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

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Mumbai, July 6 (IANS) Star Indian wrestler Sakshi Malik said winning Olympic medal not only transforms the lives of athletes, but also of their families and villages

India will be sending a contingent of close to 120 sportspersons to the Olympics, including an Athletics team led by the defending champion in the men’s javelin Neeraj Chopra, a 21-member shooting team and a 16- member men’s hockey squad.

Malik speaking at the panel discussion ‘An Olympic Dream: Sport in India,’ hosted by the JSW Group, Asia Society India Centre, and the Consulate General of France in Mumbai, three of India’s most prominent athletes shared their inspiring journeys and reflections on the transformative power of Olympic dreams.

Sakshi Malik, an Olympic bronze medallist in wrestling narrated her story of triumph and the ripple effects of her success. “An Olympic dream is not just an athlete’s dream; it’s the dream of an entire family,” said Malik emphasizing how her victory had brought about profound changes not only in her life but also in her community.

After her historic medal win, the Chhotu Ram Stadium in Rohtak, where she trained, was transformed from having a tin roof to becoming an air-conditioned hall. A stadium named after her was even built in her village.

Malik spoke passionately about the surge in popularity of wrestling among girls in Haryana. “Everywhere you go, there’s a stadium every ten minutes, and you’ll find girls training in each one. The old mindset that girls couldn’t wrestle has changed dramatically.”

For the first time, five girls are going to the Olympics for wrestling while only one boy is going. Girls, who were once suppressed, are now boldly stepping forward and excelling in wrestling,” she added.

Dipa Karmakar, India’s pioneering gymnast, reflected on the bittersweet experience of finishing fourth at the Rio Olympics. “As an athlete, the fourth place can be the worst place to be in. Not just for me, any athlete who finishes in fourth place can never sleep,” she shared.

Despite the heartbreak, Karmakar emphasized the importance of resilience and learning from setbacks. Her journey has spurred a cultural shift in Tripura, where gymnastics is now embraced with renewed enthusiasm. The 2016 Olympics led to significant infrastructure improvements, including the installation of crucial equipment like foam pits, which were previously unavailable.

Karmakar also highlighted the critical need for funding and support at the grassroots level. “Until we are successful, we don’t get anything as athletes. Gymnastics was such a sport where people didn’t know much about it, and girls were underestimated,” she said.

If this was done earlier, our Olympic medal count would have been in double digits. But I believe it’s going to happen in the upcoming Paris Olympics,” Karmakar predicted, expressing hope and encouragement for the future.

Priya Mohan, a rising star in athletics, shared her perspective on the journey of an athlete and the importance of perseverance. “I believe that every athlete has their own timeline for success. Most athletes peak around 24 or 25 years old,” she stated, drawing inspiration from competitors like Alison Phillips.

Mohan underscored the influence of Neeraj Chopra’s gold medal win, which she witnessed while training for the World Junior Championship. “That Olympic gold, along with India’s record haul of three medals, transformed our mindset. It showed us that achieving such success is possible for us too,” she said.

Parth Jindal, founder of JSW sports further elaborated about Neeraj Chopra, “Neeraj Chopra’s story is a remarkable testament to talent identification and resilience. We discovered Neeraj in 2015 through our sports excellence program, and in 2016, he shattered the World Junior Championship record and won a gold medal in Poland with an 86.48-meter throw. Had he achieved that throw at the Rio Olympics, he would have secured a bronze medal. His journey only became more compelling from there.

–IANS

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Las Vegas, July 6 (IANS) Brazil and Uruguay are all set for what could turn out to be the match of the tournament in the quarterfinals of Copa America at the Allegiant Stadium.

A lot of conversation on this match surrounds how Brazil will cope without their star player Vinicius Junior who has been suspended for the game after picking his second yellow card of the tournament against Colombia.

Ahead of the game against Uruguay, Brazil head coach Dorival Junior confirmed that 17-year old Endrick will be starting for the nine-time Copa America winners.

“Endrick. It will be Raphinha, Rodrygo and Endrick. We lost an important player, but we gained another searching for his chance. Who knows, this could be Endrick’s moment,” said Dorival Jr to reports in the pre-game press conference.

The Selecao have been struggling in recent outings and finished second in Group D behind Colombia setting up the game against Uruguay in the quarter-finals of the tournament.

The Real Madrid forward is Brazil’s highest goalscorer at the tournament with two to his name and will be missed in the duel against the record champions.

“He’s not specifically a fixed No 9, a reference point, who prefers to basically plays as a pivot. He’s a player who drops in and out and has this movement,”added the Brazil head coach.

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 6 (IANS) Last year’s runners-up Ona Jabeur is enjoying her time at Wimbledon so far after reaching the third round of the tournament with successive straight wins in the opening matches.

Tunisian tennis player said her playing style suits grass courts and she hopes to do well in the ongoing Grand Slam.

“It’s an honour for me, representing my country and my continent. Obviously, there’s a bit of pressure, but it’s a good pressure, a good responsibility to send a positive message. I hope I’m doing it well. I will continue doing that. I hope I can inspire more and more and see more players from my country and my continent being here. I am enjoying every moment, and I love playing on grass so much that my game really suits this beautiful court. I’m just trying to be here, enjoy every moment, enjoy the crowd, the love of the crowd, and prepare like I prepared for the other years,” Jabeur told Star Sports.

Talking about her wish to visit India soon, she said, “I need just 2 million more Indian fans, please, follow me. I need to go, seriously, I need to go to India. I’ve never been there. This is one of the items on my bucket list. My fans in India, I’m looking forward to coming one day. I really love the country and I want to discover it more and more. So when I have time, I really want to go and enjoy it there. It’s coming from the heart, really. And Sania (Mirza) will be there.”

American tennis player and current world no.2 Coco Gauff shared her thoughts on dealing with emotions and expectations coming into Wimbledon.

“Just treating it and enjoying it, honestly. I think there’s always going to be expectations put on me, but I take it as an honour. I think if people expect big things from you, that means you’re doing something right, so hopefully I can continue to do things right,” she said.

Reflecting on her US Open win and aspirations for Wimbledon, she added, “It would mean a lot, especially here at Wimbledon; it’s probably the most prestigious tournament we have, and it would be an honour to maybe hold that trophy. But if not, I would love to at least win another slam to get that feeling again.”

Jabeur will take on Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in the third-round clash on Saturday while Gauff will lock horns with countrymate Emma Navarro in the round of 16 match on Saturday.

–IANS

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Panipat, July 6 (IANS) Olympic gold medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra’s mother Saroj Devi said she will send a special ‘churma’ (a popular delicacy from Haryana and Rajasthan) for Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the latter requested for it during a recent interaction with the athlete.

“We wish that Neeraj wins the gold medal again and get the opportunity to meet PM Modi again. Yes, this time I’ll send special churma made with ‘desi ghee’, ‘shakkar’ and ‘khand’,” Saroj Devi told IANS.

On Thursday, PM Modi hosted Paris Olympic-bound athletes at his residence to have a conversation with them. During such a chat with Neeraj, PM asked the javelin thrower to bring homemade ‘churma’ for him prepared by his mother.

Neeraj casually greeted the PM, saying, “Namaskar sir, kaise hain?” (Hello sir, how are you?) To which PM Modi replied with a chuckle, “Mai vaisa hi hu” (I am just the same).

PM Modi then joked, “Mera choorma abhi tak aaya nahi” (I haven’t received my churma yet), sparking laughter all around.

With a shy smile, Neeraj replied, “Is baar Haryana wala choorma khilayenge sir, pichli baar Delhi ka cheeni wala khaya tha” (This time I will treat you with churma from Haryana; last time we had the sugary one from Delhi).

The PM eagerly expressed his craving for homemade churma, saying, “Mujhe tumhari maa ke haath ka choorma khana hai” (I want to savour churma made by your mother).

After their humorous banter, PM Modi wished Neeraj all the best for the Paris Olympics, urging him to stay fit and injury-free.

Neeraj’s father Satish Kumar said his son detailed his training and preparations for the Olympics to PM Modi.

“Neeraj told PM that his training is going well and he’ll give his all to clinch the second gold medal for the country,” he said.

“He has missed some of the events in the past due to groin injury but now he has recovered and wants to focus on the Olympics. He wants to better his previous record and win a medal. He is currently training for 6-8 hours daily under the guidance of his coach and physio,” Satish added.

–IANS

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