World Hockey League Semi-final: Jasjit double sinks Malaysia, India enter last four

July 2, 2015

Antwerp, Jul 2: Jasjit Singh Kular converted two penalty corners in the final quarter to send India to the last four stage of the Hockey World League (HWL) Semi-Final as the 2014 Asian Games champions overcame a fighting Malaysia with a 3-2 victory in the quarter-final here on Wednesday.

World Hockey League

Satbir Singh gave world No.9 India the lead in the 15th minute but world No.12 Malaysia scored from skipper Razie Rahim (15th) and Shahril Saabah (23rd) to go ahead, before Jasjit scored twice (49th and 56th) to secure victory for his side at the Brasschaat Municipal Park.

India, who have already qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics, will meet the winner between hosts Belgium and France in the semi-final. World No.1 Australia thrashed Ireland 4-1 to set up a semi-final against England, who got the better of Pakistan 2-1 in the earlier matches held on the day. With this loss, four-time four-time World Cup winners Pakistan have failed to qualify for the Olympic Games.

The game between India and Malaysia opened up on a breakneck speed as the two teams, with counter-attacking game, showed their intent from the beginning.

India grabbed the first opportunity in the third minute as Akashdeep Singh ran down to from the right of the Malaysian circle and dodged two markers before passing it to Satbir, who deflected the ball home to make it 1-0.

One minute later, Akashdeep got a brilliant chance to make it 2-0 as he was one-on-one with rival goalkeeper Roslan Jamaluddin but the Indian fired it over of the post.

Without wasting any moment, Malaysia were rewarded with a penalty corner following a pacy counter-attack, only for skipper Rahim to waste it.

Both the goalkeepers P.R. Sreejesh and Roslan had a tough day as their teams went on the offensive.

Malaysia seemed better in the last five minutes of the first quarter and got their equaliser in the 15th minute as Azuna Hasan hit the ball on the foot of India's Birendra Lakra, allowing a penalty corner. Skipper Rahim made amends for his earlier mistake and fired a grounder to the right corner of the post.

As soon as the second quarter began, Malaysia absorbed the pressure exerted by India and dominated the midfield. They showed more pace and energy as compared to the Indians and that bore fruit in the form of a 2-1 lead in the 23rd minute.

Off a penalty corner, Rahim played a dummy to Saabah, who managed to beat through Sreejesh's legs in a rare mistake from the Indian vice-captain.

India responded with much more firepower. However, they failed to make the most of two penalty corners following their directionless efforts.

Skipper Rahim had avery good day as he led the Malaysian defence that held firm against the likes of Nikkin Thimmiah, Devindar Walmiki, Satbir and Dharamvir Singh.

Trailing 1-2, India went on the attack from the start of the final quarter of 15 minutes. Lakra made a very good run form the right and passed it on to winger Gurbaj Singh, who found a foot of a Malaysia defender, earning a penalty corner in the 49th minute.

Jasjit flicked high into the net to make it 2-2 in the second chance following a messy defending on the first from the Malaysians.

After India levelled themselves, the 2014 Asian Games champions upped the ante and were rewarded with a penalty corner. Jasjit fired a booming flick into the net to give the 3-2 lead for India in the 56th minute. And later Sreejesh was tested fiercely but the Indian custodian came out on top to take India to the semi-final.

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News Network
February 18,2020

Berlin, Feb 18: Sachin Tendulkar being lifted on the shoulders of his teammates after their World Cup triumph at home in 2011 has been voted the Laureus best sporting moment in the last 20 years.

With the backing of Indian cricket fans, Tendulkar got the maximum number of votes to emerge winner on Monday.

Tendulkar, competing in his sixth and last World Cup, finally realised his long-term dream when skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni smacked Sri Lankan pacer Nuwan Kulasekara out of the park for a winning six.

The charged-up Indian cricketers rushed to the ground and soon they lifted Tendulkar on their shoulders and made a lap of honour, a moment etched in the minds of the fans.

Former Australian skipper Steve Waugh handed the trophy to Tendulkar after tennis legend Boris Becker announced the winner at a glittering ceremony.

“It's incredible. The feeling of winning the world cup was beyond what words can express. How many times you get an event happening where there are no mixed opinions. Very rarely the entire country celebrates,” Tendulkar said after receiving the trophy.

“And this is a reminder of how powerful a sport is and what magic it does to our lives. Even now when I watch that it has stayed with me.”

Becker then asked Tendulkar to share the emotions he felt at that time and the Indian legend put in perspective how important it was for him to hold that trophy.

“My journey started in 1983 when I was 10 years old. India had won the World Cup. I did not understand the significance and just because everybody was celebrating, I also joined the party.

“But somewhere I knew something special has happened to the country and I wanted to experience it one day and that's how my journey began.”

“It was the proudest moment of my life, holding that trophy which I chased for 22 years but I never lost hope. I was merely lifting that trophy on behalf of my countrymen.”

The 46-year-old Tendulkar, the highest run-getter in the cricket world, said holding the Laureus trophy has also given him great honour.

He also shared the impact the revolutionary South African leader Nelson Mandela had on him. He met him when he was just 19 years old.

“His hardship did not affect his leadership. Out of many messages he left, the most important I felt was that sport has got the power to unite everyone.

"Today, sitting in this room with so many athletes, some of them did not have everything but they made the best of everything they had. I thank them for inspiring youngsters to pick a sport of their choice and chase their dreams. This trophy belongs to all of us, it's not just about me.”

In a tweet on Tuesday, Tendulkar dedicated the award to his country, teammates and fans.

"Thank you all for the overwhelming love and support! I dedicate this @LaureusSport award to India, all my teammates, fans and well wishers in India and across the world who have always supported Indian cricket," he tweeted.

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coastaldigest.com web desk
August 3,2020

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will not end its partnership with Chinese companies. Vivo, the Chinese smartphone maker, is the main sponsor of the new IPL season as well. Apart from Vivo, PayTM and Dream 11 will also be at the helm of the 13th edition of the IPL. The IPL governing council meeting on Sunday decided to retain the old sponsors.

As soon as the IPL GC announced the decision of retaining the sponsors, a huge number of fans took to Twitter to slam the board for the same. #BoycottIPL started trending as the users urged others to boycott the tournament for the Chinese connection.

Earlier, the demand for exclusion of Chinese companies from the IPL was strong in the wake of the India-China border dispute. But the BCCI cannot abruptly end its collaboration with them. Because of the signed contract itself. And in this age of declining economy, it is difficult to find new sponsors quickly.

The current BCCI contract with Vivo is for five years. Vivo has invested Rs 2,199 crore to become the main sponsor of the IPL. The contract was signed in 2017. However, the BCCI’s move is paving the way for new discussions as calls are mounting across the country to boycott Chinese companies.

The BCCI announced other important decisions besides retaining sponsors. The IPL will be held from September 19 to November 10. The Indian government has given permission to the BCCI to hold the IPL in the UAE. With this, all obstacles in the way of organizing the tournament were removed.

The IPL matches will be played at 7.30 pm Indian time (6 pm UAE time). Most matches are about one match a day. There are a total of ten ‘double headers’ (two matches a day) in the tournament. Franchisees are allowed to appoint as many replacements as they want in the new season in view of the new health situation. At the same time, the maximum number of players a franchise can accommodate is 24. The BCCI is also planning to host a women’s IPL tournament.

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News Network
March 5,2020

Mumbai, Mar 5: Former India spinner Sunil Joshi was on Wednesday named chairman of the national selection panel by the BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), which also picked ex-pacer Harvinder Singh to the five-member group.

The CAC, comprising Madan Lal, R P Singh and Sulakshana Naik, picked the two selectors with Joshi replacing South Zone representative MSK Prasad.

In an unprecedented decision, the BCCI said the CAC will review the panel's performance after one year and make recommendations accordingly.

"The committee recommended Sunil Joshi for the role of chairman of the senior men's selection committee. The CAC will review the candidates after a one-year period and make the recommendations to the BCCI," read a statement from BCCI Secretary Jay Shah.

Harvinder was chosen from central zone and replaces Gagan Khoda in the panel.

The existing members of the selection panel are Jatain Paranjpe, Devang Gandhi and Sarandeep Singh.

"We have picked the best guys for the job," Lal told news agency.

The CAC had shortlisted five candidates for interviews -- Joshi, Harvinder, Venkatesh Prasad, Rajesh Chauhan and L S Sivaramakrishnan -- from a list of 40 applicants.

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