Indian Women's Hockey Team Promises Podium Finish at 2016 Rio Olympics

August 30, 2015

New Delhi, Aug 30: An "overjoyed" Indian women hockey team on Sunday vowed to make the most of the Olympic qualification as it will be one last opportunity for many players to compete in the showpiece event.

hockey

The women team will be featuring in the Olympics after a gap of 36 years. The last time they competed was in the Moscow 1980 Olympics, where they finished a respectable fourth.

"It's a dream come true. I am still in the process of realising that we have made it to Olympics. We were overjoyed when we came to know that we have qualified. This is a lifetime moment for each player and we will ensure that we make it more memorable by giving it a podium finish," India captain Ritu Rani said.

Star striker Rani Rampal, whose crucial goal against Japan in Antwerp kept the Indians in hunt, said, "This is just so unbelievable. While we were sure of a berth but now that this has happened it is still hard to believe. We had been playing and practicing for this moment for many years now. Many in the team were aware that it would be the last opportunity to achieve our dream and play in the Olympics and this time we were adamant that we will make this happen."

Goalkeeper Savita also remembered the win against Japan.

"I still remember the game against Japan during the FINTRO FIH Hockey World League. We knew a win would keep us in contention and so in a way I had to ensure that Japan did not find the nets. While we had scored early, the job from there was to defend that one goal.

"Each one of us took it on oneself that we will defend it and not allow them to score. I think it was everyone's effort that day which has allowed us to see this beautiful day today. From here there is no looking back. We will make this qualification count and will make the country proud."

Vice-captain Deepika said,"This year we had took it on ourselves that we will not let this opportunity go. It was not an easy game as Japan was also playing with the same goal but it was possible because we stood up as a unit. Next year we will ensure that we add another feather by aiming for a podium finish."

Speaking on the qualification, Chief Coach Mathias Ahrens said, "During every game at Antwerp I reminded the players that this is their chance to RIO. They have to deliver to see their dreams come true. From here now my job will be to see that they make the country proud through their performance."

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News Network
January 15,2020

Dubai, Jan 15: India skipper and batting mainstay Virat Kohli was on Wednesday named captain of the International Cricket Council's ODI and Test teams of the year, capping off a memorable season for the world No.1.

Apart from Kohli, there were four other Indians who were picked in the ICC's Test and ODI Teams of the Year.

While the Test team featured double-centurion Mayank Agarwal, opener Rohit Sharma, speedster Mohammed Shami and left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav found a place in the ODI side.

Kohli enjoyed a tremendous run in both the formats in 2019. The 31-year-old hit his seventh Test double hundred on the way to a career-best unbeaten 254 against South Africa in October last year.

It was a breakthrough year for opener Agarwal, who smashed two double tons, one century and went beyond the fifty-run mark twice. He hit a career-best score of 243 against Bangladesh in November.

Kuldeep, too, enjoyed a memorable year as he joined the golden list of bowlers with two hat-tricks. The chinaman claimed his second ODI hat-trick of his career against the West Indies last month.

In the absence of Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, Shami rose to the occasion making the best in the business hop, skip and jump with his pace, swing and bounce through the season. He scalped 42 wickets in 21 ODIs over the last 12 months.

The ICC's Teams of the Year 2019:

ODI Team of the Year (in batting order): Rohit Sharma, Shai Hope, Virat Kohli (captain), Babar Azam, Kane Williamson, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Mitchell Starc, Trent Boult, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav

Test Team of the Year (in batting order): Mayank Agarwal, Tom Latham, Marnus Labuschagne, Virat Kohli (captain), Steve Smith, Ben Stokes, BJ Watling (wicketkeeper), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Neil Wagner, Nathan Lyon.

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News Network
April 12,2020

Mumbai, Apr 12: Always eager to share his vast knowledge and experience, cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar has interacted with 12,000 doctors on sports injuries.

In his over two decade long illustrious career, Tendulkar suffered many health issues, the most prominent being the tennis elbow injury.

The veteran of 200 Tests and 463 ODIs, got to know through one Dr Sudhir Warrier, an orthopaedic surgeon, that several young doctors across the country were utilising the lockdown time to effectively gain knowledge on sports injuries through live webinars.

A session on sports injuries was held on Saturday and Tendulkar, knowing that his experiences will help these doctors, volunteered to be a part of it.

Tendulkar, accordingly, interacted with around 12,000 doctors, who attended the session.

It is reliably leanrt that the 46-year-old legend said he was grateful to the medical fraternity for their service.

During the session, the young orthopaedic doctors got to know how the requirements and treatment outcomes of athletes are different from regular patients, sources said.

Dr Warrier moderated the session with Dr Nitin Patel, physiotherapist, who has worked with Indian cricket team and IPL franchise Mumbai Indians.

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Agencies
January 11,2020

Dubai, Jan 11: India opener KL Rahul has retained the sixth position while skipper Virat Kohli and left-hander Shikhar Dhawan have advanced one place each in the latest ICC Men's T20I player rankings after the conclusion of the series against Sri Lanka.

India won the T20I series 2-0 with one match getting washed out. Rahul, the highest-ranked Indian batsman, has gained 26 points and is now at the sixth spot with 760 rating points.

Rahul is just six points behind Australia's Glenn Maxwell after scores of 45 and 54 in his two innings against Sri Lanka.

Kohli, top-ranked in Tests and ODIs, is in the ninth position while Dhawan is on 15th. Manish Pandey has advanced four places and is ranked at the 70th.

India's fast bowlers have made notable gains in the first T20I update of the year and would be encouraged as they prepare for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2020 in Australia.

Player of the series Navdeep Saini has rocketed from 146 places to 98th while Shardul Thakur has re-entered in 92nd position after both finished with five wickets in the series. Jaspreet Bumrah has gained eight places to reach the 39th position.

For Sri Lanka, Dhananjaya de Silva has gained 72 places to reach 115th among batsmen after aggregating 74 runs while spinner Lakshan Sandakan has moved up 10 places to reach 29th position after grabbing three wickets in the series.

In the ICC Men's team rankings, India have gained two points but remain at fifth position with 260 points, while Sri Lanka have lost two points and now have 236 points and are at the eighth spot.

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