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Having Dravid is amazing as there is a sense of relaxation, says Rohit Sharma

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3 years ago

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Having Rahul Dravid as the head coach is the most “amazing” thing to have happened to Team India, said white-ball skipper Rohit Sharma, adding that there “has been a sense of relaxation” ever since the legend took over the reins.

Sharma was recently promoted from being T20I captain to full-time white-ball skipper, replacing Virat Kohli as the ODI captain, and the stylish batter is excited about the “huge responsibility” entrusted on him by the Indian cricket board.

“Working with Rahul bhai, it was three-odd games (T20I series vs New Zealand) but it was fantastic. We have seen how he has played his cricket, hard and tough. There has been a sense of relaxation as well, because it is important to keep the atmosphere light and cheerful when you are doing the job on the field, which is so demanding,” said Sharma in a video shared by bcci.tv.

Sharma said that a demanding sport like cricket needs a relaxed atmosphere, which the former cricketer has provided.

“You need to have the atmosphere where people can relax and chill around. It’s been a little while but I have had so many interactions with him in the past about the game, my personal game with him. It’s good to have him on board and will be a very fruitful one for the future,” said Sharma, who will be leaving for South Africa this week with the team for a three-Test and ODI series.

Sharma reckoned that his journey of being a white-ball captain will be ‘exciting’. He also stressed on his relationship with his predecessor, Kohli, saying that he has enjoyed ‘each and every moment’ in playing together and will continue to do so.

“I am deeply honoured and grateful for the opportunity. It’s a huge responsibility and very happy about it. Looking forward to lead India in white-ball cricket, going to be an exciting journey. I have had limited opportunities to lead Team India but whenever I have got an opportunity, I have tried to keep it very simple, tried to keep one thing in common, which is clear communication to players,” said Sharma.

“I have tried making sure that they understand their roles, because that is what it is all about, understanding that role and going out there and performing that role. Because, for us, coach and captain, it is important that we have clear communication and that is what I want to do, making sure people do understand why they have been picked in the team,” added Sharma.

Sharma was all praise for Kohli and his relationship with him in the team. “He has kept the team in a situation when there is no looking back. Those five years that he led the team, he led from the front every time, we stepped on to the park, and there was clear grit and determination to win every game… that was the message to the entire squad. We have had a great time playing under him (Kohli) and I have played a lot of cricket with him, I have enjoyed each and every moment, I will still continue to do that.”

Sharma knows that the challenge for the Indian team is to claim an ICC trophy, something which has eluded them since 2013.

“There are lot of things that we need to do right before we think of end result. The last ICC trophy (Champions Trophy), we won was in 2013. Since then, we haven’t won. But I don’t see anything wrong that we did after that Champions Trophy. We played well and performed as a team but just that we couldn’t get that extra inch that we always look forward to.

“That can happen as international cricket is very demanding but that’s the challenge as we are all professionals. My message to the team will be to focus on process and not to think about the end goal.

“(A) lot of World Cups are coming and India will be eyeing to do well in (a) lot of them. Our focus is on winning the championship but there is a process that we need to follow as a group. If you need to win the championship, there are lot of other things that you first need to take care of then focus on the end goal.”

The 34-year-old believes that emerging strong from tough scenarios will be his focus point as the white-ball captain.

“How you come out of tough challenges is very important. I think, in the past we have been put in those situations before, where we have been 10/3 or 15/2 or something like that, we failed to recover. Something that we need to keep in mind moving forward, it’s one of the areas. There are other areas we need to keep improving as a team because getting better as a team doesn’t stop. We have to keep looking to do better at different departments every time we play a game.”

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International

CT 2025: India to take on Pakistan on Feb 23, likely to play in Colombo or Dubai: Sources

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3 days ago

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December 19, 2024

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New Delhi, Dec 19: The much-awaited clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan in the Champions Trophy 2025 will be played on February 23 with Colombo and Dubai front-runners to play host for India’s matches in the tournament being played in hybrid format. The development comes after the ICC Board said that “India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC Events during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue.”

“India will take on Pakistan at a neutral venue on February 23, 2025. ICC looking at Colombo and Dubai to host their matches.”

The Champions Trophy is scheduled to be played in February and March 2025. Meanwhile, ICC said the schedule for the marquee tournament will be confirmed in the coming days.

Pakistan are the defending champions of the tournament, having defeated India by 180 runs in the final at The Oval in 2017. Both teams last played against each other in the T20 World Cup in New York earlier this year which India won by six runs and went on to claim their second silverware in the format.

Due to the strained political relations between the two neighbouring countries, India and Pakistan only play each other in international events including World Cups and Asia Cup. The last bilateral series between India and Pakistan was held in 2012-13 when the latter toured India for the five-match white-ball series.

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International

It’s OFFICIAL! All India vs Pakistan Matches At ICC Events To Be Played At Neutral Venue Till 2027

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3 days ago

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December 19, 2024

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India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC Events during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue, the ICC Board confirmed on Thursday, 19 December. The schedule for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is set to be confirmed soon, with Pakistan aiming to defend the title they won in 2017.

The eight-team event will feature Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, and South Africa, alongside hosts Pakistan.

This will apply to the upcoming ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 (hosted by Pakistan), set to be played in February and March 2025, as well as the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 (hosted by India) and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (hosted by India and Sri Lanka).

It was also announced that the PCB has been awarded hosting rights of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2028, where neutral venue arrangements will also apply. Cricket Australia is set to host one of the senior ICC women’s events during the period 2029 to 2031.

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International

‘Our dream is getting fulfilled’: Coach Sumit Bhatia elated to see Kho Kho going global

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6 days ago

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December 16, 2024

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New Delhi, Dec 16: Coach Sumit Bhatia is all pumped up for the first edition of the Kho Kho World Cup scheduled to take place from January 13-19, 2025. Bhatia, who holds a distinct record of being the only head coach to have won the Asian Championship twice, believes that this historical step is an indication of the realisation of the dream to take the sport to the international level and help it gain global recognition.

Having been honoured with the best coach award by the Delhi government, Bhatia has been a part of various Indian teams’ success, including the 2016 and 2023 Asian Kho Kho Championship victories, and has trained players like Nasreen Shaikh and Sarika Sudhakar Kale. Both of them have been Arjuna Awardees.

Nasreen, who is also a part of the World Cup camp, is the only player who has played in two Asian Championships and won the gold. The coach-student duo is now gearing up for the global event.

Sharing how the journey of Kho Kho World Cup’s inception, the coach said, “We organised an international camp here before COVID happened, in 2020. Coaches and players from 16 countries came here and we gave them training. Now they will be coming here for the World Cup but this campaign started in that camp”.

He further said, “Around 30-35 countries were willing to play the tournament but we picked the best 20 teams for both men and women. Some countries have single teams while some have double teams but a total of 24 countries will be participating in the tournament. It was our dream to take Kho Kho to the international level and now we can see that our dream is getting fulfilled.”

He also lauded the launch of the Ultimate Kho Kho League and shared how the franchise-based model has helped the players and coaches gain recognition, while also bringing forward grassroot talent.

“When the Ultimate Kho Kho league started, I also joined Telegu Yodhas as their head coach and we also played the final. Players have gotten exposure through the league and it’s not just financial. Earlier we used to hesitate while admitting being a Kho Kho coach but today our players introduce us as their coach,” said Bhatia.

He added, “The league got so much coverage that wherever we go, the players are approached for autographs. So the platform of the league started a new world for both coaches and players and now not just India but the entire world knows us. Earlier we used to tell people about our game but now they know what is Kho Kho and Ultimate Kho Kho league and are also waiting for the third season.”

Bhatia also discussed the impact of sports science on Kho Kho and lauded the newly introduced technology and said, “We have benefitted a lot from it. Sometimes we don’t understand why a player is not performing well. But with the introduction of sports science, we now know about the details of the problem.

“For example, a player might be facing issues with his left leg while sitting and so, it gives us an opportunity to work on that weakness… Sports science has helped us in identifying the accuracy and weakness of a player. So it’s very beneficial for us.”

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