World Cup Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Lokmarg

Women’s T20 World Cup: India Clinches 6-Wicket Win Over West Indies

By LokMarg 15th February 2023

Captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh showed grit and determination with the bat to help India clinch 6 wicket win over West Indies in the ongoing ICC Womens T20 World Cup 2023 here at Newlands in Cape Town on Wednesday.

Harmanpreet played a gritty knock of 33 while Richa scored an unbeaten 44. For West Indies, Karishma Ramharack bagged two wickets while captain Hayley Matthews and Chinelle Henry claimed one each.
Chasing 119, India got off to a lightning start, inspired by the aggression of Shafali Verma, which saw the opener hammering West Indies bowlers all around the ground. The duo of Shafali and Smriti Mandhana racked up 31 runs in just 3 overs of the play.

However, Smriti Mandhana was the first wicket to fall, stumped off the bowling of Karishma Ramharack, and Jemimah Rodrigues joined her back in the pavilion after being sharply caught and bowled by Hayley Matthews

Despite losing two wickets India looked in a solid position with captain Harmanpreet Kaur slamming boundaries at regular intervals.

Shafali’s onslaught came to an abrupt end when she was caught for 28 from 23 balls, leaving captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh out in the middle with work still to do.

But the game was paused for lengthy and concerning treatment for West Indies veteran Stafanie Taylor, who appeared to suffer a recurrence of a back injury in the field.

Harmanpreet continued the onslaught as she slammed Afy Fletcher for back-to-back two fours in the 9th over of the game.

With needing just 4 runs to win in 14 balls India lost the wicket of Harmanpreet. India captain played a gritty knock of 33 off 42 deliveries. Richa slammed a stunning winning four of Shamilia Connell’s delivery to take India home with 6 wicket victory over West Indies.

Earlier, India’s bowling attack, inspired by the record-making Deepti Sharma, curtailed West Indies after a strong second-wicket partnership threatened to set up a big first-innings score at Newlands.

West Indies suffered a big setback when they lost Hayley Matthews at the start of the second over, with the key opening batter dismissed for the fourth time in four meetings by Pooka Vastrakar.

The key wicket of Matthews was a big fillip for India’s attack, but experienced West Indies star Taylor led the recovery, back in the side at this tournament after a lengthy injury absence.

Taylor and Shemaine Campbelle built a solid 50-run partnership by the mid-point of the innings, laying a platform for a potentially big score.

But Sharma struck twice in an over to first remove Campbelle (30) and then trap Taylor (42) lbw on review.

And when Chinelle Henry was run out for 2 in the 15th over, West Indies were in serious danger of wasting the start by Taylor and Campbelle.

Chedean Nation and Shabika Gajnabi combined to ensure that the total was at least competitive, adding 35 runs before the latter was cleaned up by Renuka Thakur for 15 as she went for a big heave off the final ball of the penultimate over.

And Sharma struck for the third time in her fourth over and the last of the innings, picking up the 100th T20I wicket of her career, becoming the first Indian international to do so in the format.

Brief score: West Indies 118/6 (Stafanie Taylor 42, Shemaine Campbelle 30; Deepti Sharma 3-15) vs India 119/4 (Richa Ghosh 44*, Harmanpreet Kaur 33; Karishma Ramharack 2-14). (ANI)

Read More: http://13.232.95.176/

Pant Would Have Made Huge Impact: Hardik

By LokMarg 3rd January 2023

India’s T20 captain Hardik Pandya feels that Rishabh Pant’s presence would have made a huge impact on the Indian team and noted that he was very much a part of plans for the ICC World Cup 2023.

India wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant escaped a near-fatal accident on Friday with burn injuries among others that will require plastic surgery and he could be airlifted to Delhi if required. He met with a serious accident while returning from Delhi to Roorkee as his car collided with the divider on the Narsan border of Roorkee near Hammadpur Jhal on Friday.
“Coming to the point, obviously he was a very important part of (Team India’s plans in the world Cup year). But, now everyone knows the situation,” said India’s T20 captain Hardik Pandya about Rishabh Pant.

ICC Under-19 World Cup 2016 captain Ishan Kishan, who recently scored a double ton against Bangladesh in the third ODI in Chattogram, could be considered a replacement. During his knock in Bangladesh, Ishan Kishan broke the record of Chris Gayle for the fastest double ton in ODIs.

Sanju Samson is also in the fray to fill in the shoes of Pant while KL Rahul also contributes as a wicket-keeper.

“There are a lot of people who can get opportunities. I am seeing that if Rishabh also would have been there, he could have made a huge impact. But now, let’s wait and see what the future holds for us,” said Hardik Pandya.

The mishap took place while the cricketer was on his way to Roorkee from Delhi, and his car collided with the divider on the Narsan border of Roorkee near Hammadpur Jhal.

According to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) statement, Rishabh has two cuts on his forehead, a ligament tear in his right knee and has also hurt his right wrist, ankle, and toe and has suffered abrasion injuries on his back. Rishabh’s condition remains stable, and he has now been shifted to Max Hospital, Dehradun, where he will undergo MRI scans to ascertain the extent of his injuries and formulate his further course of treatment.

Wicket-keeper and batter Pant has represented India in 33 Test matches scoring 2271 runs at an average of 43.67 with five Test tons to his name with his highest score being 159 not out. Pant has 119 catches and 14 stumpings to his name.

In ODIs, he has 865 runs to his name in 30 matches at an average of 34.60 with five half-centuries and one ton with a strike rate of 106.65. With the gloves, Pant has 26 catches and one stumping to his name.

In 66 T20I the wicket-keeper batter has scored 987 runs with three half-centuries to his name at an average of 22.43 with a strike rate of 126.37. (ANI)

Hardik Pandya’s Resolution Is To Win World Cup For India

By LokMarg 2nd January 2023

India’s wait for an ICC title has been continuing and the last time India won an ICC tournament was Champions Trophy in 2013 under Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s captaincy.

Hardik Pandya, who is leading the Indian team in the three-match T20I series against Asia Cup Champions Sri Lanka starting on Tuesday at the Wankhede Stadium, has one resolution in 2023 and that is to win the World Cup.

“To win the World Cup for my country. Unfortunately, we couldn’t make it in 2022 but we want to do it in a better way this year,” Pandya said responding to a query at a press conference.

India lost to England by 10 wickets in ICC T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final dashing hopes of millions of supporters.

India also performed poorly in Asia Cup held from August to September last year and failed to reach the final. The team lost ODI series to Bangladesh 2-1.

“I know the only language that is hard work. Injuries are not in my hand but I believe in the process. 2022 was individually my best year. We missed World Cup but that’s part and parcel of the game. My goal is to help the team win multi-nation tournaments, ” said Hardik Pandya.

Indian limited overs teams over the years have done well in bilaterals but have failed to replicate that performance in multi-nation tournaments.

India also does not have too many matches to play ahead of the IPL 2023 which means Hardik Pandya does not have too many games to give a chance to youngsters which makes things difficult for team management to get the right combination.

“Obviously the plans are set. We are looking forward to play the certain way which we did. Before IPL only six games are there. So, we don’t have much time to do a lot of things but going forward we will keep creating new plan and see which are the plans we will be sticking, which is working for us and going forward just make sure that we give ample opportunity, ” Pandya said.

Dasun Shanaka will lead Sri Lanka’s T20I and ODI squads against India, while Kusal Mendis will play the role of his deputy in ODIs.

The Sri Lanka’s tour comprises of three T20Is and as many ODIs. Sri Lanka will be touring India from January 3 to January 15 for three T20Is and three ODIs.

The first match of the series will be held on January 3, 2023, in Mumbai while the second and third will take place on January 5 and 7 in Pune and Rajkot respectively.

The ODIs will be held in Guwahati, Kolkata and Trivandrum on January 10, 12 and 15 respectively. Earlier on Tuesday BCCI announced India’s squads for the upcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka’s squad for India tour: Dasun Shanaka (C), Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kusal Mendis (v-c for ODIs), Bhanuka Rajapaksa (only for T20Is), Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga (v-c for T20Is), Ashen Bandara, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay (only for ODIs), Chamika Karunaratne, Dilshan Madushanka, Kasun Rajitha, Nuwanidu Fernando (only for ODIs), Dunith Wellalage, Pramod Madushan, Lahiru Kumara and Nuwan Thushara (only for T20I).

India’s squad for Sri Lanka T20Is: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (VC), Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi and Mukesh Kumar. (ANI)

SRK Teaches Iconic ‘Signature Pose’ To Wayne At FIFA WC

By LokMarg 18th December 2022

Shah Rukh who is promoting his upcoming film ‘Pathaan’ at the FIFA World Cup final taught ‘The Wonder Boy’ of football Wayne Rooney his iconic signature pose ahead of the match.

Ahead of the Argentina and France match, SRK along with former England Footballer Wayne Rooney were present for a live interaction, where the actor promoted his upcoming film ‘Pathaan’ and ended up teaching his iconic pose.
In the pictures, the duo was seen doing the signature open-arms SRK pose.

One of the Twitter users shared the video.

In his ‘Dil To Pagal Hai,’ SRK danced in the rain to Chak Dhoom Dhoom in his arms open pose.

Song tracks of ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’ and ‘Main Hoon Naa’, ‘Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna’ also feature the superstar incorporating his trademark pose.

On Saturday, SRK conducted the #AskSRK session, during which a fan asked him about whom he is supporting FIFA World Cup.

One of the users, wrote, “Who are you supporting in World Cup final tomorrow #AskSRK,” to which ‘Pathaan’ actor replied, “Arre yaar the heart says Messi no?? But Mbappa is a treat to watch also.”

Meanwhile, Argentina came out all guns blazing as captain Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria’s strikes gave Argentina a 2-0 lead in the first half against France in the ongoing FIFA World Cup at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar.

Argentina led France 2-0 at halftime after Messi netted his sixth goal of the tournament and Angel Di Maria doubled the advantage from a thrilling counter-attack.

Coming back to SRK, his charismatic personality radiates in the massive fan following. The superstar has given the audience memorable films like ‘Baazigar’, ‘Kabhi Haan Kabhi Na’, ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’, ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’, ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’, ‘Veer Zara’, and many more.

SRK is busy promoting director Siddharth Anand’s next action thriller film ‘Pathaan’ alongside Deepika Padukone and John Abraham.

Shah Rukh portrays a gun-toting spy with a license to kill in the action-thriller film.

The film is all set to hit the theatres on January 25, 2023.

Makers of ‘Pathaan’ unveiled the first song ‘Besharam Rang’ on Monday which got massive responses from the audience.

While several liked the peppy track, there were also who found ‘Besharam Rang’ objectionable over the use of saffron and green costumes.

Apart from this, Shah Rukh Khan will be also seen in south director Atlee’s upcoming action thriller film ‘Jawan’ and director Rajkumar Hirani’s next film ‘Dunki’ opposite Taapsee Pannu. (ANI)

Ishan Kishan Becomes Fastest Double Centurion In ODIs

By LokMarg 10th December 2022

India’s star opener Ishan Kishan smashed the fastest double hundred in ODIs, becoming only the fourth Indian batter to achieve the milestone against Bangladesh in the third ODI here at Zahur Ahmed Chaudhary Stadium, Chattogram on Saturday.

With this inning, the opener threw in his hat for the openers slot with the ODI World Cup in sight.
The southpaw grabbed his opportunity to open the innings and came out all guns blazing to become only the seventh batter to smash a double century in ODIs. Kishan played a breathtaking knock of 210 runs off 131 balls that was studded with 24 fours and 10 huge sixes.

Rohit Sharma was ruled out of the third ODI after he injured his left thumb in the previous match while fielding in slip.

Youngster Kishan made the most of the opportunity and played a historic inning surpassing Chris Gayle’s 138-ball record.

He also bettered Virender Sehwag’s record of the fastest 150 in ODI cricket for India. The veteran batter had reached the landmark in 112 balls while Kishan reached the figure in 103 balls.

Kishan, who is 24 years and 145 days old also became the youngest batter in the history of ODIs to smash a double hundred.

The left-hander also stitched a huge 290-run partnership with Virat Kohli for the second wicket, helping India dominate the Bangladeshi bowlers. (ANI)

Read More: http://13.232.95.176/

Deepika To Unveil FIFA World Cup Trophy During Finals

By LokMarg 5th December 2022

After representing India at Cannes 2022, actor Deepika Padukone has once again made all Indians beam with pride.

As per a source, Deepika will be flying to Qatar to be part of the most-watched sporting event in the world FIFA, and will be unveiling the FIFA World Cup trophy at the jam-packed stadium.
The FIFA World Cup final will be played on 18 December 2022 at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.

Meanwhile, on the film front, Deepika will be seen sharing screen space with Shah Rukh Khan and John Abraham in ‘Pathaan’, which is scheduled to release on January 25, 2023.

Helmed by Siddharth Anand, the action-packed ‘Pathaan’ was shot in eight countries.

Talking about the same, Siddharth said, “Locations always play a huge role in my films and they became even more important for Pathaan as we intended to deliver an action spectacle for audiences that they have never seen before. To achieve that scale and variation in visuals we went to 8 countries to shoot the film and its lavish action sequences!”

“We were clear that every scene of Pathaan needs to be breath-taking and we meticulously went about planning to achieve this. I remember the pre-production of Pathaan took close to two years because we wanted to be absolutely sure that we are going to try and raise the bar of action spectacles in India,” he added.

Apart from ‘Pathaan’, Deepika will also be seen with Amitabh Bachchan and Prabhas in ‘Project K’. She also has a special cameo in her husband Ranveer Singh’s film ‘Cirkus’. (ANI)

Read More: http://13.232.95.176/

Fugitive Zakir Naik Not Invited To FIFA By Qatar?

By LokMarg 23rd November 2022

Amid uproar over an invitation to fugitive Zakir Naik to take part in the FIFA World Cup in Doha, it is learnt that Qatar has told India through diplomatic channels that Naik was not invited.

Earlier Union Minister Hardeep Puri said, “India would convey its views on the matter in the ‘strongest possible terms’ to the authorities concerned.”
It was reported that Qatar has officially invited Zakir Naik to deliver Islamic sermons at FIFA. A section of the ruling BJP back home has called for a boycott of FIFA. However, Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhakar did attend the opening ceremony of the World Cup.

Naik, a televangelist lives in Malaysia, where he moved from India in 2016 and he reportedly got permanent residency there. India is seeking his extradition.

Zakir Naik is a wanted man in India and faces charges of spreading hate in India and also money laundering.

Ministry of Home Affairs declared Zakir Naik’s Islamic Research Foundation unlawful last year. Naik is accused of promoting hate, and disharmony, and his speeches are seen as objectionable as he has been extolling known terrorists promoting conversion and terrorism. (ANI)

Read More: http://13.232.95.176/

Iranian Football Team Players Refused To Sing Their National Anthem At FIFA

By LokMarg 22nd November 2022

The Iranian football team players on Monday refused to sing their national anthem before their opening match against England on Monday at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, in apparent solidarity with protesters back home.

The national team shows support for the anti-government protests taking place after Mahsa Amini’s death, reported Al Jazeera.
As Iran’s national anthem played at Khalifa International Stadium, television cameras showed the starting players standing stoically, but not singing. Iran lost the match to England, 6-2.

Iran has headed into the tournament amid a backdrop of mass protests against the regime, following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody in September.

The unrest in Iran began in September when a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, died while in the custody of the morality police. Protests have since spread across the nation, challenging the authority of the government even as security forces have cracked down. Hundreds of people have died in the violence, reported Al Jazeera.

The decision not to sing the national anthem isn’t the first time the Iranian team has shown support for the protesters. In late September, the team opted to wear black jackets to cover the country’s colours in their friendly against Senegal.

Before flying out to Doha for the World Cup, the team met with President Ebrahim Raisi. The meeting didn’t go down well with protesters, and banners of the team were burned on the eve of the tournament.

Masih Alinejad, a New York-based activist from Iran, went further in her condemnation of the team, reported CBS News.

“Iran is the only country in the World Cup that its people want their national football team to lose since the team doesn’t represent the people but the regime,” she wrote.

Iran’s beach football, water polo, and basketball teams have also recently refused to sing the national anthem. At a news conference on Wednesday, the captain of Iran’s football team, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, refused to confirm if his team would sing the anthem.

“That’s something that also has to be decided about in the team, which we already talked about, and obviously everybody’s talking about,” he said.

Ahead of Monday’s game, some Iran fans in Qatar also signaled support for the protesters back home. They wore T-shirts saying, “Women, life, freedom”, which is the popular chant of the movement that has arisen since Amini’s death, reported Al Jazeera.

The decision by the football team to remain silent during the anthem on the sport’s biggest stage represents the boldest move so far from the country’s athletic stars. It is unclear whether players will face any consequences.

On Sunday, defender Ehsan Hajsafi became the first Iranian player at the World Cup to publicly speak out in support of the protests, reported Al Jazeera.

“They should know that we are with them and we support them and we sympathise with them regarding the conditions,” he said.

England also made a strong political gesture before kickoff by taking a knee in protest of racism and inequality. While they didn’t take a knee in their September friendlies, they’ve decided to do so ahead of every game they will play at the World Cup.

“We think it is a strong statement to go around the world for young people, in particular, to see that inclusivity is very important,” England manager Gareth Southgate said on Sunday.

At least 419 protesters have been killed since September, including 60 children, and more than 17,000 people have been arrested, according to the Iranian Human Rights Activists News Agency’s latest statistics. The protests have rocked Iran since the killing in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on September 16.

Initially led by women, the protests have grown into the most significant anti-government demonstrations the regime has faced since it came to power in the 1979 Islamic Revolution. (ANI)

Read More: http://13.232.95.176/

Binny Appointed As 36th Prez Of BCCI

By LokMarg 18th October 2022

Former Indian cricketer Roger Binny was elected as the 36th President of the Indian cricket body, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), replacing Sourav Ganguly on Tuesday.

The 91st Annual General Meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was held in Mumbai. Notably, Binny was the only candidate to have filed a nomination for the top post.
Sourav Ganguly ended his BCCI President’s stint after three long years.

Jay Shah will continue to serve as the BCCI Secretary. Ashish Shelar has been appointed as BCCI Treasurer. Rajeev Shukla will be the vice president, whereas Devajit Saikia will be the joint secretary.

Arun Dhumal has been appointed as the Indian Premier League (IPL) Chairman.

Binny has represented India in 27 test matches and 72 ODIs. The right-arm pacer bagged 47 wickets in tests while also picking 77 in ODIs. He was a crucial contributor to India’s first-ever World Cup victory being the highest wicket-taker for India in the 1983 World Cup with 18 wickets.

Member of the 1983 World Cup winning team Binny was a strong contender to succeed Ganguly after the former India captain’s exit was confirmed. Binny has previously served as a member of the BCCI selection committee. (ANI)