Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 28: Former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop believes the cricketing fraternity will only fully grasp the sheer magnitude of Virat Kohli’s monumental achievements once the Indian batting maestro calls time on his illustrious playing career.

Tearing into the West Indies bowling attack at the Greenfield International Stadium to give India a comfortable eight-wicket victory in the series opener, Kohli breached the 15,000-run mark in ODIs while making an unbeaten 139 on Sunday, while bringing up his 55th ton in the format – his third-fastest overall. He now stands as only the second player in history to cross 15,000 men’s ODI runs after the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.

“You have to love what you do to evolve as he has done over such a long period of time. I think this puts him in a rarefied atmosphere, given that he has achieved 15,000 runs in 74 fewer innings than the great Sachin Tendulkar, whom I hold in high regard, having played against him.

“Where his legacy will end, he certainly has to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, batter in this format of the game. I mean, this is extraordinary. A lot of these fans watching on television and here on the ground appreciate it, but I don’t think we will fully appreciate it until some time after he concludes his playing days,” Bishop said on JioHotstar.

Bishop, the acclaimed commentator, was particularly left in awe of Kohli’s unmatched consistency and his legendary prowess in acing run-chases. “Virat is different in that respect, the appetite that he has for runs, his calculation of how to chase a total, I think that is unsurpassed in this game.

“Virat has a sense of occasion that he may not confess to, but again, that’s his evolution. I still can’t believe 15,000… I know Sachin got there, but that’s a heck of a lot of runs. So, if I had flowers right now, I’d give them to him because he certainly deserves his flowers,” he added.

Calling on the younger generation of cricketers to draw inspiration from Kohli’s work ethics, Bishop urged players across all disciplines to step outside their comfort zones and constantly refine their skills, regardless of age or experience.

“It’s something that we’re all very aware of, because I have grown tired of hearing players say, ‘This is the way I play,’ and people outside the game saying, ‘When you reach a certain age, you can’t learn new tricks.’

“If I were to take one thing away from what Virat Kohli has been doing over the years, it’s that he’s saying it’s never too late to evolve his attacking game, to adapt to how T20 or white-ball cricket has moved, to develop his power game and hit the number of sixes that he has done here at his age.

“It shows that where there is a will, many times, if you’re smart enough, you will find a way. And if any cricketer can take anything away from this, that is what I want them to remember: don’t stay in your comfort zone. Batter, bowler, fielder, captain, get out of your comfort zone,” he concluded.

Nagoya, Sep 27: India ended the sprint programme at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 with contrasting results in the women’s and men’s 200m finals on Sunday, as Harita Bhadra claimed bronze in a tight finish before Animesh Kujur placed fifth in a high-quality men’s race.

Harita clocked 23.20 seconds to secure the women’s 200m bronze, edging Japan’s sprinter by just one hundredth of a second. Singapore’s Veronica Shanti Pereira took gold in 22.78s, while China’s Chen Yujie, the 100m champion at these Games, finished second in 22.93s.

The medal ended India’s wait for a podium finish in the women’s 200m at the Asian Games since Dutee Chand’s bronze at the 2018 edition. Harita, 23, also became only the sixth Indian woman to win a 200m medal at the continental event.

The Maharashtra sprinter entered the Games after lowering her personal best to 23.14s at the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships, where she won the national title. Her Asian Games bronze came with a time just 0.06 seconds slower than that mark.

Harita’s teammate Unnathi Aiyappa Bolland finished sixth in the final in 23.46s. After the race, Bolland was among the first to congratulate Harita, embracing her after the Indian secured the podium finish.

The men’s 200m final produced a different outcome for India, with Animesh Kujur finishing fifth in 20.80s.

Thailand’s Puripol Boonson dominated the race to complete the 100m-200m sprint double. He stopped the clock at 19.88s, matching the Asian record, after having already set a new Games record during the qualifying round.

Animesh, who had progressed to the final after a strong showing in the heats, could not reproduce the pace required to challenge for the medals and ended his Asian Games 200m campaign in fifth place.

The Indian’s 20.80s finish came after a competition in which he had also advanced to the 100m semifinal earlier in the Games. For Harita, meanwhile, the bronze provided India with a rare sprint podium moment and capped her first Asian Games appearance with a medal.

Nagoya (Japan), Sep 25: India’s Suruchi Inder Singh and Kamal jeet revealed how coach Samaresh Jung helped them put the disappointment of missing out on the individual 10m air pistol final behind them as they combined to win the mixed team gold with an Asian record at the Asian Games in Nagoya on Friday.

The Indian duo delivered a stunning performance in the 10m air pistol mixed team final, scoring 484.6 to set a new Asian record and claim gold. South Korea’s Choo Gaeun and Hong Suhyeon won silver with 478.0, while Iran’s Rostamyan Haniyeh and Golkhandan Vahid took bronze with 415.8.

The result came after both Suruchi and Kamaljeet failed to qualify for the individual 10m air pistol final, but Jung urged them to treat it as the past and focus on the opportunity ahead.

“The coach told me before the match that yesterday’s match was already over. What’s the point of thinking about it now? Focus on the next day. It’s not like you only have to win the gold. Everyone is here to play. You just have faith in yourself and follow your technique. You will get the gold,” Kamaljeet replied to an media query during a media interaction.

Suruchi said the coach’s message was simple: dwelling on the past would only affect their next opportunity.

“He said the setback is past. If we think about it, we will ruin our future. That match is over. If we think about it and ruin the next, we won’t get a medal,” Suruchi said.

The duo also rewrote the Asian record on the way to the gold. Suruchi said neither shooter was thinking about the record during the final as they remained focused on their own screens and technique.

“Nothing happens during the match. During the match, we don’t look at the screen. We don’t look at the scoreboard or anything else. We don’t look at anyone else’s screen. We focus on what comes on our screen,” she said in a media interaction.

“There was no such thing as coming behind the record or coming on the record. There was no such thing. After the match, it was on the scoreboard that I scored a new record. So, it was a good thing that I scored a new record,” she added.

Earlier in qualification, the Indian pair had broken the Asian Games Qualification Record with a score of 587 (29 inner 10s), surpassing the previous mark of 577 set by fellow Indians Sarabjot Singh and Divya Subbaraju at Hangzhou 2023. Their qualification score also equalled the Asian record of 587 set by Saurabh Chaudhary and Manu Bhaker in 2021.

For Kamaljeet, the gold medal was also a tribute to his family, particularly his father, whose support helped him continue shooting through difficult financial circumstances. “His role is the most important in my life. If he didn’t support me, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Kamaljeet said.

“I don’t have a good family situation. I had an accident and had to spend four to five lakh. It was on loan. He didn’t tell me where the money would come from. He supported me and told me to focus on my shooting,” he added. “My family is my biggest support. They supported me. That’s how I got my medal. Otherwise, I would have quit shooting four years ago.”

Suruchi also credited her parents, particularly her father, who served in the army and introduced her to shooting. “My father’s role is very important. He served in the army. Then he started helping with my shooting. My younger brother also shoots. He was always with me. He helped me a lot. He never left me alone. He was always with me. My parents supported me a lot,” Suruchi said.

The families of both shooters were quick to celebrate the achievement after the final. “We talked to them at home first. We had a few interviews after the match. When we got free from there, we talked to them at home first. My family was very happy. They were enjoying it,” Kamaljeet said.

The gold added another major medal to India’s shooting campaign at the Asian Games and gave Suruchi and Kamaljeet a memorable response to their individual disappointment, with their 484.6 score ensuring they returned to the podium in record-breaking fashion.