I thought of quitting badminton last year: Saina Nehwal

August 19, 2015

New Delhi, Aug 18: Crediting U. Vimal Kumar for her silver medal-winning performance at the recently concluded World Badminton Championships, Saina Nehwal on Tuesday said the coach helped her resurrect her career after a string of injuries made her think of quitting the game last year.

sainaSaina was laid low by a toe fracture in 2013 and was forced to miss the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last year due to a blister on her leg.

Her struggles with fitness reflected on her performances and prompted her to shift to Bengaluru to train under Vimal Kumar at the Prakash Padukone Academy.

According to the World No. 2, Vimal gave her the confidence and the right guidance required to improve her game.

"I was thinking about quitting (last year) because I thought I was getting irritated with the kind of performances I was giving. I was not happy with the way I was playing. It was not happening, I was not finding out ways to win. It was getting challenging for me because I knew I was a world class player," Saina told a news channel.

"Losing without a fight was not me. That moment Vimal Sir joined the Uber Cup team after a long time. He worked on my game and I started winning games in Uber Cup and then I won the Australian Open.

"Now I have become World no. 1, won China and India Open, reached the finals of All England and World Championships. All these happened only as I moved to Bengaluru. I wanted to improve and I think it (shifting from Hyderabad to Bengaluru) was a good decision," the Olympic bronze medallist added.

"Vimal Sir's influence is the biggest change. I really want to thank him for spending so much time with me in the court and making me believe everyday that I am a champion, I can be number one."

Saina, who lost to Spanish top seed Carolina Marin in the final in Jakarta, created history by becoming the first Indian to bag a silver medal at the World Championships.

The 25-year-old said that former national chief coach Vimal gave a lot of "personal attention" for her growth as a shuttler.

"Even physically I am feeling much better. It's because, when you get personal attention you are naturally going to improve. The whole attention is on you. He is working on areas in which I am weak," Saina said.

The Hyderabad ace said that she is looking forward to a strong show at the 2016 Olympic Games after an impressive performance at the Worlds.

"It's (World Championship medal) one of the special medals because it will give me lot more confidence to be ready for the Olympics. In the Olympics the same players will also compete. Olympics come every four years. It will be lot more pressure. But same kind of players will be there," she said.

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News Network
February 2,2020

Mount Maunganui, Feb 2: India registered a rare 5-0 whitewash against New Zealand after notching up a seven-run win in the fifth and final T20 International at Bay Oval here on Sunday.

Electing to bat, India posted 163 for three, riding on Rohit Sharma's 60 off 41 balls and a 33-ball 45 from K L Rahul.

The visitors then restricted the hosts to 156 for nine with Jasprit Bumrah claiming three wickets for 12 runs.

Chasing the target, the Black Caps were tottering at 17 for three in 3.2 overs.

Tim Seifert (50) and Ross Taylor (53) then added 99 runs for the fourth wicket as New Zealand recovered to 116.

Seifert clobbered a 30-ball 50 studded with five fours and three sixes, while Ross Taylor hit two sixes and five fours in his 47-ball 53-run innings.

However, once Seifert was dismissed in the 13th over, the hosts suffered a collapse, losing five wickets, including Taylor, for 25 runs to loss the plot in the end.

Brief Score:

India: 163 for 3 in 20 overs (Rohit Sharma 60; S Kuggeleijn 2/25)    

New Zealand: 156 for 9 in 20 overs (Ross Taylor 53, Tim Seifert 50; Jasprit Bumrah 3/12).

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News Network
June 29,2020

Jun 29: The West Indies cricketers will sport a 'Black Lives Matter' logo on the collars of their shirts during the upcoming three-Test series against England to protest against racism in sports.

Skipper Jason Holder, who has voiced his support to the cause that has once again come to the forefront after the killing of American George Floyd, said in a statement on Sunday: "We believe we have a duty to show solidarity and also to help raise awareness."

The ICC-approved logo, designed by Alisha Hosannah, will be the one which featured in the shirts of all 20 Premier League football clubs since the sport's resumption earlier this month.

"This is a pivotal moment in history for sports, for the game of cricket and for the West Indies cricket team," Holder was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

"We have come to England to retain the Wisden Trophy but we are very conscious of happenings around the world and the fight for justice and equality. "As a group of young men, we know of the rich and diverse history of West Indies cricket and we know we are guardians of the great game for a generation to come."

Holder, who wants racism to be treated at par with doping and corruption, said they arrived at the decision to wear the logo after much thought.

"We did not take our decision lightly. We know what it is for people to make judgments because of the colour of our skin, so we know what it feels like, this goes beyond the boundary. There must be equality and there must be unity. Until we get that as people, we cannot stop," he said.

"We have to find some way to have equal rights and people must not be viewed differently because of the colour of their skin or ethnic background."

The West Indies players are likely to wear the shirts for the first time in this week's four-day warm-up match at Emirates Old Trafford, starting on Monday.

The opening Test of the series, which will mark the resumption of international cricket after the coronavirus-forced hiatus, will get underway at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton on July 8.

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Agencies
January 25,2020

Headingley, Jan 25: England have become the first team in the world to score 500,000 runs in Test cricket. They achieved the feat during the ongoing fourth and final Test against South Africa being played at The Wanderers.

On Friday - the opening day of the Test match -- England captain Joe Root's single through the covers took the Three Lions to a landmark 500,000 run-mark in the longest format of the game. They achieved the feat in their 1022nd Test match.

Australia comes second in the list, with 432,706 runs in 830 Tests. India, meanwhile, are third, with 273,518 runs in 540 Tests, followed by West Indies (270,441 runs in 545 Tests).

In the third Test played at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth, England had become the first team to play 500 Test matches on foreign soil. Australia are the second team to play the most away Test with 404 matches they have played so far.

India have played 268 Tests on foreign soil in which they have won 51, lost 113 and 104 have ended in a draw.

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