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IPL 2022: How Rohit Sharma boosted team-mate Ramandeep’s confidence

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3 years ago

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When Ramandeep Singh was picked up in the IPL 2022 mega auction by Mumbai Indians, he had played only 13 T20 matches for his state Punjab, apart from 10 List A games and one appearance in first-class cricket. But it was his skill-set, a seam bowling all-rounder, which caught the eye of the five-time champions. The real gamechanger for Ramandeep, though, was a talk with captain Rohit Sharma that boosted his confidence, something which he will never forget.

“What he’s spoken to me and explained to me is that the main thing is confidence, which will take you to the next level. And that confidence can’t be given by someone else, I have to bring it within myself. And through my performances, through my hard work, that confidence will get built up over time. I feel the X-factor is confidence, that is what will make the difference,” said Ramandeep in a video on Mumbai’s social media accounts.

Ramandeep made his IPL debut against Royal Challengers Bangalore and was understandably unable to sleep on the eve of the match after being informed of the same. When he walked on the field to bat, his heart was racing but the feeling of enjoying the moment calmed him down.

“MJ (Mahela Jayawardene) told me at the nets that I’ll probably be playing the next match. At night, there was obviously the feeling of, ‘I’m going to play the IPL’. It’s a platform I’ve been seeing since childhood and I’ll get to be there. Obviously, there was no chance of sleep coming. Everyone told me that this moment will not come again, so don’t take the tension of it, just live it and enjoy the moment. And that’s what I tried to do, to enjoy the moment as much as I could.

“My heart was racing before I had to go and bat, in front of such a large crowd. But as soon as I went in, everything calmed down. My focus was just on playing the bowler. There was Virat Kohli at slip, Glenn Maxwell at midwicket, and Dinesh Karthik as the wicketkeeper…but in the middle, I didn’t feel it.

“I was like, ‘I also have a bat in hand, and at the end of the day, the game is one of bat and ball.’ I felt proud of myself that I didn’t get flustered by whoever was standing around me and could tell myself I just have to play. That was a very good feeling.”

Though Ramandeep was left out of the eleven after the match against Bangalore, he never got the feeling of being left in the cold and credits Sharma as well as head coach Mahela Jayawardene for not letting him feel like that.

“The franchise didn’t let me feel down. MJ came to me and said, ‘This is a tactical change, nothing to do with your performance. We don’t judge people on one match here.’ And the main thing was, Rohit paaji used to tell me, ‘We are preparing you for this level and guiding you’.

“So obviously, if a legend like Rohit Sharma is coming and explaining things to you, half of the pressure is released automatically, just like that. Rohit paaji would give me tasks in the nets, that ‘You have to do this today. While bowling, bowl these slower balls and yorkers. Dominate while batting’.”

Ramandeep’s time of reckoning came in Mumbai’s last match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, when he picked 3/20 with the ball. But he has set his sights on dishing out all-round performances like the hard-hitting Andre Russell does for Kolkata Knight Riders. “For me it would be Andre Russell (to look up to). The way he’s playing for his team, I want to play for MI. I want to win games for MI like he does. He’s a 100 per cent perfect allrounder in batting and bowling. I want to be that cricketer.”

Apart from stalwarts like Sharma and Jayawardene, Ramandeep also has valuable support from his cousin brother Anmolpreet Singh in the same franchise. “You can’t ask for better than a brother to support you. He was always like, ‘This platform is such that you get to know what’s what only after playing. So even if there is a failure or two, you have to not let your guard down. Don’t worry’.

“I was also telling him the same! Obviously, support between brothers is really important. But MI is such a franchise that it’s really a family. Everyone is coming to you all the time, and everyone is there to support you. I would say everyone are brothers here.”

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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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‘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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