THE HIMALAYAN MAIL JAMMU Q FRIDAY Q MAY 14, 2021 11 Shafali Verma, Radha Yadav How India's Olympic-bound athletes set to make WBBL debuts have innovated in lockdown NEW DELHI, MAY 13: The world number one NEW DELHI, MAY 13: fencer Bhavani Devi faced Indian batting sensation batter in ICC women's T20I For someone who lost a sea- the same challenge last year Shafali Verma is set to make rankings will also be turning son to a nagging elbow in- when her qualification her Women's Big Bash up for Birmingham Phoenix jury that needed surgery, hopes appeared hanging by League debut with two-time in the inaugural edition of Indian javelin thrower a thread in the absence of a champions Sydney Sixers The Hundred -- the 100- Neeraj Chopra understand- sparring partner. later this year. ball domestic competition ably welcomed the post- The 27-year-old came up The 17-year-old is ex- of the England and Wales ponement of the Tokyo with a concrete plan -- liter- pected to be joined by left- Cricket Board (ECB) later Games last year. ally -- piling bricks and slabs arm spinner Radha Yadav, this year. The mop-haired former together under a kitbag with who is currently in talks While The Hundred, world junior champion, po- a fencing mask attached to with the Sydney Sixers fran- which was postponed last tentially independent In- it to create a dummy part- chise. year due to the COVID-19 dia's first track-and-field ner. "Shafali's deal is done, it pandemic, is scheduled to Olympic medallist, had "It was not a new idea for will be announced when the start on July 21, the WBBL hoped to use the extra time me," the sabre fencer told a Women's Big Bash schedule is slated later in the year. to get back to full fitness and virtual news conference on is released," a BCCI source The Hundred will be the try to find his best form. Wednesday, recalling the told PTI. first overseas T20 competi- Instead, the 23-year-old early days of her fencing ca- "Radha is also in talks tion for Shafali, who has was soon sent scurrying reer when she could not af- with the Sydney Sixers," the minor. (Brisbane Heat) and all- emerged as a powerful back indoors as the COVID- ford a proper sword and source added. Shefali joins the trio of rounder Veda Krishna- striker in world cricket with 19 pandemic swept the practised with bamboo The teenager's father was T20 skipper Harmanpreet murthy (Hobart Hurri- 617 runs at a strike rate of world's second-most popu- sticks. train and compete in telephone. also required to sign a con- Kaur (Sydney Thunder), canes), which has featured 148.31 in 22 international lous nation, then surged "I used to mount my Turkey this month but the "You can set up the ball sent form as Shafali is still a opener Smriti Mandhana in the WBBL. matches. again in a devastating sec- mask on the wall and do my Athletics Federation of In- trajectory and frequency, ond wave this year. partner-training those days. dia suspended their camp you can set up the spin and Chopra is one of 90-odd It came from that. after being told the athletes speed, you can set up like Tokyo-bound Indian ath- "It gave me the feel of would have to complete two one ball close to the net, and Archer set for first class letes who have spent much fencing with an opponent," weeks of hard quarantine then the other one at the far of the last 12 months ago- said Devi, who earlier this on arrival. end of the table. nising over the loss of pre- year became the first Indian The frustration for aspi- "So this is very close to cious practice time in an fencer to qualify for an comeback with Sussex rant Olympians has been what we practise with a Olympic year. Olympics, booking her spot palpable and athletes like coach or with a fellow NEW DELHI, MAY 13: class game is likely to be "There's been an ex- at the World Cup in Hun- table tennis player Sathiyan player." England fast bowler Jofra Archer's last chance to tended period of over two gary. Gnanasekaran have been Sathiyan has since turned Archer is set to make his re- prove his fitness ahead of years since I competed in an Boxer Vikas Krishan forced to innovate to stay the roof terrace of his Chen- turn to first-class cricket af- England's two-Test series international competition," roped in his family to help, sharp during the lengthy nai home into a sports hall, ter he was named in Sus- against New Zealand next the javelin thrower recently teaching his father to hold lockdowns. ordered a new table just like sex's 13-man squad for month. told Reuters. the punching bag at his Bhi- Left with no practice part- the ones he will play on in Thursday's County Cham- "Any team in world "As an athlete, there's wani home. ner last year, the tech-savvy Tokyo, and roped in a local pionship match against cricket would be excited to only so much one can train "Having competed at two paddler used a ping pong player to practise against. Kent. name Jofra in their squad and the lack of competition Olympics, I know what it robot he had imported from "Definitely robots can't be Archer underwent for a game. Everybody is is definitely a factor that's takes to succeed at the high- Germany and finally compared to humans. I pre- surgery to remove a glass aware of his talents," Sussex been playing on my mind." est level and I am not allow- booked his Tokyo spot in fer sparring with humans fragment from a tendon on coach Ian Salisbury said. India leads the world in ing anything to come in my March. any day," he said. his right hand, an injury he The first Test against New the daily average number of way," the 29-year-old wel- "It can fire around 120 "You miss that human sustained in January when Zealand will be held at new deaths reported, ac- terweight told Reuters. balls per minute. It's basi- touch. You miss those mo- an attempt to clean his fish Lord's from June 2-6 before counting for one in every "My only aim for Tokyo is ment for a long-term elbow the start of the now-sus- cally like a feeder one but ments, like seeing openings tank went wrong. the second match in Birm- three deaths reported to win gold for India and I problem at the time. pended Indian Premier you can add a lot of ran- and placing them in the He was undergoing treat- ingham from June 10. worldwide each day, ac- have focused all my efforts The 26-year-old missed League season and the first domness into it," the 28- right place." cording to a Reuters tally. and energy to achieving that year-old told Reuters by Elsewhere in Chennai, I was scared: Saha on battle with COVID Chopra was hoping to target." NEW DELHI, MAY Earth to a standstill, after EPL: Chelsea's top-four hopes 13: Sunrisers Hyderabad being infected by it, I was Wicket-keeper Wriddhi- bound to feel scared. man Saha has opened up Everyone in the family was on his fight against very worried. We reas- hit by loss to Arsenal COVID-19 after getting in- sured them through video fected with the dreaded calls that there is no reason NEW DELHI, MAY virus during IPL 2021. to be afraid. I am being 13: Chelsea slipped up in Saha tested positive for taken care of enough,' Saha their push for a Champions the virus last week on the said. League spot when they lost same day IPL 2021 was 'There is no more dis- 1-0 at home to Arsenal in suspended by the BCCI comfort in the body. The the Premier League on and IPL governing council. fever is not coming. Colds Wednesday with Emile Saha was tested twice af- and coughs have also de- Smith Rowe's first-half goal ter feeling tired and com- creased. It goes without settling the London derby plaining of cold, but both saying that there is no pain after a defensive mix-up by reports came negative. He team doctor that day,' Saha lowed to leave the seclu- in the body. I don't under- the hosts. underwent another test af- told Anandbazar Patrika. sion. Because by then fever stand if there is fatigue at The visitors capitalised ter getting a fever and the 'COVID test was taken had started coming. After all.' on a wayward back pass by report returned positive. on the same day. The next the test on the third day, 'As long as I don't start Chelsea's Jorginho to goal- 'I felt tired after finishing day the report came nega- the result was positive,' practicing, it is not possible keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga the practice on the first day tive. The second day I was Saha further added. to understand. I want to who scrambled back to of May. I felt cold. Cold & also tested. The result was 'I was certainly scared. A tell the supporters, don't palm it off the line. The ball mild cough. I informed the negative. Yet I was not al- virus that has brought the worry.