American Taylor Fritz made it to his maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal with a classy fourth-round victory against Australian qualifier Jason Kubler at Wimbledon here on Monday…reports Asian Lite News
The 11th seed produced an impressive display of clean hitting off both wings to end the World No. 99 Kubler’s spirited run at the grass-court major. Fritz crushed 40 winners and broke his opponent’s serve five times to complete a two-hour win, 6-3, 6-1, 6-4, on No. 1 Court.
It was Fritz’s eighth straight win on grass and carries him to a showdown with either two-time champion Rafael Nadal or Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.
“I felt like I was serving well. It could have gone a lot differently if those first two games were a little different,” Fritz was quoted as saying by the official website.
“Second set I played really well and then third set I feel like he slowed it down a little bit and backed up a bit in the court, making it a little bit tougher for me to put the ball away.
“We started having some really long rallies and got really tight. Just really happy to get through in the end.”
The 29-year-old Kubler has endured an injury-ravaged time of it on Tour, including six knee surgeries before his breakout run in southwest London this Fortnight.
The world No.99 needed to win through Qualifying just to take his place and went on to reach a Grand Slam fourth round for the first time via a four-hour-plus triumph – the longest match of the men’s tournament – over Jack Sock.
His run to the Wimbledon quarterfinals continues a breakthrough year for the 24-year-old Fritz, who lifted his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells in March. His win against Kubler improved his match record for 2022 to 29-10, and the American admitted it felt good to be rewarded for his efforts behind the scenes.
After recovering 0/40 to hold in the opening game of the match, Fritz broke immediately in the next game to take charge early in his first tour-level meeting with Kubler since the 2018 US Open.
A dominant display from the American was wrapped up when he overcame late stern resistance from Kubler to clinch a marathon 10th game of the third set by converting his fourth match point.
The 26-year-old midfielder joins from Leeds United, having made 23 appearances throughout eight seasons, scoring 14 goals and assisting 14…reports Asian Lite News
Manchester City have completed the signing of midfielder Kalvin Phillips from Leeds on a six-year contract, the Premier League champions said in a statement on Monday.
The 26-year-old midfielder joins from Leeds United, having made 23 appearances throughout eight seasons, scoring 14 goals and assisting 14.
In addition to widespread admiration for his domestic performances with the Elland Road Club, Kalvin has also received plaudits for his impressive individual and collective contribution to the England squad.
He was one of the key components of the Three Lions side that reached the final of Euro 2020 last summer and also played an important role in helping guide the national side to this year’s World Cup finals in Qatar.
“I am absolutely delighted to have joined Manchester City,” Phillips said.
“City have again proved to be the best team in the country with an amazing squad and a manager in Pep Guardiola who is rightly considered to be the finest in the world. To be able to play under Pep and learn from him and his coaching staff as well as be part of such a fantastic squad is a prospect that I am incredibly excited about.”
One of the key components of Gareth Southgate’s England squad, over the past few seasons Phillips has reaffirmed his standing as one of the Premier League’s stand-out defensive midfielders.
Armed with a formidable passing range and astute tactical awareness, Phillips combines those key attributes alongside his formidable stamina and infectious appetite for success.
Possessing impressive technique, he is comfortable receiving the ball under pressure and can also break the lines in central areas of play.
Former India all-rounder Ajit Agarkar said he would like to see either Pujara or Hanuma Vihari open the batting alongside Gill if Sharma isn’t fit in time for the Edgbaston Test starting from Friday…writes NIHARIKA RAINA
The equation for India’s opening pair ahead of the rescheduled fifth and final Test at Edgbaston is pretty straightforward: if captain Rohit Sharma makes a miraculous recovery from Covid-19, he will open the batting. If not, then India can look towards other options in the squad like Cheteshwar Pujara, KS Bharat or Mayank Agarwal.
Pujara had opened the innings for India seven times previously in Test cricket, with the last instance coming during the second Test against New Zealand in Mumbai last year when Gill was injured. Vihari, meanwhile, opened the innings only once during the Boxing Day Test against Australia at Melbourne in 2018 but looked scratchy while making 3, 20 and 26 in the warm-up match against Leicestershire.
Agarwal has been a specialist opener since his Test debut in 2018 but he will be getting only practice sessions as preparation after flying in to England from India on Monday. Former India all-rounder Ajit Agarkar said he would like to see either Pujara or Hanuma Vihari open the batting alongside Gill if Sharma isn’t fit in time for the Edgbaston Test starting from Friday.
“I know KS Bharat got some runs in the warm-up game. The team management will probably have a look at how prepared Mayank Agarwal is after joining the team. I don’t know if he has enough time to prepare for this one-off Test. With Rohit in isolation, I believe experience will help in opening, whether it is Vihari or Pujara, who has been around for a long time.
“Vihari has already opened for India a couple of times. So, that would be my pick, one of those two if Mayank doesn’t look quite ready as he didn’t have enough time in the nets and is clearly not going to get any (practice) games now. In my opinion, it’s better to go with a little bit more experience because it is a one-off Test,” said Agarkar in a virtual interaction organised by Sony Sports.
Bharat, picked as the second wicketkeeper-batter in the squad, had an impressive outing in the warm-up match against Leicestershire. In the first innings, he impressed with his application and stroke-play in top-scoring with 70 not out while batting in the middle order, when rest of the Indian batters failed to make a substantial score. In the second innings, he made 43 while opening the batting against a bowling attack which included Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna and Navdeep Saini.
“With Pujara being back in top-order and Vihari having couple of good Tests against Sri Lanka at home while batting at number three, he’s got runs which is what he could do. He was given an opportunity in warm-up, so he put his name up there. Whether he gets the nod or not, I am sure there will be discussion around it within the team management. But the good thing is, at least he got some runs under his belt if he does get that opportunity,” observed Agarkar.
After being left out for the home series against Sri Lanka, Pujara got back into the Test side after scoring 720 runs in eight innings for Sussex in the early part of County Championship Division Two, including four centuries, at a whopping average of 120. He also made 203 against Durham at Hove in April, in a bowling attack which also had England pacer Matthew Potts, who picked 14 wickets in an impressive debut series against New Zealand.
“It was a good thing for the Indian team that he was there and playing in those conditions. We don’t quite know the conditions he had countered but I am sure that there has been enough seam and swing for a month or so that he’s been there. Also, he has got the experience, 90-odd Tests (95), which is a terrific career.
“It’s come at the right time also as it’s a one-off Test and not many Indian batters have been playing in these conditions. It is an advantage and facing England bowlers will be a tougher challenge. But he’s been there before, so it is certainly good for the Indian team,” said Agarkar ahead of the fifth Test against England, which will be broadcast on Sony Six and Sony Ten 3 channels from July 1-5.
India defeated Korea Republic and Malaysia in the FIFAe Nations Series 2022 Playoffs to seal their qualification for the showpiece event….reports Asian lite News
India have created history on Saturday as they qualify for the FIFAe Nations Cup 2022. This is the first time that India will play at the esports showpiece event, which is set to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark this year, from July 27 to July 30.
India defeated Korea Republic and Malaysia in the FIFAe Nations Series 2022 Playoffs to seal their qualification for the showpiece event.
The journey for the Indian efootball team kicked-off in January 2021 when AIFF signed the participation agreement with FIFA for the FIFAe Nations Series 2021. India was among 60 countries to participate and was placed in the Middle East & Africa Zone. India finished 3rd in its zone, narrowly missing out on a place in the FIFAe Nations Playoffs 2021.
India ended the season with a global ranking of 22 and finished above heavyweights such as Italy, Argentina and Spain in the 2021 rankings. For the 2022 season, India was moved to Asia/Oceania region and was awarded a spot in the Play-Ins, which would provide direct qualification to the Playoffs (the last stage before the Nations Cup). During the play-ins, India played 32 games across 4 Match Weeks with 12 wins, 11 losses and 9 draws. Throughout the 4 Match Weeks, India retained their place in Division 1.
With this, India successfully qualified to the Playoffs by finishing second in the Consistency Points chart, moving one step closer to the FIFAe Nations Cup 2022. During this period, India also achieved its highest global ranking of 19.
Going into the Playoffs, the goal for India was simple. Win 2 matches and seal your spot at the showpiece event and that is exactly what they have done, emphatically one might say.
Charanjot Singh, Siddh Chandarana and Saransh Jain came up with the goods for India at the crucial hour as India defeated Korea Republic and Malaysia and now, they will be heading to Denmark at the end of July.
The Global Sports industry has emerged as a mega-growth opportunity, with US sports’ media rights revenue CAGR at 8.2 per cent through CY12-21, accounting 45.2 per cent of 2021 global media rights revenue….reports Asian Lite News
Revenue CAGRs of Manchester United (MANU), Juventus and Borussia Dortmund have been at 1.1 per cent, 4.7 per cent and 4.0 per cent, in the past seven years, with a TTM price-to-sales of 2.4x, 1.7x and 1.1x, respectively. Conversely, IPL teams’ revenue CAGR has been more than 10 per cent in the past seven years, commanding a much higher valuation than football counterparts, mainly due to higher revenue growth and stellar viewership, Elara Securities said in a report.
IPL’s title sponsorship is currently held by the Tata Group and has posted a 19.3 per cent CAGR in the past 15 years to reach Rs 5.62 bn per year. Historically, IPL sponsors have been companies from different verticals, bidding for the much-coveted sporting league. Right from traditional companies (DLF, Pepsi), modern day smartphone (Vivo) players and gaming fantasy companies (Dream 11) to large Indian conglomerates (TATA group), the IPL Title has had a varied sponsorship run. Clearly, IPL’s muscle in the Indian sports ecosystem and its ability to generate viewership/revenues are peerless, the report said.
Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad posted revenue CAGRs within 11-14 per cent in the past seven years, much higher than global peers. Such revenues should grow further due to value increment in media rights. As per an analysis of revenue/operating expense break-down of Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore, media rights revenue comprises a huge chunk of overall revenues and plus 40 per cent of the operating expenses emanate from team players/staff remuneration.
Thus, cricket, especially IPL, is approximating a trailblazer innings in India, Elara Securities said in a report.
The Global Sports industry has emerged as a mega-growth opportunity, with US sports’ media rights revenue CAGR at 8.2 per cent through CY12-21, accounting 45.2 per cent of 2021 global media rights revenue.
Of this impressive pie, soccer commands a lion’s share of 39 per cent.
However, of all the sports, cricket rules the Indian market, with a stupendous 94 per cent share in media rights vis-a-vis a mere 3 per cent, globally.
Cricket may continue to enjoy such sheer dominance in India, medium term, propped by large-lucrative properties such as IPL. Thus, expect IPL renewal to underpin media rights growth in India, medium term.
The report said digital segment, is the big delta for IPL. IPL teams’ (average of four teams) revenue CAGR is 14 per cent historically.
Expect a 16 per cent CAGR through FY22-28E. Further, media rights revenue forms 70 per cent of total revenues and should sharply spike on rights renewal. Media rights in earlier cycle (2008-17) had grown 4x to Rs 163.47 billion (2018-22).
Expect IPL media rights for the next cycle (2023E-2028E) to grow in 3-4x range (25 per cent growth due to more matches) to Rs 500-600 billion, led by the sharpest growth in digital media, the report said.
Harmanpreet Kaur, India’s T20I captain, who will be leading Supernovas in their first match against reigning champions Trailblazers on Monday, felt that the legacy of this event will be in giving the young Indian cricketers a platform…reports Asian Lite News
Since the news of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) proposed to start a full-fledged six-team women’s Indian Premier League (IPL) from next year, many in the cricketing world welcomed the possibility of it.
With the upcoming women’s T20 Challenge, starting at MCA Stadium from Monday, more or less it is believed that this will be the final time of the three-team event, which began as an exhibition match in 2018 before being upgraded to current format in 2019.
Harmanpreet Kaur, India’s T20I captain, who will be leading Supernovas in their first match against reigning champions Trailblazers on Monday, felt that the legacy of this event will be in giving the young Indian cricketers a platform to showcase their skills and establish themselves firmly in the Indian team.
“If we look at the three years that we’ve played these matches, we got very good players like Shafali (Verma), Richa (Ghosh), and even Pooja (Vastrakar) tried to prove herself through this tournament. We get quality games and the domestic players get a lot of chances to perform,” said Harmanpreet in the pre-match virtual press conference.
“Maybe this will be the last edition (of T20 Challenge) and next year we’re looking positively at the IPL and that will give more opportunities for the girls to perform. In the last two-three years, if we talk about the advantages of this tournament, the performance of the girls in the T20 team and the improvement in their performances, it is because of these games. This tournament has helped us,” added the right-hander.
With each team getting just two matches, Harmanpreet admitted that achieving a balance between giving chances to youngsters and forming a combination to have a crack at winning games will be a tough task.
“It’s a small tournament and there are many players looking for opportunities. It’s really difficult, you have only two important games and you have to win, and you have to give chances to young players also. So that’s been my discussion with the coach, deciding on the best eleven.”
“You try to balance things, and that’s what we are trying to do as it is a short tournament. Firstly, try to balance our playing eleven, and if there is a scope to do some changes in the next game then we will do. The priority is to go out and win and whatever combination is best for that, we will try to do for achieving that.”
The scheduling is such that Supernovas will play an evening game against Trailblazers on Monday and will play their next game against Deepti Sharma-led Velocity on Tuesday afternoon. Harmanpreet revealed that the side has been planning meticulously to have ample recovery time in the gap between back-to-back games.
“When we got our schedule here, we realised that there will be back-to-back matches. We had discussed this (with our trainers) on the first day that how we have to manage ourselves due to back-to-back matches. We planned long sessions, then took a break and with the consecutive matches, today’s practice session will be less, then try to get into recovery and be ready for the next game.”
But is the women’s IPL which is the obvious crucial stepping stone for women’s cricket in the country. “If we talk about women’s IPL, I think for us right now it is important to get the tournament. It is totally in BCCI’s hands on how it should be organised as they have always thought of our best interests and it’s totally dependent on them. For us, it is important that we get that tournament,” concluded Harmanpreet.
Despite getting a reprieve from Umran Malik in the second over, Bairstow couldn’t make much of the chance as left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqui flattened his off-stump…reports Asian Lite News
Punjab Kings signed off from IPL 2022 on a high by registering a five-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium here on Sunday. After left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar and pacer Nathan Ellis took three wickets each to restrict Hyderabad to 157/8, Punjab hunted down the total with 29 balls to spare, thanks to a rollicking unbeaten 49 off just 22 balls from Liam Livingstone.
In the pursuit of 158, Jonny Bairstow began with five boundaries off Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Washington Sundar in the first two overs. Despite getting a reprieve from Umran Malik in the second over, Bairstow couldn’t make much of the chance as left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqui flattened his off-stump.
Shahrukh Khan got going by pulling Kumar for a six-over deep midwicket. In the next over, he clipped Farooqi through the same region for four. Shikhar Dhawan was lucky to survive an inner edge off Farooqui and went on to thump Jagadeesha Suchith by dancing down the pitch and smacking back-to-back sixes over deep mid-wicket.
Shahrukh welcomed Umran Malik with a beautiful straight drive. But the pacer, who got a call-up to India’s T20I squad before the match began, had the last laugh as Shahrukh miscued to mid-on. With Mayank Agarwal falling cheaply to Sundar after suffering a blow to his rib-cage off Malik, Punjab needed quick runs to win the match.
That was provided by Livingstone, who was off the mark with a gigantic pulled six over deep mid-wicket off Sundar. He then thumped Malik for consecutive sixes over wide long-off and deep mid-wicket. Though Dhawan chopped onto his stumps, Jitesh Sharma struck three fours and a six in his first five balls before holing out to long-on off Suchith.
By then, Livingstone had been dropped again at 26 after being given a reprieve earlier at six. From there on, the hard-hitting batter clubbed Romario Shepherd for two fours and as many sixes, including bringing the 1000th six of the tournament, to take 23 runs off the 15th over. Debutant Prerak Mankad lofted Malik over cover for the winning boundary to sign off from the tournament on a high.
Brief scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad 157/8 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 43, Romario Shepherd 26 not out; Nathan Ellis 3/41, Harpreet Brar 3/26) lost to Punjab Kings 160/5 in 15.1 overs (Liam Livingstone 49 not out, Shikhar Dhawan 39; Fazalhaq Farooqui 2/32, Washington Sundar 1/19) by five wickets
Sharma slammed Rashid Khan for boundaries through extra cover and backward point. But the leg-spinner bounced back by breaking the 64-run opening stand as Sharma holed out to deep mid-wicket….reports Asian Lite News
A measured half-century by captain Kane Williamson, after their bowlers applied brakes in the last five overs, sealed Sunrisers Hyderabads eight-wicket win over Gujarat Titans at the D.Y Patil Stadium to record their second successive win of the tournament.
After the bowlers conceded 44 runs and took three wickets in the last five overs to restrict Gujarat to 162/7, Williamson led the chase with patience and precision while making 57 off 46 balls, laced with two fours and four sixes. He found support from Abhishek Sharma (42) and Nicholas Pooran doing the finishing job with an unbeaten 34.
The chase began with Williamson beaten on the inside edge off Mohammed Shami and was struck on pads. Hardik Pandya consulted keeper Matthew Wade, but eventually didn’t go for review. But replays later showed Williamson would have been out.
Hyderabad’s slow start of 11 runs in the first four overs changed dramatically with Williamson pulling Shami for a four and six off the first two balls of the fifth over. Sharma took on Lockie Ferguson, smashing four glorious boundaries through off-side as Hyderabad took 31 runs off the last two overs of power-play.
Sharma slammed Rashid Khan for boundaries through extra cover and backward point. But the leg-spinner bounced back by breaking the 64-run opening stand as Sharma holed out to deep mid-wicket.
Williamson, who was on 27 off 31 balls till the 12th over, slammed Pandya for pulled back-to-back sixes to take 16 runs off the over. After hitting a six off Rahul Tewatia, Rahul Tripathi had to retire hurt due to muscle cramps in his leg.
But it didn’t deter Hyderabad as Williamson reached his fifty in 42 balls by moving across and using the pace of the ball off Ferguson to scoop over short fine leg. He followed it up with a crisp drive through the gap between cover and mid-off before he skied an off-cutter from Pandya to mid-on.
Ferguson’s horror night went worse as he dropped a tough chance of Nicholas Pooran off his own bowling. He was then punished by the left-handed batter for straying twice in his line, flicked through fine leg for four followed by a picked-up six over fine leg.
Pooran then went for a pull off Shami but the top-edge ‘ailed over Wade’s head for four before Aiden Markram levelled the scores with a crisp drive down the ground. Pooran finished off the chase with a majestic pull off Nalkande over backward square leg fence to end Gujarat’s clean slate in the tournament.
Earlier, Pandya’s unbeaten fifty and a quickfire 35 by Abhinav Manohar took Gujarat to a respectable total. Pandya and Manohar joined forces to stitch a stand of 50 off 32 balls for the fifth wicket while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan took two wickets each.
Kumar had an uncharacteristic opening over, leaking 17 runs, including five wides twice. But he returned in his next over to take out Shubman Gill, who mistimed an uppish drive and was snapped by Tripathi diving to his left at cover and stuck his hand out to complete a one-handed stunning catch.
Wade and Sai Sudharsan hit two boundaries each but Natarajan took out the latter, forcing him to drive off a slower delivery, easily caught by mid-off. Pandya closed the powerplay with a drive past long-off for four as power-play yielded 51/2.
Struck on the helmet by a sharp bouncer from Umran Malik, Pandya shook off the blow by slamming Malik for back-to-back fours. Malik ended the over by trapping Wade plumb lbw from around the wicket, going past the attempted flick. Soon after, David Miller fell, finding mid-wicket off Jansen.
Pandya continued to find boundaries, clobbering Markram over deep mid-wicket followed by timing his flick well past mid-on off Malik. He got support from Manohar, who fetched three boundaries off the outside edge while slamming a six over cow corner and collecting two fours through off-side.
Manohar had luck on his side, being dropped at 21, 32, 33 before running out of luck when he holed out to long-off off Kumar. Natarajan provided an excellent finish by taking out Tewatia and Khan in quick succession. In between the two dismissals, Pandya brought up his fifty to take Gujarat to a respectable total, which wasn’t enough to avoid their first loss in IPL 2022.
Brief scores: Gujarat Titans 162/7 in 20 overs (Hardik Pandya 50 not out, Abhinav Manohar 35; T Natarajan 2/34, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2/37) lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad (Kane Williamson 57, Abhishek Sharma 42; Hardik Pandya 1/27, Rashid Khan 1/28)
Umran Malik does it again
Every year in the Indian Premier League (IPL), fans eagerly look for the bowler who bowls the fastest deliveries. This season, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s young pacer Umran Malik seems to have put forth his claim for the honour to top the speed gun.
The 22-year-old pacer has bowled really fast thus far this season, clocking 153 kmph against Gujarat Titans at the D.Y Patil Stadium on Monday.
In the match against Gujarat Titans, the pacer from Jammu and Kashmir has once again caught everyone’s attention with his pace bowling.
Malik came to bowl for Hyderabad in the seventh over against Gujarat Titans and his first delivery was a bouncer that took India all-rounder Hardik Pandya by surprise and hit him on his helmet.
However, Pandya shook off the blow by slamming Malik for back-to-back fours — a drive through cover and pull through mid-wicket. Malik ended the over by trapping Matthew Wade plumb lbw from around the wicket, going past the attempted flick.
During his spell, Umran Malik bowled the fastest delivery of this year’s IPL, and that clocked 153 kmph. His pace once again set Twitter abuzz.
Last season, in the match against Chennai Super Kings, he bowled the fastest delivery in the IPL so far clocking a speed of 153.1Kmh.
Malik, who was part of the Hyderabad contingent as a net bowler, has played eight T20 and one List A match for Jammu Kashmir and has picked a total of four wickets.
Hailing from a modest family in Jammu’s Gujjar Nagar, the 22-year-old began playing at a young age. His family has always supported his passion with his father, his mother and two older sisters always there for him.
In the game against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2021 IPL, Malik went a step further by bowling the second-fastest delivery of IPL — a 152.95kph thunderbolt that stunned everyone.
Be it in Asia or conditions at home and against different bowling attacks, Root conquered all with some outstanding knocks….reports Asian Lite News
England captain Joe Root on Monday has been named as the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year for 2021. Root beat stiff competition from New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson, Sri Lanka opener Dimuth Karunaratne and India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to clinch the award.
“I am incredibly proud to have received the award for ICC men’s Test player of the year. Very proud to be in the same breadth with many wonderful players around the world. It means a lot to get this award. I I would like to say a massive thank you to my family, team-mates and coaches for all the support we had throughout the year,” said Root, who is the second England player to win the award after Sir Alastair Cook in 2011.
The magnitude of Root’s sublime form in 2021 can be summed up by one simple stat — he has become only the third player in history to aggregate over 1700 runs in Test cricket in a calendar year. Only Mohammad Yousuf and Sir Vivian Richards stand ahead of him. Though England won just four of 15 Tests in 2021, including losing the Ashes in Australia and series against India and New Zealand, Root stood tall and a class apart in his side’s batting order.
Be it in Asia or conditions at home and against different bowling attacks, Root conquered all with some outstanding knocks. His double centuries in Galle against Sri Lanka, and against India in Chennai followed by an unbeaten 180 against the same opposition at the Lord’s were some of the finest innings witnessed in the modern era, and will be spoken of highly for a long time.
Root chipped in with the ball as well, taking 14 wickets, including a five-for in the pink-ball Test in Ahmedabad. In his own words, Root picked out the Chennai Test against India as one of his most memorable performances in 2021.
“If there was one hundred that really sticks out, it would probably be the one against India in Chennai, the first Test of the series which was also my hundredth game. That is something which will live long in my memory. Hopefully a lot more to come in this year.”
In that match, Root’s 218 in the first Test of the four-match series against India in Chennai was a masterclass in batting. He swatted away a quality bowling attack, both pace and spin, with ease. This continued his form from the series in Sri Lanka, where he was again in sensational touch.
Batting for 377 deliveries, the Indian bowling had no answers to the Root conundrum, as he set up a 227-run victory for the visitors. This was also a sign of things to come for the remainder of the year, as the England skipper played knock after knock of the highest calibre, irrespective of what the opposition bowled.
Mohammed Arif Khan, hailing from Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir, recently became the first Indian Alpine Skiier to qualify for the Winter Olympic Games 2022 to be held in Beijing next month….reports Asian Lite News
Ace rider Fouaad Mirza, golfers Anirban Lahiri, Aditi Ashok, Diksha Dagar and Alpine Skiier Mohammed Arif Khan are among the 10 athletes added by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports’ Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) to the list of athletes who would be provided support under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).
While these five athletes have been included in the Core group, golfers Shubhankar Sharma and Tvesa Malik and Judokas Yash Ghangas, Unnati Sharma and Linthoi Chanambam have been added to the Development group. These additions take the number of athletes under TOPS to 301, including 107 in the Core group.
The Ministry primarily supports elite athletes under the Annual Calendar for Training and Competition (ACTC) of each National Sports Federation. TOPS provides customised support to athletes in areas not covered under the ACTC and addresses unanticipated needs of the athletes as they prepare to excel in the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Mohammed Arif Khan, hailing from Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir, recently became the first Indian Alpine Skiier to qualify for the Winter Olympic Games 2022 to be held in Beijing next month. The MOC approved Rs 17.46 lakh towards cost of five-week training in Europe and purchase of equipment.
Riding Seigneur Medicott, Fouaad Mirza won the Eventing individual silver medal in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and finished 23rd in the Olympic Games in Tokyo last year. Based in Germany, he is currently ranked 87 in the world. Astride Mokatoo, the 29-year-old logged in two top-10 finishes in Sopot in September and Pratoni del Vivaro in November.
The 23-year-old Aditi Ashok, hailing from Bengaluru, wrested the nation’s attention in Tokyo2020 after being in medal reckoning throughout the competition. The 21-year-old left-hander Diksha Dagar, who is from Jhajjar in Haryana and is a silver medalist in the 2017 Summer Deaflympics, finished 50th in the Olympic Games last year.
Teenaged Judokas Yash Ghangas (+100kg class), Linthoi Chanambam (57kg) and Unnati Sharma (63kg) won a silver medal each in the Asia-Oceania Junior Championships in Lebanon, Beirut, last month. Yash Ghangas rose from Panipat in Haryana to express himself on the mat while Lintho Chanambam hails from Manipur and Unnati is from Uttarakhand.
