Sports

Bhubaneswar, Oct 9 (IANS) With barely 48 hours left before India face USA in the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2022 , Head Coach Thomas Dennerby said it is time India show the world their ability to shine in women's football.

"It's not only about the result now. It's about the performance to show that Indian girls can play football. But of course, inside the group, we have our own goals, and we are ready to fight for them. Against the USA, Brazil or Morocco, we are determined to earn points and score goals.

"And we're going to show to the Indian fans that we have a good team. India, in a couple of years, can have a very successful team on the women's side. So hopefully we can motivate the girls to start playing football and believe that it's a nice sport for the girls," coach Thomas Dennerby was quoted as saying by www.the-aiff.com.

"That's why we also want to dish out a good performance. So, they can feel that India really can challenge the best teams in the world. Also, when it's shown on TV, it helps a lot. And it's good for the younger girls to have role models to look up to. And hopefully, some of these girls, in a couple of years from now, can take the next step to the senior team and so on--you can keep on having them as role models for many years. Young girls should know they can have a successful career in football," he said.

On assessment of the preparations of Indian team, coach said, "I think we had good preparations. We started at the end of February this year which also includes our exposure tours, the first one in July to Italy and Norway. And finally, last week, we were in Spain. I hope we are ready now."

Dennerby said that all coaches are under pressure when it comes to World Cups or other big tournaments.

"Because everybody expects you to have a successful team and so on. And, of course, you want to do it yourself also. I think sometimes you put more pressure on yourself - but I have gone through this before. So, I don't get stressed. Whatever happens, you have to stay cool, you have to follow your plan. Don't change anything, even if you lose the first game--stay by your plan, don't panic and start changing everything. These are things you learn from being in this business for many years. And, of course, I would be lying, if I start saying that there is no pressure," he said.

Asked about the strengths and weaknesses of the team, the 63-year-old Swedish football coach said, "We are going to this tournament with a really good fitness level now. All these things, training, running sessions and all that have helped a lot and we can see that we have a good fitness level. I think the girls have learned about positioning, where to go when we lose the ball and where to go when we win the ball back and how to open up the game and start playing and quickly come back when we lose the ball again. All these tactical details and positioning have become really good. So, I hope it's going to be difficult to score against us."

"I hope they are a little bit nervous. Being nervous is a part of concentration. It's a part of preparations for the game for the body to prepare. Usually, when you walk out from the players' tunnel and hear the crowd roar and look at them, and the national anthem is played - it creates an emotional atmosphere that matters. But when the referee blows the whistle, you have to forget about all that. It's only you and the ball and the teammates and opponents," he added.


--IANS
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London, Oct 9 (IANS) One of England's most successful pace bowlers Stuart Broad will not travel to Pakistan for the historic three-Test series in the sub-continent as he and his partner are expecting a child in mid-November, said a report in Daily Mail on Sunday.

The 36-year-old, the second-highest Test wicket-taking pace bowler after country-mate James Anderson, has reportedly informed the selectors about his unavailability due to personal reasons.

The report added that England's training camp in Abu Dhabi ahead of the Pakistan tour will clash with the baby's due date, because of which Broad has been forced to miss the tour.

England and England Lions will also play a match during the warm-up period in Abu Dhabi and Broad missing it would mean he would not be match-ready for the series, which will be hosted in Rawalpindi, Multan and Karachi from December 1.

"Broad is understood to have thought long and hard about his decision, not least because he enjoyed a resurgent summer with England in which he finished as the leading wicket-taker in a Test team that won six out of seven matches," said the report.

Broad surpassed Australian legend Glenn McGrath's tally of 563 Test wickets in the recently concluded Oval Test against South Africa and is currently on 566 wickets. He now trails his partner Anderson in the wickets column for pacers, who has 667 scalps to his name.

Broad's 29 wickets in the summer Test season leaves him fifth in the all-time list of highest Test wicket-takers in the world led by Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan.

Broad could be back for England's two-Test tour of New Zealand and the 2023 Ashes at home.

Broad's absence will coincide with the comeback of Mark Wood, who will be part of the pace-bowling battery that will have the likes of James Anderson, Ollie Robinson, Matt Potts and potentially Reece Topley.

--IANS

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Christchurch, Oct 8 (IANS) Pakistan captain Babar Azam carried his bat through the innings to slam an unbeaten 79 off 53 balls and lead Pakistan to a six-wicket victory over New Zealand to win their second match on the bounce in the ongoing T20I tri-series at Hagley Oval on Saturday.

After fast bowler Haris Rauf led the bowling attack's good showing by picking three wickets in the penultimate over to restrict New Zealand to 147/8 in their 20 overs, Azam played a sterling knock to take Pakistan home with ten balls to spare, with Shadab Khan chipping in with a cameo of 34 off just 22 balls.

It was a match where everything clicked well for Pakistan, right from being pushed into bowling first. They never let go of the pressure upon the Blackcaps batters, which resulted in Devon Conway and captain Kane Williamson being unable to get going and they consumed a lot of deliveries. It took a 16-ball 32 blitz from Mark Chapman for New Zealand to reach a below-par 147/8.

For Pakistan, Rauf strengthened his T20I credentials by picking three wickets in the 19th over while conceding five runs to finish with figures of 3-28. His fellow fast-bowler Mohammad Wasim Jr. gave away five runs in the final over to finish with figures of 2/20. Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz picked up 2-44 while Shahnawaz Dahani finished with 1-22 in three overs.

In pursuit of 148, Pakistan lost Mohammad Rizwan and Shan Masood in a space of four balls to slip to 37/2 in 5.2 overs. But Azam stayed on and hit 11 fours in his 79 not out, his 28th T20I half-century. He was at his best, striking boundaries from the middle of the bat while pushing the balls in gaps for ones and twos.

Leg-spinner Shadab Khan's promotion to number four paid off when the Pakistan vice-captain followed up his 0-21 in four over with a 22-ball 34, hitting two fours and as many sixes. He added 61 runs for the third wicket with Azam. Nawaz, promoted to five, chipped in with a 19-ball 16, two fours before Haider Ali belted a six and a four in the two balls to be unbeaten on 10.

With 24 needed off the last three overs, Azam and Ali took Blair Tickner to the cleaners by scoring 21 runs before the Pakistan captain finished the match in style with a four lofted over extra cover off Ish Sodhi in the 19th over.

Brief scores: New Zealand 147/8 in 20 overs (Devon Conway 36, Mark Chapman 32; Haris Rauf 3-28, Mohammad Wasim Jr 2-20) lost to Pakistan 149/4 in 18.2 overs (Babar Azam 79 not out, Shadab Khan 34; Blair Tickner 2-42) by six wickets

--IANS

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Sylhet (Bangladesh) Oct 8 (IANS) Shafali Verma hit her first T20I fifty since March 2021 and picked two wickets with her off-spin while stand-in captain Smriti Mandhana came out all guns blazing to set up India's 59-run thrashing of hosts and defending champions Bangladesh in Women's Asia Cup at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

Electing to bat first, Shafali (55) and Smriti (47) shared a 96-run stand for the first wicket in 12 overs. Though Bangladesh made a fightback by taking out the duo and took some scalps in the end, Jemimah Rodrigues ensured India didn't throw away the momentum brought in by the openers with an unbeaten 35 off 24 balls.

The trio's efforts meant India posted 159/5 in 20 overs, just 24 hours after they were bowled out for 124 and suffered a shock 13-run loss to Pakistan. In reply, Bangladesh were never in the hunt to chase 160 from the word go, as they made 51/1 in the powerplay.

Against a soaring asking rate, they lost their way in a stiff chase to end up at 100/7 in 20 overs. The win also means that India are firmly on the path to making the semifinals with eight points from five matches.

With Harmanpreet Kaur unavailable due to a niggle, the onus on India to get a big score was high on Smriti and Shafali. Smriti began aggressively by dancing down the pitch to loft Salma Khatun and Fariha Trisna for a brace of fours in successive overs.

Shafali joined her captain by flicking Fariha for six over deep square leg and hit fours through mid-wicket and long-on to take 17 runs off the fourth over. The duo then took Nahida Akter to the cleaners in the final over of power-play yielding 17 runs, including four fours.

One of the striking aspects of the opening partnership was the constant usage of the feet to go aerial and place the ball through gaps to get boundaries apart from occasional shuffling at the crease. Bangladesh found a breakthrough when Smriti was run-out at the non-striker's end in a mix-up, with the opening stand falling short of the 100-run mark by four runs.

An over after reaching her fifty, Shafali was castled by Rumana Ahmed while attempting a reverse sweep. Rumana would take out Richa Ghosh and Kiran Navgire on successive deliveries in the 17th over.

But Jemimah got India crucial runs by slamming fours with her adept footwork and crisp drives while Deepti Sharma lofted a six over long-on before slicing to backward point in the final over as India crossed 150-mark.

In the chase, Bangladesh openers Fargana Hoque and Murshida Khatun stitched a 45-run opening stand but took nine overs to do so. Murshida departed in the 10th over after a 25-ball 21, chipping a catch to cover off Sneh Rana. Five overs later, Fargana holed out to long-on off Deepti for a rusty 40-ball 30.

Skipper Nigar Sultana tried to inject momentum in the chase with 36 off 29 balls, including five fours. But it was too late by then for Bangladesh to get back in the match. After the top three, none of their batters were able to get double-digit scores and crumbled under the pressure of a high required run rate as India got back to winning ways.

Brief scores: India 159/5 in 20 overs (Shafali Verma 55, Smriti Mandhana 47; Rumana Ahmed 3/27) beat Bangladesh 100/7 in 20 overs (Nigar Sultana 36, Fargana Hoque 30; Shafali Verma 2/10, Deepti Sharma 2/13) by 59 runs

--IANS

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Bengaluru, Oct 8 (IANS) Former Indian Test skipper and ace spinner Anil Kumble wants to raise awareness about the importance of healthcare and well-being among employees working in the sports, environment, forest, technology, and allied sectors.

Kumble, who has taken 619 Test wickets and 337 ODI wickets, feels he can solve the healthcare "issues" of Indian employees.

"I have personally witnessed and led fundraisers for this vulnerable workforce, who are usually not full-time employees in the ecosystem. These gig workers or off role employees, be it in the sports, manufacturing, services or technology sector, deserve a professional approach to secure their health and wellness needs," Kumble said after becoming the strategic advisor and investor at Onsurity.

"This is what I liked about Onsurity, who are in a way, democratising access to healthcare benefits through their tech-led platform and B2B associations. Through this collaboration, I am looking forward to raising awareness about the importance of healthcare and wellbeing among employees and their families, which I feel can solve healthcare issues of India's missing middle," he added.

Following his retirement from cricket, Kumble has been involved in coaching roles with Indian Premier League (IPL) teams Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The former India captain had led RCB in the IPL final in 2009.

After becoming the strategic advisor and investor at Onsurity, Kumble aims to promote health and wellness for SME 's and gig workers in the sports, environment, forest, technology and allied sectors.

Born in the pandemic year of 2020, Onsurity is the brainchild of Yogesh Agarwal and Kulin Shah who were keen to solve the problem of affordability and accessibility in the health and wellness space.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS) Former India Test cricketer Bobby Narasimha Rao lavished praise on Global Power Cricket League (GPCL) T20, saying it can be a nursery for major tournaments like IPL.

Several marquee international cricketers from different parts of the world are featuring in the inaugural edition of the GPCL T20. And the tournament has also managed to attract netizens, as the league is trending on social media as well.

Speaking with IANS, Bobby Narasimha Rao, who is a commentator in the GPCL T20, said, "the quality of cricket has surprised me with some former Test cricketers like Ian Bell and Narsingh Deonarine and few budding youngsters from different countries."

"They have executed high level skills in all three departments of the game. The tournament is at a very exciting stage. The organising capabilities and facilities are second to none," he added.

Bobby Narasimha Rao, who represented India in 4 Tests, also believes that the GPCL is developing a new breed of stars and it should become a regular feature.

"Also, GPCL can be a nursery for global T20 tournaments such as IPL with the level of abundant talent shown by foreign first-class players and young cricketers."

The league has ensured that each team has Indian diaspora youth participation along with other players of that particular country.

India, Australia, England, USA, Ireland, Scotland, South Africa, and Sri Lanka are competing with each other for the coveted trophy.

So far, Indian Sapphires and English Reds have qualified for the semi-final from Pool A whereas Australian Golds and South African Emeralds have made it from Pool B.

Both the semifinals will take place in Yamuna Sports Complex Cricket Ground on October 8 here. The final is on October 9.

--IANS

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Perth, Oct 8 (IANS) England white-ball skipper Jos Buttler has said he is 100 per cent fit for three-match T20I series against Australia beginning here on October 9, which will serve as warm-up for the ICC T20 World Cup, scheduled to commence on October 16.

Buttler missed the seven-match T20I series in Pakistan recently as he was recovering from a calf injury with allrounder Moeen Ali leading the side to a 4-3 victory in the fixture.

However, ahead of the matches against Australia, Buttler said he had recovered fully from a calf injury that had been troubling him since mid-August.

"I'm back to 100 per cent," Buttler was quoted as saying by Sky Sports on Saturday after England flew into Australia following the series in Pakistan.

"Had a good time in Pakistan rehabbing, probably could have played earlier, but with the World Cup around the corner, it was the right thing to do (miss all seven T20I matches)," added Buttler.

Buttler also sounded positive about his two top-order batters -- Alex Hales and Phil Salt -- who were both tried as openers in the series against Pakistan and ended up impressing the selectors. The captain's return to the side means either of Hales or Salt will fill the second opener's slot, with regular opener Jason Roy being dropped due to a string of poor scores.

"We have great options at the top of the order with guys in really good form in Pakistan," Buttler said. "They're both (Salt and Hales) excellent options. Whoever I partner with will have a great go at it."

Buttler, however, indicated all-rounder Liam Livingstone could miss the World Cup Super-12 opener against Afghanistan on October 22 as he is "a little way off at the minute". "Hopefully he'll get back to full fitness before the start of the World Cup," added Buttler. Livingstone had suffered an ankle injury in The Hundred and missed the series in Pakistan.

--IANS

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Panchkula, Oct 7 (IANS) Chandigarh golfer Yuvraj Singh Sandhu continued his hot streak by securing his fourth win of the season at the TATA Steel PGTI Players Championship 2022 here on Friday.

Yuvraj (68-68-65-68) carded 4-under 68 in round four to finish on top with an overall score of 19-under 269 to bag his seventh professional title.

Yuvraj took home the winner's cheque worth Rs. 7,50,000 to move up from third to second position in the PGTI Order of Merit.

Ajeetesh Sandhu (70-68-67-65), another Chandigarh golfer, managed to maintain his lead in the PGTI's money list after he carded the day's best round of 65 to finish joint runner-up at 18-under 270 along with Bangladesh golfer Jamal Hossain (65-68-71-66), who shot a 66 on Friday.

Sri Lankan N. Thangaraja (68) finished fourth with a score of 16-under 272 while overnight leader Badal Hossain (73) of Bangladesh finished fifth at 15-under 273.

Yuvraj Singh Sandhu who started the day in the second position, one shot off the lead, was steady with two birdies and all pars till the turn that helped him emerge as a leader. The 25-year-old Yuvraj picked up the pace with birdies on the 11th and 12th before dropping a shot on the 13th even as Ajeetesh Sandhu made a charge to move in within one shot of the lead after 14 holes.

"It feels amazing to win the trophy, the conditions were perfect and the home support was the icing on the cake. I was consistent through the week and that was the only way to brave your way to the top on this course, and I am glad my strategy worked," said Yuvraj Singh Sandhu post his win.

"Today I felt it was stressful, especially on the back nine. I felt I was literally under the gun over the last four holes. After the bogey on the 13th, I still had a two-shot lead. I was quite calm and knew that I needed to put it on the fairway off the tee and I did just that. I got a few wrong slopes on 17 and 18 but somehow just managed to make it," he said.

--IANS

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Perth, Oct 7 (IANS) A day after arriving in Australia, the Indian team commenced its preparation for the Men's T20 World Cup with their first training session at the WACA Stadium in Perth on Friday.

The Rohit Sharma-led side landed in Australia after departing from Mumbai in the early hours of Thursday without their 15th player in the squad as the replacement for injured pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is yet to be announced.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a photo of Indian players and support staff looking to begin their training session with the sun shining at its brightest. "Hello and welcome to WACA. #TeamIndia are here for their first training session," wrote the BCCI on their social media accounts.

During their week-long stay in Perth to acclimatise to the Australian conditions, India will play two practice matches against Western Australia XI on October 10 and 13. They will then move towards Brisbane where they will play two warm-up matches against defending champions Australia on October 17 and last year's runners-up New Zealand on October 19.

After the end of the T20I series against South Africa at home, which India won 2-1, head coach Rahul Dravid had explained that the team being based in Perth for a week will help them in adapting to the pace and bounce offered by the pitches in Australia, especially with nearly half of the side not having played a T20 game in the country before.

"We will get an opportunity to spend a few days and sessions in Perth and then have a couple of matches there. Australia is quite unique in terms of the pace and bounce on those wickets and a lot of our players have not played a lot of T20 cricket in Australia."

"The idea was to give ourselves a chance to practice a little bit more, get acclimatised (to the conditions) and get some game time into practice. Having been to Australia before (in his playing days), it takes some time to get used to that pace and bounce and hopefully, once we practice, we would be able to have discussions around the sessions, strategies and tactics of how we need to play."

India, the inaugural Men's T20 World Cup winners in 2007, are in Group 2 of the Super 12 stage at T20 World Cup, alongside Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Africa and two qualifying sides from the first round of the tournament.

They will open their T20 World Cup campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on October 23 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), followed by matches on October 27 (against the first qualifier side at SCG), October 30 (against South Africa at Perth Stadium), November 2 (against Bangladesh at Adelaide Oval) and November 6 (against second qualifier side at MCG).

--IANS

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Rajkot, Oct 7 (IANS) Maharashtra's Medhali Redkar on Friday won a gold medal in the women's 1M Springboard Diving competition at the 36th National Games Aquatics Competitions here.

The 24-year-old won the gold medal with a total of 171.50 points, finishing ahead of statemate Hrutika Shriram. The gold was a big success for Medhali, the gymnast-turned-diver, who switched sports in 2015, as she had finished fifth in the National Championships in Guwahati recently.

When Medhali Redkar hit the proverbial wall in her gymnastics career, her coaches suggested that she try her hand at diving as both sports require similar core strength and acrobatic abilities.

Unsure of whether it was the right choice or not, Medhali Redkar banked on her belief of not rejecting any new idea without trying it out first and took the plunge.

Seven years later, the 24-year-old from Mumbai ended state-mate Hrutika Shriram's stranglehold on the gold medals by clinching the yellow metal in the 1M Springboard contest here on Friday.

"I had made the team in only one event, and since it was the last event, the fatigue of waiting was setting in. But I worked on that with my psychologist and came close to my best-ever (performance) to win the medal," said Medhali.

Incidentally, Medhali had bagged a bronze medal in the 3M Springboard event at the just-concluded Senior Nationals in Guwahati and had finished fifth in the 1M Springboard event.

"I had complete confidence in my abilities. Yes, there was some anxiety in my mind going into the competition. But I worked on focusing only on my routine today," add Medhali Redkar, who is also a practising physiotherapist.

The 24-year-old, who had won multiple national-level medals in gymnastics, has been successfully balancing her academics and sports over the years and said it was easy for her as she was driven to excel in both.

"I never wanted to restrict myself just to academics or sports. It means I need to work extra hard and my social life and friendships suffer. But I am happy with the way things are," said Medhali Redkar, who spends about three hours on diving practice and also works with a local sports clinic as her day job.

Speaking about her transition from gymnastics to diving, Medhali said she initially used to practice both sports when she joined coach Tushar Gitaye in the Prabodhankar Thackeray Swimming Pool back in 2015.

"Though gymnastics and diving need similar abilities, the techniques are quite different. In diving, you go head first in the water while in gymnastics you have to land on your feet.

"I wasn't getting the right feel initially. But in the school nationals that same year, I finished fourth or fifth but was very happy with the way I executed my dives and decided that I could do this for a career," she said.

Medhali is aware that diving isn't one of the more popular sports in the country but is hoping that things will change in the near future. "When I started gymnastics, it was still an obscure sport. It was only after Dipa Karmakar reached the Olympics that everyone started knowing about it.

"Hopefully, diving will also soon get there. I will be happy to contribute to its success with my performances," she added.


--IANS
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