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SA v IND: It’s a great opportunity to do well in these conditions, says Dravid

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3 years ago

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India head coach Rahul Dravid has urged his team to grab the great opportunity of performing well in South Africa. He added that a large chunk of a players career is defined by the performances coming against good oppositions in their backyard. India begin the quest for a maiden Test series win in South Africa with the first match starting at SuperSport Park in Centurion from Sunday.

“It’s a great challenge. But I look at it as a great opportunity for anyone, whether you are in-form or out of form, it’s a great opportunity to do well in these conditions. It’s always something that we look forward to as a batsman. To be honest, playing in conditions away from home and having that opportunity to do well and test yourself against some really good opposition in their home conditions,” said Dravid in the pre-match virtual press conference.

“A lot of your career is defined by those kinds of performances. I think it is a good opportunity for everyone to step up and put in those kinds of performances that will help the team win. From an individual perspective, it is something that they and the people will remember them for,” added Dravid.

Dravid, who made 624 runs in 22 innings at a low average of 29.71 as a player in South Africa, is aware of the challenges in adjusting to conditions in the Rainbow nation. “It has always been a challenge because of the alien nature of the conditions. It does take a little bit of time to get used to the wickets. Especially when we start here in Centurion where even on the first couple of days in the nets you realise that it is slightly and considerably different to what you are used to.”

At the same time, he has expressed confidence in previous playing experience of the Indian team in South Africa to help in adapting quickly to the conditions. Cheteshwar Pujara, Ishant Sharma, and Wriddhiman Saha are on their fourth tour of the country. Captain Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Ajinkya Rahane, and Mohammed Shami are on their third tour while vice-captain KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah are on their second tour of South Africa.

“But I think there has been good quality and experience in this team as well. What we can take confidence from now is that a lot of our players have now been travelling quite extensively over the last few years. The team has been quite settled. In terms of batting and bowling, we have got some young players but we have also got guys with experience for whom this is not necessarily their first tour. They have been here before, so they are well aware of those conditions. Hopefully, they will be able to adapt quickly. We have done our bit in training, done our best and it is now about being able to best adapt to the conditions and execute when the game starts.”

Talking about the preparation, Dravid feels that India are well-prepared despite having no warm-up match in the lead-up to the series opener. “In the past, when India has done well in the series, you generally had a good lead-in time in terms of preparation leading into the series, particularly leading into the first Test match. Honestly, that’s the nature of the way things are at the moment in the kind of schedules we are working with. Also, with the kind of COVID situations we have and quarantines and bubbles, it’s not easy to get exactly what you want.”

“But I think the team has responded very well. We have had some really good quality practice over the last week. We had some really good centre-wicket sessions, probably the next best thing after a tour game. But we worked hard and trained over the week. In terms of the conditions, we couldn’t have asked for anything more. You put in six to seven good days of practice, net sessions, and quality work.”

“The bowlers have run in hard and are able to balance out the fitness work they are required to do as well. I think we are ready, prepared, and really happy with the way the guys have responded, the high intensity at our practice sessions, and how relaxed and calm the boys have been around the group. It’s been great,” concluded the 48-year-old.

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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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