Sports

New Delhi, Sep 22 (IANS) Former India cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar feels that all-rounder Hardik Pandya is playing the game currently on a different planet as compared to his India team-mates.

On Tuesday, Pandya played a massive part in India making 208/5 against Australia in the first T20I at Mohali. Coming at number five, Pandya hit a sensational 30-ball unbeaten 71 and finished off the innings in a hat-trick of sixes off Cameron Green to give India a mammoth total which they were unable to defend.

"Absolutely (on Pandya being an asset for India in T20Is), and you know we thought in the Asia cup, that maybe he's lost his mojo a little bit and whether if he's quickly going to come in form but that was sort of bump in the kind of batting form that we've seen with Hardik Pandya. When we talk about form it's not about 40s, 50s or 60s," said Manjrekar on 'Sports Over The Top' show on Sports18.

Since his T20I comeback in June during the home series against South Africa, Pandya has scored 402 runs in 17 matches at an average of 36.54 and a staggering strike rate of 152.85, thus providing solidity at the number five position and becoming a vital cog in the wheel of India's batting card.

"The kind of shorts and the impact he's making with the bat and again we're back to the Hardik Pandya who's playing on a different planet currently. Class batting against some quality bowling. I think that is very important to note as well. And because India batted first, it wasn't as easy as it was in the second half of the match. So, hats off to Hardik," added Manjrekar.

Manjrekar further elaborated that leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal looked a little tired in his spell of 1/42 in 3.2 overs in the first T20I against Australia where conditions at Mohali didn't favour him much. "Too many matches. He's somebody that comes good if you see him, how he made a comeback after being dropped for a while. Come Australia, when he's had a little bit of break, he'll be fine."

Manjrekar signed off by pointing out that India don't have a spinner with x-factor in their squad for Men's T20 World Cup. Apart from Chahal, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and left-arm spinner Axar Patel have been included with leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi in the reserves.

"But I've always wanted the X factor in the spin department and that's the only thing that concerns me about the squad that has been announced for Australia. Axar, Ashwin and Chahal. The three spinners. I don't see drama happening in the middle overs which you need to win T20 games."


--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 21 (IANS) Senior sports administrator Anil Khanna on Wednesday resigned as acting president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), saying he respects the views of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

On September 8, IOC refused to recognise any 'acting/interim president' and issued a suspension threat to IOA, saying the sports governing body must hold elections by December this year.

Khanna took charge of IOA after a court ruling ended Narinder Batra's reign as chief of the apex sports body in the country.

"I am honoured to have been part of the IOA sports fraternity for the last many years having served in different capacities. It was a privilege for me to be part of the Commonwealth Games as Acting President where India did remarkably well," Khanna said in a letter.

"Based on the Constitution of IOA, as unanimously approved by the General House and backed by a similar past precedent in the vacancy of the post of President in 2011, I took over the responsibility of the duties and functions of the President for a brief period. This was confirmed by the Hon'ble High Court of Delhi on 24th June 2022," he added.

"It is no secret that IOA has been going through a turbulent time over the last two years and with the elections approaching within a couple of months and also because of the Hon'ble High Court's order which may affect the future of some of the affiliated members, the concerns of many in our family have heightened, resulting in continuous litigation even over the last couple of weeks."

"Different factions of IOA are obviously taking contrary positions on constitutional matters, including the interpretation of the Constitution and the position of the Interim/Acting President. IOC has also stated in their letter that they do not recognize any Interim/Acting President of IOA," he said.


--IANS
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Abu Dhabi, Sep 21 (IANS) Bangladesh beat USA by 55 runs to make it a clean sweep in Group A while Ireland edged Scotland to make it to the playoffs of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, here on Wednesday.

In match No 9 of the tournament, Bangladesh posted their second-highest total (158/1 in 20 overs) in women's T20Is to thrash USA by 55 runs and win their third successive game in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier.

The six-wicket win over Scotland two days back had already taken Bangladesh to the top of Group A in the Qualifier.

After opting to bat first, Bangladesh lost Shamima Sultana cheaply, but the pair of Murshida Khatun and Nigar Sultana put on an unbeaten 138-run partnership, each bringing up their individual half-centuries.

The duo helped Bangladesh to 158/1 in 20 overs, their second-highest total in women's T20Is after the record-breaking 255/2 they made against Maldives in 2019.

In response, USA were reduced to 12/3 in the fifth over, losing three batters for a combined total of one run. However, skipper Sindhu Sriharsha and Lisa Ramjit fought back in a resilient stand for the USA.

The duo remained unbeaten until the end, helping USA cross 100 for the sixth time in women's T20Is. They got to 103/3, falling short by 55 runs as Bangladesh made a clean sweep in Group A.

SCOTLAND Vs IRELAND

In an important match 10 of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier 2022, Ireland sealed a place in the Qualifier playoffs with a 19-run win over Scotland at the Tolerance Oval.

Opting to bat first, Gaby Lewis started off all guns blazing for Ireland, racing to 28 off 14 balls before she lost her opening partner Amy Hunter. Lewis, though, carried on for Ireland, smashing 66 off 37 balls to give Ireland a strong platform. She was dismissed in the 12th over, when Ireland had already edged close to the three-figure mark.

Orla Prendergast remained unbeaten on a 46-ball 55 and skipper Laura Delany made a quickfire 29 to help Ireland post 164, their fifth-highest total in women's T20Is.

Jane Maguire went on to remove the Scotland openers cheaply to give Ireland a firm upper hand in the contest that would decide the spot in the Qualifier playoff.

Sarah Bryce rebuilt for Scotland, but by the time she departed for a well-made 49, Scotland had too high a required run rate to scale. They eventually made 145/8, falling short by 19 runs as Ireland went through to the Qualifier playoffs.

Brief scores:

BANW 158/1 in 20 overs beat USAW 103/3 in 20 overs by 55 runs

IREW 164/3 in 20 overs beat SCOW 145/8 in 20 overs by 19 runs


--IANS
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Canterbury, Sep 21 (IANS) Star opener Smriti Mandhana on Wednesday became the quickest India women's player and the third quickest Indian after Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli to complete 3000 ODI runs during her team's second ODI against England, here.

While Dhawan completed 3000 ODI runs in 72 innings, Kohli did so in 75 innings. Mandhana took one more innings than Kohli, reaching the milestone in her 76th innings.

The left-handed opener, who made her ODI debut in 2013, has five hundreds and 24 fifties in the format, and is the third India women's player after Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur to reach the 3000-run mark in the format. In terms of quickest Indian women cricketer, Mandhana surpassed former skipper Mithali who had achieved the feat of 3000 runs in 88 innings.

A total of 22 women's players have over 3000 ODI runs, but only two have gotten to the landmark quicker than Mandhana -- Belinda Clark (62 innings) and Meg Lanning (64 innings).

Since her debut in ODIs, only seven women's batters have made more runs than her in the format. Only three, however, have made more scores of fifty or more in women's ODIs in this time frame.

The ongoing series between India and England is the second series in the ICC Women's Championship cycle for India. The tournament decides qualification for the Women's Cricket World Cup in 2025.

Mandhana started the series with a compelling 91 off 99 balls in Hove, helping India to a seven-wicket win on Sunday. She started off well in the second ODI as well, getting to 40 off 51 balls, before she was trapped in front by Sophie Ecclestone.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 21 (IANS) Saba Karim, the former India wicketkeeper-batter and ex-member of the senior men's selection committee, feels that time is ripe for Indian team think-tank to develop new and young finishers like Rahul Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan so that the side has more options in this department for the future.

Tewatia was a key player in Gujarat Titans' winning IPL 2022, amassing 217 runs in 16 matches at a high strike rate of 147.62 and forming a formidable finishing pair with South Africa's explosive left-handed batter David Miller.

Shahrukh, on the other hand, had a patchy time with Punjab Kings in the tournament, making only 117 runs in eight innings at an average of 16.71 and strike rate of 108.33. Moreover, with his form not up to the mark, he wasn't given consistent enough runs at Punjab to show more of his famed finishing skills.

"I think the time has come now to develop such young cricketers. Because you see, in the IPL most of the teams prefer to have an overseas batsman at that position. So, you can have David Miller you have Tim David you have Rovman Powell which means that still the young talent who are coming through from the Indian domestic circuit, they're still not equipped enough to handle the pressure and to deliver on a consistent basis," said Karim on 'Sports Over The Top' show on Sports18.

In the current India T20I set-up, Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik are the designated finishers. "Both the names that you've taken Shahrukh Khan and Rahul Tewatia, they're young. They do have the skill and they need to be far more consistent. But to do that, we need to put some more hours behind them so that they're able to come up to that level of international quality," added Karim.

Further talking about young prospects for the future, Karim said he would like to see leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi play in all three formats of the game for India. But at the same time, he said the Jodhpur-based youngster will have to play red-ball cricket, something which he is yet to do so. Bishnoi has picked 16 wickets in ten T20Is, averaging 17.12 and at an economy rate of 7.08.

"I would love to see him play in all three formats and somehow for some inexplicable reason, we don't see any leg spinner in the test match format these days. But I would like to see the change coming in here and Ravi Bishnoi is one such candidate who can play all three formats and do well for India."

"But before that, he needs to play red-ball cricket for his state's side and if he does well there it'll add to his confidence and then the Indian selectors can think of playing him in all three formats."

"The kind of eagerness and ability he has shown, and on top of that, the skill set which he has is really admirable. Young in age and all that experience really helps in to grow in confidence and he can continue to do that in international level also," signed off Karim.


--IANS
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Dubai, Sep 21 (IANS) The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday confirmed that The Oval in London will play hosts to the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final in 2023, with the 2025 edition of the finale to take place at Lords.

The dates for both the 2023 and 2025 WTC Finals will be confirmed in due course. During the ICC Annual General Meeting in Birmingham in July, England had been identified as the hosts for the next two WTC Finals.

"We are delighted to be hosting next year's ICC World Test Championship Final at The Oval which has such a rich legacy and an amazing atmosphere, which is ideal for such an important fixture on the calendar. Following that we will then take the 2025 Final to Lord's which will provide a fitting backdrop to the ultimate Test."

"Last year's final between New Zealand and India in Southampton was an engrossing encounter and I am sure fans the world over would be looking forward to the next WTC final at The Oval. On behalf of the ICC, I would like to thank the England and Wales Cricket Board, Surrey County Cricket Club and Marylebone Cricket Club for their support," said ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice in an official release.

Currently, Australia and South Africa are occupying the top two places in the WTC 2021-23 cycle league table.

"It's a real honour that The Oval has been selected to host the final of the World Test Championship. To have the two best teams in the world playing here in south London will be a fantastic occasion. Next year promises to be a superb summer of cricket at The Oval and this match will be a brilliant part of it," said Steve Elworthy, CEO of Surrey County Cricket Club.

Lord's was originally scheduled to host the inaugural WTC final in 2021, but it had to be shifted to the Ageas Bowl in Southampton because of Covid-19 restrictions, where New Zealand were crowned champions after defeating India. The iconic venue will now host the showpiece finale in 2025 after The Oval was given 2023 final hosting rights.

"We are delighted that Lord's will be hosting the ICC World Test Championship Final in 2025. It is fantastic news that the ICC has opted to host the next two finals in London, with both grounds providing fitting venues for the culmination of the championship," said Guy Lavender, Chief Executive and Secretary, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).


--IANS

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Mohali, Sep 21 (IANS) In India's four-wicket loss to Australia in the first T20I at PCA Stadium, Mohali, the hosts' sloppy fielding on Tuesday evening stunned everyone. If Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Harshal Patel conceded 101 runs from their eight collective overs, especially in the death overs, India were also let down by poor fielding display.

All-rounder Cameron Green, the surprise opener alongside captain Aaron Finch, slammed a rollicking 61 off just 30 balls and could have been out at 42 if Axar Patel hadn't dropped his catch at deep mid-wicket.

In the next over, KL Rahul spilled a catch of Steve Smith at long-off. But the most costly one was Harshal Patel dropping a caught-and-bowled chance of Matthew Wade in the 18th over. At that time, Wade was on 23 and remained unbeaten at 45 off just 21 balls to take Australia home with four wickets to spare.

India's poor fielding show at Mohali left former head coach Ravi Shastri disappointed. "What I was disappointed today (in Tuesday's match) with was the standard of fielding. I mean, it looks sloppy and I think you need a big upping of the ante when it comes to the fielding if you have to beat big sides in big competitions," said Shastri on air after the match ended.

With the second T20I at Nagpur on Friday, Shastri felt the current India side has to improve on its fielding to defeat top teams consistently in big events like the T20 World Cup starting in Australia next month.

"If you look at all the top Indian teams over the years, there is youth and experience. I find the youth missing here and hence the fielding. If you look at the last five-six years, fielding wise, I think this side is no match to any of the top sides when it comes to fielding."

"And that can hit badly in big tournaments. It means that as a batting side you have to get that 15-20 runs game after game, because if you look around the field, where is brilliance? There is no (Ravindra) Jadeja. Where is that X-factor?"



--IANS

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Ahmedabad, Sep 19 (IANS) Almost 30 years after he became the first footballer from Gujarat to represent India, CV Sasi will make the long trek from Kerala to Ahmedabad to watch and motivate his former state in the 36th National Games here.

"I owe everything to Gujarat," the defender was quoted as saying by the organisers. "I will be there at the National Games and I am hoping to watch the football final," he added, without mentioning the two teams that he would want to see play that match.

Sasi, who joined Kerala Police in the mid-Nineties, might be living 2,000km away, but his heart continues to beat for Gujarat.

"I had made many friends during my stay there and I am hoping to reconnect with some of them at least," the former stopper back said in the release.

Sasi, 56 years now, had moved to Gujarat in the mid-80s at the invitation of a cousin to play for the IIM-A football team as a 'guest player'.

He recalls how he had struggled to make ends meet with the stipend he earned for playing football. But Sasi's luck changed when IIM became the Ahmedabad League champions, a denouement that led to him being invited to the camp for the State team for the Santosh Trophy.

He went on to play in four National championships, the last one as captain.

Sasi is delighted that the National Games are being held in Gujarat for the first time and expects this to give sports in the State a massive boost. "It will do wonders for Gujarat football, and other sports too. I expect to see the State making great progress in several disciplines," he predicted.

Sasi's crowning moment came when he was selected in the India squad for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in Beirut and Seoul in 1993. India were placed in a pool that included Lebanon, Hong Kong, South Korea and Bahrain.

Coached by Czech Jirí Pešek, and captained by that indefatigable defender, the late VP Sathyan, the team included stalwarts like IM Vijayan, CV Pappachan, Bruno Coutinho, Tejinder Kumar and Aqueel Ansari. India did not make it past the group but won the Fair Play Trophy in the Asian Zone.

Sasi also accompanied the 'Blue Tigers' to Pakistan for the first 1993 South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) Gold Cup in Lahore and returned with the trophy. In all, Sasi won 10 National caps, six in the World Cup qualifiers and four in the SAARC tourney.

It will be a great homecoming for Gujarat's first international footballer. It is also his way of showing his gratitude to the state that made him a national player, if not a megastar.

--IANS

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Marrakech (Morocco), Sep 19 (IANS) Paralympic Games silver medallist high jumper Nishad Kumar set a new Asian record while Neeraj Yadav set a new National Record on his way to gold in the Marrakech Para Athletics Grand Prix in Morocco.

On the final day, Neeraj won the gold medal in the discus throw F55/56 category as India ended the prestigious meet with 19 medals -- eight gold, eight silver and three bronze medals. Nishad won silve and set the new record in the process.

Ajeet Kumar won gold in the javelin throw F46 category while compatriot and two-time Paralympic gold medallist Devendra Jhajaria won silver.

Ramsinghbhai Govindbhai won gold in long jump T42 as did Vinay Kumar Lal in men's 400m T20/35/36/44 as did Deepthi Jeevanji in women's 400m T-13/20/37.

Sprinter Shiek Abdul Kadhar won the 100m T46 race while Neeraj Yadav also topped the Discus Throw F56.

Hokato Sema won silver in shotput F57 while Ajit Kumar Panchal won silver in the Discus F52 category. Anil Kumar (100m T54), Shailesh Kumar (Long Jump T42) and Mohd Yasser (Shot put F42/43/44/46) also won silver medals.

Ranjeet Bhati (Javelin F57), Fathima Khatoon (Discus F56) and Shailesh Kumar (High Jump T42/47).

Nearly 120 track and field medal events were conducted at the Grand Stadium de Marrakech with plenty of local stars to watch. This was the first time in the history of para-athletics, Morocco hosted a World Para Athletics Grand Prix.

--IANS

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San Francisco, Sep 19 (IANS) Rockstar Games on Monday confirmed that it 'suffered a network intrusion' that resulted in the massive leak of 90 videos of Grand Theft Auto game 6, showcasing its engine, gameplay and more from an early development build.

The leak provided a glimpse into GTA 6 development, confirming prior reports of the series' first female protagonist and a Vice City setting.

"We recently suffered a network intrusion in which an unauthorised third party illegally accessed and downloaded confidential information from our systems, including early development footage for the next Grand Theft Auto," Rockstar Games said in a statement.

At this time, "we do not anticipate any disruption to our live game services no any long-term effect on the development of our ongoing projects".

The company said it was "extremely disappointed to have any details of our next game shared with you all in this way".

"Our work on the next Grand Theft Auto game will continue as planned and we remain as committed as ever to delivering an experience to you, our players, that truly exceeds your expectations," said the gaming company.

The title, informally known as GTA 6, will mark the first mainline game since 2013's GTA V, having racked up a record-breaking 170 million sales to date.

The company said it will update everyone again soon and will properly introduce them to the next game when it is ready.

The alleged GTA 6 footage comes via GTA Forums user "tepotuberhacker," posting various snippets of its open world in action from what appears to be an early development build.

The over 90 videos also provide an extended look at robberies, NPC interactions, vehicles, and more from its sprawling sandbox.

The footage appears to be from builds at least a couple of years old, suggesting development has been underway in tandem with recent years of GTA V content updates.

--IANS
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