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Sachin Tendulkar Kerala Blasters have a huge motivator, says assistant coach

September 29, 2015

Mumbai, Sep 29: Ishfaq Ahmed's role at Kerala Blasters will not be limited only to the playing but it is going to double up this season of the Indian Super League (ISL) as he is the assistant coach to Peter Taylor.

sachin

Kerala Blasters finished runners-up last time around and Ishfaq believes they have every chance of lifting the trophy this time around after being unlucky in the finals against Atletico de Kolkata last season.

The Blasters lost 1-0 to Kolkata in the dying moments of the title clash bit Ishfaq says it hasn't hurt the team's morale, which is where it should be. "We have the potential and players to go all the way this season. Players are positive ahead of the season and the dressing room atmosphere is fantastic," the assistant coach told IBNLive.

"The Indian contingent is gelling well with the foreign players and both are helping each other settle in ahead of the new season," Ishfaq said during a telephonic conversation.

The former Pune FC (I-league) midfielder is amongst the players retained by the Kochi-based franchise for the second season and now given the added responsibility.

When asked how are their preparations going ahead of the season that kicks off October 3, he sounded pretty confident and said the pre-season camp went brilliantly and the plan is working fine at the moment. "We are loving every bit of the moment in Trivandrum. Although everyone took time to get used to the food, eventually we have coped with that and enjoying our pre-season training. Everything is going according to the plan and the coaches and players are happy with the proceedings.

"The fitness level is being tested and most of the players are ready for the first game. We we are confident that everyone will be ready before our first game of the tournament," Ishfaq added.

Kerala won just one of their first five matches in the league last season and were expected to be knocked out but the team, co-owned by star Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, fought back and peaked at the right time to make it to the final.

When asked about the influence the legendary batsman has on the team, the midfielder was full of awe and admiration. "It is a huge honour to be around Sachin Tendulkar. He just loves sport and that motivates everyone. He is easily approachable and is ready to share his views.

"Last season, ahead of the final, he was very positive. He said 'just go and enjoy your game and never put yourself under any pressure.' He told us that winning and losing is part of game and that we have to give our 100 per cent out there.

"After we lost the final, he still had a smile on his face and talked to each and every player and consoled them. He is always there to motivate the players and his influence in the dressing room is very very positive," Ishfaq said.

Taylor has been named the manager of the Kerala outfit for the new season. The 62-year-old Taylor, who had coached the England senior team for a match, was at the helm of the England youth team for a long period. He has also coached David Beckham and Ishfaq was all praise for him.

"Some players know him before the ISL, so the understanding is there. He is treating every player the same and his experience will surely help the team in the new season. He's a top-quality coach and we are looking forward to the new season. His man-management is top draw," Ishfaq concluded.

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News Network
June 5,2020

Jun 5: The Asian Football Confederation has awarded the hosting rights of the 2022 Women's Asian Cup to India for the first time since 1979.

The decision was taken at the AFC Women's Football Committee meeting. In February, the AFC Women's Football Committee had recommended India to be hosts.

In a letter to the All India Football Federation, Dato Windsor John, General Secretary, AFC wrote: "The Committee awarded the hosting rights of the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2022 Finals to the All India Football Federation."

The tournament will likely be held in the second half of the year. In the 1979 edition, India had finished as runners-up.

"I need to thank the Asian Football Confederation for finding us suitable to host the AFC Women's Asian Cup in 2022," AIFF President, Praful Patel said.

"The tournament will galvanise the aspiring women players and bring in a holistic social revolution as far as women's football in the country is concerned," he added.

The tournament will feature 12 teams, expanded from the previous slot of eight teams.

India qualifies directly as hosts. The event will also serve as the final qualification tournament for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

The tournament comes as the latest boost to AIFF as India is slated to host the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup next year.

India had also hosted the AFC U-16 Championships in 2016 and the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2017.

"The tournament will play a huge role in further popularising women's football in India. The Women’s Asian Cup 2022 comes on the back of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup India 2020, and will help us sustain, and build on the momentum gained," AIFF General Secretary, Kushal Das said.

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Agencies
July 28,2020

New Delhi, Jul 28: 'Your character stood out for me than the number of runs you scored," said India skipper Virat Kohli while explaining his decision to give opening Mayank Agarwal a Test debut in the 2018-19 Australia series.

Mayank Agarwal had made his Test debut against Australia in the third Test of the four-match series.

Playing the third Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Agarwal managed to register a half-century in his very first innings in the longest format.

"I had seen you play for RCB, even then you played international bowlers with conviction and you would take them on. You were performing in first-class matches in a dominating way. That is something always stood out with you, I would say your character stood out for me than the number of runs. I knew you would be fearless without having any baggage," Kohli told Mayank Agarwal in a video posted on the official website of BCCI.

In the longest format of the game, Agarwal has managed to score 974 runs from 11 matches at an average of 57.29 with three centuries as an opening batsman.

The Indian skipper also explained as to what makes him notice in a player and added that it is important that guys in the team look to face new challenges and emerge triumphantly.

"For me, the biggest marker is how a person approaches the game, so for example when you opened and we made Vihari open with you. The first opportunity we presented Vihari to open the batting, he said yes to it and that matters me to the most," Kohli said.

"I opened in my first series for India, I said yes to this opportunity and things worked out fine for me. So, a guy who wants to get into tough situations will come out either holding his head high or learning from his mistakes," he added.

Kohli and Mayank would soon be seen in action for Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab respectively in the Indian Premier League (IPL) starting from September 19 in the UAE.

The comparisons between Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar keep on growing and many have picked the current Indian skipper to break the records set by Tendulkar.

Tendulkar called time on his career after registering 100 international centuries, while Kohli currently has 70 centuries across all formats.

At present, Kohli is ranked at the top spot in the ICC ODI rankings while he is in the second place in Tests rankings. Kohli has so far played 86 Tests, scoring 7,240 runs with 27 centuries at an average of 53.62.

His knock of 254 against South Africa at Pune in 2019 remains his highest Test score to date. When it comes to ODIs, the current Indian skipper has played 248 matches and has 43 centuries.

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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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