Sports
CLOSE-IN: Is the Indian team ready to win T20 World Cup? (IANS Column)
The Indian Premier League final was a timid affair. Kolkata Knight Riders out-performed Sunrisers Hyderabad to lift the trophy in style. The Shreyas Iyer captained outfit had all its boxes ticked perfectly well. An ideal start to a brilliant exhibition of swing and pace bowling by Mitchell Starc and Vaibhav Arora had the Hyderabad side gasping for air in the power-play itself. A tame finish to a wonderful tournament!
The IPL was a perfect precursor to the T20 World Cup’24 for the millions of fans and followers of Indian cricket. The question that is on the minds of each one of them is, “Is the Indian team ready to win it?”
This itself is a million-dollar question, as the uncertainty that prevails in a T20 cricket encounter makes it impossible to predict.
The Indian team heads the T20 ICC rating chart, however, the performance of not winning a major trophy for a decade or more does put a huge question mark on them. One feels that this World Cup may be the one that will end the voodoo that is attached to an Indian win. After all, one cannot keep a good side down for too long.
The IPL has been a brilliant platform for the Indian players to physically and mentally prepare for the T20 format. The game’s shortest version requires a cricketer to think, play and strategise very differently. This, therefore, requires the batter and bowler to skill themselves and approach the game more aggressively and positively. Fortunately, every Indian player has had a fair amount of T20 matches under their belt and this itself augurs well in their preparation.
The Indian team has a superbly proven batting lineup and a bowling combination of both good pace and spin options. This World Cup could be the last in which several of the present Indian cricket stalwarts play. Many of them have a “Monkey on their back” and that is to prove to the cricketing world and their fans that they are far from being branded as “chokers”. One feels that the fear of failure which earlier was a heavy burden around their neck may just be put to rest this time around.
The cricketing world recognises the extraordinary talent and capabilities that the Indian side possesses. It just needs that element of luck, mental strengthening and self-belief to perform to their immense capabilities. This is where coach Rahul Dravid and his support staff play a major role.
This seems to be the last attempt for an ICC tournament win for Dravid as well and knowing his resilience and determination, he definitely will like to go with his head held high.
One feels that the Indian team is all set and ready for the fray. The niggling issues could be the form of some of their players. Each of the chosen players have, if not at present, performed admirably in the past. The wearing of the Indian colours on a World Cup stage itself brings in responsibility and pride that can never be compared. It is how this passion and patriotism can be effectively channelised that counts.
Apart from just 4 of the Indian players, all the others have played a T20 World Cup previously. Rohit Sharma, the captain, has been there from the very inception of the tournament in 2007 when India won. He was a part of that historic Indian win and for him to do so once again after 17 long years would truly be a dream come true.
There will be immense pressure on 2 of India’s superstars, Virat Kohli the batsman and Jasprit Bumrah the bowler. Both are among the best in the world in their trade and one whom every opposition would hope to see the back of. India will need them to shine as they are the destructive weapons that could single-handedly win the trophy.
For India to have two such potent individuals, is one of the reasons why India finds itself at the top of the charts.
The area in which India needs to step up is in catching and fielding. Ravindra Jadeja and Virat Kohli are the 2 exceptions, however, India have far too many slow movers to factor in and shield. This is what could become India’s Achilles heel in their quest to win the trophy.
The T20 format needs agile and fast movers on the field and players who are confident and safe when the catch comes their way. To master it, players need to take as many catches and fielding drills as possible during the practice sessions. Watching the Indian team in their first practice session in the United States, one saw they were busy playing football and other such sports to acclimatise themselves. One feels that a fun-based fielding session would have been far more useful for them going forward. They are there, to play cricket and not to copy a Messi kick. One does not see a World Cup football side playing cricket or any other sport in the build-up to a major tournament. A World Cup is a serious affair.
There are several cricket-related games for team building as well as recreational enjoyment. Many improve one’s reflexes, agility, movement and hand and eye coordination. Similarly, improving one’s thought process by simulating and learning past situations and how to combat them effectively could be far more important for them. These activities would be time well spent rather than a fruitless exercise.
One wishes that the Indian team and the wise men behind them focus on just one goal: to win and bring the trophy back for all to rejoice.
Best of luck India!
(Yajurvindra Singh is a former India cricketer. The views expressed are personal.)
–IANS
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Pallekele (Sri Lanka), July 31 (IANS) Rinku Singh and Suryakumar Yadav’s late bowling efforts combined with Washington Sunder’s Super Over show helped India beat Sri Lanka in the third T20I at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium here to sweep the series 3-0 on Tuesday.
Chasing a below-par 138, the hosts had a brilliant start with openers Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis raising a 58-run partnership for the first wicket. Spinner Ravi Bishnoi broke the opening stand in the ninth over. Kusal Perera joined Mendis in the middle and stitched another big partnership of 52 runs to lay the foundation for a comfortable win. However, Bishnoi once again gave the hosts a jolt by removing Mendis (43) in the 16th over.
At that time, Sri Lanka needed 28 runs off 28 balls. But things took a left turn for the hosts as their batting faltered agonisingly and were reduced to 132/6 in 19 overs. Rinku Singh bagged two wickets including the scalp of Perera (46) in the penultimate over of the innings which was his first of the match.
In the final over, surprisingly Suryakumar came on to defend six runs off six balls. Astonishingly, he did wonders and restricted Sri Lanka to 137/8, the exact total that India posted to tie the match.
The match went into the Super Over in which Washington Sundar dismissed both Kusal Perera and Pathum Nissanka to restrict Sri Lanka to 2/2 in 0.3 overs.
In reply, Suryakumar hit a boundary of the first ball off Maheesh Theekshana’s Super Over to stay unbeaten in the series.
Earlier, Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal started things for the visiting side with the former returning to the side after missing the second game. India had a miserable start to the innings with Theekshana drawing first blood for his side with the scalp of Jaiswal (10) in the second over.
Sanju Samson, who replaced Rishabh Pant in the match, came to bat at No. 3 but his stay did not last long in the middle as he was sent back to the pavilion for a four-ball duck by Chamindu Wickramasinghe in the next over.
Rinku Singh (1) and captain Suryakumar Yadav’s (8) early dismissals inside the Power-play added further misery to India’s batting line-up. India were reeling at 30/4 in 5.4 overs. Mendis removed Shivam Dube (13) in the ninth over to further dent India’s hopes of rebuilding the innings.
However, the 54-run partnership between Gill and Riyan Parag proved vital for the visitors as the duo steered the side to the 100-run mark and gave them respite in the middle overs. Wanindu Hasaranga broke the stand in the 16th over by snatching the wickets of both set batters — Gill (39) and Parag (26) — in his final over of the spell. He finished with the figures of 2-29 in his allotted quota of overs.
In the end, Washington Sundar and Ravi Bishnoi added some crucial runs to the scoreboard before the former lost his wicket in the last over of the innings. He played a knock of 25 runs off 18 balls including two fours and a six while Bishnoi stayed unbeaten for eight runs.
For Sri Lanka, Theekshana bagged three scalps in his four overs to finish with best figures for the home side.
India have rested four players — Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh and Pant — for the match with an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.
Both teams will now lock horns in the three-match ODI series, starting on August 2 in Colombo.
Brief scores: India 137/9 in 20 overs (Shubman Gill 39, Riyan Parag 26; Wanindu Hasaranga 2-29, Maheesh Theekshana 3-28) against Sri Lanka 137/8 in 20 overs (Kusal Mendis 43, Kusal Perera 46; Rinku Singh 2-3, Suryakumar Yadav 2-5).
Super Over
Sri Lanka: 2/2 in 0.3 over
India: 4/0 in 0.1 over
–IANS
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Paris, July 31 (IANS) India continued to have mixed results in Olympic Games archery fields as top male archer Dhiraj Bommadevara made it to the Round of 32 with a 7-1 win against Czechia’s Adam Li here on Tuesday. After Bhajan Kaur won her match to reach pre-quarters and Ankita Bhakat lost in the Women’s Individual Competition, Bommadevara’s victory kept alive India’s hopes of a medal following the disappointing performance in the Team Competition.
The 22-year-old Bommadevara, who finished fourth in the ranking round, showed good form at the Les Invalides on Tuesday as he won his opening match. Bouncing back from Monday’s disappointing defeat in the men’s team event, Bommadevara hit 10s on seven of his 12 shots against Olympic debutant Adam Li.
Bommadevara will be next up against Canada’s Eric Peters, a former Youth Olympics bronze medallist, in the men’s Individual Round of 32 match.
Earlier, Bhajan Kaur dominated Poland’s Wioleta Myszor in straight sets in the Round of 16 Elimination Round to register a 6-0 victory and reach the pre-quarterfinals. World Ranked 45, Bhajan Kaur scored 28, 29, 28 in the three sets to confirm her qualification to the next round. Myszor was not able to find her footing in the match as she struggled with scores of 23, 26, and 22 with only one shot in the inner-10 circle.
However, Ankita Bhakat’s defeat on Tuesday spread some disappointment in the camp as she was eliminated just moments before Kaur’s match.
Despite being just one set away from victory whilst possessing a 4-2 lead, Ankita lost the final two sets and missed out on qualifying for the next stage with a 4-6 loss against Poland’s Wioleta Myszor.
–IANS
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New Delhi, July 30 (IANS) Indian Super League (ISL) teams Punjab FC and NorthEast United started their respective campaigns in Durand Cup 2024 on a positive note, registering solid wins. Punjab defeated CISF Protectors 3-0 in Kolkata while NorthEast United handed Bodoland FC a 2-0 defeat in an all-Assam derby at the SAI Stadium in Kokrajhar.
A couple of strikes from Punjab FC’s star Slovenian striker Luka Majcen, and a late penalty from Vinit Rai, were enough for the Shers to put it across the CISF Protectors, in Group C’s opening game of the ongoing Durand Cup at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan.
Punjab were dominant throughout and never looked like conceding, however, they were also wasteful, which their new Greek coach Panagiotis Dilmperis, will look to improve upon as the tournament progresses.
Majcen finally broke through in the 30th minute, latching on to a ball from Nikhil Prabhu, who also had a brilliant game, and driving through a wide gap in the centre of the CISF defence to power a left-footer past Mahato into the left-bottom corner. That would remain the only goal of the first half.
Majcen’s second goal of the game came just ahead of the hour mark and Nikhil Prabhu was involved again as his chip found Filip Mrzljak’s run on the right wing. The Croatian midfielder delivered a low cross and Majcen’s first-time strike did make Mahato get a hand on it, but he was unable to keep it out.
Then in the 75th minute, Punjab substitute Ranjeet Pandre was brought down inside the box by Mahato and Vinit Rai wrong-footed the keeper confidently to make it 3-0 and three points safely in the bag for Punjab.
Earlier in the day, two second-half goals by Jithin M.S and Ankith Padmanabhan ensured NorthEast United secured all three points against Bodoland FC in the opening match of Group E at the SAI Stadium in Kokrajhar.
The first half was evenly poised with both teams showing some intent while attacking, but it was NorthEast who had the better chances.
The Highlanders did score twice but the goals were chalked off for a handball inside the box and the second one for offside. NorthEast United came off the blocks firing on all cylinders and scored within four minutes in the second half.
Jithin M.S. received the ball on the left wing and sidestepped his marker to finish expertly past the on-rushing keeper. NorthEast controlled the match thereafter as Bodoland’s attack fizzled out giving the ISL side complete control.
NorthEast put the match in the bag in injury time through a flowing counterattack. Phalguni Singh received a through ball in the left wing and the forward found Ankith Padmanabhan inside the box, who chipped the onrushing keeper smartly to give all three points to the Highlanders and the bragging rights in the all-Assam derby
On Wednesday, Chennaiyin FC will start their campaign against the Indian Army Football Team in a Group D encounter at the JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur. In the second match of the day, former champions Bengaluru FC will face Indian Navy Football in a Group B encounter at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata.
–IANS
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Paris, July 30 (IANS) Japan bagged gold medals in Judo, Skateboarding, and Fencing to add to the one in Artistic Gymnastics as it maintained its position atop the medal tally at the Olympics here on Tuesday. Japan has so far won three gold medals in Judo taking their told medal count to seven and a total medal haul of 13.
China was following close behind with six gold medals maintaining their upper hand in shooting and diving. They have also six silver and two bronze medals for a total count of 14 medals.
Hosts France continued to surprise, placed in third position after picking gold medals in Canoe Slalom and Cycling (Mountain Bike).
Despite winning their second medal — a bronze that came via Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh, India slipped to 31st position in the table.
MEDAL TALLY
Top 5 and India:
Nation G S B T
1) Japan 7 2 4 13
2) China 6 6 2 14
3) France 5 8 4 17
4) Australia 5 4 0 9
5) S. Korea 5 3 3 11
31) India 0 0 2 2
–IANS
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Paris, July 30 (IANS) India’s Jaismine Lamboria was eliminated after losing 0-5 against Philippine boxer Nesthy Petecio who won on points in the opening round of the 57kg women’s category ending her campaign. The five judges called the bout as 27-30, 27-30, 27-30, 28-29 and 28-29 in favour of the Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Petecio.
Despite Jaismine possessing the height advantage on her opponent, she looked a bit static throughout the fight with Nesthy using her speed and agility to her advantage. Jasmine tried her best to go in for the knockout in the final moments of the bout but was not able to connect against the experienced fighter.
Earlier in the day, Asian Games bronze medalist Amit Panghal was knocked out of the Paris Olympics after losing to Africa Games champion Zambia’s Patrick Chinyemba 1-4 in the 51kg.
Preeti Pawar will face Colombia’s Yeni Marcela Arias in the Women’s 54kg Round of 16 match later on Tuesday night. She will be hoping to make a deep run in the tournament and aim to achieve India’s fourth-ever medal in boxing after Vijender Singh (bronze in 2008 Beijing), Mary Kom (bronze in 2012 London) and Lovlina Borgohain (bronze in 2020 Tokyo)
–IANS
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