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Indian Express
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Lost parents when he was toddler, Gully cricket's best batsman drives auto to support his dreams
Mohammad Shahbaz lost his parents when he was barely two years old. On Friday, after collecting the best batsman's trophy in the boys' category in the third edition of the UTCA Chandigarh Police Gully Cricket Tournament, Shahbaz (18) of Team 187, while celebrating with his teammates, remembered his parents Mohammad Lateef and Zehrunnissa. The trophy was given by Chandigarh Administrator and Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria at Punjab Raj Bhavan on Friday. A student of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 19, and fan of Virat Kohli, Shahbaz, currently drives a rented auto in Bapu Dham apart from managing his studies, to support his dreams. 'I was two years old when I lost both my parents to illness. I was raised by my maternal grandmother Jainab at our native village in Gonda district in Uttar Pradesh and had come to Chandigarh eight years ago to stay with my maternal uncle. Later in 2019, I shifted staying alone and training in cricket under various coaches. Early this year, I started driving an auto to support myself. I dedicate this trophy to my parents,' said Shahbaz while speaking with The Indian Express. The youngster had been training under UT coach Harish Sharma in 2022 at the Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 32. He competed in the first edition of the UTCA Chandigarh Police Gully Cricket Tournament in 2023 and was part of the runner-up Team 53 scoring more than 200 runs in the tournament. This year, Shahbaz scored 254 runs and took 11 wickets in the tournament. While he will be trained by UTCA for further training, the youngster will also be returning to drive his auto post his school and training to support himself. 'I have been training under Harish sir and also play local tennis ball matches. Most of my free time is spent driving the auto to support my training and other expenses. To be selected by UTCA for further training will motivate me to improve further,' the 18-year-old said. The cricketer had also saved money to watch his idol Virat Kohli play for Royal Challengers Bengaluru against Punjab Kings in an IPL match at Mullanpur last month. 'I save money to watch Virat play. Hopefully the team will win the play-offs matches here and I will try to get a ticket for the matches at Mullanpur. I hope Virat sir wins the IPL trophy this time in the final at Ahmedabad,' Shahbaz concluded. Nitin Sharma is an Assistant Editor with the sports team of The Indian Express. Based out of Chandigarh, Nitin works with the print sports desk while also breaking news stories for the online sports team. A Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award recipient for the year 2017 for his story 'Harmans of Moga', Nitin has also been a two-time recipient of the UNFPA-supported Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity for the years 2022 and 2023 respectively. Nitin mainly covers Olympics sports disciplines with his main interests in shooting, boxing, wrestling, athletics and much more. The last 17 years with The Indian Express has seen him unearthing stories across India from as far as Andaman and Nicobar to the North East. Nitin also covers cricket apart from women's cricket with a keen interest. Nitin has covered events like the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the 2011 ODI World Cup, 2016 T20 World Cup and the 2017 AIBA World Youth Boxing Championships. An alumnus of School of Communication Studies, Panjab University, from where he completed his Masters in Mass Communications degree, Nitin has been an avid quizzer too. A Guru Nanak Dev University Colour holder, Nitin's interest in quizzing began in the town of Talwara Township, a small town near the Punjab-Himachal Pradesh border. When not reporting, Nitin's interests lie in discovering new treks in the mountains or spending time near the river Beas at his hometown. ... Read More
Indian Express
20-05-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Darjeeling Zoo welcomes cubs two of rare and vulnerable snow leopard
Two snow leopard cubs were born at the Darjeeling Zoo, or Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park (PNHZP), last month, officials said. The zoo, which houses seven female and four male snow leopards, in addition to the two cubs, holds the distinction of having the largest captive population of the species in the world, the officials said. The cubs were born to Rare (female) and Namka (male) about a month ago. They are currently housed at Togbey Danra, an off-display conservation breeding centre located around 20 km from Darjeeling town. 'The cubs are a month old. We are taking special care of them,' said Basavraj S Holeyachi, director of PNHZP, speaking to The Indian Express over the phone. 'We might ask Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to name the two cubs,' said Birbaha Hansda, state forest minister. The births mark another success for the zoo's 'Conservation Breeding Programme' for snow leopards. The programme began in 1985, with the first successful birth recorded in 1987. In 2007, PNHZP was designated the coordinating zoo for snow leopards in India. According to authorities, a key element of the programme's success has been maintaining a wide genetic pool in breeding pairs. 'If those paired are closely related, there is a chance of developing disease. We were careful to use a wide genetic pool. Snow leopards brought to the zoo were not only from different parts of the country but also from zoos outside India,' said an official. The Conservation Breeding Centre (CBC) at Togbey Danra spans five hectares. It is designed to replicate the natural environment of the snow leopard, and breeding pairs are carefully selected. 'Five naturalistic enclosures of 1,000 square metres are there. A dry mountainous region has been artificially created within the enclosures, closely resembling the snow leopard's natural habitat,' said an official. 'Once the female leopard is pregnant, special care is taken. She is separated and kept under CCTV surveillance 24/7. Regular blood tests and body weight measurements are conducted. After birth, both mother and cub are checked and closely monitored,' the official added. Snow leopards bred at the Darjeeling Zoo have been sent to zoos in Nainital, Shimla, and Sikkim. Snow leopards are listed as 'vulnerable' on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, with an estimated global population of 4,000 to 7,500. Ravik Bhattacharya is the Chief of Bureau of The Indian Express, Kolkata. Over 20 years of experience in the media industry and covered politics, crime, major incidents and issues, apart from investigative stories in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Andaman Nicobar islands. Ravik won the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award in 2007 for political reporting. Ravik holds a bachelor degree with English Hons from Scottish Church College under Calcutta University and a PG diploma in mass communication from Jadavpur University. Ravik started his career with The Asian Age and then moved to The Statesman, The Telegraph and Hindustan Times. ... Read More
Indian Express
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
TMC pulls out Yusuf Pathan from global outreach: ‘How can govt decide our face'
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has conveyed to the Narendra Modi government that it will not send Yusuf Pathan or any other party MP as a part of multi-party delegations announced by the Centre as part of its efforts to rally global support for India's war against terror emanating from Pakistan. The central government has named cricketer-turned-politician Yusuf Pathan, who is a TMC MP from the Baharampur Lok Sabha seat in Murshidabad, as a member of one of the seven multi-party delegations, which are going to visit several countries in the coming days to convey India's message in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. Pathan is the only TMC member included in such a delegation. 'How can the Union government decide on the representative of Trinamool? They should have held discussions with the Opposition to decide which representative a party will send,' said Abhishek Banerjee, the TMC national general secretary and MP, while speaking to the media at the Kolkata airport on Monday. 'How can the BJP decide which representative Trinamool will send? Trinamool is not boycotting the (all-party) meeting. Trinamool is the only party which has not politicised the matter of national security,' said Abhishek. According to the TMC camp, the party on Sunday conveyed to the Modi government that Yusuf Pathan or any other party MP will not be part of the global outreach delegations. 'We believe that the nation is above all and we pledged our support to the Union government to take whatever action was needed to protect our great country. Our Armed Forces have made our nation proud and we are forever indebted to them. Foreign policy is entirely within the domain of the Union government. Therefore, let only the Union government decide our foreign policy and take complete responsibility for it,' said a senior MP speaking to The Indian Express. Senior TMC leaders said the party has not only supported the Centre on the issue of terrorism emanating from Pakistan but is at present holding meetings throughout West Bengal to rally behind the Indian Armed Forces and celebrate Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. Ravik Bhattacharya is the Chief of Bureau of The Indian Express, Kolkata. Over 20 years of experience in the media industry and covered politics, crime, major incidents and issues, apart from investigative stories in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Andaman Nicobar islands. Ravik won the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award in 2007 for political reporting. Ravik holds a bachelor degree with English Hons from Scottish Church College under Calcutta University and a PG diploma in mass communication from Jadavpur University. Ravik started his career with The Asian Age and then moved to The Statesman, The Telegraph and Hindustan Times. ... Read More
Indian Express
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
From U-19 to 8,000 runs and 100th Test: How PCA stadium saw Kohli Test career unfold
While former Indian captain Virat Kohli announced his Test retirement after a 123-Test match career on Monday, the 36-year-old played his 100th Test match at IS Bindra PCA International Stadium at Mohali in March 2022. While Kohli has scored 30 Test centuries in his Test career, the Indian batsman played four Test matches at the Mohali stadium in his Test career spanning 14 years with his highest score being an unbeaten 67 against Australia in 2013. Overall, Kohli scored a total of 244 runs in seven innings in four Test matches at Mohali during his career. With his 100th Test match being played in March 2022 amid Covid-19 restrictions against Sri Lanka, the then PCA secretary R P Singla remembered the special Test for the Mohali stadium. 'When BCCI announced Mohali as the venue for Virat Kohli's 100th Test match, it was a moment of pride for PCA. The stadium had hosted some iconic matches like India-Australia Test in 2008, which saw Sachin Tendulkar crossing Brian Lara's then record of most number of runs in Test cricket, and to host Virat Kohli's 100th Test was special for all of us. Amid Covid-19 restrictions, we made all the arrangements and also got special memorabilia made for Virat Kohli for the historic feat,' said Singla. With a total of 9,230 runs in 210 Test innings, Kohli stands fourth in the all-time list of Indian batsmen with most runs only behind Sachin Tendulkar (15,921 runs), Rahul Dravid (13,265 runs) and Sunil Gavaskar (10,122). During his knock of 45 runs against Sri Lanka in his 100th Test, Kohli also crossed the 8,000-run mark in Test matches during his knock of 45 runs making him 16th fastest in the world to score 8,000 runs in Test cricket. Kohli's wife Anushka Sharma and brother Vikas Kohli too were in attendance to see him achieve the historic feat of playing in his 100th Test. 'Fans were allowed to watch the historic Test match only three days prior to the Test match. So, we had to make special counters for tickets. There was a lot of craze to watch Virat Kohli play his 100th Test match here and Virat Kohli crossing the 8,000 run mark in Test cricket made the Test more special,' recalled Singla. BCCI's former chief curator Daljit Singh too remembered the times Kohli played in Test matches at Mohali stadium. 'I had first seen him when he had come as part of the U-19 side for a tournament at Mohali. He has grown to be one of the stalwarts of Indian cricket. First there was Sunil Gavaskar, then Sachin Tendulkar and then came Virat Kohli. His fitness was supreme all these years and all the youngsters should take a leaf out of Virat's fitness and dedication to excel in future,' said Singh. Nitin Sharma is an Assistant Editor with the sports team of The Indian Express. Based out of Chandigarh, Nitin works with the print sports desk while also breaking news stories for the online sports team. A Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award recipient for the year 2017 for his story 'Harmans of Moga', Nitin has also been a two-time recipient of the UNFPA-supported Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity for the years 2022 and 2023 respectively. Nitin mainly covers Olympics sports disciplines with his main interests in shooting, boxing, wrestling, athletics and much more. The last 17 years with The Indian Express has seen him unearthing stories across India from as far as Andaman and Nicobar to the North East. Nitin also covers cricket apart from women's cricket with a keen interest. Nitin has covered events like the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the 2011 ODI World Cup, 2016 T20 World Cup and the 2017 AIBA World Youth Boxing Championships. An alumnus of School of Communication Studies, Panjab University, from where he completed his Masters in Mass Communications degree, Nitin has been an avid quizzer too. A Guru Nanak Dev University Colour holder, Nitin's interest in quizzing began in the town of Talwara Township, a small town near the Punjab-Himachal Pradesh border. When not reporting, Nitin's interests lie in discovering new treks in the mountains or spending time near the river Beas at his hometown. ... Read More
Indian Express
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Parth Salunkhe settled for bronze as pressure of making finals triggers a 7, when needing 10
Nitin Sharma is an Assistant Editor with the sports team of The Indian Express. Based out of Chandigarh, Nitin works with the print sports desk while also breaking news stories for the online sports team. A Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award recipient for the year 2017 for his story 'Harmans of Moga', Nitin has also been a two-time recipient of the UNFPA-supported Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity for the years 2022 and 2023 respectively. Nitin mainly covers Olympics sports disciplines with his main interests in shooting, boxing, wrestling, athletics and much more. The last 17 years with The Indian Express has seen him unearthing stories across India from as far as Andaman and Nicobar to the North East. Nitin also covers cricket apart from women's cricket with a keen interest. Nitin has covered events like the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the 2011 ODI World Cup, 2016 T20 World Cup and the 2017 AIBA World Youth Boxing Championships. An alumnus of School of Communication Studies, Panjab University, from where he completed his Masters in Mass Communications degree, Nitin has been an avid quizzer too. A Guru Nanak Dev University Colour holder, Nitin's interest in quizzing began in the town of Talwara Township, a small town near the Punjab-Himachal Pradesh border. When not reporting, Nitin's interests lie in discovering new treks in the mountains or spending time near the river Beas at his hometown. ... Read More
