A scintillating knock from Chris Gayle helped West Indies thrash Australia by six wickets in the third T20I. With this win, West Indies secured T20I series victory over Australia with two more games to go. A quality death bowling from West Indies had restricted Australia to 141/6 before the hosts chased down the total comfortably with 31 balls to spare.

During the run chase, Gayle also became the first player to smash 14,000 runs in the shortest format of the game. Chasing 142, West Indies got off to a bad start as Mitchell Starc struck in the first over dismissing Andre Fletcher for four runs.

Lendl Simmons and Chris Gayle then stitched a 38-run stand for the second wicket before Riley Meredith removed the opener reducing West Indies to 42/2 inside the powerplay.

However, Gayle continued smashing the ball as he found his form to bring up his first T20I fifty since 2016. He smashed three consecutive sixes to get to his half-century. Meredith dismissed Gayle in the 12th over but the damage was done as West Indies just needed 33 runs in eight overs. Pooran and Andre Russell in end guided the hosts to a series-clinching win over Australia in the 15th over.

Earlier opting to bat first, Australia scored just 141 runs despite a good start. Matthew Wade and skipper Aaron Finch stitched a 41-run stand for the first wicket in five overs. However, the visitors kept losing wickets at regular intervals as the batsmen never really looked comfortable during the innings.

Australia were 80/4 in 12 overs and Moises Henriques (33) and Ashton Turn (24) revived the visitors’ innings but failed to get to a decent total.

Brief Scores: Australia 141/6 (Moises Henriques 33, Aaron Finch 30; Hayden Walsh 2-18); West Indies 142/4 (Chris Gayle 67, Nicholas Pooran 32; Riley Meredith 3-48)

Former India pace bowler Ajit Agarkar feels that spinner Kuldeep Yadav needs to regain form and get his confidence back if he wants to claim a spot in the T20 World Cup squad.

Sri Lanka and India will lock horns in three ODIs and as many T20Is from July 18 after the series was rescheduled last week. Kuldeep last played for India in a T20I match in January 2020 and Agarkar admitted that it was a little “unfair” on the spinner.

“Sometimes I feel that it was a little bit unfair on him (Kuldeep) to miss out on series. But he needs to get his confidence back and start bowling well. Both him and Chahal know there are guys behind them and if you have a competition, the team will do well,” said Agarkar in a virtual press conference.

“Spin has been a little bit of a worry for India, especially after Chahal and Kuldeep stopped playing together but there are players like Rahul Chahar, Varun Chakraborty and if those guys can do well, it will give more options to Virat Kohli.

“T20 World Cup is not too far away so it is a good opportunity for the guys to put pressure on players who are already in the team to make their case. These performances won’t get unnoticed,” he added.

Surya had a good start in international cricket as he set the T20 stage on fire after hitting a fifty-plus score in just his second T20I against England earlier this year. Ishan Kishan too had blast on debut as he slammed a fifty in the first match.

“Suryakumar looks front runner to me this point, one or two performances do not necessarily cement your place but he has been a versatile player. He started his T20 career in the IPL lower down the order and has progressively moved up,” said Agarkar.

“Ishan Kishan had a really good last IPL and had fifty on a debut too. I am only taking two names because there are lots of names in the list but these are the two guys who played and did well in the T20I for India,” he added.

The former India pacer feels the players who are more consistent in the upcoming white-ball games might get a spot in the World Cup squad. “There are always those two or three slots the guys are fighting for, and that’s why it becomes a lot more important for the consistency coming up ahead of the World Cup.

“It’s an opportunity for these guys to cement their place and there is an IPL as well, so there are lots of opportunities coming in especially in white-ball cricket. The players who are more consistent than others will get a chance, looking at what team management plans are,” said Aga

A record number of shooters (15) will participate in the Tokyo Olympics. The team is carrying the biggest hopes for medals. In addition to it, they must be looking to shrug off the disappointment of Rio. Let’s have a look at the Indian contingent for rifle and skeet events.

Elavenil ValarivanApurvi ChandelaAnjum Moudgi

On the first day of the event, Elavenil and Apurvi Chandela will compete against the best in the world in 10 meters air rifle. Valarivan is high in confidence and is currently world number one. Apurvi is quiet for some time. Mary Carolynn Tucker of the US can upset the party. She is only 19 and won gold in this year’s Delhi World Cup. We expect that the Indian flag will go up in the very first event of this mega competition for the finest possible opening. In a similar contest for men, Divyansh Singh Panwar will face tough completion from world number one Peni Istvan of Hungary. Warding off the challenge from the Croatian pair of Petar Gorsa and Miran Maricic will be crucial for the 22-year-old shooter of Rajsthan. Lucas Kozeniesky of the US is another exciting competitor who clinched Gold at WC 2021 in Delhi.

For the first time, a mix event for a 10m air rifle is on the Olympic roster. Both the shooters are in pole position to blaze rifles. The nation is expecting that the talented duo of Elavenil-Divyansh will extend their dominance for Gold. The other pair in the completion is Deepak Kumar and Anjum Moudgil. 33-years-old Air Force NCO will also participate in his first Olympics like her partner. We expect that they will rise to the occasion and produce their best.

Twenty-year-old Aishwary Tomar will be seen competing in the 50m rifle 3 positions at Tokyo. Madhya Pradesh’s dazzling shooter is currently ranked number 2 in Tokyo 2020 Rankings and number 1 in the 2021 World Rankings. With the kind of form he was in during the ISSF World Cup in New Delhi, a medal at Tokyo might not be a tough job to accomplish. Sanjeev Rajput is slightly behind at number 6 in rankings. A 40-year-old Army man from Yamunanagar will surely shoot for glory. Again, handling Peni Istvan (Hungary) and Petar Gorsa-Miran Maricic (CRO) is important.

Anjum Moudgil and Tejaswini Sawant are the shooters in a similar event for women. Tejaswani has her best behind her. Her last major success came at CWG 2018. The 40-year-old Kolhapur woman has to rise meteorically to display her lost glory. Anjum will make her maiden appearance in Olympics. Still, the Chandigarh girl’s cabinet is in search of gold from an elite tournament.

Angadvir Singh Bajwa and Mairaj Ahmad Khan are Indian competitors in the Skeet. Both have to face the daunting task of qualifying among the best on 25 July. If they survive the test then who knows they can leapfrog for an upset the next day.

Shooting is a game of very fine margins. Nerves of steel, coolness like a monk, focus on the target, etc, are some of the most important demands of this fancy sport. Two-three medals from rifle and skeet is a realistic hope.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the country’s athletes reflect ‘New India’ and they also symbolise the country’s future. PM Modi on Tuesday interacted with the Olympic-bound contingent who would be looking to make the country proud at the upcoming Tokyo Games, beginning 23 July.

During the session, PM Modi noted common traits among the athletes i.e. bold, confident and positive. He said that all the athletes have common factors of discipline, dedication and determination. The Prime Minister noted both the commitment and competitiveness in the sportspersons.

“The same qualities are found in New India. Athletes reflect the New India and symbolises the nation’s future,” said PM Modi.

While addressing the Indian athletes, the Prime Minister regretted the fact that he could not host the athletes due to the pandemic. He remarked that the pandemic has changed their practice and even the year of the Olympics.

He recalled his ‘Mann ki Baat’ address when he exhorted the citizens to cheer for their sportspersons in the Olympics. He also noted the popularity of the #Cheer4India. He said that the whole country is behind them and the blessings of all the countrymen are with them.

PM Modi also informed that people can log in to the NaMo app and cheer for their sportspersons where special provisions have been made for the purpose. “These wishes of 135 crore Indians are the blessings of the country for all of you before entering the field of sports,” said the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister said that seeing the confidence and energy of young India, he is optimistic that the day is not far when only victory will become New India’s habit. He advised players to give their best and asked the countrymen to “Cheer4India”.

Modi said that efforts were made for the players to have better training camps and better equipment. Today, more international exposure is also being provided to the players. He said that so many changes have happened in such a short time since sports-related institutions have given priority to suggestions by the sportspersons.

He also expressed happiness that for the first time, such a large number of players have qualified for the Olympics. He said that campaigns like ‘Fit India’ and ‘Khelo India’ contributed to this. He said for the first time, players from India are participating in so many sports. There are many sports in which India has qualified for the first time.

A total of 126 athletes across 18 sports disciplines from India will be heading to Tokyo. This is the biggest-ever contingent India is sending to any Olympics. The 69 cumulative events across the 18 sport disciplines that India will participate in are also the highest ever for the country.

IT WAS AN ABSOLUTE HONOUR SPEAKING TO PM MODI: SINDHU

Ace shuttler P.V. Sindhu has said it was an honour speaking to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday as the athletes prepare for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. “It was an honour and an absolute pleasure speaking to our PM Narendra Modi with the rest of the Indian contingent.

I would like to thank him and the entire nation for the continuous support and we hope to make you proud at the Olympics,” she told ANI.

The virtual video conferencing session was started by Union Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Anurag Thakur wherein he introduced PM Modi and he thanked him for taking out the time to boost the morale of the athletes. MoS Nisith Pramanik and Law Minister Kiren Rijiju were also present along with Indian Olympic Association President Narinder Batra.

MUHAMMAD ALI IS MY FAVOURITE BOXER: MARY KOM

Pugilist Mary Kom on Tuesday revealed that boxing legend Muhammad Ali is her favourite and she continues to take inspiration from him. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday interacted with the Olympic-bound contingent who would be looking to make the country proud at the upcoming Tokyo Games, beginning July 23. “Mary Kom Ji, you are an athlete from whom the entire country takes inspiration. In these Olympics, many athletes would be looking up to you. I just wanted to ask you who is your favourite sportsperson? Mary Ji, you have won almost every competition in the world, you had said that winning the Olympic gold is your dream. This is not just your dream, but it is the country’s dream. Everyone is confident that you will fulfill that dream,” said PM Modi during the session. Replying to the Prime Minister, Mary Kom said: “When I talk about boxers, my favourite has to be Muhammad Ali. I take inspiration from him.”

Former India hockey captain and defender Dilip Tirkey recently recalled some interesting stories from the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games ahead of the Tokyo showpiece event. With less than two weeks to go for the Tokyo Games, the Olympic fever is slowly engulfing the entire sporting world. While the Indian athletes carry out their high-octane practice sessions, it’s time for the hockey fans to relive the memories from the triumphant Olympic campaigns in the past through Hockey India’s Flashback series.

Tirkey, who represented India in three Olympic campaigns — 1996, 2000 and 2004 — spoke about his excitement of playing in his first Olympics at the Atlanta Games in 1996. “Every athlete has a dream of becoming an Olympian and I got a chance of playing in the Olympics for the first time in 1996. We had some big players in our team at that time such as our captain Pargat Singh Powar. I was very excited to play in the Olympics,” said Tirkey.

When asked about memories from the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Tirkey said that the 1-1 draw against Poland will always remain a big regret for him and the Indian team. “We performed very well in the league stages of the 2000 Olympics. We played well against Argentina, Australia, and Spain and we needed to defeat Poland to qualify for the semi-finals, but we couldn’t do it,” said Tirkey.“The match against Poland got so difficult for us and it ended in a 1-1 draw in the end. We were leading 1-0 after I scored in the 53rd minute but Poland managed to score in the last few moments of the match,” he added.

Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal on Monday congratulated Novak Djokovic on winning his sixth Wimbledon title. Djokovic had defeated Italy’s Matteo Berrettini to clinch his sixth Wimbledon title on Sunday. “Congrats @DjokerNole on this amazing achievement. 20 Grand Slam titles is huge and it is amazing that we are 3 players tied on this. Well done and, again, congrats to you and your team for this! @Wimbledon,” tweeted Nadal.

Nadal had opted out of this year’s Wimbledon. The 35-year-old will also miss the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. World number one Serbian tennis player Djokovic on Sunday won his sixth Wimbledon title. With this win, Djokovic now has 20 Grand Slams to his name and he is now equal with Swiss tennis maestro Roger Federer and Spanish player Rafael Nadal.