Sports

Bengaluru, April 3 (IANS) While praising young left-handed batter Tilak Varma for his unbeaten 84 off just 46 balls, Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma admitted that rest of the batting line-up didn't bat very well on a pitch which was good to bat upon.

Pushed into batting first, Mumbai crumbled to 48/4 and then to 123/7 at one stage, looking in danger of being shot out for a below-par total. But Varma stood tall and impressed everyone with his skill and temperament in hitting nine boundaries and four sixes at a strike-rate of 182.6, as Mumbai got 69 runs from the last five overs.

"Didn't have a great start but was a good effort from Tilak at the end. But the bowlers didn't bowl well. We didn't bat well enough, it was a good pitch. Some of the shorts he played today, he showed a lot of courage.

We wanted to be courageous enough, and hats off to Tilak for getting us to the total. Was a good pitch to bat on. We did not bat to our potential. 30-40 runs would have been ideal. We were struggling to play the catch-up game," said Rohit in the post-match presentation ceremony.

With the ball, Mumbai's bowlers were all over the place as Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis smashed half-centuries in a 148-run opening partnership. Though they got two wickets, it was too late by then to avoid a loss in their opening match of IPL 2023.

Rohit refused to use the absence of Jasprit Bumrah as a reason behind lacklustre bowling performance.

"For the past six-eight months I am used to playing without Bumrah. We can't control things which we can't control. The other guys are also talented. A lot of the guys haven't played IPL before. First game of the season, a lot to look forward to," he said.

Du Plessis, who was named Player of the Match for his 73 off 43 balls, including five fours and six sixes, felt great in playing a part in making a happy homecoming for RCB.

"It's awesome to play (in M Chinnaswamy Stadium). It's my first time playing here as a home player, especially batting with Virat Kohli. You have to try and stay with the youngsters. I try to push the old hamstrings so that I can move in the field. To start the campaign with a bang, was huge," the RCB skipper said.

Faf was also appreciative of the bowlers for ratting Mumbai's top-order batters in power-play.

"It was a nice way to start the way we did in the powerplay. Siraj with his tail up is a beautiful thing. The bowler stuck to their task," he said.

"The last two or three overs were a bit of learning. The cutters were working really well, it was not easy to hit the ball. There was value for your shots. Credit to the groundsman. Even the spinners found something," he added.

--IANS

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Bengaluru, April 3 (IANS) Royal Challengers Bangalore marked their homecoming to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium through a thumping eight-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians to get their IPL 2023 campaign off to a flying start.

One of the chief factors of RCB's victory was scintillating half-centuries from Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli in a gigantic 148-run opening partnership. While du Plessis made 73 off 43 balls, including five fours and six sixes, Kohli was in sublime touch to be 82 not out off 49 balls, laced with six fours and five sixes to chase 172 in 16.2 overs.

After the match ended, Kohli said to broadcasters that he and du Plessis were aiming to hit their shots in good areas and keep the pressure on the bowlers.

"Phenomenal win. Homecoming after so many years. We kept backing ourselves. Faf went first, and I joined later. I am very happy with how things went today," the former RCB captain said.

"The new ball was a bit tricky, but we shifted the momentum by taking them down with the new ball. We nullified all their intensity. The wicket was quite a nice one. We hit good areas and kept putting pressure on the bowlers," he added.

The star batter was also in praise of leg-spinner Karn Sharma, who picked two wickets in the match.

"He was phenomenal, when he got that left-hander out. it was great bowling. He was bowling so well last year. He was ready to play. Even in the nets, he was not getting hit for sixes. He put us on the front foot right away," he said.

Asked about the support from a jam-packed home stadium, Kohli said, "Phenomenal, was a packed crowd. Every seat was full and we knew we would get a lot of support. We just ride off that intensity from the crowd. They were right behind us.

The first game of the IPL, and to perform like that was great. Credit to their batters for getting to that score. Tilak batted well."

Kohli signed off by saying RCB need to build on the momentum from the opening victory for the rest of the tournament.

"Apart from Mumbai winning five times and Chennai four times, we have qualified the most number of times, so we do play consistent cricket. It's just about staying focused, and just trying to be the best balanced team. We need to play on this momentum. We just need to execute better," he said.

--IANS

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London, April 2 (IANS) Leicester City on Sunday sacked head coach Brendan Rodgers in the wake of their 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace.

That result on Saturday was their fifth defeat in six league games and saw the club drop into the relegation zone with just ten games left in the season.

The decision ends the former Liverpool and Celtic coach's four-year stay at the club, during which he led them to the 2021 FA Cup and consecutive fifth-place finishes in his first two seasons in charge, a Xinhua report said.

Club chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha issued a statement explaining the decision to sack Rodgers, saying that although the club had wanted "continuity and stability", the time had come for a change.

"Regrettably, the desired improvement has not been forthcoming and, with ten games of the season remaining, the board is compelled to take alternative action to protect our Premier League status."

"The task ahead of us in our final ten games is clear. We now need to come together -- fans, players and staff -- and show the poise, quality and fight to secure our position as a Premier League club."

Leicester kicked off the season with seven defeats from ten matches, and although they improved as the season progressed, they have struggled for form following the World Cup, taking just seven points from 11 matches.

"The achievements of the team under Brendan's management speak for themselves - we've experienced some of our finest footballing moments under his guidance and will always be grateful to him and his staff for the heights they helped us to reach on the pitch. His place in Leicester City history is assured," commented Srivaddhanaprabha.

--IANS

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Dunedin, April 2 (IANS) New Zealand's Hayden Paddon took every stage win on his way to a commanding victory at the Winmax Brakes Otago Rally, the third round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship qualifier, the Pacific Rally Cup, here on Sunday.

The rally did not have the presence of Indian Arjuna Awardee Gaurav Gill, the three-time Asia Pacific Rally Champion, who won the second round at the South India Rally in Chennai but the stage is set for a grand finale in Indonesia among all the winners of Asia Cup and Pacific Cup.

The Indian presence was also felt remotely with a generous backing by Vamcy Merla, a passionate rally enthusiast and motorsports promoter from India, who supported the organisers with prize money and trophies for the winners of FIA APRC Pacific Cup, a media release said.

Driving their Hyundai New Zealand i20 N Rally2 for the first time in 2023, nobody was able to get close to the former WRC event winner, as he extended his overnight lead on each stage to conclude the rally with a winning margin of over four minutes.

''It was a good win and I really want to thank the promoter Vamcy Merla for his support to the rally. It is great news that a motorsport enthusiast like him has come on board and will promote other rounds of the APRC as well. I really thank him and wish to meet him in person someday,'' Haydon said after the round.

The Pacific Rally Cup saw 20 international drivers from Australia, Japan, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and the Philippines competing for points and glory on the scenic and challenging roads of Otago.

Vicky Chandhok, working group president of the FIA APRC, thanked Merla for his involvement and support.

''We are grateful to Vamcy Merla for his generosity and passion for rallying. We look forward to seeing him at the final round in Indonesia later this year,'' he said.

In the day's stages south of Dunedin, he and co-driver John Kennard were again untouchable, continuing to show why he is New Zealand's greatest rally driver. Behind him was the Holden Barina AP4 of Ari Pettigrew, who was the 'best of the rest' for most of the weekend. He took second place by over 30 seconds from multiple NZRC champion Ben Hunt.

Hunt's day two goal was to catch Pettigrew after a few driving mistakes on Day 1 but Pettigrew showed class beyond his years to hold off the fast charging Skoda driver.

After another Pacific round in May at Whangarei in New Zealand and two more rounds of Asia Cup in Indonesia and China, the Danau Toba Rally in Indonesia from Nov 24 to 26 will serve as the grand finale where the Asia Pacific Champion will emerge.

--IANS

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Bengaluru, April 2 (IANS) Scintillating half-centuries from Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli led Royal Challengers Bangalore comprehensive eight-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians in an IPL 2023 match, marking a happy homecoming at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, here on Sunday.

As RCB took the field in Chinnaswamy Stadium after 1247 days, chants of the franchise engulfed the whole arena. To their credit, RCB didn't disappoint at all, as bowlers got wickets in power-play and middle overs to keep Mumbai to 171/7, though young Tilak Varma shined with an outstanding 84 not out off just 46 balls.

In reply, du Plessis and Kohli put out an exhibition of majestic strokeplay and rattled Mumbai's bowling attack to enthrall home fans. While du Plessis made 73 off 43 balls, including five fours and six sixes, Kohli was in sublime touch to be 82 not out off 49 balls, laced with six fours and five sixes to chase 172 in 16.2 overs to get their IPL 2023 campaign off to a winning start.

In defence of 171, Mumbai brought in Jason Behrendorff as an impact player in place of Suryakumar Yadav to share the new-ball with Arshad Khan. After making a watchful start, du Plessis cut down on the swing by dancing down the pitch to hit a four and two sixes on both sides of the wicket off Behrendorff.

Jofra Archer put down Kohli on his first ball of the match. Kohli then followed it up by placing a steer between backward point and short third man for four, and smacked a six over long-off. Kohli and du Plessis took a boundary each off Piyush Chawla and Archer to bring the fifty of their opening partnership in the power-play.

Du Plessis continued to be unstoppable -- timing his drives through the off-side against Cameron Green twice and ended the over with a scooped six to take 17 runs off the eighth over. He welcomed off-spinner Hrithik Shokeen with consecutive sixes over mid-wicket and long-on, first of which took him to his fifty in 29 balls.

Kohli then danced down the pitch to whack Chawla over long-on for six, and bring up the century of the opening partnership in the 11th over, before reaching his fifty in 38 balls. He then welcomed Behrendorff with a pull through cow corner for four, before du Plessis pulled and flicked for four and six respectively.

Kohli hammered sixes off Archer and Arshad through the leg-side to keep Mumbai under the pump. They had a breakthrough when du Plessis holed out to long-on, breaking the 148-run opening partnership. After Dinesh Karthik fell for a three-ball duck, Glenn Maxwell slapped sixes over extra cover and fine leg, with Kohli whipping and lofting for four and six respectively to complete Bangalore's chase with 22 balls remaining.

Brief Scores: Mumbai Indians 171/7 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 84 not out; Karn Sharma 2/32) lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore 172/2 in 16.2 overs (Virat Kohli 82 not out, Faf du Plessis 73; Arshad Khan 1/28, Cameron Green 1/30) by eight wickets.

--IANS

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Hyderabad, April 2 (IANS) Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson heaped praise on Jos Buttler and Yashaswi Jaiswal and said that the team could anticipate record-breaking performances in the powerplay with batters like them in the lineup as team scored their highest-ever powerplay total in the history of the IPL on Sunday.

Jaiswal and Buttler smashed half-centuries to provide RR with a record-breaking start in their 2023 IPL campaign opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad. They helped the Royals post their highest powerplay score 85/1.

"I am just wondering how we will start the season and very happy with the win. Having batters like Jos and Yashasvi, we can expect that (breaking records in the powerplay). I think we definitely are a very good side but in this format and this league, you never know," Samson said after the match.

Buttler went back to pavilion after bringing up his half-century in just 20 balls and Samson then joined forces with Jaiswal to take over the aggressor's role and went on to score 28-ball fifty before getting dismissed by Natarajan.

"We have to keep our heads down, focus on our processes. I personally wanted to stay there and finish the innings off. I think we did reasonably well. There should be strengths, but there should be weaknesses also. We will find out if there are any weaknesses as the tournament goes on," Samson added.

It was a complete team performance from Royals as batters Buttler (54), Jaiswal (54) and Samson (55) helped the visitors post a mammoth 203 for five and then Yuzvendra Chahal (4/17) and Trent Boult (2/21)) led the charge to take the team to 72-run win over SRH.

--IANS

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New Delhi, April 2 (IANS) Former captain MS Dhoni has shared an anecdote from India's historic World Cup win in 2011, revealing that he became 'emotionally high' when people started singing 'Vande Mataram' just 15-20 minutes before the winning moment in that summit clash.

Sunday, April 2 marked the 12th anniversary of India's celebrated victory in the 2011 World Cup, where Dhoni played a crucial part in leading the team to triumph, ending the wait of 28 long years.

"The best feeling was 15-20 minutes (before the winning moment). We didn't need a lot of runs, the partnership was well-placed, there was a lot of dew. And the stadium started to sing Vande Mataram. That atmosphere I feel is very difficult to recreate – maybe in this (upcoming 2023) World Cup, there is a similar scenario, once the stadium, the fans start contributing," Dhoni was quoted as saying by ICC.

It's a very difficult (atmosphere) one to replicate. But it can only be replicated if the occasion is similar to that (in 2011) and there are like 40, 50 or 60,000 people who are singing.

To me, it was not the winning moment, it was 15-20 minutes ago when emotionally I was very high. And at the same time, I wanted to get done with it. We knew that we will win this from here, and it was very difficult for us to lose.  So yes, you know it was more of a sense of satisfaction, job done, let's move on from here," he added.

The day of the 2011 World Cup victory was also a momentous occasion for the Indian cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar, who had been striving for more than 20 years to lift the coveted trophy.

Dhoni revealed there were times when he wondered if Tendulkar would claim that elusive prize.

"Yes, we all knew that it was paaji's (Tendulkar) last World Cup and throughout the tournament, we had the feeling that we want to do it for him," the former India captain said.

"But at the same time, often you have something going in your mind where you say, God has given him everything. And God keeps one thing away from every individual. Is it that 50-over World Cup that God has decided that he will keep with himself?

We said we will try our best, we will make sure that we are giving a 100% when it comes to the cricket matches and we will accept the results. At the end, I was very happy to be on the winning side, but it took a lot from the full team and the support staff," he added.

--IANS

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Mumbai, April 2 (IANS) The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) mourned the demise of former India all-rounder Salim Durani, who passed away on Sunday at his residence in Jamnagar after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was 88.

The all-rounder played 29 Tests for India scoring 1202 runs and took 75 wickets. He played a key role with the ball in the famous 1971 Port of Spain Test, where legendary Sunil Gavaskar made his debut. In a span of few balls in the second innings, Durani dismissed both Clive Lloyd and Gary Sobers, paving the way for India's first Test victory in the Caribbean. He conceded just 21 runs from the 17 overs that he bowled.

"It is with great sadness and a deep sense of loss that BCCI has learnt of the sad demise of Shri Salim Durani on Sunday, 2nd April 2023. A charismatic all-rounder, Durani played the game for two-and-a-half decades," the Indian cricket board said in a statement.

Blessed with a unique ability to hit monstrous sixes on demand, Durani's aggressive left-hand batting had a huge following and his left-arm spin bowling was equally effective.

In 1961-62, he bowled India to victory over England, taking a series haul of 23 wickets. In the Eden Gardens Test, he took 8 wickets and followed up with a match haul of 10 wickets in Chennai.

"Shri Salim Durani played the game with grace, flair and a lot of passion. With his demise, we have lost one of India's iconic cricket heroes. While his performances in international cricket are inspiring, his feats in domestic cricket still act as a motivation for our cricketers. I extend my condolences to his family and friends," said BCCI president Roger Binny.

Jay Shah, Secretary BCCI said,"Shri Salim Durani's contribution towards Indian Cricket will forever be remembered. With his demise, we have lost one of Indian cricket's crown jewels. His eye-catching batting style and his overall aura made him special. The BCCI prays for the departed soul and shares the grief of the family and his loved ones."

Durani also played 170 first-class games, scored 8545 runs and took 484 wickets and represented Saurashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan in domestic cricket. Durani, the first cricketer to receive the Arjuna Award was honoured by the Board in 2011 with the CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award.

He was BCCI's special guest in 2018 when the Board hosted Afghanistan for its first-ever Test at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, where he presented a memento at the toss to Afghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai.

-- IANS

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Hyderabad, April 2 (IANS) Impressive half-centuries from top-order batters -- Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson -- followed by Yuzvendra Chahal's superb four-fer (4/17) powered Rajasthan Royals to a thumping 72-run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the fourth match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, here on Sunday.

Riding on fifties from Buttler (54 off 22), Jaiswal (54 off 37) and Samson (55 off 32), RR posted a massive total of 203/5 on the board. In response, SRH suffered early batting collapse as they managed to score 131/8 in their 20 overs with Abdul Samad top scoring with unbeaten 32.

Chasing a big total of 204, Sunrisers got early blows as Trent Boult dismissed opener Abhishek Sharma and Rahul Tripathi for ducks. Abhishek was completely outplayed by Boult's sizzling yorker as the ball flattened the off stump in the third delivery of the innings.

A dot ball later, the Kiwi pacer struck again to remove Tripathi, who got caught at the slip by Jason Holder. But Tripathi went for a review, thinking that he had not nicked it at all. However, the replay confirmed that Tripathi had nickled the ball and he had to walk back.

Harry Brook and Mayank Agarwal cautiously took the innings forward with RR bowlers keeping a tight leash on SRH's run-rate as the Bhuvneshwar-led side managed to score 30 for a loss of two wickets in the powerplay.

After the powerplay, Sunrisers kept losing wickets at regular intervals as Yuzvendra Chahal put another dent on SRH's batting in the seventh over as he cleaned up debutant Harry Brook and the hosts went into deep trouble in the ninth over when Jason Holder removed Washington Sundar for 1.

In the next over, Ravichandran Ashwin too joined the party and sent Glenn Philips back to the hut with Sunrisers reeling 48 for 5 after 10 overs. Chahal struck again in the 11th over to dismiss Agarwal, who holed out to long-on for a six where Buttler completed the catch comfortably.

It almost became an impossible task for the Sunrisers to pull off a win with half of their side heading back to pavilion. At the end of the 14th over, SRH lost Rashid, who went down the track and missed Chahal's slower ball by some distance and Samson did the rest behind the stumps to leave SRH seven down.

Chahal picked up his fourth in the 18th over as he cleaned up skipper Bhuvneshwar Kumar. With some late hits, Abdul Samad and Umran Malik stitched an unbeaten 36-run partnership to take SRH to a respectable total of 131 in 20 overs.

Earlier, a minute of silence was observed to mourn the loss of the legendary all-rounder Salim Durani, who passed away at his residence in Jamnagar after a prolonged battle with cancer at the age of 88.

When the game started, the opening duo of Buttler and Yashaswi Jaiswal gave RR a strong start with 85 coming off the first six over for the loss on one wicket after they were invited to bat first.

Buttler completed his fifty off just 20 balls with two boundaries in the sixth over. But Fazalhaq Farooqi didn't let Buttler extend his stay on the crease as he sent the attacking batter back soon after his half-century, ending the 85-run opening partnership at the end of the powerplay.

After Buttler's dismissal, SRH run rate slowed down a bit but the skipper took over the aggressor's role and went for two boundaries in the eight over as RR crossed the 100-run mark. SRH bowlers were seen struggling to pick up wickets while Jaiswal continued to go on his merry way, putting the loose balls away. Halfway through the innings, Royals were 122 for 1.

Jaiswal brought up his fourth IPL fifty off 34 deliveries in the 12th over. In the 13th over, Jaiswal's inning came to an end as he fell to Farooqi while going for a big shot but did not get hold of it and the ball went to Mayank Agarwal at deep mid-wicket.

Very soon, Umran Malik picked up his first as he cleaned up Devdutt Padikkal cheaply for 2, pushing RR to 151/3 14.1 overs.

After his expensive first over, Natarajan came into attack again in the 17th over to dismiss Royan Parag just after the timeout. Then, Shimron Hetmyer came in and started off with a single. The next ball Samson completed his 28-ball fifty with a single.

Natarajan got his second in the penultimate over by dismissing Samson, who went for a maximum but Abhishek Sharma was there on the edge of the cushions to complete the brilliant catch while juggling his left-foot to not touch the skirting.

With 10 runs coming off the final over, Royals posted a total of 203 for the loss of 5 wickets in 20 overs.

Brief scores: Brief scores: Rajasthan Royals 203/5 in 20 overs (Yashaswi Jaiswal 54 off 37, Jos Buttler 54 off 22 and Sanju Samson 55 off 32; Fazalhaq Farooqi 2/41, T Natarajan 2/23) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 131/8 in 20 overs (Abdul Samad 32 off 32, Mayank Agarwal 27 off 23; Yuzvendra Chahal 4/17, Trent Boult 2/21) by 72 runs

--IANS

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Lucknow, April 2 (IANS) Pritam Siwach Sports Foundation and SAI Shakti Team registered victories in their respective games on the fifth day of the Khelo India Women's Hockey League (U-21 - Phase 2 )here on Sunday.

In the first game of the day, HAR Hockey Academy and Sports Hostel Odisha played out a 1-1 draw. Bhateri (21') continued her good form as she put HAR Hockey Academy in the lead with a clinical finish. But Sports Hostel Odisha equalised through Sunelita Toppo (56') in the dying moments to rescue a point from the game.

Pritam Siwach Sports Foundation recorded a 9-0 victory against Bhai Bhelo Hockey Academy, Bhagta in the second game of the day. The goal scorers were Sakshi Rana (13', 19', 34'), Manisha (15'), Kanika (35'), Ritika (36'), Team Captain Dimple (38'), and Tannu (58', 60').

In the final game of the day, SAI Shakti Team defeated Khalsa Hockey Academy Amritsar 2-1. SAI Shakti Team took the lead through a goal from Khushi (7') but Khalsa Hockey Academy Amritsar soon equalised through a goal from team captain Sukhpreet Kaur (25').

It was Sakshi Shukla's (45') goal in the last quarter of the game that sealed the win for the SAI Shakti Team.

--IANS

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