Sports
WPL 2024: Grace Harris was going to smash me, but knew I would take her wicket, says Asha Sobhana
Bengaluru, Feb 25 (IANS) In game two of the 2024 Women’s Premier League (WPL), UP Warriorz’ Grace Harris was threatening to take the game away from Royal Challengers Bangalore, via the 77-run stand with Shweta Sehrawat to make a chase of 158 look like a cakewalk.
But Warriorz’s intention to chase 158 was spoiled by seasoned leg-spinner Asha Sobhana, who previously took out Vrinda Dinesh and Tahlia McGrath. In the 17th over, Asha had Shweta caught at cover and three balls later, castled Grace with a slower leg-break while trying to sweep.
Bowling from the pavilion end of a sold-out M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Asha signed off by having Kiran Navgire stumped to finish with 5-22, the first five-wicket haul by an Indian bowler in the WPL. It was Grace’s scalp which RCB craved the most and Asha did the job in a game-changing spell to ensure the side won at home.
“My strength is turning the ball and I tried to stick to it. We had specifically planned for Grace Harris and tried not to go different from what was planned with the bowling coach, who gave me the freedom to plan.”
“The way she bats, she can go behind any bowler. But I was sure that she was going to hit and smash me. I knew as well that I would be taking her wicket via bowled or top edge. Luckily, by the grace of God, it worked,” said Asha in a virtual media interaction.
Before the game-changing over, there was a timeout, where Asha and support staff were in discussion. “The homework was done already. We knew how the batters were, the preparation was too good. I knew what I had to deliver in the 17th over, which meant there wasn’t much to talk about in the time-out. The support staff just came out to encourage me and to tell me to bowl the way I was doing, as the homework was done way before,” she revealed.
When Asha was given the Player of the Match award, she was emotional and had tears in her eyes. “All I wanted to do was to win the match and in that target, how I could contribute was going on in my mind. I never thought about the five-wicket haul and when I got the Player of the Match award, I was really emotional.”
“I mean, a lot of hard work was done in the past one year – travelling to places, working on my fitness, bowling and fielding. Finally, the result is coming in my favour and I was pretty happy, so became emotional,” she said on her emotions in the presentation ceremony.
Back home in Kerala, what was the reaction of her parents? “They are just happy; they don’t know much about cricket. So, they are just happy that I am happy. They just asked if you played well, ate well, and did you sleep well. They aren’t much into cricket and just recharged the cable connection just to watch me play,” said Asha.
In WPL 2023, where RCB finished fourth, Asha picked five wickets in as many games. In the first game of WPL 2024, she took five wickets in her first game. But the faith and backing from the RCB management, as well as them running multiple fitness camps in the off-season as well as a pre-tournament camp, worked wonders for Asha.
“Right from the start, RCB management had faith in me. Picking a domestic player and playing on a big stage, it takes a lot of courage, and they had faith in me. I knew that situations like the one in the match would come and we were prepared for it.”
“Like, we had a good 10-day camp, where we had lots of conversations with Luke (Williams, head coach) sir, Smriti (Mandhana), Malo (Malolan Rangarajan) and Corka (Courtney-Winfield Hill). The five-wicket haul is the result of a lot of discussion and practice over ten days, and I think that really reflected in the match and I am really happy about it.”
By her own admission, Asha was mad about cricket in her growing-up years and wasn’t aware of the existence of women’s cricket. Growing up in Kerala, Asha and her friends would take up newspapers, roll them into a ball, and put a rubber band on it. At times, a milk packet was taken, and the paper ball was put in it and covered with some rubberband.
There was encouragement from her father, an auto-rickshaw driver and a homemaker mother, as well as from her brother Anoop. “All thanks to neighbours and friends around my house for playing together and having a beautiful childhood. My brother Anoop was a crazy cricket fan and he wanted to be a cricketer, but he couldn’t become. He always encouraged me to become a cricketer.”
When Asha was in seventh grade, she heard an announcement from her PT teacher about a women’s cricket selection camp and if anybody was interested, they could attend. An eager Asha didn’t wait, went to meet her PT teacher and went to the selection camp without informing anyone at home.
“After school, I directly went for the selection in a white shirt and green skirt, there I met Srikumar sir and late Shabeena mam. They liked my play and selected me in the district team.”
“I went back home smiling at 7:30 pm and screaming ‘I got selected’, where my parents were searching for me and were almost going to the police station to file a missing case. From there, my parents really supported me,” she recalled with a laugh.
The struggle was huge for Asha, who had to change two buses to reach the practice venue and would even fall short of bus fare at times, despite her father stepping in for the same. “I practised in the central stadium, but the biggest support was late Shabeena Jacob mam, who used to give me one week of bus fare when I didn’t have it. Sometimes Aaron sir gave me one week’s bus fare and would take me for orange juice after practice. I know the value of everything.”
Asha’s cricketing journey took her to join South Central Railways in 2011, where she played for its women’s team for a decade, playing alongside Nooshin Al Khadeer and Mithali Raj, a phase which she calls a ‘turning point’ in her life.
“That really helped me to become a stronger version of myself. It wasn’t like a normal team, like there would be currently 14 Indian players and then there was you competing with them. Competing there in the Railways team was very tough for me.”
“But every time I was there in Indian Railways, I hardly sat outside and competed with everybody to get into playing eleven of all the matches. I was really happy about that, and it made me very tougher in decision-making by playing amongst the greatest players, which gave me really huge experiences.”
After leaving Railways, Asha had a stint in Kerala and is currently with Pondicherry in domestic cricket. She was at a crossroads in her career before WPL happened.
“I was in dilemma as to whether keep playing or quit, when the WPL happened. Kudos to the scouts, as they had faith in me. The day I came to RCB, Malolan sir said, “Your bowling is of a different level.” That really inspired me as when you come from the domestic level, getting such words at a big stage got me to contribute to RCB.”
Inspired by Anil Kumble, whom she met before WPL 2024, and Shane Warne, while being a huge fan of Stuart MacGill, Asha’s tale of grit, determination and toiling in the domestic circuit got its due recognition on the night of February 24, 2024, at WPL. In front of a packed crowd, she was the source of both hope and joy for RCB, two words seen on her Instagram handle.
“WPL has changed not just my life, but it has changed so many lives of domestic players. It is going to change many more lives and it puts a thought in everybody’s head that you can also dream and play alongside some like Ellyse Perry, Sophie Devine or Smriti Mandhana. A year ago, I never thought that I could share a dressing room with those three. Everybody can dream now and can achieve their dreams,” she signed off.
–IANS
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Bengaluru, Aug 22 (IANS) Shivamogga Lions’ woes continued as they suffered a 28-run defeat to the Mysore Warriors in the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday.
Mysore Warriors delivered a well-rounded performance, anchored by Karun Nair’s (45) swift knock, supported by a few other good contributions in the middle order, and highlighted by late-innings fireworks from J Suchith (22*) and Manoj Bhandage (23).
On the bowling front, Vidyadhar Patil (3/29) and Karthik CA (3/31) played crucial roles in restricting the Shivamogga Lions. Sharath HS’ (4/29) lethal spell with the ball and valiant efforts from Abhinav Manohar (46) and Nihal Ullal (46) with the bat couldn’t turn the tide in Shivamogga’s favour.
Chasing 180, Shivamogga Lions got off to a disastrous start, with Vidyadhar Patil’s lethal first over leading to the dismissals of Mohith Bangalore (2) and Dheeraj Mohan (0) in consecutive deliveries. Skipper Nihal Ullal (46) managed to crack a few early boundaries, but Hardik Raj (17) was also removed by Krishnappa Gowtham, leaving the Lions reeling at 41/3 by the end of the powerplay.
K Gowtham then engineered the run out of Rohan Naveen (11), further denting the chase. The in-form Abhinav Manohar (Impact Player) joined Ullal, and the duo breathed life into the innings, putting together a 70-run partnership in just 43 balls.
However, Ullal fell short of his first half-century of the season, leaving the Shivamogga Lions at 123/5 in 15.1 overs. Manohar also narrowly missed his milestone, holing out to K Gowtham off Karthik CA. Manohar’s 26-ball knock included four sixes and three fours, adding valuable runs to the total.
Karthik CA struck again two deliveries later, dismissing Shivraj S and leaving the Lions in deep trouble. With 47 runs needed from the final 18 balls, Ashok D tried to keep the chase alive by smashing a six and a four off Vidyadhar Patil, but perished in the same over, effectively ending Shivamogga’s prospects. Shivamogga Lions finished at 151/9 in 20 overs, enduring their sixth consecutive loss.
Batting first, Mysore Warriors faced an early challenge as Sharath HS unleashed a menacing spell. He struck in the powerplay, dismissing Karthik SU (8), and then returned in the seventh over to remove CA Karthik (30), who smashed three sixes in a 34-run stand with Karun Nair (45) and Harshil Dharmani (0).
Nair continued in fine touch and peppered the boundary with six fours and two sixes during his 23-ball stay before falling to Ashok D in the 11th over.
Kishan Bedare (17) steered the innings, forming a 28-run partnership with Nair and adding another 29 runs with Sumit Kumar (28) before being caught and bowled by Bharath Dhuri, leaving the Warriors at 116/5 in 16.1 overs. The depth of Mysore’s batting lineup came to the fore as Manoj Bhandage and J Suchith launched a late assault.
Vasuki Koushik, tasked with the 18th over, began with a six and a four from Sumit Kumar. Bhandage then took charge, hammering three consecutive sixes off Koushik in the same over before falling as Sharath’s fourth wicket in the 19th ending a blistering 23-run cameo off just seven balls. J Suchith, carried on the momentum, smashing two sixes and a four in an 8-ball flurry, pushing the Mysore Warriors to a competitive 179/7 in their 20 overs.
Brief scores: Mysore Warriors 179 for 7 in 20 overs (Karthik CA 30, Karun Nair 45, Sumit Kumar 28; Sharath HS 4-29) beat Shivamogga Lions 151/9 in 20 overs (Nihal Ullal 46, Abhinav Manohar 46 runs; Vidyadhar Patil 3-29, Karthik CA 3-31) by 28 runs.
–IANS
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Castle Rock (Colorado), Aug 22 (IANS) Indian Americans Sahith Theegala and Akshay Bhatia who failed to make it to the Top-10 last week at the St Jude Championships, the first of the three Play-offs events, will be looking for a better showing as they move towards the finale at the Tour Championships after that.
Last week Hideki Matsuyama, after leading by five at one time, had to birdie the last two holes to win the St Jude Championships. He became the first Asian to win a Play-off event and it was his 10th PGA Tour win, the highest from the continent.
Last week Bhatia was T-12, Rai was T-16 and Theegala was way behind in T-46, but all three have entered the second of the three Play-offs events.
World No, 2 Xander Schauffele, a two-time Major winner in 2024, was tied second last week with Viktor Hovland, while World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was fourth last week, though World No. 3 Rory McIlroy had a poor week in T-68 place.
Among Asians Korea’s Si Woo Kim has all to play for at the BMW Championship, the second of three FedExCup Playoffs events, in Colorado this week, with two big goals providing the drive for him to step up his game.
The four-time PGA TOUR winner tees up at Castle Pines Golf Club with the intention of breaking into the top-30 of the FedExCup points list and qualify for the Playoffs Finale, the TOUR Championship next week. Kim is presently ranked 44th after last week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship.
A strong week is also required for Kim to keep alive his hopes of earning a spot in the International Team to face the U.S. Team in the Presidents Cup in Royal Montreal next month. Currently 14th on the team roster, the top-6 after this week’s BMW Championship will secure automatic spots, with captain Mike Weir naming six more picks after the TOUR Championship.
Compatriots Sungjae Im and Byeong Hun An, who are 10th and 15th respectively on the FedExCup rankings, are virtually assured of teeing up at the TOUR Championship, which will use a staggered-scoring format based on positions after this week.
Irrespective of how his week plays out, Kim is pleased to secure his top-50 status, which guarantees starts in all eight Signature tournaments next season.
–IANS
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New Delhi, Aug 22 (IANS) The packed schedule of men’s county cricket in 2025 will remain largely unchanged, despite concerns raised by the majority of players over the impact on their physical well-being.
According to a survey conducted by the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) earlier this season, more than 80 per cent of players expressed fears that the current schedule is too demanding and poses risks to their health.
However, despite these concerns, the 2025 schedule is set to continue as usual. Each county will still compete in a minimum of 14 County Championship matches, eight Metro Bank Cup fixtures, and 14 Vitality T20 Blast games. The changes for next season will be largely cosmetic, offering little relief for players concerned about the gruelling calendar.
The PCA has been advocating for adjustments that would spread out the T20 fixtures across the week, aiming to reduce tight turnarounds and introduce more consistent three-day breaks between Championship games.
“There’s definitely room for improvement in 2025 compared to 2024,” said Daryl Mitchell, the PCA’s interim chief executive, in an interview with ESPNcricinfo. “The schedule can definitely be managed better. Certainly, the Blast was very much looked at through a commercial lens, trying to squeeze as many games as possible into Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. Utilizing the majority of the week is probably the way forward, trying to spread them out to give that time for recovery, travel, and preparation.”
The T20 Blast, in particular, has been the main point of debate when it comes to scheduling. The timing of the knockout stages has been a significant concern. In 2023, these stages were held immediately after the group matches in July, allowing counties to retain their overseas players. This year, however, the knockout stages will be pushed to September, giving clubs an extended six-week window to market and sell tickets for home quarter-finals.
While these adjustments offer slight improvements, the overall schedule remains packed, leaving many players apprehensive about how much more they can push themselves physically in the long term. Despite the calls for change, it appears that any significant reduction in the number of fixtures is unlikely in the future, with commercial considerations still driving much of the decision-making process around county cricket.
–IANS
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New Delhi, Aug 22 (IANS) After ending his T20I career with an elusive T20 World Cup title in Barbados, captain Rohit Sharma revealed that it was his dream to transform the team without thinking too much about the results.
Rohit-led Indian team ended the decade-long ICC title drought after beating South Africa in the final of the T20 World Cup 2024 to lift their second title in the format. In 2023, the Men in Blue failed to win the World Test Championship and 2023 ODI World Cup under Rohit’s leadership after losing to Australia in the finals.
The swashbuckling opening batter also credited the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah, former head coach Rahul Dravid and chief selector Ajit Agarkar for their support in transforming the team and creating a fearless culture in the squad.
“It was my dream to transform this team and not worry too much about stats and results and also to make sure that we create an environment where people can go out and play freely, without thinking too much. I got a lot of help from my three pillars Jay Shah, Rahul Dravid and chairman of selector Ajit Agarkar. That was critical for me to do what I did. Obviously, not to forget players who came in at different points in time and helped the team to achieve what we have achieved today,” Rohit said in a video posted by BCCI on X.
On Wednesday, Rohit was awarded ‘Men’s International Cricketer of the Year’ while Dravid was accorded the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ at Ceat Cricket Rating Awards 2023-24 in Mumbai. India’s batting stalwart Virat Kohli was named the ‘Men’s ODI Batter of the Year’ while on the bowling front, Mohammed Shami was awarded the ‘ODI Bowler of the Year’.
The 37-year-old batter finished as the second-highest run-getter in the T20 World Cup with 257 runs including three half-centuries and at a strike rate of 156.70. He played a major role in providing solid starts for the team on the slow pitches of the USA and the West Indies.
After lifting the title, Rohit joined Kohli to announce his retirement from the T20I. With 4,231 runs, Rohit is the leading run-getter in the format behind his teammate Kohli (4188 runs). Both batters will continue to play the other formats of the game. The duo last featured for India in the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka earlier this month.
–IANS
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Gotemba (Japan), Aug 22 (IANS) A year after being the youngest ever to make the cut at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, Kartik Singh, now 14 years of age, is the highest ranked among the four Indians set to take part in the 15th AAC to be held in Japan.
As of date Kartik is the highest ranked Indian at 199 while the other three players to have received the invitation for this prestigious event are Krishnav Nikhil Chopra and Vedant Sirohi, both past participants in the event and Rakshit Dahiya will be in the four-player team.
Kartik Singh has also been named to the 2024 Junior Presidents Cup team. A regular winner in junior and amateur events, Kartik will spearhead the Indian challenge.
Apart from India’s Kartik Singh, there are seven others named to the 2024 Junior Presidents Cup International Team. They are Joshua Bai, Warut Boonrod, Xihuan Chang, Rayhan Latief, Khanh Hung Le, Thangwin Lee, Anh Minh Ngyuyen,
As many as 113 players have been confirmed for the Championship, which will be held October 3-6, 2024, at Taiheiyo Club Gotemba in Gotemba, Japan. A full list of confirmed players can be found. The field will be 120 with a few more names to be added by the Organisers.
India’s best ever placing has been second place by Rayhan Thomas, who was runner-up in Sentosa, Singapore in 2018. The Dubai-based Indian Rayhan has since turned professional, and last week won his first pro title on India’s Professional Tour of India Tour.
Krishnav, who plays college golf in the US, is the son of former India cricketer turned commentator, Nikhil Chopraa, who often takes the role of a caddie for his son.
Created in 2009, the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship was established by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), The R&A and the Masters Tournament to further develop amateur golf in the Asia-Pacific region.
The champion will receive an invitation to compete in the 2025 Masters Tournament and The 153rd Open, while the runner(s)-up will gain a place in Final Qualifying for The Open.
The confirmed list which has players from 38 APGC member organizations is highlighted by defending champion Jasper Stubbs of Australia and four players representing China inside the top 100 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking: Wenyi Ding (No. 4), Xihuan Chang (No. 36), Xiangyun Bai (No. 61) and Paul Chang (No. 97).
Ding finished runner-up to Stubbs in the 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur while Xihuan Chang reached the semi-finals of the U.S. Junior Amateur in July.
Other top-100 participants include Vietnam’s Anh Minh Nguyen (No. 68) and Japan’s Rintaro Nakano (No. 78).
Notable past competitors include 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, a two-time winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur, and 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith. Over the Championship’s 14-year history, the Championship has served as a springboard to some of the world’s top players, including Matsuyama, Smith, Cameron Davis, Ryan Fox, Si Woo Kim, Satoshi Kodaira, Kyoung-Hoon Lee, Min Woo Lee, Keita Nakajima and C.T. Pan. Collectively, alumni of the Asia-Pacific Amateur have gone on to win 27 tournaments on the PGA Tour to date and more than 130 across the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour.
As the host nation, Japan will lead the list of up to 43 APGC member nations represented with 10 players in this year’s field. A player from Japan has won four of the 14 editions of the Championship (Matsuyama/2010, 2011; Takumi Kanaya/2018; Nakajima/2021).
–IANS
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