India will play Brazil in a FIFA World Cup. Not in the world football governing body's flagship event but in its U-17 tournament for women.

Hosts India have been clubbed alongside the football powerhouse, Morocco and the USA in a tough group for the upcoming U-17 FIFA Women's World Cup, the draw for which took place in Zurich on Friday.

The country is slated to host the tournament from October 11 to 30 across three venues - Bhubaneswar's Kalinga Stadium, Goa's Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and Navi Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium.

India, being the host nation, are an automatic selection and are placed in Group A.

A total of 16 teams across four groups will be participating in the tournament.

India will begin their campaign against the USA on October 11 (Tuesday) at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. Their second match will be against Morocco on October 14 (Friday) at the same venue. The home team's last group stage match against Brazil will be on October 17 (Monday).

India were scheduled to host the 2020 edition of the World Cup but the tournament was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Defending champions Spain, who beat Mexico in the final of the 2018 edition, are placed in Group C along with Colombia, China, and Mexico.

Group B consists of Germany, Nigeria, Chile and New Zealand. Japan, Tanzania, Canada and France constitute Group D.

North Korea are the most successful team in the history of the tournament, having won the trophy in 2008 and 2016, while Japan, South Korea, and France have each won the title once.

Host Mollie Kmita presented the official draw and was joined by former US women's national team player and FIFA women's World Cup winner, Heather O'Reilly, former coach of the New Zealand national team, Ricki Herbert, as well as Jaime Yarza, FIFA's director of tournaments, and Sarai Bareman, FIFA chief women's football officer.

This is the second time India is hosting a FIFA tournament after the U-17 men's World Cup in 2017.

Veteran sports administrator Narinder Batra was on Friday ordered to stop functioning as Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president by the Delhi High Court "in a contempt proceeding", a month after it asked him to relinquish the top job.

A vacation bench of Justice Dinesh Sharma passed the order on a contempt petition filed by Olympian and hockey World Cup winner Aslam Sher Khan.

"The court ordered that Mr. Narinder Batra should stop from functioning as IOA president with immediate effect," advocate Vanshdeep Dalmia, who appeared on behalf of Khan, told PTI.

"It was a contempt proceeding as Mr. Batra was continuing to attend meeting as IOA president despite an earlier order of this court.

"The court also said Mr. Anil Khanna, senior vice-president, will be the acting president of the IOA," he added.

On May 25, Batra was removed as IOA chief after the Delhi High Court struck down the post of 'life member' in Hockey India, courtesy which he had contested and won the apex body elections back in 2017.

At that time also, the IOA had installed Khanna as its acting chief.

Batra had filed his nomination for the IOA president's post as a representative (life member) of Hockey India.

"He was not resigning from the post of IOA president after the High Court order of last month. So, I had to file a contempt of court petition. It is not his personal property, it is a national body and everybody will have to abide by court order. But he was not doing that," Khan said.

In a petition filed by Khan, the Delhi HC had ruled last month that the position of life member and life president were "illegal" since they were not in consonance with the National Sports Code, and installed a three-member Committee of Administrators (CoA) to run Hockey India.

"...the administrative setup of R-2 (Hockey India) is, erroneously or illegally constituted because of the Life President and Life Members," the HC bench of Justices Najmi Wajiri and Swarana Kanta Sharma had said in its order.

"The Government of India cannot grant recognition to a NSF whose constitution is not in consonance with the Sports Code. The posts of Life President, Life Member in the NSF are illegal so is the post of CEO in the Managing Committee. These posts are struck-down."

The HC also came down hard on Batra for trying to "benefit" elsewhere from an "illegal" post.

"What a paradox, to make oneself permanent in an entity whose tenure itself is impermanent. The illegal Post of life president or life member cannot be the stepping-stone for any other position or benefit elsewhere, be it nationally (including in Indian Olympic Association) or in international bodies," the HC bench said.

"If R-3 (Batra) has so benefitted, then such benefit or position shall end right away. Let the CoA look into the matter, so would the Government of India."

Batra is also heading the International Hockey Federation (FIH). He became president of the world hockey body in 2016 and reclaimed the position last year for a second term.

Batra's removal means that his membership of International Olympic Committee will also come to an end as the coveted position was linked to his IOA presidency.

Batra was made an IOC member in 2019.

Just after the HC ruling of last month, Batra had said that he will not seek re-election to the IOA president's post as he needs to give more time to the FIH.

Batra's reign has been marred by various controversies.

In 2020, IOA vice-president Sudhanshu Mittal had written to the IOC, alleging irregularities and false declarations by Batra in his election to the top post.

Recently, Batra had apologised for a social media post against former Chief Justice of India RM Lodha, a development which had led to demands of his resignation from the IOA top job.

In April, the CBI had also initiated a preliminary inquiry against Batra for alleged misappropriation of public funds.

Dashing stroke-players Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson will be returning to the India playing XI in place of Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant in the two-match T20I series against Ireland starting on Sunday, in Malahide.

While chief coach Rahul Dravid is in Leicester with the Test squad, National Cricket Academy (NCA) head V.V.S. Laxman, who is in charge of the T20I side for this particular series, is expected to follow the template set by 'The Wall'.

With Iyer and Pant in the Test team, Surya, who is making a comeback from a wrist injury, and Samson, who is looking to make use of what could be his last chance to prove his worth, will be sure-shot starters.

Surya has been a regular in the Indian T20I side for the past one year and will only get his place back.

But as far as Samson is concerned, his alternative could be Deepak Hooda, who can also bowl a couple of overs of handy off-spin, besides possessing an ability to hit the ball hard.

However, if one looks at coach Dravid's philosophy, he doesn't believe in casting his net too wide and exploring too many options. He also needs to close in on spots by the time India play the Asia Cup.

While Ruturaj Gaikwad has not been very successful, the Chennai Super Kings opener might just get two more chances against a weak Ireland side, against whom he can score some runs and get his confidence back.

Ishan Kishan, who has all but sealed the reserve opener's slot for the next few months, will continue in his role for the time being and will open with regular skipper Rohit Sharma in the England leg of the T20Is also.

Stand-in captain Hardik Pandya, who batted at No. 5 in the last series, is expected to continue in that position with Dinesh Karthik coming a slot below him.

However, with Karthik being assigned a specific role, he could also come ahead of Pandya, depending on the situation.

But it is still not clear if Dravid or Laxman will try out 'Jammu Express' Umran Malik or blockhole specialist Arshdeep Singh in this series, or continue with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Avesh Khan, with Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal as the spinners.

Eyeing a series-clinching victory, the Indian women's cricket team would expect a better showing from its top-order when it takes on Sri Lanka in the second T20 International, here on Saturday. 

   The Indians made a positive start to the limited-overs tour of the Island nation with a 34-run win in the series-opener on Thursday.

The team would not only aim to secure the three-match series but also address the grey areas and continue the winning momentum ahead of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, where women's cricket will make its debut in the T20 format. 

The Birmingham Games will be held from July 28 to August 8.  

In the series opener, the Indians managed a modest 138 for six after opting to bat before the bowlers, led by left-arm spinner Radha Yadav, chocked the Lankan batters. But India's batting show left a lot to be desired in the first game.

The likes of Shafali Verma, who made a run-a-ball 31, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (22) and Richa Ghosh (11) all got starts but could not convert them into substantial knocks.

Having failed in the previous game, Harmanpreet will be hoping to eclipse the legendary Mithali Raj in the shortest format. She needs just 24 runs to become the highest run-getter from India in this format. Mithali, who recently retired from all forms of cricket, had scored 2364 run from 89 games.

Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and Sabbhineni Meghana endured an off day in office and the visitors would need the duo to click if India are to put on a big total.  

It was left to Jemimah Rodrigues, who made her comeback to the side after a while, and Deepti Sharma to provide the late burst and take India to the winning total Even though Rodrigues and Deepti did the rescue act, the Indian think tank would want the top-order to do better job.

The Indian bowlers, on the other hand, were right on the money with the spin troika of Radha (2/22), Deepti (1/9) and part-timer Shafali (1/10) shinning bright on the low and slow wicket.

With the same venue hosting all the three T20s, spinners of both teams will play vital roles. 

Sri Lanka too would be hoping for a better effort from their batters.

Middle-order batter Kavisha Dilhari (47 not out) remained stranded as she failed to get support from the other hand. The likes of skipper Chamari Athapaththu, Vishmi Gunaratne, Harshitha Madavi and Nilakshi de Silva will have to take more responsibility in the batting unit.

On the bowling front, spin duo of Inoka Ranaweera (3/30) and Oshadi Ranasinghe (2/22) would look for support from their opening bowlers to keep Indian batters quiet.

Teams (from):

India: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Simran Bahadur, Yastika Bhatia, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Richa Ghosh (WK), Sabbhineni Meghana, Meghna Singh, Poonam Yadav, Renuka Singh, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav.

Sri Lanka: Chamari Athapaththu (C), Nilakshi de Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Vishmi Gunaratne, Ama Kanchana, Hansima Karunaratne, Achini Kulasuriya, Sugandika Kumari, Harshitha Madavi, Hasini Perera, Udeshika Prabodhani, Oshadi Ranasinghe, Inoka Ranaweera, Sathya Sandeepani, Anushka Sanjeewani, Malsha Shehani, Tharika Sewwandi.

Match starts at 2:00PM.

FIFA has approved bigger 26-man squads for the World Cup in Qatar, deciding Thursday to extend soccer's relaxation of rules that help coaches and players during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The move was expected from the FIFA Bureau comprising the presidents of FIFA and soccer's six confederations after 23-player rosters were expanded for recent continental championships.

Adding three players to the typical World Cup roster follows UEFA doing the same for the European Championship last year. There were 28-player squads also approved for the Copa America tournament in South America last year and at the African Cup of Nations in January.

The extra numbers help the coaches of the 32 teams cope with possible outbreaks of virus cases. It also means additional players are already following health protocols within the camp in Qatar rather than they being brought from their home country.

The squad size change will send a total of 96 extra players to the World Cup being played from November 21 to December 18. The 28-day tournament compares to 32 days four years ago in Russia.

Most of the extra players will likely come from European clubs whose domestic seasons must pause by November 13 for the first World Cup held during the northern hemisphere winter.

Squads will be together for just one week before the tournament kicks off instead of the usual preparation time of about two weeks. FIFA has created a $209 million fund from its World Cup revenues to compensate clubs with a daily rate of about several thousand dollars for releasing players to national-team duty. World Cup teams can also now use five substitutes in the regulation 90 minutes instead of three.

What started as an interim rule in 2020 to ease player workloads in congested game schedules during the pandemic is now codified in the laws of the game.

"This hundred is because of my abbu (father), his sacrifices and holding my hand when I could have been down and out," a teary-eyed Sarfaraz Khan choked in front of scribes while dedicating his best century to father and coach Naushad Khan.

Those who follow Mumbai cricket closely know how tough Naushad is on his sons Sarfaraz and Mushir (also in Mumbai squad), who don't have a life beyond cricket.

So, is the dream India call-up on the cards now? His eyes welled up while answering the question after his century lifted Mumbai to 374 against Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy final.

"In our lives, it's about all those little dreams that we harbour. The dreams that we (he and his dad) have dreamt together. The nearly 2,000 runs that I have scored in two seasons since my Mumbai comeback is because of my abbu," he said.

When there aren't any matches, the brothers train for good six to seven hours per day under their father's supervision.

He has had disciplinary issues, has not been the establishment's favourite child, and had to migrate to UP for a season before coming back and serving a cooling-off period before being picked for Mumbai again.

"Aap sab toh jaante ho mere saath kya kya huwa. Abbu na rahte toh main khatm ho jataa (You all know what I have gone through and had my father not been there, I would have been finished by now)."

"There has been so much of struggle and when I think how my dad dealt with all of it, I get emotional. He didn't leave my hand even once. My brother put up a status on his cell phone and I could see Abbu so happy. It made my day," he could finally manage a smile.

A fan of Sidhu Moosewala

Asked if his thigh thump celebration was imitation of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, who was recently gunned down by a gang, he said that was the idea.

"This was for Sidhu Moosewala. I love his songs and mostly me and Hardik Tamore (keeper) listen to his songs. I did a similar kind of celebration during an earlier match also (in his memory), but then, Hotstar didn't show it. I had decided once I score another hundred, I would repeat the celebration," the Mumbaikar said.

Planning and pat on back from selector

Sarfaraz is nearing 1,000 first-class runs for the season (937 currently) at a Bradmanesque average of 81.

"This is my best ever knock in Ranji Trophy as this is the final and it came when the team was in a troublesome situation. We were losing wickets at regular intervals.

"My aim was that whatever happens, I will not throw my wicket away even if it means I will have to play 300 balls. More balls I play, the bigger my knocks will be," said Sarfaraz, who scored 134 in 243 balls on the day.

A hundred in a Ranji final is special as it reminded him of carrying heavy kitbags in Mumbai local with father Naushad in tow, and also the hours of grind put in for years.

"When I was a little boy, the dream was to wear the Mumbai jersey and score a hundred. When I realised that dream, then I wanted to score a hundred in a Ranji Trophy final when the team is in a precarious position. That's the reason I was overwhelmed with emotion after the hundred," Sarfaraz said.

Sarfaraz said that once Shams Mulani was out in the first over, he had to change his game plan.

"Once Shams was out, I felt that there could be a collapse round the corner as the MP seamers were getting a fair bit of movement off the track. They were bowling good cutters but then I had a few partnerships which got me closer to the hundred," he stated.

While he didn't divulge what national selector Sunil Joshi might have told him about his senior team selection in future, he did mention that he was praised for beating MP's tactics.

"It was good talking to Sunil Joshi sir. He understood that Chandu sir (Chandrakant Pandit) had asked his bowlers to block my sweep shot and he said that it was good that I could rotate strike even when my pet shot was stopped."

His elation aside, Sarfaraz had a word of caution for his bowlers as he felt that a bit more disciplined would be required in the third morning to keep MP under a tight leash after they reached 123 for one in reply to Mumbai's 374.

"We need to be a bit more disciplined tomorrow but I can tell you that the game is far from over. And don't forget, they will have to bat last on this track.

"In any case, we are very confident that we will get first-innings lead but, if somehow, we miss the first-innings lead, we will get them in fourth innings," Sarfaraz said.

The visiting FIFA-AFC team on Thursday set deadlines to clean up the Indian football mess, asking the stakeholders to get the constitution of the national federation approved by July 31 and conduct elections by September 15, failing which the country could be banned by the world body.

On the conclusion of its three-day visit of the country, the team, led by Asian Football Confederation General Secretary Windsor John, made it clear that the deadlines will have to be followed strictly.

A FIFA ban would mean the Women's U-17 World Cup, to be held in October, will be taken away from the country.

"It has been made clear by the joint FIFA-AFC team that the deadlines will have to be strictly adhered to. If not, the country can be banned and U-17 Women's World Cup will be taken away," a top source, who is privy to the discussions, told PTI on condition of anonymity.

"The FIFA wants enough time for the new office bearers to prepare for the U-17 Women's World Cup, that is why the September 15 deadline for elections so that the elected office bearers can take charge by September 20.

"Now, the ball is in the CoA's court to help the new constitution of the AIFF get approved by July 31. The state associations have also pledged all possible help."

Last month, the Supreme Court ousted the Praful Patel-led dispensation in the AIFF and appointed a three-member Committee of Administrators (CoA) to frame a new constitution and hold elections for a new set of office bearers.

The next date or hearing is July 21 (though it is written July 23 on docket). Once the Supreme Court gives the green signal, the new constitution is expected to be approved within seven days.

The state associations in the morning passed a resolution to call a Special General Body Meeting within seven days of approval by the SC.

"We have passed a resolution to call a General Body Meeting within seven days of SC approval of the constitution. Ultimately, the General Body will have to approve the new constitution, otherwise it (constitution) will not be a valid document," a state association official said.

"After that we have to send it to FIFA for final approval."

The meeting, attended by 35 state associations, also passed a resolution to hold the AIFF elections within 30 days of the approval of the constitution by the General Body, instead of 50 days.

"We had to pass the resolution to hold elections within 30 days because of the short time line. If we set 50 days, it will be difficult to hold elections on September 15," the state official said.

On its part, the CoA will collect all the suggestions/submissions from the stakeholders by June 30, and it will prepare a draft constitution by July 7. The draft will be circulated to invite for objections so that the final proposed constitution will be ready by July 15.

"The CoA feels that if the objections are raised later on, there could be delays and it could be difficult to meet the deadlines."

The visiting team met the representatives of the I-League and ISL clubs. It also met the ISL organisers FSDL. It later had a meeting with all the stakeholders together. This was the second time the delegation met the CoA.

In the meeting with I-League clubs, one participant suggested that the ISL should start promotion and relegation from this season itself.

On Wednesday, the visiting team met Sports Minister Anurag Thakur. On the first day of its visit, it met Patel, who is also a member of the powerful FIFA Council.

United States coach Andrea Fuentes knew something was wrong when she saw artistic swimmer Anita Alvarez sink motionless to the bottom of the pool during a solo free routine at the world aquatics championships on Wednesday.

The fully clothed Fuentes dived in. She swam to the unresponsive Alvarez, put her arms around her, and lifted her to the water's surface, where another person helped get her out of the pool.

Alvarez, a two-time Olympian, had fainted.

She was immediately given medical attention.

Anita has been evaluated by medical staff and will continue to be monitored. “She is feeling much better and using today to rest,” USA Artistic Swimming told The Associated Press in a statement.

“Watching yesterday's medical emergency of 2x Olympian Anita Alvarez and subsequent rescue by coach Andrea Fuentes was heartbreaking for our community. She gave an exceptional solo performance and competed brilliantly in four preliminary and three final competitions across six days.”

Alvarez finished seventh in Wednesday's individual final.

“Whether or not she will swim in the free team final on Friday ... will be determined by Anita and expert medical staff,” USA Artistic Swimming said.

Fuentes also said Alvarez was doing much better in an Instagram post.

The doctors checked all vitals and everything is normal: heart rate, oxygen, sugar levels, blood pressure, etc all is okay, Fuentes wrote.

“We sometimes forget that this happens in other high-endurance sports. Marathon, cycling, cross country we all have seen images where some athletes don't make it to the finish line and others help them to get there. Our sport is no different than others, just in a pool, we push through limits and sometimes we find them.”

The Indian football team reaped a good harvest of its impressive Asian Cup qualification campaign as it gained two places to jump to 104th in the latest FIFA world rankings released on Thursday.

The Blue Tigers are placed just below New Zealand (103rd), who missed out on a 2022 FIFA World Cup spot after losing to Costa Rica 0-1 in the intercontinental play-off earlier this month.

India's ranking among Asian Football Confederation members, however, still remained static at 19th place. Iran retained the top spot among AFC countries at 23rd place.

The Sunil Chhetri-led side had their best ever Asian Cup qualification campaign earlier this month when they won all three of their league matches to top group D and secure a place in the 24-team Finals to be held in 2023.

This was India's fifth overall qualification and the first time the country qualified for back-to-back Asian Cups.

In the overall rankings, Brazil remained on top, three months after taking the top spot from Belgium (2nd).

Argentina jumped one place to third at the expense of France (4th) who paid the price for four winless games in the UEFA Nations League.

England, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal and Denmark complete the top-10.

The next FIFA world ranking will be out on August 25. 

Three-time Asia Pacific Rally champion Gaurav Gill is upbeat about a good showing at the World Rally Championship's Safari Rally in Nairobi, Kenya, later this month. This will be his first competition in two years because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Gill’s last outing was in WRC2 in Rally of Turkey, in 2019 before the pandemic.

Gill will be driving the Skoda Fabia R5, along with Brazilian co-driver Gabriel Morales. The Safari is considered as one of the most challenging rallies of WRC, featuring 19 special stages covering almost 365km of competition crossing, including closed dirt roads, rocky, rutted tracks and unpredictable weather.

Relieved at the prospect of getting back to competitive driving after the enforced break, Gill said, “I am excited to return to WRC after a hiatus of over two years. I have utilised these two years of pandemic to reflect on my previous participations and have worked on improving my fitness and performance. I have been working with a special team from Italy -Motorsport Italy - on the car. I did some testing last year, working on a lot of things with the team, looked at a lot of footage.” Gill made a few trips to Dubai in the last year and a half to work on his car with the team.

Speaking about what he is likely to encounter in the rally, the JK Tyres-sponsored car rallyist said, “It's got varied terrain and temperature zones. Last year, the guy leading the rally got stuck in soft sand. One will encounter a lot of wildlife.

“But I am in sync with things there. There will be some local support, too. It will be a comfort zone for me and I am looking for a strong result there.”

Asked what were his expectations from the rally, Gill said, “I want to make the most of this rally. I have been out of the competitions last two years. I just can't wait to get back.”

While in Europe rallying was continuing in a bubble for most Europe-based drivers, for Asians, it has been a long time away from action because of the strict Covid-19 protocols in most Asian countries. Apart from working on his car, Gill also spent a lot of time upping his fitness standards. “The break was a boon for me in the sense that I got time to be superfit. I had special trainers working with me,” he said.

Gill was speaking in the company of another veteran rally driver Hari Singh, currently head of operations, JK Motorsport, and Sanjay Sharma, head of Motorsports, JK Tyre.

JK Tyre also announced a scholarship programme of 300,000 Euros to promote upcoming talent who have proved their mettle on the domestic circuit.

"Up to five young talented athletes including a girl athlete from across verticals of motorsport will be identified to avail the scholarship," said the company in a statement.

The first one to be part of it is India's rising racing star, 17-year-old Amir Sayed from Kottyam, who proved his mettle and became the JK Tyre Novice Cup Champion in 2020 by winning all the 12 races of the season in his category.

Amir is in the French F4 Championship this year.

Said Sharma: With an aim to give the young talent the much-needed push, we have announced this scholarship program which will select kids from across categories and provide them a chance to bring in laurels by representing the nation at international platforms."

India's superstar javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra made a spectacular return to competition after his historic gold in the Tokyo Olympics, a stunning throw of 89.30m shattering his national record and placing him second in a star-studded field at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland, on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old Chopra's first competitive event after just over 10 months was nothing short of extraordinary as he nearly touched the coveted 90m mark, considered the gold standard in the world of javelin throw.

Chopra's earlier national record was 88.07m which he had set in Patiala in March last year. He had won the Tokyo Olympics gold with a throw of 87.58m on August 7, 2021.

He opened with an impressive 86.92m before sending the spear to 89.30m. His next three attempts were fouls while he came up with 85.85m in his sixth and final throw.

Finland's 25-year-old Oliver Helander, who has a personal best of 88.02m and season's best of 80.36m, was the surprise gold winner with a best throw of 89.83m which he produced in his second attempt.

Chopra's 89.30m effort will take him to fifth spot in the world season leaders' list.

Reigning world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada, the pre-event favourite with his world leading monster throw of 93.07m while winning gold in the Doha Diamond League last month, was third with a best effort of 86.60m. This was Peters' first defeat after seven wins on the trot this season.

2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago was fourth with a best throw of 84.02m, followed by Germany's Julian Weber (84.02m) and Czech Republic's Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch (83.91m), who had won silver in Doha with a throw of 90.88m.

Chopra's rival and friend Johannes Vetter of Germany, who has a maximum number of 90m-plus throws among the active javelin throwers, was set to take part in the Paavo Nurmi Games but had withdrawn.

Chopra had said in recent media interactions that he would not put himself under pressure with the thought of throwing beyond 90m and would look to build up gradually to peak during the July 15-24 World Championships in Eugene, USA.

The Paavo Nurmi Games are named after the legendary Finnish middle and long distance runner. It is a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series event, one of the most prestigious competitions outside the Diamond League Meetings.

The competition organisers have provided an extra incentive for the javelin throwers: anyone who throws beyond the Finnish record of 93.09m will win a Ford Mustang Mach-E SUV. Nobody won it on Tuesday though Peters said in a lighter vein on Monday that he would be going for it.

More than 10,000 people turned up to watch the events.

Chopra will next take part in the Kourtane Games in Finland on Saturday where he is currently based. He will feature in the Stockholm leg of the Diamond League on June 30. He had earlier trained in the USA and Turkey before shifting base to Finland last month.

He hasn't been able to translate his IPL form into national colours but India opener Ruturaj Gaikwad is not too worried as for him it is all about "staying consistent mentally" and "trusting the process".

The 25-year-old from Maharashtra has amassed 1207 runs in 36 IPL matches so far but managed just 120 in six T20Is, including the maiden fifty that he scored in the third T20 against South Africa here on Tuesday.

Asked if life is on the edge for him, Gaikwad said: "Not really on the edge, it is just part and parcel of the sport.

"Last year I had a really good year so people come with a lot of expectations when you have a great year even in IPL and domestic."

His form was patchy in the IPL this year as well before he turned things around, scoring 368 runs, including three fifties in 14 matches for Chennai Super Kings.

"In the IPL, the wicket was slightly bowler-friendly. There was no flat wicket, it was two-paced, the ball was turning, and there was some swing.

"So 3-4 games in IPL, I got out to good balls where in some dismissals, some good shots went to the fielder's hand, it is part of T20 cricket.

"You will have off days and really bad days. It is a matter of staying consistent mentally, trusting your process."

In the first two games, Gaikwad scored 23 and 1 to once again raise questions on his ability as an opener. However, he delivered when it mattered most, slamming a 35-ball 57 studded with seven fours and two maximums.

"Coming into the series as well, the first two wickets I felt were on the tacky side. It was stopping a bit batting first in the last two games but here the wicket was good, ball was coming into the bat, so I played my game.

"I changed nothing, my thought process, everything was the same."

In the second T20I, India had scored 148 for six with batters going for their shots despite losing wickets.

Shreyas Iyer had said that the team will look to keep attacking even if it loses wickets.

Gaikwad said: "Going after the bowlers was not about being reckless or playing rash shots. I think we as a batting unit have some strength, certain shots we play as individuals. It is about backing ourselves and putting pressure on the bowlers.

"Just making sure that you are showing the intent, no matter if you are playing first ball or second ball, or you are set, even if you are batting at 30-40, if it is there in your area, in your strength, just have to go for it, that is what the thinking is about."

There was hardly any time between the second and the third game and Gaikwad said the team just looked to stick to what worked for it and be slightly more conscious about its bowling.

"The conversation was about staying positive. We played really well in both the games. There were just some crunch moments where they played really well and overtook us. So it was just that they batted really well, but today they had a batting collapse.

"Coming here, we just wanted to stick to what we did in the last two games and look to improve as a group. Bowling-wise, we were slightly more aware of the game, there was more awareness and that worked well for us."

India will face South Africa in the 4th T20 on Friday. 

A stunning goal from talisman Sunil Chhetri and an injury-time strike from Sahal Abdul Samad powered India to a 2-1 victory over Afghanistan in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers in Kolkata on Saturday.

The win helped India consolidate their position in the group as they seek to make a second straight appearance in the Asian Cup and fifth overall, having been knocked out in the group stage in the last edition in 2019.

Denied for 86 minutes, Chhetri put India ahead with a brilliant free-kick from just over 20 yards, taking only a couple of steps before unleashing his shot straight into the right corner of the net beating Afghanistan's goalkeeper.

It was the Indian superstar's 83rd goal in international football as he closed in on second-placed Argentine genius Lionel Messi among active players.

Afghanistan equalised within two minutes as Zubayr Amiri produced a sensational header in the 88th minute of the match. He was also helped by poor marking by the Indian players.

The match seemed headed for a 1-1 stalemate but Samad had other ideas. After a fine pass from Ashique Kuruniyan, Samad made some room for himself to strike the ball past the Afghanistan goalkeeper, leaving the spectators at the Salt Lake Stadium in a state of frenzy.

In a game where India created quite a few opportunities and showed their intent from the word go, Ashique emerged as one of the standout performers for the home team as he created several chances to keep Afghanistan defenders on their toes throughout the match.

India dominated the match for most parts and ended as the deserving winners.

The hosts were coming off a 2-0 win over Cambodia in the opener, while Afghanistan entered the match after losing to Hong Kong.

India will play their final game of the qualifiers against Hong Kong on June 14.

India seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar on Saturday said the bowlers let stand-in skipper Rishabh Pant down in the high-scoring first T20 International against South Africa.

Elevated to captaincy after designated skipper KL Rahul pulled out on the eve of the series opener after a groin injury, Pant had a forgettable outing leading the side for the first time ever, even as his bowlers struggled with their line and length.

Bhuvenshwar backed the wicketkeeper-batter and said he's a long way to go.

"He's a young captain and it was his first match. I'm sure he will try to do better and improve as the series progresses. Generally the captain is as good as the team and it's a team effort.

"Our bowling did not go off well and let him down. If we did well then you would have hailed his decision-making skills. I'm sure he will do well," Bhuvenshwar said.

The experienced seamer, however, refused to read too much into their forgettable bowling display at the Ferozshah Kotla and expressed optimism about a strong comeback in the second match.

In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar is leading the Indian pace attack in the ongoing five-match series.

India could not defend 212 as the rampaging South African duo of David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen struck half-centuries to hunt down the target with five balls to spare and go 1-0 up in the series.

"There wasn't any big discussion as anyone can have an off day. As a bowling unit, we had an off day but that's okay we just want to come back in the next match," Bhuvneshwar said at the pre-match press conference here.

"It was the first match of the series and everybody was coming out of the IPL, almost everyone in the team had a good IPL. Everyone knows what needs to be done and things to improve on.

"We are aware that we didn't bowl well in the first match. So we hope to improve, bowl well and level the series. We still have four matches to go, we have matches in hands to bounce back," he said.

In the first game, Team India fielded a new-look pace attack in Bhuvneshwar, Harshal Patel and Avesh Khan, but none of them could make an impact against the marauding South Africans.

Bhuvneshwar said it's about taking responsibility and improving in every match ahead of the T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in Australia in October-November.

"My target is not any different. I just have to bowl in the same way as in the power play or in the death overs. Yes, in absence of them, I try to take up responsibility, focus on improving in every match before going to the T20 World Cup."

The Committee of Administrators and members of some affiliated units met in New Delhi on Saturday to discuss the way forward on holding the elections of All India Football Federation at the earliest under an amended constitution adhering to the national sports code, FIFA and AFC Statutes.

Suggestions were given by the members for the amended constitution, which will be examined by the CoA in the coming days.

Attending the meeting were the Supreme Court-appointed CoA head - former top court judge Anil R. Dave - his colleagues in the committee - former chief election commissioner Dr S.Y. Quraishi and ex-India skipper Bhaskar Ganguly - and representatives from Bengal (Indian Football Association), Delhi, Karnataka, Gujarat and Mizoram.

Quraishi could not attend the meeting in person as he was not keeping well, but followed the proceedings virtually.

"It was a very constructive meeting, all the members gave their suggestions. We will examine them and submit it to the Supreme Court with the amended constitution," Quraishi told PTI.

Entrepreneur Ranjit Bajaj, who owns the Delhi Football Club, was also present at the Football House, as one of the petitioners, something that did not go down well with a top AIFF office-bearer.

It was Bajaj's club that had filed an application in the SC, alleging illegal continuation of the Praful Patel-led executive committee despite its term expiring in December 2020.

"I was there as one of the petitioners. It was my club - Delhi Football Club - that had filed an application in the SC. It was an interception petition, which heard in the court and Patel was finally removed.

"I am assisting the COA in a ex-officio capacity," Bajaj said.

Quraishi had said that a newly-elected body of the AIFF should be in place by September end and a modified constitution will be submitted to the Supreme Court by July 15.

The Supreme Court had on May 18 appointed a three-member CoA to manage the affairs of the AIFF and form its constitution in line with the National Sports Code and model guidelines.

"We had a very fruitful meeting and everyone present in the meeting was on the same page as far as holding of elections and forming of new constitution are concerned," said Shaji Prabhakaran, president of Delhi Football.

The CoA will brief the FIFA delegation about its willingness to complete the task assigned to them by the top court within the stipulated time.

An FIFA delegation is set to visit the country from June 21-23.

As per the timeline set by the court, a draft AIFF constitution prepared by the CoA in line with the National Sports Code must be circulated among the stakeholders and their feedback sent to CoA counsel Samar Bansal by June 30.

The CoA must place the constitution before SC by July 15. The next hearing is on July 21.

The female cyclist, who had alleged sexual harassment by sacked national coach R.K. Sharma, on Saturday filed an FIR against him even as the Sports Authority of India (SAI) said it will speak with the cycling contingent that travelled to Slovenia as part of its detailed investigation.

While the female cyclist, who made the allegations had returned from Slovenia earlier this week, the rest of the contingent including five male cyclists and coach Sharma got back on Saturday morning.

"The national-level cyclist has lodged an FIR on Saturday against the national cycling coach for his inappropriate behaviour during a foreign exposure trip in Slovenia," the SAI said in a statement.

The SAI said it investigated the case through its Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), which advised the athlete to file a police complaint.

"To ensure that the athlete is able to file the FIR smoothly, SAI deputed two of its officers from TOPS, including a lady officer, to accompany the athlete to the police station," added the statement.

A SAI source said the sport body will, next week, speak with all the members of the contingent that travelled to Slovenia.

"The SAI probe panel had already spoken to the coach and female cyclist, now it will be speaking to other members of the contingent next week as part of a detailed investigation," said the source.

The training-cum-competition trip to Slovenia was arranged to help Indian team prepare for the Asian Track Cycling Championships, scheduled to be held in the national capital from June 18 to 22.

The female cyclist had apprised the SAI of inappropriate behaviour by the coach during her stay in Slovenia and said she was so terrified that she feared for her life.

The matter had come to light on Monday when SAI issued a statement, saying it has called the cyclist back to ensure her safety.

The complainant claimed that the coach forced her to share a hotel room with him on the pretext that accommodation has been arranged on twin-sharing basis.

YAI submits report to SAI over sailor's allegations

The Yachting Association of India, as asked by SAI, has submitted its report on the allegations made by a female sailor against a coach during an exposure trip to Germany.

The sailor had claimed that the coach was putting too much mental pressure on her and it found a mention in YAI's report.

The coach in question is a three-time Olympian and is a coach of the Indian Navy team.

There are many reasons why Army man Avinash Sable is India's premier long-distance runner. Last Sunday, he broke the national record in the 3000m steeplechase with a timing of 8.12.48 at the Rabat Diamond League. He finished fifth in the race in Morocco, and pipped 2020 Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Benjamin Kigen. This was the eighth time he has set the steeplechase record. He first broke it in 2018 when he clocked 8.29.80 at the interstate championships to erase the then 37-year-old mark of 8.30.88 set by Gopal Saini. In May, the all-rounder broke Bahadur Prasad's 30-year-old 5,000m national record in a high-quality field in San Juan Capistrano.

From Mandwa in Beed district of Maharashtra, Sable, 27, took up long-distance running seriously only in 2015 after joining the Army. Life was a struggle till then, being born to a farmer of modest means. Taking up a sport was not even a distant dream. However, once he did, there was no looking back. He qualified for Tokyo Olympics in the men's 3000m steeplechase by breaking his own national record twice in three days. In the 2019 World Championships in Doha, he finished 13th.

But all that is in the past now. Sable is currently training in Colorado Spings, with distance coach Scott Simmons, preparing for the IAAF World Athletics Championships to be held in Oregon, USA, from July 15 to 24. He talked to the media about his training and competition plans in the coming months. Excerpts:

Q/ How was your Diamond League race and experience?

A/ It was a very good competition for me. It was as important for me as a world championship or an Olympic final race. I got to learn a lot from this race, especially keeping in mind the forthcoming World Athletics Championships. It was a very good race for me. I feel, only if we compete at the highest level, will we improve. Otherwise, the gap betwen the top athletes and us will always remain.

I feel whenever I get to compete against top athletes, I tend to give my best. I get to learn a lot. In India, it's a lone race for me. Where to slow down or increase the pace - you get to learn a lot. I have ran very few races with these top-level athletes so far.

Q/ How has your Army stint helped you in your running?

A/ I started running only when I joined the Army. My nine-month training really helped me here. I learnt to get out of any circumstance, after joining the Army. Running seems easy comparatively! We were trained to run 5km in our BPT (Battle Proficiency Test), where they test our physical stamina. This is easy compared to that and I am enjoying it a lot, too (laughs).

Q/ Your thoughts on achieving sub-8 timings.

A/ When I ran in a competition in 2018 for the first time, I clocked 8:29. That was a national record. I had not thought then I would achieve 8:12. I don't feel achieving sub-8 minutes is difficult. If I was training in India, I may have thought the other athletes are superior. But since I started training with these athletes abroad, I feel we can achieve it too.

In India, steeplechase races used to go for 8:40 seconds, which was considered decent. When I started, I was only thinking of winning a medal to get a promotion. I didn't have big plans then. Now I feel, if I can come to 8:12 from nealy 9 minutes, then achieving sub-8 is no big deal.

Q/ How is the training in Colorado Springs helping you?

A/ The main benefit is that I get to train with my level of athletes unlike in India. Back home, in camps, I had to train alone. Here, my training partners are sometimes doing even better than me. So, the level is high. My approach and mindset have changed while training here.

Q/ You have been breaking records regularly. How did you achieve this mentality?

A/ I was always a risk-taker. When I started training under coach Nikolai Snesarev, my thought process and approach towards competitions changed. I started aiming for national records.

It was a tough time for me - people started questioning my ability. They said no one can achieve 8:30 mark. I didn't know how to go about things. I just tried to train harder but got injured. I missed the 2018 Asian Games, too, due to injury. All I wanted to do in 2019 was to break the national record. I spent lot of time with coach Nikolai in the Bengaluru camp; he was also very worried. He spent a lot of time on me. He had many plans for me - training in Kyrgyzstan etc. But I did not have much idea about it and I refused to go with him there. That was perhaps my biggest mistake. I didn't take the risk. He was upset with me. He didn't return to India.

The inspirational Sunil Chhetri would look to continue from where he left against Cambodia as India face Afghanistan in their second match of the Asian Cup Qualifiers on Saturday.

On an evening of missed opportunities, the 37-year-old veteran struck a goal in each half to give Igor Stimac's side all three points, ensuring the group hosts keep ahead of Hong Kong on goal difference after Jorn Andersen's team won 2-1 over Afghanistan in the first match on Wednesday.

Seeking to make a second successive Asian Cup Finals, the Chhetri-led India would look to bring out their best, especially up front with the likes of Liston Colaco, Manvir Singh, Udanta Singh, Ashique Kuruniyan and Roshan Singh hoping to improving their finishing abilities.

All of them got ample opportunities but failed to make an impact as far as scoring was concerned and it was once again left to the veteran to settle the nerves with his brace that took his international tally to 82 goals, behind Cristiano Ronaldo (117) and Lionel Messi (86).

"I'm tired of answering this question," Stimac said when asked about life after Chhetri. "When he's (Sunil) with us, I don't care if others are not scoring. If he's not here, then others will start scoring. Why look for someone else when he's scoring two goals every day?" he asked.

From Afghan's point of view it will be a do-or-die match and the physically stronger team would look to make it count against the Indian backline of Roshan Singh, Sandesh Jhingan, Anwar Ali and Akash Mishra, who impressed the most in their outing against Cambodia.

In such a scenario, the onus would be on the attacking line-up to "kill the contest" by scoring early goals, something that buried Afghanistan against Hong Kong.

The fitness of Roshan has been a concern after their outing against Cambodia and Stimac said they would assess his niggle on the sidelines of their training.

"Of course this match will be much more difficult. There's a lot of quality movements against Hong Kong. They kept changing positions and made many crosses into the box.

"We have to be clever and very good at attacking. We have to win more aerial duels. We have to concentrate well, remain composed. I've full confidence of a win," Stimac added.

India, who enjoy a 6-1 record on head-to-head from 10 meetings against the 'Lions of Khorasan', however, have not won against them since January 3, 2016 in the SAFF Championships.

Since then the Blue Tigers have endured two 1-1 draws in the World Cup Qualifiers, something that was highlighted by Afghanistan coach Anoush Dastgir, who said they are in search of 'revenge' at the Qualifier.

On their defeat against Hong Kong, he said: "In the first minutes we killed ourselves, it was very hard to come back."

But, going by their outing against Hong Kong, Dastgir's side rarely threatened barring their captain Farshad Noor's 81st minute strike, which reduced their margin.

The key to their attacks will rest on Faysal Shayesteh who is just one goal away from becoming Afghanistan's all-time top-scorer.

Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting believes that Rishabh Pant will be "exceptionally dangerous" on "fast and bouncy" Australian wickets during the upcoming T20 World Cup, where he could be best utilised as a floater as per match situation.

Ponting has worked closely with Pant at Delhi Capitals and rates the Indian keeper-batter very highly.

"He (Pant) is a wonderful player. An outstanding young man, who has got the world at his feet. And he'll be exceptionally dangerous for India, especially on the wickets we'll provide in Australia. Good flat, fast, bouncy wickets. He'll be one of the players to watch out (for) in the tournament (World T20) for sure,” Ponting said on 'ICC Review'.

For Ponting, Pant's batting position should be flexible as per Indian team's requirements.

"I reckon having him as a floater. I'll probably have him listed at (number) five in the (Indian) batting line-up.

"But in certain situations, where it gets to a stage, where there are seven-eight overs to go and they are one-two down, then I will look at sending him in and giving as much time as possibly can. He is that dynamic and that explosive (player) and that is certainly the way I would look at trying to use him," added Ponting, a veteran of 168 Tests.

Pant managed to score just 340 runs from 14 IPL games with an average of 30.91. And according to Ponting, Pant was frustrated with his performance in the IPL.

"He probably didn't have his best tournament (IPL). He was really frustrated with his IPL this year because he went into the tournament batting better than I've ever seen him bat before.

"And even by his own admission, he said the same thing to me, half-way through the tournament that he didn't feel he was getting results that he probably should have and that he probably deserved," Ponting said.