Greater Noida, Mar 25: Savouring their stupendous series-win over Australia, six Indian cricketers, including skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, on Monday spent time driving on the Buddh International Circuit here, country's only Formula One track.
Dhoni rode his 'X132 Hellcat', which he bought last year, on the 5.14km long circuit. The Indian captain is known for his passion for high-speed mean machines and even owns a team in FIM Supersport World Championship.
New Delhi, May 8: India skipper Virat Kohli believes cricket in empty stadiums is a real possibility in post COVID-19 world and though it is unlikely to have a bearing on the intensity of players, he feels the magic would certainly go missing.
Cricket Boards across the globe are exploring the option of resuming the sport in empty stadiums. There is speculation that fans could be kept away from stadiums in a bid to salvage the T20 World Cup in Australia, which is currently under threat due to the global health crisis.
"It's quite a possible situation, it might happen, I honestly don't know how everyone is going to take that because we all are used to playing in front of so many passionate fans," Kohli said in Star Sports' show 'Cricket Connected'.
"I know it will be played at a very good intensity but that feeling of the crowd connecting with the players and the tension of the game where everyone goes through it in the stadium, those emotions are very difficult to recreate," he added.
Kohli said the many moments which are created because of the passion brought in by fans, would be missing.
"Things will still go on, but I doubt that one will feel that magic happening inside because of the atmosphere that was created.
"We will play sports how it is supposed to be played, but those magical moments will be difficult to come by," he said.
Cricketers such as Ben Stokes, Jason Roy, Jos Buttler and Pat Cummins have backed the idea of playing behind closed doors.
However, legendary Australian Allan Border has said it would defy belief to host a World Cup without spectators.
Another Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell and some other cricketers have also expressed similar sentiments.
Tokorozawa, Jul 9: Olympic boxing hopeful Arisa Tsubata is used to taking blows in the ring but it is during her work as a nurse that she faces her toughest opponent: coronavirus.
The 27-year-old juggles a brutal training regime in boxing gloves with long, irregular hours in surgical gloves at a hospital near Tokyo.
Tsubata mainly treats cancer patients but she said the virus was a constant threat, with medical experts warning at the peak of the pandemic that Japan's health system was close to collapse.
"We always face the risk of infection at medical facilities," she said.
"My colleagues and I have all worked under the stress of possibly getting infected."
Like most elite athletes, the virus played havoc with Tsubata's training schedules, meaning she welcomed the postponement of this year's Tokyo Olympics until 2021.
"It was a plus for me, giving me more time for training, although I wasn't sure if I should be so happy because the reason for the postponement was the spread of the infectious disease," she said.
Tsubata took up boxing only two years ago as a way to lose weight but quickly rose through the ranks.
"In a few years after becoming a nurse, I gained more than 10 kilos (22 pounds)," she laughed.
"I planned to go to Hawaii with my friends one summer, and I thought I wouldn't have much fun in a body like that. That is how I started boxing."
She quickly discovered a knack for the ring, winning the Japan national championship and a place on the national team.
But juggling her medical and sporting career has not always been easy and the first time she fought a foreign boxer came only in January, at an intensive training camp in Kazakhstan.
"That made me realise how inexperienced I am in my short boxing career. I was scared," she admitted.
Japanese boxing authorities decided she was not experienced enough to send her to the final qualifying tournament in Paris, which would have shattered her Tokyo 2020 dreams -- if coronavirus had not given her an extra year.
Now she is determined to gain the experience needed to qualify for the rescheduled Games, which will open on July 23, 2021.
"I want to train much more and convince the federation that I could fight in the final qualifiers," she said.
Her coach Masataka Kuroki told AFP she is a subtle boxer and a quick learner, as he put her through her paces at a training session.
She now needs to add more defensive technique and better core strength to her fighting spirit and attacking flair, said Kuroki.
"Defence! She needs more technique for defence. She needs to have a more agile, stronger lower body to fend off punches from below," he said.
Her father Joji raised Arisa and her three siblings single-handedly after separating from his Tahitian wife and encouraged his daughter into nursing to learn life-long skills.
He never expected his daughter to be fighting for a place in the Olympics but proudly keeps all her clippings from media coverage.
"She tried not to see us family directly after the coronavirus broke out," the 58-year-old told AFP. "She was worried."
Tsubata now want to compete in the Games for all her colleagues who have supported her and the patients that have cheered her on in her Olympic ambitions.
"I want to be the sort of boxer who keeps coming back no matter how many punches I take," she said.
"I want to show the people who cheer for me that I can work hard and compete in the Olympics, because of them."
New Delhi, Aug 2: Batting great Rahul Dravid has attributed Chennai Super Kings' consistent run in the IPL to skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's instincts, game-smarts and the incredible amount of work that goes behind the scenes.
N Srinivasan, the former BCCI president and head of India Cements, which owns the CSK franchise, agreed that Dhoni is a man of instinct who doesn't believe in attending team meetings and going over data.
Both were speaking at a webinar organised by the Great Lakes Institute of Management.
"If you look at the success CSK has had, they've got really good access to data and they've got really good access to people behind the scenes and they've run cricket teams at the junior level," Dravid said at the webinar according to ESPNcricinfo.
The former India captain added, "They understand talent and they've obviously got a good scouting process in place. But, what they also have is a captain who really understands instincts.
"So, I mean, look, I know Dhoni quite well and I hope he hasn't changed, but I know Dhoni is probably not one to look at reams of data and statistics."
The Super Kings have won the lucrative tournament three times -- one less than Mumbai Indians -- and reached the knockouts in each of the 10 seasons they have been a part of.
Srinivasan also spoke about how Dhoni's instinct and judgement contributed to his team's success at a time when a lot of emphases is placed on data.
"We're awash with data just now. To give you an example, there are bowling coaches and in a T20 game, they play videos of every batsman whom they're going to come against and they see how he got out, what's his strength, what's his weakness etc.
"So, MS Dhoni doesn't attend this, he's a pure instinct man. The bowling coach, (head coach Stephen) Fleming will be there and everybody will be there, everyone is giving opinions, (but) he'll get up and go.
"In the context of instinct, he feels that okay he can assess a batsman or player on the field, that's his judgement. On the other hand, there is so much of data that is available to help a person also analyse. It's a very difficult line to draw (between data and instinct)."
Srinivasan also recalled how Dhoni once refused to take "one outstanding player" suggested by the franchise boss as that could have broken the team's cohesion.
"There was one outstanding player that we suggested to MS, he said: 'no sir, he will spoil the team'. The cohesion within the team is important and see in America, franchise-based sport has been there for such a long time," he said.
"In India, we're just starting and we're new to it. But we at India Cements have had a lot of experience running teams at junior levels."
Comments
Add new comment