‘He does not depend on the pitch’: Rahane explains why Suthar can thr…

Ahead of India’s clash against Thailand in the women’s Asia Cup, head coach Amol Muzumdar addressed the team’s preparations, the absence of Jemimah Rodrigues and concerns surrounding India’s recent T20I form at the pre-match media interaction.

When asked about the weather conditions in Dubai and whether they could affect the matches, Muzumdar replied: “Definitely. It is a little hot and humid over here in Dubai, but we are focused on getting used to the conditions. Most of the team members have been a part of the T20 World Cup, which was played a couple of years back, so we know the conditions here. We are trying to get used to it, and we are focused on playing some good cricket here.” amunra-online.pl

On Jemimah Rodrigues’s recovery and whether India will miss her, he replied: “Speaking about Jemimah, I have always maintained that she is a clutch player for us. She will definitely be missed. But, having said that, her recovery is very important for us. Her rehab is well taken care of at the Centre of Excellence in Bangalore, and yes, I think she will be missed.”

“But there are some other players who have come in the team, and I am sure they will do well. But having said that, Jemimah will be missed.”

On India losing nine of their sixteen T20Is this year and whether form is a concern: “We don’t pay too much attention to the form. You are talking about sixteen T20Is in the last six months, but at the same time, we know what scope of improvement this team has got. There is a huge scope of improvement. There is a young side. I think if you look at it, we are trying to play some good cricket, good aggressive cricket.”

Additionally, Muzumdar also highlighted India’s recent 15-day camp at the Centre of Excellence, stating, “We worked really hard on our fitness. We worked terribly hard on the fielding part as well, and there is some scope of improvement. We’re trying to pay utmost attention to those minute details of certain aspects of the game, and we focused on that in the camp.”

Furthermore, he described the camp as ‘fantastic’. To end it all, he stated, “As far as I am concerned as a coach, I was really happy with the camp and the results of the camp. The preparation has been good. It is just about going out there and executing our plans.”

The post Amol Muzumdar Opens Up On Jemimah Rodrigues’ Absence, India’s Form Ahead Of Thailand Clash appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.

SA vs ZIM: नामीबिया, साउथ अफ्रीका और जिम्‍बाब्‍वे के बीच खेली जा रही टी20 ट्राई सीरीज का दूसरा मुकाबला शनिवार को विंडहोक के नामीबिया क्रिकेट ग्राउंड में खेला गया। दक्षिण अफ्रीका की टीम ने इस मुकाबले में जिम्बाब्वे के खिलाफ 7 विकेट से जीत दर्ज की है। जिम्बाब्वे ने इस मैच में पहले बल्‍लेबाजी करते हुए निर्धारित 20 ओवर में 8 विकेट के नुकसान पर 144 रन स्‍कोर बोर्ड पर लगाए। इसके जवाब में साउथ अफ्रीका ने सिर्फ 3 विकेट के नुकसान पर महज 13.4 ओवर में ही लक्ष्‍य को आसानी से हासिल कर लिया। इस जीत के हीरो डेवाल्ड ब्रेविस रहे, जिन्‍होंने सिर्फ 32 गेंदों पर 75 रनों की नाबाद अर्धशतकीय पारी खेली।

Argentina faced the toughest task in women’s hockey – taking on the three-time defending champions, the Netherlands, on their home soil in the FIH Hockey World Cup final in Amsterdam on Saturday. But they kept their composure when it mattered most, drawing 1-1 in regulation time and then edging the dominant Dutch 3-1 in a shootout to claim the world title for the first time in 16 years.

The two sides were meeting in a women’s Hockey World Cup final for the fifth time, and the opening half lived up to the occasion as both battled for early control. Possession was largely shared, and chances were at a premium. The most notable of those saw Argentina goalkeeper Cristina Cosentino produce an excellent save after coming out of goal to deny Pien Dicke after a solo run to keep the scores level.

The Netherlands began to build more momentum as the half progressed. Their persistence finally paid off just 51 seconds before half-time when they were awarded their first penalty corner of the match. Yibbi Jansen stepped up and whipped the ball into the left side of the goal, sending a roar around the packed stadium and giving the Netherlands a 1-0 lead at the break.

Argentina had several opportunities to level the scores from penalty corners in the third quarter but were unable to convert. They kept pressing, though, and with six minutes remaining in the fourth period, another penalty corner finally presented them with the breakthrough they needed. María Granatto pounced on the rebound and fired home the equaliser, setting up a tense finish. Neither side could find a winner in the closing minutes, sending the match into a shootout to decide the world champions, which Argentina edged 3-1.

An elated Argentinian goalkeeper Cristina Cosentino was named as Player of the Match and said afterwards: “I really have no words for this. We were looking forward to this moment… Holland is a really tough opponent, and we knew it was going to be like that. So it was like fight each ball and the goal will come, and then just have fun in the shootout.

“I think it was something the team was looking forward to two tournaments ago in the Olympics, in the other World Cup. I think we really deserve it. We were a really good team along all the tournament, and I’m really proud of the girls that were fighting with me in this tournament,” she added.

Earlier, Belgium ended a 48-year wait for a World Cup medal with a gritty 1-0 victory over Australia in the bronze-medal playoff.

Both teams showed they had shaken off their semi-final disappointment as they came out with fighting intent, although few scoring chances were created in the opening quarter. The best opportunity of the period fell to Australia’s Steph Kershaw on a breakaway, but, one-on-one with the keeper, the final shot was pulled wide. The deadlock was broken in the second quarter, with Belgium making the most of their first penalty corner of the match. Charlotte Englebert rocketed the ball into the bottom right corner to put her side 1-0 up in the 20^th minute.

The Hockeyroos pushed to find the equaliser, particularly in a hard-fought final quarter, and they pulled off their keeper with just over four minutes remaining but couldn’t breach the solid Belgian defence. The Red Panthers held on for the win and a return to the World Cup podium for the first time since 1978.

Belgium’s Player of the Match Charlotte Englebert was thrilled to finish on a high, saying afterwards: “If we saw how we played the semi-final, we knew we had it in us to win the bronze medal today, and we kind of made it not an option to lose today. I think that’s what we did. We, we played until the last second. It was not easy because we had one striker less, so we had to run more, but it was the last game of the tournament, so it was a tough game, but I’m really, really proud of the team.”

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