Monaco, July 11 (IANS) Just a few days to go before the Olympic Games in Paris, some of the top stars of track and field will gather at the Stade Louis II in Fontvieille here for the ninth meet of the 2024 Diamond League on Friday, hoping to test their skills before the mega event.

With the elite track and field event featuring several Paris 2024-bound athletes, competing in 14 Diamond disciplines, fans can expect some tough competitions before the year’s biggest sports extravaganza.

The focus will be on the men’s 400-metre hurdles event, which is expected to give viewers a taste of the Olympics finals, as it will see the three fastest runners in the discipline’s history compete in Monaco.

World record holder Karsten Warholm (Norway), 2022 Diamond League 400m hurdles champion Alison dos Santos (Brazil), and 2023 Diamond League 400m hurdles champion Rai Benjamin (United States) are set to battle it out in an eight-man field. The three have clocked the 15 fastest times in the discipline’s history and will meet for the first time since the 2023 Diamond League final where Benjamin emerged victorious.

Other track and field stars in action across disciplines feature Tokyo 2020 men’s 1500m gold medallist Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Norway), Tokyo 2020 men’s 110m hurdles gold medallist Hansle Parchment (Jamaica), and 2019 Diamond League women’s 100m winner Dina Asher-Smith (Great Britain) in a packed slate.

Diamond Disciplines at Monaco 2024:

Men: High jump, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 110m hurdles, 400m hurdles

Women: Javelin throw, Pole vault, Triple jump, 100m, 400m, 2000m, 5000m

The Diamond League 2024 will be held on Friday (July 12) at the Stade Louis II, Fontvieille, Monaco from 11:30 PM IST onwards.

The event will be live streamed in India on JioCinema and broadcast on TV by Sports18 – 1 (HD), Sports18 – 3.

–IANS

bsk/

Mumbai, July 11 (IANS) Amidst attempts by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to popularize the sport in India, the top officials of two of the biggest professional sports leagues met here on Thursday, giving rise to speculation of exchange of ideas and possible collaboration on some aspects.

The secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Jay Shah met the Deputy Commissioner of the National Basketball League (NBA), Mark Tatum here on Thursday, to share knowledge with the BCCI official claiming that exciting times are ahead for the NBA and BCCI.

“Had a fantastic meeting with Mark Tatum, the NBA Deputy Commissioner. It was great meeting you, Mark, and sharing knowledge. Exciting times ahead for the @NBA and @BCCI!” wrote Shah in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

He also shared a photograph of him and Tatum standing alongside a trophy with an NBA backdrop, probably shot at the NBA office in Mumbai.

Shah did not elaborate on what kind of knowledge they shared or what “exciting” times the two organisations are looking forward to in the future.

However, it is a fact that the BCCI’s flagship Indian Premier League (IPL) is loosely modeled on the NBA, which is one of the most prestigious professional leagues in sports featuring a total of 29 teams from the USA and one from Canada. It is held in two Conferences and a few Divisions in each and the top eight from each group qualify for the Playoffs.

IPL in contrast has only 10 teams and if the BCCI wants to expand it, it may have to consider something like a two-division system.

Another thing that the IPL can pick from the NBA will be their highly successful centralised marketing and merchandising system.

–IANS

bsk/

New Delhi, July 11 (IANS) Defending champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant and their archrivals East Bengal FC, the two finalists from the previous edition, have been drawn together in the same group as the group stage draw for the upcoming Durand Cup 2024 was unveiled on Thursday.

The 24 teams from the ISL, I-League, international teams, and teams from the Armed Forces will fight it out in Asia’s oldest football tournament, scheduled to commence on July 27.

Notably, international teams will also feature with Nepal’s Tribhuvan Army FC and Bangladesh Army Football Team, both returning from the previous edition.

This year, Jamshedpur and Shillong join Kokrajhar and Kolkata as host cities, with each hosting group stage fixtures. Kolkata, the main venue, will host three groups, while Jamshedpur, Shillong, and Kokrajhar will each host one group.

The tournament will follow a round-robin league format with knockout stages, culminating in the final at Kolkata’s Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan. In total, 43 matches will be played and the top teams from each group, along with the two best second-placed teams, will advance to the knockout phase.

Here are the groups for Durand Cup 2024:

Group A (Kolkata): Mohun Bagan SG, East Bengal FC, Indian Air Force FT, Downtown Heroes FC

Group B (Kolkata): Bengaluru FC, Inter Kashi FC, Indian Navy FT, Mohammedan SC

Group C (Kolkata): Kerala Blasters FC, Mumbai City FC, Punjab FC, CISF Protectors FT

Group D (Jamshedpur): Jamshedpur FC, Chennaiyin FC, Indian Army FT, Bangladesh Army FT

Group E (Kokrajhar): Odisha FC, NorthEast United FC, Bodoland FC, BSF FT

Group F (Shillong): FC Goa, Hyderabad FC, Shillong Lajong FC, Tribhuvan Army FC

–IANS

ab/bsk/

New Delhi, July 11 (IANS) Pallekele and Colombo have been named as the venues to host the T20Is and ODIs during India’s upcoming tour, said Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) while announcing the itinerary of the white-ball series on Wednesday. As per the schedule, India will arrive in Sri Lanka on July 22. The tour begins with the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium hosting back-to-back T20Is on July 26 and 27, followed by the series-ending game on July 29.

The scene then shifts to Colombo with the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium hosting three ODIs on August 1, 4, and 7 respectively. India last toured Sri Lanka for a white-ball series in July 2021, where Rahul Dravid stepped in as the head coach, while Shikhar Dhawan was the captain.

Despite the absence of main players and support staff due to them being busy with preparation for the Test series in England, India won the ODI series 2-1 while Sri Lanka emerged victorious in T20Is by the same margin.

This will be the first series for both India and Sri Lanka with new head coaches at the helm. SLC had named Sanath Jayasuriya as the side’s interim head coach, following the exit of Chris Silverwood post a group-stage elimination from the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup.

India, on the other hand, have appointed Gautam Gambhir as India’s new head coach, following Dravid’s tenure ending with the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph in the West Indies last month. While Sri Lanka’s players have been playing LPL 2024, a youthful Indian team are currently in Zimbabwe for a five-match T20I series ending on July 14.

–IANS

nr/bsk/

New Delhi, July 11 (IANS) With Gautam Gambhir assuming the role of head coach, he inherits a formidable India men’s team that recently secured victory in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 and made notable runners-up appearances in the 2023 ODI World Cup and World Test Championship. As he embarks on his stint until 2027, Gambhir faces a multitude of challenges.

The first challenge Gambhir faces is to find his footing and build camaraderie in a dressing room with players he was previously teammates with -– like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli among others. Rajat Bhatia, the former all-rounder for Delhi and Kolkata Knight Riders, believes Gambhir’s ability to support players and everyone associated with the team will be advantageous for him.

“He backs not only the players but also the coaching staff. That is one of the reasons why KKR won –- they had a good side and there is no doubt about that. Chandrakant Pandit and Abhishek Nayar are very good coaches and they already were doing their part in a very decent manner.”

“But I think Gautam Gambhir was one of the missing links which they required. He’s the kind of guy who normally can make decisions and back his own team. Before the start of IPL 2024, I predicted that he is going to make Sunil Narine open again because that is the same formula he used in 2014. So, he believes one of the formulas applied before can give him a correct answer, and that is what he is going to apply again and again,” says Bhatia to IANS.

Gambhir’s route to becoming the head coach of the Indian team has involved taking on mentorship roles in the IPL, despite lacking substantial coaching experience beforehand. This was also the case for Ravi Shastri and Anil Kumble when they were appointed to the top job in the Indian team.

Under Gambhir’s mentorship, Lucknow Super Giants entered playoffs in consecutive seasons. He then switched to mentoring Kolkata Knight Riders — the team he led to two IPL titles — and got them the trophy in May.

Though Bhatia admits to being a little bit concerned about Gambhir’s lack of coaching roles beyond being the mentor of LSG and KKR respectively, at the same time, he feels the two-time World Cup winner can switch seamlessly from a mentor to head coach.

“Now, a different name is being given to this kind of job. If you normally see, a mentor and coach are very similar now. You just need your staff – like a batting coach or an assistant coach. Already you get so much of staff and it would be right to call that he is a mentor plus coach of the Indian cricket team now.”

“He’s a guy who has already played for India for so many years and has really performed well in the two white-ball World Cup finals. I always feel he can make an optimistic transition to coaching, as it’s not like he is not having any kind of experience before.”

“He did this mentorship for two IPL teams. Just a few months back, KKR became an IPL champion. So, he’s in a positive frame of mind in going into the Indian team as a coach. It will definitely help him; so, let’s hope for the best, that’s what I can say.”

Gambhir’s tenure will also involve managing the transition between different formats of the game for the Indian team. The retirements of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja mark the initiation of the transition in T20Is.

The Test setup underwent incremental changes after the series against the West Indies last year, and there are plans for more substantial transitions post the World Test Championship final in 2025. India’s ODI side will also undergo a transition once the 2025 Champions Trophy concludes.

Besides the transitions, Gambhir will also need to juggle the workload of several crucial players and effectively prepare for the five-match Test tours of Australia (later this year) and England (next year).

“He has to take these challenges head-on because we just won a T20 World Cup when Rahul Dravid was there. So, definitely, it is going to be a challenge for him to maintain that kind of standard and that is the most difficult part.”

“You can become a champion, but to stay like a champion is much more difficult, like how West Indies and Australia ruled international cricket. So, it is going to be a challenge for him to keep that standard on,” adds Bhatia.

There have been reports suggesting Abhishek Nayar, R. Vinay Kumar, Lakshmipathy Balaji, and Ryan ten Doeschate are in consideration for joining Gambhir’s support staff, something which doesn’t surprise Bhatia.

“There are many things that Gautam Gambhir would like to have. Like, he believes in his own people. He has that kind of trust in those guys and he will bring them into the system.”

“I am not too sure who all can get in, as BCCI will have theirs’ and his say too. But if he wants his own people into the system, then why not, because that’s what you want, right? That’s one reason why they have got a guy who normally believes in his system and theories,” stated Bhatia.

It remains to be seen how Gambhir will handle the various challenges as he begins a new chapter with the Indian team, this time as the head coach. How he overcomes these challenges during his tenure will heavily influence the future triumphs and destiny of the Indian team.

–IANS

nr/bsk/