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Fazza Dubai Para-badminton: Bhagat, Dhillon, Joshi, Parmar storm into semis

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 Paralympic gold medallist Pramod Bhagat had to dig deep to defeat fellow junior Nehal Gupta as Indian shuttlers maintained a strong show entering the semi-finals of several events at the ongoing 4th Fazza Dubai Para-badminton International 2022 here.

Bhagat, who won two gold medals at the recent Bahrain Para-badminton International 2022, had to come back from a game down to beat Gupta 18-21, 21-15, 21-11 and admitted to having taken time to get to adjust to the game.

“I took time to get my rhythm in the match. By that time, Nehal started playing well. He is improving fast and is highly skilled. He has a bright future,” said Bhagat, who will next face Daisuke Fujihara, the Paralympic bronze medallist in mixed doubles, from Japan.

Gupta said he would take a lot of learning experience from the match and the event. “I made a lot of errors and lifted the shuttle midcourt most of the time. But I am happy to have fought back and pulled off a game,” said the 17-year-old who is believed to be the next big thing in men’s singles SL3 emerging from India.

Gupta now aims to bring variation to his game and improve his physical strength.

In men’s singles SL4, Tarun Dhillon also advanced to the semifinals and is expected to meet Indonesian Fredy Setiawan in the finals.

Dhillon overcame a second game scare from Korea’s Cho Nadan to advance 21-15, 20-22, 21-14 in the quarters. The Haryana-based shuttler also entered the men’s doubles SL3-SL4 semifinals with partner Nitesh Kumar.

Joshi, Parmar, Ramadass, Kaur in semis too

The women’s SL3 semifinal lineup has three Indians with reigning world champion Manasi Joshi set to face Australia’s Celine Aurelie Vinot while Mandeep Kaur meets experienced Parul Parmar in the other semifinal.

Joshi is also through to the mixed doubles SL3-SU5 semifinal with partner Ruthick Ragupathi after they pulled off a come from behind win over the new pairing of Bhagat and Manisha Ramadass 21-12, 16-21, 19-21. “We are very happy. As we are also a relatively new pair, I didn’t expect to come this far. Our coordination and understanding are the best things in our partnership.”

Meanwhile, Parmar along with Palak Kohli has also advanced to the women’s doubles SL3-SU5 semi-finals. Manisha had an easy opponent in Italy and she made the most of it, defeating the Italian Rosa Efomo De Marco in straight Games 21-17, 21-11.

The young Indian shuttler will be fighting it out for a place in the finals of women’s doubles SL3-SU5 with Mandeep Kaur. The semi-finals will be played later this evening.

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Asian Games: ‘Past is past, focus on next match,’ Suruchi/Kamaljeet reveal coach’s message before triumph

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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.

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UCL matchweek 1 records: Yamal surpasses Mbappe, Bayern touch 900-goal mark

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Spanish sensation Lamine Yamal impressed again as bigwigs kicked off their Champions League 2026-27 campaign with wins.

Yamal scored and provided two assists as Barcelona defeated Feyenoord 5-1 in their UCL opener. Paris Saint-Germain hold the top spot in the 36-team table after matchweek 1 in Europe’s top-flight, while Bayern brushed aside Bodo/Glimt 5-0. Returning to the UCL after a two-year absence, Manchester United handed debutants Sabah a 4-0 drubbing in their opener. Here, take a look at some of the top stats from matchweek 1.

Yamal breaks Mbappe’s record for most goal contributions as a teenager in Champions League history after a goal and two assists. The 19-year-old now has 23 goal contributions in the UCL (12 goals and 11 assists) after contributing to three goals in the UCL opener. Mbappe had 20 contributions as a teenager.

Meanwhile, FC Bayern Munich have become just the second club to register 900 goals in the UCL, becoming just the second team after Real Madrid (1139) to reach the mark. They beat Bodo/Glimt 5-0 to now tally 904 goals in the competition.

Harry Kane’s goal-scoring run continues as the England internarional netted once in the 5-0 win. He has now scored goals in eight consecutive UCL games, making him just the fourth player with eight or more straight games with goals. Only Cristiano Ronaldo (twice), Robert Lewandowski (twice) and Ruud van Nistelrooy have achieved the mark.

Azerbaijan club Sabah made their debut in the Champions League and lost to United 4-0. However, they have set a unique record as they have become the first-ever team to name a starting XI of players of 11 different nationalities in their first game at the UCL.

Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe and Federico Valverde scored in Madrid’s 2-1 win over Inter Milan in their UCL opener. Although Real were not that impressive, Mbappe scored and has now become the joint fifth-highest goal-scorer in UCL history, levelling Raul Gonzalez. He is now behind only Ronaldo (140), Lionel Messi (129), Lewandowski (109) and Karim Benzema (90).

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Pandya included as Padikkal and Gaikwad to captain India A against Australia A

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New Delhi, Sep 9: Left-handed batter Devdutt Padikkal and senior opener Ruturaj Gaikwad have been named captains of the India A multi-day and one-day squads, respectively, for the upcoming home series against Australia A, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Wednesday.

Seam-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who has been out of action since IPL 2026 due to injuries to his quad and leg, has been included in the 50-over games, though his selection is subject to fitness. India A will play two four-day matches, followed by a three-match one-day series. All five fixtures will be hosted in Puducherry, beginning on September 22.

Padikkal, who was the player of the series in India’s 1-0 Test series win over Sri Lanka, amassing 328 runs at number three, will lead a 15-member multi-day side featuring prominent domestic performers. Left-handed top-order batter Sai Sudharsan, who missed the Test series against Sri Lanka due to a right toe injury, has been named as his vice-captain.

The squad includes top-order options Aman Mokhade, Ayush Pandey, Yash Rathod, and Shaik Rasheed, alongside wicketkeeping options Kumar Kushagra, who hit a century in the ongoing Duleep Trophy final against South Zone, and N Jagadeesan.

The spin department for the red-ball leg will be led by Mumbai all-rounders Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian, while the fast-bowling unit features Anshul Kamboj, Tushar Deshpande, Praful Hinge, Nachiket Bhute, and Vijaykumar Vyshak, whose inclusion remains subject to fitness clearance.

For the limited-overs series, Gaikwad takes over captaincy, with Padikkal serving as his deputy. The 50-over squad boasts significant international experience, highlighted by the inclusion of Pandya, provided he passes the fitness assessment at the BCCI CoE in Bengaluru.

The one-day batting unit features explosive batters Priyansh Arya, two-time IPL-winning captain and India batter Rajat Patidar, and versatile Punjab batter Naman Dhir, who has set the stage on fire in the ongoing Sher-e-Punjab T20 league.

Prabhsimran Singh joins Kushagra as a wicket-keeping option for the one-day series, while all-round support will be provided by Nishant Sindhu, Vipraj Nigam, Arshin Kulkarni, and Arshad Khan. The pace-bowling attack for the one-day games features Gurjapneet Singh and Yash Thakur, who made his T20I debut on the tour of Zimbabwe in July.

The series gets underway with the first red-ball game, to be held in Puducherry from September 22 to 25, followed by the second match from September 29 to October 2. The action then shifts to the white-ball format, with the three one-day matches scheduled for October 6, October 9, and October 11.

India A Multi-day squad: Devdutt Padikkal (captain), Sai Sudharsan (vice-captain), Aman Mokhade, Ayush Pandey, Yash Rathod, Shaik Rasheed, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Tushar Deshpande, Anshul Kamboj, Praful Hinge, N Jagadeesan (wk), Nachiket Bhute, and Vijaykumar Vyshak (subject to fitness).

India A One-Day squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Devdutt Padikkal (vice-captain), Priyansh Arya, Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Nishant Sindhu, Vipraj Nigam, Arshin Kulkarni, Arshad Khan, Naman Dhir, Hardik Pandya (subject to fitness), Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Gurjapneet Singh, and Yash Thakur.

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