Latest news with #PCA
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
GT hope Gill's home crowd gives them a boost
Chandigarh: When Shubman Gill walks down the tunnel at the Mullanpur Stadium on Friday, he will do so as captain of Gujarat Titans and with the single-minded ambition of winning IPL 2025. He has just been made the India Test captain as well and the 'home' crowd would surely roar in approval; it could actually tilt support towards GT even though their opponents in the shoot-out Eliminator will be Mumbai Indians. Since Gill was named captain of the Indian Test team after Rohit Sharma retired from the format, there has been a lot of buzz around him. He has been chased by fans at the local airport and in his hometown, Mohali, since he landed here for the playoffs. Gill posed for pictures with the fans but also had good sessions at the IS Bindra PCA Stadium in Mohali and also at the PCA New Chandigarh Stadium in the run-up to the Eliminator against MI. It is a big moment for the Punjab Cricket Association as well -- seeing one of their own being appointed as the Test captain and then successfully leading GT in the IPL. 'It is such a proud thing for everyone at PCA. This is going to inspire a generation of cricketers in the region. We are looking forward to seeing him represent India and win trophies. Fans here are crazy for him. He has done brilliantly for GT also,' said PMS Banga PCA Vice President. For Gill, it will be a test of nerves on a ground that he knows very well... how he reads the local conditions and adapts could be a bonus for GT as they look to secure a place in the final at their franchise home base in Ahmedabad. There is the added spice of the contest between Gill and Hardik Pandya. GT would love nothing more to get one over their former skipper and to do it at this stage would be especially sweet. Sharing his thoughts ahead of the match against MI, GT spinner Rashid Khan said this during a promotional event in Mohali. 'We have had a good run in the tournament,' said Khan. 'The long spell of the tournament provided us a chance to look into certain areas which needed to be worked upon. As a team the mood is very good in the team and the confidence level is high. Both captain Shubman and coach Ashish Nehra have been constantly pushing the team to play to the strength for optimum results. We have played at the PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh before and we have some know-how about the conditions as well.' GT have made the playoffs thrice in the last four seasons, including the trophy-winning run on their debut in 2022 but the last few games have been a bit of a struggle and they will hope to shake that off. In the bowling department, Khan and Mohammed Siraj will need to revive their magic and provide early breakthroughs to GT against a dangerous MI batting line-up. Coach Nehra would be hoping that Prasidh Krishna who has been the GT's best bowler with 23 wickets this season carries the form into the game. Although the in-form Sai Sudharsan and Gill would be GT's trump cards in the batting line-up, losing Jos Buttler to national duty will definitely hurt the team. It remains to be seen how middle-order batters Shahrukh Khan and Sherfane Rutherford step up in the crucial game. Meanwhile, MI, who have won the IPL trophy five times, have also lost Overseas players in the journey. South Africa's Ryan Rickelton and England's Will Jacks have been key for them and their absence hurts them at many levels but they have some quality to fall back on with Jonny Bairstow coming in to fill the gap. On the batting front, Suryakumar Yadav has been brilliant for MI but he will hope the big game brings the best out of Rohit Sharma and the rest. In the past, MI have shown that they know how to get things done in the Playoffs but GT are a resilient bunch too and that is what makes the match a tantalising prospect.
IOL News
3 days ago
- Health
- IOL News
'We must fight on': Premier Ntuli rallies KZN after R1. 5bn US aid cut disrupts health services in province
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli calls for unity and strategic action as KwaZulu-Natal confronts the impact of USAID PEPFAR funding cuts, urging stakeholders to stay committed to HIV, TB, and STI goal. KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli has called for unity, transparency, and resourceful action in the province's fight against HIV, TB, and STIs, following a major setback in international funding and amid broader financial strain on South Africa's public health sector. Addressing the members of the Provincial Council on AIDS (PCA) in Mayville, Ntuli expressed deep concern over the recent cancellation of R1.5 billion in USAID PEPFAR funding by the United States government, a decision that has disrupted critical services and resulted in over 5,000 job losses. 'This sudden withdrawal has disrupted the lives of thousands and set back our long-term plans,' Ntuli said. 'While we respect the sovereignty of nations, we hope President Ramaphosa's current visit to the United States will reopen negotiations and possibly reinstate the funding.' Ntuli urged all sectors to adapt to the current fiscal constraints and highlighted the importance of aligning programmes with the available resources.
Deccan Herald
5 days ago
- Deccan Herald
Dog beaten to death in Delhi's Patel Nagar, one held
A case was then registered against the man under relevant sections of the BNS and provision of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act on a complaint by PETA.
Fox Sports
5 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Max Fried's impressive run and Tarik Skubal's ‘Maddux': MLB's top 10 storylines
Wondering what you may have missed last week in the busy world of baseball? We've got you covered. This year, we started a new series where we spotlight the 10 best storylines that happened in MLB each week. Here's a look at last week's standout stats and thrilling performances, including a peek at the competitive American League Cy Young race and the threats of the NL East. 10. Halos are red-hot Remember when the Angels went through a brutal 5-16 stretch? Well, they suddenly woke up – putting up an eight-game winning streak that was snapped on Saturday against the Marlins. If eight straight wins don't impress you, consider the context. This was the Angels' longest winning streak since 2014, also known as the last time they went to the postseason. And they've been doing it all without Mike Trout, who is working his way back from the injured list with a bone bruise in his knee. As always, the Angels need to put up wins more often and more consistently in order for us to buy into their recent run. Now that they have our attention, can they continue surprising us? 9. Judge's first time at Coors = a win for the Rockies. Wait, what? You just knew Aaron Judge making his first appearance at the hitter-friendly Coors Field would be a sight to see. And it was… just not for the reasons you might have expected. Judge did his part, crushing his 17th home run of the season in the series opener Friday, but the rest of the Yankees offense fell asleep. So the Rockies (who, as a reminder, are by far the worst team in baseball) took that opportunity to charge ahead and win just their ninth game of the season. If it felt like an alternate dimension, baseball can do that sometimes. The Yankees entered the game with a .612 winning percentage, while the Rockies' was .160. The Bronx Bombers remembered who they were by the end of the weekend, outscoring Colorado 20-8 and winning the series as Judge blasted his 18th homer on Saturday. And the Rockies, well, they remembered who they were, too. 8. Grand night for PCA and Cubs Pete Crow-Armstrong blacked out. That's what a first career grand slam can feel like, apparently. The Cubs superstar outfielder has a penchant for dramatic moments, and his seventh-inning go-ahead grand slam against Cincinnati was no different. He sparked a six-run rally and the Cubs, who absolutely cannot be stopped, came from behind to win, 13-6, on Friday. PCA's breakout season is everything the Cubs could've dreamed of after the numbers he's putting up this year. The 23-year-old has the team lead in home runs (14), and that's after Chicago traded for Kyle Tucker. Plus, his .576 slugging percentage is tied for the fifth-best in MLB. Keep watching, because PCA is proving he's the real deal. 7. Cardinals are on a surprising run Speaking of a team that can't be stopped, here come the Cardinals. St. Louis has won 16 of its last 20 games, including a nine-game winning streak over that dominant strech. The Cardinals carry an impressive 30-23 record into the week, just two games behind the first-place Cubs. Nobody saw this coming, and there's a lot of season left, but as things stand, Nolan Arenado has a legitimate shot at making the postseason, and he didn't even have to go anywhere to play for a competitive club. While the future Hall of Famer continues making all the right moves this season, including another jaw-dropping defensive play at third base on Sunday, Arenado's teammates are playing hard enough to support him, making for a well-rounded Cardinals offense that's ranked in the top 10 in baseball. St. Louis just swept the Diamondbacks, and they have a cushy schedule against Baltimore and Texas on tap this week, so they should have no problem adding on. 6. Phillies move into first place The Mets had a strong hold over the NL East all season — until last Monday, that is. The Phillies look like they're having the most fun in baseball right now after their first nine-game winning streak since the team fired Joe Girardi and Rob Thomson took over as manager in 2022. Kyle Schwarber continues to obliterate home runs, once again tying Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani for the MLB lead with 18. Still, the Phillies are winning during the weakest part of their schedule. This month, they've won the series against the Rays, Guardians, Pirates, Rockies, and Athletics. Who wouldn't have a blast facing those basement dwellers? Still, all that winning helped Philly get its confidence up, and with reasons for the Braves' optimism, the NL East is, once again, as competitive as ever. 5. Wacky NLCS rematch We were all hyped for the spicy Dodgers-Mets series this past weekend, particularly to see how these top contenders would fare in a repeat of the 2024 NLCS. But this, no one could've expected. The series opener on Friday included a weird collision between Juan Soto and Tyrone Taylor in right field, with Taylor holding onto the ball while runners (controversially) advanced. Then came the rain. After a one-hour and 38-minute delay, there were a couple of obstruction calls at third base. Max Muncy said that's a play that hasn't been called in over 30 years. The Mets came back and tied the game in the ninth, which led to a 13-inning game that's unheard of in the extra-innings free-runner era. After both managers emptied their bullpens, the Dodgers finally won the five-hour and 46-minute match. It was the most innings played by the Mets since their 2-1 loss in 14 innings on Aug. 23, 2019 vs. Atlanta. The Mets eventually won the series on Sunday by taking the rubbermatch, 3-1. There will be no shortage of storylines if these two clubs meet again in October. 4. Ohtani's first time facing hitters Two-way dominance is on its way back to the major leagues. Are you hyped, or what? Shohei Ohtani took the mound on Sunday to face hitters for the first time since he became a Dodger. Even though it was just a live batting practice, it had all the hype of a real outing as a crowd including players, coaches, staffers and media formed at Citi Field hours before the series finale between the Mets and Dodgers. Ohtani, loose and laughing throughout, threw 22 pitches and touched 97 mph with his fastball. By all accounts, it was a successful return to the mound — his first time facing hitters in nearly two years after a second major elbow surgery. Buckle up, because the reigning-champion Dodgers expect him in their rotation sometime after the All-Star break. 3. It's time to talk about Max Fried Anytime anyone makes history with the Yankees, it's a big deal. Some of the greatest players in the history of the sport have pitched in pinstripes, and outshining Hall of Fame talents, let alone being in the same conversation as them, is no small feat. So give new Yankees ace Max Fried his flowers for allowing just two runs or fewer in 10 consecutive starts, the longest such streak in Yankees history. The last Yankees pitcher to record a starting streak that was this successful was Ron Guidry back in 1978, which is considered the best season by a starter in franchise history. Fried is vying for the American League Cy Young award after entering the week with the best ERA in baseball (1.29). But he's got stiff competition… 2. Skubal, even better than a 'Maddux' I mean, what can't this guy do? Tarik Skubal once again put on a dazzling performance on Sunday afternoon, and this was his best trick yet. The reigning AL Cy Young winner not only pitched a "Maddux" — a complete-game shutout in under 100 pitches — but he became the first pitcher in MLB history to strike out at least 13 batters while throwing a nine-inning, complete-game shutout, needing just 94 pitches to get it done. But wait! That's not all. Skubal's final pitch of the outing was also his fastest; Detroit's right-hander dialed it up to 103 mph to end the game with his 13th strikeout and deliver a 5-0 win. And he still looked like he had more in the tank. At one point, he retired 15 consecutive batters. What's next? The first perfect game in Detroit Tigers history? 1. Ronald Acuña's LOUD return If there was ever any concern about what type of player Ronald Acuña Jr. would be when he returned from an ACL injury that forced him to miss a year of game action, he erased any and all doubt the moment he dug into the batter's box on Friday. Acuña sent the first pitch he saw since May 26, 2024 into the left-field seats at Truist Park. After the game, he said he expected something like that to happen. Of course he did. For good measure, Acuña reminded us of his all-around skills when he unleashed a couple of powerful throws from right field and added another home run on Saturday. His throw home on Sunday clocked in at 104.9 mph just before Manny Machado slid in safely. Welcome back, Ronald. Baseball sorely missed the flair and raw talent of Acuña, but the Braves missed him the most. Atlanta looks imposing again; it just needs to break free of hovering around .500. Deesha Thosar covers Major League Baseball as a reporter and columnist for FOX Sports. Follow her on X at @DeeshaThosar. recommended Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
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First Post
6 days ago
- Sport
- First Post
How Rahul Dravid played a role in shaping Shubman Gill's cricketing journey
While former India all-rounder Karsan Ghavri spotted a 12-year-old Shubman Gill during a pace-bowling camp in Chandigarh, it was batting legend Rahul Dravid's recommendation years later that would fast-track the top-order batter's entry into international cricket. read more Shubman Gill was coached by Rahul Dravid in the 2018 U-19 World Cup as well as in the latter's stint as Team India head coach from 2021 to 2024. PTI When Lakhwinder Singh Gill, an affluent farmer from Chakh Khere Wala village, which is just 10km from the Indo-Pakistan border, decided to move to Mohali to give wings to his younger child Shubman's cricketing talent, he didn't have a Plan B in mind. The boy was not even nine years old but the only 'toy' he ever played with was a cricket bat gifted by his grandfather Sardar Didar Singh. Shubman Gill's story is as much about adhering to the 3 'Ds' (Discipline, Dedication and Determination) as it is about a pushy father, who was ready to move mountains to see his son wear that India cap. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD And on June 20, when Shubman walks out wearing that navy blue India blazer over his whites alongside English counterpart Ben Stokes at the iconic Headingley, Lakhwinder can surely raise a toast. It would be for his heady 16-year journey to see that 'another boy at another coaching camp' is polished to perfection to become India's next Test captain. Not all sporting stories need to be sob stories. They could also be stories of resilience, obsession for excellence and the sacrifices made as a family for years. Moving out of one's comfort zones, missing social gatherings for years, not having an outing as a family. From a distance, all of it might not look that difficult but monotony in pursuit of excellence certainly has a different ring to it. 'We had not attended any wedding festivities for years so that our son's focus on cricket doesn't waiver,' Lakhwinder had told PTI when Shubman first came into national prominence with an Under-19 World Cup hundred against Pakistan in 2018. The Gill family had the resources from the beginning. Grandfather Didar could afford a makeshift pitch on his sprawling courtyard at his Fazilka home and the father could risk shifting a family of four to Chandigarh – far removed from a very comfortable life they had in the village. Gill's story is a classic case of being at the right place at the right time and also doing his bit when it is absolutely necessary. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Otherwise how in the world would former India seamer Karsan Ghavri, who was in Mohali in 2011 for a pace bowler's camp organized by PCA under the aegis of BCCI, find out that there were no batters who could face bowlers at said camp. 'Kadoo bhai' (as he is known in Indian cricket circuit) took a walk with one of his assistants in close vicinity of the PCA Stadium and stopped by to watch an Under-14 game where a young boy's technique caught his attention. He wanted to know more about the boy and approached the only other man around, who stood under the shade of a tree, watching the proceedings intently. 'Who's that boy? Any idea?' he asked the man and as fate had it, it was Lakhwinder watching his son bat. 'That's my son Shubman and he is 12 years old,' the father had answered. The man with 100-plus Test wickets didn't waste one moment before telling Gill to report for pace bowler's camp the very next day. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The result was a 12-year-old standing up to the likes of erstwhile India U-19 seamers like Sandeep Sharma with minimum fuss. Fast-tracking Gill into the Punjab U-14 side was then a matter of time after Kadoo bhai's strong recommendation. Serendipity happened not once but twice for Gill. During India A's 2018 tour of England, MSK Prasad's selection committee was picking the next lot for the List A games. 'Anmolpreet Singh had a great season and one of the five selectors was bent on putting him on that flight. Anmol had runs in domestic cricket and his choice would have been justified. Now Rahul (Dravid), who was the NCA head and India A coach, had a request for the selectors,' a former national selector recalled. 'Rahul, everyone knows, is polite to a fault. He had just one request for the panel. He said, 'please select this boy Shubman and accommodate Anmol for another A tour'. 'We couldn't turn down his request and Shubman within months of U-19 World Cup triumph was in India A team,' he said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Anmolpreet had runs but Shubman had something more, technique and temperament. And at the elite level, these two count as much as runs. Dravid had seen something special and didn't want the boy to hang around in domestic cricket for too long. As Ian Chappell once famously said 'too many years in domestic cricket will allow chinks to creep into the system'. He played some significant knocks for India A in England during the one-day tri-series but none more important than a double hundred against West Indies A in a 'Test' match a year after. There was no looking back after that. While his Test match batting is still a work in progress but with wrists which are supple, physique which is sinewy and a languid stance to boot, he has had the game for ODIs. The snap pull or a short arm jab over mid-wicket or a cover-drive played with minimal back-lift, Shubman in Blues has been Virat Kohli's extension. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In home Tests, he has had his moments but England will be a test of his batsmanship. As far as leadership is concerned, the current IPL is an indicator that he is growing in the role. And perhaps, if Gill is the captain, Gautam Gambhir is the right man to be there during his inception days. The ride won't be a smooth one and there are no guarantees of success. But you can't hold it against Shubman for not giving his 200 percent. Indian cricket is hoping for 'Shubh' Arambh.
