LATEST SPORTS NEWS
Rahul Dravid hits out at Virat Kohli; condemns manner of Kumble’s exit
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Rahul Dravid condemned the manner in which former spinner Anil Kumble was replaced by Ravi Shastri as the head coach.
While Indian cricket fans keep lauding skipper Virat Kohli’s on-field aggression – which apparently helped India to reach the top of the ICC ODI rankings – batting legend Rahul Dravid said that some of Kohli’s bold pre-series statements make him cringe. ‘The Wall’ of Indian cricket further suggested young players to not imitate the firebrand captain, stating that matches are won by performances and not compulsorily with a rock star image.
Speaking at the Bangalore Literature Festival, the former Indian skipper said, “Virat sometimes comes across as outrageous and I cringe on reading his statements before a series. But if he can bring the best out of himself by needling the opposition, so be it.”
However, Dravid pointed out that Kohli’s aggressive attitude won’t matter much for the team till he keeps performing consistently.
As reported by ESPNcricinfo, Dravid said, “I think the game is still about performance. So let’s not take that way from someone like Kohli. That’s his personality. People have asked me, ‘Why didn’t you behave like that?’ But that’s not what got the best out of me. I would have been inauthentic to myself if I had tried to put tattoos and behave like Virat.”
Dravid, who is also the coach of India Under-19 and India A team, condemned the manner in which former spinner Anil Kumble was replaced by Ravi Shastri as the head coach of the ‘Men in Blue’. Dravid clearly stated that the way Kumble was targeted and sacked after the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 was unpleasing.
However, Dravid – a long-time teammate of Kumble, from the Karnataka state cricket to the international arena – did not blame Kohli for the humiliation Kumble had to face.
“I think the whole thing got played out in the media which is very, very unfortunate for Anil and not fair on him at all. So, what’s the reality of it and what happens behind closed doors is not something I’m privy to, so I can’t comment directly. But it was definitely an unfortunate episode, especially to someone like Anil who has been an absolute legend of the game, someone who has done more to win Test matches for India than anybody I know. And he had a successful year as coach as well. But the fact is that it should never have played out they way that it did, publicly,” said Dravid.
Despite maintaining a clean image throughout his career, Kumble found himself in troubled water since his appointment as the head coach of the Indian team. The veteran cricketer became part of an ugly controversy in the cricketing space, after former Team Director Ravi Shastri replaced him as the head coach of the national side.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
LATEST SPORTS NEWS
Asian Games: Indian golfer Aditi Ashok wins silver in women’s individual event
Aditi also became the first Indian woman and the second Indian overall to win an individual medal in golf at the Asian Games, trailing only Shiv Kapur.
Aditi Ashok of India on Sunday, October 1, took home the gold in the women’s individual golf competition. At the West Lake International Golf Course, the 25-year-old from Bangalore, Karnataka, placed second with a score of 17-under after shooting rounds of 67-66-61-73.
She lost to Arpichaya Yubol of Thailand, who finished with a score of 19-under and earned silver with rounds of 67-65-69-77. Hyunjo Yoo of South Korea won the bronze medal with a score of 16-under with rounds of 67-67-68-65.
Aditi also became the first Indian woman and the second Indian overall to win an individual medal in golf at the Asian Games, trailing only Shiv Kapur. Kapur won a gold medal at the Asian Games in Busan in 2002.
Pranavi URS Sharath and Avani Prashanth, the other two competitors from India, came in at positions 12 and 17, respectively. However, Ashok, who agonisingly placed fourth at the Olympics in Tokyo two years ago, was unable to lead India to a podium result in the team competition.
In the history of the Asian Games, India has won seven medals in golf (three gold and four silver). The trio of Rahul Bajaj, Abhijit Singh Chadha, Rashid Khan, and Abhinav Lohan won silver in the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, ending India’s 13-year drought for a golf medal.
In terms of Ashok, since going pro in 2016, she has paved the way for women’s golf in India. Following her T5 finish at the LPGA Founders Cup, Aditi became the first Indian female golfer to join the top 50 in the world rankings, marking a huge step forward in her career.
Ashok started playing golf at a young age. In 2012, 2013 and 2014, she won the National Junior Championship three times in a row. She simultaneously claimed the junior and senior titles in 2014. The Asian Youth Games in 2013, the Youth Olympics, and the Asian Games both in 2014 included only one golfer from India.
Her professional background has also been excellent. She competes on the Ladies European Tour and LPGA Tour, where she has earned US$ 646,044 (about Rs. 15.3 crores). She is also among the top 10 on the Ladies European Tour’s money list after finishing first, second, and third at the start of the season.
LATEST SPORTS NEWS
India defeats Pakistan to win historic squash gold medal at Asian Games 2023
The triumph helped India win the best-of-three gold medal match 2-1.
Saurav Ghoshal, Abhay Singh, and Mahesh Mangaonkar of India’s men’s squash team completed an incredible comeback to win India’s second squash gold medal at the Asian Games.
After losing the first round, the Indians were down 0-1 before Saurav Ghoshal orchestrated a comeback and Abhay Singh won his best-of-five match by 3-2 in a nail-biter. The triumph helped India win the best-of-three gold medal match 2-1.
After the first two bouts failed to distinguish the two bitter rivals, Abhay Singh faced Noor Zaman in the championship match. The last game of the five-game match between the two superstars was decided by a single point. In the fifth and final game, Abhay was down 8-10 and facing certain defeat. There was no room for error because India could have lost the gold medal with just one point.
However, Abhay showed steely strength to save those two points and go on to win the championship game 12-10. After winning a gold in the 2014 men’s competition, this is India’s second gold medal in squash at the Asiad.
Mahesh Mangaonkar and Saurav Ghoshal played their matches before to Abhay Singh’s match. Mahesh lost three games in a row, which was a devastating setback. Then Ghoshal took matters into his own hands. The renowned Indian talent defeated Muhamad Asim of Pakistan in three straight games, 3-0. After then, Abhay Singh joined the group and contributed to the historic match.
Esha Singh, Palak, and Divya Thadigol, members of the Indian women’s 10m air pistol squad, won silver yesterday in the team competition at the 2018 Asian Games.
Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Swapnil Sunil Kusale, and Akhil Sheoran’s men’s squad quickly followed suit by winning gold in the men’s 50m rifle 3P team competition.
After losing 1-2 against Hong Kong in the semifinals, the Indian women’s squash team, comprised of Joshna Chinappa, Tanvi Khanna, and Anahat Singh, won bronze.
LATEST SPORTS NEWS
Asian Games 2023: India clinched a silver medal in shooting on Day 7
Divya TS of India lost to China by a razor-thin margin in the mixed team final of the 10m air pistol.
On Day 7 of the ongoing Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou on Saturday, India won a silver medal in the shooting competition. Sarabjot Singh and Divya TS of India lost to China by a razor-thin margin in the mixed team final of the 10m air pistol.
The Indians defeated 14-16 after a thrilling game. Jyothi Yarraji Nithya Ramraj and Murali Sreeshankar have both advanced to the finals of their respective athletic events: the women’s 100m hurdles and the men’s long jump, respectively.
Aditi Ashok, who is in contention for a medal in women’s golf, finished the day in first place in individual round 3. India also won the third round of the women’s team golf competition.
India plays Pakistan in two significant matches as well. Later in the day, the two men’s hockey teams square off against one another in a game that could determine who advances to the semi-finals. The two men’s squash teams will compete for gold in the final.
Olympic bronze medal-winning boxer Lovlina Borgohain also begins her campaign in the women’s 75kg quarterfinal while the Indian men’s badminton team takes on South Korea in the semifinal. Olympic silver medalist Mirabai Chanu competes in the women’s 49 kg weightlifting event as well. She hasn’t received a medal from the Asian Games yet.
In the tennis mixed doubles finals, Liang En-shuo and Huang Tsung-hao of Chinese Taipei will compete against Rohan Bopanna and Rutuja Bhosale.
Meanwhile, Neeraj Chopra, an Olympic gold medallist, said his confidence in his ability to perform well in his upcoming final match on October 4. He said, I’m doing fine. There is a good vibe around here.He further said, his most recent victory was a gold medal in the Asian Games. I’m taking part once again this time, he added.
