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SA v IND, 2nd Test: Think KL getting formula of playing Test cricket, reckons Ashwin

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 India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin reckons that stand-in captain KL Rahul is getting the formula of how to play in Test cricket. He added that Rahul had found the solution to what he needed to respond within Test cricket, which is working for him. After making a crucial 123 in the first innings at Centurion, Rahul made a gritty fifty in India’s first innings total of 202 in the second Test at the Wanderers.

“I think KL’s sort of getting that formula of how to go about playing Test cricket. There is no one formula for success when it comes to playing Test cricket. Teams are analysing, there’s a lot more footage available and lots more technical assessment and breakdowns that happen in today’s world. Test cricket is all about you responding to different sort of questions that are being thrown at you,” said Ashwin in the virtual press conference.

“KL’s found that solution what he thought he needed to respond to an’ it’s working for him. He’s one of those players who’s got the game, we all know he’s got the game and the raw material. It’s all about how you pan out, keep answering these constant questions that are being thrown at you. So, very happy with the way he’s batting, looks very assured at the crease and starting from England, he’s looked the part,” added Ashwin.

After Rahul, Ashwin was the second-highest run-scorer for India with his counter-attacking cameo of 46, including hitting six boundaries. He attributed the knock to his efforts of playing shots with freedom, with some help from batting coach Vikram Rathour.

“In between somewhere for a couple of years, trying to sort of getting very technically right or whatever it is to try and build on scores. I think I had lost a bit of my flow with respect to getting into good positions at the crease. Even before, I have always batted at a good clip. There’s not been a conscious effort to go out there and keep playing those shots. If it’s there, it’s there.”

“For me, I get into those positions where I can play some of those shots which some of the specialist batters might not be able to play. But this freedom is what gave me success in the past. But it is still about choosing correctly and also getting the flow of my hands right, which I think I have been able to get to back to from a little bit before Australia. Vikram Rathour has been very helpful in having those communications and also trying to get those things sorted in the nets.”

Ashwin was driving and punching crisply, presenting the full face of the bat, and even played a straight bat clip through mid-wicket. In a busy time at the cre’se, he didn’t care much about his strike. “There was no attempt to go at such a strike rate. The moment I went in and the moment I got a straight ball which I hit down the ground and then got one which I hit on the up off Lungi Ngidi through the off-side. I trusted the balls there itself and responded to it, there was no attempt to go and play at that strike-rate.”

He was happy that his planning went well in contrib’ting to India’s total. “Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t, that’s the beauty of playing the game. I also thought getting the hang of the pitch, initially, they started with the short ball again. Whenever I get to start off against a short ball, it gets me going a bit. So, I had gameplans, glad it’s all worked out and it’s also about building one and trying to be more productive for the team.”

International

CT 2025: India to take on Pakistan on Feb 23, likely to play in Colombo or Dubai: Sources

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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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It’s OFFICIAL! All India vs Pakistan Matches At ICC Events To Be Played At Neutral Venue Till 2027

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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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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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