What Virat Kohli Has To Say About Pakistan Bowlers Ahead Of Asia Cup Clash

The time for an India vs Pakistan battle in the Asia Cup has arrived, with the two Asian giants set to square-off in the group stage of the tournament. More often than not, the event is dubbed as a contest between Pakistan's bowling and India's batting. Just like the cricketing universe, even India's batting talisman Virat Kohli is in awe of Pakistan's bowling attack. He Kohli feels one has to be at his absolute best to face a high-quality bowling attack like Pakistan's. The Indians have won their last three ODIs against Pakistan but the last one was played during the 2019 World Cup.

“I feel bowling is their strength. And they've got some really impactful bowlers that can change the course of the game anytime based on their skill set. So, you have to be at your absolute best to face them,” he told Star Sports ahead of the start of India's Asia Cup campaign.

Kohli has been in decent form in ODIs lately, having scripted 554 runs in 13 matches in the format since last December at a commendable average of 50.36. Talking about his approach lately, Kohli said, “I only try to understand how I can better my game. Every day, every practice session, every year, every season, this is what has helped me play this well for so long and to perform for my team.

"I don't think you can perform consistently without that mindset because if your performance is your only goal, then you can be satisfied and stop working hard. There is no limit to it.

"There is no set achievement that if you reach a certain stage, you've reached excellence. I think I strive for betterment every day, so that is a better word to use, and yes, performance obviously becomes a by-product because your mindset is ‘How do I make my team win from this position?'"

With PTI inputs

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Neeraj Chopra Finishes Second In Zurich Diamond League With 85.71m Throw

Neeraj Chopra completed a brilliant recovery to finish second at the Zurich Diamond League men's javelin throw event on Friday. The reigning world champion started with a 80.79m throw before two false throws in his next two attempts put him in fifth position. However, in his fourth attempt, Neeraj came back strong with a 85.22m throw. Another false throw followed but with a 85.77m throw in his sixth and final attempt, he came agonisingly close to grabbing the top spot but he ended up narrowly missing out.

Czech Republic's Jakub Vadlejch, who finished third at the World Athletics Championships. took the top position with 88.86m while Julian Weber finished third with a best throw of 85.04m. 

Meanwhile, India's Murali Sreeshankar finished fifth in men's long jump with his best attempt of 7.99m. It was his first attempt in the event that turned to be his best and he was in contention for a Top 3 finish for quite some time. However, he was able to qualify for the Diamond League final.

Earlier, Neeraj became the first Indian athlete in history to win a World Athletics Championships gold medal. The Tokyo Olympics gold medallist added a World Championship gold to his name with an attempt of 88.17m in the men's javelin final.

He faced tough challenge from Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, who threw 87.82m to finish second. However, Neeraj was able to top the table in his second attempt and maintain his lead in the event.

Chopra also has an Asian Games gold medal, a Commonwealth Games gold, a Diamond League title, an Asian Championships gold and an U-20 world title.

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'Stick To Cricket You've Been Playing': Kallis' Advice For South Africa

South African cricketing legend Jacques Kallis remarked that the Proteas players should stick to their roles during the ICC Cricket World Cup in India and continue the manner in which they have been playing, pointing that past unsuccessful campaigns were because the players "wanted it too much" and "went outside their roles" because of it. South African legends Kallis and Faf du Plessis have shared their thoughts on how the Proteas could fare at the upcoming ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.

South Africa heads into the marquee tournament in India with a nice blend of youth and experience to pick from. They have never ever won a major ICC World Championship despite featuring some of cricket's most exciting and talented stars in their squad over the years.

When the selectors gather to pick their squad for the World Cup, they will have exciting young talents in Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs and Gerald Coetzee to pick from alongside seasoned campaigners like Quinton de Kock, Kagiso Rabada, Temba Bavuma and David Miller.

As good as the squad will be, the legendary all-rounder Kallis, speaking exclusively to the ICC, said the key for South Africa would be to stay true to their brand of cricket.

"The one thing that needs to change for South Africa to be successful in a Cricket World Cup is to carry on playing the cricket that we've played going into the World Cup," he said as quoted by ICC.

"We have a history of playing good cricket leading into the World Cup. For some reason, things change. Maybe we want it too much. I think players wanted too much and you have gone outside of the area you need to be doing. Maybe going outside of their roles because they wanted too much," he added.

Kallis had a valuable piece of advice for the current crop of players: "Stick to your roles. Trust the partner next to you. And just play the cricket you have been playing."

Kallis believes South Africa's traditional strength - their pace attack - will once again be key for their hopes.

"South Africa's strength to me is going to be in our bowling attack. We have got some quality pace bowlers that can blow away the opposition's top-order. And I think they are going to play a major role if South Africa are going to get far, if we do get far (in the tournament)," he said.

Kallis' optimism was matched by former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis.

"South Africa's white-ball team is in a strong place. They have got some real experience going into that World Cup," he added.

Du Plessis, however, did warn that adapting to the conditions in the sub-continent would be the biggest challenge for Temba Bavuma's men.

"The challenge for all teams that are not from the subcontinent is obviously always the challenge of going to the subcontinent," he said.

"Especially 50-over cricket. I find with T20 cricket, the surfaces are a bit more even. And you get some really good pitches. With 50-over cricket, you can get that wear and tear and the spinners really come into their own."

Du Plessis however added that the home team, India, and serial winners Australia would be the teams to beat.

"I think South Africa has got a really good side. It will be hard to get past a team like India in home conditions. The other team you can never write off is Australia, with them being so successful in ICC events," he concluded.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Asia Cup: Full House At Hotels And Kandy Stadium Ahead Of Ind-Pak Clash

There is a lot of excitement among cricket fans, especially the Indians, for the upcoming clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan in Asia Cup 2023, but there is a lot of struggle involved for a lot of these die-hard supporters of Men in Blue as tickets are sold out, so are the hotels and accommodation in Kandy, Sri Lanka, where the match is taking place. India and Pakistan will clash in their highly-anticipated Asia Cup 2023 match on Saturday at Kandy. The MD of a hotel told ANI that all the rooms are full and they are still receiving inquiries from fans.

"We are happy that cricket is back here. We are getting ready for the match between India and Pakistan. We are still receiving inquiries and started receiving them a month back. Now, we are fully packed. It is an amazing experience to see this after a long while, after the economic crisis and COVID-19," said the MD to ANI.

She said that the hotel is preparing really well to make the experience of their customers a great one.

"We are ready to give them the Indian-style food, just the way they asked us," she said.

Another hotel owner told ANI, "This Asia Cup is a good opportunity for the hotels. During the COVID-19, we faced a lot of losses. But now, our rooms are fully booked and packed. We are still receiving inquiries from people, but unfortunately, we do not have rooms for them. We are giving people discounts on food and liquor. This all is good for our country after the economic crisis and COVID."

Fans are extremely disappointed to miss out on catching the India-Pakistan match live as tickets are sold out.

A fan told ANI. "I just came here to watch the India-Pakistan match from Colombo. But all tickets are sold out. It is really unfortunate, but I have booked tickets for the Sri Lanka-Bangladesh match and I will watch it. All hotels and accommodation are also full. I really wanted to see Virat Kohli, Babar Azam and Pakistan pace attack."

Another fan from Canada also missed out on the match due to tickets selling out.

"I came from Canada to watch India versus Pakistan. Tickets are sold out. They are expensive too. Wanted to watch Virat Kohli and Team India. Accommodation is expensive, all hotels are booked, could not find anything," he said.

Pakistan, India and Nepal are in Group A while Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka are in Group B. The tournament will follow a hybrid model with Pakistan hosting four matches across two venues and Sri Lanka hosting the remaining games. The six group-stage matches will be followed by the Super Fours beginning September 6.

The final will be played by the top two teams at the end of the Super Fours on September 17 in Colombo.

Indian Squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Haris, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir (travelling reserve).

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"No Sense At All": PCB Blasted By Pak Greats For No Host Name On Jerseys

Pakistan Cricket Board is facing strong criticism from fans and a few former players over the omission of country's name on the official Asia Cup logo on participating teams' jerseys. Former captain Rashid Latif was among those who lashed out at the board soon after the Pakistan team took the field against Nepal in the opening match of the Asia Cup in Multan on Wednesday. Though Asia Cup is jointly staged by Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the former is the host of the tournament. “This is unacceptable and it is the Asian Cricket Council which must explain this oversight since the Asia Cup is their property,” he said. Since the hue and cry, PCB unofficially has tried to play down the situation by saying that the ACC had taken a decision after last year's Asia Cup that the host country's name would not be given with the Asia Cup logo in future events.

But most Pakistani cricket fans on social media are not willing to accept this explanation. Some have even questioned that even if the ACC had taken such a decision, why did the PCB agree to it since Pakistan was hosting a multi-team event after 15-years.

“Makes no sense at all. Then why has the ACC given the host country's name on the logos for their Asian Emerging Nations Cup or their Asian under-16 event held in July in Malaysia,” former Test batsman Mohsin Khan questioned.

Mohsin Khan said the ACC should clear the confusion.

Another former player who didn't want to be named believes that Jay Shah, the President of the ACC and secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), was the reason for Pakistan not being acknowledged as the host nation on the official logo.

“Given the current scenario between the two countries perhaps the BCCI official felt it would be embarrassing for the Indian team players to wear kits with the name of Pakistan on the official Asia Cup logo,” he said.

Rashid Latif didn't rule out this possibility and said what had happened was embarrassing and needed to be clarified.

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"Expose Kohli...": WC Winner On Where India-Pakistan Contest Will Be Won

The cricket world is waiting with baited breath for the mega India vs Pakistan coach at the Asia Cup 2023 in Sri Lanka on Saturday. The match will be a closely watched affair as will be the individual performance Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma ahead of the Cricket World Cup. The performance in the Asia Cup 2023 will be a great indicator of where the form of the players lie ahead of the Cricket World Cup. Brad Hogg, former Cricket World Cup-winning Australian leg spinner, believes the contest between Shaheen Shah Afridi and the Indian cricket team top order will decide the fate of the marquee India vs Pakistan clash.

India will play their opening match against Pakistan on September 2 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy. Hogg said that he would be watching the star-studded clash and the contest could be decided between India's experienced batters and Pakistan's fast-bowling prowess. 

"I definitely will be watching it. It is one of the biggest contests that we can have. Look, politics gets in the way of sports everywhere. It's here in Australia, England everywhere. We are just missing the rivalry between the two countries on the cricket field. It will be better for Pakistan as well because they will get the exposure. We want those contests to happen. India has a more dominant batting. Pakistan with their pace attack has a slight advantage, especially with left arm Shaheen Afridi. He is a quality bowler. When you have a left-arm fast bowler who swings the ball with pace and gets them to come in for the right-handers it does make it difficult," said Hogg on Backstage with Boria.

On being asked to comment on the battle between Shaheen Shah Afridi and Rohit Sharma, Hogg said, "I think Shaheen will have a chance with the deliveries that come in against right-handers. If Pakistan can expose Virat Kohli early in the contest against the new ball in front of Shaheen Afridi. The contest between Shaheen against the Indian top three will be decisive. So, for me, that's going to be where the game will be won and lost between India and Pakistan."

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Novak Djokovic Ramps Up US Open Bid As Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff Stroll

Novak Djokovic sailed into the US Open third round Wednesday in his quest for a 24th Grand Slam triumph as Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff stayed on a quarter-final collision course in New York. Djokovic climbed through the gears against 76th-ranked Bernabe Zapata Miralles, winning 13 of the last 15 games to ease through 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 in two hours on Arthur Ashe Stadium court. Next up for the Serbian star is compatriot and 32nd seed Laslo Djere, with Djokovic keeping up his record of always reaching at least the last 32 in New York.

"At 36 years of age, after 20 years of coming to New York, I still have the hunger to play my best tennis on this court," said Djokovic, a three-time US Open champion.

"I have the experience and understanding of what needs to be done in the important moments. Preserving the energy and focusing on the present moment."

Defending champion and world number one Swiatek swept past Australia's Daria Saville 6-3, 6-4.

The Pole is bidding to become the first woman to successfully defend her US Open crown since Serena Williams won a hat-trick of titles from 2012-2014.

"It wasn't easy but I'm happy I tried to play my game and play aggressively with a lot of intensity and I'm just happy to be in the third round," said Swiatek, aiming for her fifth Grand Slam triumph.

Swiatek will now play Slovenia's Kaja Juvan on Friday for a place in the last 16.

Gauff, 19, brushed aside 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva, the youngest player in the draw, 6-3, 6-2 to continue her strong run on hard courts this summer after titles in Washington and Cincinnati.

The sixth seed, viewed as one of the favourites in New York, takes on Belgium's Elise Mertens for a place in the last 16 after getting the better of Andreeva for the second time in three Grand Slams.

"I just learned to be aggressive, because if you give her something she is going to take advantage," said Gauff, who overcame Andreeva in three sets at Roland Garros in June.

"She has a great future in front of her - I think she is going to be back on this stage many more times."

Mertens, the 32nd seed, battled back from the brink by saving two match points in the second-set tie-break to knock off the dangerous Collins, last year's Australian Open runner-up.

The Belgian, who had the support of three-time US Open winner Kim Clijsters in her box, advanced 3-6, 7-6 (9/7), 6-1 and now awaits Gauff.

Tsitsipas dumped out

Stefanos Tsitsipas' miserable US Open run continued as he crashed out to 21-year-old Swiss qualifier Dominic Stricker in five sets.

Tsitsipas served for the match at 5-3 in the fourth set but the 128th-ranked Stricker rallied to prevail 7-5, 6-7 (2/7), 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 in just over four hours.

"I don't know how. I did it somehow. Actually a bit speechless but it's a great day," said Stricker, who had won just one Grand Slam match before this week.

Greece's Tsitsipas, the seventh seed and a two-time Grand Slam finalist, has never progressed beyond round three in six visits to New York.

Czech 10th seed Karolina Muchova, this year's French Open finalist, sailed past Magdalena Frech in straight sets.

Olympic gold medallist Belinda Bencic ended the run of British qualifier Lily Miyazaki 6-3, 6-3, but Brazilian 19th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia was dumped out by Taylor Townsend 7-6 (7/1), 7-5.

Fifth seed Casper Ruud, runner-up at three of the past six majors including last year's US Open, takes on China's Zhang Zhizhen in his second round match on Wednesday.

Elena Rybakina, the women's fourth seed, plays Australian Ajla Tomljanovic in the night session on Louis Armstrong, while old rivals Petra Kvitova and Caroline Wozniacki also meet under the lights.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Romelu Lukaku Completes Loan To Roma From Chelsea

Romelu Lukaku completed his season-long loan move to Roma from Chelsea on Wednesday after being welcomed as a hero by supporters. Roma are yet to make their official announcement but Serie A have confirmed that the deal is done on their list of completed transfers. Thousands of fans greeted Belgium striker Lukaku after he touched down at Ciampino airport just outside the Italian capital on Tuesday, his arrival a boost for Roma following a worrying start to the new Serie A season.

Italian media report that Chelsea accepted Roma's offer of around six million euros ($6.5 million) to take outcast Lukaku for this season, giving the Italians the striker they have been looking for since Tammy Abraham damaged knee ligaments at the end of last season.

Lukaku has agreed to take a pay cut from nearly 11 million euros to around 7.5 million euros in order to move to Roma, who are operating under a Financial Fair Play settlement agreement made with UEFA.

Roma have collected one point from their first two matches and their inability to convert dominance into goals was fully on display during Saturday's 2-1 loss at Verona.

Chelsea meanwhile have been trying to permanently offload Lukaku all summer in a bid to end a disastrous transfer which cost the Premier League club a 115 million euro purchase fee from Inter Milan and his whopping annual salary.

But talks with Inter -- where he was loaned back to last season -- collapsed reportedly after the club discovered he had been secretly talking to their biggest rivals Juve and AC Milan.

Instead he has been reunited with his former coach at Manchester United Jose Mourinho as the capital club try to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 2018.

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England vs New Zealand 1st T20I Live Cricket Score And Live Updates

England vs New Zealand 1st T20I Live: England begin their final phase of preparation for the ODI World Cup with a T20I and an ODI series against New Zealand. The defending ODI World Cup champions will play four T20Is and four ODIs against the 2019 runner-up team. Interestingly, the ODI World Cup 2023 opener on October 5 will see England facing New Zealand in a repeat the 2019 final. In that sense, this tour will hold extra significance. (LIVE SCORECARD) 

Here are the LIVE Updates of the England vs New Zealand 1st T20I straight from Chester-le-Street

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Why Asia Cup 2023 Will Be Held In ODI Format And Not T20I?

The Asia Cup, once considered a mini-version of the World Cup, has gradually turned into a preparatory platform for the World Cup. Whichever World Cup is being held that year, be it in the ODI format or T20I, the Asia Cup is molded into the same format. Last year, when the Asia Cup was held in the UAE, it was the Sri Lanka cricket team that emerged triumphant, winning the title in the T20 format. But, this time around, the Asian sides will battle it out in the 50-over format of the game. But, why is it so?

The 'Format' of Asia Cup

Though the Asia Cup boasts of some of the top sides in the world, including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, etc., the tournament is still seen as a 'preparatory' event. These days, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) organises the Asia Cup the same year when the World Cup is taking place. Whichever format of the World Cup it is (T20 or 50-over), the Asia Cup takes that form. Considering the manner in which the game has grown, Asian teams do tend to benefit from this approach.

The tournament started all the way back in 1984 in the ODI format but things changed after the introduction of T20s. The last ODI Asia Cup was held in 2019, the same year the last World Cup in the format was held. It was the Indian team that clinched the title that year. But, it wasn't even a full-strength Indian side that participated in the event.

The team's talismanic batter Virat Kohli, also the team's captain back then, didn't participate in the event, giving charge to his deputy Rohit Sharma. In fact, in a game, even Rohit decided to rest himself, giving charge to MS Dhoni.

As for the 2023 edition, it will be co-hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka. This event will also mark the debut of Nepal in the tournament. Nepal booked their ticket to the event by winning the inaugural ACC Men's Premier Cup 2023, where they defeated the United Arab Emirates in the final.

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Bumrah Won't Be Used At Full Throttle In Asia Cup? Dravid Reveals Approach

The return of Jasprit Bumrah has been the biggest news in Indian cricket in recent times. The ace pacer, once the bowling spearhead of team team, had been out of action by lower back injury and subsequent rehabilitation for the last 11 months. However, his comeback against Ireland in the T20I series had Indian cricket fans going gaga over his return. A big test awaits for him in the form of Asia Cup and the World Cup. 

Playing a T20I match, where a maximum of four overs can be bowler by a player, and an ODI match, where the strike bowler of the team is expected to bowl 10 intense overs is different. Indian cricket team head coach Rahul Dravid, in his pre-departure press conference before boarding a flight to Sri Lanka, hinted that Bumrah will be slowed eased into full action.   

"It's great to have them (Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna) back and see them bowling well. Jasprit is someone we have missed a lot in the past two years he hasn't played much. We will ease him into it slowly. Ireland was a good opportunity to ease him in. Now we have a whole month to build that up before the World Cup. The duo's return gives us more options in the pace bowling department," he said. 

Home advantage not there? 

The former India captain also felt that the home advantage for the sub-continent teams has reduced significantly in the last decade, owing to foreign players regularly competing in the conditions, with IPL a major draw.

"The whole thing of home advantage at sub-continent has reduced to a large extent over the past 10-12 years. People come and play here so much, especially tournaments like the IPL. They are here for two-three months getting used to conditions. It will be a tight tournament," Dravid said.

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Pakistan Announce Playing XI For Asia Cup 2023 Opener Against Nepal

Pakistan have named their playing XI for the opening game of the Asia Cup against Nepal in Multan on Wednesday. With Nepal as their opponent in the opening game of the 2023 Asia Cup, Pakistan has prioritised batting depth. Pakistan has many bowling options with three frontline quicks and three all-rounders who can bowl spin. The team made a few adjustments from the starting lineup against Afghanistan in the final ODI in Colombo. While Saud Shakeel moves to the middle order, Iftikhar Ahmed takes his place. Pakistan chose to go with Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf, leaving no opportunity for pacer Mohammad Wasim.

Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz will be aided by Salman Agha in the spin department. 

The batting line-up has a familiar look with Iftikhar coming back into the middle-order after missing the final ODI against Afghanistan. 

Pakistan XI: Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam ul Haq, Mohammad Rizwan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Agha, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf.

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US Open: Daniil Medvedev Powers Into Round 2, Ailing Ons Jabeur Advances

Third seed Daniil Medvedev raced into the US Open second round on Tuesday with a 6-1, 6-1, 6-0 victory over Hungary's Attila Balazs. Medvedev, the 2021 champion in New York, pumped 41 winners past the unranked journeyman Balazs in a one-sided encounter lasting 74 minutes. The Russian will play the winner of the all-Australian clash between Max Purcell and Christopher O'Connell for a spot in the last 32.

"It's always good to start well. I'm happy with my performance," said Medvedev.

The world number three, who was also runner-up to Rafael Nadal here in 2019, said he was happy to slide under the radar with much of the spotlight fixed on Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.

"I don't care. It's normal that Carlos and Novak are the biggest names right now," said Medvedev. "My goal is to try to play well to get to wherever they are and try to win."

Ons Jabeur advances

Tunisia's Ons Jabeur overcame a medical scare to battle into the second round of the US Open on Tuesday with a straight sets defeat of Colombia's Camila Osorio.

Jabeur, chasing a first Grand Slam crown after three agonising defeats in finals since 2022, opened her US Open campaign with a 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) victory on the Louis Armstrong Stadium.

The 29-year-old looked to be struggling during a tense first set, complaining to the chair umpire that she was having difficulty breathing after Osorio fought back from 4-1 down to level at 4-4. Jabeur needed treatment from medical staff after going 5-4 down in the first set, and appeared to have her blood pressure taken during a timeout.

She then rallied to take the first set and appeared to poised to clinch victory after holding two match points in the second set while 5-3 up.

However Osorio rallied to stave off defeat, and went on to level at 5-5 after breaking Jabeur. Jabeur broke back immediately to take a 6-5 lead but was then broken once again to send the second set to a tie break. 

Jabeur proved too strong for Osorio in the breaker, however, and will now face the Czech Republic's Linda Noskova in the second round.

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Asia Cup 2023: Pakistan To Take On Nepal In Sweltering Multan

Pakistan will begin their campaign in the Asia Cup on Wednesday taking on Nepal in the city's sweltering heat as multi-team international cricket returns to the country after nearly 15 years. It has been a long, rough road for Pakistan cricket ever since the militant attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March, 2009. Following the attack, not only did Pakistan lose the Champions Trophy hosting rights but also its share of the World Cup matches in 2011. With the International Cricket Council (ICC) and member nations reluctant to visit the country because of security reasons, Pakistan went without an international game at home for nearly eight years against top-tier teams.

Which is why, the four matches of the Asia Cup being held in the country hold great significance for Pakistan, who have also been awarded the 2025 Champions Trophy.

Pakistan, who recently rose to No. 1 in ODI rankings after a clean sweep of the ODI series against Afghanistan in Sri Lanka, should win comfortably against Nepal, who are playing their first Asia Cup.

Only two Nepal players, leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane and allrounder Dipendra Singh Airee, have the experience of playing in T20 leagues.

Barring Lamichhane, who has played in the Pakistan Super League, the others know very little about the playing conditions here.

Having got their ODI status in 2018, Nepal are ranked 15th in the 50-over format, a sign of how close they are to achieving their dream of featuring in the 2027 World Cup, which will be a 14-team affair.

Having arrived in Pakistan a week back, it will be interesting to see how they fare against an outfit which is one of the favourites to lift the Asia Cup.

Pakistan will play just two games at home and the remaining in Sri Lanka, including the big ones against India. But the game against Nepal will offer their players a good opportunity to fine-tune their game.

Babar Azam recently hit two half centuries against Afghanistan and only a big one will satisfy the home team fans.

With the weather expected to be hot and humid, both teams will rely heavily on their spinners to do the job.

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Defending Champion Iga Swiatek Eases Into US Open Second Round

World number one Iga Swiatek launched her US Open title defence on Monday with a ruthless 6-0, 6-1 win over Sweden's Rebecca Peterson in the first round. Swiatek, whose grip on top spot is under threat from Aryna Sabalenka in New York, needed just 58 minutes to dispose of the 86th-ranked Peterson. The Pole broke her opponent five times and hit 20 winners to just two for Peterson, beaten in round one at the US Open for the fourth year running. "I wanted to start the tournament with everything I was focusing on. I was happy to play a great game, with all the pressure and expectations I was happy on the court," said Swiatek. "I feel like everything that is going on around us it is taking away our attention and what we want to achieve with our games and careers. 

"I want to remind myself that I want to develop as a player. The numbers and stats don't really matter to me. I'm just trying to focus on my performance."

Swiatek, bidding for her fifth Grand Slam title, goes on to face Daria Saville of Australia in round two. She is now 18-1 in first-round matches at majors.

No woman has retained the US Open title since Serena Williams won the tournament three times in a row from 2012 to 2014.

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Spain Opens Preliminary Sex Abuse Probe Over Suspended FA Chief's Kiss

Prosecutors at Spain's top criminal court said Monday they had opened a preliminary investigation into Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales' forcible kiss on the lips of World Cup player Jenni Hermoso on grounds it could constitute a crime of "sexual assault". "Prosecutors from the National Court have opened a preliminary investigation to look into the facts, which could constitute an offence of sexual assault," a court statement said. They would also contact Hermoso to offer her a chance to file a suit within 15 days, the statement said. The president of the Spanish football federation (RFEF), provisionally suspended from his post by FIFA on Saturday, could face an extended sanction if the country's sports court accept complaints against him in a meeting on Monday.

After Spain won the Women's World Cup in Sydney on August 20, Rubiales sparked a massive backlash after forcibly kissing Hermoso on the lips during the medal ceremony.

Hermoso later said the unwanted kiss had left her feeling "vulnerable and like the victim of an assault", with a statement on social media describing it as "an impulsive, macho act, out of place and with no type of consent on my part".

The National Court said it was opening the investigation in light of the "unequivocal nature" of her statements, saying it was necessary "to determine their legal significance".

"Given the public statements made by Jennifer Hermoso, the sexual act she was subjected to by (Luis) Rubiales was not consensual," the court statement said.

Legal experts would also contact the player "to offer her the option of legal action, giving her the chance to contact National Court prosecutors within 15 days for information about her rights as a victim of an alleged sexual assault... should she wish to file a complaint", it said.

"In order to proceed with a case for sexual assault, harassment or sexual abuse, it will be necessary for the injured party or their legal representative to file suit, or the public prosecutors' office."

If Hermoso decides not to file suit, it will make it "difficult" for prosecutors to press ahead with the case, legal sources told AFP.

So far, the court said it had received six complaints about Rubiales' kiss, which without consent constitutes an offence of sexual assault under Spain's recently-updated criminal code.

None were filed by Hermoso.

World football governing body FIFA provisionally suspended Rubiales for 90 days but the 46-year-old could face a longer suspension from the Spanish government, if the sports court opens proceedings against Rubiales for "very serious" offences or an "abuse of authority".

Spain's top sports court (TAD) was meeting online.

The Spanish government has said it will take action against Rubiales if the sports court gives them the go-ahead.

Some 81 players went on strike from the women's side in protest after the federation chief refused to quit, while 11 members of RFEF women's football staff offered to resign -- controversial coach Jorge Vilda did not.

- Hunger strike -

With Rubiales still under fire, his mother Angeles Bejar on Monday locked herself in a church in the southern seaside town of Motril, where the RFEF chief was raised, and went on hunger strike in protest against the treatment of her son.

"There is a harassment that is not fair. His mother who has a deep faith, has found refuge in God, she has gone on hunger strike, she does not want to leave the church," said Vanessa Ruiz Bejar, Rubiales' cousin.

"We want Jenni to tell the truth because she has changed her statement three times. His family is suffering greatly."

But the criticism of Rubiales continues.

Andres Iniesta, who scored the only goal in the 2010 men's World Cup final to give Spain the trophy for the first time, said Rubiales' conduct had "tarnished" the women's achievement.

"It's a shame that a beautiful story that so many players have built over so many years has been soiled," he said on social media.

Politician Yolanda Diaz, Spain's Second Deputy Prime Minister, also criticised those who applauded Rubiales on Friday as he refused to resign and railed against "false feminism". 

They included the coach of the men's national team, Luis de la Fuente, and women's coach Vilda, who have both since condemned him.

"The coaches who applauded Mr. Rubiales are not are not fit to continue in their posts," she said Monday.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Ben Stokes Set To Play As Batter Only At ICC World Cup After ODI U-Turn

England are prepared to play Ben Stokes as a batsman only when they defend their 50-over men's World Cup title in India after the Test captain reversed his decision to retire from one-day internationals. The all-rounder, troubled by a longstanding left knee injury that restricted his bowling during the recent drawn Ashes Test series at home to Australia, said playing in all three international formats was "unsustainable" when calling time on his ODI career 13 months ago. The 32-year-old had planned to use a six-month gap until England next play Test cricket, away to India, in order to attend to his chronic problem.

But he is now set for a role as a specialist batsman as one of nine survivors named in a 15-man squad to face New Zealand in three home ODIs next month that is also set to double as England's party for a World Cup in India that runs from October 5-November 19.

"It wasn't really a case of changing his (Stokes's) mind," said England national selector Luke Wright after the squad was unveiled on Wednesday.

"Once his body was in a good place and he'd had a rest, he was really keen to play. He still has time to do his rest and rehab, which he's doing, and he says his knee does feel like it's improving.

"The one thing we won't be doing is pushing him to bowl unless he's absolutely fit and raring to go. That was a big part of the decision for him, being able to just play as a batter and that was an easy decision for us.

"Ultimately the decision came down to it's a World Cup we want to win and we feel like we are better, and have more chance, with Stokesy than we haven't. If ever there's someone for the big moments it's Ben Stokes."

The return of Stokes, the player of the match in the 2019 World Cup final against New Zealand at Lord's and the man whose unbeaten fifty led his side to victory in the Twenty20 equivalent last year, comes at the expense of Harry Brook.

The Yorkshire batsman has been the rising star of the England set-up during the past year, with the 24-year-old having compiled four hundreds in 12 Tests, while boasting strike rates of 98.85 and 137.77 in ODIs and T20s respectively. 

"It's as hard a decision as you're ever going to get," said Wright, who labelled Brook a "superstar" before adding: "But unfortunately in a 15-man squad, someone's going to have to miss out. On this occasion it's been him."

Uncapped Surrey fast bowler Gus Atkinson, who has been cloked at 95 mph (153 kph), is also in the squad, seemingly as cover for Jofra Archer.

The injured Archer, the Super Over star of the 2019 World Cup final, is currently recovering from his latest elbow injury.

Archer last played for England in March and Wright, once a team-mate of the 28-year-old at county side Sussex, said: "There has got to be a duty of care with Jof, we know how desperate we all are to have him, there's no doubt about that, but we've also got to get it right for him.

"As much as the temptation is to try and rush him in and get him in for the start of this World Cup, unfortunately we're just going to run out of time.

"The best case scenario for Jof at the moment would probably be available for the back end of the tournament. But obviously, a lot of things have still got to go right with his rehab before then."

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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World Athletics Gold Done, 90m Mark Eludes Neeraj. Star Opens Up On Target

The hunt for the 90-meter throw goes on as Neeraj fell a little short of the mark in the World Athletics Championships 2023 despite clinching the elusive Gold medal. After starting off the final with a foul throw, Neeraj made amends in the following throws, but could only manage the maximum distance of 88.17 meters in his second attempt. Though the effort was good enough to keep his lead intact till the very end to clinch the gold, Neeraj remains unsatisfied with the throw, although elated with the fact that he was able to add another medal to his trophy cabinet.

Arshad Nadeem, the Commonwealth Games champion with 87.82 m bagged a silver medal while Czech Republic's Jakub Vadlejch secured the bronze with a best throw of 86.67 m. 

Neeraj who looked a bit disappointed told reporters in the post-match conference, "I wanted to throw more than 90m tonight. But it needs all parts of the puzzle to be there. I couldn't put it all together this evening. Maybe next time." 

Although the 25-year-old took the lead in the second round which remained untouched throughout the final, he still yearned to break his own mark and take it further in his final throw. 

"After the second round, I was thinking of pushing myself because I knew that I could get a better throw. But there is a lot of pressure on technique and speed. We have to push a lot in the qualifying round. There was only a single day for recovery so it was also a big factor. I go forward with the motivation of pushing myself till the last throw," Neeraj said. 

The Tokyo Olympic gold medallist wasn't the only Indian competing in the final, Kishore Jena (best of 84.77 m) and DP Manu (best of 84.14 m) were also in the mix and finished fifth and sixth respectively.

This was Neeraj's second medal at the World Championships after he secured a silver in 2022. Previously, Anju Bobby George had bagged the bronze for the country in the 2003 World Championships for the women's long jump. He has also bagged gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and the Asian Games 2018.

Neeraj will be back on the field in the Asian Games, Hangzhou which is scheduled from September 23 to October 8. This competition will mark the final major competition of this year for the 25-year-old javelin thrower.

With ANI inputs

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Ben Stokes Set To Play As Batter Only At ICC World Cup After ODI U-Turn

England are prepared to play Ben Stokes as a batsman only when they defend their 50-over men's World Cup title in India after the Test captain reversed his decision to retire from one-day internationals. The all-rounder, troubled by a longstanding left knee injury that restricted his bowling during the recent drawn Ashes Test series at home to Australia, said playing in all three international formats was "unsustainable" when calling time on his ODI career 13 months ago. The 32-year-old had planned to use a six-month gap until England next play Test cricket, away to India, in order to attend to his chronic problem.

But he is now set for a role as a specialist batsman as one of nine survivors named in a 15-man squad to face New Zealand in three home ODIs next month that is also set to double as England's party for a World Cup in India that runs from October 5-November 19.

"It wasn't really a case of changing his (Stokes's) mind," said England national selector Luke Wright after the squad was unveiled on Wednesday.

"Once his body was in a good place and he'd had a rest, he was really keen to play. He still has time to do his rest and rehab, which he's doing, and he says his knee does feel like it's improving.

"The one thing we won't be doing is pushing him to bowl unless he's absolutely fit and raring to go. That was a big part of the decision for him, being able to just play as a batter and that was an easy decision for us.

"Ultimately the decision came down to it's a World Cup we want to win and we feel like we are better, and have more chance, with Stokesy than we haven't. If ever there's someone for the big moments it's Ben Stokes."

The return of Stokes, the player of the match in the 2019 World Cup final against New Zealand at Lord's and the man whose unbeaten fifty led his side to victory in the Twenty20 equivalent last year, comes at the expense of Harry Brook.

The Yorkshire batsman has been the rising star of the England set-up during the past year, with the 24-year-old having compiled four hundreds in 12 Tests, while boasting strike rates of 98.85 and 137.77 in ODIs and T20s respectively. 

"It's as hard a decision as you're ever going to get," said Wright, who labelled Brook a "superstar" before adding: "But unfortunately in a 15-man squad, someone's going to have to miss out. On this occasion it's been him."

Uncapped Surrey fast bowler Gus Atkinson, who has been cloked at 95 mph (153 kph), is also in the squad, seemingly as cover for Jofra Archer.

The injured Archer, the Super Over star of the 2019 World Cup final, is currently recovering from his latest elbow injury.

Archer last played for England in March and Wright, once a team-mate of the 28-year-old at county side Sussex, said: "There has got to be a duty of care with Jof, we know how desperate we all are to have him, there's no doubt about that, but we've also got to get it right for him.

"As much as the temptation is to try and rush him in and get him in for the start of this World Cup, unfortunately we're just going to run out of time.

"The best case scenario for Jof at the moment would probably be available for the back end of the tournament. But obviously, a lot of things have still got to go right with his rehab before then."

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Watch: Kohli, Jadeja Toil Hard In Batting Practice Ahead of Asia Cup 2023

The Asia Cup 2023 is just around the corner and the Indian cricket team is toiling hard in the practice camp in Alur, Karnataka. In the past few days, batters were divided into pairs as part of a match simulation. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill were followed by the pair of Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer. In a video going viral on social media, Kohli was batting this time with Ravindra Jadeja as both the players faced spin bowling. It was most probably a part of match situation simulations and both players were looking to play sensible shots.

There were several questions over KL Rahul's fitness following his Asia Cup 2023 selection as chief selector Ajit Agarkar told the media that he was suffering from a slight niggle.

Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja batting together in the practice session. pic.twitter.com/MfAta34EEQ

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) August 27, 2023

The call-up for the continental tournament was a big deal for the batter after a prolonged battle with injury but the update along with the inclusion of Sanju Samson as a back-up did not alleviate the fears. However, there was some good news for cricket fans as Rahul did wicket-keeping practice where he was helped by skipper Rohit Sharma at the ongoing practice camp in Alur, Karnataka.

Earlier, he also did some batting practice as he was paired with Suryakumar Yadav at the No. 5 and No. 6 slots respectively in a match simulation. India went for fixed pairings in the practice with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill followed by Virat Kohli and the returning Shreyas Iyer at No. 4.

India take on Pakistan in their first match of Asia up 2023 on September 2.

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Watch: Kohli, Jadeja Toil Hard In Batting Practice Ahead of Asia Cup 2023

The Asia Cup 2023 is just around the corner and the Indian cricket team is toiling hard in the practice camp in Alur, Karnataka. In the past few days, batters were divided into pairs as part of a match simulation. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill were followed by the pair of Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer. In a video going viral on social media, Kohli was batting this time with Ravindra Jadeja as both the players faced spin bowling. It was most probably a part of match situation simulations and both players were looking to play sensible shots.

There were several questions over KL Rahul's fitness following his Asia Cup 2023 selection as chief selector Ajit Agarkar told the media that he was suffering from a slight niggle.

Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja batting together in the practice session. pic.twitter.com/MfAta34EEQ

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) August 27, 2023

The call-up for the continental tournament was a big deal for the batter after a prolonged battle with injury but the update along with the inclusion of Sanju Samson as a back-up did not alleviate the fears. However, there was some good news for cricket fans as Rahul did wicket-keeping practice where he was helped by skipper Rohit Sharma at the ongoing practice camp in Alur, Karnataka.

Earlier, he also did some batting practice as he was paired with Suryakumar Yadav at the No. 5 and No. 6 slots respectively in a match simulation. India went for fixed pairings in the practice with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill followed by Virat Kohli and the returning Shreyas Iyer at No. 4.

India take on Pakistan in their first match of Asia up 2023 on September 2.

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Watch: Neeraj's Historic Throw That Made Him 1st Indian To Win Worlds Gold

Neeraj Chopra is born to make history it seems. The 25-year-old javelin thrower achieved yet another momentous high on Sunday night when he became the first Indian to win a gold medal in the World Athletics Championships with a big throw of 88.17m in the men's javelin final at Budapest, Hungary. The 25-year-old Chopra achieved his best throw of the day in his second attempt. He had a foul to start with, but then got 88.17m, 86.32m, 84.64m, 87.73m and 83.98m.

Pakistan's reigning Commonwealth Games champion Arshad Nadeem took the silver with his season's best throw of 87.82m, while Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic got the bronze.

Watch: Neeraj's Historic Throw That Made Him 1st Indian To Win Worlds Gold

88.17 Meters for

Neeraj Chopra becomes 1st athlete to win a gold medal at the #WorldAthleticsChampionships

Watch the best of #Budapest23 - FREE only on #JioCinema #WAConJioCinema pic.twitter.com/le562o9zp2

— JioCinema (@JioCinema) August 27, 2023

In another first, three Indians finished in top eight with Kishore Jena (84.77m) and DP Manu (84.14m) taking the fifth and sixth spots respectively. Never before did three Indians finish in top eight of an event in the World Championships.

Chopra has now become only the second Indian -- after legendary shooter Abhinav Bindra -- to simultaneously hold the Olympics and World Championships title. Bindra won the World Championships title when he was 23, and the Olympics gold at 25.

Chopra, who had become the first Indian Olympic track and field gold medallist in Tokyo Games in 2021, had won a silver in the 2022 edition of World Championships.

Before him, legendary long jumper Anju Bobby George had won a bronze in the 2003 World Championships.

With PTI inputs

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World Athletics C'ships: Parul Breaks National Record, Men's Relay Team 5th

Indian athlete Parul Chaudhary finished at the eleventh position in the 3000 meters steeplechase final of the World Athletics Championships 2023 in Budapest in Hungary on Monday.  However, Parul broke the national record by marking the clock at 9:15.31 in the World Athletics Championships and qualified for the Paris Olympics 2024. Brunei athlete Winfred Mutile Yavi clinched the gold medal with a clock mark of 8:54.29, Kenya's Beatrice Chepkoech won silver with her season-best clock of 8:58.98 and another Kenya athlete Faith Cherotich achieved her personal best mark of 9:00.69, winning bronze. 

Parul wins hearts with her performance at #World #Athletics Championships????

The NCOE @SAI_Bengaluru Camper unfolds a new chapter as she breaks the National Record & gives her PB time of 9:15.31s in Women's Steeplechase Event.

She finished 1⃣1⃣th but with her time Qualified… pic.twitter.com/icsJ6Hblue

— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) August 27, 2023

At the split of 200m, Parul was leading the steeplechase but she lost her momentum and settled for 11th spot. However, till the 2900 m split, the Indian athlete was in 13th position, she jumped two spots up in the last 100m split.

On the other hand, the Indian men's 4x400 metres relay team ended in the fifth position in the 4x400 metres relay race final at the World Athletics Championships 2023. 

The Indian team comprising Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Amoj Jacob, Muhammed Ajmal and Rajesh Ramesh marked the clock at 2:59.92. 

The USA team of Quincy Hall, Vernon Norwood, Justin Robinson, and Rai Benjaminwon won the gold medal with a clock mark of 2:57.31. France with the clock mark of 2:58.45 bagged silver while Great Britain claimed bronze with the clock mark of 2:58.71.

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Full List Of Neeraj's Achievements After Winning World Championships Gold

It was a special occasion for Neeraj Chopra as he became the first Indian athlete in history to win a World Athletics Championships gold medal on Monday. The Tokyo Olympics gold medallist added a World Championship gold to his name with an attempt of 88.17m in the men's javelin final. He faced tough challenge from Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem who threw 87.82m to finish second but it was not to be as Neeraj was able to top the table in his second attempt and maintain his lead in the event.

A look at Neeraj Chopra's massive achievements throughout his career -

An Olympic gold

Neeraj is the only Indian to win a gold medal in the track and field event at the Olympics in 2021. Overall, he is the second player from the nation following now-retired sport shooter Abhinav Bindra to win an individual gold medal at the quadrennial event.

The top honour in Commonwealth Games

Neeraj is the first Indian javelin thrower to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. He claimed the top honour at Gold Coast in 2018. Overall, he became the fourth Indian to win an athletics title at the Games after Milkha Singh (1958), Krishna Poonia (2010) and Vikas Gowda (2014).

Asian Games gold

Neeraj is the first Indian javelin thrower to win an Asian Games gold medal. He shattered his own national record in 2018 to achieve the top finish on the podium.

Two Diamond League titles 

The star Indian javelin thrower won the Lausanne leg in August 2022 for his maiden Diamond League title. He claimed his second title at the event this year at the same venue.

Apart from these, Neeraj also has also won gold medals in the Asian Championships (2017), the World U20 Championships (2016) and the South Asian Games (2016).

In the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Neeraj claimed a silver medal.

Awards won by Neeraj Chopra

Neeraj Chopra was conferred with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award -- highest sporting honour of India -- in 2021. He was felicitated with the Arjuna Award in 2018. The star Indian javelin thrower received the Padma Shri -- fourth highest civilian honour in India -- in 2022.
Chopra was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (a military award of India) and Vishisht Seva Medal (a decoration of the Indian Armed Forces) in the years 2022 and 2020, respectively.

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Neeraj Chopra: India's Javelin Great Completes A Full Circle At Just 25

25 is when dreams start to take wings for most. For some super-special individuals, like Neeraj Chopra, by that age you conquer all that is out there to be conquered. With his maiden World Athletics Championship gold in javelin throw that he won with an attempt of 88.17m at the 2023 edition late on Sunday night in Budapest, Hungary, the Haryana-born athlete has reached a stupendous height that will be hard to match for generations to come. With his first World Championship gold medal, which was the only major missing piece in his already envious trophy cabinet, Chopra has completed a full circle.

He is the reigning Olympic champion - the first Indian sportsperson to win a gold medal at the Games in athletics (field events). Now, Chopra is the first from the country to win a gold medal at World Athletics Championship. Till now, the silver medal that he won in 2022 was India's best return from the World Athletics Championships after Anju Bobby George's bronze medal in the women's long jump back in 2003 at Paris.

Chopra has an Asian Games gold medal and a Commonwealth Games gold medal. He is a Diamond League champion too. Add to it, the U20 World Championship gold medal that he won in 2016. Neeraj is truly the golden boy of Indian sport.

Chopra is now the second Indian, after Abhinav Bindra, to simultaneously hold the Olympics and World Championships title. Bindra won the World Championships title when he was 23, and the Olympics gold at 25.

The Rise

To think that Chopra took up javelin throw almost by chance is another fascinating story. In 2011, a then 14-tear-old Chopra weighed 85kg. He was obese and his family somehow convinced his to join a gym. From his village in Khandra,  Haryana, he used to go to Panipat, situated 17km away, for gym training. On his way, he would go to Shivaji Stadium, where he first threw up javelin upon the insistence of his senior Jaiveer, a national-level javelin thrower. He had found his calling and there was no looking back.

By 2015, he had breached the hallowed 80m mark. By 2016, he had set a world record at the Under-20 level. In 2017, he won the Asian Championships gold medal. In 2018, he won gold medals at the Asian Games as well as the Commonwealth Games.

The Injury

Just when he was primed to be India's favourite contender for a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, he hit a roadblock. Ahead of the 2019 World Championships, he suffered a major elbow problem due to bone spurs in his throwing arm. He had to undergo an intense two-hour surgery and then underwent a four-month rehabilitation. He ultimately came back, and came back in style.

The Comeback

In the summer of 2021, at his maiden Olympics, with a throw of 87.58 m, he became the first Indian to win a gold medal at the Games in athletics (field events).

Therein lies the greatness of Chopra. Though from the outside, it might seem that he is that wonder-boy who has the Midas touch, he has had his share of struggles. And every time, he was pinned down he came back stronger and he threw the javelin to a greater distance.

After the Olympics, he went to break his own national record twice in a space of just over two weeks in 2022. His current record is 89.94m. Last year, he won the Diamond League but missed the World Championship gold. He came very close to clinching that gold in 2022 with a throw of 88.13 m. However, he fell short of Grenada javelin thrower Anderson Peters' monstrous 90.54 m throw. This time he led the field in style though he started with a false throw. However, an attempt of 88.17m was enough for him to take the gold ahead of Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem (87.82m). 

And, with age on his side, he is in no mood to stop!

With PTI inputs

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Neeraj Beats Pakistan's Nadeem, Wins 1st World Athletics Gold By An Indian

Neeraj Chopra, the golden boy of Indian athletics, is a world champion now. At the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, late on Sunday night, as his javelin took flight and landed at a distance of 88.17m in his second attempt history was made by the 25-year-old from Khandra, Haryana. He is now the the first Indian ever to clinch a gold medal at the World Athletics Championship. Already an Olympic champion, Chopra now has triumphed the only major competition that was left for him to be conquered.

To add to the joy, India's Kishore Jena finished fifth with a personal best throw of 84.77m while the third Indian in fray DP Manu finished sixth with a best attempt of 84.14m.

Chopra has an Asian Games gold medal, a Commonwealth Games gold, a Diamond League title, an Asian Championships gold and an U-20 world title. Chopra's trophy cabinet will now showcase a World Championship gold medal too.

Coming into the World Championship final, Chopra was always the favourite. In the qualification round, the Tokyo Olympics champion threw his season best attempt of 88.77m to qualify in the final with just one throw. The 2024 Paris Olympics qualifying mark is 85.50m. With that one throw, Chopra qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics too.

The challengers

The next best competitor in the qualifiers was Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, who threw 86.79m. Along with Nadeem, Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic, who won silver medal behind Chopra in Tokyo Olympics, and Germany's Julian Weber were Chopra's main competitors.

Vadlejch was second in Group B in qualification and third overall with a best throw of 83.50m while Vadlejch was fourth overall with a best throw of 82.39m.

To make matters more interesting for India, Manu (81.31m in qualification) and Jena (80.55 in qualification) also qualified for the final.

The final showdown

And it was Nadeem who gave Chopra the maximum scare. The Indian superstar started with a false throw in his first attempt. However, he made a terrific comeback to hurl the javelin 88.17m in his second throw. Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem threw 87.82m in his third attempt to come close to the Indian. 

Weber's best attempt was 85.79m that came in his third throw. Vadlejch in his part could best manage a throw of 86.67 in his fifth attempt. Vadlejch finished third and Weber fourth.

The surprise package was India's Kishore Jena, who came up with a personal best throw of 84.77m in his fifth attempt and finished fifth. Another Indian in fray, DP Manu, finished sixth with a best attempt of 83.72m. 

Though, Neeraj's next attempts were 86.32m, 84.64m, 87.73m and 83.98m no other athlete could breach his mark. 

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No Kuldeep Or Chahal! Hayden Picks India's 15-Member World Cup 2023 Squad

Former Australian cricket team opener Matthew Hayden named his picks for India's ICC World Cup 2023 squad and it had a couple of surprises. Hayden decided to include both Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson as wicket-keeping options with Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel being the specialist spinners. While KL Rahul was included, it seemed like he would operate strictly as a batter. On the other hand, both Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal did not find a place in the squad selected by the ex-Australia star.

Hayden included Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav as the specialist batters while Kishan and Samson were the wicket-keepers.

In the bowling department, Jadeja and Axar were the spin options while Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur and Jasprit Bumrah as the fast bowlers. Hardik Pandya was included as an all-rounder who is capable of bowling his full quota of overs if the team needs him.

Earlier, Hayden had his say about Chahal missing out on Asia Cup 2023 selection.

“There're some big omissions. Chahal in particular, that leg-spinner is such a superb player and (it) must be tough for the selectors because they've also got another one in Kuldeep (Yadav).... he's a superb player. So, they've gone for that as an option,” Hayden said.

Matthew Hayden's picks for India's 15-member squad for ICC World Cup 2023 - Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Ishan Kishan and Axar Patel.

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"Do Not Give Tilak Varma Debut In World Cup": India Great. Explains Why

Tilak Varma has been a breath of fresh air in the Indian cricket team. He is left-handed and has shown the right intent in the middle-order in the few matches that he has played for the Indian T20I team. The result of that is that he has been rewarded with a spot in India's Asia Cup squad. However, with KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer also being selected, Varma might not get many chances in the Indian team's playing XI. The 20-year-old Tilak has so far played seven T20Is, scored 174 runs. In 25 List A matches, he has scored 1236 runs at an average of 56.18.

Though he is already being spoken of as a World Cup squad material too. 1983 World Cup winner Kris Srikkanth feels he should not be given debut in big events.

"Do not give Tilak Varma debut in a big tournament, play him in the ODI series before that," Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel Cheeky Cheeka.

"Tilak has fantastic potential, a brilliant player - but he has to play a couple of one-day series before putting him in the WC squad. We need to groom him properly," he added.

Former India cricketer and BCCI selector, Saba Karim feels Tilak's selection alone shows the confidence the selectors and team management have in him

At times, the selectors and the team management can back a player after what they have seen in the ground. There's no harm in picking a player from T20 format to One-day format. One should also not forget that Tilak has had some kind of experience in List A matches," he said on Jio Cinema.

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"Always Has Been A...": Babar's Straight Take On India-Pakistan Rivalry

The Asia Cup 2023 is just round the corner and cricket fans around the world are waiting for the high-profile match between India and Pakistan. The two sides stopped playing bilateral series since 2012-13 and it is only at continental and international tournaments where the supporters can see these two sides face each other. Pakistan cricket team skipper Babar Azam opened up about the highly-anticipated match and how the two teams gear up for such a match. "The India-Pakistan match has always been a rivalry. The entire world experiences the match and enjoys it. Even we enjoy it a lot. I feel that the level of cricket is very good and competitive. Fans miss the India-Pakistan match and both teams always give their 100 percent," Babar said on Star Sports.

Earlier, former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar had his say on the comparisons between Babar and Indian cricket team star Virat Kohli.

.@babarazam258 has had his opinion on the #INDvPAK rivalry!

Put your #HandsUpForIndia this #AsiaCup2023#Cricket pic.twitter.com/xPFBlhqLJN

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) August 26, 2023

“Absolutely, and we can expect that to happen again. Just one thing that you know people like Tendulkar and Virat Kohli have had to deal with that they've had long careers and they sort of have spanned over 10 15 years and anytime there's been a rising star, he's been compared to a guy who's been in the race for a long time. So sometimes it can be a little unfair but the greatness of these two guys is that they maintain that standard that the best performance of a rising player is equated with it,” Manjrekar said on Star Sports show ‘Game Plan'.

“Yes, both very good players. One obviously in his prime younger but coming to these kind of platform we want to say Virat Kohli and see with the format that we have here not the T20 format, Asia Cup this time round you might just see a bit Babar Azam and maybe show his place as well,” he added.

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Pakistan Whitewash Afghanistan 3-0 To Top ODI rankings

Pakistan rose to the top of the one-day international rankings with a 59-run win against Afghanistan in the third and final match in Colombo on Saturday, claiming a 3-0 series whitewash. Pakistan were helped to 268-8 in 50 overs by a solid 79-ball 67 from Mohammad Rizwan and an 86-ball innings of 60 from skipper Babar Azam. They then dismissed their opponents for 209 in 48.4 overs with number nine Mujeeb Ur Rahman top-scoring for Afghanistan with a 37-ball 64 for his maiden half century. Rahman smashed five sixes and as many boundaries, racing to a new Afghan record for the fastest ODI fifty off just 26 balls before he stepped on to his stump and was out hit wicket off Shaheen Shah Afridi. Rashid Khan was the previous record holder for Afghanistan with a 27-ball fifty against Ireland in Abu Dhabi last year.

Rahman and Shahidullah Kamal (37 off 65 balls) shared a valiant stand of 57 for the eighth wicket to give some respectability to the total after their team were reeling at 97-7. 

Rahman also added 45 for the ninth wicket with Fareed Ahmad Malik who scored 17.

Pakistan won the first match by 142 runs and by one wicket in the second -- both games played in Hambantota.

Pakistan had been at number two in the International Cricket Council ODI rankings before the series but the 3-0 triumph lifted them above Australia.

Pakistan were briefly number one earlier this year.

Pakistan medium pacer Faheem Ashraf removed Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who made a century in the last game, for five and Ibrahim Zadran for an 11-ball duck to finish with 2-43.

Pakistan rested frontline bowlers Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah in four changes but they were still good enough with the ball as spinners Shadab Khan (3-42) and Mohammad Nawaz (2-45) shared five wickets.

"Yes, we are number one," said Azam, who is also the number one batsman in the ODI rankings. 

"All credit to boys. We have worked hard for the last of couple of months and it has taken us to this point, so I am really happy."

Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi admitted his team was not up to the mark.

"We didn't apply ourselves," said Shahidi. "We are disappointed with the performance but there is a lot of learning." 

It was Rizwan and Azam who anchored Pakistan's innings after they won the toss and batted.

Rizwan hit six boundaries and a six while Azam knocked four boundaries and a six to help Pakistan to a fighting total.

The Rizwan-Azam pair added 110 runs for the third wicket to steady the innings after pacer Gulbadin Naib removed openers Fakhar Zaman (27) and Imam-ul-Haq (13).

Pakistan stuttered in the middle overs with four wickets lost for the addition of just 27 runs, including Azam's wicket who scored his 28th half century.

Saud Shakeel was run out for nine and Shadab for just three as Pakistan were struggling at 189-6.

Agha Salman (38 not out) and Nawaz (30) added 61 for the seventh wicket as Pakistan added 80 in the last ten overs.

Salman hit four boundaries and a six in his 31-ball quickfire knock.

Naib was the pick of Afghanistan bowlers with 2-36.

The two teams will now feature in the six-nation Asia Cup starting in Multan from August 30.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Man Utd Rally To Beat Nottingham Forest, Arsenal Held By 10-man Fulham

Manchester United hit back from conceding twice in the first four minutes to beat Nottingham Forest 3-2 on Saturday as Arsenal dropped points for the first time this season in a 2-2 draw with 10-man Fulham. The Gunners slip up allowed north London rivals Tottenham to remain top of the table on goal difference after they won 2-0 at Bournemouth. United were looking to kickstart their season after losing 2-0 to Tottenham last weekend, but could not have got off to a worse start at Old Trafford. Taiwo Awoniyi burst clear from a United corner to score for the seventh consecutive Premier League game after 90 seconds.

There were just three minutes and 45 seconds on the clock when Willy Boly then found the net from Morgan Gibbs-White's free-kick.

United escaped with a 1-0 win over Wolves in their opening game of the season despite being outplayed by the visitors to dampen expectations they could challenge for a first league title in a decade.

But on Saturday they battled back to secure a vital three points in thrilling fashion.

Cristian Eriksen started the comeback when he turned home Marcus Rashford's cross.

Casemiro missed an great chance to level before the break but made amends when he fired home Bruno Fernandes' knockdown.

Forest captain Joe Worrall was then sent off 23 minutes from time for bringing down Fernandes as he bore down on goal.

The new United captain was criticised for his body language in defeat at Spurs, but Fernandes won the match from the penalty spot after Rashford was brought down in the area.

"It wasn't the perfect start for us but we kept control, kept the ball and started doing the right things," said Fernandes.

"The team showed great spirit, passion and desire. We just need to be aware that we can't concede so early."

Arsenal made a similarly disastrous start when Andreas Pereira pounced on Bukayo Saka's poor pass to catch Aaron Ramsdale off his line in the first minute at the Emirates.

Fulham's rearguard held out for more than 70 minutes, but their resistance was finally broken when Saka levelled from the penalty spot.

Two goals in two minutes looked to have turned the game around as substitute Eddie Nketiah slotted home Fabio Vieira's inviting cross.

Fulham's Calvin Bassey was then sent-off for a second bookable offence.

But the 10 men salvaged a point when Joao Palhinha swept home a corner three minutes from time.

Earlier, Tottenham maintained their bright start under Ange Postecoglou as James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski struck to see off Bournemouth.

Postecoglou's men have so far shrugged off the departure of the club's all-time record goalscorer Harry Kane to Bayern Munich with new signing Maddison at the heart of most of their good work.

The England international's first Tottenham goal on 17 minutes was just reward for the visitor's dominance of the first half.

"There wasn't anyone happier than me when we got him," said Postecoglou.

"I was delighted. I wouldn't say I'm surprised, but I'm overjoyed at the footballer I've got."

Bournemouth looked the more likely to score in the second period before Kulusevski steered Destiny Udogie's cross into the far corner just after the hour mark.

At the other end of the table, Everton's miserable start to the season continued as Sasa Kalajdzic struck a late winner to secure Wolves' first points of the campaign with a 1-0 victory at Goodison Park.

Brentford remain unbeaten but were denied by Joachim Andersen's equaliser for Crystal Palace in a 1-1 draw.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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HS Prannoy Signs Off With Maiden World Championships Bronze Medal

HS Prannoy's dream run at the World Championships ended after he lost in three games to world number 3 Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in the men's singles semifinal to sign off with a bronze, extending India's record of having at least one medallist in the showpiece since 2011. The 31-year-old Prannoy squandered an opening game advantage and a 5-1 lead in the second as Vitidsarn, a three-time former world junior champion, dished out better defence and attack to win 18-21 21-13 21-14 and seal a second successive final spot. Notwithstanding the loss, it was a brilliant achievement for Prannoy as he became only the fifth Indian men's singles player to win a World Championships medal.

Kidambi Srikanth (silver), Lakshya Sen (bronze), B Sai Praneeth (bronze) and Prakash Padukone (bronze) are the other medallists in men's singles.

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu won five singles medals, including a gold in 2019, and Saina Nehwal (silver and bronze) claimed two, while the women's doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa bagged a bronze in 2011 and Satwiksairaj rankireddy and Chirag Shetty clinched a bronze in 2022.

A day after knocking out Olympic gold medallist and defending champion Viktor Axelsen, Prannoy, who claimed Malaysia Masters title and a runner-up finish at Australian Open this season, failed to find his best as his defence looked shaky and attack lacked consistency during the 76-minute clash.

Prannoy had lost to Vitidsarn in two tight games at the All England Championships last year and knew about the Thai's defensive prowess and ability to retrieve.

India's top-ranked men's singles shuttler made a good start but signs of exhaustion set in from the second game, perhaps due the three-game matches that he played in the last two days.

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Dhoni, Azam Surpassed By Afghanistan Star Gurbaz For Historic Feats

Afghanistan's swashbuckling opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz has been known to be a power-hitter. He has shown that in quite a few IPL matches for Kolkata Knight Riders. He gave yet another example of his hitting prowess in  the second ODI against Pakistan in Hambantota on Thursday. The 21-year-old Gurbaz hit run-a-ball 151 with the help of 14 fours and three sixes to guide his team to 300. He shared an opening stand of 227 with Ibrahim Zadran, who scored a 101-ball 80, after Afghanistan won the toss and batted.

Afghanistan need a win to level the three-match series after losing the first match by 142 runs, and Gurbaz's knock came at the right time. Gurbaz's previous best was 145 against Bangladesh in Chattogram last month.

As he went over 150, Gurbaz became the first wicketkeeper-batter to cross the 150-mark against Pakistan. MS Dhoni till now held the record for highest individual score by a wicketkeeper against Pakistan. He scored 148 against Pakistan in an ODI in Visakhapatnam in 2005.

Gurbaz also went past Pakistan captain Babar Azam to become the third-fastest to reach five ODI tons. Babar took 25 innings to reach the milestone while Gurbaz got to the mark in two innings less. Pakistan's Imam-ul-Haq and South Africa's Quinton de Kock hold the joint-fastest record to five ODI tons. Both took 19 innings.

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Dhoni, Azam Surpassed By Afghanistan Star Gurbaz For Historic Feats

Afghanistan's swashbuckling opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz has been known to be a power-hitter. He has shown that in quite a few IPL matches for Kolkata Knight Riders. He gave yet another example of his hitting prowess in  the second ODI against Pakistan in Hambantota on Thursday. The 21-year-old Gurbaz hit run-a-ball 151 with the help of 14 fours and three sixes to guide his team to 300. He shared an opening stand of 227 with Ibrahim Zadran, who scored a 101-ball 80, after Afghanistan won the toss and batted.

Afghanistan need a win to level the three-match series after losing the first match by 142 runs, and Gurbaz's knock came at the right time. Gurbaz's previous best was 145 against Bangladesh in Chattogram last month.

As he went over 150, Gurbaz became the first wicketkeeper-batter to cross the 150-mark against Pakistan. MS Dhoni till now held the record for highest individual score by a wicketkeeper against Pakistan. He scored 148 against Pakistan in an ODI in Visakhapatnam in 2005.

Gurbaz also went past Pakistan captain Babar Azam to become the third-fastest to reach five ODI tons. Babar took 25 innings to reach the milestone while Gurbaz got to the mark in two innings less. Pakistan's Imam-ul-Haq and South Africa's Quinton de Kock hold the joint-fastest record to five ODI tons. Both took 19 innings.

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India Or Pakistan? Sourav Ganguly Picks Favourite To Win Asia Cup Clash

Former Indian captain and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly said that he has no favourites for winning the India versus Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 match because both teams are really good.  The Asia Cup to be held in Pakistan and Sri Lanka will kickstart from August 30 onwards, with the match between arch-rivals India and Pakistan on September 2 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy set to serve as the Men in Blue's campaign opener.  Ganguly also said that the fitness of Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who made his return from injury and led India to a 2-0 series win against Ireland, will get better with time and India did the right thing by picking Axar Patel in the squad for the continental tournament, as he can also bat well. 

"Both India and Pakistan are good cricket teams. The team that plays well will win. I have no favourites....With time his (Jasprit Bumrah) fitness will get better....You can only have three spinners and I think they have done the right thing by picking Axar (Patel), he can bat," said Ganguly while talking to reporters in Kolkata on Thursday. 

The squad also marks the return of Jasprit Bumrah to ODI cricket after a gap of more than one year. After proving his fitness in the ongoing T20I series against Ireland, Bumrah is set to test himself in the 50-over format heading into the World Cup. India's pace attack will be boosted by the return of Mohammed Siraj, who was not in the team for some time due to a sore ankle. 

Tilak Varma made it to India's Asia Cup squad on the back of his strong performance against West Indies during the tour that ended this month. 

Bowling all-rounders Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel are also in the squad to give the captain more diversity in choices. Apart from Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja is also in the team as an all-rounder.

Pakistan, India and Nepal are in Group A while Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka are in Group B. The tournament will follow a hybrid model with Pakistan hosting four matches across two venues and Sri Lanka hosting the remaining games.

The six group-stage matches will be followed by the Super Fours, beginning September 6. 

The final will be played by the top two teams at the end of the Super Fours on September 17 in Colombo.  

Squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.

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India Or Pakistan? Sourav Ganguly Picks Favourite To Win Asia Cup Clash

Former Indian captain and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly said that he has no favourites for winning the India versus Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 match because both teams are really good.  The Asia Cup to be held in Pakistan and Sri Lanka will kickstart from August 30 onwards, with the match between arch-rivals India and Pakistan on September 2 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy set to serve as the Men in Blue's campaign opener.  Ganguly also said that the fitness of Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who made his return from injury and led India to a 2-0 series win against Ireland, will get better with time and India did the right thing by picking Axar Patel in the squad for the continental tournament, as he can also bat well. 

"Both India and Pakistan are good cricket teams. The team that plays well will win. I have no favourites....With time his (Jasprit Bumrah) fitness will get better....You can only have three spinners and I think they have done the right thing by picking Axar (Patel), he can bat," said Ganguly while talking to reporters in Kolkata on Thursday. 

The squad also marks the return of Jasprit Bumrah to ODI cricket after a gap of more than one year. After proving his fitness in the ongoing T20I series against Ireland, Bumrah is set to test himself in the 50-over format heading into the World Cup. India's pace attack will be boosted by the return of Mohammed Siraj, who was not in the team for some time due to a sore ankle. 

Tilak Varma made it to India's Asia Cup squad on the back of his strong performance against West Indies during the tour that ended this month. 

Bowling all-rounders Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel are also in the squad to give the captain more diversity in choices. Apart from Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja is also in the team as an all-rounder.

Pakistan, India and Nepal are in Group A while Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka are in Group B. The tournament will follow a hybrid model with Pakistan hosting four matches across two venues and Sri Lanka hosting the remaining games.

The six group-stage matches will be followed by the Super Fours, beginning September 6. 

The final will be played by the top two teams at the end of the Super Fours on September 17 in Colombo.  

Squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.

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