The 29-year-old skipper added that his side is more experienced than ever as he has many players who have played Test cricket for more than 10 years.
Published Date – 1 February 2024, 11:20 PM
Colombo: While speaking ahead of the Test match between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka at Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo on Friday, Afghan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi called Rashid Khan the “best bowler.” While speaking at the pre-match press conference, Shahidi said that the visitors would miss Rashid but they have more spinners in the team.
“Rashid is the best bowler and we will miss him until he comes to the team. But we have more spinners in the team. We have three more guys who are in the 15. We have Zia-ur-Rehman, Zahir Khan, and Qais Ahmad. They’re also good for the future of Afghanistan. They are hard workers. I hope these three who will get a chance tomorrow will do well for us,” Shahidi said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
Star bowling all-rounder Rashid is not part of the team as he is recovering from a back surgery. Qais Ahmad has been included in the Afghan squad to replace Rashid for the only Test match against Sri Lanka.
The 29-year-old skipper added that his side is more experienced than ever as he has many players who have played Test cricket for more than 10 years.
“If it comes to experience, their team is more experienced than ours. They have a lot of guys who have played Test cricket for more than ten years. I will still not say we are not good enough. We are brave, and we are ready for every kind of challenge,” he said.
Shahidi also looked confident while speaking and said that they could win against Sri Lanka.
“Of course, we can win against Sri Lanka. I’m not going to sit here and think negatively about my team. As a nation, we are strong people, and as a cricket nation, we showed everyone recently at the World Cup what we could do. In Tests also, we have good, talented guys. Everyone in the dressing room should be thinking about how to win in Sri Lanka. We’re not just here to play,” he added.
Afghanistan Squad for the one-off test against Sri Lanka: Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmat Shah (VC), Ikram Alikhail (WK), Mohammad Ishaq (WK), Ibrahim Zadran, Noor Ali Zadran, Abdul Malik, Baheer Shah, Nasir Jamal, Qais Ahmad, Zahir Khan, Zia Ur Rehman Akbar, Yamin Ahmadzai, Nijat Masoud, Mohammad Saleem Safi and Naveed Zadran.
Ahead of the second Test, Stokes talked about how the pitch could act over the course of five days on the eve of the second clash. “It might be a good wicket for maybe a day or two.
Updated On – 1 February 2024, 11:12 PM
Visakhapatnam: England skipper Ben Stokes feels that the pitch in Visakhapatnam for the second Test against India will be a “bit better.” After suffering a 28-run defeat, India will enter ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium with hopes of levelling the series on 1-1.
Ahead of the second Test, Stokes talked about how the pitch could act over the course of five days on the eve of the second clash. “It might be a good wicket for maybe a day or two.
But out here in India and other parts of the subcontinent, you tend to see it start to spin more and more as the Test goes deeper and deeper. Even though it does look like there’s a little bit more moisture in there, with the heat – and today is very hot again – any footholes and stuff like that might come into play the further the Test goes,” Stokes said in the pre-match press conference.
“It might play a little bit better initially than it did last week [in Hyderabad], but we don’t like to go in with too many preconceived ideas. We like to have some kind of idea because obviously that’s how we pick the team, then we just play what’s in front of us,” Stokes added.
India have been hurt on the home soil by spinners who don’t possess much experience. Last year in Indore, Australia bowled India out for 109 in 33.2 overs on day one. Matthew Kuhnemann picked up five wickets in his nine-over spell and at that time he had only 14 first-class games. In the first Test, debutant Tom Hartley picked up a seven-wicket haul in the second innings to restrict India to 202.
With signs forecasting that the pitch won’t spin initially, India might be dwelling on their spinners to extract more out from the surface and claim wickets. England have named a young frontline spin squad with Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir leading the attack. Their most experienced spinner Jack Leach has been ruled out of the second Test due to a knee injury.
India will also miss key batters with KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja being ruled out of the second clash due to injuries.
In the quarterfinal clash, Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty and Vaidehee Choudary defeated Carole Monnet of France and Yakatrina Yashina of Russia 6-2, 6-1 to enter the last four stage of the competition
Published Date – 1 February 2024, 10:30 PM
In the quarterfinal clash, Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty and Vaidehee Choudary defeated Carole Monnet of France and Yakatrina Yashina of Russia 6-2, 6-1 to enter the last four stage of the competition
Hyderabad: Hyderabad tennis player Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty and Vaidehee Choudary recorded an upset victory to enter the semifinal of the women’s doubles of the W50 Indore ITF Women $40 K Women’s Tournament in Indore on Tuesday.
In the quarterfinal clash, the duo defeated Carole Monnet of France and Yakatrina Yashina of Russia 6-2, 6-1 to enter the last four stage of the competition.
Hyderabad: DSR The World with 659 points emerged as new leaders after the fourth round in the World HPGL Season IV at Vooty Golf County, Hyderabad on Thursday. The leaders took honours of the day, amassing 195 points to become one of the highest team scores in a match-play format in the league so far. […]
Published Date – 1 February 2024, 10:15 PM
DSR team members in Hyderabad on Thursday.
Hyderabad: DSR The World with 659 points emerged as new leaders after the fourth round in the World HPGL Season IV at Vooty Golf County, Hyderabad on Thursday.
The leaders took honours of the day, amassing 195 points to become one of the highest team scores in a match-play format in the league so far. The team displayed an excellent show with captain Siva Kumar Rachakonda, Partha Saradhi, and Nippy Dhillon won all of their respective matches and secured 30 points each to help the team to the top spot.
League standings: Group A: Sama Angels (629), Kshema (563), Stonex (559), Mysa (556);
Group B: Team Alpha (622), Rough Riders (592), Lahari Lions (575), Finvista EHAM (550);
Group C: DSR The World (659), Sharkies (558), Agiles Dirty Dozen (529), Tutoroot (524);
For the first time, four eminent Telangana football personnel have been appointed as AIFF members
Published Date – 1 February 2024, 10:00 PM
GP Palguna
Hyderabad: GP Palguna, Secretary of the Telangana Football Association, has been appointed as the Chairman of All India Beach Football Committee by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Thursday.
AIFF also appointed Shabbir Ali as Vice-Chairman of AIFF Technical Committee and Victor Amalraj as AIFF Technical Committee member and Palam Acharjee as Futsal Committee member.
For the first time, four eminent Telangana football personnel have been appointed as AIFF members as Telangana Football Association congratulated all four of them on their recognition.
Pant underwent initial treatment at a hospital in Dehradun and was later airlifted to Mumbai where he was under the care of a specialist consultant brought in by the BCCI.
Updated On – 1 February 2024, 09:25 PM
File Photo
New Delhi: India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has revealed that he feared the amputation of his right leg in the aftermath of the horrific car crash which he survived 13 months ago.
Pant was driving from Delhi to his hometown Roorkee to meet his family when his car crashed into the median divider on the road in December, 2022. He had just returned from Bangladesh after playing a major role in India’s win in the second Test in Mirpur.
“If there was any nerve damage, there was a possibility of amputation. That is when I felt scared,” Pant said in Star Sports series ‘Believe: To Death & Back’ which documents his recovery.
“I had taken an SUV, but what I was seeing was a sedan,” he quipped as he remembered his mangled vehicle.
Recounting the initial moments after the crash, the 26-year-old said he was in excruciating pain as his right knee had dislocated, turning 180 degrees to the right as he lay face down.
“There was someone around so I asked if he could help getting the leg back in the position. He helped the knee get back in place.” Two persons Rajat Kumar and Nishu Kumar were able to pull Pant out of his SUV before it went up in flames.
“It was the first time I had such a feeling in life. At the time of the accident, I was aware of the wounds, but I was lucky as it could have been even more serious,” he recollected.
Pant underwent initial treatment at a hospital in Dehradun and was later airlifted to Mumbai where he was under the care of a specialist consultant brought in by the BCCI.
After undergoing surgeries to reconstruct all three ligaments in his right knee, Pant did his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
The big-hitter said the process is boring at best and frustrating at worst.
“I am focusing on recovery cut off from the world. It helps me in recovering fast, especially when the injury is so serious. For recovery you have to do the same thing every day. It’s boring, it’s irritating, it’s frustrating, but you have to do it,” he elaborated.
The swashbuckling batter, who was instrumental in India’s monumental win in the Brisbane Test in 2021 that sealed a famous series win in Australia, said the doctor gave him 16 to 18 months recovery time.
“Till the time I start playing cricket, I don’t want to plan much for the future. I asked the doctor how long will it take for me to recover. I told him that everybody is speaking different things, but you will give me the most clarity about it. “He (Doctor) said it would take 16 to 18 months. I told the doctor from whatever timeline you give me, I will reduce six months from it,” said Pant who is likely to play in the IPL for Delhi Capitals this season from March.
‘Will still drive because I love to’
Pant said everybody has been telling him not to drive again. “Nowadays I am told, ‘Yaar, don’t drive bilkul (at all).’ But no one was more scared than me. No one was more upset than me. “I will still drive because I love to. Just because there was a setback doesn’t mean that you do not do those things ever again.”
He said as a human being, he would want to add new things in life. “Not by eliminating what I like doing. The accident is a setback. How do you overcome that? By having the belief. That belief keeps growing and at times can border on the obsessive. But if you have belief in yourself, you can achieve anything.”
‘Fortunate to have a second life‘
Pant said he was bedridden for about a month and was itching to do normal things. He started moving around, albeit very slowly. “I didn’t think I would ever enjoy brushing my teeth.
The first time I took a bath, I didn’t feel like coming out. These small things gave me joy because I’m fortunate to have a second life. Not everyone is fortunate enough to get it,” said Pant.
“Doctors also said that there was no fracture after the accident… They always tell me I am lucky. Of course, it was such a horrific accident, the individual feels bad that this happened to me. How can I be lucky? But the other side is that despite the crash, I was alive.”
After a few months, Pant couldn’t resist the temptation to bat, and Delhi Capitals posted a picture of him batting as part of the country’s Independence Day celebrations.
He even reached the change room of DC in 2023 IPL. “I was thinking we could do things this way or that way. I was discussing some things with them (Capitals’ think tank). But since I was outside, it was different. When you are inside, you control certain things.”
Pant said he followed the 2022-23 Ashes, which he said was fun. “Because England have started playing in a certain fashion, something I am used to (playing),” he said, referring to the ultra-aggressive ‘Bazball’ strategy adopted by England after Brendon McCullum took charge as head coach.
“Rohit bhai says we will also play Rishball. He says you play that anyway, but we will get others also to follow you.”
In the final, Loyola Academy Degree and PG College breezed past St Joseph College by margin of 80-40 to seal the title
Published Date – 1 February 2024, 09:30 PM
Victorious Loyola Academy Degree and PG College team members on Thursday.
Hyderabad: Loyola Academy Degree and PG College emerged winners of the Osmania University Inter-College Basketball Tournament for Men at Loyola Academy, Secunderabad on Thursday.
In the final, the winners breezed past St Joseph College by margin of 80-40 to seal the title.
Results: Final: Loyola Academy Degree and PG College 80 bt St Joseph College 40; Standings: 1. Loyola Academy Degree and PG College, 2. St Joseph College, Little Flower Degree and PG College, MVSR Engineering College.
In the quarterfinal clash, Hyderabad tennis player Ganta Sai Karteek Reddy and his partner Siddhanth Banthia outclassed Saritas Gokberk and Mert Naci Turker of Turkey in three sets 6-3, 3-6, 10-3
Published Date – 1 February 2024, 08:45 PM
In the quarterfinal clash, Hyderabad tennis player Ganta Sai Karteek Reddy and his partner Siddhanth Banthia outclassed Saritas Gokberk and Mert Naci Turker of Turkey in three sets 6-3, 3-6, 10-3
Hyderabad: Hyderabad tennis player Ganta Sai Karteek Reddy and his partner Siddhanth Banthia reached the semifinals of the men’s doubles event at the World Tour Tennis 25K ITF Futures held at Antalya, Turkey on Thursday.
In the quarterfinal clash, the duo outclassed Saritas Gokberk and Mert Naci Turker of Turkey in three sets 6-3, 3-6, 10-3 to enter the last four stages of the competition.
Results: Ganta Sai Karteek Reddy/ Siddhanth Banthia (IND) bt Saritas Gokberk and Mert Naci Turker (TRKY) 6-3, 3-6, 10-3.
YMCA Secunderabad men and women teams clinched the Gali Ravikanth First Memorial 3×3 Basketball Tournament for Men and Women held at YMCA Secunderabad
Published Date – 1 February 2024, 07:45 PM
Hyderabad: YMCA Secunderabad men and women teams clinched the Gali Ravikanth First Memorial 3×3 Basketball Tournament for Men and Women held at YMCA Secunderabad on Thursday.
In the final, the men’s winners had a rather easy outing scoring an easy 21-10 win over NBA ‘A’. Whereas the women’s side had to toil hard for a 11-8 win over Don Bosco.
Earlier in the men’s semifinals, NBA ‘A’ defeated YMCA Secunderabad ‘Y’ 18-16 and YMCA Secunderabad downed Central Tax & Customs 21 – 16 to enter the final. In the women’s semifinals, YMCA Secunderabad beat St Francis 18 – 8, Don Bosco eased past SFC 15 – 7.
Results: Finals: Men’s: YMCA Secunderabad 21 bt NBA ‘A’ 10; Women’s: YMCA Secunderabad 11 bt Don Bosco 8.
Ashini’s 43rd minute strike led Care Football Academy to a narrow 1-0 win over Twin Cities FC in the Under-15 Football League at MJPBCWRSJDC College
Published Date – 1 February 2024, 07:30 PM
Ashini’s 43rd minute strike led Care Football Academy to a narrow 1-0 win over Twin Cities FC in the Under-15 Football League at MJPBCWRSJDC College
Hyderabad: Ashini’s 43rd minute strike led Care Football Academy to a narrow 1-0 win over Twin Cities FC in the Under-15 Football League at MJPBCWRSJDC College, Gajwel, Siddipet on Thursday.
In the other clashes, Deccan Dynamos and Telangana Sports School shared spoils with a scoreline of 1-1 and Hyderabad Women’s FC and Gajwel FC played a goalless draw.
Results: U-15: Care Football Academy 1 (Ashini 1) bt Twin Cities FC 0, Deccan Dynamos 1 (Anjana 1) drew with Telangana Sports School 1 (Ridhima 1), Hyderabad Women’s FC 0 drew with Gajwel FC 0.
