Bengaluru stampede: BCCI forms committee to formulate guidelines for celebrations
The newly formed committee headed by board secretary Devajit Saikia and includes board president Rajeev Shukla and Prabhtej Singh Bhatia.
The committee will formulate the guidelines within 15 days focused on enhancing public safety during major cricketing events and celebrations.
The stampede in Bengaluru resulted in 11 deaths, while several were injured in the tragic incident.
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Khaleej Times
7 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
‘Age not a factor': Indian legends back Kohli, Rohit amid retirement speculations
Amid the intense media speculations over the future of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in international cricket, Indian legends Dilip Vengsarkar and Farokh Engineer batted for the two beleaguered superstars. Having retired from T20 Internationals following the triumphant Twenty20 World Cup campaign in the West Indies last year, Kohli, 36, and Rohit, 38, struggled to make an impact with the bat in the Test series against Australia. Both decided to quit the five-day game ahead of the England Test series, which India went on to draw 2-2 with a new-look team under the captaincy of Shubman Gill. Now, for the past few days, Indian media has published multiple reports that the selectors may want to give youngsters an opportunity, keeping in mind the next ODI World Cup, which will be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in 2027. Some reports have even claimed that Kohli and Rohit, who led the Indian team to ICC Champions Trophy victory in March this year, could be offered a farewell match during India's ODI series against Australia in October. But Vengsarkar, under whose tenure as chairman of selectors Kohli made his ODI debut at the age of 19 in 2008, says age can never be the criterion when it comes to taking a decision on a player. 'To be honest with you, this answer can only be provided by the current BCCI selection committee, especially the chief selector,' Vengsarkar told the Khaleej Times over the phone from Mumbai. 'I was also the chairman of selectors, and I believe age should never be a factor. What should matter instead is the performance of the players.' Since January 2023, Kohli, known for his incredible fitness standards, has played 37 ODIs, scoring 1710 runs at an average of 61.07 with seven hundreds. Rohit has also been almost as prolific during the same period with 1714 runs from 38 matches (average 48.97, three hundreds). Both batted superbly in the 2023 ODI World Cup, in which India made an astonishing unbeaten run to the final before losing the title-decider to Australia. 'They are both world-class players. Yes, they haven't played cricket since the IPL, but you know in the ODIs, experience will play a very important role,' said Vengsarkar, who also hoped to see the two players in India's domestic one-day matches. 'Playing domestic cricket would keep them match-ready and it would also give a wonderful opportunity to youngsters to play against Kohli and Rohit,' added Vengsarkar, who was part of India's 1983 World Cup-winning team. Engineer, the swashbuckling former wicketkeeper-batter, was surprised to see the media reports speculating about Kohli and Rohit's future. 'I have been reading the same speculations in the media that they are probably not part of India's 2027 World Cup plans. But, you know, if they are willing to continue playing and if they continue to perform for India in matches, then I don't see a reason why they should not be allowed to continue,' Engineer told the Khaleej Times over the phone from Goa. 'Look, Kohli is in great form, he played magnificently in the IPL, he did so well in the Champions Trophy. I would put his name down to strengthen the team (at the next ODI World Cup in 2027). 'And Rohit, if he remains fit, I don't think there should be any problem for him as well. And don't forget, he is a very good slip fielder. And as a batter, if he gets going, he can win games for India.' Engineer also urged the selectors to think carefully before making decisions, while giving the example of spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who didn't get a single game in India's five-Test series against England. 'I am extremely proud of the boys (Indian team) for having fought back so well to level the series. I would like to congratulate Shubman and our young team for their fighting performances. But I believe we would have won the series with Kuldeep Yadav in the playing XI,' Engineer said. 'The English batsmen would have struggled to play him on those turning wickets, especially at Headingley, Edgbaston and Old Trafford!'
Khaleej Times
a day ago
- Khaleej Times
'Now I'm used to it': Indian chess prodigy Praggnanandhaa on how he handles fame
How do you remain grounded when you achieve stardom at a very young age? We could not resist asking this question to Indian chess grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa, who chooses his words as carefully as he makes his move on the board. Still only 19, Praggnanandhaa, who became a national sensation in India by earning the international master title at the age of 10, is now among the world's best players. Recommended For You During an interview with Khaleej Times, Praggnanandhaa, the youngest player to reach a World Cup final, revealed the reason behind India's incredible success in producing so many talented youngsters like the 19-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju, the reigning world champion, Arjun Erigaisi and Divya Deshmukh, another 19-year-old who recently won the Women's World Cup. Q. It's been an incredible journey for you. How does it feel when you look back? It just feels like we're getting started. I have been doing well for the past two to three years, and there is still a lot more to achieve. I'm working hard towards it, and I am motivated to play more tournaments and to achieve a lot more. Q. It's not easy to handle fame at such a young age. But you seem to be so grounded. How do you do that? Is it because of the way you were brought up by your parents? Yeah, I would say experience also matters. I mean, all of these, of course, do matter, but yeah, I've had recognition from an early age. It was difficult for me back then, but now I'm used to it, and I also don't read what other people write. And, I don't think about what others might say, and all these things. I am off social media during tournaments, and, yeah, you should just try to work on chess and play tournaments. That's all I do, and I think it is working for me. Q. Viswanathan Anand was the flagbearer of Indian chess for such a long time. But now so many super-talented youngsters have emerged at the highest level. What's the secret to India's chess wave? I think it's a combination of a lot of things, and starting with (Anand) Sir, he has inspired all of us. He was a world champion when we started playing. Recently, I was speaking to Arjun (Erigaisi), and we realised that almost all of us (from India) who are at the top right now were present at the Chennai (2013 World Chess Championship) match between Anand Sir and Magnus Carlsen. So we were all inspired by those matches Anand Sir was playing. I think that's one of the reasons. And also we have a good system in India, where we have a lot of tournaments happening regularly. Trainers are there, and, yeah, and we also get government support. And clearly, we also have been getting corporate support, which is also quite important, especially when you may have to train and play a lot of tournaments at the top level. Yeah, the support is really essential. And fortunately for me, I've been supported by Adani Group, and other corporate houses are also coming into the game. It's great to see. Q. You spoke about Anand, who was a five-time world champion and one of the greatest to play the game in history. It's probably one of your goals as well to win those very big tournaments… Yeah, I have my goals, but I try to take one tournament at a time because when you think about a larger thing, you can get carried away. It's, you know, about playing one game at a time and one tournament at a time. And that's what I'm doing. This year has been good for me. Right now, I'm focusing on trying to make it to the Candidates. Q. Talking about tournaments, you recently took part in the ESports World Cup in Saudi Arabia. Online chess has become very popular in recent years, but how was the experience of being part of such a big Esports tournament? Yeah, it was an interesting experience, and it is different from the way we play tournaments usually. It's a hybrid format, we had to wear this noise cancelation headphones, which we are not used to. And yeah, it was an interesting experience. I was not happy with the way I played. But overall, I enjoyed playing there. I'm really looking forward to the next year's EWC already because I want to give my best there. It's a new opportunity for players, and also, you know, it'll take chess to a new audience. I think overall, it's a win-win situation for the game. Q. Chess is also quite popular in the UAE. Salem Saleh is a grandmaster and the country also produced a 15-year-old grandmaster in Rouda Alserkal recently. What is your impression of the chess talent in the UAE and also in the Middle East? I think the top grandmaster Salem Saleh from the UAE, he's been there for a long time. He's well known. Now we have also seen tournaments happening regularly in Dubai and Sharjah. So there are tournaments happening regularly and there are chess clubs there doing a good job. I am hoping to see more and more players coming up from the UAE and the region. rituraj@ Rituraj Borkakoty is Sports Editor and has spent more than two decades writing on his sporting heroes. He also loves an underdog story, so if you have one, share it with him. He would love to bring it to life.
Khaleej Times
a day ago
- Khaleej Times
India look to break 'final barrier' in Women's World Cup
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur on Monday said the team was determined to break the "final barrier" and lift their first Women's World Cup cricket title this year after missing out twice previously. The 13th edition of the women's showpiece 50-over tournament will begin on September 30, with co-hosts India set to face Sri Lanka in the opener in Bengaluru. The Indian women made it to two ODI World Cup finals but lost on both occasions — going down to England by nine runs the last time around in 2017 at Lord's. Kaur, who made a valiant 51 runs in the final, will be leading India for the first time in the marquee tournament. "Playing in front of a home crowd is always special, and hopefully, this time we will give our 100 percent and finally break that barrier that all Indian fans are waiting for," Kaur said. "World Cups are always special, and we always want to do something special" for the country, she said at an International Cricket Council event in Mumbai. Kaur's India are fresh from a series win in England, where they beat the hosts 3-2 in T20 matches and 2-1 in three 50-overs games. "(The confidence is) very high. The kind of cricket we've played over the last couple of years, gives us a lot of confidence," said the top-order batter. India opener Smriti Mandhana said the women's team has witnessed a change in mindset over the years. "There's a calmness with which I want to go about on the field," said Mandhana at the event, which marked the 50-day countdown to the tournament. "Our whole team is heading in that direction. We know where we want to work hard. And when we enter the field, we know we've just got to implement." Pakistan will play all their matches in Colombo as part of a compromise deal that allows both India and Pakistan to play at neutral venues in multi-nation tournaments. The final will be played on November 2 either in Bengaluru or Colombo, depending on whether Pakistan reach the title clash.
