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IND v SA, 1st T20I: Ishan Kishan leads the way for India’s future batting template

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Very rarely, one gets to pick positives from a loss in cricket. Despite India being handed a seven-wicket defeat by South Africa at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday, they had a big positive to pick — racking up 211/4 in their 20 overs, thanks to a super-aggressive approach with the bat, led by Ishan Kishan’s 76.

India’s approach with the bat was like an action sequence from a Hollywood flick — runs coming thick and fast, first coming through edges and then through scintillating stroke play.

None of the batters tried to play anchor; everyone yearned to be the aggressor and get the big hits, seen from the strike-rates of Kishan (158.33), Gaikwad (153.33), Pant (181.25) and Pandya (258.33), with Iyer’s strike-rate of 133 looking pale.

All five batters got their first boundary within the first 10 balls of the innings, clearly not in a mood to waste time at the crease.

It was in complete contrast to their outdated approach with the bat; one would anchor the innings and rest would play around him, a chief factor in their early exit from the Men’s T20 World Cup last year.

But, in New Delhi, Kishan, captain Rishabh Pant and vice-captain Hardik Pandya later on, showed how going from the word go, devoid of any fear or tension, can bring some phenomenal batting returns despite having a streaky start.

Kishan’s first boundary came when he was beaten in flight by Keshav Maharaj in the opening over, but the outer edge ran past short third man. Luck continued to be on India’s side as a neck-high bouncer from Anrich Nortje saw Ruturaj Gaikwad hook over fine-leg, with the top-edge coming into play.

Kishan and Gaikwad rode their incredibly good fortune through the rest of power-play, amassing 51 runs but never letting go of the aggressive approach despite being tested by some sharp seam movement from the pacers.

After Gaikwad fell to Wayne Parnell, Kishan struggled for fluency till the ninth over when Dwaine Pretorius arrived.

The first ball of the over, width on offer and Kishan played the late cut to get the boundary past fielder at point. When Pretorius tried to correct his length on the final ball, Kishan hammered it through cover to collect another boundary. It was just the over Kishan needed to break free and find his boundary-hitting groove, which reached its high point when Maharaj was re-introduced in the middle overs.

After reaching his fifty in 37 balls by slog-sweeping the left-arm spinner, Kishan unleashed carnage on Maharaj in the 13th over — two more sixes were dispatched to mid-wicket fence and were followed by two boundaries down the ground.

“Initially we knew that we cannot get going on this wicket. My plan was to target the loose balls. In T20Is, powerplay is very important. We need to respect good bowlers as Nortje and Rabada have done really well for their country. My plan was to keep playing my shots and make them change their line and length,” said Kishan about his knock of 76 in the press conference.

Though he holed out to long-on on the last ball of the over in trying to hit another six, Kishan had done his job of setting the base for Pant and Pandya to carry forward the big-hitting spree. He had support from the other end when Shreyas Iyer danced down the pitch thrice to dispatch Tabraiz Shamsi for three sixes towards the leg-side before slowing down and eventually being castled by Pretorius.

“When the left-arm spinner came onto bowl, I told Shreyas that I will take my chances and told him that he can attack when Shamsi was bowling, because you got to be smart at this level. We just planned and it went our way,” were Kishan’s words in the innings break on him and Iyer acing the match-up game against South Africa’s spinners.

Pant and Pandya, made captain and deputy respectively on the eve of the series opener, hit seven boundaries between themselves from overs 17 to 19 with some audacious shots to take India past 210-mark. The duo had spent their match eve effortlessly clearing the ‘V’ in a range-hitting practice and hence, it was no surprise to see them take Pretorius, Parnell and Rabada to the cleaners.

Only time will tell if what India did with the bat at New Delhi will kick-start a change in their approach to batting in the first innings, especially after the rested/injured stalwarts return. But, if one goes by the visuals of Thursday’s innings, they did make gains with the batting formula despite the result not being on their side.

International

PM Narendra Modi Departs For 5-Day Tour Of Nigeria, Brazil, & Guyana

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday left for his five-day visit to Nigeria, Brazil, and Guyana. He will be on his three-nation tour from November 16 to 21, where he will be attending the G20 Summit in Brazil.

In his departure statement ahead of his visit, PM Modi stated that he would be first visiting Nigeria at the invitation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with a focus on reinforcing the strategic partnership between the two nations. The Prime Minister will also be meeting with the Indian community in Nigeria during his visit. He will be there in the African nation from November 16 to 17.

“At the invitation of H.E. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, this will be my first visit to Nigeria, which is our close partner in the West African region. My visit will be an opportunity to build upon our Strategic Partnership that is based on shared belief in democracy and pluralism. I am also eagerly looking forward to meeting the Indian community and friends from Nigeria who have sent me warm welcome messages in Hindi,” the statement read.

About PM Modi’s Visit To Brazil

Following this, he will be travelling to Brazil to attend the 19th G20 Summit as a member of the Troika. PM Modi stated that after India’s successful presidency in the G20 Summit last year, Brazil is expected to continue efforts to advance the Global South’s priorities. He will be there in the South American nation from November 18 to 19.

“In Brazil, I will attend the 19th G-20 Summit as a Troika member. Last year, India’s successful presidency elevated the G-20 to people’s G-20 and mainstreamed the priorities of the Global South into its agenda. This year, Brazil has built upon India’s legacy. I look forward to meaningful discussions in keeping with our vision of “One Earth, One Family, One Future.” I will also use the opportunity to exchange views on furthering bilateral cooperation with several other leaders,” the statement added.

About PM Modi’s Visit To Guyana

In the final leg of the trip, PM Modi will be going to Guyana, at the invitation of President Mohamed Irfaan Ali. This marks the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister to Guyana in over 50 years.

In addition, the Prime Minister will attend the 2nd India-CARICOM Summit, where he will meet with leaders from the Caribbean nations to renew historical ties and explore opportunities for deeper cooperation.

“My visit to Guyana, at the invitation of H.E. President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, will be the first-ever visit of an Indian Prime Minister in over 50 years. We will exchange views on giving strategic direction to our unique relationship, which is based on shared heritage, culture, and values. I will also pay my respects to one of the oldest Indian diaspora, who migrated more than 185 years ago, and engage a fellow democracy as I address their Parliament,” the statement read.

“During this visit, I will also join leaders from the Caribbean partner countries for the 2nd India-CARICOM Summit. We have stood together through thick and thin. The Summit will enable us to renew historical ties and expand our cooperation into new domains,” it added.

During his visit to Guyana, PM Modi will receive the highest national award from the Commonwealth of Dominica. The Caribbean nation will bestow the Dominica Award of Honour, on PM Narendra Modi, in recognition of his contributions to Dominica during the COVID-19 pandemic and his dedication to strengthening the partnership between India and Dominica.

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National

PV Sindhu Exits In Pre-Quarters Of Japan Masters, India’s Campaign Ends

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India’s campaign came to a premature end as double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu crashed out in the pre-quarterfinals of the Kumamoto Masters Japan Super 500 badminton tournament here on Thursday.

World no. 20 Sindhu was the lone Indian in contention after the exits of Lakshya Sen and women’s doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand.

Sindhu squandered a game lead to lose 21-17 16-21 17-21 against Canada’s Michelle Li, ranked 23rd in the world, in a women’s singles match that lasted one hour and 15 minutes.

It was neck and neck between the two shuttlers in the first game before Sindhu took a marginal 11-8 lead and from there on kept her nose just ahead to take early advantage.

Trailing, Li came out attacking in the second game and raced to a 8-3 lead before Sindhu clawed back as the scoreline read 16-16 at one time.

But Li then upped her game and pocketed five straight points to draw parity in the contest.

The decider witnessed a close battle between the two shuttlers till 17 points when Li forced the pace, pocketing four straight points to wrap up the match. The Canadian was also helped by Sindhu’s unforced errors.

Li will play Siouth Korea’s Yu Jin Sim in the quarterfinals.

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Sports

‘The Doctors Warned Me’: Neymar Gives Update About Injury After Limping Off Just 30 Minutes Into His Second Al-Hilal Appearance

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Brazilian superstar Neymar recently made his comeback to the football pitch in Al Hilal’s match against Esteghlal. However the joy was shortlived as Neymar was substituted after 30 minutes into the match. The 32 year-old forward had to come off with three minutes remaining, having seemed to pull up after stretching his leg out for the ball in the penalty area.

After the match Neymar updated about his injury on social media, he said: “I felt like a CRAMP but very strong! I will do exams and hope it’s nothing more It’s normal for this to happen after 1 year, the doctors had already warned me, this is why I need to be careful and have more minutes to play.”

Neymar’s struggle with injury

Al Hilal had planned a slow return for Brazil’s all-time leading scorer, who suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury during Brazil’s qualifier against Uruguay shortly after joining the Saudi side and underwent surgery last November.

Neymar undewent knee operation, only making his return two weeks ago when he came off the bench late in the AFC Champions League win against Al-Ain. It is not yet known how severe Neymar’s latest issue, but the ex-Barcelona star will be out of action for the next three weeks regardless.

Neymar was also left off Brazil’s latest squad for a pair of November World Cup qualifiers, with coach Dorival saying the team and federation didn’t want to rush his return to the national team.

Despite Neymar getting injured, Al-Hilal managed a 3-0 win against their Iranian opponents thanks to a hat-trick from Aleksandar Mitrovic. Al-Hilal remains top of the 12-team group, where the top eight will advance to the Round of 16. It is above Saudi Arabian rival Al-Ahli on goal difference after the team from Jeddah thrashed Al-Shorta of Iraq 5-1

Whats next for Al Hilal?

Al-Hilal’s next match is scheduled on Nov 25, where they will be facing Al-Sadd. Currently Al Hilal have topped the chart by winning 4 out of 4 matches.

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