CRICKET
Indian veterans raring to prove a point in the over-70s World Cup cricket
The Indian veteran cricketers are raring to perform in the inaugural edition of the IMC Over-70s World Cup cricket tournament in the United Kingdom on July 28.
“I wish all our players deliver the way they want to, each match day. It’s going to be tough, but we will give our best,” said Hemachandran M. Nair, the team’s skipper.
Six out of the 16 players in the team are from India, and the rest are from Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. And, among the Indian stars, Hemachandran, Dr. K. Jayakumar and Anand Rao are alumni of the Stanes AIHSS in Coimbatore.
Hemachandran’s only worry is that the players have not practised as a team thus far. “We have been practising at our respective places and, I am slightly apprehensive about that.”
However, the team, he said, was looking forward to the net sessions and a couple of warm-up games against the county teams before the opening clash opposite the Kiwis on July 28.
“We players are in constant touch through video-conferencing. We shared footage of videos and chalked out various strategies, but will finalise on them in the UK soon,” said the skipper.
It’s going to be a 45-over-a-side game and staying fit will be the key. “While we have the skills, physical fitness is going to be an important factor,” he contended.
Dr. Jayakumar pointed out that half the team are playing in the professional league in their respective age groups abroad and, a few, have played in the Ranji Trophy as well. “It’s a good team, I believe.”
“Jayakumar is a good middle-order batter and, I expect him to score some quick runs for us,” said Hemachandran.
“I have been training hard on my fitness and skills as well in the past four months. I do a bit of yoga too. In fact, we have played with a few youngsters at the nets of Sri Ramakrishna Institutions and that’s going to make a lot of difference,” said Anand.
The skipper said that he has 15 teammates of the stature of captains to handle the situation. “So, imagine how easy that’s going to be! Even during our school days, we were never bothered about the opponents. This time around, it’s going to be the same. Play one ball and one match at a time. We hope to stay put and play the full quota of overs. The rest will follow suit.”
P. Chandrasekaran and P.K Raman, both from Palakkad, will be the coach and the official scorer of the team.
-Rayan Rozario
MOTORSPORT
Coimbatore Rally: Harkrishan and Kunal eager to consolidate lead
Coimbatore has not been a happy hunting ground for Delhi’s Harkrishan Wadia and his co-driver Kushal Kashyap from Himachal. But the duo is keen to make an impact in the Rally of Coimbatore, the third round of the Blue Band FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC), set to start at the Jenney’s Residency here on Friday.
“We lost a lot of points in the second round at Nashik. Also, we have not tasted much success at Coimbatore. But, this time, the car looks fine and, we are well prepared. I believe we are on the right route to score more points,” Harkrishan told Sportstar on Thursday.
It’s only two points that separate the top two – Harkrishan (40pts) and INRC3 driver Darius Shroff (38pts) – going into this rally. Karna Kadur (35pts) and Aditya Thakur (32pts) are not far behind. The Coimbatore terrains are fast and challenging as well. So, the next two days will unleash an exciting battle in the top category.
Kerala’s Fabid Ahmer (56pts) and Darius lead the pack in the INRC2 and INRC3 categories. Phoebe Nongrum (70pts) is sitting pretty at the top in the INRC women’s class.
The Rally of Coimbatore will feature eight stages covering a total distance of 269.38kms. It will be flagged off by the Coimbatore City Police Commissioner V. Balakrishnan on Friday at 5 p.m. Stages 1-6 will be at the SM Agro, near the L&T bypass on Saturday, followed by the remaining stages at the picturesque Kethanur windmill farm near Palladam the next day.
-Rayan Rozario
RPPL, KMS announce strategic cooperation to promote racing in India
Racing Promotions Private Limited (RPPL), the promoters of the Indian Racing League (IRL) and the FIA Formula 4 in India, and Kari Motor Speedway (KMS) in Chettipalayam have entered into a strategic Racing Promotion Agreement to promote motor racing in India.
This agreement will see the utilisation of KMS, the second oldest racing track in India, as the home base for RPPL, resulting in one or more rounds of its championships at the circuit every year.
KMS, a purpose-built auto racing track that has hosted various national championships for both two and four-wheelers, will also be used for testing and training purposes by RPPL. The agreement covers a period extending to ten years.
“The agreement marks an important step in the promotion and development of motor racing, and RPPL will work tirelessly towards improving the standards of racing activity in the country,” said Akhilesh Reddy, Chairman and Managing Director.
B. Vijayakumar, owner of the 2.3kms KMS circuit, expressed happiness about the signing of the agreement. “KMS has been at the forefront of the development of motor racing in the country for the past couple of decades and looks forward to supporting RPPL in their quest to improve motor racing activity in India.
-Rayan Rozario
CoASTT to host national karting this weekend
The Coimbatore Autosports Transport Trust (CoASTT) – High Performance Centre, a FIA Grade 2 circuit, will host its maiden karting event, the MECO FMSCI National Karting Championship Rotax Max classes here this weekend.
It’s the third round of the season and 66 drivers, which include national champions from the LGB F1300, LGBF4, MRF F1600 and F2000 categories, will battle it out for pride and place on the podium.
Senior Max championship leader Ruhaan Alva from Bengaluru, representing MSport, was pleased with the practice sessions on the new circuit. “It’s a fast track but it was good fun driving on it. The lap timings are very close and I expect a tight fight,” said Ruhaan.
Rivaan Dev Preetham (MSport) and Nikhilesh Raju (Peregrine Racing) are currently at the top of the table in the Micro Max and Junior Max categories respectively.
-Rayan Rozario
TENNIS
Yuki Bhambri and Albano Olivetti eliminated in Croatia Open quarterfinals
Top seeds Yuki Bhambri and Albano Olivetti were beaten 6-4, 1-6, [10-6] by Manuel Guinard and Gregoire Jacq in the doubles quarterfinals of the €579,320 ATP tennis tournament in Umag, Croatia.
The Indo-French pair collected 45 ATP points and €5,370.
In the $100,000 ITF women’s event in Portugal, Vasanti Shinde made the doubles semifinals in partnership with Evialina Laskevich.
The results:
€579,320 ATP, Umag, Croatia: Doubles (quarterfinals): Manuel Guinard & Gregoire Jacq (Fra) bt Yuki Bhambri & Albano Olivetti (Fra) 6-4, 1-6, [10-6].
$25,000 ITF men, Astana, Kazakhstan: Singles (pre-quarterfinals): SD Prajwal Dev bt Karan Singh 3-6, 6-1, 6-0; Aleksandre Bakshi (Geo) bt Sai Karteek Reddy 6-3, 6-4. Doubles (quarterfinals): Egor Agafonov & Ilia Simakin bt Alafia Ayeni (USA) & Sai Karteek Reddy 4-6, 6-3, [11-9].
$15,000 ITF men, Monastir, Tunisia: Singles (first round): Liam Delicata (Mlt) bt Chirag Duhan 6-1, 6-4.
$15,000 ITF men, Rognac, France: Singles (first round): Damien Salvestre (Fra) bt Raghav Jaisinghani 6-3, 6-0.
$100,000 ITF women, Figueira da Foz, Portugal: Doubles (quarterfinals): Evialina Lasskevich & Vasanti Shinde bt Mina Hodzic (Ger) & Sofia Pinto (Por) 6-0, 6-4.
$40,000 ITF women, Dallas, USA: Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Sophie Chang & Dalayna Hewitt (USA) bt Shrivalli Bhamidipaty & Sahaja Yamalapalli 6-2, 6-4.
$25,000 ITF women, Astana, Kazakhstan: Singles (pre-quarterfinals): Vaidehi Chaudhari bt Vitalia Diatchenko 1-6, 7-6(3), 6-2. Doubles (quarterfinals): Vitalia Diatchenko & Zhanel Rustemova (Kaz) bt Vaidehi Chaudhari & Ksenia Laskutova 3-6, 6-1, [10-8].
$25,000 ITF women, Casablanca, Morocco: Singles (pre-quarterfinals): Tiantosa Rajaonah (Fra) bt Zeel Desai 6-1, 6-2.
$25,000 ITF women, Segovia, Spain: Doubles (quarterfinals): Cadence Brace (Can) & Halley Giavara (USA) bt Riya Bhatia & Daria Frayman (Cyp) 6-3, 6-3.
-Kamesh Srinivasan
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