
I love India: Brett Lee reacts to India-Pakistan champions clash cancellation
"That is a tough quesion. But the thing I'll say right is, I love India, I love Pakistan. So I hope that they can get to a discretion where they can appreciate themselves. But most importantly, we are here on a tournament. So Australia versus India versus South Africa. We are all inclusive. So what happened last night is what happened. We pushed for it," Lee, who is representing Australia Champions, told reporters in a press conference.The WCL, in its official statement, revealed that the India-Pakistan fixture was planned with the intention of fostering goodwill-drawing inspiration from a recent volleyball match between the two nations. However, the move drew backlash, particularly from the Indian contingent, prompting the organisers to cancel the match. The WCL also issued an apology for any distress or discomfort the announcement may have caused, admitting it may have misjudged the emotional climate.India Champions skipper Shikhar Dhawan later clarified that the decision not to play Pakistan had been communicated to the organisers well in advance. Sharing an email dated 11 May, Dhawan reiterated his stance in a post on X:"Jo kadam 11 May ko liya, uspe aaj bhi waise hi khada hoon. Mera desh mere liye sab kuch hai, aur desh se badhkar kuch nahi hota."(I stand by the decision I took on 11 May. My country means everything to me, and nothing is more important than the nation.)India Champions, who lifted the WCL title last year, had beaten Pakistan in the final with a commanding five-wicket victory. Chasing 157, the Indian side delivered a powerful batting performance to seal the win and lift the trophy.- Ends
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Indian Express
21 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Unnati Hooda, 17, defeats PV Sindhu at China Open 2025 in 73-minute marathon
Meticulous Sindhu-centric tactical preparation, defensive solidity and some clean, gutsy stroke hitting saw 17-year-old Unnati Hooda land the first blow on PV Sindhu, the 21-16, 19-21, 21-13 win coming in front of a gleaning Changzhou crowd, watching the earth shift slightly in Indian badminton, at China Open. The Haryana teenager, trained by her father and a bunch of sparring mates at Rohtak, has been considered a special talent since she was 14. There was always a stubbornness and abrasion to her game, where she feared no reputation, knew she had the strokes and power and pace to trouble big names, and never lacked self-belief. But it would need more than self-assured poise to get past Sindhu, even while she struggles to go deep into tournaments and is severely impeded in her speed, if not power. Hooda had come prepared – she had been preparing for months, in fact, after being blasted by a big rattling Sindhu game at Syed Modi last Lucknow winter. They were ranked No 35 and No 15 respectively. She knew the big smash would always loom and she needed to absorb that pressure, but she had plans to deny Sindhu any elevation to belt down her hits and keep her busy, head dragged down in retrieval, on the front court. This she did by severely testing Sindhu's lunge. Her height gives her the expansive attack, and even the reach to get to the front court. But the low lunge has always tested Sindhu, and Hooda kept peppering the forehand spots with pinpoint drops – some from huge imbalanced positions. Hooda set the tone early, and, never allowed Sindhu to snatch the lead in the opening set. A clean striker with the racquet, Hooda also has some pretty nifty footwork and anticipation. Her game pace might get tested, starting Akane Yamaguchi on Friday in the quarters, but against Sindhu, her gameplan was watertight. She didn't bother getting intimidated by Sindhu's reach, knowing that even if she retrieved 20 shots, she could fox her on the 21st. So she eschewed errors on the lines, took the uncertainty of minimal court drift, precision mistakes out of the equation. With a good 45 day training block, Hooda's fitness was optimum, and she came prepared for long rallies even as she claimed the opener 21-16, with a clean break from 13-13. Undaunted, her personality always has been, and those around the Indian team talk of her self-assurance when she was unfazed by Sindhu's reputation even when she made the Uber Cup squad at 14. There's no needle as such, but Hooda did hurry her serves (or simple serve the soonest) and twice found Sindhu nor quite ready to receive. Having broken the age old rule of no coaches when two Indians play, the duo also got on with setting down a clear rivalry, where they would use every help available to beat the other – in this case, lines idea coaches. It's always been tricky for Sindhu when she plays Indians – though her last loss came to Ruthvika Gadde years ago, though Saina Nehwal has beaten her in some important finals. Here was another fearless opponent, and it took two enormous cross court smashes for Sindhu to break the second set 19-19 deadlock. Except, the smash is always her last throw of the dice, and the headaches were mounting. Sindhu trailed 11-14, levelled at 15-15 and went on to push a decider, but it was at 13-13 in the second that Hooda made her point. After the rushing serve, the immediate point thereafter was one of the longest, blistering paced rallies played by Indians on the circuit in many years, and Hooda drew the best out of Sindhu even, like Nozomi Okuhara used to. Hooda used a variety of drops and tosses, at a fast clip, to harry Sindhu, and leave her panting. More nuanced was the body attack. Sindhu's body defense, owing to her frame has always been tentative, but Hooda didn't quite smash into her torso, simply looped the shuttle at awkward lengths forcing Sindhu to thwack it out of the court in an untidy parry. Most youngsters would be deflated at coming up to 19-all amd being denied the match in straight sets. Hooda though came to fight. In the decider, prepared for the decider crucially, she opened up the court cerebrally. Her ability to play set-up points leading up to a winnervor drawing out an error is rather impressive. She could lull Sindhu into thinking she had a chance, could push her to corners, trigger really awkward positions from which Sindhu struggled to recover for the next return. And then she brought out her own smash. It's not a power bazooka, but it's more than strictly workable. She puts a lot of shoulder on it, and two down the lines stunned Sindhu a little, as Hooda opened up a 15-10 lead. Continuously chasing, with Hooda calmly inscrutable in front of her, Sindhu couldn't quite take control of any rallies, besides going for the smashes. Hooda's own scramble defense is not too shabby – not on her body, not on the lines. And she simply threw herself at the shuttle, and even if she didn't retrieve half a dozen smashes, she bought herself time and breath with elaborate mopping of the court. It was pretty evident when Sindhu went for the lines and sent one wide, trying to keep the shuttle away from Hooda that she wasn't entirely comfortable. Two errors from over hitting brought Hooda to the threshold. And the win was sealed with an expansive cross court smash – that would make PV Sindhu very proud of her. Upkaar Hooda, Unnati's father, would say immediately after the match that they had skipped lunch preparing for the big match. The hunger to succeed, those in her team say, is quite insatiable. Beating PV Sindhu will be seen as only a start of a career – an appetizer.


Indian Express
21 minutes ago
- Indian Express
India vs England 4th Test: N Jagadeesan called up after Rishabh Pant's injury at Old Trafford
With Rishabh Pant ruled out of the fifth Test against England and Ishan Kishan too nursing an injury, selectors have handed a maiden national call-up to Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper N Jagadeesan. The 29-year-old was informed by the selectors on Thursday afternoon to join the squad in England, and Jagadeesan now awaits the required visa to join the team at the earliest. When Pant was ruled out, Ishan was seen as the possible replacement, as he was even part of the County fixtures recently. But Ishan informed the selectors that he has an ankle injury and won't be able to recover in time or gain full match fitness. While KS Bharat was seen as an alternate option, it is understood that the selectors were not keen on going back to him after the Andhra wicketkeeper failed to grab his chances during the home Test series against England. As a result, Jagadeesan, who is next in line, has been added to the squad. The 29-year-old has been part of the India A set up in recent times. In 52 first-class matches, he has scored 10 centuries and 14 fifties at an average of 47.50 for a tally of 3373 runs. Primarily an opener, Jagadeesan has been among the consistent performers for Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy and has a triple century to his name. Last season, with Pant still recovering, Jagadeesan was made part of the fringes of the Indian set-up with chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar flying to Chennai to watch him in a Ranji fixture against Karnataka. Apart from being an aggressive batsman, Jagadeesan is impressive behind the stumps as well. Earlier in the day, BCCI confirmed in a statement that Pant wouldn't keep wickets in Manchester. 'Rishabh Pant, who sustained an injury to his right foot on Day 1 of the Manchester Test, will not be performing wicket-keeping duties for the remainder of the match. Dhruv Jurel will assume the role of wicket-keeper. Despite his injury, Rishabh Pant has joined the team on Day 2 and will be available to bat as per team requirements,' the Board said. Pant did come out to bat to a standing ovation at Old Trafford after the fall of Shardul Thakur's wicket late in the first session. At Lord's, Pant had suffered a hand injury and Dhruv Jurel kept wickets. It is likely that Jurel will be the first-choice wicketkeeper to replace Pant in the final Test that will be played at The Oval in London, having been part of the squad since the Tour games.


Hans India
21 minutes ago
- Hans India
Young goalkeeper Samiksha Saxena aspires to soar under veteran Savita and coach Harendra Singh's guidance
New Delhi: Young goalkeeper Samiksha Saxena is dreaming big, hoping to cement a permanent spot in the Indian senior women's hockey team and win titles and medals. She is basing her dreams on the guidance provided by veteran goalkeeper and former India captain Savita Punia and coach Harendra Singh. Samiksha is currently part of the 40-member core probables group that has gathered for the ongoing Senior Women's National Coaching Camp at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centre in Bengaluru, preparing for the upcoming Women's Asia Cup 2025. The 22-year-old earned her call-up to the camp after strong performances in the Senior Women's National Championships for Assam earlier this year. She is now focused on taking the next big step in her career. Talking about her experience in the national camp so far, she said, 'It's going very well. The environment and the coaches' behaviour are excellent, and I have improved a lot in a short time. I have never experienced anything like this before.' 'I used to watch the senior players on TV and get inspired by them, but now training with them has been a wonderful experience. Currently, I am working on my movements and reflexes. I am also training to be more decisive in my goal, as I carry a huge responsibility for my team,' she added. Samiksha now has the opportunity to train under veteran Indian goalkeeper Savita, who has been a major inspiration for her over the years. Speaking about her interactions with Savita, Samiksha said, 'I am very comfortable with her. If I have a question or a doubt, I go to her, and even when she notices something off during practice, she corrects me and teaches me every little thing.' This is also the first time Samiksha is working under the Indian women's team's chief coach, Harendra Singh. 'He (Harendra Singh) is very fun to work with and explains everything very well. He repeats his instructions in both English and Hindi to ensure we understand clearly. I am excited to continue developing my game under his guidance,' she said. Samiksha hails from Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, and grew up with her grandmother, parents, two sisters, and a younger brother. Her father is a social worker, while her mother used to work at an Anganwadi (rural child-care centre). She began playing hockey on local grounds at the grassroots level while still in school, initially as a field player. At 19, she was selected for the SAI Centre in Bhopal, where her coach advised her to switch to goalkeeping. 'He told me I had good height and reflexes and would do well as a goalkeeper, so I made the switch,' Samiksha explained. She first represented SAI in the Junior Academy Nationals, then played in the Khelo India University Games 2023–24 for ITM University, Gwalior, where she completed her degree in Physical Education. Samiksha has played in two Senior Women National Championships — in 2024 for the Hockey Association of Bihar and this year for Assam Hockey. Her strong performances in Division B helped her earn a spot in the national camp. Samiksha was at the SAI Centre in Bhopal when she received the news of her selection. 'When I found out, I called my mother first, and she started crying. Initially, my parents wanted me to focus more on studies than on hockey, but as I grew older, they began supporting me wholeheartedly and are now very proud of my achievements.' Speaking about her future goals, Samiksha said, 'It's been a long and challenging journey so far, but my dream is to go even further — to represent India on the international stage. I want to make my country proud and bring home medals for the nation,' she concluded.