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SA v IND: For a period of time, India forgot about the game, says Elgar on DRS drama

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3 years ago

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South Africa captain Dean Elgar believes India expressing their displeasure over the DRS call off him worked well for his team as the tourists forgot the match situation for a period of time.

On day three of the third Test in Cape Town, Elgar reviewed a lbw decision off Ravichandran Ashwin on the fourth delivery of the 21st over in South Africa’s chase of 212.

Umpire Marais Erasmus had adjudged Elgar lbw on a delivery which came in and hit him in front of the middle stump on the knee roll. The ball-tracking technology showed that the ball would go over the stumps, thereby overturning the original decision.

It resulted in anger expressed by the Indian team through stump mics. Though Elgar was dismissed at stumps by Jasprit Bumrah, South Africa were needing just 111 runs to win on day four, which they knocked off with seven wickets in hand on Friday.

“Loved it. It was obviously a team that was a little bit under pressure. Things weren’t going their way, which they are obviously quite used to of late. But in Test match cricket, it was pressure I think which gave us a little bit of window period, especially yesterday (Thursday) to score a little bit freer and chip away at the target we needed. It worked out well in our hands and played nicely into our hands.

“For a period of time, they actually forgot about the game and were channelling a bit more of their emotional side of what Test cricket has to offer. Extremely happy that it happened that way,” said Elgar in post-match virtual conference.

After losing the first Test at Centurion by 113 runs, South Africa came back from behind to deny a formidable Indian side from winning the series. Elgar had said after the seven-wicket win at Johannesburg that he had a chat to fire up Kagiso Rabada, which was enough to get the pace spearhead at his best.

Asked about the nature of the chats, Elgar refused to go into the details.

“I am not going to reveal anything because what happens in the team, stays in the team. Basically, after losing the first Test, we knew the guys will have to stand up from a character point of view. We had to make the guys a bit more of conscious effort and be a lot more aware of what position they have within the side, purely to bring the best out of that player. Ultimately, bringing the best out of the player will influence the environment.

“I am glad, very, very relieved and thankful to all the guys for responding the way they did. This was a proper squad effort and by no means, can’t pinpoint the guys. Sure, a few individuals did exceptional things in the series.

“Going forward, it has always been a squad effort. Even to the guys who didn’t play, they stood up in the right occasions for us. Those chats will stay behind the closed doors for us.”

Speaking about the nature of chats with players like Rabada and others in the team, Elgar explained, “You got to have a mutual respect within the squad, with every individual player. That’s a two-way street which enables you to have the conversations we had in the last two weeks. The players needed to take them on board and need to understand I am not there to manipulate them or do injustice to their careers as I need them to be operating at a level which is respectable at the level of Test cricket.

“If you want to be the best, you need to operate at a level like we have done in the last few weeks. But you need to be pretty consistent around that. I think I have a pretty good relationship with everyone in the team, be it the oldest or youngest player in the team.

“I would like to think I connect with them in a pretty good way, a special way where the guys think that Dean’s doing this for the right reasons. It comes into the buying process, where the guys have to give in to the message that I speak of and echo throughout the changing room. It all boils down to respect, you need to respect each other irrespective of age and how long you have been playing the game.

“We all play for one cause, that is to win the game and another cause, which is playing for the country. We all are influenced in our own respective ways bearing in mind that the team’s way is the only way going forward. It sounds a little bit harsh but if you want to be the best, you need to have that skill which you need to have and the guys have started to develop as this process of our journey has continued. I like to think I am not offending anyone by the language I use, the words I speak just to know that I need to motivate and influence this group.”

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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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4 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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4 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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International

‘Our dream is getting fulfilled’: Coach Sumit Bhatia elated to see Kho Kho going global

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7 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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