Nasheman News :  With the three-match ODI rubber tantalisingly poised at 1-1, the task is cut out for both India and Australia to pull up their socks in the series decider at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) here on Friday.

India bounced back from the 34-run loss in the series opener at Sydney, with another Virat Kohli masterclass century combined with his predecessor Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s vintage finish to pull off a 6-wicket win at Adelaide.

Going into the final ODI, India will be aiming to take the winning momentum and end the ongoing tour Down Under without losing a series.

The Virat Kohli-led side started their tour with a three-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series that ended in a 1-1 draw, followed by a historic first-ever 2-1 Test series win for India on Australian soil.

In the crucial series decider at the MCG, India will once again hope for their in-form top order, comprising Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and skipper Kohli to score the bulk of the runs.

With Dhoni marshalling the less-tested middle-order, and Kedar Jadhav still warming the bench, both Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik will aim to get some runs if they are to stay in contention for a berth in the 2019 World Cup squad.

While the bowling department led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar has impressed in both the games, with pacer Mohammed Shami and the spin duo of chinaman Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja providing good support, India’s main point of concern will be the fifth bowler in the absence of suspended all-rounder Hardik Pandya.

The Men-in-Blue tried left-armer Khaleel Ahmed in the first ODI before handing a debut to Mohammed Siraj in the second, but neither could make an impact.

In that scenario, the team management could be tempted to test all-rounder Vijay Shankar on Friday or may opt for the leggie Yuzvendra Chahal, who has been warming the bench for the first couple of matches.

Meanwhile, the hosts have made two changes to their playing XI on the eve of the decider. Pacer Billy Stanlake replaced Jason Behrendorff, who has been ruled out with back soreness, while off-spinner Nathan Lyon has been dropped to make way for leggie Adam Zampa.

Lyon’s axing from the side comes just two matches after he’d replaced Zampa in the side for the series opener in Sydney. Pacer Kane Richardson has also been called into the squad as a cover.

While the bowlers have done a decent job, Australia will hope for their ODI skipper Aaron Finch to find some form with the willow.

Australia’s top-order batting has mainly revolved around their No.3 and No.4 in Usman Khawaja and Shaun Marsh, with the latter blasting a 123-ball 131 in the second match, albeit for a losing cause.

The middle-order, comprising the likes of Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis have also been among the runs this series, and the hosts will be hoping to put on a 300 plus total to challenge the strong Indian batting.

A victory for Australia at the MCG on Friday would hand them their first series win in almost two years, having won just four of their past 23 One-day Internationals.

Teams:

India: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (Vice Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (WK), Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Vijay Shankar.

Australia: Aaron Finch (Captain), Alex Carey (WK), Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Peter Siddle, Adam Zampa, Billy Stanlake.

Nasheman News :  Former Indian cricket team skipper Sourav Ganguly has defended cricketers Hardik Pandya and K.L. Rahul over their “Koffee With Karan” episode controversy. saying people make mistakes but everyone should move on and ensure it doesn’t happen again.

Ganguly spoke at the trailer launch of the Hindi film “22 Yards”, with the cast members Barun Sobti, Geetika Tyagi and Chaiti Ghoshal and director Mitali Ghoshal here on Wednesday.

Pandya and Rahul were slammed over their sexist comments on “Koffee with Karan”. Despite an apology to fans and their own teammates, Pandya and Rahul were suspended by the BCCI and ousted from a three-match ODI series against Australia in Sydney.

Asked if modern day cricketers should be responsible while giving statements on a public platform as a whole lot of youngsters look up to them, Ganguly said: “I haven’t watched that episode. I watch ‘Comedy Nights with Kapil’. Jokes apart, I feel that you can’t generalise that only modern day cricketers should behave responsibly. People make mistakes. Let’s not get too far into that. 

“I am sure whoever has done it will realise that and come out as a better person. We are all human beings. We are not machines that everything you put in comes out perfect. You have just got to live life and let others live. They are responsible people. They may be role models but they are under pressure all the time to perform. Certain things happen in life and as everyone, we should move on and make sure that it doesn’t happen again.” 

Does he feel modern day cricketers of India aren’t responsible in their behaviour as compared to the past generation of cricketers?

Ganguly said: “I feel modern day cricketers are also responsible, disciplined and obedient. In life, certain things happen and you make some mistakes so, let’s not get too far into that. Look at Virat Kohli, he is such a fantastic role model. India is a fortunate country. Every generation produces players who all of us cherish.”

He said India has produced great cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli over the years.

“There was Sunil Gavaskar and when he retired, people thought who is next, then Sachin Tendulkar came and when Tendulkar retired, people again asked who is next then people saw Virat Kohli. So, we are a very fortunate country in terms of sports and a lot of these cricketers are fantastic human beings because they come from very middle class backgrounds and fight their way up.”

Bollywood has made films on the life of sports personalities like Milkha Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and now Kabir Khan is making a film on the Indian cricket team’s World Cup victory in 1983. 

If a biopic is made on Ganguly’s life, then which actor should play his role?

“It is difficult for me to answer that question because I haven’t thought about a biopic on my life. People should first make a biopic of other sports personalities and if people have an interest in my biopic, then we will see. 

“I really liked the biopic of Milkha Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The film on Sachin Tendulkar was a bit different. Now, I have heard that the film on India’s 1983 World Cup win is being made. I feel that was a great time for Indian cricket, so I am looking forward to see that film. As far as my biopic is concerned, we will wait and see as at the moment I haven’t thought about it.”

Asked if he has been approached by ALTBalaji to make a web series on his life, he said: “Is it Miss Ekta Kapoor’s production house? Because I am not aware of production houses and if yes, then I have spoken to her but nothing more than that.”

“22 Yards” is releasing on February 22. It is a triumphant tale of two individuals, a cricket agent and a young cricketer, overcoming numerous barriers and winning the toughest battle of life against all odds.

Barun Sobti plays the lead role of Ron Sen, while Panchi Bora will essay Sonali in the film, which will introduce Amartya Ray as Shome Ray. Other main cast members include Rajit Kapur, Rajesh Sharma, Chaiti Ghoshal, Geetika Tyagi and Mrinal Mukherjee.

Nasheman News :  Srihari Nataraj emerged as the most prolific gold medal winner, as he added two more on Tuesday, to reach a total of seven at the Khelo India Youth Games.

With S.P. Likith picking up five, the Karnataka duo were the most decorated gold medallists of the Games. Karnataka won a total of 21 swimming gold, 13 silver and 13 bronze for 51, while Delhi had 19 gold, 13 silver and 16 bronze for 48 and Maharashtra 18 gold, 15 silver and 10 bronze.

Yet the distribution was such that Maharashtra in Under-21 and Delhi in Under-17 were the winners of the combined team championships at the Balewadi Complex swimming pool.

In the overall tally, Maharashtra stayed way ahead of the pack with 64 gold, 51 silver and 62 bronze for a total of 177, while Delhi trailed in second place at 47 gold, 31 silver and 43 bronze and a total of 121. Haryana are third with 37 gold, 35 silver and 38 bronze for a total of 110.

Nataraj was a comfortable winner in both 50m backstroke and 100m freestyle. He faced no challenge in winning the 50m backstroke (Boys U-21) in 26.16 seconds with Goa’s Xavier D’Souza (26.74) more than half a second behind him. Haryana’s Vedant Seth (27.14) was third.

Nataraj won his second individual gold of the day in the 100m freestyle clocking 52.37 seconds. He again finished way ahead of D’Souza (53.15) and Maharashtra’s Aaron Fernandes (54.11).

Delhi’s Swadesh Mondal, who started the day with four gold medals already in his bag, added a fifth by winning the 200m breaststroke in the Boys U-17 event in 2:26.91.

On the last day of the competition, Delhi bagged four of the 13 gold at stake while Karnataka and Maharashtra clinched three and two gold, respectively.

In shooting, Punjab’s Patiala-based 16-year-old Sartaj Singh, who travels twice a week to Chandigarh for training, hung on to a slender lead to beat a charge by National Junior Champion Aishwarya Pratap Singh Tomar (Madhya Pradesh) and won the gold medal in the 50m 3-position rifle competition. 

Telangana’s 13-year-old Esha Singh and Maharashtra’s Harshada Nithave won the girls under-17 and under-21 10m air pistol gold medals respectively. Esha Singh was unstoppable in the final, shooting 241.3 points, including 14 10s, despite a niggle in the back, which saw her finish third in qualification.

Harshada Nithave, who won the Asian youth bronze medal in 2015, had also finished third in qualification today but asserted her intention from the start of the under-21 final and won the gold.

Maharashtra’s Snehal Bhongale and Ashwini Malage gave their team two more gold medals as the weightlifting competition came to an end on Tuesday.

Bhongale grabbed the gold in 87kg, while Malage won the Over-87kg, as the host state finished the competition with a total of nine gold medals, with Punjab had five and Tamil Nadu four.

The final day’s other two gold were won by Tamil Nadu and Punjab but in contrasting fashion. B. Mukesh in 109kg won a tight contest, while Punjab’s Tejpal Singh Sandhu won the Over-109kg gold by a massive 20kg margin.

It brought an end to a competition that produced a massive number of records. KIYG 2019 saw a number of records being set across different categories, 26 in the U-21s with woman power ruling this category. Fourteen records were created by girls and 12 by the boys. In the U-17s, boys won the race with 26 records against six by the girls. That brought the total number of records to 58.

Maharashtra won nine gold in weightlifting, while Punjab with five and Tamil Nadu with four were behind them,

Meanwhile, Odisha thwarted Haryana from completing a hockey double as they beat them 4-2 in the Boys Under-21 hockey final of the Khelo India Youth Games in a penalty-shootout at the Mahindra Hockey Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday. Punjab edged Uttar Pradesh also in penalties for bronze.

On Monday, Haryana had beaten Punjab for the Boys Under-17 gold medal.

In a pulsating Under-21 final, Odisha and Haryana were evenly matched and put two goals each past the other in open play, but could not decide the issue, for which penalties were needed.

In football, Punjab staged a fine recovery to down Goa 2-1 to maintain an all-win record, even as both teams made it to the semi-finals from Pool B of the boys U-21 football competition.

The semi-finals will see Maharashtra meet Punjab while Karnataka take on Kerala in Boys Under 17, even as Punjab meet Kerala and Goa clash with Mizoram in Boys Under 21. In Girls Under-17, it will be Odisha v Manipur and Kerala v Jharkhand and in Girls Under-21 Maharashtra meet Tamil Nadu and Mizoram take on Manipur.

Nasheman News : Mahendra Singh Dhoni silenced his critics with a brisk unbeaten half-century while skipper Virat Kohli scored a century as India clinched a series levelling six-wicket win in the second ODI against Australia here on Tuesday.

The former captain showed glimpses of his trademark ability to pull off difficult run chases with a 54-ball 55.

Dhoni has now notched up half-centuries in contrasting style in two back-to-back matches. 

Although the 96-ball 51 in the first One-Day International (ODI) came in difficult circumstances, it was slammed by critics who claimed that the 37-year-old is now over hill.

But Tuesday’s innings have surely silenced all the questioned and strengthened Dhoni’s claim for a spot in the World Cup squad.

Chasing a competitive 299 for victory, the tourists suffered an early jolt when Shikhar Dhawan was dismissed in the eighth over.

But a collective batting effort from the top order, and a 82-run fourth wicket stand between Kohli and Dhoni ensured the team’s win with four balls to spare.

Coming in to bat after the fall of Shikhar Dhawan in the eighth over, Kohli anchored the Indian innings with 104 runs off 112 balls.

After the skipper was dismissed in the 44th over, Dhoni produced his trademark finish to keep India in the hunt for the series.

Medium-pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar also starred in India’s win by picking up four wickets, while Mohammed Shami contributed well with three scalps. 

Apart from Kohli and former skipper Dhoni, opener Rohit Sharma (42), Shikhar Dhawan (32) and Dinesh Karthik (25 not out) made valuable contributions.

India started its innings safely as Rohit and Dhawan took their side near the 50-run mark before Jason Behrendorff drew first blood for Australia, dismissing the latter with the score reading 47/1.

Incoming batsman Kohli then joined the opener and the duo took their side past the three-digit mark in 17.4 overs before Rohit fell in the next delivery by Marcus Stoinis. Rohit’s top edge was taken safely by Peter Handscomb at deep forward square.

Ambati Rayudu then ably supported his skipper, chipping in with 24 runs before falling in the 31st over and forging a 59-run partnership for the third wicket as India were still 139 runs away from victory.

Kohli was then joined by Dhoni and their crucial 82-run partnership drew India closer to a victory. Enroute, Kohli also notched up his ton off 107 balls. However, the Indian run-machine failed to carry India through the finishing line as Jason Behrendorff sent him back in the 44th over with India’s score reading 242/4.

Dhoni however continued marshalling the forces along with Karthik to help India cross the line with four balls to spare.

For Australia, Behrendorff, Richardson, Stoinis and Maxwell picked up a wicket each.

Earlier, the hosts rode on a laborious century from Shaun Marsh in energy sapping conditions to post a competitive total.

Marsh, who struck 11 fours and 3 sixes in his 123-ball 131, was instrumental in rebuilding the Aussie innings that saw him sharing half-century stands with Usman Khawaja (56 for the third wicket), Peter Handscomb (52 for the fourth), Marcus Stoinis (55 for the fifth) and Glenn Maxwell (94 for the sixth). 

Electing to bat, Australia’s start went off-track after both the openers — Aaron Finch (6) and Alex Carey (18) departed in successive overs bringing Marsh and Khawaja (21) together.

However, Ravindra Jadeja’s brilliance on the field cut short Khawaja’s stay.

New man Handscomb, then joined Marsh to add another vital 52 runs before being undone by Dhoni, who stumped the right-hander for 20 from 22 balls off Jadeja.

All-rounder Stoinis (29) was then promoted ahead of the swashbuckling Maxwell and the former responded in style with a flashy 36-ball 29 before getting a bottom edge while attempting to pull a short ball from Mohammed Shami.

Maxwell blasted his way to a 37-ball 48, laced with five boundaries and a six and went on to almost take the game away from the Indians with his 94-run stand with Marsh, who also started pressing the accelerator after reaching the three-figure mark.

Comfortably placed at 283/5 by the 47th over, India’s death over specialist Bhuvneshwar Kumar then produced a magical spell that saw the Aussies lose four wickets in a span of just four runs.

Bhuvneshwar brought India back with the wickets of Maxwell and Marsh in three deliveries before Mohammed Shami also struck with the wicket of Richardson (2).

Bhuvneshwar then packed off tailender Peter Siddle for a duck even as Nathan Lyon struck a four and a six in the final over to take the total to 298/9.

Besides the excellent run out of Khawaja, left-arm spinner Jadeja also picked up one wicket even as Mohammed Siraj had a forgettable debut leaking 76 runs off his 10 overs.

Brief scores: 

Australia 298/9 (Shaun Marsh 131, Glenn Maxwell 48; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 4/45, Mohammed Shami 3/58) lose to India 299/4 in 49.2 overs (Virat Kohli 104, MS Dhoni 55 not out; Glenn Maxwell 1/16) by six wickets.

Nasheman News: It is business as usual for Chennai boy D.Gukesh despite becoming the World’s second and India’s youngest chess Grand Master (GM) on Tuesday.

“Yes, I am happy. My goal for 2019 is to increase my rating to 2,650 from the current rating of 2,510,” Gukesh, studying in Class 7 in Velammal Vidyalaya school here told IANS over phone in a matter-of-fact tone.

With a score of seven points out of nine rounds in the tournament, Gukesh was busy preparing for the next round in a hotel room near the New Delhi railway station.

“My favourite chess players are late Bobby Fischer and V. Anand. My favourite opening while playing white is Reti opening,” Gukesh said.

But his doctor parents – D. Rajinikanth and J. Padma Kumari – were very happy and relieved of tension.

“I didn’t sleep yesterday (Monday) night. Gukesh had missed the GM norm narrowly earlier,” Rajinikanth told IANS.

“I was very tense about his getting the GM norm in the morning. But Gukesh was not much perturbed,” Padma Kumari told IANS.

The world’s youngest chess GM record is held by Sergey Karjakin of Ukraine, who won the coveted title at 12 years and seven months.

“He will next play in the Gibraltar Masters later this month and it will be followed by Aeroflot Open Chess tournament in Moscow,” Padma Kumari said about the path forward towards Gukesh’s rating goal.

For the doctor couple, life was tough ever since Gukesh started to make his mark in the chess circuit.

“He plays in all the GM tournaments held in India and also in Atournaments overseas. But playing in overseas tournaments is a very costly affair. We had even sold a piece of land to fund his chess pursuits,” Rajinikanth said.

Queried about sponsors he said: “City based company Microsense is a sponsor. Similarly Velammal Vidyalaya’s Correspondent M.V.M. Velmohan had also supported while ONGC gave him a scholarship.”

Praising his wife Padma Kumari, working in a government hospital, for carrying on the family burden while he and Gukesh were on tour, Rajinikanth said during the initial days of overseas travel they used to stay in a comfortable hotel.

“Now we look at cost effective options like sharing,” he added.

“Gukesh is a calm boy. He is more of a positional player who calculates lot and has a very high strategic sense,” GM Vishnu Prasanna, the coach of India’s latest chess sensation told IANS.

“Gukesh has patience and interest in chess, which are most important qualities. He has a good attitude and handles a loss in a matured manner,” Prasanna said.

According to him, Gukesha’s focus could be on World Juniors and also play in the open tournaments.

“Indian players (barring GM V. Anand) reach a stagnation level on touching a rating of 2,650. One has to see how Gukesh crosses that barrier. Further there are about 10 players in India in the 10-14 age band with a rating similar to Gukesh. The challenge begins now,a Prasanna added.

Be that as it may, Rajinikanth said Gukesh breathes and eats chess and spends several hours before a computer reading and analysing games.

“Before a game Gukesh listens to spiritual music. He is trained by C. Krishna Prasad a mind trainer for sportsmen,a Rajinikanth added.

Nasheman News : All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Praful Patel thanked outgoing coach Stephen Constantine for his contribution to the national team.

Constantine, who had taken over as the head coach of the senior men’s national team in February 2015, announced his decision step down after India bowed out of the AFC Asian Cup 2019 on Monday.

Constantine’s contract with AIFF ran till January 31.

“It’s been a wonderful journey. We have travelled a long distance together, and the world has seen it all. I would like to wish Stephen all the very best for the future, and thank him for all his efforts and contribution towards Indian football,” Patel said in a statement.

At the Asian Cup, India notched up four points to finish at the bottom of Group A which also included hosts UAE, Thailand and Bahrain. 

India had a splendid start to the tournament with a 4-1 trouncing of Thailand. But they went down 0-2 to UAE 0-2 and 0-1 to Bahrain in the next two games to bow out.

[Nasheman news] Sharjah India lost 0-1 to Bahrain in their last Group A match to crash out of the Asian Cup football tournament here on Monday.

Jamal Rashed (90+1) converted a penalty in second half added time as Bahrain managed to break India’s dogged defence after 90 minutes of grim battle.

India finished at the bottom of the group with three points from as many matches.

With hosts United Arab Emirates being held 1-1 by Thailand in the other Group A match of the night, both teams entered the next stage.

The UAE finished the group stage with five points, while Thailand and Bahrain ma naged four points each.

 Nasheman News : Saudi Arabia’s national soccer team on Saturday qualified for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, having earned a 2-0 victory over Lebanon in their Group E second-round match at Al Maktoum Stadium in the United Arab Emirates city of Dubai.

Forward Fahad Al Muwallad and midfielder Hussain Almoqahwi scored for Saudi Arabia, leading the three-time AFC champion to the Asian Cup round of 16 for the seventh time in history, reports Efe.

Al Muwallad opened the scoring for Saudi Arabia just 12 minutes into the game with a right-footed shot from the right side of the box, sending the ball to the high center of the goal.

After the break, Almoqahwi doubled the Saudi lead seven minutes after the hour-mark with a close-range right-footed shot, seizing on a cross by teammate Hatan Bahbri.

Iran and Iraq have secured their last-16 round places as well, after defeating Vietnam (2-0) and Yemen (3-0) in Group D contests earlier in the day.

Nasheman News : Shubman Gill, the 2018 U-19 World Cup hero, earned his maiden India call while all-rounder Vijay Shankar was recalled to replace the suspended duo of K.L. Rahul and Hardik Pandya.

While Shankar will join the team before the start of the second One Day International (ODI) in Adelaide and will be a part of the squad for the ODI series in Australia and the tour to New Zealand, Gill has been picked only for the ODI and T20I series in New Zealand.

“With K.L. Rahul and Hardik Pandya set to return from Australia, the All-India Senior Selection Committee has decided to send all-rounder Vijay Shankar and batsman Shubman Gill as replacements,” a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) statement said late on Saturday.

The BCCI had earlier suspended and sent Rahul and Pandya back home from Australia after their alleged “sexist” comments in a television chat show.

On Saturday, India went down by 34 runs in the first of the three ODIs against Australia.

The second and third ODIs will be played on Tuesday and Friday at Adelaide and Melbourne, respectively.

Nasheman News :  Former champion Maria Sharapova began her 15th Australian Open with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Harriet Dart in 63 minutes here on Monday.

The No. 30 seed, who has been struggling since her return from a doping ban in 2017, was her ruthless self and powered her game with drive volleys, drop shots and lobs, opening the 2019 Grand Slam season at the Rod Laver Arena, reports Efe news.

The 22-year-old Briton Dart, who described Sharapova as her idol before the match, is 101 places behind her in the rankings and was playing in just her second Grand Slam main draw.

Sharapova had the 2-0 break within seven minutes, and shrugged off a detention for three deuces in the fifth game, and a time violation to hold for 5-0.

Dart got one breakpoint on her serve in the eighth game but Sharapova stormed back soon after.

“It’s been many years since I won the trophy here,” Sharapova said after the match, according to the event’s official website.

“Despite my opponent not having the best day, I still had to get the job done today. I love what I do, I love competing and challenging myself to get better. The youngsters are coming up – but not yet,” she added.

Sharapova will next play against Swede Rebecca Peterson, who beat Sorana Cirstea 6-4, 6-1.