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I was initially nervousness, says KL Rahul on his comeback match

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KL Rahul says he was a bundle of nerves and it took him some time to settle down before going for his shots against a quality Pakistan

Published Date – 02:25 PM, Tue – 12 September 23


I was initially nervousness, says KL Rahul on his comeback match

AFP Photo

Colombo: Returning to action after a long injury layoff, India wicketkeeper batter KL Rahul says he was a bundle of nerves and it took him some time to settle down before going for his shots against a quality Pakistan attack in the Asia Cup in Colombo.

The 31-year-old, who had suffered a debilitating thigh injury during the IPL which later necessitated a surgery, smashed an unconquered 106-ball 111 to play a vital role in India’s massive 228-run win over Pakistan on Monday.

“Obviously, this is my first international match after a long time. I played a couple of practice games, but we all know the intensity is not the same. So when I walked in, I had that initial nervousness,” Rahul told Star Sports after his sixth ODI hundred.

“It took me 10-15 balls to just calm myself down and get my feet moving, get my mind thinking of the right things. Then, when I hit one or two boundaries, all those things, the fogginess in your clarity, went away, and it became like before.”

Rain interruptions made things further difficult as Rahul and Virat Kohli (122 not out) had to restart the India innings, which was suspended on Sunday because of rain, at 147 for two in 24.1 overs.

“I was looking at the ball, looking at the situation, and you see what you have to do. But just when I got my rhythm, it started raining…and I had to wait for a whole day,” Rahul said.

“Today we came back and had to wait for the innings to start. So I had to restart the innings again. So, again, the first 10-15 balls were sort of nervy, and after that, once you start to hit a few balls in the middle, you forget about those things, and then you start thinking about where you can score runs and what I have to do.” Rahul, who underwent rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru to get fit for the Asia Cup but missed the first two group matches due to a niggle, forged a 233-run stand with Kohli for the unconquered third wicket to power India to 356-2.

Talking about his partnership with Kohli, Rahul said: “He has hit 13,000 runs. I can’t say anything about that man; he is just phenomenal. Words are short to describe what a great cricketer he is, and I’ve always felt comfortable playing with him in the middle.

“Initially, he gave me some time; I had said that I need some time to get those quick singles because I need to feel comfortable and confident in my body, and he understood that. After that, it was just a flow.
India will face Sri Lanka in another Asia Cup Super Fours match on Tuesday.

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Euro 2024 Qualifying: Spain, Portugal, Croatia secure wins

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A hat-trick by skipper Alvaro Morata helped two-time champions Spain secure a massive 7-1 win over Georgia in their Euro 2024 Qualifying Group A match

Published Date – 01:40 PM, Sat – 9 September 23


Euro 2024 Qualifying: Spain, Portugal, Croatia secure wins



Tbilisi: A hat-trick by skipper Alvaro Morata helped two-time champions Spain secure a massive 7-1 win over Georgia in their Euro 2024 Qualifying Group A match on Friday night.

For Spain, goals were scored by Morata (22nd, 40th and 65th minute), Solomon Kvirkvelia (27th minute, own goal), Dani Olmo (38th minute), Nico Williams (68th minute) and Lamine Yamal (74th minute). For Georgia in the 49th minute, Giorgi Chakvetadze scored the solitary goal.

With this win, Spain is now in the second spot in Group A with six points with two wins and a loss while Georgia is fourth with four points, with one win, one loss and two draws.

In another Group A match, Cyprus registered a 3-0 loss to Scotland. Scott McTominay (6th minute), Ryan Porteous (16th minute) and John McGinn (30th minute) scored for Scotland, keeping them at the top with five wins in five matches and a total of 15 points. Cyprus has lost all its four matches and stays at the bottom.

In a Group D match, Croatia, the third-place finishers in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, handed a 5-0 loss to Latvia, with a brace from Bruno Petkovic (3rd and 44th minute) and contributions from Luka Ivanusec (13th minute), Andrej Kramaric (68th minute) and Mario Pasalic (78th minute) bringing them to the second spot with two wins and a draw, which translates to seven points. Latvia is at the bottom, having lost all their matches so far.

2016 Euro Champions Portugal beat Slovakia 1-0 in their Group J match. Bruno Fernandes scored the solitary goal for Portugal in the 43rd minute. Portugal stays at the top with 15 points, winning five out of their five matches. Slovakia is at the second spot with 10 points, with three wins, one loss and one draw in five matches.

Euro 2024 will take place next year from June to July. The qualifier process is ongoing through which the rest of the 23 participants other than automatically qualified hosts in Germany will be determined. There are 10 groups of five teams each, from which the top two per group will qualify. Three more teams will be confirmed via playoffs from March 2024.

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Virat Kohli shares his mantra with budding cricketers during practice session

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India will play their first Super Four stage match of the Asia Cup 2023 with Pakistan in Colombo on Sunday. BCCI shared video of Virat chating with cricketers on their X handle

Published Date – 03:02 PM, Sat – 9 September 23


Virat Kohli shares his mantra with budding cricketers during practice session

Photo: X

Colombo: During India’s practice session in Colombo, Indian batter Virat Kohli took a time out to interact with some budding cricketers and shared his experience with them.

India will play their first Super Four stage match of the Asia Cup 2023 with Pakistan in Colombo on Sunday. BCCI shared video of Virat chating with cricketers on their X (formerly Twitter) handle.

“Start your weekend with an inspiring interaction Virat Kohli shares his experience with budding cricketers,” BCCI wrote.

In the video, a budding cricketer explain about the conversation he had with the Indian batter. I asked him, how can I make it to that level. The things that he said was to be professional, believe in your self, at the end of the day, the work you put in and practice that where you get the result. Just watching him the way he gets ready and runs in practice. I learnt a lot just by watching him,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam expressed his belief ahead of the India vs Pakistan match that his fast bowlers win big matches. Pakistan had won their first Super Four match against Bangladesh.

“I am proud of my pacers. We dominate everyone. Big matches and tournaments are won by fast bowlers. I have my belief in them. The secret behind their success is that they stay united and have belief in themselves. If one does not have a good day, the other one steps up and covers up for it,” said Babar in the pre-match press conference.

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Not used to playing such an attack: Shubman Gill on Pakistan’s pace attack

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India will take on Pakistan in their Super Four Asia Cup clash at Colombo on Sunday

Updated On – 09:09 PM, Sat – 9 September 23


Not used to playing such an attack: Shubman Gill on Pakistan’s pace attack

File Photo

Colombo: Ahead of his side’s Asia Cup Super Four clash against arch-rivals Pakistan, Indian batter Shubman Gill said on Saturday that not playing against a quality Pakistani bowling attack has proved to be a reason why Men in Blue are struggling to take on them at times.

India will take on Pakistan in their Super Four Asia Cup clash at Colombo on Sunday. Talking about India’s struggles with Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, Gill said in a pre-match press conference, “When you are playing at this level, you play left-armer pacers previously at some point of your career. We do not play Pakistan that much as compared to the other sides. They have a quality bowling attack. When you do not face such a bowling attack frequently and are not used to it, it makes a difference.”

Talking about how contrasting him and his opening partner skipper Rohit Sharma are, Gill said that this contrast makes it difficult for bowlers to contain them. “I am someone who likes to play along the ground in the powerplay. Rohit takes on bowlers aerially.

This combination works well for us. How different we are as players makes it difficult for bowlers to contain us,” said Gill.

Talking about his brief slump after the Indian Premier League (IPL), Gill said that sometimes it is just the quality of bowling that outpowers a batter. “Yes you go back to the good times (during a slump). Sometimes it is not even about technique. It is just about the bowlers, they are also there to take wickets. You can get some good deliveries.

When you play well, there are things that go in your favour. You just have to trust your game and keep going to get those big runs,” he said. Questioned if the players see and follow Pakistan skipper Babar Azam’s batting, Gill agreed and termed him a “World-Class player”. “Yes, definitely we follow him. When a player is doing well. Everyone watches him to find out why they are doing so good, what their speciality. The same thing goes for Babar. He is a world-class player and we all do admire him,” said Gill.

Talking about the differences in bowling of Pakistan pacers Shaheen and Naseem Shah, Gill said that the former offers more swing, but the latter has more pace and bowls in good areas. Gill said that the team is clear about their roles, batting positions heading into the ICC Cricket World Cup, which will start from October 5 onwards.

Talking about the team’s plans with their batting, Gill said, “Our plans will be the same, to give a solid foundation and then dominate. In that last game against Pakistan, our top order did not do well. But still, we made around 260 and looked set to make 310-320 runs at some point at such a wicket.

These are good signs.” Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Haris, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir (travelling reserve).

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumraj, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Sanju Samson (travelling reserve).

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Asia Cup 2023: Bangladesh opt to bowl first against Sri Lanka

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Hosts Sri Lanka are playing their first match of the Super Fours stage while Bangladesh
have played one match against Pakistan which they lost by seven wickets

Published Date – 03:24 PM, Sat – 9 September 23


Asia Cup 2023: Bangladesh opt to bowl first against Sri Lanka

Photo: X

Colombo: Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan won the toss and elected to bowl first against Sri Lanka at the R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo of the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup 2023.

Hosts Sri Lanka are playing their first match of the Super Fours stage while Bangladesh
have played one match against Pakistan which they lost by seven wickets.

These two teams are meeting each other for the second time in the ongoing tournament. Sri Lanka ended up on the winning side by five wickets in the Group B match.

“We will field first, no particular reason, there could be some rain around. We have one extra bowler and we will bowl first. A must-win situation, but playing against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka isn’t easy. There is no room for complacency, it’s a bit different to Pakistan and we’ll have to adjust. One change, Nasum replaces Afif Hossain,” said Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan after winning the toss.

“We would have batted first, it’ll seam and spin a bit under lights. The rules in ODIs mean it’s difficult to defend totals, but we do have class bowlers like Pathiran and Theekshana, that helped us fight back against Afghanistan. The talk is about trusting yourselves and following the process. The guys have been delivering and that’s key to being a good side. Same team for us,” said Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka after the toss.

Bangladesh (Playing XI): Mohammad Naim, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Litton Das, Shakib Al Hasan(c), Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim(w), Shamim Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Nasum Ahmed

Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis(w), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka(c), Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana.

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Veer Ahlawat drops to 81 in Korea

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Veer Ahlawat, the only Indian to make the cut in the Shinhan Donghae Open, crashed to a round of 79 and dropped to 81st on the leader board after three days.

Published Date – 06:38 PM, Sat – 9 September 23


Veer Ahlawat drops to 81 in Korea

Veer Ahlawat, the only Indian to make the cut in the Shinhan Donghae Open, crashed to a round of 79 and dropped to 81st on the leader board after three days.

Incheon: Veer Ahlawat, the only Indian to make the cut in the Shinhan Donghae Open, crashed to a round of 79 and dropped to 81st on the leader board after three days.

Ahlawat, who was tied-23 after two rounds, had five bogeys and a double bogey and no birdies in a disappointing round.

Former champion Richard T Lee and South Korea’s Guntaek Koh, in form with two domestic wins this year, staked their claim for the Shinhan Donghae Open on Friday after taking a share of the third-round lead.

Lee, the winner in 2017 at a different venue, fired a five-under-par 67 and Koh a 66 to lead the way on 15-under-par on the Ocean Course at Club72, which is located near the Incheon International Airport.

The overnight leader Wooyoung Cho (71), Korea‘s amateur star, compatriot Taehoon Ok (67) and Australia’s Anthony Quayle (67) are one back in an event which has been tri-sanctioned by the Asian, Japan and Korean Tours.

Quayle had looked set to finish in front by one but double-bogeyed the par-five 18th.
Japan’s Ryuko Tokimatsu (66) and Spaniard David Puig (68) are another stroke back.

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Asia Cup: Pakistan announces playing XI for Super Four clash against India

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In their first encounter of the Asia Cup group stage, India posted a total of 266, but rain intervened and washed out the game completely.

Published Date – 08:50 PM, Sat – 9 September 23


Asia Cup: Pakistan announces playing XI for Super Four clash against India

Pakistan’s Haris Rauf (L) celebrates with teammate after taking the wicket of Bangladesh’s Taskin Ahmed (not pictured) during the Asia Cup 2023 one-day international (ODI) cricket match between Pakistan and Bangladesh at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on September 6, 2023. (Photo by ASIF HASSAN / AFP)

Colombo: Pakistan have announced their playing XI for their exhilarating Asia Cup Super Four clash against their arch-rival India on Sunday.

The Men in Green are going with the same eleven that they put up against Bangladesh in their first game of the Asia Cup Super Four stage.

In that game, Pakistan’s pace trio of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah bagged all 10 wickets for the first time in the Asia Cup history.

Babar will once again back his deadly pace trio to achieve a similar feat against their biggest rival.

“I am proud of my pacers. We dominate everyone. Big matches and tournaments are won by fast bowlers. I have my belief in them. The secret behind their success is that they stay united and have belief in themselves. If one does not have a good day, the other one steps up and covers up for it,” said Babar in the pre-match press conference.

In their first encounter of the Asia Cup group stage, India posted a total of 266, but rain intervened and washed out the game completely.

With clouds once again looming over Colombo, Babar said that the team is focused on what it can control.”We are focusing on things we can control. It rained four days. The way the sun is out, does not look like it will rain. But we will focus on utilising whatever time we get to the best of our abilities,” he said.

Paksitan (Playing XI) against India: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf.

 

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Praggnanandhaa finishes third, Grischuk takes Open Blitz title

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The Indian’s four-game unbeaten streak was brought to an end by Abdusattorov in the 13 round that also saw the upset of the day by Erigaisi.

Updated On – 09:23 PM, Sat – 9 September 23


Praggnanandhaa finishes third, Grischuk takes Open Blitz title



Kolkata: World Cup runner-up R Praggnanandhaa was the best Indian with an overall third place finish, while world champion Alexander Grischuk reigned supreme to clinch the Open Blitz title of the Tata Steel Chess India 2023, here on Saturday.

Unbeaten in four games, Praggnanandhaa was in the lead but he suffered defeats against Nodirbek Abdusattorov (13th round), Grischuk (15th) and Vidit Gujrathi (16th) that proved costly.

Erigaisi was the second best Indian with an overall fourth finish with 10 and a half points.

India’s No 1 D Gukesh suffered six defeats from nine rounds on the final day that included one against his closest rival Praggnanandhaa in the penultimate round, to end with a disappointing eighth place finish.

But he recovered well posting wins over Praggnanandhaa and German prodigy Vincent Keymer to finish on top with 12 points, with a quick draw over Pentala Harikrishna in the final and 18th round.

The two-time world blitz champion Grischuk suffered the only loss of the tournament when he was stunned by the rising Indian Arjun Erigaisi in the 13th round.

Former world Rapid champion Abdusattorov finished with three points with Praggnanandhaa, but the Uzbek secured a big win over Gujrathi to edge past the Indian sensation on tiebreaks.

Praggnanandhaa began the day on a positive note when he outwitted Rapid section’s runner-up Teimour Radjabov with a fine attacking game.

In the 11th round, he held Rapid champion Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, and continued his fun run with a win over Keymer in the next round.

The Indian’s four-game unbeaten streak was brought to an end by Abdusattorov in the 13 round that also saw the upset of the day by Erigaisi.

In round 15, Grischuk edged out Praggnanandhaa with the black pieces, while the Indian’s shock defeat came in the final round when he lost a crucial match against fellowmate Gujrathi to slip to third place.

The winners:

Women’s, Rapid: 1. Divya Deshmukh, 2. Ju Wenjun; Blitz: 1. Ju Wenjun, 2. Koneru Humpy Open, Rapid: 1. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, 2. Teimour Radjabov; Blitz: 1. Alexander Grischuk, 2. Nodirbek Abdusattorov.

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Kaushik, Manju Rani cruise to finals at Mustafa Hajrulahovic Memorial boxing tournament

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Manish (63kg), used his experience and was at his attacking best throughout as he outplayed Afghanistan’s Mohammad Sarwari 5-0

Published Date – 10:21 PM, Sat – 9 September 23


Kaushik, Manju Rani cruise to finals at Mustafa Hajrulahovic Memorial boxing tournament

Manish (63kg), used his experience and was at his attacking best throughout as he outplayed Afghanistan’s Mohammad Sarwari 5-0

New Delhi: World Championships medallists Manju Rani and Manish Kaushik stormed into the finals of the Mustafa Hajrulahovic Memorial boxing tournament in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina with unanimous decisions wins.

Manish (63kg), used his experience and was at his attacking best throughout as he outplayed Afghanistan’s Mohammad Sarwari 5-0 on Friday. The 2019 World Championship bronze medallist will meet Palestine’s Mohammed Soud in the final.

Manju (50kg) also showed similar display of domination when she stepped in the ring against Petra Mezei of Hungary. The 2019 World Championship silver medallist with her quick movement and powerful punches proved to be too strong for her Hungarian opponent as she sailed through to the finals with a convincing 5-0 win. She will now face Sadia Bromand of Afghanistan in her quest to secure the gold medal.

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Asia Cup: Cloudy skies in Colombo ahead of India-Sri Lanka clash

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Ahead of India’s second Super Four stage match of the Asia Cup 2023 against Sri Lanka, Colombo’s sky was overcast with clouds

Published Date – 12:45 PM, Tue – 12 September 23


Asia Cup: Cloudy skies in Colombo ahead of India-Sri Lanka clash



Colombo: Ahead of India’s second Super Four stage match of the Asia Cup 2023 against Sri Lanka, Colombo’s sky was overcast with clouds early Tuesday morning.

After beating Pakistan by a huge margin of 228 runs on Monday on a reserve day, India will now face Sri Lanka today at the R. Premadasa Cricket Stadium. According to Google weather updates, today there are chances of thunderstorms with 81 per cent humidity and 19 km/h wind. The temperature is predicted to be 29 degrees Celsius.

India’s luck has not favoured them in their Asia Cup campaign as out of three matches that India have played two have been affected by rain. India’s opening game of the tournament against Pakistan had ended in a draw due to rain while their Super Four stage game with the same team had shifted to reserve day to have a result.

India and Sri Lanka have won one match each. India are placed at the top of the points table while Sri Lanka are following them in second position.

India had resumed the play at 147-2 on the reserved day as rain interrupted the match against Pakistan on Sunday.

Coming in the next day, fiery centuries from Virat Kohli and KL Rahul followed by Kuldeep Yadav’s five-wicket haul powered India to 228 runs win over their traditional rival Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2023 Super Four clash here at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Monday.

Kuldeep bagged his second ODI five-for as India clinched a huge 228-run win – Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf didn’t come out to bat in Pakistan’s chase. With this mammoth victory, India clinched the top spot in of Asia Cup 2023 Super 4s table.

Earlier, Virat Kohli’s vintage performance and KL Rahul’s unbridled century powered India to 356/2 against arch-rivals Pakistan in their Asia Cup Super Four clash.

Captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill’s half-centuries laid the foundation for India, while the unbeaten 233-run partnership between Kohli and Rahul added the icing on the cake as the former skipper finished the innings in style with a maximum.

Kohli finished his innings with an unbeaten 122, which came from 94 deliveries, while Rahul smashed a fiery 111 of 106 balls.