Sports

New Delhi, Sep 8 (IANS) The Road Safety World Series announced recently will feature legends from India, New Zealand, Australia, Sri Lanka, West Indies, South Africa, Bangladesh, and England.

Among the legends who will play for India is Sachin Tendulkar, who is the captain of the Indian team. Others include Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, and Yusuf Pathan. The league announced the addition of Harbhajan Singh.

In his first appearance in a tournament after playing in the IPL, Harbhajan Singh stated, "Road safety is the cause I am playing for and I am fully devoted to creating awareness for saving lives. I'm looking forward to playing with Sachin, Yuvraj and Irfan Pathan, and others in the team."

The RSWS is supported by the Government of India's Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Ministry of Information and Technology, and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.


--IANS
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Dubai, Sep 8 (IANS) Pacer Deepak Chahar on Thursday was officially named as fellow fast bowler Avesh Khan's replacement in India's Asia Cup squad ahead of their final Super Four match against Afghanistan at the Dubai International Stadium.

Avesh was earlier ruled out of India's Super Four match against Pakistan on Sunday after complaining of illness. India head coach Rahul Dravid had expected him to be available for later matches in the tournament. Avesh had also missed India's Super Four match against Sri Lanka.

"The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Deepak Chahar as replacement for Avesh Khan for Team India's final fixture of the Asia Cup 2022. Avesh Khan is recovering from an illness and has been advised rest by the BCCI Medical Team," said the BCCI in an official update.

Chahar was named as one of the standbys in the squad and had travelled to Dubai with the Indian team for the tournament, where he was seen putting the hard yards in practice sessions.

Chahar made a comeback to international cricket after a gap of six months caused by quadriceps tear and then a back injury, with India's ODI tour of Zimbabwe in August. He featured two of the three matches, picking five wickets, including 3/27 in his comeback match at Harare.

Avesh featured in both of India's Group A matches in Asia Cup 2022 but proved expensive and far from impressive. He conceded 72 runs across six overs in the two matches he was a part of playing eleven, including 1/53 in the 40-run victory over Hong Kong.

With India unable to make the Asia Cup 2022 final after Pakistan got a breath-taking one-wicket win over Afghanistan on Wednesday, Thursday's match against Afghanistan in Dubai will be their final match of the tournament.

India will next be seen in action during a three-match series at home against reigning Men's T20 World Cup champions Australia, starting from September 20 in Mohali.



--IANS

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Mumbai, Sep 8 (IANS) The high-octane marquee clash between India and Pakistan on August 28 in Group A of Asia Cup 2022 has become the most watched T20I ever, outside of World Cups.

The viewership numbers further said that 176 million viewers tuned in to watch the first six games of Asia Cup 2022 in the UAE.

As per the BARC data combining the urban and rural numbers seen from Star Sports and DD Sports broadcast in the country, the India-Pakistan league match in Asia Cup 2022 recorded a cumulative reach of 133 million and registered 13.6 billion minutes, registering a growth of almost 30 per cent compared to the match between these two teams in Asia Cup 2016.

In Sunday's marquee clash against Pakistan in Group A of Asia Cup 2022, dubbed as the greatest rivalry in world cricket, Hardik Pandya's all-round skills were the driving force behind India sealing a five-wicket win in an engrossing match.

With the ball, Pandya used his short ball to good effect and got extra bounce as well on a two-paced pitch to break Pakistan's innings mid-way with his spell of 3-25. Then, after Pakistan were bowled out for 147, India were in a scenario where 59 runs were needed off the last six overs.

From there, Pandya (33 not out off 17 balls) and Ravindra Jadeja (35 off 29 balls) shared a stand of 52 runs off just 29 balls. Even though the left-handed Jadeja fell in the final over, Pandya finished off things with a six over long-on off left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz to take India over the line and add another thrilling chapter in the history of India-Pakistan clashes.

"The record-breaking viewership for Asia Cup 2022 demonstrates Cricket's unparalleled power to aggregate fans across platforms, enhanced by Disney Star's focus on audience expansion. We were focused on elevating the stature of Asia Cup as a marquee tournament and expanding the appeal of Ind vs Pak as the unmissable 'Greatest Rivalry'."

"Our high decibel marketing campaign combined with focus on lead-up programming and regional coverage has resulted in the Ind vs Pak league match becoming the highest rated T20I ever (outside of World Cup matches). This is an ideal start to the festival of Cricket which entails bilateral series vs Australia & South Africa and is followed by the ICC T20 World Cup," said Sanjog Gupta, Head - Sports, Disney Star.

With India unable to make the Asia Cup 2022 final after Pakistan got a breath-taking one-wicket win over Afghanistan on Wednesday, Thursday's match against Afghanistan in Dubai will be their final match of the tournament.

India's next home series will be against reigning Men's T20 World Cup champions Australia in a three-match series, starting from September 20 in Mohali.


--IANS
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Sharjah, Sep 8 (IANS) After a close loss to Pakistan in the Asia Cup, Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi admitted that his team didn't hold the nerves and wasn't able to finish well, adding that they didn't leave the game at any stage.

Pakistan survived a scare and held their nerves to beat Afghanistan by one wicket in a thrilling Super Four match to reach the final of the Asia Cup 2022 and knock India out of the tournament at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

After this win, Pakistan will now face Sri Lanka in the final of the Asia Cup. On the other hand, it was curtains for Afghanistan and India - as both teams lost their two consecutive Super Four matches and will now face each other in a dead rubber on Thursday.

"Yes the bowling and the fielding was brilliant, but we didn't finish well and we didn't hold our nerves. We didn't leave the game at any stage.The boys fought on every ball. Again, it was the end, both with the bat and with the ball," said Nabi at the post-match presentation.

As per Afghan skipper, he knew that chasing 130 wasn't going to be easy on that pitch.

"We thought that we chased well against Bangladesh. We knew it would be tough chasing 130 here, and that's why we looked to bowl dot balls. We didn't give easy singles," he said.

Fazalhaq Farooqi, Afghanistan's most impressive bowler of the night before the start of the last over, crumbled under pressure as Naseem Shah hit back to back sixes off the first two balls and led Pakistan to a thrilling one wicket win, with four balls to spare.

Asked about the plan on the last two deliveries, Nabi said he suggested the bowler to use either slower bouncers or yorkers.

"The plan on the last two deliveries was to bowl slower bouncers or bowl yorkers, but he (Farooqi) didn't execute his plans. We will try our best to play the last game with the same energy. We have a game tomorrow now. Thanks for the support, it was lovely from the fans here," he said.


--IANS
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New York, Sep 6 (IANS) No. 8 seed American Jessica Pegula won six games in a row in the second set to beat two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in straight sets and storm into the women's singles quarterfinals at the Arthur Ashe Stadium here on Monday.

Down 0-2 in the second set after winning the first easily. Pegula stormed back to take control of the match and won six games in a row in their fourth-round clash halted once by rain on Monday.

The 28-year-old American won the match 6-3, 6-2 in one hour and 13 minutes to make the quarterfinals for the first time in the US Open.

Pegula capitalised on her solid returns -- 27/44 points won on return (61 percent) as compared to Kvitova who claimed 22/53 points (42 percent). She also made fewer unforced errors -- 13 as against 24 by Kvitova and won six of the seven break points that ame her way whereas Kvitova could manage to win only two of the six chances she bagged. Though Kvitova had 18 winners as against seven by her American opponent, the 32-year-old from Czech Republic served five double faults to none by Pegula.

Pegula, who had reached the quarterfinals both at the Australian Open and at Roland Garros, lost in the third round at Wimbledon.

Coco Gauff and Caroline Garcia had advanced to their first US Open quarterfinals on Sunday.


--IANS

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Mumbai, Sep 5 (IANS) India's fastest female ice speed-skater, Shruti Kotwal has emphasized on the importance of maintaining a healthy mental balance for women in sports.

Shruti, who is currently training in the United States for the upcoming Dessert Classic and America Cup, said the championships are scheduled to be held later this month and athletes from all over the world are training physically and mentally to win a place on the podium in their respective categories.

Shruti, who moved out of the comfort of her home in India early in life to get access to world-class training facilities and faced challenges like homesickness, loneliness, and culture shocks, said besides physical training and nutrition, there is an equal need to keep one's mental health in check, informed a release on Monday.

Commenting on this aspect of a sportsperson, especially a woman's life, Shruti said, "Mental health is as important as physical health. Lack of knowledge and not having enough awareness about mental health in my younger days hampered my physical health too and naturally affected my performance."

"Now I take care of my mental health by trying to maintain a balance between my personal and professional life. Taking breaks to recharge and regularly do little things in my day-to-day life like pursuing stress-busting hobbies. Trying to have a little social life and making friends outside the world of sports can be restful and a good change for the mind," she said.

"A healthy balance between work and life will increase the shelf life of an athlete! Enjoying the sport sounds cliché but it is imperative," Shruti added.

Shruti has consciously inculcated yoga and breathing exercises in her schedule. "In ice speed-skating, you are racing against the clock. You are trying to beat your own timing so your biggest competitor is yourself. Getting faster with each race means getting better timing and that is a personal accomplishment each time you get a personal best. This can take a toll on the minds of a lot of athletes and they end up living in a lot of anxiety and nervousness most of the time," she said.

She added, "I try to incorporate yoga into my week as and when I get time. It helps relax my mind as well as my body. If I am exhausted after really hard workouts, I ensure practicing breathing exercises and meditation to calm down and increase my lung capacity."


--IANS
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Dubai, Sep 5 (IANS) India batter Jemimah Rodrigues, who turned 22 on Monday, has been shortlisted for the ICC Women's Player of the Month award for August 2022, following notable contributions at the crease in her side's surge to clinching a silver medal in women's T20 event of 2022 Commonwealth Games at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

Apart from Jemimah, Australians, all-rounder Tahlia McGrath and batter Beth Mooney have also been nominated for the award due to their starring contributions with bat and ball on the way for the Meg Lanning-led side to win the gold medal in women's T20 cricket's inaugural outing in the multi-nation event.

August was a prolific month for Jemimah, and despite falling agonizingly short at the final hurdle, she played a crucial role in helping her side celebrate silver medal success at Birmingham '22. Her score of 33 in the final got her side within touching distance of the top prize.

But it was perhaps Jemimah's vital contribution of 44 not out against England in the semi-final which was most important during the tournament, ensuring India took to the field in the first-ever appearance of women's T20 cricket at the Commonwealth Games. Overall, Jemimah scored 146 runs in the multi-nation event.

Tahlia was a key member of Australia's gold medal winning team, taking five wickets at an average of 13.40 and scoring 114 runs throughout August. Despite a quiet showing in the final itself despite testing Covid-19 positive, her star performance came in the victory over Pakistan.

In that match, she scored 78 not out, took three wickets and registered a run out. This run of performances also helped her reach her career-high ranking of 12th among all-rounders in the ICC Women's T20I Player Rankings.

Beth's nomination comes following an outstanding array of performances to secure a gold medal for Australia. She registered a remarkable 167 runs in her three T20Is during August, and followed up her half-century in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup Final victory back in April with a match-winning score of 62 against India in the gold medal match of the Commonwealth Games.

Jemimah, whose time at The Hundred with Northern Superchargers was cut short due to hand injury, may be seen in action when India play England in the first of three T20Is at Durham on Saturday. After three T20Is, three ODIs will follow till September 24.


--IANS
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Dubai, Sep 5 (IANS) The cricketing fraternity has come out strongly in support of India's young left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh over his dropped catch of Pakistan batter Asif Ali, who went on to apply the finishing touches for Pakistan in their successful chase of 182 in a thrilling Super Four match here.

In the third ball of the 18th over, when Pakistan needed 32 runs off 15 balls, Ali had slog-swept off leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi. But he got a thick top-edge, which flew towards short third man. Arshdeep, stationed there, put down the sitter as the ball went through his hands. If Arshdeep had taken the catch, Ali would have been out for a duck.

Eventually, Arshdeep trapped Ali lbw in the final over with a pin-point yorker. But by then, he had made 16 runs off eight balls. But with two needed off the last two balls, Pakistan won it as Iftikhar Ahmed got the needed runs with a drive down the ground.

Even before the run was completed, Arshdeep had flicked out the bails at the non-striker's end in disappointment. His team-mates had run in to pat his back and console him after the match ended, where Arshdeep had figures of 1/27 in 3.5 overs. Unsurprisingly, he was viciously trolled on social media due to dropping Ali's catch and it led many people in the cricketing world to tweet out in support of him.

"Stop criticising young @arshdeepsinghh No one drop the catch purposely..we are proud of our boys .. Pakistan played better.. shame on such people who r putting our own guys down by saying cheap things on this platform bout arsh and team.. Arsh is GOLD," tweeted former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh.

Opener Abhinav Mukund recalled on Twitter how he had felt after dropping Steve Smith on 37 at short-leg during the 2017 Pune Test. Smith went on to hit a match-winning century for Australia. He asked fans to not be harsh on Arshdeep over his dropped catch.

"After dropping steve smith in the pune test, i was absolutely inconsolable for hours alone in my room. I really hope @arshdeepsinghh doesnt feel that way. He will be more gutted than anyone else in our country tonight. Lets cut him some slack!"

Former India left-arm pacer Irfan Pathan tweeted, "Arshdeep is a strong character. Stay that way boy."

"My request to all Indian team fans. In sports we make mistakes as we r human. Please don't humiliate anyone on these mistakes @arshdeepsinghh," tweeted former Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez.

Arshdeep's IPL side, Punjab Kings, also tweeted in support of him. "We are with you Arsh."

India's next Super Four match in Asia Cup 2022 will be against Sri Lanka at Dubai on Tuesday.

--IANS
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Dubai, Sep 5 (IANS) Stylish batter Virat Kohli recalled the time when he left Test captaincy in January 2022 after the series against South Africa and said that former Indian skipper MS Dhoni was the only person who texted him after his decision.

"When I left Test captaincy, I received a text from only one person that I have played with earlier, and that is MS Dhoni," Kohli said in a media interaction after the Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan on Sunday.

"Many people have my contact number, and there are many people who keep giving suggestions on TV, but I didn't receive a message from any of them. So when a connection with any person is genuine enough, it comes out in such a manner, because there is a sense of security on both sides.

"Neither I want anything from him, nor does he want anything from me. And neither was I ever insecure of him, nor was he insecure of me about anything," Kohli added.
He further said if someone was actually interested in helping him out, they would have contacted him personally.

"If their criticism was genuine, they could have messaged me in person. The way I live my life with honesty, I would have talked one-on-one with a person that I wanted to help out."

Earlier on Sunday, Kohli equalled the record for most fifties in T20Is against Pakistan. Kohli smashed his 32nd T20I fifty (60 off 44). The half-century was Kohli's fourth against Pakistan in T20Is.

He had also made a half-century against Pakistan in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup match last year at the same venue.

Kohli's impressive run against Pakistan is reflected in his numbers: a total of 406 runs against them, the most by an Indian against Pakistan in T20Is, at an average of 67.66 and a strike rate of 119.06.

--IANS
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Dubai, Sep 5 (IANS) India skipper Rohit Sharma admitted that losing wickets of Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya in quick succession was something that was not needed for the side at that juncture of the match.

Pushed into batting first, Rohit and K.L Rahul came out all guns blazing in a 54-run opening stand as India reverted back to their aggressive attacking approach. Virat Kohli top-scored for India with 60 off 44 balls, hitting four fours and a six while running hard between the wickets and was superb against pacers.

But Pant and Pandya fell in a span of six balls in a bid to go big. While Pant reverse-swept straight to backward point off Shadab Khan, Pandya, hero of India's five-wicket win over Pakistan in Group A match, punched a cross-seam ball from Mohammad Hasnain straight to a forward diving short mid-wicket to depart for a two-ball duck.

"The form is brilliant (talking about Kohli), there's no doubt about that. Needed someone to bat long when the others were getting out. He batted with that tempo as well. Virat getting that score was crucial from the team's point of view."

"Wickets of Hardik and Rishabh was not needed at that time. But we want to play with an open mindset. While taking that approach you'll not always have success," said Sharma in the post-match presentation ceremony.

Sharma went on to say that despite the five-wicket loss in the Super Four match, India will take a lot of learnings with them in terms of defending totals. "We understand the pitch gets slightly better in the second innings. It's a good learning for us. I thought it was a good score."

"Any pitch, any conditions when you get 180 it's a good score. We got to learn a lot today -- what sort of mindset we need to have when defending a score like that. Like I said you've got to give credit to Pakistan. They've played better than us."

Chasing a competitive 181/7, Mohammad Rizwan anchored the chase with a 51-ball 71. But the game turner was Nawaz's promotion to four, striking 42 off 20 balls, including six fours and two sixes, adding a much-needed impetus to Pakistan's chase with the duo sharing a 73-run stand.

"It's a high-pressure game, we know that. You've got to be at it every time. A game like that can take a lot. We were calm even when there was a partnership between Rizwan and Nawaz. But that partnership obviously went a little long and they batted brilliantly," observed Rohit.

For the second time in Asia Cup 2022, an India-Pakistan match went down the wire and the result came in the final over yet again.

"Games like this can bring the best out of them if they deliver. These are the games that can make them. They've done it in the past. There's a class on the other team as well. And we're not surprised with that," concluded Rohit.

--IANS

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