Pistol shooters Rhythm Sangwan and Vijayveer Sidhu, who had missed out on winning individual medals, clinched gold in the 25m rapid fire pistol mixed team event at the ISSF Junior World Championships in Lima, Peru. It was India’s 10th gold and 23rd medal overall in this event. Rhythm and Vijayveer defeated Thailand’s Kanyakorn Hirunphoem and Schwakon Triniphakron 9-1. The third place was also claimed by India, as Anish and Tejaswini also defeated Thai shooters Chawisa Paduka and Ram Khamhaeng 10-8 in the bronze-medal match. In the rifle category, Ayushi Podder, Prasiddhi Mahant and Nishcal took silver as they lost to USA team comprising Tokyo Games silver medallist Mary Tucker, Elizabeth McGhin and Lorraine Zaun 43-47 in women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions. Both, 25m rapid fire mixed team and women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions team events are not Olympic events. India’s total haul now stands at 10 gold, 9 silver and 4 bronze medals.
India go down fighting to Oz in second T20I
It was a game which sums up the story of the Indian women’s team’s tour of Australia. Thanks to a superb knock under pressure by Tahlia McGrath (42 not out) in the end, Harmanpreet Kaur & Co lost a thrilling, low-scoring game, but stole hearts with their resilience. Fighting back from a situation in which they looked like heading for a rout, the spirited Indians gave the Aussies a run for their money, before finally losing their nerves in the tense moments to go down by four wickets in the second T20I at the Metricon Stadium in Gold Coast on Saturday night. With this defeat, India also lost the multi-format series, which Australia lead now by 9-5. Having collapsed to 81 for nine in 17 overs on a difficult wicket, India were brought back from the dead into the game by allrounder Pooja Vastrakar’s gallant, unbeaten 37 and her unconquered 37-run stand in just 18 balls for the tenth wicket with Rajeshwari Gayakwad. Playing her first game of the tour, seamer Shikha Pandey then produced the ‘ball of the series,’ when she castled Alyssa Healy with one that swung back a mile from outside off-stump. Clearly running in with a point to prove, Pandey swung the second ball of the innings like a banana, leaving Healy and the entire cricketing world flabbergasted.
Selection of T20 WC squad
The BCCI has got few days more to pick the team for the T20 World Cup. The deadline for submitting the final team to the International Cricket Council (ICC) is October 15. It is learnt that the selectors are fretting over allrounder Hardik Pandya’s availability as medium-pacer and contemplating adding a fast bowler to the main team. “The selectors will wait and watch on how Hardik shapes up over the next few days. The selectors went with just three genuine pacers because it was believed Hardik would be fit enough to bowl his quota of overs. Since he hasn’t bowled at all in the IPL, there’s no form to go by,” a top BCCI official said. It was believed that the deadline to submit the final team was October 10 but it was only for the teams who are playing the qualifiers which start on Oct 17. “Teams can change their teams seven days prior to the start of their support period. India’s support period starts with the Super 12 which begin on Oct 23. So, they have time to change the team till Oct 15 midnight,” an ICC source said.
Pakistan make three changes
Pakistan have added Sarfaraz Ahmed, Haider Ali and Fakhar Zaman as replacements in their 15-man squad for the Twenty20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates and Oman, the country’s cricket board (PCB) said. Wicketkeeper Sarfaraz and batsman Haider have come in for Azam Khan and Mohammad Hasnain, respectively, while opener Fakhar, originally named as a travel reserve, replaces Khushdil Shah. The PCB added that a final call on the inclusion of Sohaib Maqsood would be taken following medical advice after the batsman injured his lower back during a domestic T20 game. Squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Afridi, Sohaib Maqsood.
