In the Delhi Premier League last month, this man began the 20th over of the chase with this routine. He put a lot of flight - maybe too much, it became a full toss - and got a lot of drift into the right-hander, presenting the opportunity for a simple tap to long-on for the match-winning single. This was day 596.On December 30, 2022, he was involved was in a car crash and his survival was a miracle with Qs on whether he would be able to walk normally again. Day 450 since the car crash, he made his first runs. Day 457. He scored his first fifty. Day 523. He returned to the Indian team. Story of Rishab Pant, who when he plays at Chepauk tomorrow against Bangladesh would be returning to Test Cricket after 629 days !!!!
Can you identify this gentleman whom hon’ble PM of the Nation mentioned as Sarpanch ??
Much before Cricket, it was Hockey – India dominated the game till 1980 Moscow Olympics.By that time, India had won a record 8 Gold medals - back in1932 Olympics, the Indian team put in a fine performance though the field was reduced to just three contenders, United States and Japan being the other two. India notched a record 24-1 win against the hosts and drubbed Japan 11-1 to win their second Olympic gold medal.Hockey had debuted much earlier.At the 1908 Summer Olympics, a field hockey tournament was contested for the first time. Six teams entered from three states. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was represented by a team from each of the four Home Nations: England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Germany sent a championship club team, while France sent a team composed of players from three clubs.England won the gold medal. The Summer Olympics in 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands, was golden for India as India took its first ever gold in the sport of field hockey, beginning a streak of six consecutive gold medals in the sport.
The defending champions India got off to a winning start in the Asian Champions Trophy 2024 after beating hosts China 3-0 in Hulunbuir last Sunday.The eighth edition of hockey Asian Champions Trophy got underway in Hulunbuir, China.India was the defending champion after it won the title for a record fourth time in Chennai in 2023.
Good news is India has won again beating China in the finals.Goals from Sukhjeet Singh, Uttam Singh and Abhishek sealed the deal for India as China struggled to create chances. The relief of breaking a 41-year-old drought in Tokyo replaced by the happiness of continued success. The emotions were the same, as India won bronze again at Paris Olympics 2024, making it India’s 13th Olympic medal, their fourth bronze.
The Men's Asian Champions Trophy is an event held annually by the Asian Hockey Federation since 2011. It features Asia's six top field hockey teams in the hockey season competing in a round robin format. India is the most successful team in its history with 5 champions trophy victories. India retained their Asian Champions Trophy crown with a 1-0 win over China in the final in Moqi on Tuesday evening. Jugraj Singh scored the only goal of the match in the 51st minute, after a frustrating game for India, as they came up against a well-organised, stubborn Chinese defence.
This was India's fifth Asian Champions Trophy title, and once again reaffirmed their status as the foremost hockey nation of the continent. That gulf between them and China -- the lowest-ranked side at this competition -- didn't really show that much during the game, even though the hosts were content to sit back and defend in numbers.
Eventually, the decisive moment came with nine minutes to go, and it was a moment of pure quality from start to finish. It began with Harmanpreet Singh advancing deep into Chinese territory down the left flank. He didn't stop his run halfway through, and fully went through to the baseline. From there, he found Jugraj around the penalty spot, and his finish to Wang's left was unerring into the bottom corner.
The man at the start – is Harmanpreet Singh , Indian Hockey team captain. He plays as a defender, is a penalty corner specialist, and is regarded as one of the best drag flickers in the world. He led the team to clinch the bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Singh captained the team to win a gold at the 2022 Asian Games. He has won the Player of the Year title at the FIH Awards twice. He earned the moniker of Sarpanch Sahib of Hockey (which refers to a leader of a village) by the media due to his performance and captaincy at the Olympics. After winning bronze medal Prime minister Narendra Modi called the team and congratulated them.Happy days are here again for Field Hockey !!
With regards – S Sampathkumar
18.9.2024
