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IPL 2022: Rajasthan understood the true potential of Ashwin’s abilities, says Harbhajan

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Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh reckons Rajasthan Royals realised the true potential of Ravichandran Ashwin’s all-round abilities and have made use of it to the fullest in IPL 2022.

In his debut season for Rajasthan in IPL, Ashwin has delivered with the ball, picking 11 wickets, as well as excelling in the batting order as a surprise floater, as seen from him smashing an unbeaten 40 off 23 balls to lead his side to a win over Chennai Super Kings to qualify for the playoffs.

“Rajasthan Royals should be credited for showing faith in Ashwin’s all-round abilities and this is the best franchise to have ever made full use of R. Ashwin. No franchise has ever utilised Ashwin’s batting talent before but this team has promoted him up in the batting order and he’s won them a match with the bat.

“They have understood the true potential of R. Ashwin and full credit to Ashwin for reposing the faith of the franchise as well,” said Harbhajan on ‘Cricket Live’ show on Star Sports.

At the same time, Harbhajan believes Rajasthan’s batting mainstay and leading run-getter of the tournament, Jos Buttler, had peaked early in the tournament, which is why runs have dried up from the swashbuckling England batter as he got out for single-digit scores in last three matches.

Harbhajan opined that Buttler should go back to his basics in order to regain his form and come back strongly in the Qualifier 1 against Gujarat Titans on Tuesday at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

“Jos Buttler will have to adjust to the pitches in Kolkata. The pitches in Maharashtra have slowed down as the tournament reached its business end but the Eden Gardens track will be fresh, so not just Buttler, every batter will have to make that necessary adjustment.

“Coming to Buttler, I feel that he seems to have peaked very early and that is a reason why runs are not flowing through his bat in the latter part of the tournament. He’s a great player and he’ll have to go back to his basics to regain his form.”

Former England off-spinner Graeme Swann has backed Rajasthan to book their direct ticket to the final and has even predicted for the re-match of Qualifier 1 to happen in the final.

“Rajasthan Royals will win that first game (Qualifier 1) against Gujarat Titans. I honestly think first and second i.e. Gujarat and Rajasthan are the two best sides in this season and they could end up facing each other in that final.”

Sports

Wickets To Wheels: Rashid Khan Practices Pit Stop With Haas F1 Team Ahead Of Qatar GP; 

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Gujarat Titans and Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan was recently spotted going through a mock pit stop with the Haas F1 team before the Formula 1 Qatar GP. The cricketer donned the same attire as the team members and assisted the crew by lifting the tyres and replacing them with relative ease.

One of the crew members also complimented Rashid’s work with a fist bump. The Haas F1 team put a fascinating edit of the same on their Instagram page. The Haas F1 team captioned the post, “From Pitch Perfect to Pit Perfect. Giving @rashid.khan19 a taste of Pit Stop Practice with the team,” . The effort from Rashid drew admiration from fans.

Rashid set to lead Afghanistan in forthcoming series against Zimbabwe

Coming to cricket, Rashid, will be leading the team against Zimbabwe as Afghanistan are all set to commence their all-format tour with the white-ball series on December 11. The three-match T20I series will be followed by as many games ODIs and two Tests. 

The first Test will be played on December 26 at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. It is all set to be an iconic occasion for both Afghanistan and Zimbabwe. Notably, the red-ball game is slated to be the first Boxing Day Test hosted by Zimbabwe after 28 long years, which was against England in 1996.

The Boxing Day encounter will be followed by the New Year’s Test from January 2-6 at the same venue. Recently Rashid was retained by Gujarat Titans for a record ₹18 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction

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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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