India bounces back with big victory over Bangladesh

Shafali Verma once again showed her match-winning ability with a stunning 44-ball 55 as India beat Bangladesh by 59 runs to win their fourth match and make it to the semi-finals of the Women’s Asia Cup T20 in Sylhet, Bangladesh . Saturday.

After a disinterested batting performance in the loss against Pakistan, the ‘Women in Blue’ put on a much better performance at 159 for 5, largely due to a 96-run opening stand between Shafali and stand-in captain Smriti Mandhana (47 runs). There was a partnership. 38 balls).

Credit should also go to Jemima Rodrigues, whose unbeaten 35 off 24 balls helped the Indian team score nearly 160 runs. Bangladesh scored 100 for 7 at the end of 20 overs and never looked to win. India are at the top of the seven-team table with eight points from five matches and one match left in the round robin stage.

Having never chased down a target total of more than 142 in their entire T20I history, Bangladesh tried their best but could never compel the pace against a solid Indian bowling attack that kept things tight. After a poor fielding effort against Pakistan, it improved a few notches later in the day as there were no easy runs in store.

The hosts could not even score 50 runs in the first 10 overs and it was almost impossible for them to score more than 110 runs in the back-10. With Sneh Rana (1/17 in 3 overs) and Deepti Sharma (2/13 in 4 overs) being as transparent as ever, none of the Indian bowlers stayed away from the target.

Even Shafali’s loop legbreak (2/10 in 4 overs) didn’t look playable. The sluggishness of the track also meant that the spinners could vary the pace and most of the balls were not coming to the bat. The two openers Fargana Hoki and Murshida Khatun could only manage 45 runs in the first nine overs and Bangladesh were virtually out of the competition at that point.

Originally published at Pen 18

suzuka: With Suzuka pole, Max Verstappen moves to the verge of second successive title

Max Verstappen prepared for a second consecutive Formula One title at the Japanese Grand Prix by defeating Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc in pole position in qualifying at the Suzuka Circuit on Saturday.

The 25-year-old swung his Honda-powered Red Bull around the popular figure-of-eight layout in one minute, 29.304 seconds, beating Leclerc by just 0.010 seconds. Carlos Sainz was 0.057 seconds off the pace in third place in the second Ferrari.

Verstappen came under scrutiny for dangerous driving after McLaren got in the way of Lando Norris, but was let off with a reprimand. Norris was forced to drive off the track and onto the grass to avoid contact and said he expected Verstappen to be punished.

But replays showed Red Bull’s tail sticking out, with the stewards noting that Verstappen had temporarily lost control of his car on cold tyres.

“It was incredible to drive here again, definitely very happy to be on pole, but very happy to be back here,” Verstappen said after taking 18th pole of his career and fifth of this season. Sunday, he said, “will be interesting with the weather, I’m sure we have a good car.” Verstappen leads Leclerc by 104 points in the overall standings and needs to score eight more than Monegasque to finish proceedings on Sunday.

This means that if he wins by the fastest lap ahead of Leclerc, he will be the champion. But Friday’s practice session was affected by rain and Sunday was in danger of being hit again, so the race could be far from straight. Leclerc or Sainz could give Ferrari their first Suzuka victory since Michael Schumacher’s 2004 victory.

Verstappen was the favorite for pole in the session after setting the fastest time in Saturday’s final practice. But Leclerc was on the verge of last-gasp on his final flying lap, even as Verstappen on the provisional pole, not improving on his earlier benchmark.

In the end it wasn’t enough, Verstappen’s first flight was good enough for pole. “Let’s wait and see the conditions, should be a fun race,” he said. Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez was fourth behind Alpine’s Esteban Ocon.

Mercedes has enjoyed an unbeaten run at Suzuka until 2014, but the streak looks set to end with the team’s highest-ranked Lewis Hamilton in sixth place. Fernando Alonso was seventh behind Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate George Russell.

Sebastian Vettel, driving around Suzuka for the last time as he prepares to retire at the end of the year, was a spirited ninth for Aston Martin. Norris made it to the top ten. Home Hope Yuki Tsunoda, racing a Formula One car in front of his fans at Suzuka for the first time, was 13th. Sunday’s race at Suzuka will be the first since 2019 in which the Japanese Grand Prix has been absent from the calendar for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Originally published at Pen 18

Missing T20 World Cup berth is huge setback but lot of cricket still left in me: Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur has suffered a ‘big blow’ for not featuring in the T20 World Cup but the Mumbai medium-pace bowling all-rounder is focused on doing well in the upcoming games as he still has “a lot of cricket” left.

Thakur played the T20 format for India at a time when Hardik Pandya was doing his long and intensive rehabilitation program but his poor economy rate of 9.15 basically took him off the national team’s radar.

“Of course, it’s a big setback. Every player dreams of playing in the World Cup, not only to play but also to win,” Thakur said on the eve of the second ODI against South Africa.

“It’s okay that I haven’t been picked this time. But there’s still a lot of cricket left and there’s also the ODI World Cup next year. My focus will be to do well in whatever match I play and contribute to the win,” TH Mumbai K Man, who is just two short of completing 100 international wickets across all formats, said.

India have suffered another major setback to their T20 World Cup campaign when the injured Deepak Chahar, who was in reserve, was ruled out of the ongoing series with the possibility of going to Australia.

“Injuries are part of the game, someone is going to get injured at some point or the other. We shouldn’t take it honestly. There’s more cricket yet to come,” he said.

Asked if he likes his chances, the 30-year-old said: “If there is an injury then anyone can come. As of now, it is your responsibility to play whenever and wherever you are asked to play.” “Be prepared. I’ll be mentally prepared if I’m given a call-up. It’s all in my hands.”

Want to make a difference with the bottom bat

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Thakur further said that he is honing his batting skills to make a difference in the lower order, something which was displayed in the first ODI in a 93-run stand with Sanju Samson in 66 balls.

Chasing a tight target of 250 in 40 overs, India were 51/4 but Sanju Samson (86 not out) and Thakur (33) revived their hopes and missed out on just nine runs.

“If you look at the teams that have performed very well at the international level, they have a very deep batting line-up. Like Australia for example, they have Pat Cummins, Mitch Starc at 8 or 9. Even That too for England.

“I have been focusing on my batting for a long time now. Obviously batting at No.7 or batting at No.9, if they can contribute it’s always good. That gives you relief. meets.”

“We can also deepen our batting lineup and make a difference – a difference of 15-20 runs which can be crucial in winning matches, especially in white-ball cricket,” he added.


Inappropriate to criticize only Indian bowlers

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Team India’s bowling may have faced criticism of late but Thakur said it was unfair as rival bowlers are also loosing runs.

“It’s not fair to just criticize Indians, even their bowlers are taken to the clean. We won the T20I series, but they were also slammed.

“I think before questioning the consistency we should see how the wicket was, the conditions. Sometimes more than 350 runs are scored in an ODI then in that situation every bowler gets hit.” There have not been any one-sided matches, batting or bowling friendly pitches, mostly competitive. We have won most of the matches and have shown consistency.”

Originally published at Pen 18

revenant: Puma signs kit partnership deal with Revenant Esports

Indian esports organization Revenant Esports has signed global sports brand Puma as its official kit partner for the upcoming season.

As part of the deal, Revenant Esports’ creator and esports roaster will donate special kits manufactured by Puma. Both the brands will leverage this collaboration to make their presence felt among the esports community in India.

Rohit Jagasia, Founder and CEO, Revenant Esports said, “PUMA is one of the most successful sports brands in the world and we are extremely proud to be associated with it as the first esports team in India. “This partnership is a step in the right direction for Revenant Esports and a testament to our aim to enrich the esports community and the experience for our fans.”

He added that over the years esports has become an integral part of the merchandise industry and it is a privilege to have athletes, creators, fans wear apparel made by one of the best in the world. “Together we look forward to achieving immense success in the coming years and capitalizing on the growing export culture in the country,” Jagasia said.

Puma, the leading sports brand in India, has partnered with several international esports organizations, but this is the first such deal in the Indian export market.

Vishal Gupta, Executive Director (Retail), Puma India said, “We are extremely excited to have Revenant Esports as their official kit partner and become the first leading sportswear brand in the country to enter the deeply enticing space of esports. are.” “India is one of the biggest markets for the video gaming community and competitive esports is affecting our youth at all levels. The inclusion of esports as a medal sport at the Asian Games next year is a testament to its enormous popularity and potential today. As a brand, Puma strongly supports influences on youth culture such as sports, fitness, art, cinema, music and now new age sports.

With this association, Puma and Revenant will leverage each other’s audience base and wider reach to connect with esports athletes in the country and penetrate deeper into the market, he added.

According to a recent report by FICCI-EY, around 100 brands have invested in Indian exports this year, as compared to 72 in 2021. loyalty among his passionate set of fans.

Originally published at Pen 18

India beat Bangladesh by 59 runs in Women’s Asia Cup

India beat Bangladesh by 59 runs in a Women’s Asia Cup match here on Saturday. Opting to bat, Shafali Verma smashed a quickfire 55 off just 44 balls while in-form Jemima Rodrigues used her long to good effect with an unbeaten 35 as India were tied for 159 or 5. .

Shafali and stand-in captain Smriti Mandhana (47 off 38 balls) put on 96 runs for the opening stand while Jemima and Deepti Sharma (10) added 29 runs in just 2.3 overs.

The Indian bowlers then easily defended the target, restricting the hosts to 100 for 7.

Captain Nigar Sultana top-scored with 36 while Fargana Haque scored 30.

Shafali Verma and Deepti Sharma took two wickets each for India.

Brief scores: India 159 for 5 in 20 overs (Shafali Verma 55, Jemima Rodrigues 35 not out; Rumana Ahmed 3/27) vs Bangladesh 100 for 7 in 20 overs (Nigar Sultana 36; Shafali Verma 2/10, Deepti Sharma 2 / 13).

Originally published at Pen 18

sports authority of india: IOC proposes “appointed CEO” in place of elected Secretary General in IOA

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) may have an “appointed CEO” instead of an elected general secretary after December’s elections as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has proposed far-reaching changes to the constitution of the national sports apex body during a joint session with the International Olympic Committee (IOA). The meeting was held in Switzerland last month

Representatives from the IOC, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), the IOA and the Ministry of Sports held a meeting in Lausanne on 27 September, following a “final warning” by the international sports umbrella body to “finalize” the ban on the national Olympic body. The election was not announced after the “warning”. Next IOC Executive Board meeting (December 5-7).

Following the meeting, which also included India’s first individual Olympic gold medalist shooter Abhinav Bindra, the IOC issued a summary proposing, among other things, to change the position of an elected secretary general to a CEO appointed by the executive committee. ,

“The IOC/OCA will also propose additional elements (such as changing the position of the elected Secretary-General to an appointed position, so that the Secretary-General serves as CEO appointed/appointed by the Executive Committee), and including an independent Ethics Commission, including IOC guidelines and safety practices. According to a properly functioning Athletes Commission),” said the IOC in the summary which is in possession of PTI.

If the suggestions are implemented, it will be far-reaching in the context of Indian sports as it can take similar steps in other national sports federations. As of now, only a few NSFs such as the All India Football Federation have a salaried general secretary appointed by the executive committee.

The elections to the IOA were scheduled to be held in December last year but could not take place due to a pending case in the Delhi High Court where a petition was filed seeking its constitution to align it with the National Sports Code before holding elections. amendment was sought.

The IOC “in principle” agreed with most of the points raised by the Delhi High Court in its August decision, saying they were in line with the Olympic Charter and the basic principles of good governance, except for two key points.

The IOC has objections regarding the proposed 25 percent membership of players with voting rights in the IOA General Assembly.

The IOC’s stance to accept the Delhi High Court’s decision on September 22 and the Supreme Court’s order to work on amendments to the Constitution and appoint a former judge to oversee the elections will thus give hope that by declaring the IOA This complex issue can be solved. Elections ahead of the December meeting of the IOC Executive Board.

“The IOA constitution will be amended to incorporate necessary governance reforms. To this effect, the IOC/OCA will work closely with a judge appointed by the Supreme Court of India on the draft constitution as amended,” the IOC said.

“In principle, most of the points raised by the High Court of Delhi in its judgment dated 16 August 2022 are concurring to the IOC/OCA and consistent with the Olympic Charter and the basic principles of good governance of the Olympic Movement, except 2/3. A majority required for re-election (a simple majority, i.e. more than 50% of the validly cast votes, as in any election process, must be sufficient).

“…and, the appointment of 25% of the players as voting members within the IOA General Assembly and the Executive Committee (which should be refined and its mechanism re-discussed to make it workable and related to be consistent with the basic requirements) of membership of any NOC, in accordance with the Olympic Charter, and with common standards within the Olympic Movement).

An official who attended the joint meeting in Lausanne said that the Indian representatives have accepted the IOC’s proposal. He also said that state Olympic associations may also lose voting rights at the IOA General Assembly.

The IOC said that once the draft agreement with the IOC/OCA is finalized by the retired judge, it will be formally adopted by the IOA General Assembly.

“The IOA elections will be under the supervision of a former judge appointed by the Supreme Court and the IOC/OCA, in accordance with the newly approved IOA Constitution and the Olympic Charter. The entire process (including elections) should be completed before the IOC EB meeting in December 2022. ”

Meanwhile, Justice (Retd) L Nageswara Rao, who was entrusted by the Supreme Court to amend the IOA constitution, has called a meeting with the country’s major sports bodies on October 14.

Rao, in a notice issued last week, asked the original petitioner of the Delhi High Court, advocate Rahul Mehra, officials of the IOA, the Sports Ministry, Sports Authority of India, NIS Patiala, Athletics Federation of India, Badminton Association of India, National Association of India, Sports Authority of India, NIS Patiala, Athletics Federation of India, Badminton Association of India, etc. Rifle Association of India, Hockey India, All India Tennis Federation, All India Football Federation, All India Chess Federation, Weightlifting Federation of India and Amateur Boxing Federation of India will participate in a meeting to discuss the next developments.

Rao also invited Delhi High Court-appointed “consultant players” – Bindra, great long jumper Anju Bobby George and Olympian archer Laishram Bombayla Devi, as well as interested national sports federations and state Olympic associations – for a meeting in Jawaharlal invited. Nehru Stadium Complex in New Delhi.

The Delhi High Court had on August 16 ordered the formation of a three-member Committee of Administrators (CoA) to manage the affairs of the IOA. The High Court said the IOA’s “persistent reluctance” to adhere to the Sports Code made it imperative that its matters be placed in the hands of the CoA, which includes former Supreme Court judge Justice Anil R Dave, former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Qureshi included. and Vikas Swarup, former Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs.

But, the Supreme Court had on August 18 ordered status quo to be maintained after the IOA filed a special leave petition in the apex court against the Delhi High Court’s decision.

Rao said he is convening the meeting as per the Supreme Court’s direction to amend the IOA constitution and prepare a road map for conducting IOA elections so that the entire process can be completed by December 15, 2022.

Originally published at Pen 18

bcci: Sourav Ganguly unlikely to keep BCCI president role; speculation strong for Roger Binny as replacement

According to media reports, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly may not contest for the post of BCCI President after the completion of his current term at the end of this month.

Reports also claimed that Roger Binny, who is currently serving as the President of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), is expected to replace Ganguly as the BCCI President. He has been named in the BCCI’s draft voter list ahead of the elections in India’s cricket governing body.

A report in Sportstar said that Binny, the former India all-rounder and member of the 1983 World Cup winning team, may get a role in the BCCI after being nominated to represent Karnataka at the upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM). In Mumbai on October 18, the same day when the election results will also be out.

“Earlier, Santosh Menon of KSCA will represent KSCA at the BCCI AGM. But this time Binny will represent the Karnataka unit, while Sourav Ganguly will represent the Cricket Association of Bengal,” IANS quoted a report as saying.

The report said that with questions on Ganguly’s future as BCCI president, there is talk of former senior men’s selector Binny getting an important role. A BCCI source said in the report, “It is too early to predict anything. The nominations will be filed next week, only then things can become clear.”

Current BCCI secretary Jay Shah is set to represent the Gujarat Cricket Association and treasurer Arun Dhumal has been nominated by the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association to represent the state body at the AGM.

Former BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhary will represent Haryana while current BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla will represent Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association. Former ICC President Shashank Manohar’s son Advait Manohar will represent the Vidarbha Cricket Association while Ashish Shelar has been named as the representative of the Mumbai Cricket Association.

The BCCI elections will be held for the roles of President, Vice President, Secretary, Joint Secretary and Treasurer. Nominations have to be filed by October 11 and 12 to contest the elections on these posts. The report also said that the BCCI office-bearers had a meeting on late Thursday night in Delhi regarding the AGM and elections.

(with inputs from agencies)

Originally published at Pen 18