Author: WebDesk

The grand finale of the 132nd Indian Oil Durand Cup, set for Sunday, September 03, 2023, at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata, is the highly anticipated clash between Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Emami East Bengal. Both teams are vying for the prestigious Durand Cup trophy after having already met once in the competition. In the group stage, Nandhakumar Sekar’s goal made the difference, giving East Bengal’s red-and-gold brigade its first derby win in 1659 days. East Bengal started their campaign with a 2-2 result against Bangladesh Army, and on the following matchday came their much-awaited derby win.…

The eagerly awaited Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan at Pallekele on the outskirts of Kandy in Sri Lanka was abandoned without a ball being bowled in Pakistan’s chase of 267. Earlier, Pakistan’s pace bowlers, led by Shaheen Shah Afridi, had taken all ten wickets as India were bowled out for 266 with seven balls still left to be bowled in the innings. India had slumped to 66 for 4, and were indebted to a partnership of 138 runs in just 141 balls between Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya. Kishan, who batted at the crucial No. 4 slot, made…

In anticipation of the high-octane clash between India versus Pakistan Asia Cup match, Ravi Shastri has stated that the Men in Blue are the favourites to win this one. The former chief coach of the Indian team acknowledged that Pakistan have made significant progress of late, but are yet to surpass their Indian counterparts. “I would say India start as favourites. This is their strongest team since 2011, this mix of players, and a captain who is seasoned, who understands the terrain better than most. Having said that, Pakistan have narrowed the gap. Seven-eight years (ago), there was a gap…

Former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden has offered his views on the Asia Cup showdown between India and Pakistan. He underscored the formidable challenge posed by Pakistan’s pace trio of Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah. The former opener highlighted their distinct approaches tailored for India, particularly in the context of the conditions in Kandy, which often provide significant bounce. He noted that these conditions favour Rauf, who excels at targeting the top of off-stump. “India is playing against Pakistan’s pace trio. I can tell you this is one of the spiciest competitions on the planet. We’ve got Afridi, Rauf,…

Pakistan captain Babar Azam has downplayed talks of pressure on his team and said they are relying on their recent experience in Sri Lankan conditions for the Asia Cup match against India. “There is no extra pressure. Yes, the India-Pakistan match is always one of high intensity, but we have experienced players and we just need to concentrate on our strengths and do well,” Babar said in the pre-match press conference in Kandy. “We have been here since July. We have played Test matches, some league (LPL) matches and then the ODIs (against Afghanistan). We are hoping that this will…

Amidst discussions and speculations on India’s playing XI for their opening Asia Cup match against Pakistan in Kandy, captain Rohit Sharma has stated they have various combinations to consider, given how the pitch behaved during the Sri Lanka-Bangladesh game. He emphasised that his experienced batters will adopt an aggressive approach, although the tack might change depending on the situation. “All sorts of combinations are available, looking at how the game was played yesterday. We have got experience in our batting line-up. Batters have to play accordingly. We will try to take the game on but it is important to read…

Life has its own way of telling you when it’s not all hunky-dory. Things may appear to be going fine and all of a sudden, there comes a reality check which shows that they are far from perfect. For Indian sports, basking in the glory of Neeraj Chopra, HS Prannoy and the chess gang of R Praggnanandhaa and D Gukesh, this wake-up call has come in an unexpected manner. Chirag Khandal, the Equestrian athlete, has shocked the sports fraternity by announcing his retirement at the age of 20. He cited apathy on part of the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI)…

Tim David, Australia’s Singapore-born middle-order batter, has been called up to the ODI squad for the first time, for the upcoming series against South Africa in September. This opportunity comes close on the heels of his impressive 64-run blitz off 28 balls against South Africa in the initial T20I match on August 30 in Durban. According to Cricket Australia selector Tony Dodemaide, “Tim is already here for the T20 series which offers an opportunity to see how his game can translate to the one-day format,” said Tony Dodemaide, one of Cricket Australia’s selectors. “He will provide an extra option for…

Indian pacer Mohammed Shami reckons Jasprit Bumrah’s return bolsters the team’s bowling in the Asia Cup. “For a long time we didn’t have Jassi (Bumrah). We felt the absence of a good player. You sometimes feel like ‘I wish this player was there’. So having Jassi, especially in the white-ball format, has made our bowling very strong. He’s looking fit and he’s playing well. Hopefully, we have a good Asia Cup,” Shami said in an interview with Star Sports. Returning after a year due to a back injury, Bumrah led India in the T20I series against Ireland. He secured four…

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam notched up his 19th ODI century during the opening match of the Asia Cup against Nepal in Multan. He came in at No 3 after Pakistan lost opener Fakhar Zaman with 21 runs on the board. Off the first delivery, Babar hit a boundary. He steadied the innings after a shaky start, after Pakistan were reduced to 25/2 following the dismissal of Imam-ul-Haq. In partnership with Mohammad Rizwan, Babar took Pakistan’s total to 111. He continued undeterred even as Rizwan and all-rounder Agha Salman fell quickly. Babar’s century was achieved in the 42nd over, from 109…