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Legendary cricketer Kapil Dev meets Dilip Tirkey, lauds rise of Indian hockey talent

New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) Legendary cricketer and 1983 World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev met with Hockey India president and former decorated Indian hockey player, Dilip Tirkey, today in New Delhi. During the interaction, Kapil Dev applauded the sport’s resurgence in India and praised the emergence of promising young talent across the country.

Speaking after the meeting, Kapil Dev said, “It was truly heartening to catch up with Dr. Dilip Tirkey and speak about the incredible strides Indian hockey has made in recent years. The speed, fitness, and skill level of today’s players are simply outstanding. It’s clear that the game has evolved tremendously, and what’s most exciting is the pool of young talent emerging from every corner of the country. The contributions of the Odisha Government to the development of hockey can’t go unnoticed. Indian hockey is in great hands and heading in the right direction.”

Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey expressed his appreciation for the support from one of India’s most respected sporting icons and stated, “Meeting legendary Kapil Dev, who is also President of PGTI, is always special—he is a true icon of Indian sport. His encouraging words about hockey’s resurgence and the rise of new talent mean a lot to our entire hockey fraternity. It’s inspiring to see legends from other sports acknowledge and support our journey. We are committed to building on this momentum and taking Indian hockey to even greater heights.”

Hockey India will be organising the Men’s Asia Cup tournament later this month in Rajgir, Bihar, with a qualifying spot in the next year’s World Cup in the offing.

Kapil Dev, who started playing golf after retiring from cricket, is currently President of the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), the body that conducts all the competitions for professional players in the country and is also associated with top international tours around the world.

–IANS

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Qatar Open: Dominant Verdasco-Djokovic duo brush past Bublik-Khachanov in 48 minutes

Doha, Feb 18 (IANS) Fernando Verdasco may be preparing for his retirement, but the Spaniard is showing he’s still got plenty of firepower left in his game. Partnering with Novak Djokovic at the Qatar Open, the pair produced a dominant display in their doubles match on Monday, breezing past Alexander Bublik and Karen Khachanov 6-1, 6-1 in just 48 minutes to reach the second round.

Verdasco, who will retire at the end of this ATP 500 event, is relishing his final tournament, especially sharing the court with Djokovic, the 24-time Grand Slam champion. The duo was clearly enjoying themselves, celebrating with chest bumps early in the match and showing off excellent teamwork.

Their chemistry was evident as they broke serve four times from nine opportunities and saved the one breakpoint they faced as per ATP stats.

“I have to say, maybe after this match, I shouldn’t play the second round. I should just go and retire by winning 6-1, 6-1. It’s the best feeling ever, thank you so much for coming today, and see you on Wednesday,” said Verdasco.

The match was a showcase of Verdasco’s doubles expertise, with his sharp net play and powerful left-handed forehands still causing trouble for Bublik and Khachanov. Verdasco, a former No. 7 in the ATP rankings, was also a doubles champion at the 2013 Nitto ATP Finals, and his experience shone through in the match.

Looking ahead, Verdasco and Djokovic will face the second seeds, Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara, in what promises to be a challenging contest. Patten and Heliovaara are the reigning Wimbledon and Australian Open champions, making it an exciting matchup for the veteran Verdasco as he bids farewell to the ATP Tour.

In the men’s singles, the 21-year-old Alcaraz will make his debut in Doha where he will be the top seed. Alcaraz, who faces Marin Cilic on Monday, holds a 9-1 record this season, including a run to the Australian Open quarterfinals and his first indoor title in Rotterdam.

Pitted in the same half of the draw in Doha, Alcaraz would have the possibility to avenge his loss to Djokovic in Melbourne if the two reach the semifinals.

–IANS

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‘Didi supports me a lot’: Mahima shares training experience with sister Salima Tete

Bengaluru, April 5 (IANS) From winning the Senior Women National Championship with Hockey Jharkhand to making it into the Senior National camp, it has been a wonderful few weeks for Mahima Tete. The 21-year-old is currently training at SAI, Bengaluru, along with the senior players, including her elder sister and captain Salima Tete.

Talking about the dynamic Mahima shares with Salima in training and her experience, she said, “I have always wanted to walk in my sister’s footsteps and do well for my country. So now that I am also here, training with her, I feel really good. When I do something wrong, she comes to me and guides me to improve. Didi supports me a lot.”

Mahima also said that her sister gave her a lot of important insights before they joined the camp together. “She told me to work hard and not back out of anything. She told me to give my 100% on the ground. She said in domestic teams, the game is a lot slower, but with senior players I have to play running hockey and be on my toes at all times, so I was mentally prepared heading into training.”

Initially, Mahima was selected in the 65-member core probables group but her impressive work in training and testing earned her a spot in the 40-member list that was announced on April 2. When asked about her experience training with the senior players so far, she replied, “It’s a different combination than I am used to. It’s good to practice with the seniors and I am very happy that I am in the senior team right now but I will have to work very hard and improve to get to the level I need to be.”

“In order to compete with international players, we need to be really fit and quick, hence, we are trained very hard in the senior camp,” she added.

Mahima joined the senior camp on the back of an impressive title-winning campaign during the 15th Senior Women National Championship. The midfielder played all five matches for Hockey Jharkhand and played a pivotal role for her side in the tournament.

“At the start of the tournament, we didn’t think that we were going to reach the final. But as we progressed, we felt we couldn’t afford to lose. We wanted the gold medal because we had never won a medal so we were really determined and we worked really hard for it as a team.”

Hockey Jharkhand defeated defending champions Hockey Haryana 4-3 in the shootout to lift the trophy. Mahima revealed that she was sick on the day of the final.

“I was sick, which is why I didn’t participate in the final shootout as well. I drank four bottles of water before and I had prepared myself to play the full game. I wanted to help my team win a gold medal, so I pushed myself hard and gave it my all in the final. Not once did I feel like missing the final match due to my illness,” she said.

While talking about the plan ahead, Mahima stated, “I need to work really hard in order to play at the level the other senior players play. My goal is to get good enough to make it into the starting line-up.”

–IANS

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