International
SA v IND: Supporting Kohli is something I am looking forward to, says Dravid
India head coach Rahul Dravid has praised Test captain Virat Kohli, saying that he has had great success wherever he has played.
He added that Kohli is one of those cricketers who is keen on evolving and keeps pushing himself. On his third tour of South Africa, Kohli will be itching to lead the Indian team to their maiden series win in the country when the three-match Test series begins from Sunday at SuperSport Park in Centurion.
“I was there when Virat Kohli made his debut. I was there when he played his first Test match and I batted with him in that particular game. It is actually phenomenal, 10 years later, to see how he has grown as a cricketer and as a person, just the kind of performances he has had for India in the last 10 years.
“The match-winning performances he has given with the bat and the way he has led the team, the successes he had and it has been terrific,” said Dravid in a video uploaded by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on their website.
“In a lot of ways, he has driven a culture of fitness and energy and ambition among the team, which has been fascinating to watch from the outside. Now just coming into the environment and being a part of it and supporting him is something I am looking forward to. He has always improved, constantly got better and is one of those players who just keeps evolving and keeps pushing himself.
“He has had great success wherever he has played,” added Dravid.
Dravid believes that having a lot of options in the Test squad is great for the growth of Indian cricket.
“With the kind of options that we have, in spite of players getting injured, we seem to have quite a few options for people who can come in, step in and perform at the international level. It is a great sign for Indian cricket and great position to be in. Sometimes, there are challenging decisions to make and difficult ones as well.
“But it is a good position to be in and it’s great to have that depth, especially in the amount of cricket that we are playing. The more we build and grow on that depth, it gives us an opportunity to be competitive irrespective of the eleven we play in a match. It is also a little bit about good communication and being clear with people about why they are playing and why they have been left out in a particular situation.”
The 48-year-old, who took over from Ravi Shastri in November this year, has described his time at the helm as ‘hectic and exciting’. “It was about getting to know the boys and studying them as early part of my coaching job has to be observing about how things are going and see what they are doing. Not necessarily trying to come in and trying to change too much straightaway. But just doing things in my own way and also getting to know rest of the support staff as it is quite new.
“Getting them to understand that how the boys function in this environment. I have had quite a lot of personal relationships with lot of them. So, that hasn’t been difficult and have felt very welcomed. Really enjoyed my time so far. It’s been good, it’s been hectic. We have played a lot of games in the two months I have been here and travelled a bit as well. So, it’s been bit hectic but exciting all the same.”
International
CT 2025: India to take on Pakistan on Feb 23, likely to play in Colombo or Dubai: Sources
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.
International
It’s OFFICIAL! All India vs Pakistan Matches At ICC Events To Be Played At Neutral Venue Till 2027
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.
International
‘Our dream is getting fulfilled’: Coach Sumit Bhatia elated to see Kho Kho going global
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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