Leclerc Dream and Lauda Memories Stir Monaco Emotions
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NNBABA | Page 5 Raptors thump Bucks to level East Conference fi nals at 2-2 Thursday, May 23, 2019 TENNIS Ramadan 18, 1440 AH With the world at GULF TIMES her feet, Osaka takes Paris in her stride SPORT Page 2 FOCUS CRICKET Sanchez names 28-man Qatar squad for Copa Kohli’s India By Sports Reporter Mahdi Ali have been also in- B rivals Colombia on June 20 and Doha cluded in the squad which will Argentina on June 23. be holding a training camp in boast fi repower Texas before fl ying out to Brazil. SQUAD: Saad al-Sheeb, Tariq Sal- oach Felix Sanchez A large number of players in man, Boualem Khoukhi, Hassan yesterday announced the squad are from Al Sadd and al-Haydos, Akram Afif, Hamid a 28-member Qatar Al Duhail, the top sides in Qa- Ismail, Salem al-Hajri, Abdelkarim squad for the Copa tar. However, not a single player Hassan and Pedro ( Al Sadd); to make World CAmerica to be held in Brazil from from Al Rayyan, who fi nished Almoez Ali, Bassam al- Rawi, June 14 to July 7. fourth in the QNB Stars League, Karim Boudiaf, Aasim Madibo, The list includes all players has made the team. Ali Afif, Ismail Mohamed, Abdulla who represented Qatar during The squad will be pruned to 23 Abdul Salam and Sultan al-Brake Cup charge their historic Asian Cup triumph after Qatar’s friendly against Bra- (Al Duhail); Youssef Hassan, in the UAE earlier this year, most zil at the historic Maracana Sta- Abdulaziz Hatem, Ahmed Alaa, AFP portant role in India’s recent notably Karim Boudiaf and Bas- dium in Rio de Janeiro on June 5. Tamim al-Muhaize and Mahdi Ali New Delhi successes. sam al-Rawi, who had missed They will also play a closed doors (Al Gharafa); Musab al-Khater and And former India batsman their recent club matches due to match against a Brazilian club side Ahmed Fathi (Al Arabi); Mohamed Sanjay Manjrekar told AFP that injuries. on June 9 before their fi rst Copa Bakri (Al Khor), Abdul Aziz al-An- ndia boast the game’s un- the spin twins could have a cru- Al Duhail’s Ismail Mohamed, America match against Paraguay sari (Al Kharaitiyat), Ahmed Moin doubted superstar batsman cial role to play for India, who who missed the entire season on June 16. (Qatar Sports Club) and Abdulrah- in Virat Kohli but their bowl- kick off their World Cup cam- due to injury and Al Gharafa’s They meet their other Group man Mohamed (Al Ahli) Qatar coach Felix Sanchez. ing attack could hold the paign against South Africa in Ikey to their hopes of World Cup Southampton on June 5. glory. “In T20 cricket if you don’t FORMULA 1 Despite their status as the have anything in the pitch for game’s global powerhouse, In- these spinners then the batsmen, dia have only won the showpiece by slogging them, have a tenden- tournament twice, in 1983 and cy to get the better of these guys,” 2011. he said. But Kohli’s men, second be- “In the 50-over World Cup, in hind England in the one-day the middle stages, that kind of international rankings, will start pressure won’t be there on these Leclerc dream and the tournament in England and two guys.” Wales among the favourites alongside the host nation and KOHLI FACTOR defending champions Australia. Kohli, 30, has scored more than For all the focus on captain 19,000 runs across all formats of Kohli, the number one batsman the international game and shone in the world in the 50-over for- during India’s tour of England last Lauda memories stir mat and Test cricket, the ability year, despite defeats in the Test of India’s seamers to exploit the and ODI series for the visitors. conditions could be the most im- But the rest of the batting portant factor. line-up appears far from set- Jasprit Bumrah, the top- tled, with Lokesh Rahul and all- ranked ODI bowler in the world, rounder Vijay Shankar vying for leads the pace battery along- the number four spot after Rohit Monaco emotions side Mohammed Shami, Bhu- Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and vneshwar Kumar and Hardik Kohli in the top three positions. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc Pandya. Kedar Jadhav and MS Dhoni takes part in a press Wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav are expected to form the core of conference ahead of the and Yuzvendra Chahal add vari- the middle order. In this May 1, 1979, picture, Sunday’s Monaco Grand ety to India’s attack. “I don’t think the Indian bat- Austrian driver Niki Lauda Prix yesterday. Former India skipper Rahul ting looks settled. Virat Kohli is talks to a mechanic at(AFP) the (Reuters) Monaco Grand Prix. Dravid believes the tournament the only guy that gets me very could be a high-scoring aff air. excited,” said Manjrekar, who “I believe, having experienced admitted Dhoni’s IPL form had some of the conditions in Eng- been good. land last year with the A-team All-rounders Pandya and tour, it would be a high-scoring Shankar will also be crucial to In- World Cup,” he told Star Sports. dia’s chances of making the fi nal “And in a high-scoring World four in the round-robin event. Cup, having bowlers who can An attacking middle-order take wickets in the middle will be batsman, a medium-fast bowler very important. I think India is and quick in the fi eld, Pandya has lucky in that regard. the ability to turn games single- “People like (Jasprit) Bumrah, handedly. Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra The 25-year-old Pandya, who Chahal.... (India have) got bowl- earlier this year was suspended ers who can take wickets.” over sexist remarks on a TV chat The 25-year-old Bumrah, with show, is fresh from winning the his ability to bowl yorkers at the IPL title with Mumbai Indians death, has picked up 85 wickets and keen to focus his energies on in 49 ODI matches since making his fi rst 50-over World Cup. his international debut in Janu- “There is no one even close to ary 2016. Hardik Pandya’s talent with both Yadav and Chahal did not have bat and ball,” former India open- “If you look at their perform- at home since Louis Chiron in a great Indian Premier League er Virender Sehwag told cricket- Mercedes have sentiment on ance in the low-speed section of the 1950s. season but have played an im- next website. this (Barcelona) circuit, you would A fi rst career F1 win for the their side, Leclerc hopes to expect them to be very strong (in Monegasque, who crashed out Monaco),” Red Bull boss Christian last year on his debut with Sau- make most of home advantage Horner said after Hamilton won ber, would be truly momentous. in Spain 10 days ago. “It’s my fi rst home GP as a Reuters Now that looks more like a fi t- “They’ll certainly be very Ferrari driver and it’s bound to Monaco ting tribute to a man who won much the favourites.” be a special weekend,” he said. his titles with McLaren and Fer- Red Bull won last year from “I remember as a kid, I would rari but would have been cheer- pole position with Daniel Ric- spend the afternoon with a harles Leclerc will race ing on the Silver Arrows of Lewis ciardo, but the Australian has friend who lived in a fl at with around his home streets Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas as moved to Renault and Max Ver- a balcony overlooking the Ste. in a Ferrari for the fi rst loudly as anyone. stappen is the main hope now. Devote corner. We used to play time in Sunday’s Mo- Various tributes are expected The young Dutchman does with toy cars while the real ones Cnaco Grand Prix, a boyhood for one of the sport’s greatest not have such happy memo- rushed past beneath us. dream come true, but dominant characters, who won for Ferrari ries of the track, wrecking his “I always told myself that one Mercedes also have sentiment in Monaco in 1975 and 1976. chances last year by hitting the day, it would be great to be driv- on their side. Mercedes team principal Toto wall in Saturday’s fi nal practice ing in this race.” The death on Monday night of Wolff said his compatriot had and lining up last. Ricciardo, who has fi nished Austrian Formula One great Niki been a guiding light. “Looking at the low-speed only once in the points this year Lauda, a triple world champion “As a team-mate over the past performance in the last sector with a best result of seventh, is and non-executive director of six and a half years, Niki was al- (in Spain), we are clearly not the unlikely to be standing on top of the Mercedes team, has cast the ways brutally honest — and ut- favourite and I also don’t expect the podium on Sunday but the showcase race into a diff erent terly loyal,” he said. A picture of late F1 driver Niki it to be like last year when we Australian does expect a better light. “It was a privilege to count Lauda is seen on a Red Bull Toro were super strong in Monaco,” showing. A week ago there were those him among our team and mov- Rosso car ahead of the Monaco he said.