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Wrestler Sushil Kumar condemns Batra’s call to pull out of Commonwealth Games as ‘Unfair’

Sushil Kumar, the Indian freestyle wrestler termed Narinder Batra’s call that India should pull out of the Commonwealth Games permanently as ‘unfair’.

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Wrestler Sushil Kumar

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Sushil Kumar, the Indian freestyle wrestler termed Narinder Batra’s call that India should pull out of the Commonwealth Games permanently as ‘unfair’. 

Batra,the President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) reasoned that the standard of competition at the Commonwealth Games is not high, so it was a waste of time and money for everyone involved. Instead of competing at CWG, Indian teams should plan for better competitions and prepare for the Olympics, he said.

The boycott call by Batra came in the backdrop of a frosty relationship between Louise Martin of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) and IOA, after the former dropped shooting sports from the 2022 Birmingham CWG programme.

However, two-time Olympic medalist, Sushil Kumar openly objected the idea saying, “As an athlete I want to say that one should not rob any athlete of a chance to win medals at any stage. CWG is a big competition and I think it is unfair to call for a boycott because one sport (shooting) is not there. Wrestling too was thrown out of CWG in 2006.” 

“I will request IOA president to not raise such demands. Also, the competition level is rising. These days sometimes you have to fight Russians fighting under Great Britain’s flag,” he added.

Some IOA officials were also taken aback by Batra’s statement. IOA treasurer Anandeshwar Panday is not in favour of a total boycott. “He is the IOA president so in that sense I can’t give you my reaction (as an IOA official),” Panday said. “In my individual capacity, I want to say that every multi-sport event has relevance. Take for instance the SAF Games, in which only seven countries participate. We organized the Commonwealth Games and it was one of the better managed games. We should keep on participating in these as it is a platform for many athletes to excel,” he added.

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, president of Wrestling Federation of India also said he was against pulling out of CWG. “I don’t agree with his statement at all,” Singh said.

“Commonwealth is a big stage for a few of our athletes. There was a time that Canada used to beat us in wrestling. But now when we are beating a few of them, so where is the harm in it?” he added.

Raninder Singh, president of the National Rifle Association of India, said Batra was right about the level of competition at CWG. “President is right when he says the standard of competition is low. It is largely mediocre in the rifle and pistol disciplines. There are exceptions, yes, but the level is not at par with the World Cups. But in the shotgun events, the competition is higher because of the participation of Australian and England shooters,” he said.

“A far as total boycott is concerned; it is the prerogative of the Government of India. When I called for a boycott, it was not because our sport was not part of the programme… It was mainly because they (CGF) were treating us badly as a country. They were being disrespectful,” he added.

Sportspersons believing that they shouldn’t be robbed of the opportunity to excel have expressed their views against Batra’s call.

Boxer Vijender Singh, “By this logic, India should not send teams to invitational tournaments either because the level of competition is not like the Olympics. Why belittle the athletes’ achievements? CWG has strong boxing nations such as England and Ireland in fray.” 

Krishna Poonia, discus thrower, said,”For athletics, CWG is world-class, the competition is of higher level than the Asian Games.”

Zafar Iqbal, former India hockey team captain, “That’s a ridiculous statement coming from a man who is holding numerous important positions in national as well as international sports federations.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Cricket news

Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu meets SRH captain Pat Cummins, says it is an absolute honour

Mahesh Babu took to his Instagram handle and shared a couple of pictures from the photoshoot. In the 1st photo Mahesh Babu is seen posing with Pat Cummins, the 2nd picture is a group picture with all the players including Nitish Reddy, Mayank Agarwal, Rahul Tripathi and Abhishek Sharma.

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Ahead of their upcoming IPL matches, Sunrisers Hyderabad team received a delightful surprise in the form of a meeting with Tollywood superstar Mahesh Babu. The actor had a special photoshoot with the SRH players in Hyderabad, pictures of which are now going viral across social media platforms. Mahesh Babu after rubbing shoulders with SRH captain Pat Cummins also shared a pose with other key players.

Mahesh Babu’s latest photos have got the attention of Mahesh Babu and Sun Risers Hyderabad fans. Mahesh Babu took to his Instagram handle and shared a couple of pictures from the photoshoot. In the 1st photo Mahesh Babu is seen posing with Pat Cummins, the 2nd picture is a group picture with all the players including Nitish Reddy, Mayank Agarwal, Rahul Tripathi and Abhishek Sharma.

Pat Cummins commented on the post and wrote that it was great to meet him (Mahesh Babu) and he needed to get him out on a game soon. Mahesh Babu’s wife Namrata Shirodkar also expressed her excitement on seeing the viral post of her husband with the SRH captain. One SRH fan said this is one collaboration which he did not expect. One Mahesh Babu fan was stunned on seeing the viral post.

Mahesh Babu expressed his excitement on having the opportunity to meet SunRisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins, and posted that it is an absolute honour to meet him @patcummins30!  He said he is a big fan. Mahesh Babu wished him and the SRH team all the best for the future.

Later the pictures were also shared by the official Instagram handle of Sunrisers Hyderabad. The post showed the Tollywood superstar posing individually with all the players. The post was captioned SunRisers, Superstar of Telugu cinema, Mahesh Babu. Pat Cummins also shared the picture on his Instagram handle calling Mahesh Babu the Prince of Tollywood.

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Cricket news

AB De Villiers criticizes RCB’s decision to let go Yuzvendra Chahal, says it was a hearbreaking moment

AB De Villiers said RCB let Yuzvendra Chahal go. He termed it as a heartbreaking moment. De Villiers said Chahal had become very close to the the team and it seemed he was a part of the furniture there and was also their best bowler.

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Legendary South African batsman AB de Villiers, who also played for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) from 2011-21, shared his views on the departure of Yuzvendra Chahal from Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2021. He said it was a heartbreaking moment for him.

Chahal has been playing for Rajasthan Royals (RR) since 2022. He recently became the 1st bowler to take 200 IPL wickets against Mumbai Indians on Monday. He played for Mumbai Indians (2011-13), and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) (2014-21) before he joined Rajasthan Royals in 2022.

AB De Villiers criticised the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s decision to release Yuzvendra Chahal. He also talked about the time when Chahal was bought by the Rajasthan Royals during the IPL auction, leaving the RCB after playing 8 seasons for them.

AB De Villiers said RCB let Yuzvendra Chahal go. He termed it as a heartbreaking moment. De Villiers said Chahal had become very close to the the team and it seemed he was a part of the furniture there and was also their best bowler. De Villiers said it was crazy that he got left out of RCB. He said it is not easy looking at Yuzi go take 200 wickets in IPL and him not being a part of the franchise. The South African cricketer added it was a tough moment for him as he had forged a close bond with Chahal.

Yuzvendra Chahal has played 113 matches for the Royal Challengers Bangalore from 2014 to 2021 and taken 139 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 7.58. Now for the Rajasthan Royals, he has taken 61 wickets in 39 matches. Chahal has played 153 total matches in IPL and has picked up 200 wickets at an average of 21.37, with his best figures being 5/40. He has taken 6 four-wicket hauls and a 5-wicket haul during his IPL career.

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Cricket news

IPL 2024: Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel score half centuries as Delhi Capitals beat Gujarat Titans by 4 runs

Delhi Capitals were set to bat first, Pant (88 not out of 43 deliveries) and Axar Patel (66 off 43 deliveries) scored half centuries to take Delhi Capitals to 224 for 4. Sai Sudarshan (65 off 29 ) and David Miller (55 off 23) scored half centuries but were not able to  take Gujarat Titans over the line, as the GT finished at 220 runs after losing 8 wickets in their 20 overs.

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Rishabh Pant hit an unbeaten 88 as Delhi Capitals beat Gujarat Titans by 4 runs in the Indian Premier League 2024 match at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday. Delhi Capitals were set to bat first, Pant (88 not out of 43 deliveries) and Axar Patel (66 off 43 deliveries) scored half centuries to take Delhi Capitals to 224 for 4.

In reply, Sai Sudarshan (65 off 29 ) and David Miller (55 off 23) scored half centuries but were not able to  take Gujarat Titans over the line, as the GT finished at 220 runs after losing 8 wickets in their 20 overs. Earlier, Axar Patel and Rishabh Pant forged a 113-run partnership to steady the innings after medium pacer Sandeep Warrier (3/15) ran through the batting line up of Delhi Capitals. Captain Rishabh Pant was in his element scoring as many as 8 sixes and 5 fours. Tristan Stubbs quickfired 26 runs off 7 deliveries.

Rashid Khan’s explosive batting did not prove to be enough for Gujarat Titans, as it is Delhi Capitals who emerged as winners in this last-over thriller match by just 4 runs. David Miller and Rashid Khan’s batting brilliance in the death overs, almost took Gujarat Titans the full distance, but the 225 run target just proved to be too much for the Shubman Gill-led side.

DC bowlers started off the match with quite some promise, but their lack of grit in the death overs continued to be the negative highlight in the ongoing season of IPL. Despite the 2 dropped catches, the fielding was absolutely top-notch from DC in this match, specifically from the likes of, Axar Patel, Tristan Stubbs and Jake Fraser McGurk. Gujarat Titans’s top-order woes have yet again come to haunt them, which will push them to come up with a better game plan before they head further into the more intense stages of IPL 2024.

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