Bundela, Lahiri, Doru emerge as applicants for BCCI men’s junior selection panel

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

New Delhi, Sep 30 (IANS) Domestic cricket stalwarts Devendra Bundela, Saurasish Lahiri, and Nikhil Doru are among the prominent former players in contention for spots on the BCCI’s new five-member junior selection committee.

“Yes, the likes of Bundela, Lahiri and Doru have expressed interest in being the next junior selection panel members. The BCCI is in the final stages of shortlisting candidates to succeed the outgoing S Sharath-led panel and may make an official statement in October,” said a source tracking the development to IANS on Wednesday.

The Sharath-led panel, which took charge in September 2021, comprises Ranadeb Bose (East Zone), Harvinder Singh Sodhi (North Zone), Pathik Patel (West Zone), and Krishen Mohan (Central Zone). As previously reported by IANS, former India off-spinner Ramesh Powar and ex-Uttar Pradesh fast bowler Ashish Winston Zaidi had submitted applications for positions on the panel, for which the BCCI invited applications in August.

It is also understood that ex-India pacers Praveen Kumar and Sudeep Tyagi, along with former Mumbai batter Manoj Joglekar, have also submitted their applications for the junior selection panel, while a word on who comes from South Zone is yet to be known.

While there was initial interest surrounding Powar being handed the chief selector’s role, the decision could ultimately boil down to international experience following Praveen’s entry.

As per the BCCI’s selection committee protocols, the candidate with the highest number of Test caps is generally appointed as the chairman of the panel. Powar represented India in two Tests and 31 ODIs, while Praveen featured in six Tests, 68 ODIs, and 16 T20Is.

Powar was recently involved as a spin consultant with the Australia Under-19 team during their ODI series against India in Rajkot. The Sharath-led panel had recently selected the India U-23 squad for a game against the CK Nayudu Trophy winners Tamil Nadu, with the clash to happen at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai and shortlisted a provisional squad for the upcoming U-19 Asia Cup, to be played later this year.

With the new selectors yet to be finalised, coaches from the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) have been busy monitoring the next set of future U19 stars. The national junior men’s domestic calendar will kick off when the Vinoo Mankad Trophy begins on October 8.

Meanwhile, India fast bowler Umesh Yadav will play for Punjab as a guest player in the ongoing domestic season, after previously getting his NoC from Vidarbha. “A new chapter begins. Grateful to start the 2026–27 domestic season with Punjab Cricket Association.

“Looking forward to stepping into a new dressing room, taking on new challenges and giving my best for Punjab. Thank you to everyone who has been part of my journey so far. Excited for what lies ahead. See you on the field,” he wrote on his Instagram account on Wednesday.

–IANS

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HIL 2024-25: Bengal Tigers scrape past T.N. Dragons via penalty SO to reach final

Rourkela, Jan 31 (IANS) The Bengal Tigers booked their place in the final of the Hockey India League (2024-25) after beating the Tamil Nadu Dragons 2-2 and 5-6 in penalty shootouts at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela on Friday. In a thrilling match, Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers came back from a goal down twice before forcing a penalty shootout. Pardeep Singh Sandhu (30`) and Sam Lane (53`) scored for the Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers while Nathan Ephraums (18`) and Selvam Karthi (32`) scored for the Tamil Nadu Dragons.

After an even start, Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers goalkeeper Jamie Carr was called into action midway through the first quarter. The Ireland goalkeeper reacted quickly to keep out Jip Janssen’s drag flick.

A minute later, the Tamil Nadu Dragons quickly played the ball to forward Ganesh Majji who was unmarked at the post. Carr was off his line in a flash to tackle the ball away from Majji. In the 14th minute, the Bengal Tigers won a penalty corner. Jugraj Singh, the second-highest goalscorer in the league, was denied by a superb save from goalkeeper David Harte.

The Tigers won two more penalty corners in the final 30 seconds but were unable to convert them as the first quarter ended goalless. The opening goal came in the 18th minute as the Dragons took the lead. Mohammed Raheel went on an amazing run to progress to the circle before playing the ball towards the goal. Nathan Ephraums dove in to deflect the ball past Carr into the goal.

The Dragons controlled the tempo of the match and frustrated the Tigers by keeping possession of the ball for extended periods. When the Tigers did get on the attack, they were thwarted by some excellent defending Amit Rohidas and Co. The Tigers’ patience was rewarded in the 30th minute as they equalised through Pardeep Singh Sandhu. It was Abhishek who created the goal as he dribbled past his marker to go one-on-one with Harte. The Dragons goalkeeper charged off his line only to see Abhishek scoop the ball to Pardeep to his right for the easiest of goals.

The Dragons retook the lead in the first minute of the third quarter. Anand Lakra dribbled into the circle from the right and found Selvam Karthi who flicked it past Carr. Things got worse for the Tigers in the 34th minute as Sebastien Dockier received a 10-minute suspension for an off-the-ball shove on Tom Craig.

Despite being down by a player, the Tigers came within inches of equalising in the 40th minute. Atul Deep took down an aerial ball and dribbled towards the goal. With Harte coming out to close down the angles, Atul Deep chipped the ball over the Dragons goalkeeper only for the ball to hit the post. The Tigers organised themselves superbly to keep the Dragons at bay for the majority of the third quarter to make sure they kept themselves in the hunt in the final quarter.

The Tigers roared back into the match in the 53rd minute. From a quickly-taken free hit, Gauthier Boccard played the ball towards the back post. Atul Deep played it first time to Sam Lane who flicked it into goal. The Tigers thought they had completed the comeback a minute later when Jugraj Singh scored from a penalty corner. The Dragons used their referral to reverse the goal as the ball from the injection had not been stopped outside the circle. Both sides gave it their all in the hunt for a winner but to no avail as the match went into a penalty shootout.

The Tigers and the Dragons both missed two attempts each from their first four attempts. After Dockier missed his attempt, Ephraums had the opportunity to send his side into the final only to send his shot wide of the post. In the sudden death, Moritz, Govers, and Ephraums scored for the Dragons while Sukhjeet Singh, Sean Findlay, Florent van Aubel, and Abhishek scored for the Tigers. Uttam Singh missed his attempt as the Tigers booked their place in the final.

–IANS

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“A pain on court, a friend forever; badminton will miss you”: Sindhu pens special tribute for Carolina Marin

New Delhi, March 27 (IANS) Following the retirement announcement of Spanish badminton legend Carolina Marin, her long-time rival and two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu shared a touching tribute, reflecting on a journey that transformed from fierce on-court “spats” to a lasting bond of mutual respect.

The Rio Olympic gold medallist and three-time world champion Marin announced her retirement from professional badminton on Thursday, saying she is still suffering the aftereffects of the serious injury she sustained at Paris 2024.

Marin’s later career would be dogged by serious knee injuries, necessitating her withdrawal from the defence of her Olympic gold and her home World Championships in 2021.

Yet, she made a comeback from those injuries that would see her in a fourth World Championships final and an almost-certain Olympic final in 2024. Leading He Bing Jiao comfortably in their semifinal at Paris 2024, Marin would collapse in pain, which proved her final goodbye on the biggest stage of all.

The 2016 Olympic final would bring this out in the starkest terms. The final was a pugilistic battle against an opponent who too was unhesitant to leverage her physicality Sindhu. The 83-minute-long contest riveted entire countries, bringing the physical dimensions of badminton to a worldwide audience. In in later years, this match would often be recalled with wonder for its sheer intensity.

“Some rivals become part of your journey forever. Carolina was one of them. We first played each other when we were 15 or 16-year-old girls in the Maldives, and from then on we went on to share so many battles.

“To be honest, you were also a complete pain on court. The constant shouting, the intensity, the little tricks, they would get to anyone. But your skill, speed and fighting spirit were second to none,’ Sindhu shared in an Instagran post.

Sindhu also recalled a verbal duel between the two shutters during the 2023 Denamrk Open semifinal, as a result the chair umpire showed both a yellow card.

“People remember the big matches and even the ugly spat we had in that third set over picking the shuttle. I’ll admit I was completely infuriated that day.

“But a few months later we sat across from each other over coffee in Madrid, talking and laughing, and in that moment there was nothing but respect. That’s the Carolina I’ll always remember,” she wrote.

“I’ll also always be grateful for the incredible camaraderie our generation built. Our batch of girls made women’s singles such a special place to compete in, and I honestly don’t know if badminton has seen something like it before or will again.

“Thank you for every battle, every lesson and most of all the friendship. I wish you the happiest retirement, Carolina. Badminton will miss you. And so will I,” Sindhu concluded.

–IANS

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Ranji Trophy: Kohli takes centre-stage as Delhi take on Railways (preview)

New Delhi, Jan 29 (IANS) In recent winter days of New Delhi, the sun shines intensely after the early morning cold goes away. As people bask in the winter sun for their Vitamin D intake, cricket fans in the national capital will soak in the sunshine at the Arun Jaitley Stadium from Thursday.

Delhi, with a very slim mathematical chance to enter the Ranji Trophy knockouts, face Railways in their final Group D clash of the season starting on Thursday. Their knockout hopes hinge on many favourable outcomes, but the attention of fans thronging the stadium will be fixed on the talismanic Virat Kohli’s batting performance in the coming four days.

One should remember Kohli’s last Ranji Trophy game for Delhi came against Uttar Pradesh in Ghaziabad in November 2012. In those days, cricket wasn’t as hectic as it is now, while social media boom was still a few good years away.

Now, following the BCCI’s recommendation for Indian players to play domestic cricket when possible, Kohli is set to play a Ranji Trophy game for the first time in 12 years. A neck spasm delayed his Ranji Trophy return in Rajkot, but Kohli is now almost certain for his Ranji Trophy homecoming at a place where he began his journey to become an integral part of the Indian team across all formats.

At the centre of every move Kohli makes in the match against Railways, his batting will come under supreme focus on a green pitch, as claimed by Delhi captain Ayush Badoni, to try and get an outright win. This match gives Kohli an opportunity to spend valuable time in the middle and gain some much-needed fluency before heading to two consecutive 50-over assignments for India.

Dismissals outside off-stump largely defined Kohli’s struggles in the 3-1 Test series defeat in Australia, his unbeaten Perth century being a notable exception. Now coming into the Delhi team after working on his game with former India and RCB batting coach Sanjay Bangar in Alibaug, it will be intriguing to see how Kohli shapes with the bat in a game, where he’s the cynosure of all eyes and cameras.

With Rishabh Pant not available and Pranav Rajvanshi likely to come in, Kohli joining the sixth-placed Delhi team is a huge help for their batting line-up, which was completely outplayed on a Rajkot pitch that turned from the start, resulting in a crushing ten-wicket defeat for them.

Of greater concern to Delhi is the fact that they lost all ten wickets of their second innings between lunch and tea on day two. Moreover, the quality gap between Saurashtra’s experienced spinners, one being a certain Ravindra Jadeja, and Delhi’s young spinners, Shivam Sharma, Sumit Mathur and Harsh Tyagi, was evident too.

Now that Sharma, Mathur and Tyagi are back in Delhi, one would expect a better performance from them. On the other hand, after taking the first-innings lead against Assam in Guwahati, fourth-placed Railways’ path to the knockouts is straightforward: they must win outright or by bonus points against Delhi, and hope Chandigarh and Saurashtra lose their matches.

The exciting possibility of bowling to Kohli in a Ranji Trophy match presents a chance for fast-bowlers Himanshu Sangwan (who previously played for Delhi), Kunal Yadav, Purnank Tyagi, and Rahul Sharma to rise to prominence by outsmarting the batting stalwart.

The young Railways bowlers’ will also benefit from the experience and insights of veteran leg-spinner Karn Sharma, who’s shared the dressing room with Kohli for India and RCB. Railways’ batting hopes rest on Vivek Singh, Upendra Yadav, Mohammad Saif, and captain Pratham Singh to achieve a high score, especially with all eyes on Kohli in Delhi’s sunny yet chilly climes.

Squads-

Delhi: Ayush Badoni (c), Virat Kohli, Sanat Sangwan, Arpit Rana, Yash Dhull, Jonty Sidhu, Himmat Singh, Navdeep Saini, Money Grewal, Harsh Tyagi, Siddhant Sharma, Shivam Sharma, Pranav Rajvanshi (wk), Vaibhav Kandpal, Mayank Gusain, Gagan Vats, Sumit Mathur, Rahul Gahlot, Jitesh Singh, Vansh Bedi.

Railways: Pratham Singh (c), Vivek Singh, S A Ahuja, Upendra Yadav (wk), Mohammad Saif, B H Merai, Anchit Yadav, Karn Sharma, Purnank Tyagi, Kunal Yadav, Himanshu Sangwan, K T Marathe, Ravi Singh, Ayan B Chaudhari and Rahul Sharma

Match will be shown live on Sports18-1 SD & HD (TV) and JioCinema (digital) from 9:25 am.

–IANS

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