Game Time: Why Divya Deshmukh's win is a big deal for Indian chess
Produced by Niharika Nanda and Shashank Bhargava
Edited by Suresh Pawar
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Hindustan Times
a few seconds ago
- Hindustan Times
Hardik Pandya's personality put in spotlight by ex-India coach ahead of Asia Cup: ‘Just sitting there in dressing room…'
Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar praised Hardik Pandya and called him the game-changer ahead of the Asia Cup 2025. Hardik Pandya has been at the heart of India's white-ball success in recent years, particularly in T20 cricket, where he has established himself as one of the side's MVPs. His presence automatically strengthens both batting and bowling, and his ability to change the game in both departments strengthens both. The star all-rounder was the backbone of India's 2024 T20 World Cup triumph, including his game-changing final over the final against South Africa. Hardik Pandya has been picked in India's squad for the Asia Cup 2025.(ANI) With his all-round skills, he also played a crucial role in India's Champions Trophy triumph earlier this year. He played a couple of crucial cameos and claimed a couple of crucial wickets against Pakistan to turn the tide in India's favour. Nayar, who worked with Hardik briefly during his stint as India's assistant coach, called the star all-rounder an invaluable player who can play every role with the ball and make impactful knocks with the bat. 'An absolutely invaluable player for Indian cricket—and when you look at world cricket, how many players do you really have who can bowl with the new ball, bowl at the death, deliver four overs consistently, and also play impact knocks against both spin and pace? He's an absolute game changer,' Nayar said on Star Sports. Also Read - Shreyas Iyer suffers unwanted deja vu, stats prove India star left out in cold yet again with Asia Cup snub The former assistant coach further discussed Hardik's personality, which makes him stand out from others. His presence in the middle assured the teammates in the dugout. 'I think more than anything, his biggest strength is his personality. Just sitting there in the dressing room or the dugout, and knowing that when he's out in the middle, there's always an assurance that something remarkable can happen,' he added. 'India are World Champions also because of Hardik Pandya's overs' Nayar praised Hardik Pandya's impact, highlighting his clutch bowling in pressure moments. He noted that India's recent T20 WC triumph owes much to Pandya's all-round brilliance, not just his batting but also his ability to strike with the ball. 'We are the current world champions also because of those overs he bowled under pressure. Not only with the bat, but with the ball as well, he has consistently shown his ability to deliver in tough situations,' Nayar pointed out.
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First Post
a few seconds ago
- First Post
Sinquefield Cup: Praggnanandhaa admits ‘huge respect' for Gukesh after maiden Classical victory over world champion
R Praggnanandhaa registered his maiden Classical victory over fellow Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh on Monday, beating the reigning world champion in just 36 moves in the opening round of the 2025 Sinquefield Cup in St Louis, USA. R Praggnanandhaa shakes D Gukesh's hand after defeating the Classical world champion in Round 1 of the 2025 Sinquefield Cup in St Louis, USA. Image credit: Grand Chess Tour Indian No 1 R Praggnanandhaa was over the moon after defeating fellow Indian Grandmaster and reigning world champion D Gukesh in the opening round of the Sinquefield Cup in St Louis, USA on Monday. Not only did the victory, which was achieved in just 36 moves while playing with white pieces, give Praggnanandhaa the perfect start at the prestigious event, it also fulfilled a long-running quest of his – that of defeating his peer Gukesh in the Classical format. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Huge respect for Gukesh': Praggnanandhaa And what made the win even sweeter was the fact that 'Pragg' had waited three years to register the win. In a post on social media, the 20-year-old reiterated the 'huge respect' that he has for the youngest world champion in chess history and how tough it is to face him across the board. 'What a start to the Sinquefield Cup 2025,' Praggnanandhaa wrote on X after defeating Gukesh on Monday. 'Managed to get my first classical win against Gukesh after a long wait of over 3 years. Always a tough opponent and someone I have huge respect for,' he added. What a start to the Sinquefield Cup 2025 Managed to get my first classical win against Gukesh after a long wait of over 3 years. Always a tough opponent and someone I have huge respect for. — Praggnanandhaa (@rpraggnachess) August 19, 2025 Praggnanandhaa's victory over Gukesh in the all-Indian battle was one of only two games out of five that ended in a decisive result in the opening round. Armenian-American Grandmaster Levon Aronian, who had recently been crowned winner in the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz that preceded the ongoing event, also registered victory, defeating Uzbekistani GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov while playing as black. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Pragg vs Fabi up next Praggnanandhaa faces world No 3 Fabiano Caruana in his next outing while Gukesh is up against Nodirbek in Round 2. Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh currently are fifth and eighth respectively on the Grand Chess Tour standings, having collected 20 and 16 points so far. Also Read | Praggnanandhaa has historic world No. 3 FIDE ranking spot up for grabs after stunning Gukesh The former has the better shot of featuring in the GCT Finals, which takes place in Sao Paulo, Brazil from 26 September to 4 October where the top four players on the standings face off for the title. And in order to secure a top-four finish, Praggnanandhaa – who had won Superbet Chess Classic Romania, the second event of the tour – he will hope to go the distance in the ongoing event.
The Hindu
a few seconds ago
- The Hindu
Nice and special to score century on debut for Maharashtra: Prithvi Shaw
Prithvi Shaw on Tuesday said that it felt nice and special to score a century in his debut match for Maharashtra. 'Obviously, special, because I'm playing my first game for Maharashtra. I haven't played a three-day or four-day game for a long time. Chennai is quite hot, but it feels really nice to be on that wicket and trying to score some runs for Maharashtra,' he said. Asked how hard it is going to be for him to stage a comeback to the Indian team, he said: 'I don't mind coming from scratch again, because I've seen many ups and downs in my life. I've been up there, I've been down there, and I've come back up there. So, I feel everything is possible. 'I'm kind of a very confident guy — confident in myself and my work ethic. I hope that this season will go really well for me as well as for my team.' Talking about the changes he adopted, he said: 'I feel I just went back to basics, doing things that I used to do in the u-19 days, which got me to the Indian team. I'm not really on social media and stuff. It's peaceful when I'm not using it. 'Earlier, it was that I was trying to think too far ahead. I don't think it worked for me. So, what I'm now trying to do is go day by day. I try to be in the present. I'm that kind of person right now.' The 25-year-old mentioned that no one from cricket directly contacted him or messaged him during his tough times. 'I don't want anyone's sympathy. It's okay. I mean, I've seen this before as well. I've got my family's support. And I was in that zone where I was doing everything alone. It was really good for me. It was working for me,' he said.
