me financially, mentally and physically supported me. I used to train under him before big events. So I have lot of gratitude for him."

Also read: Sports Minister felicitates triumphant Paralympians, hopes for better show in 2024

News source: PTI

Manchester/Dubai, Sep 11 (Cricket news): The Indian cricketers, contracted to play the Indian Premier League (IPL), left for the UAE in chartered and commercial flights after returning negative RT-PCR tests for the second time in two days.

The travel arrangements were made by players' respective franchises.

The players began their early departures for the remainder of the IPL, starting September 19, after India's fifth Test against England was postponed indefinitely following COVID-19 outbreak in the Indian camp.

The players, led by Virat Kohli, refused to take the field despite testing negative for the virus as they had apprehensions that playing members could contract the virus after assistant physio Yogesh Parmar tested positive just ahead of the final game.

"The good news is that all the players and support staff members have now tested negative for the RT-PCR for the second time. The reports arrived late on Friday evening and most of them are already on their way to Dubai for the IPL," a senior BCCI official told PTI.

"Two non-IPL players Abhimanyu Easwaran and Arjan Nagwaswalla will be flying out on Monday with the rest of the support staff. They will be flying to their respective Indian cities via Dubai and will take a commercial flight," the senior official said.

The players started departing in clusters -- some in charter flight arranged by their franchises like Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderbad while Chennai Super Kings cricketers took commercial flight.

"Mumbai Indians flew in three of its Indian contingent members, captain Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Suryakumar Yadav, to Abu Dhabi on a private charter flight. The trio, along with their families, arrived today morning and will now undergo six days of hard quarantine, starting today as per the IPL's guidelines," MI issued a statement.

"All members had returned negative RT PCR results before departure. A new RT PCR test was undertaken upon arrival at Abu Dhabi, which are negative as well," it also stated.

RCB captain Virat Kohli and his premier pacer Mohammed Siraj also took a charter flight from Manchester.

"Keeping the safety and security of our players as the utmost priority, Royal Challengers Bangalore have arranged a special charter flight for captain Virat Kohli and Mohammed Siraj to ensure their safe transit to the UAE.

"The players will be flying out at 11.30 PM (UK time) on Saturday and will arrive in Dubai early Sunday morning. Both, Virat and Siraj will undergo 6-day quarantine in Dubai before joining the team bio-secure bubble," RCB said in a release.

Harrison himself attended Shastri's Book launch ============================== It was learnt late on Friday evening that even England and Wales Cricket Board CEO Tom Harrison attended the book launch of India's head coach Ravi Shastri, who got infected during the function and was forced into quarantine during the fourth Test. BCCI was peeved at the timing of the event in the middle of the series since it allowed outside guests. It has now been identified as a super spreader with no one wearing face masks because of relaxation of rules.

Shastri, bowling coach Bharath Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar all tested positive after the event.

It was local British paper 'Evening Standard' that reported Harrison's attendance on August 31, which wasn't known to most people.

"Standard Sport can reveal that Harrison, the ECB Chief Executive, also attended the event. He wore a mask throughout, except consuming food and drink." However if the newspaper is to be believed then Harrison apparently "hadn't seen the guest list" and "expected a COVID-safe event, in line with the safer lguidelines that were laid out for both teams by the ECB this summer."

Also read: Bairstow, Malan pull out of IPL, citing personal reasons

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Sep 11 (Cricket news) Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Jonny Bairstow and Punjab Kings batsman Dawid Malan have pulled out of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) due to personal reasons. The England and India players were supposed to fly into UAE from Manchester together in a bubble to bubble transfer but COVID-19 cases in the visitors' camp forced IPL teams to make their own arrangements.

The fifth Test between India and England was also postponed indefinitely after a junior physio tested positive for the virus ahead of the game.

Other members of India's support staff, including head Ravi Shastri, were already in quarantine after they tested positive for the virus during the fourth Test at the Oval.

All players arriving in Dubai now have to do a six-day quarantine and that could be the reason behind Bairstow and Malan pulling out.

A BCCI official told PTI that both the players won't be part of the IPL resuming September 19.

"They won't be boarding the flight to UAE. One of the reasons for their pull out is the six-day quarantine which they didn't need to do earlier," said the official.

While Bairstow is a regular in the Sunrisers line-up, world number one T20 batsman Malan made his IPL debut with Kings earlier this year.

Bairstow had made 248 runs at strike rate of 141 plus in seven games earlier this season.

Both Bairstow and Malan were part of England's Test squad in Manchester.

Also read: Bangladesh win T20I series against New Zealand amidst World Cup preparations

There are also doubts over the presence of England all-rounder Chris Woakes in the IPL. He plays for Delhi Capitals.

Bubble life has taken a toll on players and with the T20 World Cup to follow in UAE, not playing the IPL would allow more family time to Bairstow and Malan.

Both are also part of England's Ashes plans but the tour Down Under is also currently in doubt with Australia imposing some of the harshest restrictions in the world on incoming travellers in the COVID times. 

News source: PTI

(Football news) In a dramatic turn of events, FIFA has now cleared the Brazilian, Chile, Mexico and Paraguay players who were blocked from selection by their Premier League teams this weekend after Article 5 was invoked by FIFA. The issue started when the clubs did not release their players to red list countries for the latest round of International fixtures, resulting in a five day restriction being imposed on the clubs.

However, after extensive talks with the FA, FIFA, Premier League and the associations of Brazil, Paraguay, Mexico and Chile, article 5 has now been lifted and the players will be available for selection at this weekend’s Premier League fixtures. The resolution was reached on Friday night, less than 12 hours before the first set of this weekend’s matches.

Liverpool will breathe a sigh of relief as Firmino, Fabinho and Alisson are now available for selection against Leeds on Sunday while Manchester City will have Ederson and Gabriel Jesus against Leicester City. Manchester United will have Fred available while Chelsea can now include Thiago Silva in the starting XI. Both Man Utd and Chelsea would also have their Brazilian players available for selection at the opening matches of the Champions League next midweek.

The unanimous agreement by Premier League clubs to prohibit players from travelling to Red List countries was because of a mandatory 10 day quarantine period by the U.K government, which meant an extended period of time before the players are available again. Managers Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer expressed their displeasure at the situation at Friday's press conferences while Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel suggested that the matches should be held at an alternate venue to avoid quarantine.

Raul Jiminez of Wolves, Newcastle’s Miguel Almiron, Raphina from Leeds and Francisco Sierralta of Watford will also be available for selection this weekend.

Also read: Japan will not host the FIFA Club World Cup 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic
 

Jamshedpur, Sep 11 (Football news) Newly-appointed Indian women's football coach Thomas Dennerby on Saturday said the team needs to play at least 10 international matches against opponents with diverse playing styles in the run up to the AFC Asian Cup.

The 62-year-old Dennerby, who was earlier in charge of the Indian U-17 women's World Cup squad, was last month roped in to help the senior team prepare for the AFC Asian Cup, which will be hosted in the country from January 20 to February 6 next year.

"It is very important for us to play 11-13 matches before the tournament (AFC Asian Cup) starts. The federation is working very hard trying to help us, we know about the situation with corona," Dennerby said during a virtual media interaction.

"It is important to us to play not less than 10 games before the tournament starts and we need to play different opponents with different playing styles," he added.

Also read: Atlético Madrid travel to Espanyol while Real Madrid return to the Bernabeu after 18 months in matchweek 4

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has struggled to find an opponent due to the COVID-19 quarantine restrictions in various countries. The team is currently gathered in Jamshedpur for the preparatory camp, leading to the continental event.

"It is tough for us to find opponents, countries which allow us to come. Still in some countries India is red marked. It's hard for the federation to find attractive opponents to play. But I know they are doing everything they can." Dennerby, who comes with over three decades of experience and has previously guided Sweden's women's national team to a third-place finish in the FIFA World Cup in 2011, and a quarter-final spot in the 2012 London Olympics, said it is vital the Indian team plays diverse opponents.

"The FIFA window opens tomorrow but so far we have no confirmation of a game. We are trying whatever we can. We need to play some teams which are a little bit weaker to implement attacking ideas and (need) some games against equal teams.

"It is also important to find opponent who are a little bit better, who will help us to speed up the pace of the game, the decision making, the passing and receiving and all that you need to do.

"Even if we prepare the team now with good endurance training et, but we need to put all the training into the game," he added.

Dennerby said the target is to reach the quarterfinals of the continental showpiece.

"We will put in a huge effort to reach the knock out stage that means going into the quarterfinals and if we can do that it will be successful tournament for us." "We have a good squad, we have different types of player. We have good defenders, strong one on one players etc." Talking about the preparation, Dennerby said "We have been in camp for about three and a half weeks now. A normal week for us is 11 sessions, the girls are working very hard.

"It's only five and a have months for the AFC women's championship. We have a longtime plan also we can't do everything in the first week, we can't overload the work, we are trying to increase the load gradually," he added.

News source: PTI

Manchester, Sep 11 (Cricket news) The legendary Sunil Gavaskar has lauded the BCCI's offer of rescheduling the cancelled Old Trafford Test, saying India should never forget England's gesture of returning back to complete a tour, which was halted midway due to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in 2008.

The fifth Test between India and England here was called-off hours before its start on Friday after a COVID-19 outbreak in the visiting team's camp which made the Indian players reluctant to play fearing a positive result might lead to 10-day isolation and scheduling nightmare of Indian Premier League.

Both the BCCI and England Cricket Board (ECB) officials later announced that the match will be rescheduled at a later date as a one-off game, but the decision is yet to be made official.

"Yes, I think that (rescheduling the cancelled Test) would be the correct thing to do. Look, we, in India, should never forget what the England team did in 2008 after the horrific attack, the 26/11. They came back," Gavaskar told official broadcaster of the series Sony Sports.

"They would have been perfectly entitled to say 'we don't feel safe. We are not coming back'." The visiting England team was playing an ODI against India in Cuttack on November 26 when terrorists attacked Mumbai, leading to the cancellation of the last two ODIs of the seven-match series.

England headed home immediately, but later returned for the two Test series which India won 1-0.

Also read: CSK trying to get their five players in Manchester to Dubai via commercial flight

Gavaskar said that the then skipper Kevin Pietersen was instrumental in England's decision to return back for the Test matches.

"Never forget that Kevin Pietersen led the team, and he was the main man. If KP had said, no I don't want to go, that would have been the end of the matter.

"It was because KP was willing to go and he convinced the others, the team came and we had that fantastic Test match in Chennai where India chased 380 to win on the last day," the batting great said.

Gavaskar termed BCCI's rescheduling offer as a "fantastic news" and said the cancelled Test can be held next year after the Indian Premier League.

"Don't forget, the gesture of the ECB has to be remembered," he said.

"It's absolutely apt that the BCCI now says, right next year, we are still coming to England. I think there will be a little lean period. I think the IPL will finish in early June. So there is enough time for them to go a few days early, depending on whether we still have Covid and all the restrictions and maybe play a Test match before or after," Gavaskar said.

"This is fantastic news coming that the BCCi will make up for it. This is exactly what the relations between boards should be."

News source: PTI

Dubai, Sep 10 (Cricket news): Chennai Super Kings are looking to get their Indian and English players on a commercial plane to UAE a day after the fifth Test in Manchester was cancelled due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the visitors' camp.

Ravindra Jadeja, Cheteshwar Pujara, Shardul Thakur, Moeen Ali and Sam Curran are part of the CSK squad which has already started training ahead of the IPL resuming September 19.

Before COVID struck the Indian team, the plan was a bubble to bubble transfer with players of both teams taking a chartered flight to UAE.

"Chartered flight is not a possibility anymore. We are trying to get their tickets done for a commercial flight tomorrow. When they land, they will do six-day quarantine like the rest of the players," CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan said.

Indian players have been in their rooms in Manchester since junior physio Yogesh Parmar tested positive on Thursday.

Also read:  Indian players got the jitters after assistant physio tested positive claims Dinesh Karthik

News source: PTI

Manchester, Sep 10 (Cricket news) A "gutted" England Cricket Board (ECB) CEO Tom Harrison on Friday said it was the Indian players' anxiety over "what might happen" and not the COVID-19 outbreak itself that caused the cancellation of the fifth and final Test here even though all efforts were made to comfort the visitors.

Harrison said the developments of the past couple of days have been devastating and everything necessary was done to convince the Indian players, who were spooked by assistant physio Yogesh Parmar's positive COVID-19 test on Thursday and refused to take the field.

"It's a really sad day, my heart goes out to fans. We are absolutely gutted. Internationally this game gets astronomical audience. It became clear yesterday around lunch time that there was a problem in terms of the anxiety level in the Indian team.

"It wasn't an outbreak of COVID, it was a perception of what might happen post the physio testing positive. Over the course of the day, we tried to give as many different assurances that we could to give comfort to the players," he revealed.

After the match was cancelled due to the Indian players' reluctance to take the field following COVID-19 cases in the contingent, the BCCI issued a statement to say that both the boards will work towards finding space to reschedule the game at some other time.

Harrison said the proposed rescheduling would be a one-off game instead of being a decider for the series that India currently leads 2-1.

"No, I think it's a stand-alone situation. We have been offered a few other options, probably need to take a look (at those)," Harrison told 'Sky Sports' when asked whether it would be a stand-alone game or the series-decider.

"The glass half full version of it is that the prospects of playing a one off Test match against India as a focal point on this ground, let's try to deliver on that. It can be the only good news that comes out of a day like today," he added.

If the rescheduled match is a one-ff engagement than India would be deemed winners of the series as it stands right now, something that has not been officially confirmed yet.

The most likely window for the rescheduled game is July next year when India would be here for a limited-overs assignment.

Also read: India forfeit fifth Test against England as players decline to take field post COVID scare

Harrison said "medical people who understand this virus" were brought in to talk to the players on Thursday but they were clear about not playing the match.Their concern was positive tests during the match, which would have led to longer quarantine in England and possible loss of game time at the IPL starting September 19.

India's head coach Ravi Shastri and three other support staff members were the first to test positive and are isolating in London.

"Once you have got that sense of anxiety in the dressing room, it would be very difficult to reverse that. Physical and mental health of players is important," he said.

"People understand that when you have pulled a hamstring you cannot play but when you have a mental health issue akin to a hamstring pull, that's less well understood," he explained.

"We are in a situation now that we are not in bio-bubble but in managed living standards, which is better for players. It is not a COVID-free environment but COVID-managed environment." Harrison said the ECB, however, would be able to handle the financial hit caused by the cancellation thanks to insurance cover.

"Our insurance covers cancellation for COVID. Fans will get their money back. Our finance department will handle that," he said.

News source: PTI

Manchester, Sep 10 (Cricket news) Dinesh Karthik has revealed that the Indian players got the jitters after assistant physio Yogesh Parmar tested positive for COVID-19, making them uncomfortable to play the fifth and final Test against England, which was called off hours before its start on Friday.

The game, scheduled to be hosted by the Old Trafford, is now expected to be played at a later date.

Karthik, who is now part of the IPL bubble, had commentated for the first three Tests before he left to join the KKR squad in the UAE.

Senior physio Nitin Patel had tested positive during the fourth Test in London alongside head coach Ravi Shastri and two other support staff members.

"I spoke to a few of the guys (Indian players). More often than not, a lot of the players after the fourth Test. This is tiring. Almost all games have gone down the wire, they are tired and they have only one physio right now.

"They had two, but before this one went down along with the chief coach, another couple of the coaches, so they had one physio, so they've done a lot of work with that man. And now he tests positive. Now, that is the problem," Karthik told Sky Sports.

"If it was somebody else, somebody was helping you know in terms of logistics and all that they wouldn't be this afraid but when this person got it, the physio, I think that's when they got the jitters a little bit," he added.

Also read: India forfeit fifth Test against England as players decline to take field post COVID scare

The series wasn't taking place in a strict bubble but the players were told to stay indoors for the duration of the fifth Test before taking a flight to the UAE and get into another bubble.

"You also have to understand, as soon as this finishes, they have the IPL soon after that the World Cup, and soon after that the New Zealand series and we are talking about literally one week turnarounds," Karthik said.

"How many bubbles can they do? When they left, when they rather assembled in India they assembled on May 16 it's four months almost four months. That's a lot of time already." The wicketkeeper batsman said the players understandably had a tough time mentally once the junior physio tested positive and there was no way day one of the series decider would have happened as per schedule. "Let's take an example for today, most of the guys today haven't even slept till 2.30-3 in the morning because they don't know if they have to be ready for the match, they don't know because you know it's it's very late in India, so they don't know if they're going to be able to speak to ECB those kinds of discussions were gone.

"So most of them haven't even slept till 3 O'clock so the Test match happening today was out of question almost. It's whether they can delay it further, but you have to imagine you have to remember this that there is a good chance that in the RTPCR test three days later, someone could test positive and if he's in the playing 11, then what happens to that person," he said.

"Is he going to spread it around? Is he this super spreader for that point of time, that puts every other player in jeopardy, and then they have to stay 10 days in England then what happens to the IPL, which is supposed to start four days after they land in Dubai...

"...So it has so many other questions, it's not necessary that they've tested negative today means that two days later they will test negative again. Even if it is one person who does test positive, then that puts the whole thing into another different dimension," said Karthik.

He informed that the players have been told to remain in their rooms.

"Yes, they are all in the rooms. They have not moved out since the time they heard about the physio. They've all been told to stay in the rooms and not move out. And that's exactly what they're doing." Asked if the players were fearful about taking the virus to the IPL bubble," he said: "Absolutely. That is one thing you got to understand, for so long a lot of IPL teams have already come and started quarantined and all of that, the Indian team have not had a major bubble so to say, up until this Test, where they have been told to try not to go out of your rooms even during the game.

"... but now you know, with a positive result for a certain person, it's completely different but they've been informed that you know we are, we are moving from a bubble to a bubble so we have to kind of make bubble in England when we are here.

"So for this last test everybody has been told to stay in the rooms don't move or try and order room service. Play the Test match and get on with it and let's get to IPL after that so that's kind of been the mood so to speak (before the match was called off)," added Karthik.

News source: PTI

Manchester, Sept 10 (Cricket news) The cancellation of the fifth Test between India and England will have significant financial implications and also impact the reputation of the prestigious Old Trafford venue, said Lancashire county cricket club CEO Daniel Gidney on Friday.

The final Test here was cancelled just hours before the start amid concerns of further spread of COVID-19 during the match after India physio Yogesh Parmar had tested positive for the dreaded virus on Thursday.

"Obviously there are significant financial implications. Obviously we have reputation issues as well, I mean, Old Trafford has a proud history of hosting Test cricket going back to over 100 years. We are absolutely gutted and devastated," Gidney told Skysports.

"I feel for all our staffs, suppliers, stakeholders, partners and sponsors and our guests today.

"But above all the ticket holders, everybody who has spent their hard money amid the difficulties of the pandemic over the last few months, who have been desperate to watch a fantastic game of cricket and unfortunately they can't do that and on behalf of Lancashire cricket club, I am truly sorry that those fans have been left so disappointed." Gidney admitted the situation was not in their control and promised a full refund to the ticket holders.

Also read: It's shame and anticlimax to wonderful series: former players on cancellation of Manchester Test

"..all the fans and ticket holders will get full refund, we are just working through all the details with ECB at the moment. I can just apologise, very very challenging all the disruption and inconvenience caused to the guests and ticket buyers." Old Trafford didn't have fans for a Test match since the Ashes in 2019 and there is no five-day game scheduled next year and Gidney said it is tough to accept it.

"It is very challenging to go four years without fans here for a Test match, we are a venue here of over a 100 years, so it is difficult.. something which is a bitter pill to shallow but here we are, that's what we need to do.

"We need to make sure that the future games at Old Trafford, we do our absolute best for our customers."

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Sep 10 (Cricket news) The cancellation of the fifth and final Test between India and England in Manchester due to fears of more COVID-19 cases in the visitors' camp was on Friday described as "absolute shame" and anticlimax to a "wonderful series".

Many of them, however, refused to point fingers on India, who were leading the series 2-1, reminding that England had done the same in South Africa.

The Test was cancelled just a couple of hours before the toss after India were left on tenterhooks following physio Yogesh Parmar's positive COVID-19 test that led to concerns that the infection could spread during the match.

"This is such a shame - as it’s been a wonderful series!," Australian spin legend Shane Warne wrote on his Twitter handle on the cancellation of the Old Trafford Test.

England batting great Kevin Pietersen said there should not be fingers pointed on the Indians for deciding not to play the Test.

"England left the tour of SA for Covid scares & cost CSA plenty, so don’t go pointing fingers!," he tweeted.

"Just remember what I said about where Test Cricket will be at in 2026…" Former England captain Michael Vaughan tweeted: "India have let English Cricket down!!! But England did let South African Cricket down!!!" Another former England captain Nasser Hussain said after both sides and the game of cricket went through this summer, it would have been nice to finish the series off.

"The bubble time they have done and everything that has been done to get this series on, it's a real shame that it has to end on such a low note," he said on Sky Sports.

Also read: India forfeit fifth Test against England as players decline to take field post COVID scare

Former England batsman Mark Butcher said the restart of Indian Premier League in the UAE on September 19 could be one of the reasons for the cancellation of the Test.

"The IPL restarts in the UAE on September 19 and any further postponement of the Test pushed the Indian players beyond the start of the competition (IPL)," he said on Sky Sports.

"Also, should any of the Indian players test positive in the meantime, they would haver to further quarantine another 10 days in the UK before they are able to leave," he added.

"There could be multiple reasons but it is absolute shame that the series has not been played out the way it was meant to." He said it has been a tremendous series and India had been a fantastic team, giving England the real run for their money in home conditions.

"We had an inkling last night that there could be an issue, there was talk of postponement of the Test match which of course would have caused as many problems as it can solve." Royal Challengers Bangalore, which is captained by India skipper Virat Kohli, said the right decision has been taken.

"Health and safety of everyone involved is paramount and the right call has been made. We hope and pray that everybody is safe," the RCB tweeted.

Another IPL side Punjab Kings described the development as "sad news".

Former England woman player Isa Guha tweeted: "Mad times ... Some questions - what happens to the points/how does the series end? If not forfeited? Will there be a chance to complete it another time?"

News source: PTI

Manchester, Sep 10 (Cricket news): The Indian cricket team on Saturday forfeited the fifth and final Test against England after senior players decided against taking the field following a fresh COVID-19 case in the contingent, ending the series 2-2 here.

The players had been on the edge after assistant physio Yogesh Parmar tested positive for COVID-19.

The players tested negative but with the 96-hour incubation period also factored in, they didn't want to risk testing positive and ending in 10-day quarantine according to BCCI sources.

"Due to fears of a further increase in the number of COVID cases inside the camp, India are regrettably unable to field a team and will instead forfeit the match," the England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement.

A COVID-related quarantine would have meant missing out on IPL matches, starting September 19.

"Following ongoing conversations with the BCCI, the ECB can confirm that the fifth LV= Insurance Test between England and India Men due to start today at Emirates Old Trafford, will be cancelled," the ECB stated.

"We send our sincere apologies to fans and partners for this news, which we know will cause immense disappointment and inconvenience to many," it added.

Also read: England vice-captain Jos Butler expects the final Test to go ahead

News source:  PTI 

Dubai, Sep 10 (Cricket news): Delhi Capitals senior batsman Steve Smith says his Indian Premier League side will have to play their best cricket in the second half of this year's cash-rich T20 tournament if they want to make it to the final.

With 12 points from six wins out of eight games, DC are currently at the top of the standings before the tournament was stopped midway in May due to the increasing COVID-19 cases in India and multiple cases in the IPL bio-bubble.

Smith believes the Rishabh Pant-led team has the potential to do even better in the second half of the IPL to be played in UAE from September 19 to October 15.

"We have to pick up from where we left off. We were playing some really good cricket, getting the results we were after. And I think we can do even better so we should be playing our best cricket in the back end of the tournament.

"You have to play well enough to get to the final, but hopefully, we can play our best cricket in the final," the 32-year-old Australian was quoted as saying in a DC release.

He said the team will certainly have to rebuild itself for the remainder of the IPL. "It's been a few months since we have played together so we have to build again. We have a great squad and we have Shreyas Iyer back in the side as well, which adds a lot more to us. He's a quality player and good to see him back out in the park." Smith said he is fortunate to have returned for the second half of the event during such a tumultuous time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It's been a very unique time in the world in the last 18 months. We've all had to work together to try and get through this and we have to continue to get through the situation.

"I am really fortunate to have a chance to come back for the second half of the tournament. I am looking forward to it. Delhi are sitting at a great spot on the table so hope that we can keep playing some great cricket and be there at the business end of the tournament," he said.

DC will resume their campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad on September 22.

Also read: Looking for different match-winners in different games: RR Director Sangakkara

News source: PTI

(Football news) FIFA has announced that the Club World Cup 2021, set to take place on December 9 to 19th will not be hosted in Japan due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation. The country was set to host the Club World Cup for the ninth time, coinciding with the JFA’s 100th anniversary celebration.

FIFA is set to announce an alternative venue shortly with Qatar being a likely destination, as they have hosted the last two editions of the Club World Cup. In a statement released by FIFA, they said “FIFA can confirm that it has been informed today by the Japan Football Association (JFA) that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and hosting situation in the country, they are no longer in a position to host the FIFA Club World Cup 2021™.

FIFA would like to thank the JFA for their work and commitment and looks forward to going back to Japan in the future. Further details about an alternative host for the FIFA Club World Cup 2021 will be announced by FIFA in due course.”

The Club World Cup is usually played in late December as the champions of Europe and South America qualify directly for the semi-finals. Chelsea would be participating in the CWC this year after defeating Manchester City in the Champions League finals. The London based club will hope to win their first Club World Cup trophy this year.

Also read: Ronaldo's homecoming headlines matchweek 4 of the Premier League

Manchester, Sep 9 (Cricket news) England vice-captain Jos Buttler on Thursday said he expects the fifth and final Test against India to proceed as scheduled despite a fresh COVID-19 case in the visiting camp.

England need to win the final Test, starting Friday, but fresh concerns arose when the Indian team's junior physio Yogesh Parmar tested positive for the virus on the eve of the match, resulting in cancellation of the side's practice session.

Their head coach Ravi Shastri and bowling coach Bharath Arun have also contracted the infection and are in isolation in London.

"I don't know too much, to be honest, at the moment. At present we are expecting the game to go ahead. Things are all fine in our camp. We are looking forward to the game," Buttler said during a media interaction when asked about the latest development .

Buttler, who was on paternity leave during the Oval Test, said his team is all fired up to square the series, which India leads 2-1 at present.

"It was a fantastic Test match (at the Oval). The Indians played brilliant cricket. We want to win this Test match and level the series. The spirits are high in the side, it's a must win game for us," he said.

Also read: Spin to win is the mantra for every team in the T20 World Cup this year

There is speculation that England pace spearhead James Anderson might be rested for the game but Buttler hinted otherwise.

"He has bowled fantastically well in the series. Jimmy is incredibly fit. He has looked after himself very well. He looks exactly the same (as was in first match) and is available for selection," he said.

Talking about the wicket, Buttler said, "Pretty good wicket, looks a bit dry. There could be spin later on. We played against the West Indies and Pakistan so we know the conditions pretty well." Earlier in the day, England announced their World Cup squad which will be without star all-rounder Ben Stokes. Buttler is vice captain and he said they have a good bunch of players for the tournament.

"There is strength and depth. The white ball squad is fantastic. We have some brilliant players and match-winners. We are excited for that challenge and will try to do the maximum." It has also been reported that when England will travel to Ashes later in the year, the players may not be allowed to take their families along. Asked about this, Buttler said the players will take a decision on the matter only when they have more clarity.

"In the current situation we are waiting for more information to make any decisions. All guys are waiting for more clarity in (next) two weeks," he said.

News Source: PTI

Manchester, Sep 9 (Cricket news) A member of India's support staff has tested positive for COVID-19, forcing the team to cancel its practice session ahead of the fifth Test against England beginning here on Friday.

A BCCI official confirmed the development to PTI. But, the identity of the support staff member could not be ascertained.

The players have been advised to remain in their respective rooms.

Head coach Ravi Shastri is already in isolation after testing positive for the virus during the fourth Test.

Also read: Head coach Shastri tests positive for coronavirus, isolated along with other support staff members

Fielding coach R Sridhar, bowling coach Bharat Arun and physio Nitin Patel are also isolating in London. Only batting coach Vikram Rathour was with the team when it won the fourth Test at the Oval on day five.

India lead the series 2-1 but the development has cast a fresh shadow on the fifth and final Test. 

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Sep 9 (Table Tennis news): The Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) has called its executive committee meeting on Saturday to discuss star player Manika Batra's allegations of match-fixing against national coach Soumyadeep Roy. After Manika's allegation, in response to the TTFI's showcause notice, that the national coach had asked her to throw a match during the Olympic qualifiers in March, the federation had asked Roy for a written response which he has submitted.

"Both Manika and Roy will be heard in the meeting and inquiry panel will be formed," TTFI secretary Arun Banerjee told PTI on Thursday.

National camp in Sonepat ================ On the ongoing national camp in Sonepat, Banerjee said most of the players have reported barring Manika. G Sathiyan, who had wanted to train in Poland instead, is also expected to reach in a day or two.

The federation recently made camp attendance compulsory for players to be eligible for big events, including the Asian Championships in Doha later this month.

Sutirtha Mukherjee, who did not report to Sonepat at the start of the camp, has also reached after recovering from fever, said Banerjee.

"The rules are pretty clear. You have to attend the camp to be eligible for selection," he said. No full-time coach since 2018 Asian Games =========================== The federation, which has not managed to rope in a foreign coach in more than three years due to COVID-19 pandemic and other reasons, is looking to hire one at the earliest.

Former Spanish player Alfredo Carneros has emerged as one of the candidates. India veteran Sharath Kamal had defeated him in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"We lost a lot of time due to COVID. We are on the lookout and are talking to a few coaches. A decision will be made soon," added Banerjee.

Also read: Manika rubbishes TTFI's claim that she did not report Roy's alleged fixing offer in March

News source: PTI

Chennai, Sep 9 (Sports news): Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday called upon the nation to fix a target to double the medal tally in the 2024 Paris Olympics and also for building "all-encompassing support system" for the young and aspiring athletes.

India's stellar performance at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 had filled the hearts of the countrymen with pride and even more gratifying were the achievements of Paralympians who through their single-minded focus, grit and resilience brought home a record number of 19 medals propelling India into the top 25 at the para games, the Vice President said.

"This is a historic moment in India’s sporting journey and their exemplary performance has not only changed people's perception towards disability but has also kindled hopes of India emerging as a major sporting power," he said while virtually inaugurating the Tiruchirappalli Campus of SRM Institute of Science and Technology from the Raj Bhavan here.

"Let us set a target for ourselves to double the medal count in Paris Olympics in 2024 and lose no time in trying to achieve it," he said and urged all stakeholders, including the private sector, to come together to build an all-encompassing support system for the country's young and aspiring athletes.

"If an enabling ecosystem is created, I am sure, there are many more Avani Lekharas (who won a gold medal in rifle shooting in Tokyo 2020 Paralympics) and Neeraj Chopras (Javelin thrower who won gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics) waiting in the wings, whose talent can be nurtured successfully," he said. Educational institutions like SRM Institute whose student Nethra Kumanan, the first Indian sailor to qualify for the Olympics, should take a lead in this direction, the Vice President said.

On the challenge of employability, Venkaiah Naidu stressed the need to increase employability by focusing on the skills required for the Industry. "Every year, the country produces around 1.5 million engineers, but a survey suggests that only seven per cent of them are suitable for core engineering jobs," he pointed out. Hence, the emphasis must be on building a stronger academia-industry connection and ensuring that creative research results in the application of ground-breaking solutions.

The students on their part should equip themselves with emotional and social skills that will enable them to adapt to a rapidly changing world. "Develop a positive outlook towards life and seek to contribute to the larger cause of nation-building. Strive constantly to use your education for the good of others, society and the nation at large," he advised.

The services of the SRM group in collaborating with the Government on clinical trials with respect to COVID-19, and also in providing affordable and necessary healthcare facilities to those affected by the pandemic were commendable, he said. The Vice President appreciated the vision and leadership of the founder of the group, Dr T. R. Paarivendhar, and said the SRM group's focus on quality education is in tune with the Government's vision in laying the foundation for an Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit, founder Chancellor of SRM IST and Member of Parliament T R Paarivendhar, president, SRM IST, Niranjan, and chairman, SRM Groups, Ramapuram and Trichy Campuses Dr R Shivakumar were among those who attended the virtual event.

Also read: Sports Minister felicitates triumphant Paralympians, hopes for better show in 2024

News source: PTI 

New Delhi, Sep 9 (Badminton news): The Syed Modi International Super 300 tournament was on Thursday cancelled by the Badminton World Federation for the second year in a row.

The tournament, which was also cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was scheduled to be held in Lucknow from October 12 to 17.

"Further to August's announcement detailing updates to the BWF Tournament Calendar 2021, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) can confirm the Syed Modi India International 2021 is now cancelled," the apex body said in a statement.

BWF, which has had to cancel several tournaments due to COVID-19 complications and restrictions, however, did not specify the exact reason for calling off the tournament in India.

"Tournament organisers Badminton Association of India (BAI) made the decision in consultation and collaboration with local government authorities and the BWF.

"The BWF regrets the cancellation but remains committed to delivering a safe and structured series of badminton tournaments for the rest of the year including the culmination to the HSBC BWF World Tour," the statement read.

Last month, the governing body had cancelled the Korea Open (August 31- September 5), Macau Open (November 2 -7)and Taipei Open (September 7-12) due to "complications regarding the staging" of the event in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

China Open (September 21-26), Japan Open (September 28-October 3), Fuzhou China Open (November 9-14) and Hong Kong Open (November 16-21) were the other important events which were cancelled due to the global health crisis.

Also read: Multi-tasker Noida DM Suhas Yathiraj says his Paralympic silver shows sports and academics can co-exist

News source: PTI 

(Football news) Footballers who did not travel after being called up by Brazil, Mexico, Chile and Paraguay have been banned from participating in club fixtures for the next five days as per FIFA regulations. The likes of Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle, Wolves and Watford will be affected as a result.

Earlier, the Premier League had stopped players travelling to red list countries, even if it meant they could not represent their countries for the World Cup qualifiers. Under the United Kingdom rules, players travelling to red list countries would be required to isolate for 10 days, resulting in several games missed in the process. As things stand, The Premier League, FA, U.K Government and FIFA are all involved in the discussions while Richard Masters, Chief Executive of the Premier League has communicated to the clubs that a solution is being worked upon.

Chelsea’s Thiago Silva and Manchester United’s Fred will not only miss the weekend’s Premier League fixtures but also the opening match of the Champions League against Zenit St. Petersburg and Young Boys respectively. Liverpool will miss Roberto Firmino, Alisson and Fabinho while Ederson and Gabriel Jesus will be absent for Manchester City. Raul Jiminez of Wolves, Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almiron of Newcastle United and Chile defender Francisco Sierralta of Watford will also miss out.

Unfortunately, the real victims in these unusual circumstances are the players. Neither have the Premier League or the International board taken into account the wishes of the players and whether they would prefer representing their country for the World Cup qualifiers or endure a five day ban for their refusal to travel. When the Brazil vs Argentina World Cup qualifier was suspended because four Premier League players: Emiliano Martínez, Emiliano Buendía, Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero chose to travel and represent their countries, they were made to pay heavy fines by their respective clubs, simply because they chose to represent their country instead of adhering to the Premier League rules.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has been pushing for coronavirus travel exemptions for players to fulfill their international obligations. If the current situation has any chances of changing, giving International teams assurances about player availability in October and November fixtures is the only way to go.

Also read: Brazil vs Argentina abandoned after health officials invade the pitch due to COVID-19 regulations
 

(Football news) Real Madrid women's team created history by defeating Manchester City 2-1 on aggregate to make it to their first ever UWCL group stage. Real Madrid's femino team was formed just a year back in 2020. In the illustrious history of the greatest club in world football, a women's team was the only thing that was missing.

In their first ever season in the Spanish top flight, Los Blancos finished 2nd in the league qualifying for the UWCL in the process. Real Madrid made a few valuable additions to the squad before the start of the current season spending big money on some big names.

In men's football, Real Madrid has a pedigree like no other club while Manchester City is a club that has just acquired glory and worldwide recognition. In women's football it is completely opposite as Real Madrid has only existed for little more than a year while Manchester City have been in the mix for over 32 years.

Also read: Carlo Ancelotti seems to have finally brought attacking football back to Madrid

The Los Blancos without a doubt were the underdogs going into the game but the name Real Madrid itself has a goodwill like no other. Real Madrid's star forward and Talisman Kosvore Aslani was tested positive for Covid-19 and missed the first leg. Despite the Swede’s absence the Merengues managed to salvage a draw at home thanks to right back Kenti Robles' last minute strike to make it 1-1.

Coming to Manchester, the tie was in the balance due to the recent abolishment of the away goals rule. Manchester City dominated possession for the entire game but lacked quality in the final third. Real Madrid defended as a team with their captain Ivana Andrés at the heart of the defence. New signing Nahikari García scored a goal which was incorrectly ruled out for offside but that didn't stop the royal whites.

Claudia Zornoza, another newcomer, scored an invaluable goal to give Real Madrid the advantage. Los Blancos managed to protect their lead thanks to defensive performances by right back Kenti Robles and holding midfielder Aurélie Kaci. Manchester missed a few very good chances including an open goal miss.

The UWCL group stage draw is set to take place on 13th September where Real Madrid will be in the Pot 3 or 4. Manchester City on the other hand will now play in the continental cup.
 

New Delhi, Sep 8 (Sports news) It's a misconception that sports and academics cannot be pursued simultaneously, says Noida District Magistrate and Paralympic silver medal-winning shuttler Suhas Yathiraj, basking in the glory of his unparalleled achievements which he credited to the inspiring role played by his late father.

The 38-year-old Suhas, who has an ankle deformity since birth, claimed the silver at the recent Tokyo Games, his maiden Paralympics since taking up the sport in 2016.

Speaking to PTI in an interview, the bureaucrat, who gave up a corporate job after clearing UPSC, said he is accustomed to striking a perfect balance between his job and his passion.

"Since my childhood days, I used to play sports for two hours, sports is part of my life along with studies. There is a misconception in the society that sports and studies can't go along together," he said.

"I would like to tell the parents and the society that forget that logic, your child can excel in both," Suhas, who was born in Karnataka's Hassan, added.

"In 2016 I played my first professional tournament, the Asian Championship in Beijing, where I got the gold medal and I think that was more or less the turning point in terms of professional badminton." Suhas, who has been DM of Azamgarh, Prayagraj and Hathras in his various stints, credited his late father Yathiraj L K for the success he has achieved and said it is after watching him play that he was inspired into the shuttle sport. Yathraj Senior was also a government officer.

"My deformity is congenital. I have had operations when I was a child to fix try and fix it. The challenge was always there in the childhood because we were not mature enough to understand good or bad etc.

"So you are very sensitive to what people speak, you are not even confident as to what you can achieve in life. But that is where my father's role comes into play, he gave me immense confidence in what I could do. So since childhood, I have been competing with able-bodied athletes," he said.

Suhas said he has always liked badminton and wanted to play the sport as a child.

"There is no specific inspiration behind getting into badminton, it was a sport that I always loved since childhood. But in south India, there is a concept of ball badminton, my father used to play ball badminton and I used to be fascinated with that.

"That is where I got fascinated with racquet sports," said the soft-spoken multi-tasker.

Suhas, an engineering graduate from the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Suratkal, scripted history by becoming the first IAS officer to win a a Paralympic medal.

Since his appointment as the DM of Gautam Buddh Nagar on March 30, 2020, he was also been at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic management.

"...After 12th, I was fortunate to get into both MBBS and engineering, I got into the best engineering college of Karnataka that is NIT Suratkal. After that I got jobs in three MNCs but I felt that there is something lacking in my life.

"I always wanted to be a civil servant and after the tragic death of my father in 2005, I decided that I would pursue it. In 2006 I wrote the exams and at that time I was also working in a private MNC," he said.

Wasn't it a huge task to chase those IAS ambitions with an active job? "If you see in life, all things which are worthy of achieving or have some intrinsic value, they are all difficult. It's all about time management and those who have excelled at multitasking have one thing in common, they love love the task they they select." Talking about his training along side bureaucratic responsibilities, Suhas said: "During the peak of COVID I didn't train because there was absolutely no time. But the peak was for a certain period and my training was generally post 10pm at night.

"One needs to train for two hours generally and one hour in the morning for physical fitness. So that's more than sufficient. I was not in the national camp. I trained along with an Indonesian coach.

"He trained me specifically here in Greater Noida. He is my personal coach. He is based in India but a former Indonesian badminton player. His name is Gighi Duthree Belatame." He also praised the government's Target Olympic Podium Scheme, which according to him, played a big role in the best-ever medals tally of 19 in the Paralympics.

"One of the best schemes of the government is TOPS and I am also a part of it. I think TOPS scehme is one of the reasons for the increased medals tally in the country," he said.

Also read: Dope violators eligible for national sports honours if ban period served: Sports Ministry

Talking about life after finding fame, Suhas said he would rather enjoy the moment than plan ahead.

"I want to live in the present moment. I don't want to think about anything else. I sometimes feel that if God has given me the gold, there wouldn't have been much left to achieve. So, I feel everything happens for a reason.

"I just want to cherish this moment and after sometime, give thought to anything else," Suhas added. 

News source: PTI

London, Sep 8 (Cricket news) The Indian cricket team will play six white-ball matches against England in July next year, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced as it unveiled its international home fixtures for 2022.

The Indian team is currently playing a five-Test series against England with the last match slated to start September 10.

However, unlike other years, India's red and white ball series have been segregated due to the length of the tours in times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

England men will play all of their home white-ball matches in July against India, followed by South Africa.

As per the schedule released by the ECB, India will begin the T20 International series at the Old Trafford on July 1 before matches at Trent Bridge (July 3) and the Ageas Bowl (July 6).

A three-match ODI series follows with games at Edgbaston (July 9), the Oval (July 12) and the Lord's (July 14).

England men will begin their 2022 home summer with a three-match Test Series against world champions New Zealand.

Joe Root's Test team will begin its series against the Black Caps at Lord's on June 2 before the series heads to Trent Bridge (10-14 June) and Emerald Headingley (23-27 June).

Also read: Amit Mishra recounts battle against COVID-19, looks forward to IPL resumption

ECB Chief Executive Officer, Tom Harrison, said: "It has been a scintillating summer of cricket and so good to see crowds back packing out venues later this summer.

"For next summer, I am pleased to be able to confirm three high-quality men's international touring teams for 2022, starting with a three-Test LV= Insurance Series against World Test champions New Zealand.

"We also look forward to India returning for two white-ball series before we host South Africa for what promises to be hard-fought series across three formats, including three Test Matches," he added.

England Men v India -- T20 Series schedule, 2022: Jul 1, 2022 - Emirates Old Trafford Jul 3 2022 - Trent Bridge Jul 6 2022 - Ageas Bowl England Men v India -- ODI Series Jul 9, 2022 - Edgbaston Jul 12, 2022 -Kia Oval Jul 14 2022 - Lord's. 

News source: PTI

Dubai, Sep 8 (Cricket news) Leg-spinner Amit Mishra is glad that he is back to full fitness after a rather slow recovery from COVID-19 that pretty much cut him off from the outside world.

The Delhi Capitals tweaker is now looking forward to the IPL resuming here on September 19. He was among the infected people in the IPL-bio bubble, forcing the BCCI to suspend the event in May.

"After the IPL was suspended in May, I focussed on my recovery from Covid-19. According to the advice given to me by the doctors, I improved my fitness slowly and steadily," he said in a team release.

"It was difficult for me during the recovery phase, but I am happy that I am here for the second half of the season. I trained on my own and didn't go close to anybody after recovery.

"I got some gym equipment such as treadmill and set them up at my home as well because I didn't want to train in a public gym.

Delhi Capitals had a good run in the first half of the tournament, recording 6 wins in 8 matches.

However, Mishra feels that all teams will have to start afresh when the season resumes.

"We are at the top of the table right now, but we have to start afresh. We have to set our strategies again. I think every team has an equal chance of doing well now since we are all re-starting the tournament.

Also read: Head coach Shastri tests positive for coronavirus, isolated along with other support staff members

"We are playing the second half of the IPL in a different country, so we have to devise our strategies according to the conditions here in the UAE." The leg-spinner added that he will try to build on the momentum they had in the first half of the season.

"We have been doing well in the last two seasons and the performances have come because of a collective effort. From coaches to selectors to players, everyone should be credited for Delhi Capitals' progress as a team in the last few years," said the 38-year-old.

Delhi Capitals take on Sunrisers Hyderabad on September 22. 

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Sept 8 (Hockey news): The Indian hockey team kept its morale high despite the challenges posed by COVID-19 and the historic bronze medal winning feat at the Tokyo Olympics is only just the beginning of a new era, said young striker Dilpreet Singh on Wednesday.

The Indian men's team had ended a 41-year-old long wait for an Olympic medal when it clinched the bronze at the Tokyo Games last month.

"We all worked so hard to achieve this feat. We never let any difficulties during the pandemic affect our morale. The seniors played a big part in encouraging us constantly and making us feel like we can do this," he said in a release issued by Hockey India (HI).

"I truly believe that this is a new beginning. We all want to achieve more, and we want people to give us more love and continue to support us.

"And for this to happen, we know we must consistently perform well at major tournaments. We are mentally prepared for it," the 21-years-old added.

Dilpreet has had a dream run so far with the Indian team. Ever since his grand outing in the Sultan of Johor Cup in 2017 where the India Colts won the Bronze Medal, Dilpreet's career has soared to new heights.

He was called-up for the senior camp and soon became part of the team in almost every major tournament since 2018 including the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games as well as the World Cup in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

"I feel so fortunate to be part of this incredible group and yes, I do believe I have been lucky to have had such a great start to my international career," he said.

The young forward from Punjab said the support he received particularly when he was dropped from the senior team following the 2018 FIH men's World Cup where the team was knocked out in the quarterfinals became the turning point of his career.

"Looking back, surely that was not an easy period for me. Maybe, I could not handle the success of getting to play in such major tournaments so early in my career. I was hardly 18 or 19 years old then," he said.

"The junior team coaches guided me all through 2019 and I also worked closely with the psychologist in SAI, Bengaluru at that time.

"After chief coach Graham Reid took over, he watched me during training and spoke to me personally and that motivated me a lot. After I got a chance to come back to the Senior Group, there has been no looking back."

Also read: MP govt appoints Olympic hockey player Vivek Sagar as DSP

News source: PTI

(Football news) With the headline act of matchweek 6 between Brazil and Argentina getting suspended by the health authorities, the other teams played out an exciting week of fixtures as Uruguay's victory helped enhance their chances of qualification but World Cup regulars Chile are in a tough position in the table.

Uruguay comfortably won 4-2 against Bolivia, Oscar Tabarez’s side were left disappointed last week as they drew against Peru but the performance against Bolivia got them back on track. Missing their talismans Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, Uruguayians depended on Valvedere to provide the magic who scored in the first half to give them a much deserved lead. The second half began in the same manner as debutant Augustin Alvarez scored his first goal for Uruguay but the performance was rounded off by Giorgian de Arrascaeta who scored a brace. With this performance Uruguay are in 4th position with 12 points from 8 matches.

Chile drew 0-0 against Ecuador in what was a very disappointing performance from the former Copa America champions. Chile couldn’t assert their dominance even after Junior Somoza of Ecuador got a red card. This draw puts Chile in a very tough position in the group as they have only 7 points from 8 matches getting only one victory and are in 8th position in the group. Chile need to at least win 5 matches from their remaining 8 matches to stand a chance to qualify.

Also read: Brazil vs Argentina abandoned after health officials invade the pitch due to COVID-19 regulations

Colombia drew 1-1 against Paraguay as it was a very unenterprising performance from the Columbians. The first half began with Paraguay putting all the pressure on the Columbians which resulted in them taking the lead through Antonio Sanabria but the story of the second was a little different as Juan Cuadrado’s penalty salvaged a hard fought draw for them. Colombia now have 10 points and stand 5th in the group.

The matches to keep an eye that will take place on 10th September are:

Uruguay vs Ecuador

Paraguay vs Venezuela

Colombia vs Chile 

Argentina vs Bolivia 

Brazil vs Peru

Mumbai, Sep 7 (Cricket news) Oman Cricket chairman Pankaj Khimji has described co-hosting the upcoming T20 World Cup in October as not only a “watershed moment” for the sport but for the entire nation.

The T20 World Cup will be played from October 17 to November 14 in United Arab Emirates and Oman.

The matches in Oman will be played at the Oman Cricket Academy Ground in Muscat.

"We are now showcasing not (only) Oman cricket, we are showcasing Oman to the globe, world and if we go by what we expect, this could be the third largest televised event in history after the football world cup and the Olympics that happened in Japan.

“This is the best way for Oman to showcase itself as the world’s best kept tourism secret. People hardly know much about Oman and this would be our chance to kind of showcase Oman to the rest of the world," Khimji told PTI in an interaction when asked what hosting the World Cup means.

According to Khimji, arrangements are being made to accommodate 3,000 spectators.

"Oman has a beautiful green ground. Now, we are making arrangements for about 3,000 spectators, 500 out of those will be in the corporate boxes. We are also preparing a beautiful press-box and a beautiful media centre and TV production area. It is super learning for us,” he quipped.

Khimji also said this wasn’t a normal World Cup as it is happening in COVID-19 times.

"We will have to put in a bio-security protocol, this is not your normal World Cup, let's put it this way. This is a World Cup during the times of COVID, it is a different kind of World Cup.

"Right now, we are grappling with all these protocols, security…. It is a great challenge, but it's great fun," he said. Khimji stressed that Oman government and the ICC along with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have extended support to the cricket board.

“BCCI is the host. We are into a tripartite agreement and the Oman government is our patron. So, the Oman government, right from the highest authority of the land, they bent backwards and left no stone unturned.

"Fantastic help from the government and we are issuing 30-40 visas in a matter of minutes. The ICC has been super. So far, we have ticked all the boxes." Oman played with domestic giants Mumbai in a one-day series and T20 series.

According to Khimji, the Mumbai tour was the perfect “anti-dote” that was needed for Oman to start preparing for the marquee event.

Also read: UAE stumper-batter Shabbir banned for 4 years

"It really puts us in our place. We are playing Scotland and Papua New Guinea along with Bangladesh in our World Cup round one, and Scotland and Papua New Guinea we played umpteen number of times over the last two years and we had a fair share of wins, far better share of wins.

"So, how do we gear up? Scotland is coming out of the season; Papua New Guinea hasn’t touched cricket for the last year and half. Oman had a three-month break of cricket from April to now,” explained Khimji on the importance of the tour.

“Mumbai was the perfect antidote that we required to give us a jolted start in terms of our preparation one and you need a tough team to get the best out of you. "You playing a mediocre team and saying well let the boy’s warm-up, that is not how it works. I an indebted to the MCA (Mumbai Cricket Association) for sending its team here,” he signed off. 

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Sep 7 (Boxing news) The Boxing Federation of India has sought a three-month extension for its foreign coaches, whose contracts were expiring this month, saying a review will be done after the World Championships for men and women later this year.

Indian boxing has two foreign recruits in men's High Performance Director Santiago Nieva of Sweden and his women's team counterpart Rafaelle Bergamasco from Italy. Both of them came on board in 2017 and their contracts were to end after the Tokyo Olympics.

"We have sought a three-month extension (from the Sports Authority of India) for both of them. The men's World Championship is due next month and the women's one is scheduled some time in December, we want continuity," Boxing Federation of India Secretary General Hemanta Kalita told PTI.

The decision was taken at the BFI's Executive Committee meeting recently.

"Our review of the Olympic performance is still an ongoing process and we would take a decision on any further extension after the two World Championships," Kalita explained.

"This is going to take some time. An extension will ensure that our preparations are not disrupted. There is very little time in hand," he said.

An unprecedented nine Indian boxers, five men and four women, qualified for the Tokyo Games of which only Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) could finish on the podium with a bronze medal.

Among the men, only Satish Kumar (+91kg) could reach the quarterfinals, while four others, including world number one Amit Panghal (52kg), lost in their opening round bouts.

BFI President had backed both the boxers as well as the coaching staff, saying that he he cannot overlook the unparalleled results of the past four years which included two medals for the first time at the men's World Championships and never-before-seen hauls in the Asian and Commonwealth Games.

Both Nieva and Bergamasco have expressed the desire to continue.

The 47-year-old Nieva is a member of the International Boxing Association's (AIBA) coaches committee and Vice President of the Asian Boxing Confederation's (ASBC) coaches committee.

Kalita also informed that after men's National Championship from September 15, the BFI will conduct the women's national event in the second week of October.

Also read: National Boxing gold-winners to make team for World Championships; Head Guards brought back

"The dates will be finalised in some days but the window would second week of October. We plan hold the tournament in Hisar in Haryana. The World Championships are due in December so that window is perfect to have the Nationals," he said.

Both the men's and women's National Championships could not be held last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The gold medal winners of the men's Nationals will qualify for the World Championships. 

News source: PTI

(Football news) In 2018, the World Cup final between France and Croatia was viewed by more than 1.1 billion people around the world, the most watched sporting event by far. It’s what most footballers would describe as the ‘pinnacle’ of their careers, exceeding any achievement at the club level. The football World Cup is only getting bigger, with the 2026 finals that will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada being the first 48 nation tournament in history.

For many, the concept of the World Cup being held every four years is an outdated model, with many countries such as Saudi Arabia, China, Argentina, Morocco and England eager for a chance to host the tournament on their home soil. The football industry has never been more lucrative than it is today and international football tournaments want a slice of that pie more often.

FIFA is conducting a study on the practicalities of the World Cup being held every two years, which would mean a major international tournament would be held every season. Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, currently serving as FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development is conducting the study that may significantly impact the international game. According to his blueprint, two international breaks should be held in March and October, with groups of four teams playing six qualifying games. He has also proposed a mandatory 25 day rest period for players after international tournaments and less disruptive calendars for the clubs as there are only two breaks in a season.

All that sounds well and good, but how practical is a proposal of this sort? Would it diminish the value of the World Cup as a routine event held every year? How would it influence club football as a month of international tournament combined with a mandatory 25 day break would mean players will be away from their clubs for almost two years before the domestic action begins. Does it spell the end of lucrative pre-season friendlies?

The concept of four teams playing six qualifying games to maintain high quality standards doesn’t take into account that 48 teams will now participate in the tournament. This would mean that to accommodate all the teams in the groups, there would be unchallenging matches between the ‘minnows’ of international football which would contradict the whole point of the format. Moreover, footballers around the world have challenged the concept of one major international tournament every season, criticizing the number of games they are expected to play which would severely impact the quality of matches.

However, there are definitely pros to this concept. For countries where football is ‘developing’ the possibility of hosting a World Cup sooner rather than later will be a major boost to their prospects. Sponsors and broadcasters would relish the opportunity to be involved in the World Cup spectacle every two years and fans would love being entertained by one of the biggest sporting events in the world more often. Currently, the World Cup’s schedule is pre-decided until 2026 and with the Euros set to be held in 2028, no radical changes can take place until 2030 at the earliest.

Football is an evolving sport and traditionalists may be forced to accept that things can never stay as they were, however unappealing they may seem. However, the feasibility of the World Cup being held every two years is still at an early stage and it may or may not happen, but one thing is for sure, international football does need changes to remain as appealing to fans as club fixtures.

Also read: Brazil vs Argentina abandoned after health officials invade the pitch due to COVID-19 regulations

New Delhi, Sep 7 (Boxing news) Boxers will compete in head guards during the men's National Championship scheduled to start on September 15 and the gold-medallists from the event will qualify for the World Championships to be held next month in Belgrade, Serbia.

The Nationals, which could not be held last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, will be staged at the Inspire Institute of Sports in Bellary, Karnataka and the top two in each category will make automatic cut for the national camp.

"The gold-medallists will qualify for the World Championships. The Nationals will be followed by an Open Championship and the top two from there will also be added to the camp," Boxing Federation of India Secretary General Hemanta Kalita told PTI after an executive committee meeting of the BFI.

"Head guards will be back as was proposed because we don't want to risk major cuts given the very little time in hand for the world championships," he added.

The world event will be held from October 26 and it would be the first major international competitive outing for the boxers after the Tokyo Olympics.

Men's amateur boxing did away with head guards in 2013 when the AIBA medical commission, after a research study, concluded that removing the gear "may reduce the already small risk of acute brain injury in amateur boxing." The country's Olympic-returned boxers will also have to compete and claim gold at the Nationals to be eligible for the global showpiece.

Amit Panghal (52kg), Manish kaushik (63kg), Vikas Krishan (69kg), Ashish Chaudhary (75kg) and Satish Kumar (+91kg) had competed at the Tokyo Games.

Of these, Vikas is currently out of action, nursing a shoulder injury that needed to be operated on.

"The Olympians have to compete and win gold at Nationals to be eligible for the world championship. There is no exemption. The dates and venue for the Open championship will be announced later," he added.

"Immediately after the Nationals, we will have trial bouts on September 22 and 23 between this year's bronze winners and last edition's top three to decide additional boxers for the national camp," Kalita said.

The National Championship will be competed in the new weight categories introduced by the International Boxing Association in July.

The revised weight divisions for men, after being increased from 10 to 13, are 48kg, 51kg, 54kg, 57kg, 60kg, 63.5kg, 67kg, 71kg, 75kg, 80kg, 86kg, 92kg, and +92kg.

The AIBA events and Olympic competitions do not feature head guards but national associations are free to conduct their tournaments with or without the protective gear.

The AIBA research had concluded that head guards can increase the risk of blows to the head because the padding around the eyes limits the boxer's vision. On the flip-side, the absence of head guards has contributed to an increased rate of cuts.

Also read: Indian contingent brings home 39 medals from the 2021 ASBC Asian Youth & Junior Boxing Championships

To this, the AIBA study had stated that "as boxers become more experienced and acclimated" to boxing without head guards and coaches change their style in view of the new rule, the rate of cuts will be reduced to previous historic levels.

The head guards were made mandatory in 1984 by AIBA before being dumped in 2013.

The tournament in Bellary will require boxers, participating officials and support staff to present a negative RT-PCR test report obtained 72 hours before landing at the competition. The boxers' temperatures will also be checked on arrival. 

News source: PTI

Dubai, (Cricket news): Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers has urged spectators to forget about "team selection and other nonsense" and appreciate the game in its purest form after premier India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was controversially excluded for the fourth consecutive Test against England.

As India continued to persist with the four seamers and a specialist spinner strategy for the fourth Test against England, skipper Virat Kohli had been subjected to sharp criticism by fans for backing Ravindra Jadeja and not selecting Ashwin in the playing XI.

However, Kohli's decision to keep Ashwin on the bench stood vindicated as India registered a memorable 157-run win in the fourth Test at The Oval on Monday, to go 2-1 up in the five-match series.

"As “spectators” of Test Cricket, just stop worrying about team selection and other nonsense and start appreciating the competition, passion, skill and patriotism unfolding in front of your eyes. You’re missing a good game!," de Villiers tweeted.

"Well played India, well Captained @imVkohli and amazing skill and guts from a few individuals. Also well played @root66 & England! Great ad for our beautiful game! Excited for the finale," he added.

The 37-year-old, who plays for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, arrived in the UAE for the second phase of the IPL on Monday.

The lucrative league, which was suspended in May due to increasing number of COVID-19 cases in India and within the IPL bio bubble, will resume from September 19 in the UAE.

"It's great to be back, looking forward to seeing everyone again. Some of the guys are in the UK but they'll be joining us soon. We has a good start to the tournament so we have got a lot of momentum to build on. I'm just looking forward to settle in and seeing everyone again," de villiers said in a video posted by RCB.

"Been playing around with the guys a bit , I'm also feeling like a young kid ready to go again, very excited to play cricket again.

RCB are currently placed third in the table with 10 points from seven outings. The Kohli-led side will take on Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabu on September 20.

"I'm just getting ready for the IPL, I had a couple of hiccups here and there, a few things that got in the way that I had to overcome but I'm trying to get fit, hitting some balls and then now for some isolation and then we get going again," de Villiers added.

Also read:  Has Shardul Thakur's performance with the willow made Hardik Pandya comeback in Tests very complicated?

News source: PTI 

New Delhi, Sep 7 (Cricket news): The BCCI will ratify its Prevention of Sexual Harassment Policy and deliberate on the much-delayed compensation package for domestic cricketers at its Apex Council meeting to be held on September 20.

Until now, the board did not have a specific policy to deal with complaints of sexual harassment. It had formed an internal committee after sexual harassment allegations surfaced against then CEO Rahul Johri, who eventually resigned.

Like the last meeting on June 20, the meeting agenda also includes discussion on the compensation package for domestic cricketers for the COVID-19-hit 2020-2021 season when Ranji Trophy was not held for the first time, dealing a financial blow to the players.

The BCCI had formed a working group to figure out a compensation package but the committee is yet to meet. It can finally meet before the Apex Council meeting and the cricketers will be hoping the board comes out with a decision at the earliest.

Interestingly, the compensation will be also be considered for women cricketers for loss of games last season.

"Discussion on compensation to be given to first-class cricketers (men and women) for the 2020-21 Season," read item number three on the agenda.

The meeting will be held virtually once again since the office-bearers are expected to be in the UAE for the IPL resuming September 19.

Also up for discussion will be the "infrastructure subsidy claims submitted by the state cricket Associations which are more than two years old".

Stock of preparations for the T20 World Cup, to be held in the UAE after the IPL from October 17, and the 2021-2022 domestic season will also be taken.

The BCCI has pushed the Ranji Trophy start to January as state units wanted it to happen after the white-ball tournaments -- Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy.

The T20 event will be staged from October 27 to November 22 while the one-day competition will run from December 1 to 29.

Also read: UAE stumper-batter Shabbir banned for 4 years

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Sep 6 (Cricket news) Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy and Rahul Chahar, with his fast leg-breaks, will fight it out for the additional tweaker's slot when the selectors pick the Indian squad for next month's ICC T20 World Cup in the coming couple of days.

It is expected that the Chetan Sharma-led selection committee will meet at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai and link up with skipper Virat Kohli in Manchester and coach Ravi Shastri in London either on Tuesday or more likely on Wednesday.

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah (convenor of selection committee) are also expected to be a part of the most important selection by the committee.

While most of the teams are announcing 15-member squads, the BCCI is expected to announce either an 18 or 20 member squad as the ICC will allow a squad strength of 30, instead of 23 in earlier editions, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The number is inclusive of the support staff.

Any team can have more than 30-member squads but the extra cost is supposed to be borne by the country's cricket board.

The Indian white ball team will have at least 13 to 15 members, who are automatic selections but there are a few spots for which there would be some discussions.

Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravindra Jadeja are two spinners who are all but sure of their slots and it could well be a toss up between Chakravarthy, who has had good IPL runs and Rahul, who impressed in the recent tour of Sri Lanka.

With Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul both capable of donning the big gloves, Ishan Kishan, with some good performances for India in the recent tour of Sri Lanka, is expected to pip the highly-rated-but-under-performing Sanju Samson.

With Hardik Pandya not bowling his full quota of four overs, Shardul Thakur might be required after his new-found batting prowess.

Suryakumar Yadav can be called a certainty while Shreyas Iyer will get his rightful place back in the squad.

For the extra opener's slot after Rohit Sharma and Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, with good back-to-back IPLs, and an in-form Prithvi Shaw will be locking horns. But in case of a 20 member squad, both might get a look-in.

In the fast bowling department, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami (if fully fit) are automatic selections but Deepak Chahar and the red-hot Mohammed Siraj are also in contention.

Washington Sundar's injury, which has ruled him out of IPL, also means that if he is picked, it will be without any match practice.

Also read: Has Shardul Thakur's performance with the willow made Hardik Pandya comeback in Tests very complicated?

Among left-arm pacers, Chetan Sakariya and T Natarajan are there but the latter has hardly played anything while the former may accompany the the team as a net bowler.

The Likely Squad: Certainties (14): Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vc), KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Buvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur Extra Opener: Shikhar Dhawan/Prithvi Shaw Reserve keeper: Ishan Kishan/Sanju Samson Extra Spinner: Varun Chakravarthy/Rahul Chahar Left-arm pacer: Chetan Sakariya/T Natarajan Subject to Fitness: Washington Sundar.

Cover for Jadeja: Axar Patel/Krunal Pandya.

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Sep 6 (Paralympics news) When the COVID-19 pandemic derailed her preparations for the Paralympics, Table Tennis player Bhavinaben Patel found a perfect practice partner in a robot provided by the Sports Authority of India, an assistance which she feels, made all the difference in her historic silver-winning show in Tokyo.

Patel became the first Indian table tennis player to win a Paralympic medal by clinching the silver, going down to Zhang Miao of China in the summit clash.

And she credited her success to the TT Robot (Butterfly - Amicus Prime), which cost Rs 2,73,500, and an Ottobock Wheelchair, costing Rs 2,84,707, for her success.

"I got a robot through SAI TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) which is an advanced robot. It has many advanced features like you can get strokes from different angles.

"So, I got good variations from it in my game. It improved my game a lot. Besides the TOPS gave us other equipment like racquets," Patel, who was afflicted with polio as a toddler, told PTI in an interview after returning from Tokyo.

Made in Hungary, Amicus Prime claims to be the best ping pong robot available with 21 pre-saved drills and ball frequency of up to 120 per minute.

"During the pandemic time (lockdown), my husband arranged a table for me at home only. That time my coach got me a second hand robot with which I used to practice but after that I got the SAI robot in February-March 2020," she said.

She also spoke in detail about the huge difference the robot made in enhancing her game.

"My strokes got stronger after playing with the robot. I used to play 5000 balls in a day with the robot. The ball control and placements increased a lot, spin control, cut control also enhanced. All these differences came because of that robot," she elaborated.

Patel also credited her family, especially her husband Nikunj Patel, a former junior level cricketer for Gujarat with whom she had a love marriage in 2017.

"...he backed me to the tilt, pushed me saying 'you can do this and you have to do his because after seeing you many athletes will come forward, you have to become their inspiration'.

"Even now he tells me that you have long way to go. Nikunj has always supported me. Once I had thoughts after marriage that I can't continue the game but he stood behind me like a rock." The couple married after falling in love following a chance encounter through common friends.

"It was a love marriage, We met through common friends and then we started talking over phone. After that we told our families and just took the plunge," added Patel.

She said it was a visit to the Blind People Association in Ahmedabad that changed her perception towards life and brought her into sports.

"I was born on 6th November 1986 and after one year I was struck by polio. But I was considered the luckiest person in my home because many household problems were solved after my birth.

Also read: India's para-athletes soar high in best ever Paralympics performance

"I have a big brother and an younger sister. In 2004-05 I started to visit the Blind People Association in Ahmedabad and there I saw many of my friends playing table tennis. After watching them I thought I should start the sport as a hobby," Patel said.

"I thought this is something where I can move forward. I used to feel happy when I played table tennis. From there on table tennis became my life." Patel now wants to better her Paralympic performance in the upcoming world events.

"I want to give my 100 per cent in the next Commonwealth Games, Para Asian Games and Para World Championships and win gold. Going forward, I want to convert my silver into gold in Paris," she signed off. 

News source: PTI

(Football news) The World Cup qualifier between Brazil and Argentina was abandoned at Sao Paulo’s Neo Quimica Arena when Brazilian health authorities intervened shortly after kickoff for the breach of quarantine rules and COVID-19 protocols by four Argentinian players.

Giovani Lo Celso (Tottenham), Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Emiliano Buendia (Aston Villa) and Cristian Romero (Tottenham) were accused of providing ‘false information’ upon their entry in Brazil about spending time in the United Kingdom 14 days prior to their arrival in Brazil. According to Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA), the four players were expected to remain isolated while awaiting deportation but their failure to comply combined with taking part in the game were serious breaches of Brazil’s COVID-19 regulations.

According to a government order dating June 23rd, foreign tourists from the United Kingdom, India and South Africa were prohibited from entering Brazil to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and it’s many variants. The agency had apparently forewarned the Argentinian delegations that the four players in question must play no role in the game and must remain isolated.

"By decision of the match referee, the match organized by FIFA between Brazil and Argentina for the qualifiers for the World Cup is suspended," CONMEBOL said in a statement.

"The referee and the match commissioner will submit a report to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, which will determine the steps to follow. These procedures adhere strictly to current regulations."

Also read: England and Denmark win to put one foot in Qatar next year but France and Italy both stutter

London, Sep 6 (Cricket news) India batting coach Vikram Rathour has backed struggling Ajinkya Rahane to come good in the next match, saying time has not come yet to worry about his form and he is just going through a tough phase.

The Indian middle order, especially vice-captain Rahane, hasn't been firing, but Rathour said there is no reason to worry.

"...when you are playing cricket for such a long time, you will have phases, where you will not get runs, and that is the time as a team we need to back them and support them as much as we can," he said during a virtual press conference on Sunday.

"We saw with Pujara also, him getting more opportunities and he has come back and played couple of very important innings for us.

"So, we are hoping that Ajinkya will get back into form and he will still play a major role in the Indian team's batting so, I don't think we have arrived to that point where it should become a concern." Asked whether Rahane was facing technical issues or it was a mental block, Rathour said, "When you are playing such an important series like this one and when you are playing in conditions which are tough for batting, we are playing against such a disciplined bowling attack which is bowling well, as a batting unit, technique is the last thing we should be thinking." Rathour said the team was a bit distracted going into day four of the fourth Test after head coach Ravi Shastri tested positive for COVID-19.

The BCCI medical team had isolated Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun, fielding coach R Sridhar, and physiotherapist Nitin Patel as a precautionary measure after the head coach's lateral flow test returned positive on Saturday evening.

"Of course, we are missing them massively. Ravi Bhai, B Arun and R Shridar, they have been extremely important part of this set up and they have done extremely well in the last five-six years and played a major role in the team doing well," Rathour said.

India was in a commanding position after scoring 466 in the second essay, courtesy a memorable hundred by Rohit Sharma and equally important knocks by Cheteshwar Pujara, Shardul Thakur and Rishabh Pant.

"But this is what it is. That's the fact that they are not here. So, it was in the morning, I think, a bit of a distraction, we had a word, we spoke, and decided that we need to focus on what is in hand, which is cricket," said Rathour.

"...it is an extremely important series that we are playing and today when we came in the morning, it was an extremely important day for us, to focus on cricket. So, I think the boys did extremely well, to not get distracted.

Also read: Head coach Shastri tests positive for coronavirus, isolated along with other support staff members

"There was a potential that we can be distracted from the situation that happened last night, but a lot of credit goes to the boys, the way they handled themselves and the way we played as a team." The batting coach said that Shastri felt a bit of discomfort on Saturday after which the test was conducted.

"...it was last night around 8 in the night. He was having little bit of discomfort yesterday, so the medical team decided to go for a lateral-pro test and it came positive and that is when we heard that he is positive.

"I think, the close contacts were identified and isolated, so we will wait for the medical team on when they can join back," he added.

Rathour also had words of praise for Shardul Thakur, who hit fifties in both the innings and said he can play a big role in Indian cricket.

"Very impressive. We all knew that he (Shardul) could bat, he is somebody who works hard on his batting, and his biggest asset is temperament, the kind of confidence that he carries with his batting and the kind of body language he has, so very impressive.

"He (Shardul) is just into his fourth or fifth test match and he has already played three important innings in this short span itself, that tells you he has the ability and he can play a big role in Indian cricket in coming times," said the batting coach.

He also said the knock played by Rishabh Pant was "out of character".

"The knock he (Pant) played was little-bit out of character, he really approached the innings really well, played with lot of discipline so, we always know that he has the ability and he can bring in this ability into forefront and play differently in different situations, that will do well for him and for the Indian team as well," he said. 

News source: PTI

Tokyo, Sep 5 (Paralympic news): Inspirational, incredible and indomitable.

India's paralympians managed to be all these and much more in an epoch-making campaign at the Tokyo Games where an unparalleled 19 medals, including five gold, helped them sign off 24th in the overall tally -- the highest ever.

The tally also included eight silver and six bronze medals but most importantly, it was a performance during which history was scripted almost everyday with the contingent living up to the 'Spirit in Motion' motto of the Games.

Even on the last day of competitions, the medal rush did not stop and Krishna Nagar won a gold after Noida's District Magistrate Suhas Yathiraj signed off his brilliant run with a silver to complete a remarkable badminton show.

The duo's performance was like icing on the cake for the contingent which found new heroes, celebrated some established ones and brought para-sports firmly into spotlight in India.

In all, 54 came to Tokyo and 17 of them left with medals around their necks.

It was an improved performance no doubt but calling it just improvement would be an understatement given that India's overall Games haul was a mere 12 before this edition.

To put things in perspective, at the 2016 Rio Games, India had 19 athletes across five disciplines with four returning with medals in the end.

"Phenomenal Rise of Indian Paralympians! A New Era has Begun," said sports minister Anurag Thakur.

There were several firsts to celebrate and the euphoria lasted the entire duration of the Games.

Two athletes, shooters Avani Lekhara and Singhraj Adana, finished on podium twice, creating their own legacies in their debut Paralympics.

The 19-year-old Lekhara became the first Indian woman to win a Games gold (10m air rifle) and later added a bronze in 50m rifle 3 positions to ensure that her name would now be part of every India-centric Paralympic quiz.

It was an inspiring show by the teenage who was paralysed waist down after being injured in a car accident in 2012.

And to think of it, all her father had hoped to achieve by taking her to shooting range was for Lekhara to get over the anger she had internalised after the accident which left her wheelchair-bound.

The 39-year-old Adana, on the other hand, was a late bloomer after taking a liking to the pistol while dropping his nephew to the range.

His right hand impaired, Adana knocked off a 10m air pistol bronze and 50m pistol silver to ensure that India had more than one double-medallist in the same Games for the first time ever.

There was the first medal in archery through Harvinder Singh (bronze), impaired after wrong medication for dengue, the first medal in table tennis by waist-down paralysed Bhavinben Patel (silver) and also a remarkable two gold medals in badminton through short of stature Nagar and a polio-stricken Pramod Bhagat. Another shooting star rose on horizon with Manish Narwal, all of 19, already a world champion and now a Paralympic champion as well.

Narwal's right hand is impaired and he originally wanted to be a footballer but fate had other plans for the Lionel Messi fan.

Not to mention the legends -- Devendra Jhajharia (javelin throw) and Mariyappan Thangavelu (high jump).

The two long-time flag-bearers of Indian para-sports, who won gold medals in 2016 Rio, and finished on podium again, this time with silver medals, cementing their place among all-time greats of Indian sports.

Bigger than their medals were the circumstances they beat like every athlete that they competed against.

So if Lekhara found her strength with a rifle in her hand after a car accident, Jhajharia, at 40 and with an arm lost to electrocution as a child, showed what longevity truly means in sport.

Nearly half (8) of India's haul this time came from the track-and-field arena with javelin thrower Sumit Antil shining the brightest with a gold en route which he shattered his own world record five times over.

Antil was pursuing a career in wrestling, as his family wanted, before a bike accident led to the amputation of his left leg, changing the course of his life forever.

At 18, Praveen Kumar became India's youngest medallist with a silver in high jump which came with an Asian record for the debutant, whose left leg is impaired.

Another shinning star was Sundar Singh Gurjar, who finished behind Jhajharia in javelin throw.

Gurjar lost his left hand in an accident and in his maiden Paralympics in Rio, he was disqualified after failing to register in time for his event.

He slipped into depression after the heartbreak and had thought of never touching the javelin again but was convinced into giving it another shot by his coaches.

This time, Gurjar was on the clock and also on the podium.

In fact, all of them, even the ones who didn't win a medal, are a personification of fortitude, having braved and beaten circumstances that were difficult at best and improbable at worst.

The performance was a perfect end to India's Tokyo sojourn after able-bodied athletes snared an unprecedented seven Olympic medals last month, including the first individual gold in 13 years. But the paralympians bested their tally by quite a distance.

In the process, they also handed out life lessons on what it means to fight the odds.

If a world scarred by COVID-19 needed inspiration to fight on, it was there in abundance in Tokyo.

The Games truly lived up to an old marketing slogan coined to promote the event -- "the Olympics is where heroes are made. The Paralympics is where heroes come."

Also read: Manoj Sarkar clinches bronze in the badminton men's singles SL3 at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics

News source: PTI

Tokyo, Sep 5 (Paralympic news): India's Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj ended his campaign with a historic silver after going down fighting against top seed Lucas Mazur of France in the men's singles SL4 class final at the Tokyo Paralympics here on Sunday.

The 38-year-old Noida district magistrate, who has an impairment in one of his ankles, produced an entertaining performance before narrowly going down 21-15 17-21 15-21 to two-time world champion Mazur in a 62-minute summit clash.

Suhas had lost to Mazur, who has won three gold medals in European Championships as well, in the qualifying group A match but the India made a tremendous effort in the final to challenge his world No. 1 rival.

The district magistrate of Gautam Buddh Nagar (Noida) thus also became the first-ever IAS officer to win a medal at the Paralympics.

Suhas had earlier outwitted Indonesia's Fredy Setiawan 21-9 21-15 in the semifinal.

In SL4 bronze medal play-off, second seed Tarun Dhillon went down 17-21 11-21 to Indonesia's Fredy Setiawan in 32 minutes to miss out of a medal at the Totogi national stadium.

A computer engineer, Suhas went on to become an IAS officer and has been posted as a district magistrate of Noida since 2020, a role that saw him at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

On court, he has won gold medals at 2017 BWF Turkish Para badminton championship in men's singles and men's doubles. He also won gold in 2016 Asia championships, besides a bronze at 2018 Asian Para Games. More medals are in store for India as Krishna Nagar also sailed into the men's singles SH6 class final.

Pramod Bhagat, 33, and his partner Palak Kohli, 19, will meet Japanese pair of Daisuke Fujihara and Akiko Sugino in the bronze medal play off in mixed doubles SL3-SU5 class later on Sunday.

They had lost the semifinals 3-21 15-21 to Indonesian combination of Hary Susanto and Leani Ratri Oktila.

Bhagat on Saturday had claimed India's first gold at the Paralympics in men's singles SL3 class.

Also read: How the International Paralympics Committee stripped off medals from two Paralympic athletes

News source: PTI 

(Cricket news) Barry McCarthy from Ireland and Aaron Cawley from Munster Reds have been added to the Ireland Wolves squad ahead of Monday’s game against Zimbabwe XI at Belmont in Belfast.

The provisional squad was named last month for the fixture by the Ireland Wolves’, with selectors leaving the flexibility to bring in two additional players closer to the match to provide more game time ahead of the One-Day International series which begins on Wednesday.

Also read: Pope and Woakes help England to stiff 1st innings lead after 'Vidarbha Express' carnage

The final squad is:

William Porterfield (Captain), Aaron Cawley, Murray Commins, Stephen Doheny, Matt Ford, Mike Frost, Graham Hume, Graham Kennedy, Jeremy Lawlor, Josh Manley, Barry McCarthy, Neil Rock, Lorcan Tucker.

The match is scheduled to be played at Belmont (home of CIYMS Cricket Club) starting at 10.30am on Monday 6 September 2021.

Spectators are permitted at the game provided they follow any COVID-19 directions or social distancing guidelines in place on the day.

Noida, Sep 4 (Paralympics news) History beckons Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj when he steps into the court for the badminton finals at the Paralympics in Tokyo on Sunday with a shot at the gold medal.

Even if he loses and wins a silver, the 38-year-old district magistrate of Gautam Buddh Nagar (Noida) will have scripted history as the first-ever IAS officer to win a medal at the Paralympics.

Suhas, currently world No. 3 in SL4 category, has played three matches, including the semifinals on Saturday, in the ongoing Games. He has been at his dominating best against his rivals.

While it took him less than 20 minutes to sail through the first two matches, Suhas outwitted Indonesia's Fredy Setiawan 21-9 21-15 in 31 minutes in the first semifinal.

The 2007-batch IAS officer, with a leg impairment, will face top seed Lucas Mazur of France in the final on Sunday.

“History under making! Suhas L Y, IAS, DM GB Nagar (Noida), UP, India in Men’s singles para-badminton SL4 finals. He beats Indonesia’s S Freddy 2-0 in semifinals. Now will be playing for Gold on September 5,” the IAS Association, a group of serving and retired administrative officers, tweeted.

With the Karnataka-born engineer graduate making it to the final at the showpiece, internet users have been rallying support for him by trending the hashtag #Cheer4Suhas on social media platforms.

Several of the residents’ Whatsapp groups in Noida are also filled with congratulatory messages on their DM’s sporting feat.

Suhas, who graduated as computer engineer from NIT Karnataka with a distinction, has previously served as the district magistrate of Prayagraj, Agra, Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Sonbhadra districts.

For the last one and a half years, he had been at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic management in Gautam Buddh Nagar since his appointment in the western UP district on March 30, 2020.

Prior to his departure to Tokyo in the last week of August, Suhas, when asked about his badminton practice and work as DM, had told reporters, “I practice from 10pm for two hours after all the day’s works are over. I have been managing my game and administrative duties this way for around six years now.” Suhas said his professional journey started in 2016 while he was the DM of Azamgarh district in eastern UP and a badminton championship was organized there.

“I was a guest at the inauguration of the tournament and expressed desire to participate. Until then it was a hobby for me as I had been playing badminton since childhood. I got a chance to play there and defeated state-level players,” he had said.

It was there, he said, the Gaurav Khanna, the current coach of the country’s para-badminton team, spotted him and push-started his professional journey.

In 2016 itself, he participated in the Asian Championship in Beijing and become the first non-ranked player to win the gold medal.

More international recognition was awaiting him as he went on to win medals at BWF Turkish championship in 2017 and 2019 besides the latest, a gold, in Brazil in 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic started ravaging India and world.

Also read: Paralympics: Bhagat, Suhas, Krishna all enter badminton finals to assure India more 3 medals

When his participation in the Tokyo Paralympics was confirmed in July, Suhas said the event was no doubt going to be a challenge and being the world number three in his category, he was hopeful for a medal.

“Over the years, we have seen that small margins make the difference between winners and losers. I have lost games with a margin of millimeters and won by centimeters. When I compete in Tokyo, I know every player will be there hoping to win a medal,” Suhas told reporters.

However, he said he was not putting himself under any pressure for it, as he cited the teaching of the Bhagvat Geeta.

“Do your deed and you will get the results. I am not putting myself under any pressure. If God has brought me to this level, then I am going to put in all my efforts,” he said. 

News source: PTI

(Cricket news) Cricket Ireland has announced the men’s Under 19 squad for the ICC World Cup Europe Qualifier which is set to take place at Desert Springs Resort in Spain from the 17– 26 September 2021.

The squad selection is as follows:

A 14-player squad has been named for the tournament of which match the day squad will be named each day.

A 4-player reserve panel (non-travelling) has been named, in the event of injury or other withdrawals.

THE SQUAD

Ireland’s U19 Men’s squad:

Tim Tector (captain), Diarmuid Burke, Joshua Cox, Jack Dickson, Liam Doherty, Cameron Doak, Jamie Forbes, Matthew Humphreys, Philippe le Roux, Scott Macbeth, Nathan McGuire, Muzamil Sherzad, David Vincent, Luke Whelan.

Non-travelling reserves:

Daniel Forkin, Ryan Hunter, Robbie Millar, Ewan Wilson.

Ryan Eagleson, Head Coach of Ireland Under-19s, said: “The last 18 months has been very challenging in terms of getting the players together for training squads. However, over the summer months we managed to play the new Cricket Ireland Future Series, as well as inter-squad matches against the touring Free Foresters. This gave us a chance to look at several players in competitive matches before we travel to Spain for the qualifying tournament.”

“Three players played in the previous Under-19s European qualifying tournament (Tim Tector, Nathan McGuire and Jamie Forbes) and their experience will be vital as we look to qualify for the Under-19s World Cup in the West Indies in January of 2022.”

“An exciting challenge lies ahead and I’m looking forward to watching this group of talented players as they bid for a place on the world stage.”

Albert van der Merwe, National Talent Pathway Manager, said: “It’s not unique in Irish cricket that we have a real family feel and it will be a special occasion for Tim Tector as he follows in the footsteps of his two older brothers (Jack and Harry) who both lead the Men’s Under-19s team. Sons of former international players Deryck Vincent (David) and Neil Doak (Cameron) are also in the squad, carrying on the family legacy.”

“This squad has been two years in the making, with plenty of planning and challenges in the way. Losing the biggest part of 2020 and a crucial training block in 2021, due to COVID-19, we put together a comprehensive match programme allowing us to look at around 25 players throughout this summer. We did an extensive scouting mission in 2019 and identified two players (Joshua Cox and Liam Doherty) that will add value to our squad. Due to the restrictions on international travel over the last 18 months, it hampered our planning of integrating these two players over the last two domestic seasons. We have followed their progress closely and with their long term future set in Ireland, we are excited about their prospects.”

“This is a tough tournament, with incredibly high stakes and the week normally dishes up close games. With only four teams in the tournament, and a different format than previous years, it should make for some exciting cricket.  We are however comfortable with the squad we selected for the specific conditions and their ability to rise to the occasion.”

THE FIXTURES

The schedule for the ICC Men’s Under-19s European World Cup Qualifier is:

19 September: Ireland v Netherlands (Group Stage)

20 September: Rest day

22 September: Ireland v Jersey (Group Stage)

23 September: Ireland v Scotland (Group Stage)

24 September: Rest day

25 September: Final (1st Place v 2nd Place)

Also read: There is much less assistance from track compared to Day 1: Pope

Tokyo, Sep 4 (Paralympic news) live update: Indian shuttlers Pramod Bhagat and Suhas Yathiraj stormed into the men's singles finals of the badminton event in their respective classifications but Manoj Sarkar and Tarun Dhillon suffered contrasting losses in their semifinal match at the Tokyo Paralympics on Saturday.

The 33-year-old Bhagat, the current world no 1, secured a 21-11 21-16 win over Japan's Daisuke Fujihara in the first SL3 class semifinals that lasted 36 minutes.

The top seeded Indian, current world and Asian champion, will lock horns with Great Britain's Daniel Bethell in the summit clash later in the day.

In SL4 class, Suhas outwitted Indonesia's Fredy Setiawan 21-9 21-15 in 31 minutes in the first semifinal.

The Noida District Magistrate will face top seed Lucas Mazur of France in the final on Sunday.

Mazur managed to stave off a spirited effort from Tarun, claiming a narrow 21-16 16-21 21-18 win over the second seeded Indian in a gruelling semifinal that lasted an hour and three minutes at the Yoyogi National Stadium.

The 27-year-old from Hisar will face Setiawan in the bronze medal play off on Sunday.

Manoj too couldn't get into any sort of rhythm against second seeded Bethell, going down 8-21 10-21 in the other men's singles SL3 class semifinals.

The 31-year-old will now play Fujihara in the bronze medal play-off later in the day.

With only half of the court being used in this classification, Bhagat and Fujihara engaged in a lot of long rallies and the Indian came up on top most of the time.

Bhagat, the top seed, trailed 2-4 early in the opening game but a series of overhead drops helped him claw back. The duo were 8-8 before the Indian entered the interval at 11-8.

After the break, he continued his good run and eventually pocketed the opening game with six straight points.

It was a Bhagat show in the second game as well as the Indian led all the way to come up trumps.

Bhagat will pair up with Palak Kohli for their mixed doubles SL3-SU5 semifinals later in the day.

"It was a great game against Fujihara, he pushed me with some great shots. But I had a plan and I executed it very well. I am happy I have reached my maiden Paralympic finals but the work is not done yet," said Bhagat after his match.

Bhagat, who had developed a defect on his left leg after contracting polio at the age of 5, has won a total of 45 international medals, including four world championship gold medals.

He won two gold medals and a bronze in men's singles, besides two gold medals and a silver in men's doubles at the BWF Para World Championships in the last eight years.

In the 2019 edition at Basel, Bhagat had won gold medals in both singles and doubles events.

In the 2018 Asian Para Games, he won two medals -- a gold and a bronze. He topped it up with two gold medals and one silver at the IWAS World games in 2019.

He clinched two gold medals at the BWF Para World Badminton Championships in Basel, Switzerland in 2019.

This year, Bhagat had claimed two gold medals at the Dubai Para Badminton tournament in April when the sport returned after a year-long break due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bhagat won the singles gold and also paired up with Manoj Sarkar to clinch the men's doubles gold in SL4-SL3 category.

In SL classification, persons with standing/lower limb impairment/severe are allowed to compete.

Also read: Soman Rana misses podium finish in Shot Put at the Tokyo Paralympics, Lakra and Ekta produce season bests in Club Throw

News Source: PTI

Tokyo, Sep 3 (Paralympics news) A congenital impairment notwithstanding, 18-year-old Paralympics silver medallist Praveen Kumar was such a sports freak in his school days that he googled on internet to find out how to take up para athletics and take part in the showpiece.

Praveen, a son of a poor farmer at a village near Jewar in Gautam Buddha Nagar district, clinched silver medal in the men's high jump T64/T44 event of the Paralympics by setting a new Asian record of 2.07m.

"My school life was mostly about sports. But at that time I did not know I will reach at this level one day. I was playing volleyball initially in school, but then slowly came to know of para athletics and took up high jump," Praveen said after his event.

"I came to know about Paralympics and how to take part in it after searching on google," the high jumper, whose congenital impairment affects the bones that connect his hip to his left leg, said during a virtual press conference organised by Eurosport and Paralympic Committee of India.

Explaining how he came to rise to this level, Praveen said, "I took part in a district level competition where I met Ashok Saini sir who gave me phone number of Satyapal sir (his current coach).

"I contacted (Satyapal) sir and then he found out in which classification I will compete. He identified me and said he will take me. This was 2018," said Praveen who is a B.A. second year student in Motilal Nehru College in Delhi.

Praveen, who is just in his second year in the international circuit, said initially even the fellow students and teachers of his school wondered how he will do well in his sport but they later began supporting him.

"I won a silver in junior para athletics world championships in 2019 and won gold in the para athletics Grand Prix earlier this year (in Dubai), so people started supporting me." He finished fourth in the Para Athletics (senior) World Championships in 2019.

Talking about Friday's competition, he said, "I was a bit low in confidence when I cleared 1.97m in my second attempt but I regained confidence after jumping 2.01m. I told myself I will give my best whatever it takes, whether rain or not.

"There was pressure while trying to jump 2.10m. In the final attempt, I just thought of doing my best and it was a very good attempt but there was some problems in my landing and so I could not clear it," said Praveen, who was congratulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on phone.

His coach Satyapal said he initially had some reservation about his short stature but found that Praveen has very strong muscles on his right leg.

"His left leg is the impaired one but his right leg has very strong muscles. So, despite his short stature I took him under me. Height (of athlete) is very important in high jump," Satyapal told PTI about his ward who is around 5ft 5 inches tall.

"He came to me with his father in 2018 and I found out his talent. He is from a very poor family but he is very sincere and dedicated." Praveen was also COVID-19 positive in April and he could not train properly this year.

"Due to lock down, he could not train properly. High jumpers need mattress to train but he could do that as the stadiums were closed. Moreover, he contracted COVID-19 this year," Satyapal, who trains Praveen at Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, said. Satyapal said Praveen is a sure shot gold medal candidate at the Asian Para Games next year in Hangzhou in China.

Also read: Praveen Kumar wins silver at Men’s High Jump T64 at the Tokyo Paralympics

"He started competing in international events only two years back and now he has won a silver in Paralympics. He is just 18 and he will be the country's top Paralympian in future.

"Our target will be to win the Asian Para Games next year and gold in 2014 Paris Paralympics with world record." The world record in T44 high jump is 2.19m.

T44 classification is for athletes with a leg deficiency, leg length difference, impaired muscle power or impaired passive range of movement in the legs. 

News source: PTI

(Football news) Before the international break, Premier League clubs had unanimously agreed not to release players to red list countries for international duties due to COVID-19 rules in England. Despite that, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa allowed Emi Martinez, Emiliano Buendia, Cristian Romero and Giovani Lo Celso. 

The players going to red list countries will miss the first game after the international break due to quarantine rules in England. Chelsea's Thiago Silva posted a picture on instagram with a text translated as “Do I really have to say anything?” and a GIF of someone’s hands being tied. Silva along with Brazilian teammates Allison, Ederson, Fabinho, Roberto Firmino, Raphinha and Fred were all called up for the important World Cup qualification matches but weren't allowed to go. Uruguay's Edinson Cavani also expressed his disappointment at the situation saying "We are exposed to decisions that are made in the organizations of some tournaments and leagues and any of the two decisions (traveling or not) would be bad for us," 

Also read: Hungary is a hotbed for racism on football grounds and governing bodies must unite to tackle this issue

The Brazil and Chile football associations have asked FIFA to take actions against the clubs. FIFA may choose to suspend the players from the matches they would've missed had they been rightly sent for International duty. The major problem with that is the players were the ones who unwillingly missed a match due to their clubs and with the punishment as well the players would be the ones who miss a match. 

FIFA might have to find a way to punish the clubs as a statement. Clubs having a problem with players leaving for international duty is not a new thing and certainly is not an issue started in the COVID-19 era. Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson are the two managers who were very vocal about the international fixture constraints. Mourinho last year even accused England manager Gareth Southgate of favouritism for starting a few players and benching others in friendlies because of pressure from other clubs.

A one match suspension for the players is not something players want at this stage. FIFA needs to come up with a better solution in these testing times and prevent the clubs from blocking or influencing the decisions that players are supposed to take.

New Delhi, Sep 3 (Paralympics news) Four Indian para athletes, including javelin throw gold medallist Sumit Antil, on Friday returned home to a never-seen-before boisterous welcome during which supporters and media jostled to catch a glimpse of them at the airport here.

Chaotic scenes unfolded at the Indira Gandhi international Airport here as fans and an army of media-persons disregarded COVID-19 protocols, jostling for space to get hold of the four para athletes, especially Sumit.

Apart from Sumit, three-time Paralympic medallist javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia, who won a silver this time, silver-medallist in discus throw Yogesh Kathuniya and Sharad Kumar, who won bronze in high jump, were also given a warm welcome.

"Our Champions are back home and is overjoyed at their arrival. Love & wishes are pouring in for @sumit_javelin @DevJhajharia @YogeshKathuniya @sharad_kumar01," Sports Authority of India (SAI) wrote in a tweet.

The four athletes were welcomed enthusiastically by SAI officials, who garlanded them and presented them with bouquets on arrival.

The athletes, displaying their medals, posed for photographs inside the airport even as fans waved the tricolour and played drums to celebrate their medal winning feats outside.

Supporters, many of them without masks, looked to outpace each other in garlanding the four athletes as they walked out of the airport even as media persons battled to get reactions from the heroes.

Sumit, 23, had smashed his world record five times for the F64 class gold, while Jhajharia, a two-time gold medallist, cemented his status of being India's greatest para-athlete with a F46 category silver.

Also read: Avani Lekhara wins her second medal in Shooting at the Tokyo Paralympics

Kathuniya won a discus throw silver in F56 class, while Sharad claimed a T42 high jump bronze.

India's medal tally at the Games has soared to an unprecedented 12 already, including two gold medals.

This is the first time that the country has hit the double digit mark at the showpiece. 

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Sep 2 (Cricket news) It is only day four of the Indian women's cricket team's 14-day hard quarantine in "tiny" hotel rooms in Brisbane but the isolation is beginning to take a toll on the players, a BCCI official has said.

The official told PTI that rooms are too small at the government's institutional quarantine facility with players somehow managing to do light training.

"The rooms are way too small. You barely manage to move around and do some training. There are no guards manning the place like the players witnessed in the UK but it is very strict.

"The food served though is okay and there is change in menu everyday. It will be a challenging two weeks," the official said.

The players had an easier time in the UK as they were allowed to train within the first week of their quarantine after spending two weeks in isolation in Mumbai.

The squad arrived in Brisbane on Monday after change in tour itinerary due to COVID-19 related restrictions in Sydney, Perth and Melbourne, the original venues for the series comprising three ODIs, a day-night Test and three T20s.

All matches will now be played in Queensland with the start of the series likely to be delayed by two days to September 21.

The men's cricket team, which toured Australia this year, was allowed to train for a limited period during its quarantine. The women though are confined to their hotel rooms for 14 days.

Australia is among the countries which has imposed some of the harshest restrictions on international travellers to curb COVID-19.

Seeing the positives from the current situation, head coach Ramesh Powar tweeted a photo of his room window with caption "AS LONG AS YOU HAVE WINDOW,LIFE IS EXCITING".

Also read: Ashwin overlooked again; mystery continues over exclusion despite Kohli explainer

The hard quarantine had also taken a toll on the tennis players ahead of the Australian Open earlier this year.

Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka had spoken about breathing issues post her first round loss in Melbourne.

She was among more than 70 players who were forced to undergo s 14-day quarantine upon arrival. 

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Sep 2 (Golf news) Forty six players from across the country will be vying for the top honours when the seventh edition of the Professional Squash Association Challenger Tour gets underway in Greater Noida on September 4.

A prize money of USD 12000 for women and USD 6000 for men will be at stake during the PSA tournament, which is part of the HCL Squash Podium Program.

The 'HCL-SRFI Indian Tour - Delhi NCR 2021' is the first event to be held after the COVID-19 forced break and will be held in a bio-secure environment at Shiv Nadar University.

Besides world No.77 Sunayna Kuruvilla and world No.86 Tanvi Khanna, Abhishek Agarwal, ranked 164th, will also be participating at the PSA Tour.

"The PSA tour is one of the strategic programs that is being conceptualized and run jointly to help Indian players improve their game and international ranking," Cyrus Poncha, Secretary-General, Squash Rackets Federation of India said in a release.

Also read: Aditi, Tvesa to lead Indian contingent in Creekhouse Open

"The program has already improved the ranking of many players since its inception. For instance, Tanvi Khanna who was World Rank 98 and Velavan Senthilkumar who was World Rank 185 won the HCL-SRFI Indian Tour in Chennai held in August and are now ranked at 86 and 111 respectively.

"I am hopeful that HCL and SRFI together will continue to help promising players emerge as the next stars of Indian Squash." The HCL Squash Podium Program was launched in 2019 and the first PSA tournament under this program was also held in Delhi NCR in August 2019. Since then, PSA Tours have been hosted across Chennai, Mumbai and Jaipur. 

News source: PTI

Tokyo, Sep 2 (Paralympics news) World No.1 Pramod Bhagat sailed into the men's singles semifinals after beating Ukraine's Oleksandr Chyrkov in his second group A match of the Tokyo Paralympics badminton event here on Thursday as the country's shuttlers expectedly produced strong performances.

The 33-year-old, also a reigning world champion, saw off Chyrkob 21-12 21-9 in 26 minutes to top his group and enter the last four in class SL3.

"I was in the groove today and played really well. Oleksandr Chyrkov is a good player and played some good strokes in the match. I am very happy that I have reached the semi-finals," Bhagat said.

"Things are going to be tough from here as the knock out stages start. My focus is on one match at a time and also the last league game of the mixed doubles which is a do-or-die situation for us." Bhagat and Palak Kohli will play Siripong Teamarrom and Nipada Saensupa in mixed doubles class SL3-SU5 on Friday.

Other Indian shuttlers, including Suhas Yathiraj, Tarun Dhillon and Krishna Nagar also had a good day in office as they opened their men's singles campaign impressively.

While Suhas and Tarun notched up easy victories over Germany's Jan Niklas Pott and Thailand's Siripong Teamarrom in SL4 class respectively, second seed Krishna outwitted Malaysia's Taresoh Didin in SH6 class.

Young Palak also overcame Turkey's Zehra Baglar in her second women's singles match of group A.

The 38-year-old Suhas took just 19 minutes to see off Pott 21-9 21-3 in a lopsided group A clash, while Tarun, 27, too didn't break a sweat, beating Teamarrom 21-7 21-13 in a group B match that lasted 23 minutes.

Krishna then prevailed 22-20 21-10 over Didin in a 33-minute group B match.

While Suhas will face Indonesia's Hary Susanto and then France's top seed Lucas Mazur on Friday, second seeded Tarun will be up against Korea's Shin Kyung Hwan and Indonesia's Fredy Setiawan.

The 22-year-old Krishna will take on Brazil's Vitor Goncalves Tavares on Friday.

Suhas, who has an impairment in one of his ankles, has been at the forefront in the fight against COVID-19 menace as the district magistrate of Gautam Buddh Nagar in Uttar Pradesh.

Tarun, on the other hand, had sustained a severe knee injury while playing football at the age of eight, which resulted in restricted knee movement. He is the current world no.2 and a former two-time world champion.

Krishna, who has a short-stature impairment, is the world no 2 in SH6. He has won bronze and silver at 2019 World Championships in singles and doubles.

In SL classification, persons with standing/lower limb impairment/severe are allowed to compete, while SU refers to athletes with upper limb impairment.

In women's singles class SU5 class, Kohli beat Zehra 21-12 21-18 in 27 minutes. She had lost her opening match to Japan's Ayako Suzuki.

Earlier in the day, the 19-year-old Kohli and her partner Parul Parmar, 48, went down 7-21 5-21 to second seeded Chinese pair of Cheng Hefang and Ma Huihui in a group B women's doubles SL3-SU5 class match.

The Indian pair will square off against the French duo of Lenaig Morin and Faustine Noel on Friday.

Parmar, who competes in SL3 class, was no match for China's Cheng Hefang, losing 8-21 2-21 in 18 minutes in a women's singles group D match at the Yoyogi national stadium here.

Also read: India’s Tarun Dhillon defeats Thailand’s Teamarrom Siripong at the Tokyo Paralympics

Parmar will meet Germany's Katrin Seibert later in the day.

Suhas, who had qualified after the game's governing body BWF granted bipartite quotas to India, said he is looking forward to his match against top seed and title favourite Mazur on Friday.

"We have gone head-to-head on the circuit running up to the Paralympics and I have lost some and won some against him. It will be a good challenge," he said.

"Because of his height, his strokes come from a certain depth which generally you are not used to, but I have trained specifically for that. I am sure he will also specifically train for me." Suhas said he has specifically trained for his match against Mazur.

"My coach used to stand on a chair. I had to be mobile. My coach first used to give the shuttle to one position, and then another. A real match is different, but you do the best that you can," he said.

Badminton is making its debut at the Paralympics this year. 

News source: PTI 

Tokyo, Sep 2 (Paralympics news) live updates: Indian shuttlers Suhas Yathiraj and Tarun Dhillon made impressive starts to their campaign in men's singles SL4 class on the second day of the badminton competition at the Tokyo Paralympics here on Thursday.

The 38-year-old Suhas took just 19 minutes to see off Germany's Jan Niklas Pott 21-9 21-3 in a lopsided group A clash.

Tarun, 27, too didn't break a sweat, beating Thailand's Siripong Teamarrom 21-7 21-13 in a group B match that lasted 23 minutes.

While Suhas will face Indonesia's Hary Susanto next, Tarun will be up against Korea's Shin Kyung Hwan on Friday.

Suhas, who has an impairment in one of his ankles, has been at the forefront in the fight against COVID-19 menace as the district magistrate of Gautam Buddh Nagar in Uttar Pradesh.

Tarun, on the other hand, had sustained a severe knee injury while playing football at the age of eight, which resulted in restricted movement in the knee. He is the current world no.2 and a former two-time world champion.

The SL class allowes persons with standing/lower limb impairment/severe are allowed to compete.

Also read: World number 1 Pramod Bhagat beats fellow Indian shuttler Manoj Sarkar

However, there was disappointment in store yet again for 19-year-old Palak Kohli and her partner Parul Parmar, 48, as the duo went down 7-21 5-21 to second seeded Chinese pair of Cheng Hefang and Ma Huihui in a group B women's doubles SL3-SU5 class match.

On Wednesday, world no 1 Pramod Bhagat, also the reigning world champion, outwitted fellow Indian Manoj Sarkar 21-10 21-23 21-9 in his men's singles group A class SL3 (standing/lower limb impairment/minor) opener.

But Kohli suffered a 4-21 7-21 loss to Japan's Ayako Suzuki in a group A women singles class SU5 (standing/upper limb impairment) match.

In mixed doubles, Kohli and Bhagat, competing in SL3-SU5 class, also went down fighting against their second seeded French opponents Lucas Mazur and Faustine Noel 9-21 21-15 19-21 in group B opener. 

News source: PTI

London, Sep 1 (Cricket news) Moeen Ali is a "little" surprised that R Ashwin is yet to feature in the ongoing Test series but if India do stick to the one specialist spinner strategy, the England offie's pick will be the "amazing" Ravindra Jadeja.

Jadeja has been preferred over Ashwin so far due to his batting but that could change at The Oval on Thursday.

"Yeah a little bit (surprised over Ashwin not playing) but I also feel Jadeja is an amazing cricketer, he is one of my favourite characters in the world," Moeen said ahead of the fourth Test beginning here on Thursday.

"I would always have Jadeja in my team and I think India after winning at Lord's would have gone with four seamers (at Headingley) and Jadeja did a great job. He is batting really well. I am sure Ashwin has been considered and will be considered for tomorrow." Moeen, who has been named England vice-captain in the absence of Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, expects the pitch to turn a bit later in the game. The all-rounder has taken a hat-trick at The Oval, having done so against South Africa in 2017.

"Most grounds in England tend to spin a little bit anyway, some obviously more than others, but there's always a bit of spin.

"I am not expecting a hat trick (again) but expecting little bit of spin towards the end. It does look a bit more green than what you normally see here. It's always a good wicket for batting and bowling and towards the end of the game the spinners (get into the game)," he said.

The Lord's Test against India earlier this month was Moeen's first at home in two years. He has been in and out of the team but England making him vice-captain even for one game shows that he is now part of the leadership group.

Moeen, however, doesn't think he has cemented his place in the side yet though he called his appointment a huge honour.

"Yeah sounds amazing, to captain or vice-captain England in any form is huge, and I'm just very excited. I'm obviously not hoping for Joe (Root) to go off the field but if he does go off I'm looking forward to the role." On not being settled in the Test team and now getting to play regularly, he said: "I think that's the beauty of sport in one way, but also I know that obviously Ben and Jos are not here. I am pretty realistic in terms of that. But yeah, things can change quickly and to be given the role I think is great." He hopes to inspire more people from the British Asian community to play the game.

"Whenever you are playing for England you are representing your people. For me, for example, I feel like I'm representing them and to be given the chance, I feel maybe they'll be also be thinking about cricket, you know chances are good, if you do the right things and you're showing the right attitude towards the game." Moeen also expressed the desire to travel for the Ashes Down Under if the big series does go ahead in COVID-19 times later this year.

"I want to cement my spot in the team having couple of games under my belt I feel I have found the rhythm of the game.

"Looking forward to the next two games against India to put in some performances to keep my spot in the the team and then Australia.

"A lot more information is needed for players and families to think about going ahead. If the tour takes place I am quite to keen to go and cement my place," he said.

Also read: Moeen Ali named vice-captain in place of Jos Buttler for 4th Test vs India

Moeen feels England were able to win at Headingley and level the series because the players remained focussed on the job and didn't engage in too many verbal battles with opposition like it was seen at Lord's.

"Expecting India to come up with the intensity they have shown thus far. We had a great first day at Headingley and for the rest of the match we played really well. Just think were were really focused last game and concentrated on our own performances.

"The one thing we are really good at as a team, I think, is coming back from behind. Now going forward is really about putting in the performance than can take us ahead. We're quite confident and in particular against India having done so in 2014, I think," he added.

News source: PTI

Brisbane, Sep 1 (Cricket news) Seven international games, including a Test match in a space of 20 days, won't allow Australia to field their best first XI in all games against India in the upcoming series, Southern Stars' head coach Matthew Mott has hinted.

With Sydney and Melbourne being COVID-19 hot-spots, the Indian team and 12 out of the 18 Australian players are currently in a two-week hard quarantine and according to a 'cricket.com.au' report, they will allowed out a week before the first WODI at Mackay on September 21.

The Indian team won't have any access to training facilities during the two-week hard (room) quarantine.

"Our sports science people are quite rightly nervous," Mott told 91.3 SportFM referring to seam bowlers Ellyse Perry, Annabel Sutherland, Tayla Vlaeminck, Maitlan Brown and Stella Campbell, who are currently in room quarantine for a fortnight.

"Here, they won't bowl for 14 days and will go straight into a very congested schedule, so our management of the players has to be right on point,' Mott said.

He made it clear that all first team players won't get to play every game keeping workload management in mind.

"Not everyone is going to play every game, we've got 18 in our squad, and we've got some young players. The older more resilient players will find a way though because they've banked up that experience and their bodies are a bit stronger.

"But for the younger bowlers – Darcie Brown, Tayla Vlaeminck, Maitlan Brown – we've got to be very smart around how we integrate them into it." Among the Aussie pacers, Sutherland is returning from a stress fracture to her upper leg, Brown has recovered from severe hamstring injury while Vlaeminck has had a series of major foot, knee and shoulder injuries.

"In an ideal world, we'd have played the Test last to build up those loads gradually, but it's in the middle," Mott continued.

"So there are different bowlers we'll have to use in different formats and the consequence is we won't be able to play our best team every game – that would be crazy from a player fatigue and management point of view.

Also read: Trinbago Knight Riders looking for a record fifth title, Guyana Amazon Warriors start with a historic victory

"We'll try and make it work but it's going to be a really interesting series to see how we navigate around the complexities that will be thrown at us." Moot termed the schedule as a very "busy one" considering the team hasn't played a lot of cricket since April due to various state borders employing their own health safety protocol.

"It's going to be tough, it's going to be exciting but it's going to hit us hard. We've gone from not a lot of cricket to a very busy schedule overnight," Mott added.

Full Schedule Sep 21: First ODI, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay Sep 24: Second ODI, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay (D/N) Sep 26: Third ODI, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay Sep 30 – Oct 3: Test match, Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast (D/N) Oct 7: First T20, Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast Oct 9: Second T20, Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast Oct 10: Third T20, Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast. 

News source: PTI

Hyderabad, Aug 31 (Golf news): Top golfers, including defending champion and Tokyo-returned Udayan Mane and former Asian tour winners Rashid Khan and Khalin Joshi, will vie for honours when the Golconda Masters Telangana Open tees off here on Thursday.

The tournament, which will kick-start the domestic season after a five-month gap forced by the COVID-19 pandemic, will witness participation from 129 golfers -- 123 professionals and six amateurs.

Mane (2018 & 2020 winner), who had competed at the Tokyo Olympics earlier this month, will headline the field which also includes PGTI Order of Merit leader Karandeep Kochhar, Viraj Madappa and Aman Raj as well as other leading players such as former champions Chikkarangappa S (2019 winner) and Harendra Gupta (2015 winner).

The foreign challenge will be led by the Bangladeshi duo of Md Zamal Hossain Mollah and Badal Hossain.

The local challenge will be led by Haider Hussain, Mohd Azhar, Venkkat Gautham, Rupinder Singh Gill and Sanjay Kumar Singh as well as amateurs such as Hardik S Chawda, Tarun Ajay, Tej Gangavarapu, Sankeerth Nidadavolu and Milind Soni.

Uttam Singh Mundy, CEO, PGTI, said, "We're excited about resuming the 2020-21 TATA Steel PGTI season with the Golconda Masters Telangana Open 2021 Presented by Vooty & Haldi.

"We are extremely thankful to Hyderabad Golf Association, Vooty Golf County, Haldi Golf County, Telangana Tourism, Incredible India, Skoda and Apollo Hospitals, for their kind cooperation and support towards our cause.

"The Golconda Masters Telangana Open has emerged as one of the most prestigious tournaments on the PGTI over the last seven years and we're confident the event will continue to be a catalyst in helping grow the popularity of the sport in Telangana and will boost golf tourism in the state." The tournament will be held at the Hyderabad Golf Club.

Also read:Disastrous start in final round sees Shubhankar finish to T-50 in Switzerland

News Source: PTI 

Dubai, Aug 31 (Cricket news) Table toppers Delhi Capitals will start the IPL from scratch, treating the upcoming second phase in the UAE as a fresh tournament in different conditions, said assistant coach Pravin Amre.

The second leg of the T20 league, which was suspended in May due to the increasing COVID-19 cases in India and multiple infections in the IPL bio-bubble, is scheduled to resume in the UAE from September 19.

The Capitals are currently perched on top of the points table with 12 points from eight matches.

"We have to look at the remainder of the season as a fresh one. There has been a long break after the first half and we will be playing in different conditions and wickets," Amre was quoted as saying in a media release.

"We are looking to start from scratch and not show any complacency after a brilliant performance in the first half of the tournament.

"We will look to play with the same intensity that we showed in our first match of the IPL 2021," he added.

The Capitals have hit the ground running in their pre-season camp overlooked by assistant coaches Amre and Ajay Ratra at the ICC Academy here.

Amre expressed that the team is looking to get used to the conditions and the wickets in the UAE.

Also read: IPL 2022: BCCI expects Rs 5000 crore windfall as base price for new teams kept at Rs 2000 crore

"It's going to be humid when the season resumes and it is important for the players to get used to the wickets and conditions here in the UAE. Credit to the DC management for sending us here early, so that we have enough time to prepare well with the conditions on offer." Star batsman Shreyas Iyer, who missed out on the first half of the season due to a shoulder injury, reached Dubai a week earlier than the rest of the team to work on his game with Amre.

Amre said that Iyer has regained his full fitness and is hitting the ball very well in the nets.

"It's always hard for any cricketer to come back after an injury. Our entire team, especially Delhi Capitals' strength and conditioning Coach Rajinikanth Sivagnanam, Assistant Physio Dhananjay Kaushik and Physio Patrick Farhart worked hard when Shreyas was undergoing rehabilitation." "Even the National Cricket Academy played an important role during Shreyas' recovery period. Getting his shoulder strength back was important for him and he has been hitting the ball as long as anybody in the nets." The Capitals are set to take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad on September 22 here. 

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Aug 31 (Sports news) Indian boxers dominated the Asian Youth Championships, notching up six gold medals along with nine silver and five bronze in the event where the women's competition was significantly depleted due to pullouts caused by COVID-19 related travel restrictions.

Preeti Dahiya (60kg), Sneha Kumari (66kg), Khushi (75kg) and Neha (54kg) clinched gold medals in the women's draw, which shrunk after several teams fielded smaller squads because of the travel restrictions.

Of the 10 women finalists, six directly made the finals because of small size of their respective draws.

Dahiya defeated Kazakhstan's Zuldyz Shayakmetova 3-2, while Sneha pummelled's UAE Rahmah Khalfan Almurshidi to force a stoppage. Khushi defeated Kazakhstan's Dana Diday 3-0 in bouts held late last night.

World youth bronze-medallist Bishwamitra Chongtham (51kg) and Vishal (80kg) were the gold-winners in the men's competition.

The silver-winners among women were Preeti (57kg), Khushi (63kg), Tanisha Sandhu (81kg), Nivedita (48kg), Tamanna (50kg) and Simran (52kg).

Also read: Devendra Jhajharia and Sundar Singh Gurjar put up a show in Men’s Javelin Throw, 7 medals so far for India

Vishvanath Suresh (48kg), Vanshaj (63.5kg) and Jaydeep Rawat (71kg) ended with silver medals in the men's competition.

Five Indian boxers, including one woman, had earlier claimed bronze medals in the youth event after losing in the semi-finals.

Among men, Daksh (67kg), Deepak (75kg), Abhimanyu (92kg) and Aman Singh Bisht (92+kg) bagged bronze medals while Lashu Yadav (70kg) ended with a bronze in the women’s category.

In the last edition of Asian Youth Championships, held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, India had claimed 12 medals, including five gold.

The gold medallists in the youth category were awarded with USD 6,000 while USD 3,000 and USD 1,500 were given to the silver and bronze medal winners respectively.

India had earlier won eight gold, five silver and six bronze medals in the junior competition which was held simultaneously for the first time.

News source: PTI

Tokyo, Aug 31 (Paralympic news) Fancied Indian shooter Rubina Francis finished seventh in the women's 10m air pistol SH1 final of the Tokyo Paralympic Games here on Tuesday.

Rubina had 128.1 points when she was eliminated in the seventh place at the Akasa Shooting Range.

As the pistol is held with one hand only, athletes in SH1 pistol have an impairment affecting one arm and/or the legs, for example resulting from amputations or spinal cord injuries.

Some shooters compete in a seated position, while others take aim in a standing position as defined in the rules.

Iran's Sareh Javanmardi won the gold medal with a world record score of 239.2. Rubina held the previous world record with 238.1.

It was always going to be an uphill task for Rubina after she shot a horror 6.6 in the first series. Still she was placed fourth after the end of the 1st competition stage with 93.1 point, as the elimination rounds began.

She tried but could not regain the lost ground and was the second shooter to be eliminated in the eight-women final.

Also read: Vinod Kumar clinches bronze in discus throw, third medal for India in Paralympics

Earlier, she started off well in the qualifications to finish seventh with 560 points and make the final.

At the end of the first series, Rubina was in 13th place with 91 points but the Indian shooter moved into sixth place after a total of 187 at the end of the second series.

Rubina then moved to the third place with 282 points at the halfway stage of the qualifications.

In the next two series, Rubina recorded scores of 93 and 93 respectively and slipped to the seventh spot.

The 22-year-old from Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh had set the world record in the finals at the World Cup in Lima, Peru in June.

She was born with an impairment to her leg.

In May, she had contracted COVID-19 while at the national training camp. She was unable to train for more than a month, until days before the World Cup event in Lima, Peru, where she won gold in the women's SH1 10m air pistol and secured a quota place for Tokyo.

Javanmardi also topped the qualifying round with a score of 572, a new Paralympic Games record for qualifying.

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Aug 30 (Hockey news) The much-awaited domestic hockey season is set to resume in October this year with the first sub-junior men's national academy championship in Bhopal after a hiatus of seven months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hockey India has instructed the host state member units and participating teams to take strict precautions and maintain all the COVID protocols established by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and respective state governments, as well as Hockey India's guidelines while hosting the domestic events.

The inaugural sub-junior men's national academy championship will be held from October 4 to 13.

This will be followed by the first Hockey India junior men's academy national championships in Bhopal from October 18 to 27.

The inaugural Hockey India junior women's inter-department national championship is scheduled to be held here in October.

The 11th Hockey India junior women's national championship will be held in Simdega, Jharkhand in October, while the 11th Hockey India junior men's national championship too is being scheduled for the month of October in Telangana.

The senior women's national championship is provisionally scheduled to be held at Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh also in the month of October.

Also read: We have become fearless since Tokyo Olympics: Gurjit Kaur

However, Hockey India is yet to confirm the exact dates of the last three events.

"There is a lot of euphoria following the success of Indian men and women's hockey teams success at the Tokyo Olympics and we wanted to ensure this excitement translates into the playing field," Hockey India President Gyanendro Ningombam said in a statement.

"With this intent, we announce the resumption of the Hockey India domestic calendar. We had to halt abruptly in March this year due to the rise in cases across the country but with things looking up on the COVID front, we felt it is safe to resume under COVID guidelines.

"Hockey India has strictly instructed its state member units who are hosting these tournaments as well as participating teams to follow all the COVID protocols and ensure a safe environment for the athletes to perform," he added. 

News source: PTI

(Athletics news) Tokyo Paralympics 2021 Live Update: India's Nishad Kumar clinched a silver medal in the men's high jump T47 event in the Paralympics with an Asian record effort here on Sunday.

The 21-year-old Kumar cleared 2.06m to win the silver and set an Asian record. American Dallas Wise was also awarded a silver as he and Kumar cleared the same height of 2.06m.

Another American, Roderick Townsend, won the gold with a world record jump of 2.15m.

Another Indian in the fray, Ram Pal finished fifth with a best jump of 1.94m.

T47 class is meant for athletes with a unilateral upper limb impairment resulting in some loss of function at the shoulder, elbow and wrist.

Hailing from Una in Himachal Preadeh, Kumar met with an accident at the age of eight that resulted in the loss of his right hand.

He also contracted COVID-19 earlier this year while training at the SAI Centre in Bengaluru.

"Absolutely delighted that Nishad Kumar wins the Silver medal in Men’s High Jump T47. He is a remarkable athlete with outstanding skills and tenacity. Congratulations to him," tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Kumar had won a gold medal in the men's high jump T46/47 event at the Fazza World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai earlier this year. He began competing in para athletics in 2009.

This was India's second medal of the Games after Bhavinaben Patel won a silver in women's singles table tennis class 4 event earlier in the day.

Patel became only the second Indian woman to win a medal at the Games following a 0-3 loss to world number one Chinese paddler Ying Zhou in the final.

Also read: Vinod Kumar clinches bronze in discus throw, third medal for India in Paralympics

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Aug 28 (Cricket news) Indian women's ODI team captain Mithali Raj and coach Ramesh Powar on Saturday said the side is currently focussed on next year's World Cup and the tour of Australia will serve as ideal preparation for the mega event.

The Indian team is leaving for Australia on Wednesday to play three ODIs, a day-night Test and three T20Is.

"We need to understand that we are playing three ODIs first and we are focussing right now on the World Cup preparation," Powar said during a pre-departure press conference, even as questions revolved around the Pink ball Test against Australia.

"Regarding the one-off Test match we have to carry our one-day confidence into Test match. We don't have to prepare separately as we back our players in all formats. We try to inculcate how we should approach every format." The Australia tour will begin with the ODIs series, starting with the first game at the North Sydney Oval on September 19, followed by the second and third matches at the Junction Oval on September 22 and 24 respectively.

The women's 50-over World Cup is slated to be held in New Zealand in March-April next year.

Also read: England level 5-match series 1-1 after defeating India by an innings and 76 runs

Skipper Mithali said, "We know the areas we needed to improve and we worked and addressed those issues during the preparatory camp in Bangalore.

"Whatever results are there in Australia we still have few months for the World Cup. Australia tour is good for us because we are playing against the best, we will also get an idea about the team combination before the World Cup. So Australia tour is a good game plan before the Word Cup." In his second tenure as the women's national team coach, Powar said the team management is hoping to strengthen the fast bowling department in order to cut down the burden on veteran Jhulan Goswami.

"We are looking for consistency in fast bowling so that Jhulan can express herself, else she will be forced to become defensive and we don't want that situation," Powar said.

"We have to have support for Jhulan Goswami, we need to find her a partner so that she can bowl in partnership. We are focussing on Meghna Singh and we are looking forward to Pooja Vastrakar also.

"Once the selectors and team management decide on the final 20-25 players, we stay on the same page when we go into a series," he added.

Seam bowlers Meghna and Renuka Singh Thakur were handed maiden India call-ups, while left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad returned to the teams for the upcoming contests against Australia.

Mithali acknowledged that the pink ball Test is going to be a challenge for the players.

"It is going to be big because most of the questions are revolving about the pink ball than one-day cricket.

"The challenge would be more playing under lights. And also playing with the pink ball as we are all used to the red cherry. We have got feedbacks from the men." The ODI and Test skipper, a seasoned campaigner with an experience of over two decades, said a tour of Australia continues to be one of the toughest in international cricket.

"We don't go into a match with a set mindset as it depends on the situation. We want our team to go with a lot of confidence, without thinking about the grey areas.

"We know that we are playing the best side in the world and we will need to bring our 'A' game. But we are also very fortunate to have a camp of some 30 girls, with match simulation, matches under lights, we have pretty much done whatever we could with our preparation," Mithali said.

Perth will host the pink-ball one-off Test scheduled from September 30, followed by the T20Is at the North Sydney Oval on October 7, 9 and 11.

"Looking at the current situation we are happy to go to Australia and keep playing cricket. After England we had a one month break and we back ourselves to do well, we have played enough in the Bangalore camp and are prepared for any format," Powar said.

According to recent reports, the Indian team's schedule in Australia could be altered due to the border restriction and COVID-19 lockdowns in Sydney and Melbourne.

Asked about it, Powar said, "We are looking forward to a tour which is challenging and we all are excited to go there and put in our best effort to make it a good tour." 

News source: PTI

Sydney, Aug 28 (Cricket news) As many as 10 England players could be forced to pull out of the Ashes tour of Australia if an agreement is not arrived at over travel and quarantine arrangements for their families.

According to a report in the 'Sydney Morning Herald', unhappy with Cricket Australia's lack of progress on this front, many English players are considering pulling out if their demands are not met.

At a meeting of the England squad at Headingley this week, it is understood there was mounting frustration about a lack of progress by Cricket Australia over quarantine rules, the daily reported.

Australia has some of the strictest COVID-19 quarantine regulations in place and its own cricketers are currently serving two weeks in an Adelaide hotel after returning from a white-ball tour of West Indies and Bangladesh.

The Australian players are also not allowed to train at the moment.

Also read: Faf du Plessis named Bangla Tigers’ Icon and captain for Abu Dhabi T10

It is understood that CA doesn't have enough influence over the government there and even individual states can impose a ban or shut the city entirely on quick notice, disturbing all the agreements made before the players left the UK.

CA said on Saturday it was working closely with government and health officials in its quest to find a solution.

"Cricket Australia continues to work closely with the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) and government authorities in Australia regarding the upcoming Ashes series, which will be the centrepiece for one of the biggest summers of cricket on record," a CA statement read.

"We are currently planning the operational requirements of this tour and working with the ECB on the proposed make-up of the England touring party.

"As was the case last season, CA will work constructively and in partnership with government to deliver the summer of cricket, while ensuring the health, wellbeing and safety of the community." The five-Test Ashes series is slated to be held from December 8 to January 18. 

News source: PTI

Pune, Aug 27 (Sports news) Felicitating gold medal-winning javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and other Olympians serving with the defence forces at the Army Sports Institute (ASI) here, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday urged them to make India a "sports power".

Speaking at a ceremony where the institute's stadium was named for Chopra, Singh also said he was awaiting the day when India would host the Olympic Games.

“You are not just players but leaders of the Indian youth. It is the responsibility of leaders to give the right direction to the followers," he said.

"Make a resolve, today we all have to make a resolve to make India sports power in the days to come,” he said after felicitating the 'Defence Forces' Olympians' who took part in the Tokyo Games.

“After looking at all these players, I am assured that this resolve will be fulfilled. Our prime minister has shown immense interest in sports, which is unprecedented. I have been in politics for a long time, but the interest shown by the current prime minister in sports is beyond imagination. He boosted the morale of players by interacting and eating with them,” Singh added. “I am waiting for that moment when India will get the opportunity to host the Olympics,” the Union minister said.

Also read: Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra meets Haryana CM

The performance in Tokyo was the country’s best performance at the Olympics, Singh noted.

“Those Olympians who missed the medal by a whisker, they are no less than winners. They represented India in the Olympics which in itself is a matter of pride. This is our best performance in the Olympics so far, but we don’t have to be satisfied here. We will have to strive hard to achieve further,” he added.

Singh also lauded the ASI's efforts to help athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant lockdown.

“Despite COVID, we had a spectacular performance in the Olympics, which is not a small thing. There were constraints on training, proper training was not happening. However, despite all these odds, the players gave a spectacular performance and ASI played a key role.

“I would like to express my gratitude and respect towards this institute, this is a world renowned sports institute of the Army and I was told that 34 Olympians, 22 Commonwealth Games medal winners and 21 Asian Games medal winners were produced by the ASI,” he said.

During lockdown, when it was difficult for players to get training, the ASI took equipment to their doorstop, the minister noted.

Singh renamed the ASI Stadium after Neeraj Chopra on this occasion. The 23-year-old who bagged the country’s first gold in athletics at the Tokyo Olympics was present during the ceremony.

A shawl signed by the Olympians from the forces was also presented to the Defence Minister.

Besides Chopra, Tarundeep Rai (archery), Pravin Jadhav (archery), Amit (boxing), Manish Kaushik (boxing), Satish Kumar (boxing), CA Kuttappa (boxing coach), Chotelal Yadav (Mary Kom’s coach), Deepak Punia (wrestling), Arjun Lal Jat and Arvind Singh (rowing), Vishnu Saravanan (sailing) were among those who were felicitated.

Deepak Kumar (shooting), Avinash Sable (athletics), Amrish Kumar (athletics coach), Irfan KT (athletics), Rahul (athletics), Sandeep Kumar (athletics), Gurpreet Singh (athletics), Tajinder Pal Singh Toor (athletics), MP Jabir (athletics), Shivpal Singh (athletics), Alex Antony (athletics), Abhishek Pandey (physiotherapist with athletics team) and members of the 4x400 relay team who are employed with the Forces were also feted on the occasion.

Army chief General MM Naravane was also present.

Singh also had special words of praise for Neeraj.

“Neeraj Chopra has written his name in gold letters and joined the glorious tradition of Major Dhyan Chand, Captain Milkha Singh, Col Rajyavardhan Rathore and Captain Vijay Kumar,” he said.

The defence minister also appreciated the efforts of pugilist Satish Kumar, who despite having 13 stitches gave a spectacular performance in the quarter-final

News source: PTI

Mumbai, Aug 28 (Sports news) India's Deepak Hooda said he is in a good mental space and will look to break his own records during the eighth season of the Star Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) which will return after a COVID-19 forced break in December.

Hooda will be among the top players who will go under the hammer in the auctions which will be held for three days starting on Sunday.

"I have been training and focusing on techniques and skills. I am mentally and physically ready for Season 8. I'm excited to be a part of a new experience and aim to break my own records wherever I go," said Hooda, who who was part of the 'Jaipur Pink Panthers' last season.

"With all the learning I have gained I'm sure that this season will be something to look forward to.

Also read: Have enhanced raiding skills: Sehrawat ahead of Pro-Kabaddi League

"PKL coming back is huge for all indoor and contact sports in India – it will set a benchmark. I've been training and focusing on enhancing my raiding and defending skills, so there's a lot to look forward to," said Hooda, who has earned 943 points from 123 games.

Hooda said he has focussed a lot on his mental aspect ahead of the eight season.

"With Kabaddi on my mind, my mental health has fared well during this period. I have been on a strict diet for the past two months and have been with my family, which has kept me focused on what is important," said Hooda.

"Discipline, constant training and fitness has been a 'mantra' that keeps me mentally fit." The auction will be live on 'Star Sports' network and 'Disney +Hotstar' on August 30 from 6.30 PM. 

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Aug 28 (Boxing news) World youth bronze-medallist Bishwamitra Chongtham (51kg) was among three Indian male boxers who advanced to the finals of the Asian Youth Championships in Dubai.

Chongtham defeated Tajikistan's Akarali Abdurakhivonzoda 5-0 on Friday night to make the summit clash.

Joining him in the finals were Suresh Vishwanath (48kg) and Jaydeep Rawat (57kg).

While, Vishwanath defeated Bahrain's Fadel Sayed 5-0, Rawat edged past Kyrgyzstan's Bekbol Murasbekov 3-2.

However, Lashu Yadav (70kg) in the women's draw and Deepak (75kg) signed off with bronze medals after semifinal losses.

Yadav was beaten 0-5 by Kazakhstan's Gaukhar Shaibekova 0-5. Deepak, on the other hand, lost to Kazakhstan's Aliaskarov Bakbergen 1-4.

Also read: 3 Indians enter finals of the Asian junior boxing in Dubai

India's medal count has swelled past 35 in the event being conducted simultaneously for junior and youth boxers (both men and women). While 20 medals are secure for India in the youth competition, the junior event will yield 19 podium finishes.

The draws at the event are considerably small following last-minute withdrawals due to the COVID-19 related travel restrictions. More than 20 Indians were assured of medals on the day of draws itself because of the small size of the competition.

The gold medallists in the youth category will be awarded a prize money of USD 6,000, while silver and bronze medallists will claim USD 3,000 and USD 1,500 respectively.

The junior champions will walk away with USD 4,000 for gold and USD 2,000 and 1,000 for silver and bronze medallists respectively. 

News source: PTI

Lund (Sweden)/Sendai (Japan), Aug 28 (The Conversation) From a sporting perspective, the Tokyo Olympics were a massive success for Japan. Finishing third behind the Olympic behemoths of the US and China, Japan secured a record 27 gold medals.

Yet, as the closing ceremony reached a crescendo, on the Tokyo streets ambulances were taking patients from hospital to hospital in a desperate search for available beds.

During the first week of August, there were 2,897 cases of ambulances unable to admit patients to hospitals nationwide, a sharp increase from previous weeks. And with the delta variant now dominant, each day is currently seeing a record-breaking number of new COVID-19 cases.

Just before the Olympics, everything had seemed to be on track: Japan’s vaccination programme had just reached the impressive milestone of one million vaccinations per day, case numbers were manageable, and both the International Olympic Committee and Japanese government had promised a “safe and secure” games. Since then, though, Japan’s situation has nosedived.

Operating in ‘disaster mode’ Japan is now facing not only record cases, but also record numbers of severely ill patients: 1,974 as of August 26 2021. In Tokyo alone, daily infections have topped 4,000 throughout August, including more than 270 severe cases at the time of writing.

New guidelines stipulating that only high-risk patients be hospitalised mean that more than 20,000 infected individuals in Tokyo are staying at home. Unsurprisingly, reports are emerging of patients whose conditions have deteriorated rapidly, in some cases ending in death.

To deal with this spike of patients unable to receive medical care, the prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, has outlined plans to set up “oxygen stations” to give supplemental oxygen outside of hospital and to offer the Ronapreve antibody cocktail treatment for patients to use at home.

Also read: Bhavina Patel defeats China’s Zhang Miao 3-2 in the semifinals of the Tokyo Paralympics, will play for gold in the final

The government’s expert panel has described the situation as “out of control”, with the capital’s hospitals now operating in “disaster mode”. The panel is advising that at this stage, the public should take its own measures to protect itself from the virus. Public attention has fixed on the Tokyo metropolitan area, but the virus has now spread and is rampant throughout the country.

The role of the Olympics There was widespread opposition to the staging of the Olympics before they began, as the public was sceptical of the claims of a “risk-free” games. Undoubtedly the event helped the virus spread.

In the end it was not the athletes that were the problem, but rather the mixed messaging of staging the world’s biggest mega-event in the middle of a pandemic. Despite spectators not being allowed into Olympic venues, people still gathered to watch the games in parks and bars across the country. Public compliance with government measures deteriorated.

As the Suga government’s own chief COVID-19 expert, Shigeru Omi, has explained, the Olympics “affected the public’s perception” of the crisis, weakening the government’s own stay-at-home message and undermining the declaration of a state of emergency.

Vaccinations to the rescue? Taro Kono, the minister in charge of Japan’s vaccine rollout, has trumpeted his country’s success in inoculating its population. Japan went from vaccine laggard to one million doses per day in an astonishingly short time, and the majority of the elderly population have received two doses.

Still, with only 43% of the population fully vaccinated (approximately 54% had received at least one shot as of August 26), Japan is near the bottom of the OECD vaccination table.

So far Japan’s death rate has not increased in tandem with the infection rate. While there is likely some degree of lag, other countries have shown that high vaccination rates do help to erode the link between infection and death – meaning the climbing vaccination rate may have spared the country from an worse outcome.

Nonetheless, the dominance of the more infectious delta variant, together with Japan’s still relatively low vaccination rate, bodes ill for the coming months.

Where is this all going? Japan’s current wave has begun to slow but is yet to crest. Its impact on the health system is already visible and will likely worsen. The fallout in terms of long COVID will reveal itself in time.

A key problem is that the government has lost credibility. Staging the Olympics was only the latest in a series of mixed messages on COVID-19 – last year the government’s “Go To” travel campaign encouraged tourism in the middle of the country’s third wave, while the delayed vaccination campaign is partly the result of prioritising domestic-vaccine development over imports. The recent cover up of Japan’s first case of the lambda variant, as it was related to the Olympics, has added to public distrust.

The government meanwhile has expanded the scope of the current states of emergency that are in place, adding more prefectures. Suga’s top adviser Omi has called for a 50% reduction in mobility to flatten the curve and to relieve pressure on hospitals. Experts have also demanded legal changes to allow for stricter lockdown measures, like those implemented in Europe. Yet legal changes will require time.

With a general election scheduled for October, growing frustration over the government’s crisis management is threatening Suga and his Liberal Democratic Party’s electoral prospects. In post-Olympic polls, support for the government slipped below 30%, the lowest since the prime minister took office.

For various reasons, his party’s victory had seemed preordained. Although the opposition has so far failed to take advantage of the government’s failures, with two potentially devastating months ahead, now Suga’s position has never been more precarious. If the situation becomes dire, the challenge may even come before the election from within his own party.

Right now, it is hard to see the government regaining the public’s trust, and the short-term outlook is bleak. However, as the situation deteriorates, the Japanese public itself may sufficiently alter behaviour to slow the virus’s spread. (The Conversation)

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Aug 27 (Boxing news) The Indian men's boxing team for the world championship would be picked on the basis of performances in next month's Nationals, High Performance Director Santiago Nieva told PTI, conceding that there is very little time in hand to go for elaborate trials.

Nieva, who is currently on a break, spoke to PTI from his home base in Sweden and touched on his assessment of Indian boxers' Olympic performance and the plans ahead for what promise to be a very busy next few months starting with the national championship from September 15.

"The world championships (in Belgrade, Serbia from October 26) is a really big assignment coming up. The time for preparation is very less so we will rely on performances in the national championships to figure the team. There is no time to hold trials," Nieva said.

"Some new faces will definitely be there but we also need experience. So, those who participated in the Olympics will also be considered. But I guess they will have to compete in the Nationals. If they feel motivated and prepared enough, they will compete," he added.

Five Indian male boxers -- Amit Panghal (52kg), Manish Kaushik (63kg), Vikas Krishan (69kg), Ashish Chaudhary (75kg) and Satish Kumar (+91kg) -- competed in the Tokyo Games. Of these, only Satish managed to go past his opening round.

Krishan is out of reckoning due to a major shoulder injury which will keep him out for three months.

Nieva is expected to be back in India ahead of the Nationals to be held in Bellary, Karnataka. India had won an unprecedented two medals at the event's last edition with Panghal claiming a first ever silver for the country.

"It is a unique situation because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A world championship just three months after the Olympics is not common but it is what it is. We would try to go abroad for training after picking the team but if it doesn't work out, we stay here and train," Nieva said.

The Indian men's boxers weren't particularly impressive at the Olympics with Panghal's first-round ouster a massive letdown.

Nieva admitted that the performance could have been a lot better and that there would be pressure on him as well as the team in the world championships.

"There is always pressure. It is never avoidable. But I don't think it would be any different from other times. See, when you do well, people expect you to do better. If you do badly, people expect you to improve. So there is always scrutiny," he said.

The upcoming Nationals as well as the world championships will be competed in the new weight categories introduced by the International Boxing Association last month.

The revised weight divisions for men, after being increased from 10 to 13, are 48kg, 51kg, 54kg, 57kg, 60kg, 63.5kg, 67kg, 71kg, 75kg, 80kg, 86kg, 92kg, and +92kg.

In all likelihood, someone like Panghal would compete in 51kg or 54kg and several others will also weigh their options.

Speaking of Panghal, Nieva said he has spoken to the world number one, who has been aloof after his Olympic disappointment.

"I expected him to be still bitter but good thing is he seems to be looking ahead. He came across clear and analytical about his performance and I believe that he is well on course to shrug it off and come back stronger," Nieva said.

Also read: 3 Indians enter finals of the Asian junior boxing in Dubai

On the Olympic performance, Nieva both agreed and disagreed with Boxing Federation of India President Ajay Singh's assessment that the Indians would need to focus more on the mental aspect of competing at something as big as the Olympics.

"I am not denying that we can do better, not just mental, but in several other aspects, we can always do better. But I don't think that our boxers can be considered mentally not up there. I don't think it is specific to our boxers," he said.

Aside from this, the Indian boxers also seemed lacking when it came to connecting powerful punches in the Tokyo Games. Nieva said work is in progress to improve the strength and conditioning aspect.

"When I first came here in 2017, I found the techniques to be a bit old school and I believe we have improved in strength and conditioning considerably as is evident from the results of the past four years.

"Sometimes you come up against opponents who are way more strong than you, so the idea is to keep improving," reasoned the 47-year-old, who is a member of the Asian Boxing Confederation's coaches' committee. 

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Aug 27 (Football news) India's 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup member Rahim Ali and FC Goa defender Seriton Fernandes got their maiden call-ups as national football team head coach Igor Stimac on Friday named a 25-member squad for the twin international friendlies against Nepal next month.

India play against Nepal on September 2 and 5 in Kathmandu.

After being a part of the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup team, Ali, now 21, played for Indian Arrows for two years and then joined Chennaiyin FC in 2019. He has also been part of the India U20 and U23 sides.

He will now be in the company of talismanic striker Sunil Chhetri upfront along with Manvir Singh and Farukh Choudhary.

Defender Fernandes, 28, was a part of the FC Goa side that played in the AFC Champions League earlier this year. He had a bout COVID-19 in May.

Another defender Mandar Rao Dessai returned to the squad after missing the 2022 World Cup qualification campaign in Qatar in June. Adil Khan also did not figure in the final 25-member squad.

Senior defender Sandesh Jhingan, who has joined Croatian top division side HNK Sibenik, understandably did not make it to the squad.

Also read: Mumbai City FC complete loan move for Cássio Gabriel

Another notable omission is the Bengaluru FC winger Udanta Singh who was dropped from the squad that played friendly matches against the UAE and Oman in March but returned for the subsequent World Cup qualifiers in June.

Rowllin Borges, Lallianzuala Chhangte and Ashique Kuruniyan are the three other players missing from the last World Cup qualifying campaign squad.

The national team probables have been training in Kolkata since August 15.

While the ATK Mohun Bagan players join the camp in Kolkata on Friday, the Bengaluru FC players will join the rest of the squad in New Delhi Sunday. The team leaves for Nepal on Monday.

The Squad: Goalkeepers: Amrinder Singh, Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.

Defenders: Pritam Kotal, Chinglensana Singh Konsham, Mandar Rao Dessai, Akash Mishra, Rahul Bheke, Subhasish Bose, Seriton Fernandes.

Midfielders: Lalengmawia, Bipin Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Sahal Abdul Samad, Brandon Fernandes, Liston Colaco, Yasir Mohammad, Glan Martins, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Jeakson Singh, Pronay Halder.

Forwards: Manvir Singh, Rahim Ali, Sunil Chhetri, Farukh Choudhary. 

News source: PTI 

New Delhi, Aug 27 (Hockey news) A historic Olympic bronze medal in its pocket, the Indian men's hockey team is eyeing several milestones in the coming years, the preparation for which will begin next month, chief coach Graham Reid said on Friday.

The team won a bronze at the Tokyo Games earlier this month, ending a 41-year wait for a medal in the sport.

Talking about the roadmap ahead, Reid said, "We have set some milestones in terms of competitions that are coming up for us now. We have Asian Games, FIH Pro League, Commonwealth Games, Hockey World Cup in 2023 and then Paris Olympics the following year.

"So the milestones have been set, but how we need to prepare between those milestones will be decided in the next month or so," Reid said on Hockey India's podcast series 'Hockey Te Charcha'.

The Australian said he will take feedback from the players going forward and analyse what other teams have been doing.

"We also have to sit down and analyse all the games from the Olympics and see what the other teams have been doing, because you never get the time to do that in the middle of a tournament, when the focus is limited only on the next opponent.

"We also need to get feedback from our players on what they feel are the skills that they need to work on going forward, and surely we need to accelerate our learning to be consistently up there with the best teams in the world all the time.” Reid had won a silver medal as a player for Australia in 1992 Barcelona Olympics. However, clinching a bronze as chief coach ranks amongst his most impressive achievements.

The Indian team's schedule was adversely affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Reid believes the extended period of time that the team spent together in camp at SAI Bengaluru eventually brought the players closer together and shaped their character as a group.

Also read: Harmanpreet, Gurjit, Sreejesh in short-list for FIH annual honours

"I kept saying to the team that the adversity and the resilience that they have shared together will come to the fore and unite them when the chips are down.

"Look at bronze medal match. We were 1-3 down, it would have been very easy to give up and admit it’s not our day, but we didn’t do that. We pulled ourselves together and displayed a magnificent example of fighting back and taking the next step from that position one at a time,” said Reid.

On the setback in the second match of the Tokyo Olympics when India lost 1-7 to Australia, Reid said, "Since day one, I have tried to instil a ‘next thing mentality’ in the team. After facing a disappointing result, you cannot get caught up thinking about what you could have done.

"The next thing you need to do is the most important. You can change the future, but not the past. So after the disappointing result against Australia, we drew a line in the sand before getting to the Olympic village and decided not to ponder on the result any longer.

"The group reacted very well to that approach. Our full focus was on putting together a good run of results from that point on, and that’s exactly what we managed to do.” 

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Aug 26 (Sports news) The Tata Steel PGTI will resume its season on September 2 after a COVID-19 enforced break with men's professional golf set to return to the Kashmir Valley after a seven year-hiatus, the organisers announced on Thursday.

The combined 2020-2021 season has so far witnessed 10 tournaments, seven of which were staged between November last year to March 2021, after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ten events are scheduled to be played between September to December with the season resuming with the Golconda Masters Telangana Open, which will be played at the Hyderabad Golf Club from September 2-5. The prize purse for the tenth edition of the event is Rs. 40 lakh.

It will be followed by the TATA Steel PGTI Players Championship, that has a prize purse of Rs. 50 lakh, to be played at the Panchkula Golf Club from September 8-11.

The inaugural J&K Open will be staged at the Royal Springs Golf Course in Srinagar from September 15-18. The event marks the return of men's professional golf to the Kashmir Valley after seven years.

The PGTI staged its last two events in the region in Pahalgam and Srinagar in July 2014. The tournament will offer a prize purse of Rs. 40 lakh.

October will see the launch of yet another new event with the inaugural TATA Steel PGTI Players Championship presented by Delhi Golf Club slated to be held from October 5-8.

Also read: Anirban Lahiri finishes T-56th at Northern Trust, bows out of Play-offs

The prize purse for the event is Rs. 50 lakh. The PGTI will be staging a full-field event (not co-sanctioned by Asian Tour) at the Delhi Golf Club after seven years.

The Jaipur Open will also be held in October from 12 to 15 at the Rambagh Golf Club in Jaipur and the Jeev Milkha Singh Invitational scheduled at the Chandigarh Golf Club from November 11-14. The event boasts a prize purse of Rs. 1.5 crore.

The ICC-RCGC Open Golf Championship returns for its second edition at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club in Kolkata from November 25-28 while the Pune Open Golf Championship will be staged at the Poona Club Golf Course from December 1-4.

The season ending Tata Steel Tour Championship will carry an impressive prize purse of Rs 1.5 crore. It will be played at the Golmuri and Beldih Golf Courses in Jamshedpur from December 16-19.

In a major boost ahead of the resumption of the season, the Tour has signed two new partners -- American Express and and Amrutanjan Health Care Limited.

Uttam Singh Mundy, CEO, PGTI, said, "Our country has seen the most unprecedented and difficult times over the last few months. Fortunately, with the Covid situation having improved and life slowly coming back to normal, we at PGTI plan to restart the tour in September 2021." "The PGTI will continue to follow strict regulations in order to take all precautions against Covid-19 and ensure the smooth functioning of tournaments." World Cup-winning cricket captain and Board Member, PGTI, Kapil Dev said, "We at the PGTI are delighted to announce a healthy schedule with a number of tournaments lined up between September to December.

"We thank all our partners, tournament sponsors and host clubs for supporting our efforts despite the challenges posed by the pandemic and the tough circumstances that we find ourselves. 

News source: PTI

Mumbai, Aug 27 (Sports news) Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) star player Pawan Sehrawat, who has been retained by Bengaluru Bulls for the upcoming eighth season, says he has enhanced his raiding skills with new and evolved techniques.

The PKL returns after a COVID-19 forced break and Sehrawat is confident that he will be able to deliver his best for the season, which will take place in December.

"I have been doing rigorous training which has enhanced my raiding skills with new and evolved techniques. PKL Season 8 has a lot of talented players, and I can't wait to get on the ground," Sehrawat said.

"With PKL's resumption, it's an exciting moment for me – with the training and practice I've received, I'll be delivering the best performances.

Also read: 59 players retained for PKL season 8

While the lock-down has been difficult for many, for Sehrawat, it has helped him to improve his fitness.

"The lockdown has been tough on all of us, however we have made the best of the circumstances we're facing. Constant training and a strict diet have helped me improve," he added.

The PKL auction will be live on Star Sports network and Disney+Hotstar on August 30 from 6.30 PM. 

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Aug 27 (Boxing news) Three Indian boxers stormed into the finals of the Asian Junior Championships in Dubai with dominating victories in their last-four stage bouts.

Tanu (52kg), Nikita Chand (60kg) and Vishu Rathee (48kg) were the ones to make the final, on Thursday.

Tanu defeated Nepal's Swostika 5-0, while Nikita got the better of Uzbekistan's Mukhusa Tokhirova by a similar margin.

Rathee, on the other hand, took less than two minutes to wind up the proceedings, outclassing Mongolia's Otgonbat Yesunkhuslen in her semifinal bout.

However, Ashis (54kg) and Anshul (57kg) ended with bronze medals.

Ashis lost to Uzbekistan's Norkosmov Mironshokh 1-4. Anshul was beaten 0-5 by another Uzbek in Dalerjon Bozorov.

Also read: Men's national boxing from Sep 15; allowing head guards under consideration

The tournament, which is being held simultaneously for junior and youth boxers (both men and women) offers the gold medallists in the youth category a prize money of USD 6,000 while silver and bronze medallists will claim USD 3,000 and USD 1,500 respectively.

The junior champions will be awarded with USD 4,000 for gold and USD 2,000 and 1,000 for silver and bronze medallists respectively.

On Wednesday, six Indian boxers advanced to the finals of the Asian Youth Championships with two of them getting walkovers after their Kazakh opponents were quarantined following a COVID-19 case in the contingent. 

News source: PTI

Tokyo, Aug 26 (Paralympic news) Swimmer Suyash Jadhav will miss Friday's 200m individual medley SM7 event in the Paralympic Games here as he is suffering from cold and sore throat.

The Indian contingent's chef de mission Gursharan Singh on Thursday said Jadhav is a bit under the weather and doctors have advised him not to compete on Friday. His COVID-19 test report is, however, negative.

"Jadhav has cold and sore throat. Doctors said he should take rest. So we decided he will not take part tomorrow. But he will be fine for his other two events," Singh told PTI.

Also read: Bhavina Patel defeats Megan Shackleton of Great Britain 3-1 to progress into the Round of 16

"His Covid report is negative," he added.

The 27-year-old Jadhav, whose two hands were amputated below the elbow at the age of 11 due to electrocution, will compete in two other events -- 100m breaststroke SB7 on September 1 and 50m butterfly S7 on September 3.

In the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta, he won a gold in 50m butterfly S7 and a silver each in 200m individual medley SM7 and 50m free-style S7 events.

Swimmers in S7 class have limited leg function or are missing a leg or parts of both legs, or have amputations and cerebral palsy. 

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Aug 26 (Boxing news) The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) is planning to conduct the men's national championships from September 15 to 22 at the Inspire Institute of Sports in Karnataka's Bellary and is considering the possibility of allowing pugilists to compete with head guards at the event.

The national championships could not be held last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The upcoming event will also be competed in the new weight categories introduced by the International Boxing Association last month. The revised weight divisions for men, after being increased from 10 to 13, are 48kg, 51kg, 54kg, 57kg, 60kg, 63.5kg, 67kg, 71kg, 75kg, 80kg, 86kg, 92kg, and +92kg.

Men's amateur boxing did away with head guards in 2013 after the AIBA medical commission, after a research study, concluded that removing the gear "may reduce the already small risk of acute brain injury in amateur boxing." The AIBA events and Olympic competitions do not feature head guards but national associations are free to conduct their tournaments with or without the protective gear.

"There is an executive committee meeting on September 3 where this will be discussed and if there is consensus, we will allow boxers to wear head guards during the championships," BFI Secretary General Hemanta Kalita told PTI.

"The AIBA gives national federations the choice to conduct their domestic events with or without head guards," he added.

The AIBA research had concluded that head guards can increase the risk of blows to the head because the padding around the eyes limits the boxer's vision. On the flip-side, the absence of head guards has contributed to an increased rate of cuts.

To this, the AIBA study had stated that "as boxers become more experienced and acclimated" to boxing without head guards and coaches change their style in view of the new rule, the rate of cuts will be reduced to previous historic levels.

Also read: Six Indians reach the finals of Asian Youth boxing in Dubai

The head guards were made mandatory in 1984 by AIBA before being dumped in 2013.

The tournament in Bellary will require boxers, participating officials and support staff to present a negative RT-PCR test report obtained 72 hours before landing at the competition. The boxers' temperatures will also be checked on arrival.

Head guards, if allowed, will be provided by the organisers.

"It is mandatory for everyone to use mask appropriately at all places, except in boxing ring," read the competition brochure.

The 2019 men's national championship was held in Himachal Pradesh with Services Sports Control Board claiming the overall honours with six gold, two silver and one bronze medal.

Another traditional powerhouse Railways had finished second with one gold, four silver and two bronze medals.

The Indian men's boxing team endured an underwhelming Olympic campaign with only one of the five qualified boxers managing to go past the first round.

The next big assignment lined up for them is the world championship in Belgrade, Serbia come November. 

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Aug 26 (Sports news) Six Indian boxers advanced to the finals of the Asian Youth Championships in Dubai with two of them getting walkovers after their Kazakh opponents were quarantined following a COVID-19 case in the contingent.

Of the six Indians who made the summit clashes, two were men and four women.

In the women's draw, Simran Verma (52kg) and Sneha (66kg) progressed after getting walkovers from Kazakh rivals Khava Bolkoyeva and Anar Turynbek respectively.

"One of these girls tested positive for COVID-19 and the other had to be also quarantined as she was the infected girl's room partner. That's why we got walkovers in these two categories," India coach Bhaskar Bhatt told PTI.

Joining them in the finals were Preeti (57kg) and Preeti Dahiya (60kg).

Also read: In the ring you face your opponent just like facing problems in life - Indian boxer Akashdeep Singh

Preeti outclassed Narika Rai of Nepal RSC in the third round to book her final berth. Preeti Dahiya, on the other hand, defeated Uzbekistan's Rukhshona Uktamova 3-2.

Among the men, Vanshaj (64kg) defeated Iran's Faridi Abolfazl 5-0, while Vishal (80kg) outpunched Kazakhstan's Dauren Mamyr by a similar margin to move ahead.

However, Daksh (67kg) lost to Uzbekistan's Solijonoz Samandar 4-1.

Also ending with bronze medals were Abhimanyu (92kg) and Aman Singh Bisht (+92kg).

While Abhimanyu lost to Uzbekistan's Tokhirov Nusratbek 5-0, Bisht also went down to an Uzbek in Zokirov Jakhongir.

India's assured medal tally stood at over 20 on the day of the draws itself as many countries either skipped or fielded smaller squads due to the COVID-19 travel restrictions.

The tournament, which is being held simultaneously for junior and youth boxers (both men and women) offers the gold medallists in the youth category a prize money of USD 6,000 while silver and bronze medallists will claim USD 3,000 and USD 1,500 respectively.

The junior champions will be awarded with USD 4,000 for gold and USD 2,000 and 1,000 for silver and bronze medallists respectively.

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Aug 25 (Cricket news) Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday roped in South Africa's left-arm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi for the remainder of IPL scheduled to be held in the UAE from September 19.

Shamsi, the world no. 1 ranked T20I bowler in ICC rankings, will be joining the Royals squad as their second replacement player.

The 31-year-old from Johannesburg represented 'The Titans' in South Africa's domestic cricket, and made his international debut for South Africa during a bilateral T20I series against England in 2017.

The left-arm leg spinner has since picked up 45 wickets in 39 T20Is, along with 32 wickets in 27 ODIs for South Africa.

In the IPL, Shamsi has played 4 matches in which he picked up 3 wickets for Royals Challengers Bangalore, who had recruited him as a replacement player during the 2016 season.

Also read: Kohli is a lovely, welcoming guy who is passionate about winning: Jamieson

Meanwhile, Australian pacer Andrew Tye, who had left for home amid the COVID-19 pandemic during the first phase of the IPL, said he won't be available for the remainder of the season.

"It is with great regret that I have to pull out of the remainder of the IPL 2021 with the Rajasthan Royals," Tye said in a release issued by the franchise.

"It has been a long year for me which has kept me away from home for a lengthy period, and the disappointment of not making it to the World Cup squad has added to the dismay.

"Therefore, keeping my best interests in mind, I had to make this tough decision of staying at home and preparing myself mentally and physically for next year's T20 World Cup." Tye said he is gutted to not been able to play the remainder of IPL.

"I am gutted that I won't be able to rejoin the Royals family this year, but like all the fans out there, I will be cheering the team on." Liam Livingstone was the other RR player who had flown back to England citing bio-bubble fatigue in April.

Rajasthan Royals are currently placed fifth in the points table with three wins and four losses out of the seven games.

News source: PTI

Auckland, Aug 25 (Cricket news) Virat Kohli is intense and aggressive on the field but off it he is nice and welcoming, according to his Royal Challengers Bangalore teammate New Zealand pacer Kyle Jameison.

The lanky pacer said the Indian skipper is extremely passionate about winning.

"He is a lovely guy. I have played against him a couple of times and obviously, he is quite intense and quite fierce in the field. But off the park, he is so nice and welcoming," Jamieson said on 'Baz and Izzy Breakfast show' podcast on 'SENZ radio'.

Also read: Tim David set to become first Singapore international cricketer to play in IPL

"He just loves to win as well. He could be at it on the field and stuff, but he is just passionate about being there, about winning," he added.

The 26-year-old Jamieson was bought by RCB for a whopping 15 crore at the auction after making a huge impression in the international arena.

Jamieson said he is fortunate to be playing in a tournament like the IPL, adding that he missed out on the experience of travelling across India due to the lockdown.

"It's good to see how different guys work. We have got some good overseas players in our group. Pretty fortunate to be involved in a tournament like that." "India was under lockdown when I was there. So we were pretty much in bubbles. I kind of missed out on that experience which is a shame. Hopefully, once this thing gets down, I can get back there and get a taste of what it's really like." The second leg of the T20 league, which was suspended in May due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in India and multiple infections in the IPL bio-bubble, is scheduled to take place in UAE from September 19.

RCB are third on the table with 10 points from seven matches. They will begin their second leg against Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi on September 20. 

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Aug 25 (Sports news) Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Wednesday met the Indian athletes who returned from Nairobi after competing at the U-20 World Athletics Championships.

The Indian contingent returned with a haul of three medals that included two silvers and a bronze.

Thakur expressed confidence that the young athletes will excel in the future international competitions like Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and the Olympics.

"It is a big moment for us to cherish. We see a hope in you," Thakur was quoted as saying in release.

Also read: India’s young stars set the stage alight at the 2021 World Athletics U20 Championships

"Your performance is commendable in the backdrop of COVID-19. These were not easy times, these were not normal times," he added.

While the Indian mixed 4x400m relay team, comprising the quartet of Bharat S, Priya Mohan, Summy and Kapil, bagged the bronze medal on the opening day of the competitions, race walker Amit Khatri and long jumper Shaili Singh clinched silver medals in their respective events. The minister said India currently has considerable bench strength, spanning various disciplines in sports and the government is focused on nurturing India's young athletes and handholding them towards podium finish.

The government will ensure all facilities and best training for the athletes to excel in international competitions, and the TOPS as well as training of elite athletes have been taken up towards this end, he explained.

Lauding the former athletes for coming up in the field of coaching, Thakur urged more such athletes to come forward to handhold young athletes and motivate them. 

News source: PTI

Sports is more than just what happens on the pitch. It’s more than athletes, the result or the finances involved. It’s a community built by fans and encompasses all the facets that makes it such a passion driven industry. The role of fans has never been more important or valued than it is today, especially considering the financial implications that sporting organizations have had to face amidst the COVID-19 pandemic with games being played in empty stadiums.

The connection between sports teams and fans is a special one. Bringing the fans closer to their beloved teams in a fun and engaging way is more important than ever before. To know more about this, Mr Aishik Lala, Founder and Chief Marketing Officer at FlashPlays Live speaks about his vision and objective, strengthening the Miami Dolphins community, enhancing gameday offering, overcoming challenges, the Indian sports market and future goals and ambitions.

Q 1) What inspired you to come up with FlashPlays Live and what is your vision and objective?

The FlashPlays product is predicated on the fact that existing apps of professional sports teams have limited utility. By driving digital engagement to a team’s platform through real-time predictive gaming, FlashPlays allows teams to monetize this digital traffic via sponsorship activations and data collection. The ultimate objective is to make the usage of team apps commonplace for sports fans all over the world, creating endless revenue opportunities. The FlashPlays team consists of young sports enthusiasts who are passionate about an overlying problem and want to ultimately change the way sports fans interact with their favorite teams for the better.

Q 2) How has FlashPlays strengthened the Miami Dolphins community with its stand alone app?

When FlashPlays launched the Dolphins GameTime app, the initial goal was to engage the Dolphins community during live games, along with giving fans rewards for engaging with the app. The results exceeded our expectations significantly - we saw 45% of downloads come through user referrals, 55% 90-day retention, 13-minutes of screen time per game, and entered users answered 88% of questions. Not only did we see users engage with the platform, but we saw Dolphins fans warmly meet each other in the chat, converse about their predictions, and most importantly, discuss the live game.



Q 3) How is FlashPlays building the digital relationship between sports teams and fans and enhancing gameday offering?

While watching live sporting events, fans will often hop from one app to another (Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat) and consume different pieces of content that pertain to the game they are watching. This can create a distracting and segmented experience for the fan. What FlashPlays aims to do is consolidate this. We want to bring all the ways that fans engage with live sports onto one app - the team’s app. Additionally, there are very few predictive games that have seen the same success as ours. Proper gamification during live sporting events is what we provide with our simple 8 question system which has proven to be engaging to fans without being distracting.

Also read: AI will enable players to get quality training, reduce injury risk and help reach their true potential - Arminder Thind, Founder of StanceBeam

Q 4) What are some of the challenges that you face in making your vision a reality? How do you plan to overcome those challenges?

Being the young team we are, we often struggle to put our product in front of the right people at professional teams. Building credibility by showcasing successful partnerships, constructing a group of advisors who can cast a wide net, and constantly utilizing our growing network are ways that will set us up for success.

Q 5) How big of a market do you see in India, especially considering that there is a growing sports market?

Our team sees a lot of untapped potential in the Indian sports market as new teams, leagues, and sports are constantly forming in the country. Although IPL presents the largest opportunity by far, we do believe that FlashPlays can help generate a more engaged, and loyal fanbase to some of the emerging sports such as volleyball and hockey.

Q 6) What are your goals and ambitions for FlashPlays in the future? How do you plan to accomplish them?

The ultimate goal for FlashPlays is to create a digital ecosystem for fans that revolves around the sports club’s app. Not only will fans be able to foster a digital relationship with their favorite team and fellow supporters, but they will also be provided with easier access to buy tickets, merchandise, and fan experiences via a digital token on the app. The primary strategy for FlashPlays is to start out with smaller clubs who have more of an immediate need of a digital presence, and prove out success to present to larger clubs around the world.

New Delhi, Aug 25 (Paralympics news) World no. 1 Indian para shuttler Pramod Bhagat believes he has the "strongest mindset on the planet" and is aiming to return with two gold medals from the Tokyo Paralympics to complete his illustrious trophy cabinet.

The 33-year-old, who is the current Asian and world champion, has qualified for the Tokyo Paralympics in two events – men's singles SL3 and mixed doubles SL3-SU5 with Palak Kohli.

SL3 refers to minor standing or lower limb impairment, while SU5 is for players with an impairment of the upper limb.

"I have been waiting for this day ever since I started my professional journey, and it is also the only medal which is missing from accomplishments...," Bhagat, who was affected by polio at an early age, told PTI in an interview.

"Currently I'm in my best shape with the strongest mindset on the planet. My coach and trainer worked a lot on me. I had a few drawbacks which I'm slowly working on." The Indian badminton contingent will leave on Friday for Tokyo and Bhagat will be a prime contender for the gold medal at the Games, where para badminton is making its debut.

"I don't want to disappoint the 1.4 billion people who are behind me, my aim is to get India's first gold in Paralympic badminton. I will be aiming for 2 golds, 1 in singles and 1 in mixed doubles," said Bhagat, who has so far won five medals at the world championships.

"Also being no. 1 adds a lot of pressure of delivering at the world stage, I'm using that as motivation for myself to perform. We are hoping to win at least 3-4 medals for India.

"My full focus is on the tournament and how to give my best. I'm also keeping my mind clear and not stressing or thinking about anything. It's going to be a very big for me as this is one medal which has eluded me." Bhagat had claimed two gold medals at the Dubai Para Badminton tournament in April when the sport returned after a year-long break due to the pandemic.

"Dubai was like a litmus test for all of us as we were playing a tournament after almost a year. It really tested us as irrespective of how much you practise, matches are a different ball game," said Bhagat, who won the singles gold and also paired up with Manoj Sarkar to clinch the men's doubles gold in SL4-SL3 category.

Also read: 12-member Indian contingent, including Jhajharia, departs for Tokyo Paralympics

"The last few years have been really good for me as I feel I am at my prime and playing very well. I am working towards maintaining that and practising very hard and also evolving." The Paralympics, just like the Olympics, will be held in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic and Bhagat said the health crisis will always be in the back of the mind.

"The virus has created havoc not just me but for everyone. There will always be a worry about the virus jeopardizing the entire campaign but I am not thinking about it.

"Right now my focus is to play my best games in this tournament." How difficult was it to train for the Paralympics with the pandemic putting the country under lockdown? Bhagat said "Initially the whole scenario was very uncertain. With training facilities and courts shut it really became difficult to train and stay fit, but slowly the government made the necessary arrangements for us to at-least train at home." "Once the courts were open we were back in the bubble training for the Paralympics.

"It was good that at least we got to some game time at the recently concluded Dubai Para Badminton Tournament, that really helped us to gauge where we stand when it comes to match practise and on court stamina." So, will it affect the performance? "It can if you let it, hence I have blocked those thoughts and just thinking about my game. During the lock down I not only worked on my physical strengths and stroke play but also focussed on mental wellbeing," he signed off.

Badminton action begins on September 1 at Tokyo. 

News source: PTI

London, Aug 25 (Cricket news) India and England cricketers had an hostile exchange of words in the Lord's Long Room following on-field arguments on the third day of the second Test which the visitors won by 151 runs, a media report has claimed.

India had won in dramatic fashion, bowling out the hosts inside two sessions on the final day.

"The players were pictured arguing as they left the playing field but the rows carried on in the Long Room, which was packed with India officials, support staff and squad players, who gave their team a rousing reception as they walked inside," the 'Daily Telegraph' reported.

Also read: India looking to double series lead against depleted England in the 3rd Test at Headingley, Leeds

"Joe Root, who had just scored a brilliant unbeaten 180, and Virat Kohli are believed to have exchanged words on their way to the dressing rooms as the situation threatened to escalate before tempers cooled." Lord's Long Room is usually packed with MCC members and the two teams go their separate ways through different staircases to their dressing rooms.

But due to COVID-19 restrictions last week, the Long Room was closed to members as was the players' dining room.

"It allowed the two sides to mingle more freely at the end of a day, making confrontation more likely in the event of a heated passage of play," the report added.

The third day witnessed India pacer Jasprit Bumrah unleashing a barrage of short-pitched delivers on England's number 11 batsman and premier fast bowler James Anderson. India skipper Virat Kohli had on Tuesday said that his side was provoked by England but did not divulge the words that were spoken.

"I cannot give you the details of the words that were spoken, I think it's for the cameras and the stump mics to pick that up for both teams. What is said on the field and what's done in the moment, gives you extra motivation." 

News source; PTI

(Cricket news) Maia Bouchier and Charlie Dean have been called up to the England Women’s squad for the first time for the three-match Vitality T20 series against New Zealand.

The Southern Vipers duo are the only additions to the group which overcame India 2-1 in the T20s in July.

Heather Knight (Western Storm, cap) ,Tammy Beaumont (Lightning),Maia Bouchier (Southern Vipers),Katherine Brunt (Northern Diamonds),Freya Davies (South East Stars),Charlie Dean (Southern Vipers),Sophia Dunkley (South East Stars),Sophie Ecclestone (Thunder) Tash Farrant (South East Stars),Sarah Glenn (Central Sparks),Amy Jones (Central Sparks),Nat Sciver (Northern Diamonds, vice cap),Anya Shrubsole (Western Storm),Mady Villiers (Sunrisers),Danni Wyatt (Southern Vipers)

Head Coach Lisa Keightley said: “We’re looking at more players than ever before, which is so exciting. “In the past selection meetings have by necessity been quite focused on the Centrally Contracted group, but the fact that so many other players are sticking their hand up and pushing for selection is testament to the progress the domestic structure is allowing the women’s game to make.

Also read: COVID-19: Indian women's cricket team's schedule for Australia could be altered

“We’re seeing improvements across the board, and there were a number of young English players who also shone in The Hundred, which bodes really well for the future.

“This is another big series for us, and I want the team to continue from where they left off in the series win over India.”

The Vitality IT20 series gets underway on Wednesday September 1 at Chelmsford. The squad for the five-match Royal London Series will be announced at a later date.

Vitality IT20 Series

Wednesday September 1: 1st Vitality IT20. England v New Zealand (The Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford). 18.30.

Saturday September 4: 2nd Vitality IT20. England v New Zealand (The 1st Central County Ground, Hove). 19.00.

Thursday September 9: 3rd Vitality IT20. England v New Zealand (The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton). 18.30.

(Football news) The Los Blancos have traditionally been the go-to destination for the best players in the world. In Real Madrid’s illustrious history, the likes of Alfredo di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas, Hugo Sanchez, Emilio Butragueno, Cristiano Ronaldo, Paco Gento, Zinedine Zidane, Pirri, Raul and many more have worn the iconic white jersey of arguably the biggest football club on the planet. For many, it’s the “dream” destination, which includes France’s 22 year old superstar Kylian Mbappe.

Since he was a child, a wide eyed Kylian Mbappe would watch Real Madrid’s ‘galacticos’ at the iconic Santiago Bernabeu stadium and wished to play in front of the Madridistas, just like his heroes before him. The “royal” club of Spain, bestowed upon by King Alfonso XIII in 1920 have bid €160 million to bring Mbappe one step closer to realizing his boyhood dream. He came close to joining Real Madrid in 2012, when the then 12 year old was pictured with idol Cristiano Ronaldo. He also almost joined them in 2018, when Mbappe left Monaco to join PSG.

Paris Saint-Germain are reluctant to part with their prized asset, widely considered to be the heir to the title of ‘best player in the world’ once Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi finally decide to hang their boots. However, Mbappe only has a year left in his contract and the Frenchman has reiterated that he will not be renewing with PSG, despite repeated approaches. This means that Mbappe would be able to leave for free unless Paris Saint-Germain accept Real Madrid’s offer this summer and a €160 million bid might test their resolve, if only to lay the groundwork for an improved offer in the coming days.

Mbappe has been Real Madrid’s President Fiorentino Perez’s long term number 1 target and the club have approached the situation strategically. The two clubs enjoy a good relationship and Madrid have been working since over a year to lay the groundwork for a deal of this nature. The Parisians have reluctantly accepted Mbappe’s desire to leave, and have no choice but to open negotiations or else risk losing him for free.

The football industry has been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for Spanish clubs. Barcelona’s state of affairs are so dire that they could not register their new players and were forced to let Messi leave. However, Madrid’s financial management has been shrewd to say the least. They have not made any first team additions since September 2019 and with the departure of Raphael Varane and Martin Odegaard for a region of  €40m, the club are now in a position where they can make a serious offer for their brand new ‘galactico’.

Also read: Vinicius Jr. has impressed Carlo Ancelotti in no time after scoring 3 goals in 50 minutes

New Delhi, Aug 25 (Boxing news) Three Indian boxers advanced to the finals of the Asian junior championships after notching up comprehensive victories in their last-four stage clashes in Dubai.

While Rohit Chamoli (48kg) and Bharat Joon (+81kg) made the junior boys finals, Muskan (46kg) entered the girls summit showdowns, on Tuesday night.

Joon defeated Kyrgyzstan's Emir-Khan Razhapov 5-0 and Chamoli got the better of Kazakhstan's Aidar Kadyrkhan by a similar scoreline.

Muskan sailed past Kazakhstan's Yelyanur Turganova, pulling off an unanimous victory.

However, Supriya Rawat (66kg) lost to Sanowar Bozorboeva 1-4 and Aarzoo (54kg) also endured a close loss to Uzbekistan's Guldana Tileuergen, going down 2-3.

Also read: Four Indians enter semifinals of Asian Youth boxing championship

Devika Ghorpade (50kg) was defeated 0-5 by Uzbekistan's Shaina Nematovain in another girls semifinal.

Among boys, Ankush (66kg) was beaten 0-5 by Uzbekistan's Fazliddin Erkinboev in his last-four bout.

All four of them ended with bronze medals.

India's assured medal tally stood at over 20 on the day of the draws itself as many countries either skipped or fielded smaller squads due to the COVID-19 travel restrictions.

The gold medallists in the youth category will receive prize money of USD 6,000 while silver and bronze medallists will claim USD 3,000 and USD 1,500 respectively.

The junior champions will be awarded with USD 4,000 for gold and USD 2,000 and 1,000 for silver and bronze medallists respectively.

News source: PTI

Sydney, Aug 25 (Cricket news) The Indian women cricket team's schedule for the upcoming tour of Australia could be altered due to the border restriction and COVID-19 lockdowns in Sydney and Melbourne, according to a media report.

India and Australia are set to battle it out across all three formats from next month.

The schedule includes three One-Day Internationals, as many Twenty20 Internationals and a historic day-night Test match at the WACA Ground.

The series is slated to begin with the first ODI in Sydney on September 19, before moving to Melbourne and Perth.

"But the ongoing COVID-19 lockdowns in Sydney and Melbourne as well as state border closures make that unlikely," cricket.co.au reported.

"Cricket Australia is currently speaking with government authorities about how, where and when the seven games can be played.

"...an announcement expected shortly regarding changes to the seven-match schedule," the report added.

Cricket Australia had said it is monitoring the situation.

Also read: Meghna, Renuka earn maiden India call-ups as BCCI names women's squads for Australia tour

"Due to the current COVID challenges, Cricket Australia will continue to monitor the situation right across the country and will consider whether or not it needs to make any decisions regarding rescheduling or moving matches in due course," it said last week.

The Indian team is slated to leave for Australia on Sunday.

All international arrivals have to undergo a two-week quarantine, according to the COVID-19 protocols in Australia.

Australian players from New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria would also need to quarantine before the series if the matches are scheduled for another state.

Speaking last week, Australia skipper Meg Lanning said her players were ready to move at a moment's notice once the schedule is locked in.

"Things change very quickly these days. To be honest, every player within the squad is ready to move around at any point, we know how quickly things can change.

"At this stage, we're just planning on the schedule going ahead as it is and heading into a camp before that. But we also have got information that things could potentially change really quickly so we need to be ready for that," she added. 

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Aug 24 (Cricket News) Seam bowlers Meghna Singh and Renuka Singh Thakur were handed maiden India call-ups, while left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad returned as the BCCI on Tuesday announced the women's teams for the upcoming one-off Test and limited over series against Australia.

The Indian team will leave for Australia on August 29 to play three ODIs, a day-night Test and three T20Is, beginning next month.

The selectors decided to reward 27-year-old Meghna and 25-year-old Renuka for their exploits in the senior one-day trophy in April.

While right-arm medium pacer Meghna took five wickets for Railways, Renuka grabbed nine wickets for Himachal Pradesh during the tournament.

Left-handed batter Yastika Bhatia also found a place in all the three squads but Priya Punia and Indrani Roy were left out.

Experienced spinner Rajeshwari, who was part of the South Africa series, was not considered for England tour as she was recovering from a knee injury and had also suffered a bout of COVID-19.

The selectors announced an 18-member team, led by skipper Mithali Raj, for the one-off Test and ODI series, and a 17-strong squad, captained by Harmanpreet Kaur for the T20 series.

Also read: Opportunities aplenty for aspiring female cricketers post evolution of the game - India A all rounder Tejal Hasabnis

"The All-India Senior Women's Selection Committee on Tuesday picked the squads for India Women's upcoming tour in Australia. The series will comprise 3 ODIs, one Test match and 3 T20Is," the BCCI said in a release.

The tour will begin with the ODIs series, starting with the first game at the North Sydney Oval on September 19, followed by the second and third matches at the Junction Oval on September 22 and 24 respectively.

Perth will then host the pink-ball one-off Test scheduled from September 30, followed by the T20Is at the North Sydney Oval on October 7, 9 and 11.

The Indian players have been training in Bengaluru ahead of the tour. The team will have to undergo a 14-day quarantine upon arrival in Australia before they take on the hosts in the first ODI.

After the tour of England, it is another important tour for India as they build on their ODI World Cup preparations in New Zealand early next year.

India Women's squad for one-off Test & ODI series: Mithali Raj (Captain), Harmanpreet Kaur (vice-captain), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Punam Raut, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Yastika Bhatia, Taniya Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Shikha Pandey, Jhulan Goswami, Meghna Singh, Pooja Vastrakar, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav, Richa Ghosh, Ekta Bisht.

India Women's T20I squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Yastika Bhatia, Shikha Pandey, Meghna Singh, Pooja Vastrakar, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav, Richa Ghosh (wicket-keeper), Harleen Deol, Arundhati Reddy, Radha Yadav, Renuka Singh Thakur. 

News source: PTI

Leeds, Aug 24 (Cricket news): Mohammed Siraj's meteoric rise is hardly a surprise for India skipper Virat Kohli who says the pacer's confidence has now risen to a level where he believes that he can get any batsman out at any point of the game.

The youngest in a lethal quartet also comprising Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma, the 27-year-old Hyderabad pacer has taken 11 wickets in the first two Tests of the series against England.

His impeccable line and length and control has troubled the home batsmen consistently. Eight of his 11 wickets came at the Lord's Test that India won by 151 runs.

Kohli said the tour of Australia took his confidence to another level.Also read: Fully-vaccinated New Zealand batsman Finn Allen tests COVID-19 positive on arrival in Bangladesh

"I was not surprised at all (with his growth) because I have seen him from close quarters. He is a guy who has always had the skill. You need the confidence to back that skill, the Australia series provided him with that boost and confidence," Kohli said at a virtual media interaction on the eve of the third Test.

"He is walking around knowing he can get anyone out at any stage and the belief in his game has been elevated to another level, hence you see results of what he is doing," the skipper added.

Kohli also said that Siraj's confidence makes him flamboyant.

"I am really happy to see him coming into his own, he is going to be this kind of bowler, who is in your face and who is looking to get guys out and who is not scared, he is not going to take a backward step." Kohli was also full of praise for his openers -- Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul -- and expected them to continue their good form.

Rohit (36, 12, 83 and 21) and Rahul (84, 26, 129, 5) have given India a solid platform so far in the series.

"The opening combination, when you are playing overseas, is one of the most important factors. So, the way KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma have played, has been outstanding and we hope that they continue in the same manner.

"To set out the right platform from where the team can build on and that is what they provided us in both the Tests so that is definitely a big boost for us," a pleased captain said.

Kohli also said that he expected a different wicket at the Lord's than what the team eventually encountered.

"We were quite surprised to see the pitch the way it was, honestly I did not expect it and I thought there would be more grass. Anything is possible, we name a 12 and on the day, we have a look at the pitch, accordingly, we will go in with the right combination." Asked if it seems that rival skipper Joe Root is under pressure considering the mistakes he made, especially when he could not get Indian tailenders, Shami and Bumrah out in the second innings, Kohli backed his counterpart.

"I don't know what an individual mindset is? You can make mistakes and planning at any given stage of the match, it does not necessarily mean you are under pressure.

"You just take a decision, which in hindsight was not correct. As captain, you always try to make the right decision and I am sure he was trying to do the same...if it's not right you take it on chin and move ahead as he did," he said.

News source: PTI