Month: August 2023

After their historic sub-3 minute race in the heats of the World Championships, the relay team members Muhammed Anas, Amoj Jacob and Muhammed Ajmal Variyathodi suddenly noticed their anchor leg star missing. Rajesh Ramesh, who ran the race of his life, snapping at the heels of American Justin Robinson to help India break the Asian record, wasnt anywhere to be seen on the team bus they had boarded at Budapest.We didnt even realise for a while that Ramesh hadnt joined us. But when we realised, we rushed back to look for Ramesh. He was being carried off on a stretcher. We asked him if he was okay. He just kept saying lactic, lactic (build-up of acid in the muscles during intense exercise), recalls Amoj.Although it isnt uncommon for professional runners to feel uneasy and cramp up after a high-intensity run the final burst had really taken a toll on the 24-year-old. I vomited for the next one hour. My cramps had hit me so badly that I needed to be taken off on a stretcher. I havent felt anything like this before. It took me two hours to feel okay, says Ramesh.Apart from Neerajs gold, the relay teams back-to-back sub-three-minute races in the heats and finals were one of the highlights of the Budapest Worlds. The relay team had gone into the competition with virtually no expectations. Honestly nobody had any hopes on us. People thought we were here just to participate but we have proved them wrong, says Ramesh.
Even the opponents were impressed by the Indians run. After the race, Netherlands, the Jamaicans came to congratulate us. They told us this is how you run a race, says Ramesh.
Its a redemption of sorts for the relay team, feels chief deputy coach Raj Mohan MK who faced harsh criticism after the teams dismal show in the last edition of the World Championships where the team clocked 3:07.29s to finish 12th in the heats. Apart from Nagthan Pandi who was in for injured Amoj, the rest of the team from the 2019 Eugene Worlds has remained unchanged.
Nalla kazhvi uthananga (People gave us an earful) especially on social media. While returning from Eugene we were trying to hide our faces at the airport. Random people, whom we had never met before, started giving us running tips. From there to here, its been quite a journey, says Ramesh.
For coach Raj Mohan too, Budapest has come as a balm. Mohan has been part of the national camp since 2015 and has seen the boys go through some really rough patches. We have been working really hard for this. Nobody believed that Indians could go below 3 minutes and we did it twice. In the finals we were actually going for the medal, says Mohan.
In the now-famous heats, Muhammed Anas started with the fastest first lap split of 45.27 seconds, before Jacob ran 44.68 for the second. India’s third lap from Muhammed Ajmal would be a scorching 44.17, the fastest amongst all runners in that heat, as he gave the American Christopher Bailey a run for his money. Then on the anchor, Rajesh Ramesh’s 44.93 seriously troubled Robinson.
Rajesh Ramesh, of India, center, celebrates after anchoring his team to place second in a Men’s 4×400-meters relay heat during the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023. AP/PTI(AP08_27_2023_000010A)“Since 2016, we were expected to run 2:59 but it never happened. It happened today, Anas had told reporters after the heats. They would continue in the same vein in the final. Anas’ brother is the talented long jumper Muhammed Anees who finished fifth at the Commonwealth Games at Birmingham. Ajmal, a 100m convert to the one-lapper, also from Palakkad, brought his sprinting chops to the third lap of an eye-popping 44.17 seconds.
Emotions were high in the team room after Saturdays race as long sweaty hugs were exchanged before foreign coach Jason Dawson gave the boys a nice pep talk. He said we will do well at the Asian Games. I think he almost forgot there was a final to run. Raj Mohan sir was weeping. It was a surreal feeling, said Amoj.
Still a final to run
But Amoj and co knew this wasnt the time to savour their feat as they had the all-important final a day later. Unlike the rest of their opponents, they did not have the luxury of adding fresh legs for the finals – the Americans swapped two runners. We were all dead. Back in the hotel room, all we did was hydrate ourselves. We tried sleeping but it was so hard with the adrenaline rush, says Amoj.
The phones were kept on silent, after taking a quick peep at the Instagram notifications though. I have never seen my phone buzz so often. After seeing a few posts we decided to put our phones aside as the messages just kept coming in. A lot of celebrities congratulated us but we did not have the time to even respond. We had no clue that our race video had gone so viral. At that time our mind was on the finals alone, says Rajesh who almost quit athletics in 2020 to work full-time as a ticket collector with the Indian Railways.
Rajesh Ramesh worked as a ticket checker at Trichy, Tamil Nadu railway station for almost a year in 2018. Today he ran the anchor leg for India’s 4×400 team which qualified for the World C’ships final with a new Asian record – 2.59.05s @IExpressSportshttps://t.co/ferxO4OMt5pic.twitter.com/cL9lMBGDr2
Andrew (@AndrewAmsan) August 26, 2023
Rajesh was in charge of fining ticketless travellers at the Trichy platform, a duty he admits he wasnt proficient in. He still remembers how seniors would chide him for not issuing enough challans. I would let people go off with a warning. At that point, I would have never imagined that I would run in the World Championships one day. While I worked as TC my only desire was to return to athletics. Had I not done that, Id be still working as TC in Trichy, says Ramesh.
Amoj, who hasnt gone a single season without injuries since 2018, was part of the Tokyo Olympics team that had created a new Asian record which was snatched away by the Japanese in a year. Amoj has had enough experience as a professional athlete to not let the sudden attention go to his head. Today everyone is praising us and then one bad day, the same people will criticise us. It is important to just ignore all the attention we are getting and get back to work. All these things dont matter, says Amoj.
With less than a month before the Hangzhou Asian Games, the Indian team knows they are favourites for gold (Qatar took first spot with 3:00.56s last time). But this is a new team and just Asian-level medals wont quench their thirst. We have broken the 3-minute mental barrier now and the journey has just begun. We have proved that Indians are no longer just participants but contenders at the big stage, says Amoj who promises even more solid timings in the Olympics in Paris next year. Aaap dekhna bas. You just wait and watch!”

Late drama took the centre stage as East Bengal registered a brilliant comeback win over NorthEast United, albeit courtesy of a nail-biting shootout. Carles Cuadrats side are now in the final of Durand Cup 2023, a feat which they have achieved after a long time.
After the game, the East Bengal head coach spoke to the media. Excerpts are below:
Carles Cuadrat had rested a few players and made some changes in the winning combination from the quarter-final. When quipped about the reasons, he replied, Thats very simple. We played three days ago and we have another match in four days. You saw how the players finished the match. It is pre-season. We have already played five very tough official games. We need to put some fresh legs.
Thats the reason we played Juan Pardo. He played 60 minutes before that, and today we gave him 45 minutes. It was an opportunity for him to play a bit more. Same for Souvik (Chakrabarti) as he was suffering a lot after the games, so he needed rest. Im happy all the players are being involved. Everybody have been giving what they have to give to the team. At the end, we got the result. So, Im happy with the team, he added.
Till the 76th minute, East Bengal were down by two goals and a comeback seemed far from possible. But to everyones surprise the Red & Gold Brigade turned the tables and forced a penalty shootout.
Carles Cuadrat said, Football is a game of narrow margins. When we made it 2-1, we changed the system to a 3-5-2 to apply more pressure. We got the last free-kick and we equalised. I have mentioned earlier that we want to be a team difficult to beat. We have played five games till now three narrow-margin wins and two draws.
He outlined the turning point of the game by saying, This was the first time we were trailing. But we showed that we have that never say die attitude. I am happy to see the change in dynamic. We have started to believe in ourselves. Nothing is done. Both the Durand Cup final and the ISL will be complicated. But I can see in the players the belief that they can turn things around. That was the real turning point.
After the team was trailing, it was a must for Carles Cuadrat to organise his team in order to come back into the game.
He started, Ill be honest. This was the best match for us. We played good football in the first half. Saul Crespo and Juan Pardo combined really very well. But in front of us, we had a very good team (NorthEast United). They had won most games and drawn only one (FC Goa) till now. I am disappointed with the first goal. We have to work on defending set-pieces.
He added, In these type of games, when you bring back a goal, it boosts the confidence. After we went 2-0 down, we tried something new the combination of Cleiton Silva and Javier Siverio. Cleiton isnt fully fit. But we took that risk. We finally got the equaliser. Im happy for the experience the players have earned today. Its a learning game for them. We have to rest a bit and prepare for the final.
Picture Courtesy: Emami East Bengal Media Team
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Get ready for an exhilarating clash as the Hubli Tigers (HT) take on the Mysore Warriors (MW) in the highly anticipated Final of the Maharaja T20 Trophy 2023 at the iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. HT holds a 5-2 lead in their clashes against MW, indicating a historical dominance. But MW beat HT by six wickets in the league stage.
Hubli Tigers (HT), led by the experienced Manish Pandey, finished at the top of the points table, showcasing their prowess. In the first semi-final clash against Shivamogga Lions (SL), HT emerged victorious by eight wickets. SL set a target of 150 in their allotted 20 overs, and the Hubli Tigers comfortably achieved the goal, reaching 153/2 in just 14 overs. Their batters dominated the chase, with Mohammed Taha scoring 69 runs and Krishnan Shrijith scoring 61 runs stealing the show.
On the other side, Mysore Warriors (MW), captained by Karun Nair, secured the second spot in the points table. Their second semi-final match against Gulbarga Mystics (GMY) displayed their batting strength. Karun Nair’s spectacular 107 runs and Ravikumar Samarth’s contribution of 80 runs helped MW set an imposing total of 248/2. GMY’s response fell short as they managed 212 runs for the loss of eight wickets in 20 overs.

Dairy brand Amul has paid a heart-warming tribute to Indian athlete, Neeraj Chopra, who recently clinched the gold medal in the Javelin throw event at the World Athletics Championships. The company has always been known for commemorating India’s significant achievements and milestones with its distinctive and quirky doodles, and it did not disappoint this time around, sharing a delightful doodle honouring Neeraj’s historic accomplishment.
The creative doodle features the iconic Amul girl cheering for Neeraj Chopra holding a piece of bread with butter. Adding a playful pun on the sport, the doodle is captioned, “Javelwin!”, merging the words ‘Javelin’ and ‘Win’.
Take a look:
As India revels in the glory of Neeraj’s victory, Amul’s playful tribute captures the national pride wonderfully. Neeraj Chopra’s achievement marks a significant moment in India’s sporting history.
The World Athletics Championship was hosted in Budapest, Hungary. The silver medal in the Javelin event was secured by Arshad Nadeem from Pakistan, while Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic bagged the bronze.

After India concluded their training camp in Alur on Tuesday, head coach Rahul Dravid revealed that KL Rahul, who had picked up a fresh niggle just days before his selection for the Asia Cup, will not be available for the first two matches of the tournament. While India’s step was only a “precautionary measure” with the ODI World Cup coming up next month, the absence of Rahul opens up an array of questions pertaining to India’s playing XI for the Asia Cup as former cricketer Aakash Chopra posed the tough questions to captain Rohit Sharma and coach Dravid.
Aakash Chopra asks an array of questions on India’s likely XI after KL Rahul was ruled out for Pakistan and Nepal matches
Rahul’s avilability would have kept the equation simple – Rohit to open to Shubman Gill, followed by Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer to complete the top four and the wicketkeeper-batter at No.5. That is how they had practiced during the training camp as well in the first couple of days based on match simulation with Rahul doing wicketkeeping drills as well in extensive practice sessions at the KSCA facility.
However, with Rahul missing out, Aakash admits that it “opens up a host of discussion points”. Taking to X moments after Dravid’s revelation, the former India opener asked that with Ishan Kishan as the like-for-like replacement, will he open alongside Rohit and if yes, where will Gill or Kohli bat in the line-up. He also asked whether it could lead to a scenario where Gill will be dropped to make way for someone like Tilak Varma or Suryakumar Yadav to take over middle-order duties.
“KLR unavailable for the first two games. Opens up a host of discussion pointsdoes Ishan open? If yes, where will Shubman bat? Or Rohit-Gill-Ishan bat 1-2-3 and then Kohli bats at 4? Or Rohit-Gill openKohli at 3 and Ishan at 5? Or Gill gets benched and Tilak/SKY bat at 5?” he posted.
What about Sanju Samson?
Speaking earlier on JioCinemas daily show #AAKASHVANI Season 2, Chopra had weighed in on whether someone like a Sanju Samson be considered as well for the playing XI. BCCI chief selector had earlier said last week that Samson has been picked as a travelling reserve keeping Rahul’s injury concern in mind.
If KL Rahul is unavailable, Ishan Kishans placement becomes key. Sanju Samson can also replace him as a travel reserve – I am assuming without Rahul, Sanju Samson can enter the team. Given a No. 5 batter is needed, selection should be based on that specific condition. Samson, a middle-order batsman and keeper, should be the backup. Having batted well in that position, he deserves retention. Knowing the reality as a reserve, Ishan might play, but not in his original slot. While it’s ideal, it’s unlikely. The Indian team values left-right openers, which means Ishan and Rohit, sidelining Gill. And Tilak could be picked over Suryakumar for a left-right combo, which matters up and down the order, plus he gives you a few overs of bowling, he said.

Still four months left for things to turn around, but the happenings in the first eight months has left 2023 a forgettable season for Maria Sakkari. On Monday, the number eight seed suffered a shock round one exit at the US Open as she went down in just 87 minutes losing 4-6, 4-6 against Rebeka Masarova. After the loss, Sakkari was left inconsolable in the post-match conference as he burst into tears before hinting that she might need a break from the sport in a bid to return to a fresh mind.
Maria Sakkari hinted at taking a break after US Open exit
After having reached as many as four finals in 2022, Sakkari showed promises of an even better show in 2023 with the hope of ending her title drought since her maiden haul in 2019. But it turned out to be a horror show for the Greek, especially in Grand Slams.
After a third-round loss to L Zhu in Australian Open, the 28-year-old suffered first-round losses in French Open and Wimbledon, losing to Karolina Muchova and Marta Kostyuk respectively. Her show in Washington last month, in Citi Open, did give her some hope, when she finally broke free from the shackles of an array of semi-final losses, five of which came in 2023, and two at WTA 1000 level. But Sakkari herself was left befuddled at her third-straight round-one loss at a Slam this year and first at the US Open since her second appearance in New York in 2016.
The Greek star, who will end the season with a 2-4 record in majors, broke down in the presser after the loss before admitting that fear of first-round losses in French Open and Wimbledon had been weighing on her mind.
Definitely the two previous defeats played a role, I was very nervous, I don’t know what I’m going to do, I really don’t know, it’s always the same, the world No 8 said as she battled through tears before adding that she might need a break from the sport. Maybe I should take a break, I’m suffering on the court. I can’t make a decision now, it’s hard. I don’t have a clear mind.
Sakkari also admitted that she was so embarrassed at her own performance and what unfolded on the court that she had asked her team to leave. She added: I was ashamed to be seen like that. I was embarrassed, it was also my sister’s birthday. I felt bad, I feel like I’m embarrassing them. They didn’t do anything to me, they were perfect.
It is yet to be seen whether Sakkari returns for the final quarter of the calendar year although she is expected to be part of WTA 1000 event in Guadalajara that begins on September 17. She had reached the final last year, in her only appearance in the event.

NewsHead coach says injuries magnified their middle-order situation greatly
“Experimentation.” It’s a word Rahul Dravid has perhaps read and heard so much that he wasn’t quite in the mood to let it go outside off one more time. Dravid was as measured as he could be, hearing out the question in full, before neatly leaning into his answer that formed the crux of his press conference at the conclusion of India’s six-day conditioning camp in Bengaluru.
“To be very honest with you, this word experimentation gets thrown around a lot without actually sometimes being thought through,” Dravid began. “It’s not that we are trying to sometimes experiment for the sake of experimenting. Sometimes there are specific reasons why you have to do certain things.”
Everyone in the room knew Dravid wasn’t done. In fact, he had barely warmed up.
“Just to give you an example, the No. 4 and 5 spots seem to get discussed and talked about a lot,” he continued. “It gives the impression that we don’t have clarity on who was going to be there, but to be very honest with you, I could have told you 18 or 19 months ago the top two-three candidates we were looking at for the No. 4, 5 slots. It was always going to be Shreyas [Iyer], KL [Rahul] and Rishabh [Pant] for those spots, right?
“If you look back on some of the teams that we picked from 18 months ago, there was no doubt in our minds. Obviously, it’s unfortunate that all three of them ended up with injuries in the space of two months. What are the odds of that happening? And I don’t think we can, nobody can, calculate for that, especially with the limited number of games that we had in one-day cricket.”
Convinced much? Even if you were, there was more to come.
“You’re also focusing on a T20 World Cup, World Test Championship. You are trying to balance all of that out. You are trying to give enough game time to people. And all three of the guys who were sort of pushing for those two spots got injured in the space of three months and they were not small injuries, right? Serious injuries. All three of them have had to go under the knife. So when that happens, then you have to react to that. Then you have got to try to put other people in those positions and see who can do it in case they are not ready for the World Cup or a big event.
“You can’t predict whether they’ll be 100% right or not, right? As we are seeing even now with KL, sometimes you have got to give it a week extra. So in that situation then we did try a few people. We did rotate a few people around, looked at a few people, but it’s good to know that at least two of the three seem to have got to a point where they have recovered and should be available for us.
“But in the meanwhile, when people are not available, you have to try other people and you have to look at other people. So, I think at this point in time, for us, it’s really about just giving game time to people and ensuring that we give them enough opportunities to play in the roles that they’re going to play in the tournament. And that’s always been the endeavour.”
Dravid was then asked if the World Cup will define his coaching legacy. He has been with the team since November 2021. He has seen India falter near the finish line twice. At the T20 World Cup, they ran into a red-hot England in the semi-final. At the WTC final, Australia proved too good. Will Dravid be third-time lucky?
“Oh, I’m not into legacies as a coach or anything like that,” he offered with a smile. “It’s exciting to play a World Cup at home. I must say that it’s going to be really exciting for everyone, for the boys, for the fans. Yeah, there’s going be a certain amount of pressure associated with it, which is most welcome and which I think we all expect, but to also to be able to play in front of your own home crowds, your own fans is going be very special for everyone. We hope we can have a really good tournament. I think we are preparing really well, we are building up really nicely. It is all hopefully coming together nicely with some of the guys coming back from injury just at the right time.”
The one thing Dravid strongly felt, though, was home advantage is unlikely to be a massive factor. It is not going to be “defining” in that sense. Why? The IPL, and rightly so.
“There are some really good teams in this tournament, but I think the whole thing of home advantage, especially in the sub-continent, has reduced to a large extent over the last 10-12 years because, you know, people come and play here so much, especially in tournaments like the IPL, where people come for two months and have been getting used to these conditions.
“So it’s going to be a really close tournament, it’s going to be a tight tournament. We feel confident, we are really excited. As a coach, I’m really looking forward to it as well. But no, I mean, you don’t think about these things as legacy and stuff. That’s not really what I think about. I try to stay in the present, and try to do the job that I can now and not worry about the future.”
Shashank Kishore is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo