‘Disappointed to not win gold, but proud of silver’: Antim after Asiad success

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

New Delhi, Oct 4 (IANS) Indian wrestler Antim Panghal was disappointed not to have won the gold medal in the women’s 53kg final at the Asian Games but was proud of the silver she won with some strong performances.

Antim lost the gold medal bout to Japan’s Moe Kiyooka, who was the 2024 World Championships’ gold medallist in the 55kg category. Antim now has upgraded her bronze from the Hangzhou Games 2023 to a silver at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, something she stays proud of despite the final loss.

“Of course, I’m a little disappointed that I couldn’t win gold, but I’m still very proud to have won a silver medal for India at the Asian Games. Every athlete dreams of winning a medal for the country, and to be able to do that on this stage means a lot to me,” she said.

The Haryana-born athlete underwent intense training in preparation for the major events and reflected on the sacrifices she has had to make. “There have been so many sacrifices, difficult days and moments when things have not gone my way, but I kept believing in myself and working hard.

“I’m especially thankful to WFI, Inspire Institute of Sport and Parth Jindal sir, who has supported me, guided me and helped me improve throughout this journey. I’ll take this experience, learn from it and keep working hard to come back stronger,” Antim added.

Antim was the only Indian woman wrestler to bag a medal at the Asiad, as five other medals were won by male grapplers. The 21-year-old had produced a dominant run to reach the final, opening her campaign with a 9-0 victory over Kazakhstan’s Shugyla Omirbek before defeating Uzbekistan’s Sakibjamal Esbosynova 8-0 in the quarterfinals.

She then overcame China’s Jin Zhang 6-1 in the semifinal. After conceding the opening point, Antim responded strongly by scoring six unanswered points to book her place in the title clash.

Her qualification for the final had already placed her in an elite group, making her only the third Indian woman wrestler after Geetika Jakhar and Vinesh Phogat to reach an Asian Games wrestling final.

–IANS

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Dravid, Binny, Mithali to receive lifetime achievement honour as BCCI reveals full list of Naman Awards recipients (Ld)

Mumbai, March 14 (IANS) The Board of Control for Cricket in India will celebrate outstanding achievements across Indian cricket at the BCCI Naman Awards 2026, scheduled for March 15 in New Delhi. The annual ceremony recognises excellence in international, domestic, and age-group cricket while honouring individuals who have made lasting contributions to the sport in India.

Former India greats Roger Binny and Rahul Dravid will receive the prestigious Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award for their long-standing service to Indian cricket. Meanwhile, former India women’s captain Mithali Raj will be honoured with the BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award for Women in recognition of her immense role in elevating women’s cricket in the country.

Binny is being recognised for his contributions as a player in India’s historic 1983 Cricket World Cup triumph, where he finished as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, and for his later roles as a coach, selector, and BCCI president. Dravid will be honoured for his outstanding playing career, scoring over 24,000 international runs, and his influential work as a mentor and coach, including guiding India to victory in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

Among other award winners, India’s Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill will receive the Polly Umrigar Award for the 2024–25 season, while Smriti Mandhana will win the Best International Cricketer (Women) award for the fifth time.

India opener Shafali Verma and the recent U-19 World Cup winning captain Ayush Mhatre will also receive awards for their standout performances during the 2024–25 domestic season. The Mumbai Cricket Association will also be recognised for the best performance in BCCI domestic tournaments.

A major highlight of the ceremony will be the recognition of five Indian teams that recently won ICC titles, including victories in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, and the men’s and women’s ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup events, spotlighting a historic period of success for Indian cricket.

Full list of winners:

Polly Umrigar Award Best International Cricketer in 2024-25 – Men – Shubman Gill

Best International Cricketer in 2024-25 – Women – Smriti Mandhana

Highest Wickets in One Day Internationals – 2024-25 – Women – Deepti Sharma

Highest Run Getter in One Day Internationals -2024-25- Women – Smriti Mandhana

Best International Debut in 2024-25 – Women – N Sree Charani

Best International Debut in 2024-25 – Men – Harshit Rana

Best Performance in BCCI Domestic Tournaments of 2024-25 – Mumbai Cricket Association

Best Umpire In Domestic Cricket in 2023-24 – Ulhas Gandhe

Madhavrao Scindia Award: Highest Wicket-Taker In The Ranji Trophy in 2024-25 – Elite Group – Harsh Dubey (Vidarbha)

Madhavrao Scindia Award: Highest Wicket-Taker In The Ranji Trophy in 2024-25 – Plate Group – Suchith J (Nagaland)

Madhavrao Scindia Award: Highest Run Getter In The Ranji Trophy in 2024-25 – Elite Group – Yash Rathod (Vidarbha)

Madhavrao Scindia Award: Highest Run Getter In The Ranji Trophy in 2024-25 – Plate Group – Snehal Kauthankar (Goa)

Lala Amarnath Award for the Best All-Rounder In Domestic Limited-Overs Competitions, 2024-25 – Ayush Mhatre (Mumbai)

Lala Amarnath Award for the Best All-Rounder in the Ranji Trophy, 2024-25 – Harsh Dubey (Vidarbha)

Jagmohan Dalmiya Trophy: Best Woman Cricketer (Jr Domestic) of 2024-25 – Ira Jadhav (Mumbai

Jagmohan Dalmiya Trophy: Best Woman Cricketer (Sr Domestic) of 2024-25 (Sr Women One Day) – Shafali Verma (Haryana)

Jagmohan Dalmiya Trophy: Highest Wicket-Taker In (U16) Vijay Merchant Trophy in 2024-25 – Elite Group – Yashbardhan Singh Chauhan (Madhya Pradesh)

Jagmohan Dalmiya Trophy: Highest Wicket-Taker In (U16) Vijay Merchant Trophy in 2024-25 – Plate Group – Kishan Sarkar (Tripura)

Jagmohan Dalmiya Trophy: Highest Run Getter In (U16) Vijay Merchant Trophy in 2024-25 – Elite Group – Shanthanu Singh (Uttar Pradesh)

Jagmohan Dalmiya Trophy: Highest Run Getter In (U16) Vijay Merchant Trophy in 2024-25 – Plate Group – Pritam Raj (Bihar)

M.A. Chidambaram Trophy: Highest Wicket-Taker In (U19) Cooch Behar Trophy in 2024- 25 – Elite Group – Hemchudeshan J (Tamil Nadu)

M.A. Chidambaram Trophy: Highest Wicket-Taker In (U19) Cooch Behar Trophy in 2024- 25 – Plate Group – Arkajit Roy (Tripura)

M.A. Chidambaram Trophy: Highest Run Getter In (U19) Cooch Behar Trophy in 2024- 25 – Elite Group – Nitya J Pandya (Baroda)

M.A. Chidambaram Trophy: Highest Run Getter In (U19) Cooch Behar Trophy in 2024- 25 – Plate Group – Ragavan Ramamoorthy (Pondicherry)

M.A. Chidambaram Trophy: Highest Wicket-Taker In (U23) Col. C K Nayudu Trophy in 2024-25 – Elite Group – Vicky Ostwal (Maharashtra)

M.A. Chidambaram Trophy: Highest Wicket-Taker In (U23) Col. C K Nayudu Trophy in 2024-25 – Plate Group – Dipjyoti Saikia (Assam)

M.A. Chidambaram Trophy: Highest Run Getter In (U23) Col. C K Nayudu Trophy in 2024-25 – Elite Group – Macneil H N (Karnataka)

M.A. Chidambaram Trophy: Highest Run Getter In (U23) Col. C K Nayudu Trophy in 2024-25 – Plate Group – R Jashwanth Shreeram (Pondicherry)

–IANS

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Indian fan zones sold out 50 days ahead of white-ball tour of Australia, says CA

Melbourne, Aug 30 (IANS) Cricket Australia (CA) on Saturday announced that fan zones dedicated to Indian fans during the white-ball series between Australia and India have been sold out 50 days in advance, highlighting the soaring demand and excitement for the high-profile matches.

CA also said public tickets for the Sydney and Canberra matches have been sold out, and has urged fans to book their tickets for the remaining matches, as they are also selling fast. “We are thrilled by the overwhelming response to the Indian fan zones selling out across all eight venues.”

“We are excited to see the momentum building around this series and the strong passion fans continue to display for the game. We’re looking forward to a vibrant atmosphere in the stands and a world-class contest on the field between two great cricketing nations,” said Joel Morrison, CA’s Executive General Manager Events & Operations, in a statement.

India’s white-ball tour of Australia starts with the ODI series opener on October 19 at Perth Stadium, and is followed by matches at Adelaide Oval and Sydney Cricket Ground on October 23 and 25 respectively. Batting stalwarts Virat Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma are expected to play in the ODI series, the only format they play internationally after stepping away from Tests and T20Is.

It will be followed by the five-match T20I series beginning on October 29 at Manuka Oval in Canberra, followed by games at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on October 31, Bellerive Oval in Hobart on November 2), Gold Coast Stadium on November 6 and The Gabba in Brisbane on November 8.

The last time India toured Australia for a bilateral ODI series, the visitors lost by a 2-1 margin in 2020/21, but managed to win the subsequent T20I series by the same margin.

–IANS

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Mumbai Indians Women appoint two-time World Cup winner Lisa Keightley as head coach

Mumbai, Sep 25 (IANS) Mumbai Indians, on Thursday, announced former Australia cricketer and two-time World Cup winner Lisa Keightley as their head coach for the next edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL).

Keightley, who was part of Australia’s World Cup-winning teams in 1997 and 2005, is highly regarded as a coach in women’s cricket. With an impressive playing background and coaching experience across Australia, England, and some of the finest international leagues, she offers exceptional expertise and foresight to the Mumbai Indians.

The Mumbai Indians Women are already the most successful team in WPL history, having won two titles in just three seasons under the leadership of Harmanpreet Kaur. After winning the inaugural edition in 2023, they clinched the silverware again in 2025 by defeating the Delhi Capitals in a repeat of the 2023 final.

However, after their victorious campaign in 2025, MI were on the hunt for a new head coach, following Charlotte Edwards’ appointment to the England national side in the role.

On her appointment, Keightley said, “It’s an honour to join the Mumbai Indians, a team that has set the benchmark in the WPL. The culture of excellence and care is something I deeply admire. I look forward to working with this talented group to build on our success and continue inspiring on and off the field.”

Nita Ambani, owner of the franchise, said, “We are thrilled to welcome Lisa Keightley to the Mumbai Indians family. A trailblazer in women’s cricket, Lisa has inspired generations with her passion, expertise and pioneering spirit. Her arrival marks an exciting new chapter for Mumbai Indians as we look to scale even greater heights and build on our legacy of excellence.”

Keightley has coached both the Australian and England women’s teams and was the first woman to hold a full-time head coaching position for England. She has extensive franchise coaching experience in the WBBL, The Hundred, and the WPL, where she served as the assistant coach of the Delhi Capitals. Her recent achievement includes leading the Northern Superchargers to win the women’s title in The Hundred last month.

A stylish opening batter in her playing days, Keightley represented Australia in nine Tests, 82 ODIs, and one T20I.

— IANS

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