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

aaa/bsk/

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

aaa/bsk/

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

nr/bsk/

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

aaa/bsk/

Mumbai, July 5 (IANS) BCCI secretary Jay Shah’s vision and support have played a huge role in Team India’s victory in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. Following the team’s meeting with the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on Thursday, Jay Shah thanked PM Modi for his support.

“It was an absolute pleasure to meet and interact with the Honourable Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi Ji at his official residence upon our arrival from Barbados. Prime Minister Sir has stood by #TeamIndia through ups and downs and has always encouraged the team to give its best

irrespective of the result. We are glad that the World Cup victory has brought a wave of euphoria across the country and filled every Indian with a sense of pride,” read the post by Jay Shah on Instagram.

Shah played a pivotal part in helping the team reach the country after the Champions were left stranded in Barbados due to Hurricane Beryl. The squad, alongside the support staff and several Indian journalists, returned to the country in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Following their meeting with PM Modi, the team rushed to the airport and went to Mumbai for the open-top bus parade and the presentation ceremony at the Wankhede Stadium.

–IANS

aaa/bsk/