New Delhi, July 5 (IANS) Atiqa Mir, the 9-year-old racing sensation who is the fastest Indian girl on four-wheels, has been shortlisted for the first-ever selection process of the cult Switzerland-based all-women motorsports team Iron Dames’s new Young Talents initiative. The initiative aims to identify and develop young female kart racers between the ages of eight and 13, who dream of a career in motorsport.

The date for the first selection round has been fixed for July 29-30 in Franciacorta, Italy. Atiqa is the only Asian karter and also the youngest to be shortlisted among 11 girls from all around the world.

The Iron Dames achieved historic victories and breakthroughs at the pinnacle of World Endurance Racing, including becoming the first all-female team to win a race in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2023. The Young Talents initiative will represent the next generation of female racing stars from their stables.

“I’m truly honoured to be shortlisted for the Iron Dames Young Talent selection process. It motivates me further to perform and improve my skills as a driver. I will work hard and prepare myself better than ever to come out on top in the selections and make India proud,” said Atiqa.

Atiqa was selected from a long list of applicants from all over the world who were shortlisted based on various parameters. Each entry was meticulously reviewed by the Iron Dames detection cell, which assessed the candidates based on their passion, determination, motorsport background, and the strength of their career aspirations.

The selected participants represent a diverse range of nationalities, reflecting the global reach and inclusive spirit of the Iron Dames project.

All the shortlisted candidates will be evaluated through rigorous scouting events, which include parameters like their driving skills, commitment, work ethic, and ability to reflect the Iron Dames’ values and attitude.

“Atiqa is a regular participant in our MECO FMSCI National Karting Championship — Rotax Max. We congratulate her on this achievement and wish her the very best for the selection rounds,” said V.S Shrikant, Deputy Secretary General of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India.

The evaluation will be conducted with the support of experts from the Italy-based PREMA Racing motorsport team. Exceptional talents discovered through this process will have the opportunity to join the Iron Dames family, benefiting from personalized development programmes, mentorship from seasoned motorsport professionals, and access to top-tier training facilities.

Atiqa is the reigning IAME UAE National Vice-Champion and also has multiple victories and titles to her name in different parts of the world. Atiqa recently competed in the MECO RMC Indian National Karting Championship and finished Runner-up in Round 1. Atiqa will be in India again this weekend driving for MSPORT in Round 2 at MECO Kartopia Track in Bengaluru.

–IANS

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Mumbai, July 5 (IANS) The Indian cricket fans showed up in huge numbers for a massive crowd at the Marine Drive here for an opportunity to see the T20 World Cup-winning side during the Victory Parade on an open-top bus. Following the successful conduct of the event, BCCI Honorary Secretary Jay Shah took to social media to thank the brilliant work done by the Mumbai Police in helping to carry out the momentous occasion.

“I extend my deepest respect and heartfelt gratitude to all the officers and staff of @MumbaiPolice and @CPMumbaiPolice for their exemplary performance during Team India’s Victory Parade. Your unwavering dedication, meticulous planning, and tireless efforts ensured the safety and smooth execution of the event. Your service to the nation is profoundly appreciated. Jai Hind!” read the post by Jay Shah on X.

Shah has been travelling with Team India and helped the winners, who were stuck in Barbados, charter a flight to New Delhi where the team stopped to have an interaction with the Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

However, Jay Shah is not the only one to have acknowledged the great work done by the police force as Virat Kohli had earlier taken to Instagram to thank the forces.

“Deep respect and heartfelt thanks to all the officers and staff of @MumbaiPolice & @CPMumbaiPolice for doing a phenomenal job during Team India’s Victory Parade. Your dedication and service are highly appreciated. Jai Hind !” read the caption of the post by Virat Kohli on Instagram.

–IANS

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Mohali, July 5 (IANS) Punjab FC have announced the signing of midfielder Vinit Rai and goalkeeper Muheet Shabir ahead of the upcoming 2024–25 season. The Indian international Vinit Rai last played for Indian Super League (ISL) Cup winners Mumbai City FC while Muheet played for I-League side Real Kashmir FC.

The 26-year-old Assam-born Vinit graduated from the Tata Football Academy before signing for Dempo FC in Goa. He was signed by Kerala Blasters ahead of the 2016-17 ISL season and then joined Odisha FC in 2017. He made 68 appearances for the team, scoring once and captaining the side.

He later joined Mumbai City FC on loan in the 2022 season and was signed permanently in the next season. Vinit also has 11 caps for the National side, making his debut in 2018.

Vinit will be instrumental in linking the play between the defense and the forward lines and possesses a wide range of passing. His experience will be vital for the Club’s performance in their second season in the ISL. Punjab FC became the first team to get promoted to the ISL from I-League.

Muheet Shabir made 23 appearances for Real Kashmir in the I-League, keeping 12 clean sheets, the highest in the league. The 22-year-old from Srinagar started his career with the J&K Sports Council Football Academy and later signed for Kerala Blasters. He played for Downtown Heroes FC in the 2023 Durand Cup and later for Real Kashmir in the I-League.

Speaking about the signing of a Technical Director of Punjab FC, Nikolaos Topoliatis said, “We are happy to have signed both Vinit and Muheet to our side for the upcoming season. Vinit is a vastly experienced and dynamic midfielder who will add weight to the side. Muheet is an exciting young goalkeeper who will be a great asset to the team. Both players will have a vital role to play in the upcoming season.”

–IANS

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Harare, July 5 (IANS) Shubman Gill, India’s captain for the five-match T20I tour of Zimbabwe, has confirmed that he will be opening the batting with his Punjab state-mate Abhishek Sharma, while Ruturaj Gaikwad will bat at number three in the series opener at the Harare Sports Club on Saturday.

With the next edition of the T20 World Cup to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka in 2026, the T20Is against Zimbabwe mark the beginning of a new two-year journey for the current world champions in the shortest format.

“Abhishek will open with me, and Ruturaj will play at number three. Rohit bhai and Virat bhai had opened in the World Cup, and I also open (the innings) in the T20s. So, I think I would like to open in the T20s,” said Gill in the pre-match press conference.

Gill and Abhishek, who are now all set to debut in international cricket for India on Saturday, will be staking an early claim to fill the gap left by T20I retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli after India won the T20 World Cup at Barbados last month.

“I think there is always pressure and expectations. But what I think Virat bhai and Rohit bhai have achieved, if I go to reach that thing, then it will be very difficult for me. Every player has his own goal, like where he wants to reach.”

“So there is a lot of pressure. If you want to reach where other people have reached, then you have more pressure. But what they have achieved or what they have done for India, there is no pressure in that thing, because they are both idols and legends of Indian cricket,” added Gill.

The right-handed batter also said his new-look team is just having the pressure of doing well in Zimbabwe. “In terms of what we want to achieve as a team, there is definitely pressure about it. I think there is pressure no matter what match you play, because if there would be no pressure playing in any kind of match or situation, then I don’t think there is any point playing that match.”

“There is always pressure whenever you play because there is pressure for you to perform in every match or tournament that you play. So I don’t think there is any pressure in terms of this being the match of a new cycle. But in terms of yes, we want to do well as a team, that is the pressure there for us.”

Apart from Abhishek, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Tushar Deshpande, B. Sai Sudarshan and Harshit Rana (first two matches only) are the newbies in India’s T20I team to be coached by National Cricket Academy (NCA) head VVS Laxman.

“Yes, there is definitely a lot of excitement, because there are a lot of young players who will be playing for the first time. It is always exciting when you see new players coming and making their debut and doing well. So in terms of that, yes there is a lot of excitement in the team to be able to come here and do well,” said Gill.

“If you look at the team, it’s a quite different team from the one that played in the World Cup. There are a lot of young players in the team, including myself. So, in terms of that, we just want to give the players experience and what it is like to play at the international level.”

“Because a lot of the players haven’t played that many matches and some of the players haven’t even made their debut. So that is our aim for the series, to give them more international exposure and experience,” added Gill on India’s objectives from the Zimbabwe series.

He also reckons conditions in Harare will be challenging for the Indian team and added they aren’t taking the Sikandar Raza-led Zimbabwe lightly.

“The conditions will be very challenging, as everyone is coming from different time zones. But I think it’s the same challenge. We have been practicing here for two or three days. So, we are used to the conditions here, and some players had played here two years ago when we came here for one day. So, I think it will be a good series here,” he said.

“I think Zimbabwe have got a good T20 team. Even the last time when we played in the ODIs (in 2022), the last one day that we played went on to be quite a close one for us, and we know that it’s going to be no different. The way Zimbabwe guys are going to come against us is going to be no different than any other nation, and that’s the challenge for us,” he added.

This will be the first time Gill is captaining India at the international level and he thinks learnings from being the skipper of Gujarat Titans in IPL 2024 will help him to tackle the challenges of leading in an international series in Harare, the place where he got himself into reckoning in the India ODI setup almost two years ago.

“I learned a lot of lessons when I captained my IPL team for the first time. I got to know a lot more things about myself and a lot more things about the leadership perspective. I felt most of the challenges that you face as a captain are more mental, like how you prepare the boys because everyone’s got the skill set. It’s about how you can give them the confidence to be able to deliver that skill set on the field,” he concluded.

–IANS

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Bhubaneshwar, July 5 (IANS) Odisha FC have announced the appointment of Anthony Fernandes as the club’s new assistant coach, replacing the departing Floyd Pinto, who has decided to move on due to personal reasons.

“I’m delighted to join Odisha FC in this next chapter of my career. Odisha are an ambitious club, that wants to fight for titles and their recent progress is a testament to that. I’m looking forward to linking up again with Sergio with whom I’ve enjoyed success before and I’m ready to give my all to help Odisha reach new heights,” Anthony Fernandes told Odisha FC’s media team.

A highly respected figure in Indian football, Anthony brings a wealth of experience to Odisha FC having enjoyed a successful playing career before transitioning into coaching. As a player, he donned the jerseys of various clubs. Anthony had a stint at Air India FC as a coach, where he took up the interim head coach role.

Anthony’s coaching career has seen him flourish as an assistant coach and working in the youth setup at Mumbai City FC. His tactical acumen, ability to motivate players, and experience in grooming youngsters have been instrumental in the Islanders’ recent success.

“I was lucky enough to work with him in Mumbai City and we achieved success together. A professional and an excellent person with whom I am delighted to work again, he will help me a lot,” said Head Coach Sergio Lobera/

–IANS

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