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Mukesh Choudhary’s spotlight moment in Chennai jersey arrives after see-saw journey

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A couple of days ago against Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2022, Mukesh Choudhary was out of sorts. Going for 40 runs in his four overs though he picked a wicket and dropped some catches, Choudhary looked like a person who was in dire need of confidence and inspiration to bounce back.

A few days before, Choudhary had taken some serious beating when he went for 52 runs in four wicketless overs against Punjab Kings. But thanks to Chennai’s reputation of backing players to the hilt despite average showings, Choudhary’s chance to shine came when he picked three early wickets against Mumbai Indians at DY Patil Stadium.

From four wickets in first five IPL 2022 matches to picking 3/19 in three overs against Mumbai, it has been a stunning turnaround tale for Choudhary. With his left-arm pace, Chaudhary set the tone by forcing Rohit Sharma to chip too early to mid-on, knocked over Ishan Kishan with a yorker which had some away-swing and sent back Dewald Brevis early to leave Mumbai in mess.

It took him time but he has now stepped up to the faith shown on him by the team management in taking wickets upfront and set the base for Chennai’s close win. Cricket was Choudhary’s favourite sport when he was growing up in Pardodas village in Bhilwara district of Rajasthan.

“When I was small, the bigger guys wouldn’t let me bat or bowl, but I would field all day. The situation in my home was not great. In my village, there was no club or anything so it all started with tennis ball. In fourth standard my father put me in a boarding school because there wasn’t much facility to study in my village. I then tried other sports too, like basketball, volleyball, hockey. But cricket was always my favourite,” said Choudhary to CSK TV.

As Choudhary grew from a young boy to teenager, a shift to boarding school in Pune began a serious growth of his cricketing ambitions amidst expectations of doing well in academics. “Then in 9th standard I came to a boarding school in Pune. I got an opportunity to play a few matches with leather ball. Then in junior college I played more matches and I lost interest in academics.”

“I didn’t tell my parents but I started focusing on cricket. When my name would appear on newspapers, I would send it to them. My father said ok, but continue to study because a lot of people play cricket. Two years later I played Ranji Trophy (for Maharashtra) – then he felt ok and supported me. Till I got selected for the state, only my brother knew I was playing cricket seriously. My parents didn’t know!”

Choudhary’s sterling show against Mumbai must have made his father proud back home. “I only wanted to be in the ground through the day. I didn’t want to go out or anything. From morning to evening, I was at the ground. I learnt from my father about working hard. He would leave at 4am and come back at midnight. He felt if he worked hard, his children will be happy in the future. My father did a lot for us and there’s nobody bigger than him for me.”

“You have to believe in yourself that you can turn things around anytime in difficult times.” This was Australia pace great Glenn McGrath’s advice to Choudhary at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai, where the left-arm pacer trained under the legendary Australian. On Thursday, McGrath’s advice came apt when the young pacer overcame his poor IPL start to leave Mumbai in tatters.

“My journey has been difficult but my family supported me. When I was alone in Pune, my sister supported me a lot. Food, physically, mentally… even when I was down at times, my sister would send me to the ground forcefully. Without her I wouldn’t have been able to do well. Even when I was selected, she told me to think about the next steps and do well,” signed off Choudhary.

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Champions Trophy: Pakistan’s dismal show likely to be discussed in cabinet and parliament

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Islamabad, Feb 27: The Pakistan cricket team’s depressing, dismal, and cheerless performance in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, resulting in its early exit from the tournament, has not only broken the hearts of home fans but also knocked on the doors of the country’s Prime Minister.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has personally taken notice of the team’s early departure and the below-par performance and is likely to take up the issues related to the cricket team in the cabinet and the parliament. Pakistan’s final Group A fixture against Bangladesh was washed out in Rawalpindi due to rain on Thursday, which meant that they ended their campaign without a win. With only one point, thanks to a washout, Pakistan will finish at the bottom of the group.

Prime Minister’s aide on Political and Public Affairs, Rana Sanaullah, has said that PM Shehbaz will also take up the matter at the parliament. “The Prime Minister will personally take notice, and we will also ask him to raise these cricket-related issues in the cabinet as well as in the parliament,” said Rana Sanaullah.

It is pertinent to note that Pakistan is hosting the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Special arrangements have been made to glorify the event, with Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Karachi cricket stadiums renovated to increase audience capacity and further enhance the facilities. However, the team’s fans were left dejected after Pakistan lost both its matches and was knocked out of the tournament when their final league match with Bangladesh was rained off.

While anger persists among cricket fans, questions are being raised over the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), its chief Mohsin Naqvi, and the selection committee, which selected the squad. Aqib Javed, head coach of Pakistan, has tried to justify the team selection, stating that all players were selected on the basis of their recent performances.

On the other hand, internal issues within the PCB are also being linked with the team’s bad performance as many believe that the cricket board’s decision-making regarding playing eleven, the team, and the players has prompted foreign coaches like Jason Gillespie to part ways.

Rana Sanaullah said that he will also call on PM Sharif to address the ongoing issues within the PCB, emphasising that the cricket sport as a whole is in bad shape. “The sport at college and district levels is in a bad position, and the amount that has been spent on a professional level should be revealed before the public”, said Rana Sanaullah.

Rana Sanaullah also raised concerns over amounts being paid to mentors, who he highlighted admitted that they were unaware of their responsibilities and were being remunerated for doing nothing. “You will be surprised after hearing about the perks and privileges of other officer-bearers. You will be confused whether they are officials of a Pakistani institution or those belonging to a developed nation”, he said.

It would not be wrong to say that Pakistan’s performance on home grounds has certainly left fans heartbroken. In major ICC events, Pakistan’s performance in the past years has also not been mentionable.

In 2023, Pakistan only won four out of nine matches during the ODI World Cup in India and ended in fifth position on the points table. Pakistan also made an early exit from last year’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA after losing to India and the USA in the preliminary stage.

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Champions Trophy 2025: Pakistan’s Cricket Stadiums Far From Ready, Tournament Could Be Moved To Dubai, Claims Report

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Problems seem to be mounting for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as they face a race against time to handover a proper stadium to the International Cricket Council (ICC) before the Champions Trophy gets underway. According to The Times Of India report, the construction and upgradation work is still underway at the National Stadium in Karachi, Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore and the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium

A source following the developments said,”It is a very disappointing picture. All three stadiums are far from ready and it’s not renovation or refurbishment, but proper construction which is underway. There is so much work left with seats, floodlights, facilities and even the outfield and playing surfaces,”

The report further states there is not much time left for the venues to be handed over and it’s not a surprise that there are discussions about moving the entire tournament to the UAE. 

The PCB has to hand over the tournament venues to ICC by February 12, however, the stadium work which was scheduled to be finished by December 31, is yet to be completed.

A team of from the ICC will leave for Pakistan towards the end of the week to do a status check and informal contingency discussions are underway in Dubai corridors.

What is the Current stadium of Champions Trophy venues?

Lahore and Karachi are the two centres where heavy construction work is underway and their multi-storied enclosures, which will have dressing rooms and hospitality boxes, are yet to enter the finishing stages. In addition to the new enclosures, there is fencing work, placement of floodlights and seats which is far from the finish line.

The source added, “The weather is not ideal for construction and finishing work to happen at a rapid pace. At Gadaffi, even the plaster work isn’t completed yet. And most of the time is taken by finishing work because we are talking about dressing rooms etc. They just can’t be random rooms/enclosures for an ICC event. ICC has a checklist which needs to be met. National Stadium has decided to not completely finish the new enclosure because there is no time,”

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AFC Asian Cup 2027 to take place in Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar from Jan 7 to Feb 5

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Kuala Lumpur, Jan 7: The AFC Asian Cup 2027 will take place from January 7 to February 5 across three cities – Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar – in Saudi Arabia, the AFC announced on Tuesday.

A total of five stadiums in Riyadh will host the tournament’s matches; the King Fahd Sports City Stadium, the King Saud University Stadium, Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud University Stadium, Kingdom Arena and the Al Shabab Stadium.

Two stadiums have been confirmed for Jeddah – King Abdullah Sports City and Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium – with a new state-of-the-art venue to be built in Al Khobar, completing the world-class infrastructure set to provide the backdrop for Asia’s top 24 national teams.

Saudi Arabia was announced as the host nation for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in 2023. This will be the first time Suadi Arabia will host the tournament.

“Confirming the dates and selecting the stadiums for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ is a strategic milestone in our journey to host the tournament. This announcement goes beyond simply identifying locations and schedules; it reflects the ongoing high-level collaboration between us and the AFC as we work towards delivering an exceptional tournament that fulfills the aspirations of the entire Asian continent,” Saudi Arabian Football Federation chief Yasser Al Misehal.

Eighteen teams have already sealed their places at the AFC Asian Cup 2027. The remaining berths will be decided via the Qualifiers Final Round, which is scheduled to commence from March 2025 and features six groups of four teams – confirmed at last month’s draw – with the winners of each group making up the final cast.

India, aiming for its fifth appearance at the AFC Asian Cup, has been placed in Group C alongside Singapore, Hong Kong, and Bangladesh. The team will look to replicate or surpass its 2019 performance, where it showcased significant progress on the continental stage.

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