EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

DELHI THE HINDU 20 SPORT THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2019 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE A big boost to my confidence: Lakshya Sahal wants to become The 18­year­old shocked second seed Victor Svendsen to clinch the Belgian title the ‘Indian Messi’ BADMINTON performance,” Lakshya, who He is one of the youngsters blooded into the national team didn’t drop a single game Press Trust of India throughout the tournament, Press Trust of India New Delhi said. “This win will give me NEW DELHI Rising Indian shuttler Laksh­ lots of confidence to do well Just seven matches old, mid­ ya Sen is hoping to continue in the coming tournaments,” fielder Sahal Abdul Samad the consistency that fetched he said. has already brought some him the Belgian Open as he “This year I can play more fresh air into the Indian foot­ looks to break into top 50 in tournaments than last year ball team with his dribbling, the World ranking, which in the senior circuit and I feints and turns. will help him qualify for big­ hope to prepare well.” Not surprisingly, the ger tournaments next Playing his first full­ youngster wants to mould season. fledged season in the senior himself like Argentine maes­ The 18­year­old from Al­ circuit, Lakshya had broken tro Lionel Messi. mora shocked second seed into the top­100 in March The 22­year­old from Kera­ Victor Svendsen of Denmark this year. The Belgian Open la made an immediate im­ in straight games to clinch win saw him jump 12 places pact in his debut match the men’s singles title at the to grab the World No 67th against Curacao in the King’s The pivot: Midfielder Sahal Abdul Samad has impressed Belgian International Chal­ spot in the latest BWF Cup in June and within four with his dribbles and body feints. * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT lenge last Saturday. ranking. months, he has become the “I think I played consis­ Lakshya is currently in Eu­ midfield pivot of the Indian talent while turning out for nally, and the whole team tently well throughout the rope playing in the Danish team. Indian Super League club like the brand of football week and I’m happy with my League for Aarhus club. “I love dribbling, gunning Kerala Blasters where he has which we are playing,” said for a sprint and I love to do been playing for the last two the current Emerging Player that wherever I play. I love to years. He did not, however, of the Year for both the AIFF put through balls, penetrate make it to India’s final squad and the ISL. the defence, attack with the for the Asian Cup in January. “Supporters also continue ball. I’m a fan of Lionel Mes­ Naturally, he is loving Sti­ to cheer for us — everyone si, I watch him a lot and try to mac’s possession­based foot­ has been enjoying our brand learn as much as possible,” ball, building from the back of football, which is a positive Sahal said. “That’s my way of with neat passes and smooth sign for us.” playing.” transition to attacking. Sahal said India can sur­ Sahal is one of the young­ “In modern football, it’s prise Oman in its own den sters blooded into the nation­ all about keeping the ball and and hope for a berth in the Looking ahead: The Belgian Open win helped Lakshya Sen jump 12 places in World rankings. al team by new head coach making the opponent run next round of the World Cup

* FILE PHOTO: RITU RAJ KONWAR Igor Stimac. He showed his and get them tired. I, perso­ Qualifiers. India well placed to pick up the Pugnacious Wade ever ready for a pay­back remaining seven Olympic quotas The ’keeper­batsman lifted his team’s spirits with a typically Australian approach in the Ashes Asian Championship in Doha offers final chance S. Dinakar change from the Aussie the talented Shai Hope as a Chennai methods against India at pure batsman. Kamesh Srinivasan Olympic quotas that it is elig­ Mehuli Ghosh in women’s With his scruffy appearance, home when the side ap­ Sri Lanka has picked three NEW DELHI ible to win, in the rifle and air rifle. It is a tussle between combativeness and a pen­ peared ‘soft’, treading the wicketkeeper­batsmen — Ku­ While India was happy top­ pistol events. Olympian Annu Raj Singh chant for exchanging words, safe path following Sandpa­ sal Perera, Kusal Mendis and ping all the four World Cups India has won the maxi­ and the 14­year­old Esha Matthew Wade is a “fair din­ pergate, the effects of which Niroshan Dickwella — in the in rifle and pistol this season mum possible two Olympic Singh for the third spot in kum Aussie”. impacted Australia’s attack­ Test eleven with the last­ in Delhi, Beijing, Munich quotas in women’s air rifle, women’s air pistol, as the You can picture him on ing approach. named wearing the gloves. and Rio, power house China men’s air pistol and wo­ two are tied with an average the outback, living the hard Yet, as Tim Paine’s Aussies The influential Mushfiqur was quietly collecting 25 men’s air pistol. of 577.67. life. The 31­year­old Wade, retained the Ashes with a 2­2 Rahim and the promising Li­ Olympic quota places for To­ Thus, it should not matter Two­time Olympian Hee­ when handed a lifeline dur­ verdict in a gripping series, ton Das join hands for kyo 2020. much as to who shoots in na Sidhu has slipped to the ing an unforgettable Ashes Wade’s biggest contribution Bangladesh. Interestingly, world lead­ these events in the Asian 16th spot with an average of series, breathed life into this was in injecting the team And the explosive Rishabh er China’s supremacy, as championship. 568.33 in air pistol. Australian team. with a dose of aggression. Pant and the experienced Di­ compared to nine Olympic Of course, the Olympic The fact that Annu Raj fi­ It was not just about his The Aussies, sledging on oc­ nesh Karthik have featured quota won by India so far, quota­winners Saurabh gures third in women’s gutsy left­handed batting casions, were their own in the limited­over side as should favour the Indian Chaudhary and Abhishek sports pistol, behind quota­ against Jofra Archer’s ex­ selves again without employ­ specialist batsmen. shooters when they make a Verma in men’s air pistol, winners Rahi Sarnobat and treme pace or his two flam­ ing offensive language. final attempt for the Olympic Anjum Moudgil and Apurvi Manu Bhaker, should see her boyant Test hundreds under And Wade, the orchestra­ Perfect riposte: Matthew Wade didn’t flinch when glared at Natural ability berths in the Asian Cham­ Chandela in women’s air ri­ make the cut in that event, pressure or his sharp reflex tor, was at the centre of it. by Jofra Archer, and returned the compliment. * GETTY IMAGES Factors in favour of ’keepers pionship in Doha, Qatar, in fle and Yashaswini Singh along with Chinki Yadav and catches close to the wicket. He was bound to be target­ surfacing as specialist bat­ November. Deswal and Manu Bhaker in Neeraj Kaur. For, there are ed by Archer. Wade, though, Then followed the words. days for wicketkeeper­bat­ smen include their natural women’s air pistol, top the four Olympic quotas on offer Feisty approach displayed character, with­ Wade replied in kind. smen. ability to pick the length, Bright chances averages. in sports pistol in Doha, and Wade brought with him a standing a spell of brutal Many feature in the eleven read bowlers’ hand, deciph­ With China virtually out of India needs to add to the one feisty, typically Australian pace and venom from Archer Replying in kind as specialist batsmen. For in­ er the pitch, bat­speed and the race in most of the A tussle won by Rahi. approach, often getting un­ during his counter­punching Wade isn’t the most accom­ stance, England has the spi­ strong backfoot play. events, having won maxi­ Following the last set of se­ Equally, India will aspire der the skin of the batsmen hundred at the Oval. plished of ’keepers but coach rited Jonny Bairstow don­ Wicketkeeper­batsmen mum possible two quotas in lection trials, Sharvan Ku­ to win one or two Olympic with his chatter from short­ He was peppered with the Justin Langer, who compre­ ning the gloves and the are, generally, good cutters each event, and Korea with mar has risen to the third quotas from the four availa­ leg, or verbal duels with the short stuff, was struck on the hends the value of having a free­stroking Jos Buttler ad­ and pullers. 12 quotas so far, India will spot in men’s air pistol, Ela­ ble in the men’s 25­metre ra­ bowlers, without crossing shoulder, but did not flinch. vocal fighter in the mix, was ding weight to the middle­or­ And a street­fighter such have bright chances to pick venil stays world No. 3 and pid fire pistol. the line. When glared at by Archer, he spot on with his judgement. der. as Wade brings that precious up the remaining seven the Indian No. 3 ahead of This was a refreshing glared back. Actually, these are good And the West Indies plays pugnacious streak with him. U Mumba roars back Advani in knockout stage

PKL ed with U Mumba one point WORLD 6-RED week, had under a day to However, the elimination behind Yoddha. With two switch to snooker. stages could pose a threat all­outs in an action­packed Press Trust of India The 34­year­old was the for Advani as he is likely to Nandakumar Marar first half, both squads with Mandalay (Myanmar) only player in the champion­ run into last year’s finalist PUNE quality in their ranks raised Top Indian cueist Pankaj Ad­ ship to win all his group and a noteworthy competi­ Fazel Atrachali’s empty raid the tempo. Yoddha bounced vani received top billing in matches without dropping a tor Thanawat Tirapongpai­ was greeted with a roar by back from four players the knockout stage of the frame. boon of Thailand in the the U Mumba fans as the down, Sachin Kumar man­ IBSF World 6­Red Snooker He accounted for Myat quarterfinals. captain ran down the clock aged a Super Tackle and Su­ Championship here on Thu of Myanmar, Michael Other Indians in the final and took his team to a rous­ rinder returned the favour Wednesday. Schnabel of Germany and 32 include Anuj Uppal, Adi­ ing 39­36 win over UP Yodd­ with a crunching Super Advani, who won the 150­ Rajan Lama of Nepal in iden­ tya Mehta, Laxnan Rawat, ha in their ProKabaddi Tackle. up format at the IBSF World tical fashion beating them all Kamal Chawla and Pushpen­ League match at the Balewa­ Shrikant Jadhav and Rish­ Billiards Championship last 4­0. der Singh. di indoor stadium on Wed­ ank Devadiga, taking on nesday. The Iranian’s gui­ former U Mumba team­ dance brought out the best mates, did their bit before in fellow catcher Surinder being overshadowed by the Saketh and Jeevan enter Singh and raider Abhishek defence when an aggressive Singh in a thrilling Surinder stood out. fightback. The Yoddha raiders and doubles quarterfinals Three all­outs, many Sup­ catchers worked in tandem er Tackles, one Super Raid right through the first half Ramkumar and partner advance in Glasgow amidst frayed tempers and before losing the plot. Both flying leaps resulted in an teams remain in the race for INDIANS ABROAD ger, Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei: lapudi 2­6, 6­3, [10­7]. exciting contest. Yoddha the playoffs. (second round): Marc Polmans $15,000 ITF men, Cairo, Egypt: was in charge before the de­ The results: U Mumba 39 Sports Bureau (Aus) bt Sasi Kumar Mukund (first round): Simone Roncalli 6­4, 6­1. Doubles (pre­quar­ fenders cracked under pres­ (Abhishek Singh 11, Arjun Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei (Ita) bt Aryan Goveas 6­2, 3­0 sure. Three catchers went Deshwal 7, Surinder Singh 6) bt Saketh Myneni and Jeevan terfinals): Saketh Myneni & (retired). UP Yoddha 36 (Rishank Deva­ Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan bt out in an attempt to stop Nedunchezhiyan combined $15,000 ITF men: Tabarka, Tu­ diga 9, Shrikant Jadhav 8). Alex Bolt & Jacob Grills (Aus) nisia (first round): Zachary Eis­ Abhishek (11 points). Surin­ Puneri Paltan 36 (Manjeet well to get past the Aussies 4­6, 6­4, [10­8]. der’s bold tackles as right Alex Bolt and Jacob Grills inga (Ned) bt Kabir Gupta 6­0, 11, Pankaj Mohite 8, Amit Ku­ 6­0. cover earned him six points. 4­6, 6­4, 10­8 in the doubles € 46,600 Challenger, Glasgow, mar 4) tied with Tamil Thalai­ United Kingdom: Doubles $15,000 ITF men, Antalya, The decibel levels rose pre­quarterfinals of the vas 36 (Ajith Kumar 18, Rahul (pre­quarterfinals): Marek Turkey (first round): Michael when the second half start­ Chaudhari 4, Shabeer Bapu 4). $162,480 Challenger tennis Gengel (Cze) & Ramkumar Ra­ Vrbensky (Cze) bt Adil Kalyan­ tournament here on manathan bt Scott Clayton & pur 6­4, 6­1. Doubles (pre­ Wednesday. Lloyd Glasspool (GBR) 7­5, quarterfinals): Kelsey Steven­ In the quarterfinals, the 7­6(7). son (Can) & Adil Kalyanpur bt Indian pair will play the $15,000 ITF men, Nanchang, Gabriele Bosio & Carlo Alberto third seeded Taipei pair of China: (first round): Prithvi Fossati (Ita) 6­2, 6­2. Cheng­Peng Hsieh and Sekhar bt Xian Yao Zhou (Chn) $15,000 ITF men, Anning, Chi­ Tsung­Hua Yang. 4­6, 6­3, 6­4; Kaza Vinayak na: (first round): Meiqi Guo In the singles second Sharma bt Nitin Kumar Sinha (Chn) bt Soha Sadiq 6­4, 6­1; round, however, Sasi Kumar 6­1, 6­3. Doubles (pre­quar­ Zhibek Kulambayeva (Kaz) bt Mukund was beaten 6­4, 6­1 terfinals): Luca Castelnuovo Sowjanya Bavisetti 2­6, 6­3, 6­4. Doubles (pre­quarterfi­ by Marc Polmans. (Sui) & Anirudh Chandrasekar bt Nathasith Kunsuwan (Tha) & nals): Oleksandra Oliynykova Ramkumar Ramanathan Rukai Wang (Chn) 6­2, 7­6(7); (Cro) & Sowjanya Bavisetti bt made the doubles quarterfi­ Poi Wattanakul (Tha) & Nitin Eun Se Jang (Kor) & Nikita Ube­ nals of the Challenger in Kumar Sinha bt Xiaoyu He & roi (US) 6­2, 6­1. Glasgow, in partnership with Changil Zhang (Chn) 6­2, 0­6, $15,000 ITF women, Tabarka, Marek Gengel of the Czech [10­8]; Kosuke Ogura & Ryota Tunisia: (first round): Alice Republic. Tanuma (Jpn) bt Oleg Khotkov Amendola (Ita) bt Likhitha Ka­ In the thick of it:Surinder, right, shone for U Mumba. The results: $162,480 Challen­ (Ukr) & Tarun Anirudh Chilaka­ lava 7­5, 7­5. CM M ND-NDE YK