Author: Prakhar Sachdeo

T20 World Cup: Most Indian players to leave for New York on May 25

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Most Indian players will be leaving for New York to play next month’s T20 World Cup on May 25. The rest of the players who will be engaged in the IPL Playoffs will leave on the conclusion of the IPL final scheduled for May 26.

Among the players who are no longer engaged in this year’s IPL now are captain Rohit Sharma, vice-captain Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah (all four from Mumbai Indians), Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel (all three from Delhi Capitals) and Arshdeep Singh (Punjab Kings).

Earlier, the members of teams failing to qualify for the play-offs were supposed to leave for New York on May 21, two days after the final league game of the IPL on May 19 but it has since been learnt that there has been some change in plans and now the first batch will leave on May 25.

“Earlier, departure date for first batch was May 21 but since India is playing only one warm-up game (vs Bangladesh on June 1), the players will get to spend some extra days at home,” a source confirmed news agency PTI.

Only those players who are part of the IPL final will stay back and will leave for New York on May 27.

This will also give adequate time to the squad to reduce jet lag and have at least three to four quality net sessions before the Bangladesh warm-up game.

India will open their campaign against Ireland on June 5 in New York, followed by the marquee clash against Pakistan on June 9.

India squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Hardik Pandya (Vice Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj.

(with PTI inputs)

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India’s only T20 World Cup warmup match likely against Bangladesh

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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India will likely play its only T20 World Cup warmup game against Bangladesh on June 1. The match is slated to be played at 34,000 capacity makeshift stadium at Eisenhower Park in New York.

According to ICC rules, a team plays two warmup matches before their first match of the tournament. But with IPL 2024 final slated for May 26, Indian players will be arriving in the USA late.

Also Read: All you need to know about the new T20 World Cup group stage playing format

Team India will play its three World Cup matches in New York before departing for Florida for its final group game.

“The scheduling has been really tight for this World Cup and could have been handled better. You needed a longer gap between the IPL final and the World Cup opener. Teams like Pakistan and England will also be playing a bilateral series 24 hours before the tournament starts,” a BCCI source told PTI.

The fourth and final T20 between England and Pakistan is scheduled in London on May 30. It is a given that both teams will only have time for a single warm-up before they begin their campaign. Pakistan open their campaign against the USA in Dallas on June 6, while England take on Scotland in Barbados on June 4.

A record 20 teams are taking part in the competition, adding to the scheduling challenge. 16 teams took part in the previous edition in Australia two seasons ago. USA, Canada and Ugana will make their T20 World Cup debut.

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Olympic legend Usain Bolt backs West Indies to win T20 World Cup

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Two-time T20 World Cup champions West Indies are favorite to win the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 according to Olympic legend Usain Bolt.

Bolt, who is the brand ambassador of the T20 World Cup,  believes that West Indies can win the World Cup despite their struggles in other formats of the sport.

Last year, West Indies did not feature in the 50-over World Cup, a first in the tournament’s history.  But having lifted the T20 World Cup in 2012 and 2016, West Indies have a chance to become the first team to win the World Cup three times.

Also Read: Cricket is my blood, says T20 World Cup brand ambassador Usain Bolt

“I’m always going to go with my home team,” Bolt said on Wednesday at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, where tournament officials offered a glimpse of the newly constructed, 34,000 seat stadium.

“Because we have some big hitters, if we get it right, then definitely West Indies (can win).”

West Indies are pooled in Group C of the World Cup along with Afghanistan, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Uganda. The team open their campaign   on June 2 against  Papua New Guinea in Guyana.

While the United States appear to be unlikely hosts for a cricket competition, with the men’s “Big Four” leagues of MLB, NBA, NHL and NFL dominating the sporting landscape, Bolt said American fans will be treated to an experience unlike any other.

“The energy that the cricket brings and the vibes and the noise, it’s just wonderful,” he said. “It’s something different that you’ll never see.”

The world record holder in the 100 and 200 metres has shown before that he can wield both bat and ball and was ready to embrace the cricket spotlight again in New York as he hopped into selfies with elated attendees.

The venue at Eisenhower Park will host eight matches, beginning on June 3 with Sri Lanka facing South Africa.

“I finally get a chance to be a part of cricket again,” said Bolt. “I’m happy that I get the opportunity to be a part of (the tournament), to promote a sport that I love.”

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Virat Kohli says that when he will be gone, we won’t see him for a while

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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At 35, Virat Kohli is still going strong in cricket. But even Kohli knows that he can’t continue forever and there will be a time when he will have to retire from cricket.

Kohli’s hunger for runs and centuries has guided him to numerous batting records. In the IPL he is the all-time leading run-scorer and has hit the most centuries (eight). This year he is the front runner to win the prestigious Orange Cap after scoring 661 runs from 13 games for Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

In a video posted by RCB on social media, the 35-year-old said the desire to live a regret-free life keeps him going.

“So, it’s just about not leaving any undone business behind and not having any regrets later, which I’m very sure of I won’t. Once I’m done, I’ll be gone; you won’t see me for a while.

“So, I want to give it everything I have till the time I play and that’s the only thing that keeps me going,” said Kohli when asked what keeps him hungry.

Kohli was picked by RCB soon after he led India to title triumph in the 2008 Under-19 World Cup and he has continued to be with the franchise ever since.

“I think, as sportsmen, we do have an end date to our careers, so I’m just working backwards, I don’t want to finish my career thinking what if I had done this on that particular day because I can’t keep going on and on forever,” he added.

The former India captain is part of the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies beginning next month.

Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh had recently opined that RCB should think about giving back the team’s captaincy to Kohli, saying he has an ideal combination of intent, commitment and aggression to take the side forward from the next season.

South African Faf du Plessis is currently leading RCB.

Kohli has featured in 113 Tests, 292 ODIs, and 117 T20Is. he has amassed over 26,000 international runs across formats.

Kohli holds the record for most runs in the history of T20 World Cups with 1141 to his credit.

India are placed in Group A of the tournament, alongside arch-foes Pakistan, Ireland, Canada and co-hosts USA.

They will begin their campaign on June 5 against Ireland at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York before taking on Pakistan on June 9.

(with PTI inputs)

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Cricket is my blood, says T20 World Cup brand ambassador Usain Bolt

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Sprint legend Usain Bolt loves cricket. His love for the sport has manifested into him being named as the brand ambassador for the next month’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup to be co-hosted by the USA and the West Indies.

“I grew up on cricket. My dad was a massive cricket fan and still is. It is something that I have always in my blood. To actually get to be a part of cricket again as an ambassador, it is wonderful. I never got to live my dream of being a cricketer so to be ambassador of T20 World Cup is wonderful,” Bolt told PTI.

The world record holder in the marquee 100m and 200m called time on his unmatched career in 2017 and seven years on, his charisma too remains unmatched.

The eight-time Olympic champion is all excited about the India vs Pakistan clash at the World Cup on June 9.

He has spent the last few months travelling the world for music and football among other things and therefore, he has not got the time to watch live cricket on TV, including the ongoing IPL.

“I have not been able to watch as much as I would like to but when I get time I try to catch up on T20s,” said the ‘Lightning Bolt’.

Speed continues to excite Bolt the most and no wonder he calls T20 the best format of the game.

“T20s for sure… When they started it was a great idea and still is. It compresses the game because you have to be strong and quick but also be strategic, set a field and get things done quick. To me it combines Test match and one-day together to create the perfect game.” Bolt is not the only one in the Caribbean who is attracted towards the shortest format. The same goes for its elite cricketers who are now admired more for their exploits in T20 leagues than what they do in West Indian colours.

Amid the T20 boom, Test cricket faces a grave threat in the region and Bolt agrees that the future belongs to the slam-bang format.

“I think the T20s and one dayers (ODIs) are still massive in the Caribbean. People actually don’t enjoy Test cricket that much. It is all about the speed of the game, big hitters like Andre Russell, so for me that is the direction that is going in (game is going in the Caribbean).

“It will bring more people to watch the sport. Because people love excitement. That is the key,” he said.

USA is hosting a global cricket event for the first time and despite being a sport that is played by South Asian and Caribbean expats at the moment, Bolt believes the local American community will get involved with the game eventually.

“I surely think the game can grow in USA. When you have presence in a country people start gravitating towards it and want to know more about.” Loved watching Akram, Kohli among standout players

Bolt may not have a lot of free time at his disposal but growing up in Jamaica, he watched plenty of cricket with his father. Visuals of Wasim Akram castling the batters with his in-swinging yorkers remain fresh in his memory.

“Over the years, one of my favourites growing up was Wasim Akram because of the in-swinging yorker that he had. Of course, Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose, all these guys that I admired over the years, they were so dominant in their space.” Did he like anyone in the Indian team? “Like my father, I always support the West Indies (laughs). But yes, I have also been a Sachin Tendulkar fan. He and Brian Lara were part of my life growing up. It was a great rivalry,” he said referring to the two legendary batters.

Among the current lot, Bolt says “Kohli is the standout one for sure”.

When asked if there is a cricketer who has the slightest potential of being a sprinter, the showman in Bolt came to the fore.

“We have a running joke right now, me and Chris Gayle (both are close friends), he said actually he can beat me over 100 metres. We are looking to put out a race and see what happens (laughs).

“When it comes to speed I am the best, I don’t think there is any cricketer right now that can challenge me (laughs),” said Bolt, who is looking forward to return to India in the near future.

His last visit to the country was in 2014.

(with PTI inputs)

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

T20 World Cup: Karnataka’s Nandini dairy is the official sponsor for Scotland

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Cricket Scotland has announced Karnataka’s Nandini dairy as the official sponsor of its national team in the upcoming T20 World Cup in the Americas. The Nandini logo will be present on the leading arm of Scotland men’s playing shirts at the tournament, which takes place in West Indies and USA from June 2

. “Cricket Scotland and Karnataka Milk Federation are pleased to announce Nandini as the official sponsor of the Scotland men’s team at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024,” the country’s cricket body wrote on X. The brand name and logo, written in Kannada, can be seen on the sleeves of players’ T-shirts that were launched on Wednesday.

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Claire Drummond, Cricket Scotland’s commercial manager said in a statement, “It’s fantastic to have an established brand backing our men’s team as they head onto the global stage and compete against the best in the world, and we’re confident that this partnership demonstrates the global appeal of our national team and of Cricket Scotland.” Scotland begin their campaign against England on June 4. MK Jagadish, managing director of Karnataka Milk Federation, the parent company of Nandini, said, “Our partnership with Cricket Scotland at this World Cup will help Nandini reach a global audience of cricket lovers and is a first step in taking our brand to more countries around the world.” .

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New Zealand’s Finn Allen and Devon Conway to be fit for the T20 World Cup

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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New Zealand coach Gary Stead is confident of having a fully fit squad when the team departs for the Caribbean for next month’s Twenty20 World Cup with Finn Allen and Devon Conway making good progress in their recovery from injuries.

Explosive opener Allen missed last month’s T20 series in Pakistan with a back injury, while batsman Conway had surgery on a thumb fracture sustained in February and has been unable to play any part in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season.

“Finn Allen’s in the nets here behind us at the moment so he’s tracking along nicely,” Stead told reporters at the team’s training camp at Mount Maunganui on Thursday.

“He’s still got a little bit of pain in his back but our plan this week is to progress them up and put more intensity through his training each day.

“Devon’s over at the IPL still and he is tracking nicely. He’s been wicketkeeping and batting in the nets on a regular basis.

“He’s back home at the end of the week. We’ll have a look at him early next week and make sure that that he’s good to go as well.”

New Zealand have lined up no warm-up matches before their World Cup Group C opener against Afghanistan in Georgetown, Guyana on June 7.

Stead said the squad has been training on three different surfaces at Bay Oval to prepare for the varying conditions they will encounter in the Caribbean and he thought most of the squad had been playing enough cricket.

“There’s a number of guys who’ve been in the IPL for the last two months and we’ve also recently come off the tour to Pakistan,” he added.

“There’s a lot of experience in the group, who have played in the Caribbean Premier League before, so we’ll be leaning on those guys and making sure the training we get in prior to the first game gets us to where we want to be.”

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Sunil Chhetri announces his retirement from international football

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Indian men’s football team captain announced his retirement from international football on Thursday.

Chhetri posted a video on his X account where he confirmed that India’s June 6 World Cup qualifier against Kuwait at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium will be his last game.

I’d like to say something… pic.twitter.com/xwXbDi95WV

— Sunil Chhetri (@chetrisunil11) May 16, 2024

The 39-year-old has made 145 appearances for India and netted 94 goals.    He is the fourth-highest goal-scorer in men’s international football, behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Ali Daei and Lionel Messi.

Chhetri made his debut for India in 2005 in an international friendly against India. The center-forward opened his goal-account for India on his debut when he netted a goal in the 65th minute.

Chhetri has been named India’s footballer of the year on seven different occasions. He won the AFC Challenger Cup in 2008. In 2018 and 2023 he lifted the Intercontinental Cup and has been a four-time winner (2011, 2015, 2021 and 2023) of the South Asian Championship.

The Secundrabad born footballer has been honoured with Arjuna Award in 2011, Padma Shri Award in 2019 and Khel Ratna Award in 2021, for his contribution to the Indian sports.

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Ahead of Paris Olympics 2024, Neeraj Chopra clinches gold in Federation Cup

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal in men’s javelin throw event of the Federation Cup here, his spear shimmering through the balmy Wednesday evening sky after an unusually slow start in his first competitive outing on Indian soil in three years. Having arrived in the city on the eve of his competition after finishing second in the Doha Diamond League, the 26-year-old superstar did not set the stage ablaze and was placed second after three rounds.

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Chopra, however, took the lead in the fourth round with an effort of 82.27m and did not take the last two throws (fifth and sixth) as he was leading after DP Manu, who settled for silver, had finished his final round throw. Chopra was representing Haryana. Manu of Karnataka came second with 82.06m effort, while Uttam Balasaheb Patil of Maharashtra was third with 78.39m. Local man and Asian Games silver medallist Kishore Jena finished fifth with a disappointing 75.49m. Jena had qualified for the Paris Olympics when he threw 87.54m for the Asian Games silver medal in Hangzhou, China last year.

Meanwhile, SS Sneha of Karnataka became the fastest woman of the meet, winning the 100m gold with a time of 11.63 seconds. Giridhrani Ravi of Tamil Nadu (11.67) and Srabani Nanda (11.76) of Odisha were second and third respectively. Gurindervir Singh of Punjab took the 100m dash gold with a time of 10.35 seconds. Odisha’s Animesh Kujur, who won 200m gold on Tuesday, was second in 10.50 while another Punjab athlete Harjit Singh was third in 10.56.

Apart from men’s javelin throw, the men’s triple jump was the other event which had almost all the country’s top athletes but the competition never rose to great heights. National record holder Praveen Chitravel of Tamil Nadu won gold with a below-par jump of 16.79m, while reigning Commonwealth Games champion Eldhose Paul of Kerala was second with an effort of 16.59m. Chopra last took part in a domestic tourney at the same event in March 2021, when he won a gold with a throw of 87.80m. Since then, Chopra has won a historic gold in the Tokyo Olympics, became Diamond League champion in 2022, world champion in 2023 and defended Asian Games gold in China.

He also won three individual legs of Diamond League and claimed a silver in the 2022 World Championships. He is, however, yet to touch the 90m mark. His personal best and national record is 89.94m.

His participation turned the tournament into a high-profile domestic competition and it was a huge morale booster for all the athletes present at the Kalinga Stadium with few of them posing for a photo with him after his event. Chopra, whose best throw is 89.94m, which is the men’s javelin national record in India, was seen having a chat with his coach after his fourth attempt, which was the best of the competition on the day. The champion athlete, who is hoping to defend his Olympic gold during the Paris Games, returned to India from Doha where he began his season with a second-place finish in the Diamond League with an impressive final round throw of 88.36m.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow