Tag: Sports

Pusarla Venkata Sindhu

Determination and hard work is all we need to achieve what we want. Anything is possible with sheer dedication. PV Sindhu , the professional badminton player is the example of determination and hardwork.

Being 56 Km away from her coaching camp , she did not fail to report on time every day. This is enough to prove her dedication for badminton

Pusarla Venkata Sindhu was born on 5th July 1995. Both her parents were national level volleyball player . Though born in the family of volleyball players she was always drawn towards badminton. She was a huge fan of Pullela Gopichand ,2001 All England Open Badminton Champion and that’s from where she took the inspiration for playing badminton. She started playing at the mere age of eight. And later on she joined Pullela Gopichand’s Gopichand Badminton Academy. After joining the Academy she won many medals. Seeing her success Pullela himself remarked,” the most striking feature is Pusarla’s game is her attitude and the never – say – die spirit”. What could be more inspirational for Sindhu than the compliment coming from her idol himself?

Sindhu is the first Indian woman to win Olympic silver medal in Badminton and first Indian to become the Badminton World Champion.She was ranked no. 2 in April 2017. This young lady is inspiration for many Indians and the world. She is currently representing India at Tokyo Olympics 2020.

Saina Nehwal

Every parents want to fullfil their unfulfilled dreams through their children. Rani Nehwal, mother of Saina Nehwal was a state level badminton player and had always dreamt of becoming national level player. Though she couldn’t achieve it , her daughter Saina Nehwal did not back off from her dream.

Saina Nehwal was born on 17th March 1990 in Hisar, Haryana. When her father was transferred from Hisar to Hyderabad , she took badminton as a means to communicate with others, as she didn’t know their language. She started playing badminton at the age of eight. She took her passion further by participating at Under-19 National Championship. She created history by winning “Asian Satellite Badminton Tournament” twice at the age of 16 and became the first player to do so.

She is former no 1 and has won many international titles and superseries titles. She has represented India in Olympics for three times and won bronze at her second appearance.

Her father and mother were the biggest supporter in her journey. Her father Harvir Singh , used his provident fund so that Saina could get professional training. Saina has evein got her biopic played by Pareeniti Chopra which was released on 26 March 2021.

Saina Nehwal

Every parents want to fullfil their unfulfilled dreams through their children. Rani Nehwal, mother of Saina Nehwal was a state level badminton player and had always dreamt of becoming national level player. Though she couldn’t achieve it , her daughter Saina Nehwal did not back off from her dream.

Saina Nehwal was born on 17th March 1990 in Hisar, Haryana. When her father was transferred from Hisar to Hyderabad , she took badminton as a means to communicate with others, as she didn’t know their language. She started playing badminton at the age of eight. She took her passion further by participating at Under-19 National Championship. She created history by winning “Asian Satellite Badminton Tournament” twice at the age of 16 and became the first player to do so.

She is former no 1 and has won many international titles and superseries titles. She has represented India in Olympics for three times and won bronze at her second appearance.

Her father and mother were the biggest supporter in her journey. Her father Harvir Singh , used his provident fund so that Saina could get professional training. Saina has evein got her biopic played by Pareeniti Chopra which was released on 26 March 2021.

Indian Olympic medal Contender: Proud Of Our Girls

Shooting
India’s 15-member shooting contingent is the favourite to bring back a big haul of medals.

The country’s biggest hopes are pinned on Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary.

Indian shooters Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary won the gold in the final of mixed 10m Air Pistol at ISSF World Cup, at Karni Singh Shooting Ranges on 27 February 2019 in New Delhi, India


Nineteen-year-old Bhaker, one of the top contenders in the 10m Women’s Air Pistol event, has in the past won it all from World Cup gold medals to the Commonwealth medal and Youth Olympics.

Shooter Saurabh Chaudhary, world number two and Youth Olympics champion, became the youngest Indian shooter to win a gold at the Asian Games in 2018 when he was just 16.

Both Bhaker and Chaudhary are top contenders for a medal finish when they pair up for the 10m Air pistol mixed event. The duo won five successive golds at international shooting events and a silver at the World Cup in Croatia in June.

Badminton

At the Rio Olympics, 21-year-old PV Sindhu bagged a silver – and won a billion hearts. Not everyone had expected a medal back then from the young shuttler. But five years on, expectations are high.

“I was just a participant back then, but now everyone says Sindhu has to get a medal,” she told the BBC recently.


Despite inconsistencies in her performance since 2019, Sindhu remains India’s top medal hope

Last year, the ace shuttler won the inaugural BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year award.

In 2019, she was crowned the World Badminton Champion but her form has had inconsistencies since then. However, she remains India’s top medal prospect.

Boxing

Boxing
Mary Kom, also known as Magnificent Mary, the Iron Lady and many other nicknames, is a medal favourite for India.

She won a bronze at the 2012 London Olympics and will be looking to change the colour of her medal this time when she participates in the Flyweight section (51kg).


This could be the last Olympic Games for the boxing star

In May, she picked up a silver when she lost the final to Kazakhstan’s Nazym Kyzaibay during the Asian Boxing Championships in Dubai.

At 38, Kom may well be taking part in her last Olympics, and India will be rooting for her to increase her tally before she takes off her gloves.

Archery
Only last month, archer Deepika Kumari won three golds at the Archery World Cup in Paris.


Deepika Kumari is the number one ranked recurve woman in the world

She is now the world number one in the women’s recurve category and a strong candidate for a medal in Tokyo.

Kumari has won nine gold, 12 silver and seven bronze medals at various World Cups and will be looking to add the Olympic medal to her tally now.

Wrestling
India had a decent run at the Rio Olympics in 2016, with Sakshi Malik earning a bronze medal. In Tokyo, Vinesh Phogat leads the women’s wrestling team.

Having suffered a freak injury during the Rio Olympics, Phogat returned to India in a wheelchair and underwent surgery.

The 26-year-old is now roaring to go in the 53kg category with some great wins in the last couple of months, as well as reclaiming the number one ranking.

How Much Does India Invest In Olympic Athletes?

Postponed by a year due to the pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics is now less than a month away. Last week, the Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju urged the people to extend their support to India’s Olympic-bound athletes, the same way they back India’s cricketers. However, India’s abysmal performances at the Olympics is in striking contrast to India’s immense success at cricket. The model of sports governance and financial irregularities are often blamed for the lack of competitive edge in sports other than cricket. So, the most obvious question that comes to our mind is, how much does India invest in the Olympics?

Money allocated for Sports

In the 2020-21 annual budget, the Government of India allocated Rs 2826.92 crore for sports, which meant an increase of mere ₹ 50 crore from the revised estimates of the financial year 2019-20. The Modi government’s flagship sports programme ‘Khelo India’ received a substantial hike of ₹ 312.42 crore and was allocated ₹ 890.42 crore compared to ₹578 crore in 2019-20. On the other hand, the National Sports Development Fund saw a reduction of ₹ 27.15 crore from ₹77.15 crore in 2019-20 to ₹ 50 crore in 2020-21. National Sports Federations saw the highest decrease after Finance Minister allocated ₹ 245 crore, ₹ 55 crore less than the previous financial year, according to The Wire. Even the budget for meritorious sportspersons saw a 40% reduction from the last financial year. It is important to note that the 2020-21 annual budget was presented in January 2020, when the government had no idea of the coming pandemic. It was also supposed to be the year of the Tokyo Olympics.

Target Olympic Podium Scheme

While these are the broad schemes under which Indian sportspersons are funded, the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) provides financial assistance to potential Olympic medal winners. Launched in 2014, TOPS is the flagship programme of the Sports Ministry of India. The top-up funding scheme considers the performance of Indian athletes in the past three years. They are provided with personal coaches and other staff fees, cost of travel during competitions, purchase of equipment, and pocket allowance.

Looking Back At The Last Olympics

In the 2016 Rio Olympic, India spent ₹ 36.85 crore under TOPS, as per Financial Express. Nearly half of that amount was spent on shooting, which was India’s most successful Olympic sport in the previous three games. Shooting is also very expensive, which requires importing equipment from other countries. But shooting failed to bring any medal. Athletics received the second-highest funding of ₹ 7.80 crore in 2016, but India failed to make a mark in the sport. Unfortunately, out of the ₹ 36.85 crore, ₹30.49 crore had gone to disciplines that fell short of goals. Only 1.66 per cent of the total TOPS fund went to the fields that brought India two medals – PV Sindhu in Badminton and Sakshi Malik in wrestling.

Comparison With Other Countries

The United Kingdom allocated close to Rs 9000 crore on sports infrastructure and training in the annual sports budget, whereas India spent only one-third of the UK, Rs 3,200 crore, on youth affairs and sports, before 2016. The UK won 67 medals against India’s two at the Rio Games 2016. Abhinav Bindra had also tweeted back in 2016 that a medal cost UK 5.5 million pounds, and that is the kind of investment India needs to make. Otherwise, we cannot expect much. In the USA, a large number of athletes are privately funded. Individual athletes had started their own funding portal for donations from the general public. Therefore, only 10% of the US Olympic Committee’s finance was spent on athletes in Rio 2016, and the USA finished first. China, on the other hand, is known for its aggressive state-sponsored promotion of sports.

Private Investment In India

Before the 2016 Olympics, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) received donations from Reliance Jio, Amul, Tata Salt, Edelweiss Financial Services, Herbalife, Li Ning, and SBJ. Sakshi Malik had also thanked JSW Sport, a foundation funded by the OP Jindal group, after becoming India’s first medal winner in Rio Games, as reported by Hindustan Times.

However, unlike NSDF, where the contributions and sponsorships are open and documented, private funding to individual athletes is not. And most recently, the JSW Group has come on board to be the official sponsor of Team India in the Tokyo Olympics and has agreed to pledge sponsorship support of ₹ 1 crore to IOA. In 2018, the Sports Ministry earmarked ₹ 100 crore for funding of the athletes for the preparation of Tokyo Olympics 2020, which will take place this year. While the number of medals won cannot be equated to the investments made, since medals are not the only measure of success, India nonetheless needs to invest more and put in a new model of sports governance in action. A

Dhing Express – Hima Das

Born near the Dhing town ,Assam, Hima Das is nicknamed as Dhing express. This young sprinter is inspiration for many youth, she was born on 9 January 2000.

She is the first Indian athlete to secure gold medal at the IAAF World U20 championships. Her career as a sprinter began when she participated in the 2018 Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast, Australia, in the 400 metres and 4×400 metres relay. She is famous for securing 5 gold medals back to back in a single month. She obtained her first gold of the month at Pozhan Athletics Grand Pix, Poland, second medal at Keetno Athletics Meet, Poland, third medal at Kladno Athletics Meets, Czech Republic, fourth gold at Tabor Athletics Meets, Czech Republic and fifth gold at Atlecticky Mitink, Czech Republic.

She is also appointed as a civil servant post of Deputy Superintendent of Police of Assam Service , without giving any competitive exam but through direct entry. She also currently holds the Indian National, recorded in 400 metres with a timing of 50.79s that she clocked at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. She is also conferred with Arjuna Award .

As a kid she was always interested in playing football . She also played football with the boys at her JNV school . She wanted to carry on football as her career but did not see any prospects for herself in women’s football scene in India. Later on , she was advised by physical education teacher at JNV to opt for sprint running.

“All’s well that end’s well” this proverb suits so well in the case of this 21 year old sprinter. We don’t know what would have happened if she had taken football as her career but as a sprinter ,she is pride of India

It is very saddening and disheartening to know that she did not qualify for Tokyo Olympics 2020. It should be noted that she suffered with hamstring injury before giving her qualification test.

Born in the family of farmers Hima Das was never a privileged kid , but through her firm will she stated clearly that achievement comes only through pure hard work and dedication.

Tokyo Olympics Hockey India vs New Zealand

MATCH REPORT

A brace from Harmanpreet Singh, both off penalty corners, and a Rupinder Pal Singh penalty-stroke conversion cancelled out Kane Russell’s opening goal for New Zealand as India took a 3-1 lead in the 33rd minute.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS:

AND THE GAME IS OVER! INDIA BEATS NEW ZEALAND 3-2!!!

60′ PC FOR NEW ZEALAND! A brilliant run from Hugo Inglis gives NZL a chance to make it 3-3. But the Indian defence stands strong to keep the score 3-2 in their favour.

59′ NZL REFERRAL! This one is just out of pure desperation. The New Zealand players think they can win a penalty corner here. However, they end up empty handed.

58′ SREEJESH YOU BEAUTY! Kane Russell hit a stunning shot towards the top left corner of the post off a penalty corner. Indian goalie PR Sreejesh executed a full-stretch dive to his right to deny New Zealand the equaliser. Moments later, he pulled off another remarkable save in open play.

57′ BACK-TO-BACK PCs FOR NEW ZEALAND! After a long referral, NZL is eventually given the penalty corner. And, surprise, surprise! the team has won one more.

55′ Harmanpreet Singh has been the standout player on the field here. He’s put in a very good defensive shift and has converted two penalty corners. The substitute Birendra Lakra has been excellent since coming on as well.

52′ New Zealand has a slight edge when it comes to possession (52-48) today. However, the team has been a bit wasteful up front (1/5 PCs with a shooting efficiency of 25%), and that’s why India has the lead.

49′ After three consecutive successful referrals, India has a failed one in an attempt to win a penalty corner. New Zealand regains possession.

47′ Amit Rohidas and Lalit Upadhyay come up with a decent move on the left flank for India. The New Zealand defence stays compact to avert the danger.

THE FOURTH QUARTER BEGINS!

We are heading towards a thrilling final 15 minutes as India leads New Zealand 3-2 in men’s hockey on day two of the Tokyo Olympics.

THE THIRD QUARTER IS DONE AND DUSTED!

43′ GOOOOAAAAALLLLL!!!!!!! NEW ZEALAND PULLS A GOAL BACK!!!! A major lapse in concentration for the Indian defence and NZL capitalises on it. Nick Wilson receives a pass on the right flank, dribbles past Birendra Lakra and sets up Stephen Jenness, who scores past Sreejesh with ease.

40′ UPDATE: Australia beats Japan 5-3 to register the first points in Hockey at the Tokyo Olympics. The Aussies are in the same group (Pool A) as India and New Zealand.

38′ The Indian forwards are pressurising the New Zealand defence big time here. Sreejesh has had absolutely nothing to deal with at the other end this quarter.

36′ ANOTHER INDIAN PENALTY CORNER! Harmanpreet almost completed his hat-trick with the shot on target. But NZL keeper Hayward made a good save.

33′ GOAAALLLLLLLL!!!!! INDIA TAKE A 3-1 LEAD NOW!!! Another Indian penalty corner, another Harmanpreet goal. New Zealand looks extremely rusty in the middle since conceding the second goal.

32′ EARLY CHANCES FOR INDIA! Mandeep Singh has been a menace up front. He’s been supported well by Dilpreet Singh on the right. Another Indian goal looks likely.

THE THIRD QUARTER IS UNDERWAY!

Indian athletes are also in action in various other sports at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics today. Follow them through the links provided below.

SHOOTING BLOG | Read more

ARCHERY BLOG | Read more

THE SECOND QUARTER IS OVER!

29′ New Zealand enjoyed a long period of dominance in this quarter but India scored against the run of play. Nick Wilson’s missed chance could come back to haunt NZL.

26′ GOOOOAAAALLLL!!!!! INDIA TAKES THE 2-1 LEAD!! A penalty-corner innovation from the Indians and Harmanpreet Singh finds the back of the net. Rupinder Pal, the usual PC converter, slipped the ball towards Harmanpreet on his left to trick the New Zealand players.

24′ VERY CLOSE! Vivek Sagar Prasad had a wonderful chance to score. But the New Zealand defence gets the better of him close to goal.

22′ JAPAN 3 – 3 AUSTRALIA! In the other Olympic men’s hockey game happening now, the host nation and the 2004 gold medalist from Athens are involved in an exciting clash, which is in the third quarter.

19′ WHAT A CHANCE FOR INDIA! The captain Manpreet received a long pass from substitute Lalit. He was one-on-one with the NZL goalie. However, his lob attempt was saved by Hayward.

17′ New Zealand is dominating possession against India right now. The Indians are losing the ball cheaply in midfield quite too often.

THE SECOND QUARTER BEGINS!

A penalty-stroke goal from Rupinder Pal Singh cancelled out a penalty-corner strike from Kane Russell as India and New Zealand are tied 1-1 after the opening 15 minutes.

THE FIRST QUARTER COMES TO AN END!

15′ INDIAN COUNTER-ATTACK! The substitute Gurjant Singh rushes forward with the ball. But the New Zealand defence tracks back in time to avert the danger.

13′ FOUR CONSECUTIVE PCS FOR NEW ZEALAND! The Indian defence is struggling to get the ball away here. Sreejesh pulled off a brilliant save for India just moments ago. NZL messes up another penalty corner.

10′ GOOOOAAAAALLLL!!!!!! INDIA EQUALISES!!! Rupinder Pal won a penalty stroke from a penalty corner and he sent NZL keeper Leon Hayward the wrong way from close range.

9′ The experienced duo of Birendra Lakra and Lalit Upadhyay haven’t started in the first quarter. The youngster Vivek Sagar Prasad is also on the bench.

6′ GOOOOAAAALLLL!!!! NEW ZEALAND TAKES THE 1-0 LEAD!! NZL won its first penalty corner and Kane Russell converts it with precision.

5′ FOUL! Indian skipper Manpreet Singh hits New Zealand defender Nic Woods on the face with his stick, unintentionally. Woods is being treated on the field.

3′ PENALTY CORNER FOR INDIA! Mandeep Singh won this one after receiving a pass from Nilakanta Sharma. HITS THE POST! Rupinder Pal Singh misses the target by a whisker.

1′ Good early pressure from India here. Dilpreet Singh moves forward with pace on the right flank but isn’t able to create a clear-cut chance.

AND THE MATCH BEGINS!


The team lineups are out!

INDIA XI: PR Sreejesh (GK), Rupinder Pal Singh, Surender Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Manpreet Singh (C), Hardik Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Dilpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Shamser Singh.

COACH – Graham Reid.

NEW ZEALAND XI: Leon Hayward (G), Dane Lett, Nic Woods, Kane Russell, Blair Tarrant (C), Shea McAleese, Nick Ross, Hugo Inglis, Sam Lane, Stephen Jenness, Nick Wilson.

COACH – Darren Smith.



The world’s best coaches and scientific training have given Indian hockey a refreshingly new identity, Moscow Olympics gold medallist MM Somaya writes ahead of the country’s hockey teams’ opening games at the Tokyo Olympics.

READ MORE | Read more

He was marked out for greatness as a player and a leader even before he became a constant in the national side. Having led the Indian team at the Junior World Cup, Manpreet Singh has always had confidence in abundance but it has been tempered with a sense of responsibility as captain.

Ahead of his third Olympics, the Indian skipper shared his plans, disappointments and determination to succeed at Tokyo.

FULL STORY | Read more

MATCH PREVIEW:

It has been over 40 years since the Indian men claimed the most recent of their incredible eight Olympic hockey gold medals, which arrived at Moscow 1980.

However, their superb form in recent times makes them serious contenders to claim a ninth title at the upcoming event in Tokyo.

The team has claimed victories against nearly all the top teams in world hockey over the past few years, with Australia-born head coach Graham Reid, a former international with the Kookaburras, getting the best out of a talented and exceptionally fit collection of athletes.

India had booked its ticket to Tokyo with two victories over Russia in the 2019 FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers, winning 4-2 and 7-1 in Bhubaneswar.

“It has not been an easy process to make the final selection of 16 players as there is a lot of quality and ambition in this group of players,” Reid said ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games.

RELATED | Read more

“The performance levels of all athletes are at an optimum level and more importantly they work well together. They know what it means to represent the country at the Olympics. We’re now focused on training with the same intensity and our goal is to put forward our best performance as a collective unit in Tokyo,” he added.

Meanwhile, coached by former Black Sticks midfielder Darren Smith, New Zealand – which shocked the world by becoming Olympic champion at Montreal 1976 – is renowned for its tireless work ethic as a team but is also blessed with some exceptional individuals.

Stephen Jenness and Hugo Inglis are both wonderful attacking talents, while veteran defender Shea McAleese and penalty corner expert Kane Russell are consistently excellent performers.

New Zealand reached Tokyo with two victories over Korea in the 2019 FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers, winning 3-2 and 3-0 in Stratford.

“It’s a pretty experienced group but it’s also the first pinnacle event for players like Sam Lane who have previously missed out through injury or Jacob Smith and Nick Ross who have been rewarded for their perseverance. They’ve shown they’re really determined to be there,” said coach Smith.

THE SQUADS:

India – P.R. Sreejesh, Manpreet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Rupinder Pal Singh, Surender Kumar, Amit Rohidas, Birendra Lakra, Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Nilakanta Sharma, Sumit, Shamsher Singh, Dilpreet Singh, Gurjant Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Mandeep Singh.

New Zealand – Leon Hayward, Blair Tarrant, Hugo Inglis, Steve Edwards, Sean Findlay, Stephen Jenness, Sam Lane, Dane Lett, Shea McAleese, Jared Panchia, Nick Ross, Kane Russell, Jacob Smith, Dylan Thomas, Nick Wilson, Nic Woods.


Sony TEN 3 HD/SD will telecast India events with Hindi commentary while Sony TEN 1 HD/SD and Sony TEN 2 HD/SD will have English commentary.

Live streaming of the events will be available on the SonyLIV and JioTV apps.


Australia To Host The Olympics in 2032 After Brisbane Wins Its Bid

The international Olympic Committee announced that Australia will host the Summer Olympic games for the third time It was announced on  Wednesday in Tokyo during the 138th IOC Session at Hotel Okura.

Brisbane, Australia the world’s largest sporting event will host the Olympic Games.

Adrian Schrinner, the lord mayor of Brisbane, said that the effort to make Brisbane a host city began six years ago under his predecessor.

“Our purpose was to seek an amazing, once in a lifetime opportunity for our region and for our city,” Schrinner said in a message shared on Twitter celebrating the announcement.

The IOC member nations had an easy choice to make Wednesday. Brisbane was the only option still in the running to be a host city.

Whether Olympic host cities actually gain economically from holding the event is unclear, according to some reports.

The Associated Press reports the IOC essentially gave Brisbane exclusive negotiating rights in February, leaving officials from Qatar, Hungary and Germany who has also attempted a run at the 2032 hosting effort, out in the cold.

Australia previously hosted the Olympic Games in Melbourne in 1956 and Sydney in 2020. Paris is all set to host the 2024 Olympics; Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy will host in 2028. Beijing is hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics.

"Basketball" is the sport really ready to take off in India?

 With Giannis antetokoumpo a Greek national born in Nigeria winning the 2021 NBA title, the question has to be asked “With basketball becoming more international than ever, can the game find solid footing in India?”. 

The answer unfortunately is not a simple yes or no, no matter how much we want it to be. The truth is in the last two decades basketball has become quite popular in the urban communities across India. Every park, school, college, society has a hoop kids can play in. NBA icons like Michael Jordan, Lebron James and late Kobe Bryant motivate and inspire kids as much as any other sportsperson. 

And yet the sport’s popularity remains in the shadows. It has little representation in the popular culture, movies, it doesn’t even have a league like IFC for football. Now part of it is because cricket rules supreme in India (but surely a nation of a billion people can have more than one sport) and the other is because the groundwork for the sport never existed in the country. 

BFI the governing body of basketball clearly didn’t have a lot of success in nurturing the talent that existed in the country. The Indian national team never had a great record in the international tournaments not to sat they’ve never had any. But the trend seems to be taking a turn for the better. NBA association has opened schools for developing talent from a young age, BFI in controlled collaboration seems to only benefit from it. 

It is only a matter of time when the prodigies of India take their place in the international tournaments and the country is exposed to the beauty of the game. Basketball aficionados of the country are hungry for a rise in the sport and they might just get their wish. Who know maybe we’ll have one of our won lifting the NBA trophy one day!       

"Basketball" is the sport really ready to take off in India?

 With Giannis antetokoumpo a Greek national born in Nigeria winning the 2021 NBA title, the question has to be asked “With basketball becoming more international than ever, can the game find solid footing in India?”. 

The answer unfortunately is not a simple yes or no, no matter how much we want it to be. The truth is in the last two decades basketball has become quite popular in the urban communities across India. Every park, school, college, society has a hoop kids can play in. NBA icons like Michael Jordan, Lebron James and late Kobe Bryant motivate and inspire kids as much as any other sportsperson. 

And yet the sport’s popularity remains in the shadows. It has little representation in the popular culture, movies, it doesn’t even have a league like IFC for football. Now part of it is because cricket rules supreme in India (but surely a nation of a billion people can have more than one sport) and the other is because the groundwork for the sport never existed in the country. 

BFI the governing body of basketball clearly didn’t have a lot of success in nurturing the talent that existed in the country. The Indian national team never had a great record in the international tournaments not to sat they’ve never had any. But the trend seems to be taking a turn for the better. NBA association has opened schools for developing talent from a young age, BFI in controlled collaboration seems to only benefit from it. 

It is only a matter of time when the prodigies of India take their place in the international tournaments and the country is exposed to the beauty of the game. Basketball aficionados of the country are hungry for a rise in the sport and they might just get their wish. Who know maybe we’ll have one of our won lifting the NBA trophy one day!       

All-rounder Deepak chahar destroyed Lankans dreams in the 2nd ODI.

Chahar and bhuvaneshwar in the 2nd ODI

Lankans won the toss and elected to bat first. Openers minod Minod Bhanuka and Avishka Fernando added 59 runs in powerplay. Yazuvendra chahal broke this partnership and Minod 36(42) hit one delivery to Manish Pandey at midwicket and he made no mistake. On the very next ball,new man Bhanuka rakjpaksha edged the delivery to Ishan kishan and returned to pavilion with a golden duck.


Then, avishka Fernando and Dhananjay de selva continued the innings and added few runs between them. Avishka after reaching his fifty falled to Bhuvaneshwar,he scored 50 of 71. Deepak chahar got rid of Dhananjay 32 of 45 with a knuckle ball, shanaka 16 of 24 was bowled by chahal and Hasranga 8 of 11 was bowled over by chahar. Aslanka continued the scoreboard ticking and registered his maiden fifty and soon fall to Bhuvaneshwar,he scored 65 of 68. Karunaratne 44 of 33 landed some blows at end to take his side to 275/9. Bhuvaneshwar and chahal bagged 3 wickets each while deepak chahar took 2 wickets.

Chasing 275,Shaw and Dhawan opened the Indian innings and shaw hit 3 boundaries and was looking in good touch. Lankans introduced Hasranga and he got rid of shaw 13 of 11 with a googly. Kishan 1 of 4 soon followed with falling to Rajitha.

Dhawan 29 of 38 tried to carry the innings but Hasranga got better of him and he was strucked on pad and review got Lankans his wicket. Manish Pandey 37 of 31 , was striking well but he was unlucky to be run out. then, Hardik Pandya chipped one straight to midwicket to fall for a duck. Suryakumar Yadav continued the fight at the other end and scored a fluent fifty. Krunal Pandya sttruggled but managed to hang in there. Lakshan Sandakan trapped Suryakumar 53 of 44 leg-before-wicket and few overs later,Hasaranga castled Krunal 35 of 54 . Victory seemed easy to Lanka at that time and match was in their control.

After,that Bhuvneshwar and Chahar took the game deep. Chahar hit a massive six off Sandakan in the 43rd over and followed it up with two more boundaries in the next over to reach his fifty. Some streaky boundaries added to Sri Lanka’s woes and eased India’s path to victory eventually as the match was completed with five balls to spare. Bhuvaneshwar scored 19 of 28 and Chahar made 69 of 82. For his all-round performance Deepak chahar was given ‘Player of the match’ award.

Hasranga bagged 3 wickets and Rajitha,Shanaka and Sandakan got 1 wicket each.



T-20 world cup is near and India in chahar may have discovered an All-rounder. We’ve seen him landing few blows in IPL, but it was new for us in Indian Jersey. India will look to clean sweep the Lankans while Lankans will play for their pride in the last match,as they’ve nothing to loose now.

Haryana and Punjab have 4% of India’s population

Haryana and Punjab are the two states that are once again leading the way for the country at the Olympics.

The two states, with just 4.4% share of India’s population, have together sent 50 athletes to the Tokyo Games, accounting for 40% of the Indian contingent. Haryana has 31 athletes in the contingent, nearly 25% of the total, while Punjab has 19.

Tamil Nadu had sent 11 athletes to Tokyo, 8.7% of the contingent. Other states are Kerala and UP each had sent 8 athletes.

For Haryana, nine of 19 women Hockey players, seven wrestlers(four women, three men), four boxers(three men, one women) and four shooters(two women, two men) make up most of the numbers. While for Punjab 11 out of India’s 19 member men’s hockey swell the tally. Two shooters(a man and a women), three from athletics(two men, one women), two women’s hockey team members, and one boxer make up the total.

India is sending its largest ever contingent to the Olympic Games with the total of 127 athletes and will take part in 18 disciplines: athletics, archery, badminton, boxing, fencing, equestrian, gymnastics, golf, hockey, rowing, shooting, sailing, swimming, table tennis, tennis, wrestling and weightlifting.

Kerala, known for its legacy in athletics, has six in track and field events out of the eight it is sending to Tokyo. One each is in swimming and the men’s hockey team.

Super Cup ⚽⚽🥅

According to recent rumours the Champions of Copa America and Euro Cup can face each other in a super Cup . two teams defeated the likes of Brazil and England within a span of 24 hours last weekend. With Argentina’s victory, Lionel Messi brought an end to his trophy drought on an international stage while Italy won their Euro title for the first time after 53 years. Angel Di Maria’s lone goal proved too good for Brazil helping them clinch their first continental crown in 28 years while England vs Italy entered a penalty shootout after 120 minutes of top-flight football.

Both the champs

Italy had beaten England on penalties to win the Euro 2020 campaignArgentina defeated Brazil to lift the Copa America 2021, Lionel Messi’s first international triumphThe two teams could lock horns in a one-off Super Cup match
Football fans celebrated a Super Sunday as the world witnessed two big sporting showdowns take place within a span of 24 hours. First Argentina defeated Brazil in the Copa America final as Lionel Messi lifted his first major international trophy. Then, Italy edged favourites England in a penalty shootout at Wembley to be crowned Euro 2020 winners. But, how about a Super Cup battle between Argentina and Italy?

As per Barca Blaugranes, CONMEBOL, South America’s footballing body, has requested its European counterpart, UEFA, to hold a one-off Super Cup match between the winners of this year’s Copa America and European Championship. While UEFA hasn’t yet commented on the matter, such a match-up wouldn’t be a first in the history of international football.

Messi magic

Both the Copa America 2021 and Euro 2020 campaigns were special. While it was the first time ever that Messi had won an international trophy wearing the Argentina shirt, Italy had even failed to qualify in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.


Messi ended the Copa America campaign as the player with the most number of goals and assists. He was deservedly named the Player of the tournament, having played the most influential role in the team’s triumph.

Giorgio Chiellini’s Italy

India beats Sri Lanka by 7 wickets in the 1st Odi : Dhawan, Shaw,Kishan steal the show.

India defeated sri lanka in their first match of the odi series played in Colombo. Indian outplayed the inexperienced Sri-lankan in every aspects of the game.

India leads 1-0 in the 3 match series

Sril Lanka won the toss and opted to bat first and things were going there way until chahal stricked and removed Fernando.
Contributions from bhanuka 27 of 44, rajpaksa 24 of 22, Dhananjay de Silva 14(27), assalanka 38(65), Shanaka 39 (50),
Chanika karunatana and chameera scored 40 runs in last 3 overs to get teams total to 263.

Bhubaneshwar kumar looked off colour today and went wicketless with figure 9-63-0,Deepak chahar took 2 wickets and looked in great touch. Spin duo of kulcha shared 4 wickets between them. While Pandya brothers shared 1 wickets each and   Kurnal Pandya was most economical with figure 10-1-26-1.

Chasing down the target of 263, P shaw and captain Dhawan came to crease. P shaw smacked the Lankans all over the ground and was progressing towards half century before falling to de selva at long-off at 43(24).


Then, debutant Ishan kishan came and smacked the lankans all over the ground and scored half century. And he edged one delivery to the wicketkeeper and scored 59(42).

Next,Manish Pandey came to crease and with captain he stitched a partnership of 74. Throughout his innings of 26(40),he looked uncomfortable and except few strokes,he was in a hurry to finish the innings.Then,another debutant surya Kumar Yadav joined captain in middle and finished the game. Dhawan carried his bat with an unbeaten 86*(95) and sky scored quickfire 31*(20).

Dhananjay de selva bagged 2 wickets and lakshan Sandakan took 1 wicket. india leads the series 1 -0 , Lankan side will be looking to bounce back while indian side will be looking to continue their winning streak.

3 Athletes Test Positive, 2 staying at Olympic Village

Three athletes have tested positive for COVID-19, two of them South African football players staying at the Olympic Village. Organising Committee announced on Sunday adding to the scepticism that surrounds the troubled event slated to open on July 23. It is the first case of athletes staying at the village catching the infection. Their identities were not yet revealed by the organizers but the South African Football Association issued a statement to make that information clear.

“Three members from Team SA’s men’s under 23 football team have produced positive tests for Covid-19 and are in isolation in the Tokyo 2020 isolation facility,” the South African Football Association (SAFA) stated.

“The three members are players Thabiso Monyane and Kamohelo Mahlatsi and video analyst Mario Masha, who produced a positive result in the latest round of daily sputum (saliva) testing,” South African Football Association (SAFA) stated.

The third infected athlete is staying at a designated Games hotel and his/her identity is not yet known.

“A fourth Team SA member, Sevens rugby coach Neil Powell, has also produced a positive result and has been admitted to an isolation facility in Kagashimo where the Sevens squad are currently in at a pre-

Games training camp,” SAFA stated.

The total number of Games-related COVID cases have now risen to 55 as per the OC records. “When there is a positive COVID-19 case- it means action. There is a clear procedure to identify close contacts. A case is not just data in a spread sheet but leads to action, including follow-up testing,” International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Games Executive Director Christrophe Dubi stated.

A total of 10 cases were detected on the day, including five “Games concerned personnel”, one contractor and a journalist according to the COVID-19 positive list uploaded by the OC.

The Olympic Village on Tokyo Bay will house 11,000 athletes and thousands of support staff.