IPL for me is just about expressing myself, says Dinesh Karthik

April 8, 2014

Dinesh_KarthikNew Delhi, Apr 8: Dinesh Karthik grabbed eyeballs when Delhi Daredevils bought him for an astounding Rs 12.5 crore at the last IPL auctions and the Tamil Nadu stumper knows only too well that the franchise has pinned a lot of hopes on his ability to win matches.

“Of course, there will be pressure. When a corporate invests in you, they have high expectations. But money is not the only issue here. As a professional, you are expected to give your best for the team irrespective of you getting more money or less,” Karthik said.

Karthik failed to make most of the opportunity in the Asia Cup which preceded the World Twenty 20. Called in as replacement for India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the wicketkeeper-batsman missed some crucial stumpings and could not come up with a noticeable performance with the bat.

But on his own admission, there are no specific areas that he has worked on.

“To be honest, I have not worked on anything specific. It would also be tough to gauge my form with the way I played in the domestic T20s (Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy) as IPL will be a different ball game,” said the 28-year-old.

The all new Daredevils squad starts training Wednesday and like other sides, doesn’t have much time to work on the team chemistry.

Karthik said it was too early to talk about how the team would fare in the seventh edition. Captain Kevin Pietersen, Ross Taylor, Quinton de Kock, Murali Vijay and Mohammed Shami are the other star players in the squad.

“It would be too premature to say anything on the team. I will only get to meet the coach (Gary Kirsten) and others in the camp. We have a good-all round team with some explosive international players but there are a whole lot of factors that determine success.

“Personally, I would like to take it match by match and see how it goes,” said the Chennai-based cricketer adding Pietersen and Taylor’s presence was a big boost to the franchise.

The pitches are expected to aid the spinners more than the faster bowlers. Delhi only have leggie Rahul Sharma and left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem as frontline spinners.

“We might not have a lot of India players in the team but in the spin department, both Rahul and Nadeem have proved themselves in the past IPL editions.”

A good showing in the last IPL paved the way for Karthik’s return to the Indian team for the Champions Trophy. Is he planning something similar this time around?

“IPL for me is just about expressing myself. If I do well, the future will take care of itself,” he summed up.

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News Network
January 10,2020

Srinagar, Jan 10: Real Kashmir FC made a strong comeback in the second half to play out a 1-1 draw against former champions Punjab FC in their home I-League match here on Friday.

The 'Snow Leopards' equalised in the 62nd minute through Gnohere Krizo in front of a partisan crowd of 8,500 spectators after Makan Chothe had given Punjab FC the lead in the 21st minute at the TRC ground.

After Thursday's draw, Punjab FC is placed third on the table with 10 points from seven games. Real Kashmir FC remained at eighth with six points from five matches. This was Real Kashmir's third home match on the trot.

The match was a story of two halves as the first belonged to the visitors who enjoyed a 62 per cent possession of the ball, whereas the second belonged to the home side.

Both the teams were looking to gain an early advantage and Punjab FC took the lead after 21 minutes.

Confusion inside the Real Kashmir box because of a long ball from Punjab opened up an opportunity for Chothe and he made no mistake as he smashed the ball at the back of the net.

As the fans cheered on, Real Kashmir created a flurry of chances, but none of the home side players could find the back of the net. Punjab was able to hold on to their slender lead heading into the tunnel.

The second half resumed with Real Kashmir pressing high up the field and pressurising Punjab.

In the 56th minute, Real Kashmir playmaker Kallum Higginbotham cut through two defenders on the left side of the box and the ball fell to Mason Robertson, whose shot was too weak to trouble the Punjab goalkeeper.

Soon after, it was Danish Farooq who tried a curler from a distance but his shot did not have enough bend to trouble the Punjab goalkeeper. The home team's effort finally paid off in the 62nd minute.

A miscalculated header by Danilo Augusto fell at the feet of Gnohere Krizo, who was one-on-one with the keeper. He made no mistake in striking the ball into the opponent's goal to score the equaliser.

Real Kashmir was in their groove now, and Kallum came in from the right with a beautiful low cross across the face of the goal but Mason could not get a touch as the chance went begging.

The duo of Kallum and Mason were proving difficult for Punjab to deal with. In the 82nd minute, a beautiful long ball by Kallum found the head of a towering Mason, but the effort went just over the crossbar.

Within a few moments, Punjab again had another nervous moment as Chesterpoul Lyngdoh's cross from the right side hit the arm of Thoiba Singh but the referee turned down an appeal for penalty.

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Agencies
May 9,2020

Tokyo, May 9: As the world continues to grapple with coronavirus pandemic, the organisers of Tokyo Game Show have cancelled 2020 showpiece event.

TGS 2020 was slated to be played from September 24 to September 27 at the Makuhari Messe convention center. However, there now talks going on for holding an online event instead.

According to the Verge, this is the first time that TGS has ever been cancelled since it started in 1996.

TGS 2020 gained more attention because of its status as the last major trade show before the launch of the upcoming next-gen consoles, the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.

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News Network
January 30,2020

Jan 30: Three days after Los Angeles basketball great Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and seven others perished in a helicopter crash, his wife, Vanessa, broke her silence with an Instagram message saying she was “completely devastated” by their loss.

The social media text was posted alongside a recent family photo of Kobe and Vanessa Bryant with all four of their daughters - Gianna, who died with her father, along with the couple’s eldest, Natalia, 17, 3-year-old Bianka, and the youngest, Capri, born in June 2019.

Kobe Bryant and the couple’s second daughter, knicknamed Gigi, died on Sunday when the helicopter they were flying in en route to the Mamba Sports Academy for a girl’s basketball tournament crashed in foggy weather on a hillside northwest of Los Angeles.

Gianna Bryant was a member of the Mamba team due to compete that day. Her father, who retired from the National Basketball Association in 2016 after 20 years with the Los Angeles Lakers, was the coach of his daughter’s team. ]

The pilot and six more passengers were also killed - two other 13-year-old girls involved in the tournament, three of their parents and another coach. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

The death of Bryant, 41, an 18-time NBA all-star, five-time Lakers champion and one of the world’s most admired sports figures, unleashed an outpouring of grief and tributes from fans, fellow athletes and politicians around the globe.

“My girls and I want to thank the millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time,” Vanessa Bryant, 37, a former model, wrote on her Instagram account.

“We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe — the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna — a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri,” she added.

The message goes on to say: “We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday, and we share in their grief intimately. There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now.

“I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved. We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon.”

She directed anyone wishing to “further Kobe and Gianna’s legacy in youth sports” to visit the site MambaSports Foundation.org.

There has been no word yet on funeral arrangements.

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