Cricket news
THE GOOD SIDE OF RIO OLYMPICS – STARS TO WATCH OUT FOR
Great expectations from Bolt, Neymar, Paes…
The Rio Olympics has begun with a grand opening ceremony but is in news for all the wrong reasons. Brazil is going through a tough phase. A political turmoil, an economic crises, the spread of Zika virus, high pollution levels in the Guanabara Bay and of course, the inhabitable Olympics Village which has left all the athletes unimpressed.
Moreover, the opening ceremony was marred by a clash between protestors and the police. Protestors were angry because of the presence of acting President Michel Temer at the ceremony. Also, there were protests in Sao Paulo owing to the over-spending on the mega event at a time when the country is facing its worst recession.
But, we hope that things would soon be back on track as the games proceed. More than 200 teams from all over the world are ready to give their best to compete for 306 sets of medals in 28 sports.
As athletes gear up for the mega event, we bring you a list of the stars you would not want to miss. For some, it’s going to be a comeback and for some, it might be the last Olympics.
Usain Bolt
The fastest man on Earth has been the rock star at the games by winning 6 medals so far. With this Olympics, he might become the first to win three consecutive 100m Olympic titles. But this could be the last Olympics for the sprinter who will turn 30 as the games conclude. Usain will put his best foot forward to win the 100m. 200m and 4x100m relay.
Michael Phelps
What happens when a legend returns back to the arena after retiring from the games in 2012? Phelps has been the best success story in the pool and has won the largest number of Olympic medals ever with a total of 22, including 18 golds. The swimmer was suspended by USA Swimming and spent 45 days in rehab. This might be the last Olympic for him too and we can’t wait to see magic happening again.
Neymar
Brazilian fans were left teary eyed as the country’s dream of winning the 2014 World Cup came to an end. So who can bring back joy to the nation at this Olympics? Neymar is the best bet for the Brazilian football team and all eyes would be on him to see if he can get gold for his team at home ground. The star has even skipped the Copa America to try and end the drought for his country.
Simone Biles
The best female gymnast from America in the world championship history, this 19-year-old is going to be the toughest competition for all the gymnasts. She has 14 medals in her kitty so far, with 10 Gold medals in the world championship and another gold for the young lady at this Olympic won’t be much of a surprise.
Novak Djokovic
When the Serbian genius won the French Open title, he sent the message loud and clear that his eyes would be set on the gold at the Rio Olympics. Back in 2012 in London Olympics, he lost to Andy Murray in the semifinals but this time he seems not in the same mood. The Serb won a bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics eight years back. So this time, could it be a gold?
And here are the Indian athletes everyone has high hopes from:
Leander Paes and Rohan Boppanna
Despite personal grudges, the two are the best possible pair for India at Rio. Leander Paes is a veteran with six consecutive Olympic Games and one bronze medal. The two are the highest ranked Indians when it comes to men’s doubles. It would be interesting to see if the two could keep their sentiments aside and bag a medal for their country.
Saina Nehwal
The ace badminton player won a Bronze medal for India at the London Olympics in 2012 and her aim this time would be to continue the winning streak. She stands at rank fifth in the world right now, following her win at the Australia Open Super Series. If things go fine for the shuttler, she might be the first female individual Olympic gold medalist from India. Her toughest competitors would be Carolina Marin from Spain and Tai Tzu-ying and Li Xuerui from China.
Dutee Chand
Dutee follows in the footsteps of legendary PT Usha and has qualified for the Women’s 100m. The athlete has been in news of late due to her struggle with hyperandrogenism, which is caused as a result of high testosterone levels. She even went through a gender test conducted by the IAAF and failed. The young sprinter was not even allowed to participate in the Commonwealth and Asian Games since she was classified as a man instead of a woman. But the young talent from Odisha has fought her battle to become the second woman to qualify for the Olympics.
Gagan Narang and Abhinav Bindra
Narang, a three-time Olympian and winner of a bronze medal at the London Olympics would be aiming for a gold medal this time at Rio. The veteran rifle shooter is up for three events and we wish him all the best. In fact, the entire Indian shooting contingent is pretty amazing and includes Abhinav Bindra, who won a Gold medal for the country at the Beijing Olympics.
Dipa Karmakar
Even though artistic gymnastics is game that has long been dominated by China and Russia, Dipa Karmakar has brought India back in the game after 1964. Dipa’s signature move, the Produnova, is one of the toughest in artistic gymnastics.
Yogeshwar Dutt
The freestyle wrestler has made India proud time and again by winning gold medals at the Commonwealth and Asian Games in the 65 kg category and a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics. The wrestler has motivated a lot of Indians and has been a source of inspiration for all after he participated in the 2006 Asian games just after his father’s death and when he overcame his knee injury to win at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
By Karan Kaushik
Cricket news
India Vs Australia 2023 Schedule updates: Check Team India full fixtures and match venues for ODI series
All rounder Washinton Sundar and spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has also been picked for the three match one day international series. All rounder Axar Patel who had a hamstring injury will be available for the third match in the series.
Expectations are high as India take on Australia in the three match one day international series. Two teams have been announced by India for the crucial ODI series against the mighty Australian side. Captain Rohit Sharma, vice captain Hardik Pandya, batting superstar Virat Kohli and in form spinner Kuldeep Yadav will be unavailable in the first two matches of the ODI series against Australia.
All rounder Washinton Sundar and spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has also been picked for the three match one day international series. All rounder Axar Patel who had a hamstring injury will be available for the third match in the series.
Match Date Venue
India Vs Australia, 1st ODI 22nd September (Friday) Mohali
India Vs Australia, 2nd ODI 24th September (Sunday) Indore
India Vs Australia, 3rd ODI 27th September (Wednesday) Rajkot
All three matches of the India Vs Australia Series can be seen on live stream in India on Jio Cinema. The matches will start at 1:30pm onwards.
After making a remarkable comeback to international cricket in the Asia Cup Wicket Keeper- Batsman KL Rahul will captain the Indian team in the first two games of the ODI series against Australia. Indian Middle order batsman Shreyas Iyer will play the whole series. Iyer missed crucial matches in the Asia Cup due to back spasms. SuryaKumar who did not get a chance to play in the Asia Cup will make a comeback in the series against Australia.
Indian Team for first two matches:
KL Rahul(c), Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Suya Kumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Washington Sundar, R Ashwin, Prasidh Krishna and Tilak Verma
Indian Team for final ODI:
Rohit Sharma (c),KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, SuryaKumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar, R Ashwin, Axar Patel,Kuldeep Yadav, Virat Kohli,Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Mohammad Siraj, Shardul Thakur
Cricket news
Watch: India’s jersey for ICC World Cup 2023 unvieled
Adidas India’s kit partners also released an anthem of their own for the Indian Cricket Team. The anthem is 2 minute 21 second long. The anthem is called Impossible Nahi Yeh Sapna, 3 Ka Dream hai Apna.
There is a major change to the jersey that India wore in the the recent Asia Cup 2023. The white stripes have been replaced by India’s tri colour. The jerseys worn by Kohli, Rohit and others in the video has orange, white and green stripes on the shoulder. Social media users hailed the change from Adidas. Netizens said it is a master stroke and the tri colours has taken India’s World Cup jersey to a whole new level.
There will be no Dream 11 logo during the World Cup as according to ICC norms only the team’s name should be visible in the centre of the jersey. India has not won an ICC title since the Champion’s trophy in 2013. India is seen as one of the favourites to win the World Cup.
ICC launched the anthem of the ICC World cup 2023 on Wednesday. The anthem has Dil Jashn Bole has got mixed reviews on social media. Adidas India’s kit partners also released an anthem of their own for the Indian Cricket Team. The anthem is 2 minute 21 second long. The anthem is called Impossible Nahi Yeh Sapna, 3 Ka Dream hai Apna.
The Adidas Anthem has India Captain Rohit Sharma, Superstar Virat Kohli, vice-captain Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill, pacers Shardul Thakur, Spinner Kuldeep Yadav and all rounder Ravindra Jadeja. The videos has a catchy rap which gives the message to put an end to India’s long wait to win an ICC trophy. The video also gives a sneak peak into India’s World Cup jersey
The main reason due to the favourable home conditions, recent form and a strong team. India has warmed up nicely by becoming the Asia Cup Champions eighth time in a row. India will start their World Cup journey against Australia on October 8 in Chennai. The first match of the World Cup will start with England Vs New Zealand in Ahmedabad.
Cricket news
Delhi Police praises Mohammed Siraj’s excellent performance in Asia Cup Finals on social media
Siraj performance with the ball was top notch as he dismantled the Sri Lankan batting lineup. He took six wickets in the match bringing the Indian team in a dominant position.
Indian pace bowler Mohammed Siraj’s exceptional bowling performance against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final not only recieved praise from fans all over the world but the Delhi Police social media team as well. They tweeted there would be no speed challans for Siraj today. This implied his fast paced bowling was not only permissible but highly appreciated as well.
Siraj performance with the ball was top notch as he dismantled the Sri Lankan batting lineup. He took six wickets in the match bringing the Indian team in a dominant position. Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah supported Siraj by taking three wickets and one wicket respectively. The Indian bowlers bowled out the Sri Lankan team for 50 runs only. This set the stage for the victory of the Indian team in the Asia Cup.
The highlight of the match was Siraj’s outstanding performance with the ball. He took his first five wickets in just 16 balls. This is the fastest five wicket haul by a bowler in one day international history. He took the wickets of Dhananjaya De Silva, Charith Asalanka, Sadeera Samaraiwickrama and Pathum NIssanka and demolished the Sri Lankan batting lineup.
The match did not start on a smooth note rain caused weather delay in the match. The Sri Lankan Captain Dasun Shanaka won the toss and chose to bat first against India. The match turned out to be memorable for Mohammed Siraj. He became the fourth bowler in ODI history to take four wickets in an over.
Anand Mahindra appreciated Mohammed Siraj in a post on X as the Indian cricketer decided to donate the player of the match cash prize to Colombo Ground staff. Anand Mahindra wrote on X he had just one word for Mohammed Siraj Class which comes from within. After he received the player of the match award, he decided to give away the cash to ground staff in Colombo.
