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Paralympics: Bhagat, Yathiraj, Nagar assure India three medals in badminton

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Pramod-Bhagat

India were assured of at least three medals from the badminton courts at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games as shuttler Pramod Bhagat (SL3), Suhas Yathiraj (SL4) and Krishna Nagar (SH6) stormed into the Men’s Singles finals in SL3 and SL4 and SH6 class respectively on Saturday.

Bhagat, the World No 1 in SL3 class, defeated Daisuke Fujihara of Japan 2-0 (21-11, 21-16) in the semifinals, while Yathiraj got the better of Sethiwan Fredy of Indonesia 2-0 (21-9, 21-15) in SL4 class. Nagar, the 22-year-old from Jaipur, defeated Krysten Coombs of Great Britain 21-10, 21-11 in 26 minutes to reach the final in the Men’s Singles SH6.

In SL3 and SL4 sections, two Indians will be figuring in the bronze medal matches. Manoj Sarkar lost in the semifinals to Daniel Bathell of Great Britain in the SL3 section while Tarun Dhillon lost 16-21, 16-21, 21-16 to France’s Lucas Mazur, the top seed, in a three-setter that went past the one-hour mark.

The mixed doubles pair of Pramod Bhagat and Palak Kohli will also contest for the bronze medal as they lost to World No. 1 pair of Hary Susanto and Oktila Ratri Leani 21-3, 21-15. Bhagat-Kohli will now take on the Japanese pair of Daisuke Fujihara and Akiko Sugino for the bronze medal.

Bhagat, the reigning world champion in this class, took an early lead in his semifinal clash with the Japanese and rode the momentum to emerge 21-11, 21-16 to surge into the final at the Yoyogi National Stadium here.

In the final, Bhagat will meet World No. 2 Daniel Bathell, the man he beat in the final of the World Championship in Basel in 2019. Bathell defeated India’s Manoj Sarkar 21-8, 21-10 in the second semifinal, surging ahead from 9-9 in the second game to win in 38 minutes.

Bhagat served well and capitalised on the advantage of opening he could create by moving the shuttle up and down to win 15 points on his service. He had a big lead of 10 points and did not make many mistakes as he won easily.

The second game was tougher as Fujihara tried to counter the Indian’s game. But Bhagat was not to be denied as he went on to win the second game 21-16 and sealed victory.

The SL3 class games are played in one-half of the badminton court as the players can’t make a sideways movement.

India can now expect two medals from this section, Bhagat fighting for the gold while Sarkar will take on Fujihara in the bronze medal match to be played later in the day.

Yathiraj, who is the district magistrate of Gautam Buddha Nagar (NOIDA) in Uttar Pradesh, found the going easy in the first game as he controlled the rallies and moved his opponent around with measured strokes. He won 14 points on his serve while taking seven off Sitawan’s serve. The Indonesian put up a tougher fight in the second but Yathiraj won it at 15 to win the semifinal.

Dhillon put up a brilliant fight in the semifinal against Mauzer after losing the first game 21-14. He took a seven points lead and maintained his hold to win the second set. The two players neck-and-neck in the third game before Mauzer broke away to win the game 21-18.

International

PM Narendra Modi Lays Foundation Stone For Rs.451 Crore International Cricket Stadium In Varanasi 

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India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the new International Cricket Stadium in Varanasi on September 23rd (Saturday). The likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Ravi Shastri, Dilip Vengsarkar, and Sunil Gavaskar were also present for the ceremony. The Prime Minister also went on to present an Indian team jersey to Tendulkar.

The state government, led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, has remitted a whopping ₹121 crore for the purpose of land acquisition, while the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shall put in ₹330 crore from their side for the iconic stadium’s construction. Some of the notable features that the stadium would have are trishul-shaped floodlights, drum-shaped media center, and crescent moon-shaped roof.

Meanwhile, the stone-laying ceremony witnessed some of the most top figures from the BCCI, including President Roger Binny, Vice-President Rajiv Shukla, and Secretary Jay Shah. This will also be the third international stadium in Uttar Pradesh, with Kanpur and Lucknow already having one.

“The sportspersons here will benefit from the construction of an international stadium” – Narendra Modi

Speaking at the ceremony, Modi stated that sports are no longer prohibited by the elders, unlike before, as it acts as an incentive in several ways. He said, as quoted by The Indian Express:

“This stadium in the city of ‘Mahadev’ will be dedicated to ‘Mahadev’ himself. The sportspersons here will benefit from the construction of an international stadium in Kashi. There was a time when parents used to scold their children for playing sports, but that is no longer true. When sports infrastructure is built in an area, it acts as an incentive not just for young sporting talent but also spurs the local economy.”

The stadium has a seating capacity of approximately 30000 and the construction of the same is likely to finish by December 2025.

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International

Legends Including Sachin Tendulkar And Ravi Shastri Leave For Varanasi For Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony For New International Stadium In UP

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Legendary Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Ravi Shastri, Sunil Gavaskar, and Dilip Vengsarkar on Saturday headed for Varanasi for the foundation stone laying ceremony of the international cricket stadium in Uttar Pradesh.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of the International Cricket Stadium in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi on Saturday afternoon.

The Uttar Pradesh government led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has spent Rs 121 crores on land acquisition for the construction of the International Cricket Stadium in Varanasi. Moreover, the BCCI will spend Rs 330 crores on the stadium’s construction.

The former India head coach Shashti on Saturday took to social media ‘X’, formerly known as Twitter, and wrote in a post, “Varanasi bound. Great to be amongst Greats and colleagues for Mumbai and India. Just a few international runs and wickets there. Pic of a lifetime. Gr8 memories.”

The thematic architecture of this stadium draws inspiration from Lord Shiva, with designs developed for crescent-shaped roof covers, trident-shaped floodlights, ghat steps-based seating, and Bilvipatra-shaped metallic sheets on the facade. The stadium will have a capacity of 30,000 spectators.
Veteran players like Tendulkar, Gavaskar, Shastri, Vengsarkar will be present at the foundation stone laying ceremony.

Uttar Pradesh to have its 3rd international stadium:

The event will also have the presence of key figures from the BCCI, including President Roger Binny, Vice President Rajiv Shukla, and Secretary Jay Shah, the release stated. Furthermore, many veteran players are expected to attend the foundation stone laying ceremony. After Kanpur and Lucknow, this will be Uttar Pradesh’s third international cricket stadium. 

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IND vs AUS: ‘Always Well Looked After And Well Protected’ As David Warner Feeling ‘Great’ To Be Back In India

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The Australian cricket team has landed in India ahead of what will be their final dress rehearsal for the 2023 World Cup. Veteran Australian opener David Warner took to his official Instagram handle and expressed their gratefulness at landing in India. He also thanked GMR Aerocity for making their transit easy.

Warner will be one of the few players most in focus ahead of the ODI series, especially due to his inconsistency in the preceding rubber against South Africa. The left-hander made only two fifty-plus scores in five innings and threw away starts consistently.

The five-time World Champions will be keen to get back in the groove after missing an opportunity to win the series in South Africa despite a 2-0 lead. The middle-order batters, including Alex Carey and Marcus Stoinis will be under pressure for consistently failing against the Proteas. With Steve Smith back in the side and Australia set to field a full-strength attack, they should be in a good stead.

The 36-year-old took to his Instagram handle and wrote:

“Always great to be welcomed back to india. We are always well looked after and well protected. Thanks so much. @gmraerocity always makes our transits so easy.”

Australia won the three-game ODI series in India earlier this year:

Pat Cummins and co. should draw confidence from their success against the Men in Blue in their backyard earlier this year under the captaincy of Steve Smith. Nevertheless, India are an in-form team, having won the Asia Cup 2023.

However, the men’s team’s chief selector Chief selector Ajit Agarkar has announced resting Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the first two ODIs. KL Rahul will captain India in Mohali and Indore,

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