‘Iyer’s knock in 1st T20I was a masterclass in reading the situation,’ says Patel

Ahmedabad, Dec 12 (IANS) Gujarat Panthers registered their first win of the tournament, while GS Delhi Aces strengthened their hold at the top of the table on the third day of the Tennis Premier League (TPL) Season 7, which witnessed thrilling action and close finishes at the Gujarat University Tennis Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday. Yash Mumbai Eagles and SG Pipers also secured wins in their respective matches.

Yash Mumbai Eagles and Hyderabad Strikers got the proceedings underway on Day Three.

Carole Monnet got the Strikers off to an ideal start with a 16-9 win against Riya Bhatia in the Women’s Singles match. However, Riya Bhatia and Niki Poonacha fought back with a 15-10 win against Carole Monnet and Vishnu Vardhan in the Mixed Doubles.

In the Men’s Singles category, Damir Dzumhur registered his first win of the tournament, overpowering Pedro Martinez 16-9. The duo of Vishnu Vardhan and Pedro Martinez did clinch a 13-12 against Damir Dzumhur and Niki Poonacha, but it wasn’t enough as Yash Mumbai Eagles prevailed 52-48.

In the second match of the day, Gujarat Panthers battled it out against Rajasthan Rangers. In the Women’s Singles, Ekaterina Kazionova registered a commanding 16-9 win against Nuria Brancaccio. Ekaterina Kazionova then teamed up with Dhakshineswar Suresh in the Mixed Doubles, clinching a 13-12 win against the pair of Nuria Brancaccio and Anirudh Chandrasekar, putting Rajasthan Rangers in the driver’s seat.

In the Men’s Singles encounter, two top 50 players went head-to-head. Alexandre Müller, ranked 46 in the world, delivered a clinic to win 17-8 against world no. 26 Luciano Darderi. Alexandre Müller and Anirudh Chandrasekar won 14-11 against Dhakshineswar Suresh and Luciano Darderi in the Men’s Doubles, completing a 52-48 comeback win for Gujarat Panthers, giving them their first win this season.

The third game of the day saw SG Pipers take on the Chennai Smashers. Irina Bara prevailed 13-12 against Shrivalli Bhamidipaty in a hard-fought clash in the Women’s Singles. Shrivalli Bhamidipaty and Rohan Bopanna responded strongly in the Mixed Doubles, though, winning 16-9 against Irina Bara and Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli.

In the Men’s Singles, Ramkumar Ramanathan got over the line with a 13-12 triumph against Dalibor Svrcina. Despite Dalibor Svrcina and Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli winning 15-10 against Rohan Bopanna and Ramkumar Ramanathan in the Men’s Doubles, SG Pipers secured a narrow 51-49 victory.

In the final game of the day, GS Delhi Aces, the table-toppers on Day Two, faced Gurgaon Grand Slammers. Sofia Costoulas defeated Sahaja Yamalapalli 16-9 in the Women’s Singles match. Sofia Costoulas and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan further extended GS Delhi Aces’ lead with a 15-10 win against Sahaja Yamalapalli and Sriram Balaji in the Mixed Doubles.

In the Men’s Singles, Dan Evans registered a hard-fought 13-12 victory against Billy Harris. To wrap up the action on day three, Dan Evans and Sriram Balaji secured a 14-11 win against Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and Billy Harris. However, GS Delhi Aces came out on top with a 54-46 win.

The Tennis Premier League is Asia’s biggest tennis league, showcasing India’s top talent alongside international tennis stars. Supported by tennis legends like Leander Paes, Sania Mirza, and Mahesh Bhupathi (CEO of SG Pipers), along with Bollywood icons such as Rakul Preet Singh and Sonali Bendre Behl, TPL brings together sports, entertainment, and business leaders in a unique blend of competition and engagement.

–IANS

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Sydney, Jan 4 (IANS) Australia head coach Andrew McDonald is not surprised with his pacer Scott Boland’s eight-wicket haul in the ongoing fifth Test against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.

Playing his third Test of the five-match series, Boland returned with the figures of 4-42 after finishing with 4-31 in India’s first innings. His performance enabled Australia to restrict India to 141/6 at stumps on Day 2.

“We’re not surprised by Scotty’s performances. Every time he plays, he does the job well. His ability to just be relentless on a length move the ball both ways, it’s proving difficult, in particular on this (SCG) surface,” McDonald said.

“He’s always a genuine consideration Scotty, and every time he pitches up in the Australian colours he delivers. We’re lucky to have those four quicks in Josh Hazlewood, (Pat) Cummins and (Mitchell) Stark and Boland.”

The head coach hailed Boland’s ability to execute their plans rightly in the middle especially against Virat Kohli as he dismissed him for the fourth time in the series.

“It’s one thing to have a plan, but then to be able to execute that, the way that we have to Virat, (to) put him under immense pressure.

“And look, he’s tried some things, he’s walked out of his crease, he’s tried different tactics as well, but clearly that relentless nature of in particular Scotty Boland in that matchup’s been incredibly difficult for him to come back, but he’s never an easy wicket,” McDonald said.

With the pitch playing a huge role in the series finale, McDonald is aware of the challenge despite a low-scoring chase on the cards on Sunday.

“Low scoring games like this, it just heightens the pressure within it, so a long way still to go, there’s going to be plenty of cricket, so we’ll see what happens. (The loss of quick wickets are) just a symptom of where Test cricket is at.

“I think the quality of bowling, upfront, I think both attacks are blessed with some generational talent that we’re witnessing. So we’re not surprised by the nature of the games where a new batter coming in is always vulnerable, and we’ve seen that across the journey.

“But if you can get a partnership going, then you’ve shown that you can score runs on these surfaces,” he added.

India are currently 145 runs ahead with Ravindra Jadeja (eight not out) and Washington Sundar (six not out) expected to build a strong partnership to take the lead further on Day 3. India will resume their innings from 141/6.

–IANS

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Lucknow, Aug 11 (IANS) “When I was two years old, I got polio in my right leg. 60% of my right leg was left disabled. People in my neighbourhood and even relatives would tell my parents, ‘A child as precious as gold has turned into dust.’ It hurt my parents deeply, and somewhere inside, they too would wonder, ‘What will my child do in life?’

That is how Abu Hubaida, now World No. 4 in men’s doubles para-badminton, remembers his earliest years. Today, he stands as one of India’s most consistent para-athletes, a four-time national champion and a Laxman Awardee, but his road has been shaped as much by resistance as by support.

Hubaida is one of India’s most celebrated para-badminton athletes, who has just got a bronze medal in men’s doubles (WH1- WH2) at the 2025 Asian Para-Badminton Championships in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. Partnering with Prem Kumar Ale, Hubaida defeated Thailand’s A. Sai Len and A. Sriboran in straight sets (21- 12, 21- 12). This is India’s first-ever wheelchair doubles medal at the Asian continental level. “This win is not just a medal for me, but a moment of pride for every Indian para-athlete. I dedicate this to all those who dream beyond limits,” he said.

Growing up in Lucknow, he refused to be defined by his disability. “I would play gully cricket with my friends. Lucknow had good open spaces and some facilities, so I kept playing with my friends, and that’s where my sporting spirit came from,” he recalled.

In 2008, he first learnt about para sports. He started with athletics but soon realised that in Lucknow, there were neither the facilities nor the environment for para athletes to train at a level where they could bring home medals from national events.

“One friend told me about badminton. In 2011, there was a tournament in Chennai. I went there for the first time and saw that even people in wheelchairs played badminton. The India team’s secretary told me that my category was not standing but wheelchair. That’s when I realised I needed a proper sports wheelchair,” he said.

That need sparked another battle. Wheelchairs designed for sport were expensive, about Rs 40,000 at the time, and there was no official funding. “We started crowdfunding. At our mini stadium, the people who came to play collected contributions for me. We bought the wheelchair and then modified it for badminton,” Hubaida said.

The early days were modest, with just two or three people playing together. Hubaida, who had picked up basic badminton skills, began guiding other wheelchair users who had previously only played cricket. Then came a turning point.

“When I heard about Coach Gaurav Khanna, I found out he was also from Lucknow. He was an able-bodied referee and also coached the deaf badminton team. We contacted him. Luckily, he agreed to train us. He would come to us at 8 in the morning before going to his railway job, train us till about 9 or 9:30, and then head to work. His support in those early days was huge. Today, he is the head coach of the Indian para-badminton team, a Dronacharya Awardee and Padma Shri. I owe him a lot,” Hubaida said.

By 2012-13, he was playing in a proper sports wheelchair and soon delivered his first major win for Uttar Pradesh, a double gold medal. “That was a matter of great pride for me,” he said.

He also draws constant inspiration from senior players as well as his doubles partner Prem Kumar Ale. “They have always guided me. Today, Prem and I are World No. 4 and Asia No. 3 in men’s doubles. We are also the top-ranked Indian pair, and at the recent Asian Para Badminton Championship, we won the bronze medal.”

But the journey was never free of opposition. “There are two kinds of people: those who support you, and those who don’t. When we first spoke of wheelchair badminton in Lucknow, many people raised their hands and refused to let us enter the courts. We had to fight for our right to play. I even wrote to the government and sports officers. They tested our wheelchairs to check if they were non-marking. If they had marked the court, we would not have been allowed. Luckily, sports wheelchairs are non-marking, so we got permission,” he said.

The resistance wasn’t only from strangers. “In the beginning, even relatives would tell my parents not to let me play. They’d say, ‘Make him study. He can get a bank job. What is there in para sports?’ It hurt to hear that,” Hubaida admits.

“When I was five, kids wouldn’t play with me. But as I grew older, my friends supported me and encouraged me. Still, children can be cruel, and they would point out your weaknesses. It used to hurt, but later, as I began achieving in para sports, it became my motivation.”

Hubaida’s has so far won medals in Bahrain, Brazil, Dubai, Egypt, Japan; appearances in the Asian Para Games; and a consistent place among the world’s top four in his category.

–IANS

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