I want to rest after Olympics: national boxing coach Sandhu

July 28, 2016

sandhu

New Delhi, Jul 28: He stopped short of saying retirement but India's long-serving national boxing coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu has hinted at stepping down from his position after next month's Olympics, saying that he wants to "rest" post the Rio campaign.

First appointed coach in 1993, Sandhu had decided to step down following the 2012 Olympics but was brought back in 2013 by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) until after the upcoming edition of the Games.

"I want to rest after this Olympics, I have conveyed this to the authorities concerned. It's been a very long stint and I hope Indian boxers will deliver good results in Rio," Sandhu said before the contingent's departure for Rio, where the boxing competition will get underway from August 6.

Asked if it meant the end of his long association with Indian boxing, Sandhu was somewhat ambiguous.

"You can never say for sure what happens. I would never say no to responsibility if I am asked but I really want to rest now," he said.

Frustrated by the administrative mess that has engulfed Indian boxing since 2012, Sandhu is nonetheless hopeful of medals from the three boxers who have qualified for Rio -- Shiva Thapa (56kg), Manoj Kumar (64kg) and Vikas Krishan (75kg).

"We cannot control what's happening, our job is to train and perform and that's what we have completely focussed ourselves on. I am hoping that the boys can deliver a memorable performance," he said.

It has been a downward spiral for Indian boxing since 2012 when the national federation was terminated for manipulation in elections.

From eight boxers in the 2012 editions -- seven men and one woman -- the number of Olympic qualified dwindled to just three this time around.

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January 13,2020

Mumbai, Jan 13: India captain Virat Kohli indicated at dropping himself down the batting order to accommodate both Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul in the playing XI against Australia in the first ODI of the three-match series starting Tuesday.

With vice-captain Rohit Sharma an automatic pick, the team management is left with tough choice of selecting either Dhawan or Rahul in the XI. But the skipper sees no reason why both can't play together.

"Look, a guy in form is always good for the team. ...You obviously want to have the best players available and then chose from what the combination should be for the team. There might be a possibility that all three (Rohit, Shikhar and Rahul) might play. It will be interesting to see what balance we want to take in on the field," Kohli said on the eve of the match.

Asked if he would he be happy to bat lower down the order, Virat said,"Yeah, big possibility. I would be very happy to do so. Look I am not possessive about where I play. I am not insecure about where I bat," said the skipper.

For Kohli, it is more important as to what kind of leadership legacy he leaves behind rather than chase personal glory.

"Being the captain of the team, it is my job to make sure that the next lot is also ready. A lot of the other people might not look at it that way, but your job as a captain is not only to look after the team right now, but also to prepare a team that you leave behind when you eventually pass it onto someone else," he added.

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January 30,2020

Hamilton, Jan 30: Caught unaware about the Super Over scenario, Rohit Sharma took five minutes to “find” his abdomen guard after the third T20 International against New Zealand had ended in a tie on Wednesday.

The India vice-captain said the team had almost given up with New Zealand going great guns at one point.

“Everything was packed. All my stuff was inside my bag. I had to get it out. It literally took me five minutes to find my abdomen guard because I didn’t know where it was,” Rohit said.

“I mean we never thought it would go to the Super Over, the way they were batting at one point. It looked like they could easily win the game,” he added.

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May 5,2020

May 5: Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar says he is interested in becoming India's bowling coach if there is an offer, asserting that he is capable of grooming "more aggressive, fast and talkative" pacers.

Akhtar expressed his willingness in an interview on social networking app 'Helo'.

Asked if he would like to be associated with the Indian bowling unit in future, he responded in the positive. India's current bowling is Bharat Arun.

"I will definitely. My job is to spread knowledge. What I have learned is knowledge and I will spread it," Akhtar said.

One of the fastest bowlers to have played the game, he added, "I will produce more aggressive, fast and more talkative bowlers than the current ones who will tell-off the batsmen in a way that you will enjoy a lot."

He said he has always wanted to share his knowledge among budding cricketers and that he is looking to produce more aggressive bowlers.

He also added that he would like to "coach" IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, for whom he has played in the cash-rich T20 league's inaugural edition.

The former pacer also spoke about his early interactions with Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar in the 1998 series.

"I had seen him but didn't know how big a name he was in India. In Chennai, I got to know that he was known as a god in India.

"Mind you, he is a very good friend of mine. In 1998, when I bowled as fast as I could, Indian public celebrated with me. I have a big fan following in India," Akhtar said.

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