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  • Mihir Vasavda at Asian Games: Avinash Sable leads from begin to end, wins steeplechase by a rustic mile

    THE EUPHORIC wave, he knew, wasn’t for him. Avinash Sable noticed himself on the massive display, heard the roar that echoed inside the large bowl that the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre is, and glanced in the direction of Jianan Wang, the Chinese lengthy jumper for whom the packed stands cheered.

    As he waited for his race to start, Sable was in no phantasm about his fame. But he was confident about his prowess. “I knew I was faster than all my competitors, and I wanted to run a fast race,” he stated.

    And quick he was. By a rustic mile.

    The Indian steeplechaser ran a Games document time of 8 minutes, 19.5 seconds to win India’s first athletics gold medal of the Hangzhou Asiad, a staggering 4.25 seconds sooner than the second-placed Japanese Aoki Ryoma.

    Sunehra Pal 🟰 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐀 𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐀𝐋🥇@Avinash3000m, take a Bow 🫡🇮🇳#StaffIndia #Cheer4India #Hangzhou2022 #Hockey #AsianGames #IssBaar100Paar | @Media_SAI pic.twitter.com/nznpixvOpz

    — Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) October 1, 2023

    Sable’s gold was the primary of a busy – but wonderful – night the place Indian athletes completed on the rostrum in every of the 8 medal occasions that passed off.

    Track and subject on a Games night time is like an orchestra the place the sounds of devices, every sounding so totally different, mix superbly to type the right symphony. Rich, expressive and stuffed with feelings.

    The stage for this musical is the sprawling subject of play. The devices, athletes. Jumpers stretching their limbs and lunging in a single nook; throwers rolling their arms; distance runners and sprinters jogging up and down the observe. All warming up for his or her act to start.

    On China’s National Day, the Indian anthem performed twice as shot putter Tajinder Toor defended the title he gained 5 years in the past with some flourish.

    “My wife asked me to bring her gold,” he laughed. “Only gold.”

    He very almost couldn’t. Outright favorite to win the title, Toor had a wobbly begin. The 6’4” big couldn’t land a authorized throw in his first two makes an attempt, as Bahrain’s Mahmoud Abdelrehman raced into the lead with a primary throw of 19.67m.

    When Saudi Arabia’s Mohamed Daouda Tolo and China’s Liu Yang managed greater marks of 19.93m and 19.97m of their third and fourth makes an attempt, respectively, it regarded sport over for Toor, particularly after he fouled his fifth throw.

    𝗔𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗦𝗛 𝗦𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗘 – Remember the identify. He is destined for 𝙂𝙍𝙀𝘼𝙏𝙉𝙀𝙎𝙎 🫶 🇮🇳

    The phenomenal athlete smashed the #AsianGames document with a timing of 8:19:50s to clinch #StaffIndia‘s first 𝗚𝗢𝗟𝗗 in Track & Field 🏃🏽@avinash3000m #SonySportsNetwork #Cheer4India… pic.twitter.com/sUKQwuzMVx

    — Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) October 1, 2023

    But in his final try, he mustered all of the energy he may to hurl the iron ball an enormous 20.36m away to run away with the gold medal.

    India clinching the primary two gold medals of the night obtained the Chinese spectators stressed and their athletes responded to stress, successful 4 titles – in males’s lengthy leap, ladies’s discus throw, heptathlon and ladies’s 100m hurdles.

    The Indians made their rivals work additional onerous. Murali Sreeshankar, who like Toor was gradual off the blocks, recorded a leap of 8m or extra in every of his 4 legitimate makes an attempt to maintain pushing Jianan Wang earlier than in the end settling for a silver.

    India’s Avinash Mukund Sable celebrates after successful the lads’s 3000-meter steeplechase closing occasion on the nineteenth Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023. (PTI Photo)

    In discus, Seema Punia completed behind two Chinese throwers who have been a category aside, particularly gold medallist Feng Bin, who threw a Games document 67.93m, almost 10m greater than Punia whose greatest was 58.62m.

    As the motion stored alternating between observe occasions and subject, Ajay Saroj exploded within the closing 200m of an exhilarating 1,500m run to beat his teammate Jinson Johnson within the race for a silver medal. Saroj lay flat on the observe after his dash to the end line because the Indian duo managed a silver-bronze end.

    Like Saroj, Harmilan Bains shifted gears in the direction of the top to assert the 1,500m ladies’s silver whereas Nandini Agasara gained the heptathlon bronze. The night time ended with Jyothi Yarraji’s controversial however scintillating run to clinch the 100m hurdles silver.

    Few, although, dominated their occasion from begin to end as strongly as Sable.

    Often falling into the entice of working the race arrange by his opponents when it comes to tempo and technique, and with the World Championship failure nonetheless haunting him, Sable course-corrected in a subject the place he was the tallest determine.

    Moments after the race started, he went across the exterior to overhaul the pack and ran the race on his phrases.

    “I did not want to repeat the same things I had done before,” he stated. And so, he took off. By the half-way stage of the 7-lap race, Sable had opened up nearly a 200m hole between him and the remainder.

    He realised how far he’d run forward of the others solely when he regarded on the big display after 5 laps. “I noticed I had a big lead. That’s when I relaxed a little,” Sable stated.

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    He strolled previous the end line with a time that was method beneath his nationwide document of 8 minutes, 11.40 seconds. But Sable wasn’t obsessive about that mark.

    He got here into the race with the straightforward purpose of successful it, timing being secondary. As he crossed the tape, the mantra, ‘Indo, Jiayou!’ – ‘Come on, India!’ reverberated across the stadium.

    He regarded on the huge display. The euphoric wave, he knew, was for him.

  • India win squash gold in thriller with Pak, stun China in desk tennis doubles

    “12-10 in the fifth, in the decider of the Asian Games gold medal match, India vs Pakistan, how do you write it!” gasped Abhay Singh. “How do you write it?”

    India’s man of the second, who almost stop the game two years in the past, captured the feelings finest.

    Where to even start to explain the relentless drama, the insufferable stress and the astonishing fightback that in the end led to a squash gold medal with a 11-7, September 11, 8-11, 11-9, 12-10 victory? With the bickering begin to what turned out to be one of many all-time basic India-Pakistan matches? Or the cold-blooded, completely skilled exhibition by veteran Sourav Ghosal, which introduced India again into the combo?

    Perhaps, it’s finest to begin on the finish of this titanic conflict that reworked from ugly to elegant to driving. With the hysterical scenes on the finish of an adrenaline-fuelled gold medal match. A rhapsodic Abhay flinging his racquet up to now into the packed stands that it landed within the row in entrance of the referee’s desk; his opponent, Pakistan’s Noor Zaman, burying his head in his palms and bolting out of the world, unable to fathom what had simply occurred; his teammate Harinder Pal Sandhu, unable to manage his feelings, climbing to the highest of the court docket.

    Seconds in the past, Abhay and Zaman had been locked contained in the cage like prizefighters because the capability crowd roared in delight and shock, taking turns to chant names of each the international locations. And the 25-year-old Indian, on whose shoulders rested the gold medal hopes, seemed useless and buried.

    Down two match factors within the deciding sport, Abhay’s shoulders dropped, the Indian bench went silent and the momentum was firmly with Pakistan. “In your head, you have lost,” Abhay mentioned.

    From that hopeless place, Abhay resurrected himself with brave stroke-play to win 4 consecutive factors, clinch the tie and lead India to an exciting 2-1 win over Pakistan, an erstwhile squash powerhouse, and declare the group gold medal.

    It was India’s second gold medal of the day, after Rohan Bopanna and Rutuja Bhosale received the tennis blended doubles title, and simply earlier than the historic triumph of the ladies’s doubles desk tennis group of Suthirtha Mukherjee and Ayhika Mukherjee gorgeous Chinese world champions and world quantity 2 pair Chen Meng and Yidi Wang to enter the semifinals and guarantee themselves a medal.

    But on a day when India’s athletes received large throughout sports activities — from tennis to desk tennis to trace and subject — the squash gold is not going to be forgotten any time quickly for its unrelenting drama and the sensational comeback.

    The victory was even sweeter for India as this was a grudge match, having misplaced to Pakistan within the preliminary spherical simply three days in the past. And extra so for Abhay, who had suffered a humbling defeat by the hands of Zaman.

    Sparks flew all through this three-match tie, similar to it did when the 2 groups met Wednesday. After India misplaced that encounter 2-1, veteran participant Ghosal obtained his youthful teammates, Abhay and Mahesh Mangaonkar, collectively for a briefing.

    “Both Abhay and Mahesh got very, very emotionally charged. It’s my belief that’s not the way to play them (Pakistan),” Ghosal mentioned. “I told them yesterday you almost have to be robots. Literally, like no emotions. No emotion is more powerful than any other outward thing you can show.”

    No love misplaced

    If staying bereft of feelings was the sport plan, India didn’t start nicely. The opening match between Mangaonkar and Nasir Iqbal changed into an disagreeable brawl with each gamers colliding into one another — typically inadvertently, at occasions strategically — after which complaining always to the umpire, alleging interference.

    The antics appeared to backfire on the Indian, who obtained more and more annoyed when the referee didn’t hearken to his pleas. Mangaonkar was dropping the psychological sport in addition to the technical one as Iqbal made him transfer everywhere in the court docket, discovering the appropriate angles, top and placement to maintain the ball away from the Indian, particularly on the far facet of the forehand.

    Iqbal received the opener in straight video games, placing the onus on Ghosal — India’s No. 1 participant for 860 consecutive weeks. The man who has saved the nation’s flag flying ensured it didn’t bow out tepidly on this tie.

    Digging into his many years of expertise and displaying impenetrable calmness, Ghosal made quick work of Muhammad Asim Khan, permitting the Pakistani participant simply 9 factors throughout three video games to power the gold medal match right into a decider.

    Ghosal might have wrapped up his contest in precisely half an hour however he was deeply concerned all by the 2 hours the tie lasted. The 37-year-old was the chief cheerleader from the bench, shouted phrases of recommendation and warning in between factors and went into breathless monologues throughout sport intervals, giving directions to his teammates.

    Before the all-important match between Abhay and Zaman, each Ghosal and coach Christopher Walker sat Abhay down and went over the technique. “It was quite cold so we just had to be very careful hitting the ball back,” Walker mentioned. “We made sure he’s covering the front very well since when the ball doesn’t bounce much when you take it to the front and play the drop shots. The drop shots become a bigger weapon as the match goes on.”

    These phrases ringing in his ears, Abhay entered the court docket to play what turned out to be a match of nice deception, artistry and gamesmanship. He appeared to be heading for a simple win after wrapping up the primary sport inside no time, and racing to a 7-4 lead within the second.

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    But then, the tide turned and Zaman made a robust comeback with a flurry of cross-court hits, pinning Abhay to the backcourt and utilizing the drop photographs with lethal accuracy.

    Abhay stayed alive within the match along with his unimaginable athleticism and stubbornness to not give in regardless of being put underneath relentless stress. Eventually, he did simply sufficient to disclaim Pakistan what, at a number of factors, felt like an assured gold.

    Especially when Zaman had two match factors to seal the gold medal and had the group vociferously backing him. “The only thing I was thinking at 10-8 was how did I get here but I had all the confidence in myself,” Abhay mentioned. “There was a lot of talk from the other team three nights ago, some on social media… Well, I am looking forward to some tonight.”

  • ICC unveils names of World Cup mascots as Blaze and Tonk after fan vote

    The International Cricket Council on Saturday introduced that their two World Cup 2023 mascots will likely be generally known as ‘Blaze’ and ‘Tonk’ after majority of followers voted for these two names.

    The duo had been unveiled again in August and followers from across the globe had been requested to assist identify them, with Blaze and Tonk rising because the winners.

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    The feminine mascot will likely be known as ‘Blaze’, who in line with the ICC press launch said, “will be bowling at rapid pace, leaving batters in sheer awe. She is a fast-bowling sensation due to her pinpoint accuracy, unmatched reflexes, boundless flexibility, and unwavering determination. She is adorned with a belt carrying six power cricket orbs, each meticulously prepared for various game-changing tactics.”

    Introducing BLAZE & TONK! 📢 👫 🏏

    You spoke, we listened, the ICC mascots are named and able to interact and entertain younger followers beginning with the #CWC23 🤩

    More 👉 https://t.co/inSvWrrw21 pic.twitter.com/J640DFUwqF

    — ICC (@ICC) September 30, 2023

    “Tonk is a male mascot, with icy-cool composure, making him a batting champion. His range of shots sizzle and leave the crowds electrified, with finesse and power on display in equal measure. Tonk has an electromagnetic bat and versatile shot repertoire, lighting up the grandest stage,” the discharge added.

    This time round, the organizers went for a extra new age vibe with the characters, straying away from their typical animal and different associated designs when representing the 50-over extravaganza in India like Stumpy the Elephant in the course of the 2011 World Cup and the Googlee cricket ball which had legs and arms and was wearing a helmet, gloves and pads in 1996.

    The marquee 50-over extravaganza will start on October 5 with a heavyweight conflict between England and New Zealand in Ahmedabad. The matches will likely be performed throughout 10 venues and can conclude on November 19, culminating within the last conflict on the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

  • Asian Games: Meet the Family of Eight rowers that opened India’s medal account

    The missed funeral of a sibling and an unsaid Antim Ardas. The lengthy distance nervousness over a mum or dad’s recuperation from bypass surgical procedure. The forgotten style of a gulab jamun, outlawed from a sportsman’s weight loss program. India’s Men’s Eight in rowing, which educated in Pune for lengthy months away from their properties, lastly had a silver to indicate for all of the sacrifices made, for all of the sorrows hidden whereas staying targeted on the purpose of an Asian Games medal.

    As they synchronised their strokes and injected an influence blast on the 1200 metre mark to beat back Uzbekistan and Indonesia, India’s coxed eight, liplessly chorused the mantra ‘Row hard, row for gold’.

    The crew was drawn from small villages in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra and introduced collectively and whipped right into a single respiration monolith by the Army Rowing Node. They ended up with a treasured silver, gained for the primary time since 2010, ending in 5 minutes, 43.01 seconds, a mere two-and-a-half seconds behind China’s 5:40.17. The 2018 version ends in rowing had been underwhelming, however after the Eights finals, the Indians, all armymen, might exhale. And hope to go house after months of being camped at Pune’s Rowing Node, ought to they be granted go away after a medal.

    Many congratulations to our Rowing Team on successful the #SilverMedal within the Men’s Coxed Eight occasion.

    Let’s #Cheer4india 🇮🇳 #WeAreTeamIndia | #IndiaAtAG22 pic.twitter.com/7vPAPcYVbv

    — Team India (@WeAreTeamIndia) September 24, 2023

    Charanjeet Singh (26), Channi to teammates, from Nangla village in Bathinda, rows the 4th seat within the Men’s Eight, that requires him to maintain the 4 teammates in entrance and three behind motivated, along with his stroking momentum. “I’m thrilled the medal goal is realised now, but there were times when I wasn’t there when my family needed me most,” he recollects. His sister would go away from a sudden mind haemorrhage, and Charanjeet at a nationwide camp in 2019, regrets not reaching in time to avoid wasting her or for the funeral and prayer service.

    Earlier, he had insisted on becoming a member of the military after feeling a ‘junoon’ watching conflict motion pictures, and defied kin who instructed him to not waste cash on sport, when he was chosen for rowing. “Many demotivated me saying full payment will go on my diet and I would save nothing. But everything was taken care of by the army and I started loving the sport. The only problem was we couldn’t go home for more than 4-5 days.” He final went to Nangla in March.

    Team is household

    Neetish Kumar, from Mavi Khurd in Baghpat, UP, emulated his father and joined the military, and rows the third seat in Eights. He final went house in January for only a week, and dearly misses his mother and father and spouse, however stated constructing a mix on the boat wanted this dedication and sacrifice. “In Pune, my teammates are my family. We’ve built a bond since we all stay away from home. We constantly live with the responsibility that even if one player slackens, it will cost the other eight people (including a coxswain) a medal,” he says.

    For him, an enormous sacrifice was staying away from sweets. “Hum north se hai, hume gulab jamun aur kaju katli bohot pasand hai. But team ke liye nahi khaa sakte meetha,” he would add. Also lacking his candy ghewar is Neeraj Maan, from Khwaja Nangla, Baghpat, who stands tall at 189 cms and rows the primary seat. “My role is to bring balance and rhythm.”

    #TeamIndia🇮🇳 win SILVER 🥈 Medal in Rowing Men’s Eight Event 🚣‍♂️#Cheer4India #AsianGames #IndiaAtAG22 pic.twitter.com/BU80pL3VIf

    — Doordarshan Sports (@ddsportschannel) September 24, 2023

    Puneet Kumar, the powerhouse on the seventh seat, and joint tallest at 189 cms, can boast of a formidable ergometer rating of 6:15. The 29-year-old from Kakra, Muzaffarnagar, remembers rowing’s punishing ‘500m/1000m patches’ – relentless coaching classes with only a minute’s break, the place coronary heart charges have been always at 190/200. “I remember I couldn’t eat on those afternoons when we had these sessions,” says the human engine who commanded the aggressive begin until 750m and the facility blast at 1200m to parry off Uzbekistan.

    A carefree kabaddi participant when younger, he recollects turning accountable after his father’s bypass surgical procedure. “Father is a farmer, but in a weak heart condition and couldn’t do much. My mother has had four stomach surgeries and is asthmatic. I have younger sisters. And coming from a village, I knew the army was my only way out of a precarious financial situation. I have to work hard as a rower, there’s no option,” says the soldier who joined the military at 18. On Monday, he goes again into the water for the Fours occasion. “Jo medal China ko gayaa, wo waapas lana hai.”

    Keeping Puneet free to energy his strokes and sustaining rhythm in the midst of the boat was seat No. 6 Bheem Singh of Alwar, Rajasthan. He has ailing mother and father at house – father is usually unwell and mom struggles to maneuver round due to joint ache. But the military rowing coach as soon as enabled him to get go away for his sister’s wedding ceremony. And he feels indebted to the senior ever since. “Target banaa rehna chahiye, ghar pe jo bhi problem ho. Coach Saab ke liye ye medal haasil karna tha. This was life’s only focus,” explains the son of a millets farmer.

    Also coming from a farming household was 26-year-old Jaswinder Singh of Kaleran village in Dhuri tahsil of Sangrur. His older brother Baljinder, additionally a forces man, recollects a sibling who suffered acute bodily ache from varicose veins earlier than it was handled. He rows the fifth seat pulling the crew and decreasing stress on these forward, and may be very pleased with military life, although he misses his fields in Punjab. “He built his strength as rower working in the fields. And even now, even if he’s home for few days, he gets down to farm work. He won’t rest. He loves working the land,” Baljinder says.

    Striving for one another

    The child of the Eights crew is 24-year-old rifleman Naresh Kalvaniya from Amarsar, Jaipur, born to a farmer father. Naresh would grudgingly assist out within the fields when younger, however misses that life now. “I used to find it difficult, but now I miss it. Very early in life, I was told that I would have to shoulder the responsibility of the family, so army was the only way out,” he says. He was a standout performer within the final two seasons domestically, and bought picked into the Eights crew. “I have the least experience, so there was nervousness but seniors helped.”

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    Steering the boat and setting the tone of the stroke for others to repeat, is eighth seater Ashish, from Sikar in Rajasthan, son of a retired armyman. Born into a way of accountability, the 26-year-old reckons the group has bonded by protecting communication open and frank. “There is pressure on us because the army and government have spent a lot on our training. When I injured my back in 2019, they took care of me. The medal was our way to repay their faith.”

    Perhaps nothing acts as a much bigger glue than the entire group of giants pulling the leg of their 5’7” coxswain, Dhananjay Pande, who at 32 is the oldest and a hyperlink within the chain between coaches and gamers, as steerer-in-chief. Born in Raigad district of Maharashtra, Pande joined the Boys Sports Company at 13, has at all times rowed and in 2011, shifted to being a coxswain. “I absorb the tension on behalf of players, and apply the pressure on part of the coaches. I guide their movements and rhythm,” says the athlete, rowing since sub-junior years.

    “Pandeji gets angry very fast if something annoys him and the whole team gets down to calming him down in different ways. And that’s how half the jokes are cracked, and the atmosphere stays light,” says Neetish. Staying away from households for lengthy months, the coxswain retains this group collectively on and off the boat.

  • Mihir Vasavda at Asian Games: Rowers from water-scarce Rajasthan amongst earliest medal winners in Hangzhou waters

    Only after he crossed the end line did Arjun Lal Jat go searching to soak within the surroundings – the low-lying mist protecting the plush inexperienced mountain slopes, hanging over the pristine waters of the Beizhi River, on which boats sailed.

    To his left, on the banks of the river, had been the overflowing stands. On every other Sunday morning, the locals would’ve hiked up the Fushu vary as they normally do. Today, they crammed into the bleachers that confronted the mountains, overlooking the end line.

    This was a world far faraway from the barren lands of Churu – nestled in probably the most rugged terrains of Rajasthan the place mercury usually crosses 50 levels in summer season – the place Jat comes from. “I hadn’t even seen this much water before I joined the Army,” Jat, 23, says.

    #AsianGames #HangzhouAsianGames

    🥈 Arjun Lal Jat and Arvind Singh’s silver medal ceremony as India opened their accounts in rowing at the moment in positive vogue.

    🎥 Sony Sports pic.twitter.com/DTQlCXWqVR

    — Express Sports (@IExpressSports) September 24, 2023

    In the early hours of Sunday on the Fuyang Water Sports Centre, the person whose jaw dropped when he first noticed a water physique, paired up with Arvind Singh of Bulandshahr to win India’s first medal, a silver, of the Hangzhou Asian Games in one of the crucial gruelling water sports activities – rowing.

    The duo accomplished the 2000m lengthy light-weight doubles sculls in 6 minutes, 28.8 seconds to complete second behind the Chinese group that was sooner by half-a-boat size.

    Minutes after India opened its account at these Games, the duo from Rajasthan – Lekh Ram and Babu Lal – mixed to win the bronze medal within the coxless pairs race. And quickly, one other medal adopted as India clinched the group silver within the coxed eight race, with three of the rowers hailing from distant Rajasthan villages, bringing the entire medallists from the state on Day 1 to six.

    The rowing races marked the start of a frenetic morning on Day 1 of competitors, the place India and China had been concerned in a number of shut duels all of which ended within the favour of the host nation.

    Roughly a 20-minute drive away from the rowing venue, across the identical time when Jat and Arvind sailed previous the end line, India’s girls’s air rifle capturing group comprising Ramita Jindal, Mehuli Ghosh and Ashi Chouksey had been overwhelmed by the Chinese within the gold-medal race. An hour later, Ramita completed behind two house favourites shooters to accept a person bronze in the identical occasion.

    Apart from the truth that many rowers are from Rajasthan, are Armymen and are amongst India’s earliest medal winners of those Asian Games, these athletes have yet one more factor in widespread – they’re all unintentional rowers.

    India win first medal of the #HangzhouAsianGames. A silver in rowing, on the foothills of the gorgeous mist coated Fushu mountain vary pic.twitter.com/URwGyUFqR1

    — Mihir Vasavda (@mihirsv) September 24, 2023

    “I think I can speak for all of us from Rajasthan that we did not know that a sport such as rowing even existed,” Jat, who belongs to a household of farmers, says.

    Rowing, he provides, occurred by likelihood. Jat’s main purpose was to get into the Army and ‘secure’ his future. “It’s either that (joining the Army), or farming,” Jat says. “So, I put all my energy into getting picked for the Army. Sport was never on my radar.” It was solely after he was picked for 14 Raj Rifles that the Army sports activities scouts noticed Jat.

    The careers of all rowers from Rajasthan have adopted the same trajectory.

    “When we mention Rajasthan, we immediately think of the desert,” says chief coach Ismail Baig. “We don’t associate the place with water sports and for a good reason. But the physique of the people from that belt suits the game. In my career, most of the players are from that region. Curiously, there isn’t a dedicated rowing centre there yet.”

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    The physique that Baig, Indian rowing’s Dronacharya, refers to is outlined on paper by the Army, which offers most rowers to the nationwide group. The athlete’s top must be not less than 183 cm with minimal weight of 70kg, a wing-span of 193 cm and leg size of 108 cm.

    Col Ramakrishna, the Commanding Officer of the Army Rowing Node, says Army recruits from Rajasthan simply meet these parameters. “The bulk of our talent pool comes from Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Western UP. These places don’t have water bodies as such. So they might not have been exposed to rowing but they have the perfect physique for it,” he says.

    Jat was launched to rowing by Olympian Bajrang Lal Takhar, additionally from Rajasthan. He jokes about being afraid of water and the preliminary fears of his boat capsizing. “But I’ve overcome those anxieties now,” Jat says, flexing his proper arm on which the Olympic rings are tattooed. “Those fears were because I had never seen anything like that. But now, I am ready to conquer the waters.”

  • Asian Games: No boxing seedings means Nikhat Zareen & Co face robust assessments early on

    Nikhat Zareen, the reigning 51kg ladies’s world champion, will face the Vietnamese boxer she defeated within the finals of the 2023 Women’s World Championships in New Delhi in her first spherical itself

    No seeding for the boxing programme on the Hangzhou Asian Games signifies that lots of the Worlds finest boxers won’t want to attend until the ultimate to satisfy one another. A subject that isn’t balanced by seedings has meant that in sure eventualities, high boxers face one another early within the event whereas in different eventualities, unheralded prospects get a simple pathway to the highest. No situation exemplifies this higher than Nikhat Zareen, the reigning 51kg ladies’s boxing world champion, who will face the Vietnamese boxer she defeated within the finals of the 2023 Women’s World Championships in New Delhi in her first spherical itself.

    Nikhat Zareen vs Thi Tam Nguyen, 50 kg (W)

    Luck merely doesn’t appear to favour Nikhat Zareen. At the 2023 Worlds, her entry into the 50kg weight class meant that she was unseeded and ended up having to face six boxers to win her gold medal. The final of these boxers was Thi Tam Nguyen, a Vietnamese boxer who gained the bronze medal on the 2018 Asian Games and gave Zareen a tricky struggle in New Delhi earlier than judges scored the competition 5-0 in favour of the Indian. But that rating doesn’t showcase simply how robust the Vietnamese boxer was and the way the dearth of seedings has meant that what ought to have ideally been the finals of the sunshine flyweight occasion, will now be its first spherical. It doesn’t assist that Zareen might additionally face Thai boxer Chuthamat Raksat within the semi-finals. She had confronted Raksat on the World Championships in New Delhi and narrowly gained 5-2 then.

    Hasanboy Dusmatov vs Saken Bibossinov, 50kg (M)

    A present world champion and the 2021 world champion each meet within the Round of 16 after a bout every. Welcome to the Hangzhou Asian Games the place solely one in every of Hasanboy Dusmatov or Saken Bibossinov earns the correct to qualify for the Paris Olympics. Luckily for each, qualification tournaments within the leadup to the Paris Games signifies that shedding on the Asian Games gained’t be the tip of their Olympic desires. The lack of seeding additionally impacts India’s Deepak Bhoria on this class, as he goes up in opposition to Japan’s Tomoya Tsuboi, who gained gold within the 54kg class of the 2021 World Championships.

    Shiva Thapa to the ultimate

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    While most Indians have suffered from this draw, Shiva Thapa could have a simple pathway to the ultimate after he finds himself on the better half of the bracket. The 2015 World Championships bronze medallist’s solely doubtless problem might come from whoever emerges from the battle between Chinese Taipei’s Lai Chu-en and China’s Wang Xiangyang.

    Nishant Dev’s robust run

    After lately profitable a bronze medal on the Worlds, Nishant Dev will doubtless face Aslanbek Shymbergenov, the present 71kg world champion within the semi-finals. Dev had misplaced to Shymbergenov earlier within the yr on the World Championships however with a view to even get on the win column in opposition to the Kazakhstan boxer, Dev could should beat Japanese boxer Sewonrets Okazawa, who he’s set to satisfy within the quarter-finals ought to each boxers overcome their matches previous to then.

    Arundhati, Parveen handed robust begins

    It isn’t simply Zareen who has been handed a tricky begin amongst Indian ladies. Take the case of Arundhati Chaudhary who will likely be collaborating in her first-ever Asian Games and must face Liu Yang the present 66kg World Champion straight off the bat. In the 57 kg class, Parveen Hooda, who’s a medal hope for India will go up in opposition to one other Chinese boxer in Xu Zichun.

  • India vs Australia 2nd ODI tip-off XI: Mohammed Siraj again into the aspect, Shardul Thakur to maintain his spot, Mitchell Starc again in for Australia

    India will tackle Australi within the second ODI on the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Sunday. The hosts with a medical victory on Friday lead the three-match ODI collection 1-0. While there have been lots of positives for India there are nonetheless a couple of inquiries to be answered particularly the type of Shreyas Iyer which is popping out to be a little bit of a priority now.

    Coming to bat when the crew was cruising to victory in Mohali at three, Iyer seemed like a cat on a scorching tin roof. He by no means seemed snug on the crease and ultimately obtained himself out in a lame run-out. Indian followers and crew administration could be hoping that he’ll come good within the second ODI. Elsewhere, within the lineup, Shardul Thakur seemed a bit hungover from the Asia Cup marketing campaign. While Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami have been extracting one thing out of the floor Shardul gave away simple runs. Shardul’s kind with the ball might be essential going ahead for the crew as he may give the batting depth at eight for India.

    As for Australia, it’s onerous to pinpoint what has gone mistaken precisely as there have been lots of shifting elements of their squad with accidents and different causes therefore they might choose from what they’d in entrance of them which was not sufficient to problem this sturdy Indian crew in residence circumstances therefore for the subsequent recreation with a little bit of injection of high quality bowlers and batters with the pedigree of enjoying in Indian circumstances, Australian aspect might be lot extra formidable.

    IND vs AUS 2nd ODI Live Streaming:
    Players of the Australian cricket crew congratulate KL Rahul. (EXPRESS PHOTO BY Kamleshwar Singh)

    Mohammed Siraj into the aspect

    With a brief turnaround between the video games and Jasprit Bumrah finishing his quota for the primary time shortly the crew administration will take into account resting him and produce within the likes of Siraj into the aspect. Siraj is in magnificent kind with the ball as he has lately proven along with his five-wicket haul in opposition to Sri Lanka in Colombo. Also, India want to take a look at completely different bowling pairings as they may need to rotate the quick bowlers fairly a bit within the lengthy World Cup marketing campaign.

    Shardul Thakur to maintain his spot

    Though the bowling all-rounder had a poor recreation on Friday Shardul not often goes by way of a cricket match with out selecting a wicket and the first ODI was a type of events. His kind might be key for India as his bowling and batting at quantity eight will present the required stability for the aspect. And on a wicket like Indore which is historically conducive for batting his methods may turn out to be useful.

    Mitchell Starc might be again in for Australia

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    In the primary ODI other than Pat Cummins Australia lacked the additional tempo within the bowling assault which enabled India to chase the runs posted by Australia simply within the second innings. With Starc coming again in for the subsequent recreation he not solely gives the left-arm angle which has troubled the Indian batters prior to now however his excessive tempo will even trigger bother on true Indore wicket.

    India predicted XI: Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (c, wk), Tilak Varma, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj

    Australia predicted XI: David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa

  • 1st ODI: Suryakumar Yadav blazes, India tick one other field

    On the eve of the match, India head coach Rahul Dravid asserted that his group had ticked many of the containers within the Asia Cup. One that maybe remained unticked was the type of Suryakumar Yadav, who duly got here to the get together with a feisty 50, a knock within the finisher mould, the place he confirmed appreciable restrain and consciousness to bail his group out of a difficult state of affairs. His most uncommon outing at this stage helped India chase down 277 with the lack of 5 wickets, within the firm of KL Rahul.

    There was a part when he was apprehensive about his incapacity to crack the ODI code. “What is happening for me in this format, I have wondered. The teams and bowlers were the same. I went back and reflected and realized I was probably rushing things a bit. So I decided to play slower and take it deep. I think it’s the first time I haven’t played a sweep,” he would clarify.

    It was the kind of innings he used to dream of when he began enjoying this format, he would say. But one way or the other couldn’t handle till this night time in Mohali. And on the most opportune time too, on the cusp of the World Cup, and his spot in scrutiny. No Indian cricketer on this squad would have been beneath as a lot scrutiny as Yadav would have been. Apart from his measly common of 25, he had not scored a half-century in 19 innings. Time and time once more, the coach and captain, or whoever attended the press convention, needed to defend his place within the spot. Even on Thursday, Dravid needed to element the explanations the group has been persisting with him.

    Sealed with a SIX.

    Captain @klrahul finishes issues off in type.#CrewIndia win the first ODI by 5 wickets.

    Scorecard – https://t.co/H6OgLtww4N… #INDvAUS@IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/PuNxvXkKZ2

    — BCCI (@BCCI) September 22, 2023

    Yadav justified the religion of his devoted with a knock that allayed loads of concern about his adaptability on this format. Making him come at No 6—a ploy tried first in West Indies—was to maximise his T20 type of batting, the place he might unpack his strokes with out a lot ado. It’s right here that he maybe exceeded the expectations of most. The state of affairs he walked in was delicate. India had misplaced Ishan Kishan and the goal was 92 runs away. Australia’s tails had been up and an Indian implosion lurked.

    So Yadav dialed in a model of sport you don’t affiliate with him, although a job he had performed on quite a few situations for his home aspect, Mumbai. He took inventory of the state of affairs, milked the bowling, punished the free balls in typical trend, his straight-driving a factor of magnificence (he unfurled three) and took the sport away from Australia. Apart from a ramp off Pat Cummins at the beginning and the news off Cameron Green in the direction of, there was nothing unorthodox about his stroke-making.

    A properly made half-century for @surya_14kumar off 47 deliveries.

    His third in ODIs.

    Live – https://t.co/H6OgLtww4N… #INDvAUS@IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/sZYHyaujXu

    — BCCI (@BCCI) September 22, 2023

    Only a couple of days in the past had Green, his Mumbai Indians teammate, praised him in a podcast on The Grade Cricketer. “It is ridiculous the way he bats. Especially in the training when you see him playing those shots. It’s amazing,” he would say. Green received a style of that in an actual sport too.

    Yadav confirmed that there’s a totally different, deeper layer to his batting. It’s typically wanted from somebody who bat at 5 and 6, the flexibility to be versatile in strategy, to learn the state of affairs and bat accordingly, typically sacrificing your major nature.

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    Tone-setter

    Just as Yadav is peaking on the proper time, so is India. Perhaps provoked by the Jasprit Bumrah-Mohammed Siraj present in Colombo, Mohammed Shami produced a masterful account of his bowling, bending and hooping the ball each methods in his first two spells. His five-wicket haul will surely push the case for India choosing an exhilarating three-pronged seam battery within the World Cup.

    For his sensible bowling figures of 5/51, @MdShami11 is adjudged Player of the Match as #CrewIndia win by 5 wickets.

    Take a 1-0 lead within the three match ODI collection.

    Scorecard – https://t.co/H6OgLtww4N…… #INDvAUS@IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/gIZJFkWj2L

    — BCCI (@BCCI) September 22, 2023

    His opening spell set the tone for India. In the primary over, he eliminated the in-form Mitchell Marsh with a peach, one which formed away after pitching. In his second spell, he got here again to take away a set Smith on 41 with one other magic ball, the nip-backer. At the loss of life, he devoured Marcus Stoinis (29), Matthew Short (2) and Sean Abott (2) to finish his second fifer within the ODIs. “It’s important to bowl in the right areas and set the tone. There wasn’t much out of the wicket so the only option was to bowl good lengths and mix up your variations. Feels good when you put in the effort and get wickets,” Shami informed the broadcasters in the course of the innings break.

    As a lot as the variability and expertise of India’s bowler, Australia’s batsmen had been undone by their indiscretion. Forget the poor shot choice from Warner or the reverse sweep from Marnus Labuschagne, Green’s run out was pure comedy. Green superior down the crease, received an inside edge, which KL Rahul failed to gather on the bounce. Green was adamant to run the second whereas Inglis was watching the ball. Shami failed to gather the throw from Ruturaj Gaikwad from the third man however an alert Suryakumar Yadav received the job accomplished. A nine-ball 21 from skipper Pat Cummins helped Australia finish their innings with a flourish as Australia reached 276 runs.

    Gill-Gaikwad present

    For Australia to defend the rating on a wicket that all of the sudden turned simple for batting beneath the lights, because it at all times is right here, they wanted early wickets. But they needed to wait until the fourth ball of the twenty second over for the primary Indian wicket. By that point, the hosts had motored alongside to 142, because of some scintillating stroke-play from homeboy Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad. But for all their dazzle, it required the grit and coronary heart of Yadav and Rahul to steer India dwelling. Another field ticked, and an enormous one at that.

  • Asian Games, males’s hockey: Paris the precedence for Harmanpreet Singh and Co in Hangzhou

    “To qualify for Paris by winning the Asian Games is our number one priority,” was how Craig Fulton put it in his first press convention in May after taking up as Indian males’s hockey group head coach. “To be Asia No 1 is definitely one of the goals that we want to achieve and be that consistently,” he added.

    The Pro League matches, an invitational occasion in Spain, and even the Asian Champions Trophy have all been main as much as Hangzhou. Winning the Asian Games gold is a matter of satisfaction, however qualifying for Paris 2024 is simply as vital.

    India scored a whopping 76 objectives in 5 group stage matches on the 2018 version, defeating the likes of Japan and Korea. But the semifinal noticed them stumble towards Malaysia. The photos after the defeat should be haunting many a hockey fan nonetheless, as it could be for the likes of Manpreet Singh, who was squatting on the sphere in disbelief. His teammates round him regarded equally shell-shocked. Twice India let a lead slip, and the penalty shootout resulted in heartbreak. Then coach Harendra Singh had known as it ‘unpardonable’.

    “𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙪𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 1️⃣ 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙞𝙣 𝘼𝙨𝙞𝙖.”

    🇮🇳 males’s hockey chief coach Craig Fulton provides a glimpse into their preparations and the high-flying objectives set for the nineteenth Asian Games. 🏑#AsianGames | @TheHockeyIndia | @FIH_Hockey

    — Olympic Khel (@OlympicKhel) September 22, 2023

    But issues have regarded up since then. Under Graham Reid for essentially the most half, and now beneath Fulton, the Indian group is tactically disciplined and other than occasional slip-ups, have improved steadilly on their health and game-play.

    On paper, India begin clear favourites simply by the advantage of being Tokyo bronze medallists and world No 3. On the sphere, their performances at ACT ought to fill them with a variety of confidence. Against Asia’s elite in Chennai, they had been usually dominant and likewise got here via a few difficult conditions. None extra so than recovering from a 1-3 deficit towards Malaysia within the ultimate.

    It took a wide ranging second half comeback to prevail ultimately, however the first half would even be pointer for Fulton’s males to keep away from occurring a slippery slope in strain conditions. There had been additionally events in the course of the event when the defence conceded avoidable objectives, one thing to enhance in China.

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    “In ACT, we played really good hockey and given the fact that we remained unbeaten in the tournament shows that we are heading in the right direction and we want to keep that going in upcoming tournaments,” Fulton had mentioned whereas saying the squad.

    Ace drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh will as soon as once more lead the aspect, with Hardik Singh as his deputy. In PR Sreejesh, Manpreet Singh and Mandeep Singh, India have their backbone of 5 senior professionals who’ve seen all of it. The newer group comprising of Abhishek, Vivek Sagar Prasad and Sanjay shall be eager to depart their mark.

    #TeamIndia 🇮🇳 is able to battle for glory within the nineteenth Asian Games Hangzhou 2022.

    📅 twenty fourth Sept – eighth Oct 2023.
    📍Hangzhou, China.
    📺 Live stream on Sony LIV app and Watch Live on Sony Ten Sports Network.#HockeyIndia #IndiaKaGame #AsianGames#HangzhouAsianGames #EnRouteToParis… pic.twitter.com/jFMGe47Xjz

    — Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) September 22, 2023

    India are positioned in Pool A, alongside Pakistan, Japan, Bangladesh, Singapore, and Uzbekistan. Attention shall be on the Pakistan conflict whereas Japan will present check. Reaching semifinals ought to, as soon as once more, be simple. But then it turns into a psychological sport and there are sufficient warning indicators from the previous that this group can be taught from, to keep away from a slip-up.

    For the ultimate phrase, we go away it to Sreejesh, from his interplay at Indian Express Idea Exchange. “If we compare ourselves to the rest of Asia, we are getting a lot of facilities, improving a lot, players are travelling abroad and getting special training. So expectations are getting higher. Talking about hockey, when you are going to the Asian Games, you are the favourite there and other teams want to hunt you. So you can’t drop your level.”

    That, in essence, shall be India’s largest check.

    🥇 Golden Dreams Loading….

    Here’s the Match Schedule for pool stage of the nineteenth Asian Games Hangzhou 2022🏑

    📅 twenty fourth Sept – eighth Oct 2023.
    📍Hangzhou, China.
    📺 Live stream on Sony LIV app and Watch Live on Sony Ten Sports Network.#HockeyIndia #IndiaKaGame #AsianGames… pic.twitter.com/JxjfYQzuiY

    — Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) September 22, 2023

    Schedule of the Indian Men’s Hockey Team (in IST):

    On 24 Sep, India vs Uzbekistan at 0845

    On 26 Sep, India vs Singapore at 0630

    On 28 Sep, India vs Japan at 1815

    On 30 Sep, India vs Pakistan at 1815

    On 2 Oct, India vs Bangladesh at 1315

  • Watch: Marnus Labuschagne on receiving finish of weird dismissal in IND vs AUS 1st ODI

    Marnus Labuschagne was on the receiving finish of a somewhat weird dismissal when he was adjudged stumped off Ravichandran Ashwin’s supply throughout India vs Australia 1st ODI.

    In the thirty third over of the match, Labuschagne who was wanting well-set within the center, tried to play a reverse sweep however couldn’t join correctly and there was an opportunity for keeper KL Rahul to catch it. But the ball dipped and hit the pads of the keeper and bounced off it and dislodged the bails.

    There was an opportunity of stumping with the commentators and the gamers all wanting confused. It was despatched upstairs and the replays confirmed that Labuschagne’s backfoot was on the road when the ball hit the stumps. Ultimately after checking once more with the stumps digital camera, the Australian was given out and he departed for 39 runs.

    pic.twitter.com/2fMFqcC95a

    — Nihari Korma (@NihariVsKorma) September 22, 2023

    Meanwhile, a light-weight drizzle had halted the proceedings within the first ODI between India and Australia on Friday. Sent into bat, Australia have been 166 for 4 in 35.4 overs when the match got here to a halt due to a light-weight drizzle. Opening the batting, David Warner made 52, whereas Steve Smith (42) and Labuschagne additionally contributed earlier than being dismissed.

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    Earlier, India skipper Rahul gained the toss and elected to subject towards Australia within the first ODI of the three-match collection.

    Shreyas Iyer, who may solely play two video games within the Asia Cup as a result of a again spasm, is again within the enjoying XI whereas Rituraj Gaikwad, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammed Shami are additionally in.

    Skipper Pat Cummins and Steve Smith, who have been each nursing wrist accidents, returned to the Australian staff.