Ravindra Jadeja returns, Saransh Jain included in India’s Test squad …

Veteran Ravindra Jadeja was on Tuesday recalled while all-rounder Saransh Jain received his maiden call-up as India announced their 15-member squad for the two-Test series in Sri Lanka.

Ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah as well as top-order batter B Sai Sudharsan were included in the squad but their availability is subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence.

Spin bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar was not available for selection for the first Test after suffering an injury during the white-ball tour of England earlier this month. h-doctor.club

India will play two Tests on the tour of Sri Lanka which are a part of the World Test Championship cycle. The first Test will be at Galle from August 15-19, while the second will be played at Colombo (SSC) from August 23-27.

Squad:

Shubman Gill (c), KL Rahul (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sai Sudharsan*, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Jasprit Bumrah*, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain.

* Availability will be subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI COE.

ગ્લાસગોમાં ચાલી રહેલી કોમનવેલ્થ ગેમ્સમાં વેઇટલિફ્ટર અજય બાબુ ભારત માટે સિલ્વર મેડલ લાવ્યા છે. અજય બાબુએ પુરુષોની 79 કિગ્રા કેટેગરીમાં આ સિદ્ધિ હાંસલ કરી છે. 22 વર્ષીય વેઇટલિફ્ટરે કુલ 330 કિગ્રા વજન ઉપાડ્યું, જેમાં સ્નેચ રાઉન્ડમાં 149 કિગ્રા અને ક્લીન એન્ડ જર્કમાં 181 કિગ્રા વજન ઉપાડ્યું. ગ્લાસગોમાં ભારતને સિલ્વર મેડલ અપાવનાર અજય બાબુને વેઇટલિફ્ટિંગ વારસામાં મળ્યું છે. સરળ શબ્દોમાં કહીએ તો, આ રમત તેમના લોહીમાં છે.

અજય બાબુએ વેઇટલિફ્ટિંગમાં કર્યો કમાલ

અજય બાબુ વાલુરીનો જન્મ 22 નવેમ્બર 2004 ના રોજ આંધ્રપ્રદેશના વિજયનગરમ જિલ્લાના કોંડાવેલાગડા ગામમાં થયો હતો.આ એ જ ગામ છે જેણે 33 વેઇટલિફ્ટર્સ ઉત્પન્ન કર્યા છે, જેમાંથી 22 રાષ્ટ્રીય સ્તરે અને 13 આંતરરાષ્ટ્રીય સ્તરે પોતાની છાપ છોડી છે. આંધ્રપ્રદેશનો ઉત્તરીય પ્રદેશ, જ્યાં તે રહે છે, તે વેઇટલિફ્ટર્સની ખાણ તરીકે ઓળખાય છે.તે વિસ્તારના ગામડાઓ, જેમ કે ગોડાલમ, કોંડાવેલાગડા અને અમાદલાવલસાએ અસંખ્ય રાષ્ટ્રીય અને આંતરરાષ્ટ્રીય વેઇટલિફ્ટર્સ ઉત્પન્ન કર્યા છે.

અજય બાબુએ બ્રોન્ઝ મેડલ જીત્યો

અજય બાબુ વાલુરીનો પરિવાર પહેલેથી જ વેઇટલિફ્ટિંગમાં ડૂબેલો છે. તેમના પિતા, વાલુરી શ્રીનિવાસ રાવ, પોતે એક આંતરરાષ્ટ્રીય વેઇટલિફ્ટર છે. 2015 માં, તેમને તેમના પિતા દ્વારા વેઇટલિફ્ટિંગના પ્રથમ પાઠ શીખવવામાં આવ્યા હતા. વાલુરી શ્રીનિવાસ રાવે 2010 કોમનવેલ્થ ગેમ્સમાં ભારત માટે બ્રોન્ઝ મેડલ જીત્યો હતો. 2026 કોમનવેલ્થ ગેમ્સમાં, અજય બાબુ વાલુરીએ તેમના પિતાના બ્રોન્ઝ મેડલને સિલ્વરમાં રૂપાંતરિત કર્યો છે.

2023માં તેમને સફળતા મળી હતી

અજય બાબુની કારકિર્દીની વાત કરીએ તો,2023માં ખેલો ઇન્ડિયા ગેમ્સમાં તેમને સફળતા મળી,જ્યાં તેમણે રાષ્ટ્રીય રેકોર્ડ સાથે તેમના વજન વર્ગમાં ગોલ્ડ મેડલ જીત્યો.તેમના પ્રદર્શનથી તેમને ભારતીય ટીમમાં સ્થાન મળ્યું,અને પછી તેમણે આંતરરાષ્ટ્રીય ઇવેન્ટ્સમાં ભાગ લેવાનું શરૂ કર્યું.2024 માં, તેમણે કોમનવેલ્થ વેઇટલિફ્ટિંગ ચેમ્પિયનશિપના જુનિયર અને સિનિયર સ્તરે ગોલ્ડ મેડલ જીતીને પોતાની મોટી સફળતા મેળવી. તે જ વર્ષે, તેમણે એશિયન યુથ અને જુનિયર વેઇટલિફ્ટિંગ ચેમ્પિયનશિપમાં સિલ્વર મેડલ જીત્યા.

આ પણ વાંચો - Commonwealth Games 2026: શર્મિલા ધનખડે રચ્યો ઈતિહાસ, પૈરા શૉટ પુટમાં જીત્યો ગોલ્ડ મેડલ

Glasgow [Scotland], July 28 (ANI): As India’s athletes chase medals and records at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the spotlight remains firmly on those standing on the podium.

But behind every successful performance is a team of coaches and support staff whose guidance, strategy and years of preparation help athletes deliver on the biggest stage, according to a release.

The medals, the records and the applause belong to the athlete. Yet every performance is built on countless hours of planning, guidance and encouragement from the people standing just beyond the cameras–the coaches.

As Team India builds momentum at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, with a medal-winning start in para powerlifting and record-breaking performances in weightlifting, another story is quietly unfolding behind the scenes. It is the story of the coaches who spend months, and often years, preparing athletes for these defining moments.

Coaching at a multi-sport Games extends far beyond technical instruction. Every day begins with training schedules and recovery plans before moving to strategy sessions, video analysis and countless one-on-one conversations designed to keep athletes calm under pressure. A coach is often teacher, mentor, psychologist and tactician rolled into one. Their work is measured not just in medals, but in the confidence they inspire and the belief they instil.

PT Usha, President, IOA, said coaches remain one of the strongest pillars of every successful sporting campaign.

“As an athlete, I have always believed that behind every great performance is a great coach. Coaches dedicate years to nurturing talent, building confidence and preparing athletes for the biggest moments of their careers. They may not stand on the podium, but every medal India wins carries the imprint of a coach’s commitment and sacrifice. The Indian Olympic Association deeply values their contribution, and we are committed to providing our athletes with the strongest possible coaching support."

The achievements of India’s weightlifters once again highlighted the importance of this partnership. Coach Vijay Sharma, whose work with Mirabai Chanu Saikhom has been instrumental in India’s rise as a weightlifting powerhouse, is among the country’s most respected high-performance coaches.

Alongside him are assistant coaches and support staff whose tireless work often goes unnoticed but is critical in ensuring athletes remain physically prepared and mentally composed throughout the competition. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

His own campaign derailed by a recurring knee problem, Tejaswin Shankar fought through tears and discomfort to be there for compatriot Sarvesh Kushare, offering him technical advice that proved crucial in securing his men’s high jump silver in the Commonwealth Games here.

Tejaswin had claimed the high jump bronze in the 2022 Birmingham CWG, which was a first ever for India in the sport. On Monday, the 27-year-old felt a sharp pain in his knee during his warm-up and could not continue in the competition after clearing his first attempt.

Despite his own heartbreak, he stayed back at the venue and switched roles to help Kushare, who eventually fetched a silver medal, bettering Tejaswin’s 2022 performance.

Kushare credited Tejaswin’s technical advice for helping him regain his rhythm after a shaky start.

“I wanted to clear the height in my first attempt itself, but during 2.25m my rhythm was affected and my stride became shorter. Then TJ told me to move forward in my run-up, and that helped," Kushare said.

A visibly emotional Tejaswin struggled to compose himself while speaking to reporters after the event.

“I felt a shooting pain in my knee. It happened during my warm-up. It’s nothing new; I have always had tendonitis in my knees," he said.

“I don’t think there is any high jumper who doesn’t have it. That’s why it’s called jumper’s knee. Everyone manages it, and so do I," he said.

Hope to be back for Decathlon

Tejaswin said the timing of the injury was particularly cruel as he had arrived in Glasgow believing he was capable of winning another Commonwealth Games medal.

“But it’s one of those days. You want just one day in a year when you don’t have that pain, but it came on that day only. It really stings. In these conditions, I was really confident I could jump for a win, jump for a medal. I really knew I could win a medal," he rued.

“But to not even get through the first height, it stings because I was in really great shape."

Explaining the injury, he added: “It’s just overuse of the patellar tendon. There is nothing spectacular about it. It just flared up today and ruined my entire competition."

Tejaswin, however, remains hopeful of recovering in time for the decathlon, which begins on Thursday.

“I will come back in two days. We still have two days. I’ll give my best over the next two days and try and fix this. I will obviously start. I’m not here on vacation.

“The patellar tendon is used in high jump and long jump, so if I’m somehow able to get by those two events, I’m still confident the other events will be fine.

Tejaswin is the national record holder in decathlon and has won an Asian Games silver besides two Asian Championships medals in the gruelling discipline.

He is also the first Indian to breach in the 8000 points mark in the 10-event competition which is considered the most demanding in athletics.