International
He used to say to me, ‘Papa, I want to play for India’: Umran Malik’s father on his son’s rise
It has been a mercurial rise for Jammu and Kashmir pacer Umran Malik since October this year. The 21-year-old youngster, who made heads turn for clocking speeds in excess of 150kph in the IPL 2021 for his team Sunrisers Hyderabad, was rewarded with a stint as a net bowler with the Indian team in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Malik’s impressive run has now extended into a call-up to the India ‘A’ team for the four-day series against South Africa ‘A’.
The quick rise in Malik’s fortunes has left his father Abdul Rashid delighted. “He used to say to me, ‘Papa, I want to play for India’. Our wishes have always been with him. We pray to God that our child plays for India one day. Now that his name has come into India ‘A’ squad, I hope in the future his name comes into the India squad and makes the nation proud. We tell everyone ‘He is not our child; he is the child of the nation’. Our only wish now is to see him play well and bring glory to the country,” said Rashid to IANS in a chat over the phone on Friday.
“We are really happy. The whole of Jammu and Kashmir and India is happy for this kid. The whole country has been praising him. We have been extremely delighted along with the whole nation as he has bowled very well,” added Rashid.
From being a net bowler for the Hyderabad franchise in the IPL, Malik was drafted into the main squad as left-arm pacer T Natarajan tested positive for Covid-19. As he showcased his raw pace in the IPL, he quickly caught the eye of many fans and cricketers, including Indian skipper Virat Kohli.
Rashid attributes his son’s pace to God-gifted energy and endurance, which is seen in Malik registering his name in the top ten fastest deliveries of IPL 2021, with the highest being 152.95 kph (at second place). “He has got natural strength and did not learn from anywhere. He used to go and practise in the cricket academy as well as in the college. God has given him the strength to bowl well. He has played really well till now.”
“He has lots of stamina and used to play cricket for the whole day. He used to leave at 10 am in the morning and come back at 7 pm. He would only take 3-4 bottles of water with him while leaving for practice. It used to be so much hot in the summers and still, he would go for the practice. He used to say, ‘Papa I have to go for practice’.”
Malik hails from a modest family in Gujjar Nagar, Jammu. Rashid, who works as a fruit seller in Shaheedi Chowk, says his family was always supportive of their son’s cricketing ambitions. “He was three-four years old when he got interested in cricket. We never stopped him from playing cricket. Whatever he needed to play the game, we provided him with the best of whatever we had. He was never made to feel like that mummy-papa do not allow me to play or not bring anything for me. Whatever we could do for him, did it.”
Such was Malik’s zeal for cricket that his family had to make him eat food on time. “He used to go and play cricket after studies for the day. His dedication to cricket was such that he did not care to have his food on time and we had to get him to have his food. After having his food, he again used to go and play cricket. From a very early age, he had an interest in the game,” says Rashid.
Malik’s rise since IPL 2021 has led to an outpouring of congratulatory messages for Rashid at work. “People are very happy. Many of them stop their cars and gave congratulatory wishes. Everyone in Jammu is very happy.”
Rashid signed off by saying, “Duyaein karna bachche ke liye. Hamari yahi duaa hain ki bacha acha khele, apne desh ka naam roshan kare. Hamari yahi duaa hai uske saath ki yeh India khele. (Please pray for the child. Our wish is that he plays well and brings glory to the country. Our wishes are with him to play for India).”
International
CT 2025: India to take on Pakistan on Feb 23, likely to play in Colombo or Dubai: Sources
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.
International
It’s OFFICIAL! All India vs Pakistan Matches At ICC Events To Be Played At Neutral Venue Till 2027
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.
International
‘Our dream is getting fulfilled’: Coach Sumit Bhatia elated to see Kho Kho going global
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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