Kolkata, July 6 (IANS) Head Coach Chaoba Devi announced a 23-member squad, who will travel to Myanmar for the two FIFA-friendly matches. The Blue Tigresses will play against hosts Myanmar on July 9 and 12, respectively.

“My team is a mix of senior and junior players. I am satisfied with the combination of the squad. After playing Uzbekistan last month, we started our National camp within the next 10 days. All the players are fit, which is a good sign. They didn’t want to relax, they were undergoing intense training at their respective clubs,” said coach Devi.

The Blue Tigresses were last seen in action during the tour of Uzbekistan for two friendly matches against the hosts on May 31 and June 4. They lost one match and drew the second one. Coach Chaoba is aware of the areas that needed more work and said, “As a coach, after Turkey and Uzbekistan, we were facing problems in defending aerial balls. We were trying to improve in this area in the camp.

“We trained at the National Centre of Excellence in Kolkata for two weeks and played two practice matches. Those matches proved to be good. We also used young players in the starting eleven. They gave their full efforts and fought to keep their positions. There are healthy competitions among the players to be in the starting XI. We need some youngsters who can run and face difficult situations, like Mousumi Murmur and Aruna Bag. I am happy they have improved a lot in a short time,” the coach said

“We played with Uzbekistan last month which was also a higher-ranked team. Playing against higher ranked teams benefits our players as they can have intense matches and get ready to play in big tournaments. In the first match, we lost badly. All of us found it unacceptable. The girls gave their hundred per cent, and we drew the second match. The girls have the potential, and we are trying to get the best out of them,” she said.

India are currently 67th in the FIFA Rankings, while Myanmar are 54th. The Indian women’s team played five matches between February to May.

India will naturally benefit from playing two higher-ranked teams in two months, the coach said, “Ranking does matter. The federation is also trying to arrange for more exposure tours. If we play more such games, the team will improve. We need to play quality games.”

“A well laid out plan should be there. We need to inform the girls well in time to keep them prepared. There is a lot of activity going on around Indian women’s football, and we need future players. We have scouted talents from IWL and IWL 2. We coaches can get the best of the talents and select the best ones,” Chaoba added.

Th 23-member squad for Myanmar friendlies:

Goalkeepers: Shreya Hooda, Elangbam Panthoi Chanu, Maibam Linthoingambi Devi.

Defenders: Loitongbam Ashalata Devi,Hemam Shilky Devi, Sanju,Wangkhem Linthoingambi Devi, Aruna Bag.

Midfielders: Naorem Priyangka Devi, Sangita Basfore, Karthika Angamuthu, Neha, Nongmaithem Ratanbala Devi, Mousumi Murmu.

Forwards: Kajol Hubert Dsouza, Anju Tamang, Soumya Guguloth, Sandhiya Ranganathan, Karishma Purushottam Shirvoikar, Lynda Kom Serto, Pyari Xaxa, Jyoti, Rimpa Haldar.

–IANS

aaa/

London, July 6 (IANS) West Ham United have announced the signing of Wolverhampton Wanderers central defender Maximilian Kilman.

The 27-year-old has put pen to paper on a seven-year contract at London Stadium after spending six hugely successful years at Molineux, where he played under new Hammers head coach Julen Lopetegui and was named captain last year.

“It’s an amazing feeling to be a West Ham United player. As soon as I was aware of the interest from the Club, it was an opportunity I was keen to pursue, so I couldn’t be more delighted to be here,” said Kilman to the West Ham media team.

Possessing plenty of Premier League experience, Kilman has forged a strong reputation as a hugely talented and reliable defender with more than 150 appearances at Wolves, where he played his part in their run to the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals in 2019/20.

“I really enjoyed working with Julen during his time at Wolves – he’s a top-class coach and someone I learned a lot from, and I am confident I will continue to improve as a player under his management here,” added the 27-year-old.

Having started his career at non-league Maidenhead United, where he was managed by Hammers legend Alan Devonshire, Kilman has thrived ever since moving up to the top flight with his August 2018 move to the Midlands, and is now thrilled to be taking the next step of his career in east London.

“Having spoken at length to both Julen and Tim [Steidten], I was hugely encouraged about the ambition of the Club and their plans for the future. They want to make a big noise here at West Ham and as a new player coming in, that’s an incredible thing to hear,” concluded Kilman.

–IANS

aaa/

Calgary (Canada), July 6 (IANS) Indian shuttler Priyanshu Rajawat knocked out world no. 4 Anders Antonsen in the quarter-final of the Canada Open to advance to the semifinals.

Rajawat outclassed Antonsen 21-11, 17-21, 21-19 in a competitive one-hour and 19-minute quarterfinal on Friday night (IST). It was also his first win over a top-10 ranked player. He will now lock horns with France’s Alex Lanier in his second World Tour Super 500 semifinal.

In the first game, the 22-year-old Indian shuttler took a 7-4 lead against Antonsen before the score was tied at 9-9. Following that, Rajawat took five straight points to reclaim the lead. The Danish made a valiant effort to rally, but Rajawat eventually won the opening game with seven straight points.

The second game saw Antonsen proving his class with a strong comeback. Rajawat matched the competitiveness of his opponent with a 17-17 score before Antonsen unleashed his true potential with four consecutive points to take the match to a decider.

Rajawat led the final game 5-1 at one point, but Antonsen answered with six straight points to lead the game at 7-5. Although Rajawat made a spirited comeback, earning three points, the seasoned Dane led by just a slim margin at the mid-game break, 11–10. It was a close battle between the two players until Rajawat closed the gap with back-to-back points at 19-19 to win the match.

Rajawat continued his stellar run in the tournament with another win over a higher-ranked opponent. Earlier, he defeated world number 24 Rasmus Gemke of Denmark and Japan’s Takuma Obayashi, ranked 33rd in the previous matches.

He remains the sole Indian in the competition after the women’s doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand made a quarterfinal exit. The third-seeded Indians lost to Chinese Taipei’s Pei Shan Hsieh and En-Tzu Hung 18-21, 21-19, 16-21 in the quarterfinal.

–IANS

ab/

Vadodara, July 6 (IANS) Corbett FC and Golazo FC will contest the final of the third edition of the AIFF Futsal Club Championship 2023-24 at the Swarnim Gujarat Sports University on Sunday.

With both teams marking their first-ever appearance in the tournament this season, a new champions will be crowned for the third time in a row. Corbett FC thrashed the inaugural champions Delhi FC 11-1 in the quarter-finals, before winning 6-5 in the semi-final against Ambelim SC.

Golazo FC, hailing from Himachal Pradesh, have had an utterly dominant campaign so far, conceding just five goals in as many matches, while scoring 39. They were somewhat made to work against FC Thyristor in the semi-final as they came from 1-2 down to win 5-3.

A goal-laden final could be on the cards as both teams have displayed high-speed attacking futsal in the tournament so far, scoring at least five goals in each of their matches.

Corbett FC topped Group A, easing past the likes of Nyenshen FC, Millat FC, Sports Odisha and Classic Football Academy. However, the defence is a bit of a concern for Mohammed Rizwan’s side as they’ve kept only two clean sheets and conceded 14 goals.

They survived a late scare by Ambelim on Friday as their comfortable 6-2 lead was slashed to 6-5 in a matter of minutes, however, the Uttarakhand side held on for the win ultimately.

Golazo FC topped Group D against Casa Barwani SC, Delhi FC and JCT Football Academy, registering the highest goal difference of any side in the competition group stage at +24.

They are coached by the highly experienced Joshuah Vaz, who made history last year by becoming the first-ever Indian national futsal team coach, partaking in the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Qualifiers.

With the two finalists being the free-scorers of the tournament so far, it is no surprise that the Golden Boot race is also led by their protagonists. PC Lalruatsanga of Corbett FC currently leads the chart with 15 goals, while Golazo FC’s Stephen Satarkar is close behind at 13. The final will not only be the opportunity to help their club become champions, but also hunt the individual prize.

However, there’s no doubt that with these two teams on the pitch, goals can come from anybody’s boots. The likes of Pratik Swami, Malsawmtluanga Pautu, Lalbiakzuala and Aaron Dcosta for Corbett FC, and Clinton Rosario D’Souza, Lalsangkima, Sachin Patil and Jayesh Sutar for Golazo FC have chipped in with goals at crucial moments throughout the tournament so far, and will eye for more in the all-important final.

–IANS

aaa/

New Delhi, July 6 (IANS) Rahul Dravid, the outgoing India men’s head coach, said he will miss the connections forged with veterans Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the national set-up. Dravid had said before the start of India’s T20 World Cup campaign that it would be his last tournament as the head coach.

The former Indian skipper got to sign off from his two-and-a-half-year coaching stint on a high as India won the T20 World Cup for the second time with a thrilling seven-run win over South Africa at the Kensington Oval on June 29.

“Someone like Virat (Kohli). Just a couple of series with him as a captain and just a couple of Test matches, but I was getting to know him as well, just to see how he goes about his business and the professionalism that he continues to display, his desire to improve and get better. It’s been fascinating for me to watch.”

“I have really enjoyed working with Rohit (Sharma). He is someone whom I knew as a young boy and I just to grow him as a person and grow as a leader in Indian cricket and what someone like him wanted to contribute to the team over the last 10-12 years, both as a player and now as a leader. It’s been a real tribute to him and the effort and time that he has put in.”

“I have really enjoyed seeing his commitment and care to the team just to try and get the environment right where everyone feels safe, enjoys themselves while it’s a very competitive and professional environment. It’s something I’ll miss, as well as some of his connections and with Rohit,” said Dravid in a video posted on bcci.tv.

Dravid also delved into why results are secondary to him in his coaching career. “As a coach at the end of the day my job is to help the captain deliver his vision, his philosophy of how he wants the team to play. I don’t really like talking more about results. Yes results are important. I am in a business that runs on results.”

“I think results are the factor of many things. When you are constantly rotating players and the kind of number of players you will have to play in spite of that the kind of results we got in these past months have given me more satisfaction,” he added.

Dravid further opened up on his coaching philosophy and why he is a firm believer in coaching being more about creating a safe environment instead of running after results. “I like to believe that coaching is not just about coaching cricket. This is about building connections with the people and creating right environment that allows for success.”

“I feel that I am a part of the team whose responsibility is to create the right professional, safe, secure environment that really doesn’t have fear of failure as such but its challenging enough to push people. That is always been my endeavour to try and create that atmosphere.”

“I am someone who likes continuity in life. I don’t like chopping and changing too many things because I think that creates a lot of instability and doesn’t create a very good environment. The vision of course is to win a cricket game. You try to win as much as you can. But I always look back to the fact that what is it that leads to the winning?”

“How do you win more games? What is the process required to win more games? For me the vision was to get that process right. Ticking all those boxes. How do you challenge the players enough? How do you practice enough, how do you well prepare tactically and technically?”

“Are we supporting the players in the right way? These are the things I wanted to tick before going on to the winning. Hopefully, if we would do most of these things, winning will take care of itself,” he concluded.

–IANS

nr/