Author: WebDesk

-Anindya Dutta It was 1-3 at half-time in the final of the Asian Champions Trophy. At home. This was not the way the match, in front of the passionate fans in Chennai, was supposed to play out. The packed stadium sat stunned. A few at home switched off their television sets. Muttered curses floated across living rooms. Heads were shaken in mute resignation. Indian hockey. Not again. The domination that Harmanpreet Singh’s team had displayed through the competition had done nothing to prepare us for this uninspiring display of hockey. India had marched into the semi-finals brushing aside China, Malaysia,…

Vaibhav Tripathi India’s T20I skipper, Hardik Pandya, has taken responsibility for his team’s defeat in the fifth and decisive T20I against West Indies in Lauderhill, Florid,a on Sunday. In the series-decider, India managed to set a below-par target of 166 in their first innings. The Indian team struggled to contain Brandon King (85) and Nicholas Pooran (47), who established a pivotal partnership of 107 runs for the second wicket, leading West Indies to an eight-wicket victory. “If you see we lost that period post the ten overs. I came there, took my time, and was not able to capitalize. I…

On August 14, 2023, the President of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), Mr. Kalyan Chaubey, established a Task Force to conduct a feasibility study on football players categorized as Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI). The Task Force’s scope includes assessing higher-level players and youth players, with a report due by January 31, 2024. Mr. Samir Thapar, President of the Punjab Football Association and an experienced sports administrator, will lead the Task Force. Other members will be selected by Mr. Chaubey in consultation with the chairman and the Executive Committee. Mr. Chaubey emphasized that…

Vaibhav Tripathi Sunday proved to be a forgettable day for Team India, as they faced an eight-wicket defeat against the host nation West Indies in the fifth and final T20I at Lauderhill, Florida. Rahul Dravid, however, stated that the team is relatively young and in a developmental phase, and highlighted that encountering both successes and setbacks is an inherent part of this process. “It’s a young team, it’s a developing team. There are times we have to go through ups and downs. I haven’t really thought about Asia Cup at this stage. We have some time for this, we…

Vaibhav Tripathi Sanju Samson achieved the milestone of 6000 runs in T20 cricket, in the fifth and final T20I match of the series against the West Indies on August 13, at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground in Florida, Before the start of the series-decider, Samson needed just two runs to reach this landmark. With this achievement, he became the 13th Indian player to accomplish this feat. Samson made his debut in T20 cricket during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2011. Throughout his career, spanning over a decade, he has amassed more than 6000 runs across 246…

Vaibhav Tripathi Shakib Al Hasan, the captain of Bangladesh’s ODI team, has emphasized the need for his side to play to potential and deliver in the men’s World Cup, scheduled in India later this year. “It (captaincy) is nothing new to me. It’s a great opportunity for us to do well in the World Cup. I think we are a very good team and this is the time to show how good we are. It’s a great challenge for our team to showcase how good we have become in the last four years,” Shakib said during a mid-innings interview with…

Vaibhav Tripathi Pakistan’s all-rounder, Shadab Khan, is confident that his team can handle the pressure of the upcoming 2023 ODI World Cup match against India in Ahmedabad. According to the leg-spinner, the Pakistani players possess strong mental resilience and are prepared to face any challenges that come their way. “We won’t have the crowd support in India. In that sense we’ll have to be very strong mentally. The way our players are, mentally strong, I think we’ll have a good tournament,” Shadab told Saj Sadiq in an exclusive interview. “Winning the World Cup in India will be like the icing…

Vaibhav Tripathi Emerging Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal attributes his promising start in international cricket to his faith in his skills. After a fruitful Test debut, Jaiswal notched his inaugural T20I half-century, remaining unbeaten at 84 off 51 balls during the fourth T20I encounter against the West Indies – his second T20I appearance – in Florida. Jaiswal formed an impressive 165-run opening partnership with Shubman Gill (77), setting a new record. Notably, Jaiswal has two player of the match awards in four international games he has played so far. “I feel it’s just a start, I need to keep doing it, keep…

Mackenzie Arnold won the battle of the goalkeepers in a gripping penalty shootout as Australia became the first hosts since the USA in 2003 to make it to the semifinals of the Women’s World Cup. They will now play England in the last four, after the European champions bounced back from a goal down to beat a spirited Colombia 2-1. After France and Australia had failed to find a way to goal in 90 minutes of regulation and half an hour of extra time, the focus was squarely on the goalkeepers as Australia edged it 7-6 in a shootout marked…

Vaibhav Tripathi Veteran Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara remains hopeful about his chances of returning to the Indian Test team. His omission from the national squad for the West Indies tour earlier this year followed his disappointing performance in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia. Pujara emphasized that his pathway back to the Indian team relies on his ability to accumulate runs in first-class cricket, which he believes will be instrumental in earning his place once again. “Look, I always try and control the things which I can. It’s always about getting as many runs as possible in whatever…