Pallekele (Sri Lanka), July 26 (IANS) In the past few years, India’s tour of Sri Lanka has generally been low-key affairs. But this time around, the script has changed as India brace themselves up for the start of a new era when they take on Sri Lanka in the opening match of the three-match T20I series here on Saturday.

Following their T20 World Cup triumph in June, India saw Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja retire from the format on a high, while Rahul Dravid and his formidable coaching staff (barring T. Dilip) also bid adieu. Now under a new captain in Suryakumar Yadav and a new head coach in Gautam Gambhir, India are formally kick-starting their next era.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka are also venturing into a new era, with Charith Asalanka as captain and Sanath Jayasuriya being the interim coach. Though they lost Dushmantha Chameera and Nuwan Thushara before the start of the series, Asitha Fernando and Dilshan Madushanka are also capable of doing good things as fast bowlers.

The firm focus of this short series will be on Suryakumar the captain, who has led India in seven matches in an interim capacity previously. But with him pipping Hardik Pandya to be India’s new T20I captain, all eyes will be on how Suryakumar shuffles his bowlers, tactic calls, and how he marshals the team in an under-pressure situation.

It was only three years ago that Suryakumar made his T20I debut and his rise in the format has been rapid -– so much so that he topped world rankings and is now being given the chance to lead the side and continue its successful run.

“Every player’s dream is to represent India, to do good for India. So that was my first dream. When it is going well, then gradually you think how you can win India in a big tournament, you can win matches.”

“Then another goal comes that if you ever become the captain of India, then it remains in your dream that if you become the captain, then how will you win India after playing against good teams? So this is also another dream that has come true. And it feels good,” said Suryakumar in a pre-series press conference.

With Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal set to continue as openers, it will be interesting to see who all make up the rest of the top-order and middle-order, especially in the finishers’ role, which will give clarity into Suryakumar’s leadership style and Gambhir’s coaching vision for this Indian team which also has Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate as assistant coaches.

For Sri Lanka, an extremely disappointing group-stage exit in the T20 World Cup meant leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga resigned from the top job just six months into the role. His replacement Asalanka recently captained the Jaffna Kings 2024 Lanka Premier League title.

Asalanka was always regarded as a future captain, considering he led Sri Lanka in the U19 World Cup in 2016, captained his alma mater in his younger days at Galle, and led the senior team in two T20Is against Bangladesh earlier this year.

His main challenge now is to get Sri Lanka in the right direction, with the right set of personnel. With both teams led by new captains and coaches, it means that this time the India-Sri Lanka series can’t be taken lightly due to its various subplots, which is a great change from previous years.

Squads:

India (from): Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammad Siraj.

Sri Lanka (from): Pathum Nissanka, Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Avishka Fernando, Charith Asalanka (captain), Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Binura Fernando, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka.

The match starts at 7 pm IST on Sony Sports Network.

–IANS

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Paris, July 26 (IANS) PV Sindhu and Achanta Sharath Kamal will, as the two flagbearers, lead 78 sportspersons and officials from 12 disciplines, whose teams are in France, that will be part of the Indian component of the Athletes’ Parade in the Opening Ceremony for the 2024 Olympic Games here on Friday.

As many members of the Contingent have competitions on Saturday morning, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has been respectful of their decision to prioritise preparation and not take part in the Opening Ceremony.

Among those who have been exempted from participating in the Parade include rower Balraj Panwar, who has his race on Saturday morning, members of the air rifle and air pistol teams, who have their events on Saturday, too have decided to skip the opening ceremony.

India will be opening its campaign in shooting, badminton, table tennis, rowing, archery and hockey on the first day of competitions on Saturday.

Meanwhile, members of the athletics, weightlifting and wrestling squads are yet to reach Paris and therefore miss the opening ceremony. All others who have made themselves available will be part of the Parade.

Prominent athletes from the 12 disciplines that will be part of the Parade of the Nations during the opening ceremony are:

Archery: Deepika Kumari and Tarundeep Rai; Badminton: PV Sindhu; Boxing: Lovlina Borgohain; Equestrian: Anush Agarwalla; Golf: Shubhankar Sharma; Hockey: Krishan Pathak, Nilakanta Sharma and Jugraj Singh; Judo: Tulika Mann; Sailing: Vishnu Saravanan and Nethra Kumanan; Shooting: Anjum Moudgil, Sift Kaur Samra, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Anish; Swimming: Srihari Nataraj, Dhinidhi Desinghu; Table Tennis: Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra and Tennis: Rohan Bopanna, Sumit Nagal and Sriram Balaji.

The fans will be in a position to witness a unique moment in Olympic history at the Opening Ceremony, which is set to be held along the Seine on Friday evening.

The Opening Ceremony promises to be unforgettable, with athlete barges floating down the river starting at the Austerlitz Bridge. They will pass under historic bridges and by iconic landmarks such as Notre Dame and the Louvre, as well as Olympic Games venues including the Esplanade des Invalides and the Grand Palais.

Almost 100 boats carrying an estimated 10,500 athletes will float along the Seine during the parade. The larger of the 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) represented in the parade will have boats to themselves, while the smaller ones will share boats.

–IANS

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Kolkata, July 26 (IANS) The 133rd edition of the Durand Cup is poised for a grand ceremonial start at the iconic Vivekananda Yuba Bharti Krirangan (VYBK) on Saturday, with local favourites and defending champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant (MBSG) taking on the fabled Downtown Heroes of Srinagar in a Group A encounter in the tournament opener.

Downtown Heroes FC, a club now in its fourth year, will bring a fresh perspective to the competition with their focus on nurturing young homegrown talent. Despite a relatively brief history, they made their Durand Cup debut last season and participated in the 2022-23 I-League Division 2.

Mohun Bagan SG enter the tournament as reigning champions, buoyant after clinching the Indian Super League (ISL) Shield last season. Under the guidance of head coach Jose Francisco Molina, they aim to build on their success with a strengthened squad that includes notable international signings like Jamie Maclaren, Greg Stewart, Alberto Rodriguez, and Tom Aldred.

The champions are known to start slow in the season opener and the Heroes will be looking to do an encore. Their captain Basit Ahmed exuded confidence and pride ahead of the game.

“We are ready to make all the Kashmiri people and also all the clubs in Kashmir proud as we are participating in this year’s Durand Cup. We are very happy and proud to participate in this prestigious tournament and we are working very hard to perform and give our best,” said Ahmed.

The 133rd Durand Cup is being played for the first time in four states with Shillong and Jamshedpur added to the list of host cities this year for the very first time in addition to Kokrajhar and Kolkata from last year.

The 24 teams have been divided into six groups with Groups A, B and C being played in Kolkata while Groups D, E and F will be held in Jamshedpur, Kokrajhar and Shillong respectively. Group toppers and two best second-placed teams will make it to the quarterfinals scheduled in Kokarajhar and Jamshedpur, besides Kolkata.

–IANS

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Manchester, July 26 (IANS) India all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer has joined English county club Lancashire for the ongoing One-Day Cup and two rounds of the County Championship. He is expected to make his debut against Kent on July 28. Phil Salt, Iyer’s teammate in Kolkata Knight Riders, recommended him to the club during their successful IPL campaign this year after he scored half-centuries against Sunrisers Hyderabad in both the qualifying round and the final.

Iyer’s assignment will last for five weeks, and he is expected to return before the Duleep Trophy, India’s domestic season opener, begins on September 5.

“This is a deal we have worked hard to complete. Venkatesh will add experience to a young side during the One-Day Cup while providing an explosive batting option in the middle-order and another seam bowler that we can turn to with the ball,” Lancashire’s Director of Cricket Mark Chilton said.

“He will also be available for our County Championship matches against Surrey and Hampshire towards the end of August and gives us another high-quality overseas option to select from,” he added.

During IPL 2021, Iyer established himself as a top-order batter as KKR had an exciting run to the final. Iyer made his debut in the tournament’s second half after the pandemic break, and in the months that followed, he earned his India cap in both white-ball formats.

Iyer, who has fully recovered from a series of injuries that limited his participation to just being a hitter until mid-last year, is also a useful seam-up option. “I am incredibly excited to head over to England and to have the opportunity to play county cricket for the first time in my career. Lancashire is a very historic county with a long history of welcoming Indian players to their Club,” Iyer said in a statement.

“To test my skills in both one-day and first-class cricket in English conditions is going to really benefit my game. I hope that I can entertain the fans and help my Lancashire team-mates to achieve their targets in both formats this summer.,” he added.

In 32 first-class innings, Iyer has scored 1,132 runs, averaging 37.73 with one century. He has also taken 15 wickets with his right-arm medium pace. In List A cricket, he has accumulated 1458 runs in 40 innings. He has four centuries and five fifties in the 50-over format. He also played two ODIs for India in January 2022.

–IANS

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Paris, July 26 (IANS) Paris Olympics 2024 will feature three Indian tennis players for the first time since Leander Paes’ bronze medal triumph at Atlanta 1996. Three-time Olympian and former World No. 1 doubles player Rohan Bopanna, and his partner in men’s doubles Sriram Balaji spoke about their hopes of bringing home a tennis doubles medal.

“I think we’re making sure we’re going out there fully ready. I don’t think we’re here to just represent but we will put our best foot forward and give it a real shot,” said Bopanna to JioCinema.

“We hope so. We’re going to give our best and try for a medal,” added Balaji.

Bopanna has been India’s star tennis player for the better part of two decades. The 44-year-old became the oldest man to win a Grand Slam at the 2024 Australian Open and has been looking forward to the Games since creating history.

“I knew I was going to remain in Top-10, especially after winning the Australian Open 2024. I knew that with a Top-10 ranking, we were going to have a team here in Paris 2024. I’ve been looking forward to this, I don’t think anything gets bigger or better than being at the Mecca of an event like this and representing the country at such a prestigious event. We have a great team, we’ve been working very hard in the last few days, and it’s beautiful to be back in Paris,” said Bopanna.

Everything surrounding Bopanna screams heritage whereas his partner is getting ready to make his Olympics debut that too at the fabled Roland Garros which is also known as the mecca of clay courts. Balaji further talked about how big of an opportunity this event marks for him and how he feels about playing on the court that he is familiar with.

“Definitely, it’s more than a dream come true for me. Thanks to everyone and Rohan for bringing me here,” said Balaji “Clay has got its pros and cons. I’ve been playing on clay for more than a decade, ever since I moved to Germany. So, I’ve been adapting to play on clay. Right now, with our doubles team style, I feel we both serve big and if we can make a lot of returns and put pressure, it’s going to be good for us,” added Balaji.

Although all Indian supporters will be looking towards the Bopanna-Balaji duo, the tennis fraternity is beyond excited to see one of the legends of the game, Rafael Nadal team up with two-time Wimbledon winner and young icon Carlos Alcaraz. Balaji claimed that he would love the opportunity to play against the star-studded duo.

“I would like to face them but not in the early stages of the tournament. I’d like to get a couple of matches in and then play against them,” he concluded.

Apart from the experienced duo, the 26-year-old Sumit Nagal has also qualified for the men’s singles event in the Paris Olympics.

–IANS

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