Former Indian footballer I.M. Vijayan feels players need to be competitive to further help in the growth of women’s football in India.

The Senior Women’s National Football Championship 2021-22 came to an end on Thursday when Manipur clinched their 21st title at the EMS Stadium, in Kozhikode, defeating Railways 2-1 on penalties. IM Vijayan, who was in the city to watch Manipur’s clash against Railways, was elated that the championship was being conducted despite the pandemic.

“The way AIFF and Kerala Government has organized the championship is commendable despite the COVID situation. It shows how each and everyone is working towards the growth of Indian Football,” AIFF quoted IM Vijayan as saying.“This is the first time that the Kerala Government is hosting the national championships in four venues with the support of AIFF. I am so happy to see that 32 teams participated with so many young talents. I have come here for the first time to watch the girls play and I really enjoyed the brand of football they showed,” he mentioned.

The Blue Tigers legend also mentioned about the growth of women’s football in India and said, “In our times, scoring was very easy for the teams but now the competition has become tougher which is needed for the growth of women’s football in India”.

When asked about the performance of the senior national women’s team in the recent exposure tours, he said, “The way India played against Brazil was impressive.

Indian batter Hanuma Vihari said the team got the chance to learn and improve during the three four-day games against South Africa A ahead of the Test series.The third and final four-day game between South Africa A and India A ended in a draw in Bloemfontein on Thursday. Vihari, who lead India A during the games, was also the star performer for the side. The right-handed batter also scored a gutsy fifty (63) in the first innings of the third match against South Africa.“Unforgettable experience with the India A boys both on and off the field. Lots to learn and important experience for us. Last couple of weeks with these boys will always remain special. Looking forward to the Tests,” Vihari tweeted.

On Thursday, South Africa A, who resumed the final day’s proceedings at 196/1, added 115 runs to their overnight score before declaring at 311/3.While Sarel Erwee, who was batting on 85 at the close of play on Day 3, missed out on his hundred after being dismissed by K Gowtham on 97, Zubayr Hamza – unbeaten on 78 on Day 3 – went on to score an unbeaten 125.

In response, India A were off to a brisk start, courtesy Prithvi Shaw, who scored a quickfire 38, before both the teams decided to settle for a draw, with India A scoring 90/3 in 17 overs.

India will now lock horns with South Africa for three Tests and three ODIs, beginning December 26.

India’s Test squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R Ashwin, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Mohd. Shami, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, Md. Siraj.

Joe Root and Dawid Malan kept the hopes alive for England as the two batters remained unbeaten by the end of Day 3 of the ongoing first Ashes Test here at the Gabba, Brisbane on Friday.

At the Stumps, England’s score read 220/2– trailing by 58 runs. Malan and Root have played unbeaten knocks of 80 and 86 runs respectively. Resuming the third session at 107/2 and trailing by 171 runs, the innings acted as a comeback show for the Three Lions as they kept the scoreboard moving. The duo of Malan and Root came to bat during the second session and remained unbeaten since. Earlier, Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed provided England with a stable innings but they faced a body blow straight away as Australia skipper Pat Cummins removed Burns (13) in the 9th over of the innings. Malan then joined Hameed in the middle and the duo put on 38 runs for the second wicket.

However, as soon as both batters started to look comfortable in the middle, Mitchell Starc got the better of Hameed (27) and England was reduced to 61/2 in the 21st over, still trailing by 217 runs.

In the morning, Australia managed to add 82 more runs to the total, extending the lead to 278. In the end, Australia was bundled out for 425 in the first innings. Travis Head was the last wicket to fall, but it was not before he managed to score 152. Mitchell Starc also chipped in with 35 runs while Nathan Lyon scored 15.

Brief Scores: England 147 and 220/2 (Dawid Malan 80*, Joe Root 86*; Pat Cummins 1-43); Australia 425.

Former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman has explained how batter Mayank Agarwal adjusted his stance to improve his game in the second Test against New Zealand.Mayank scored 150 and 62 in the first and second innings respectively of the second Test against New Zealand before India defeated the Kiwis on Monday. “I think the difference between Kanpur and Mumbai was, that there were slight technical adjustments he made, more so he trusted the game plan against Kyle Jamieson and Tim Southee,” Laxman said on Star Sports show Follow The Blues.“Because in Kanpur in both the innings he got out at balls that were pitching on and outside the off stump, whereas in Mumbai, especially in the first innings, he was ready to leave a lot of deliveries. He was keeping his front foot in the pitch of the ball and he was playing with a lot of discipline,” he added.

Laxman lavishes praise on Mayank for his batting against New Zealand star spinner Ajaz Patel. Ajaz had taken all 10 wickets in the first innings of the second Test against India.

“But when the spinners came in he was using his feet a lot and I think he played with a mindset, which is similar to what he used to play in first-class and international cricket,” said Laxman.

“He has given a lot of importance to self-belief and it was great to see him coming in and expressing himself, and that’s why he hit some outstanding shots, especially against Ajaz Patel. His shot over long off and over extra cover for sixes are probably the best shots of his innings,” he added.

India defeated New Zealand by 372 runs in the second Test of the two-match series here at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday. With this win, Team India is back to the number 1 spot in ICC Test rankings. The victory over New Zealand also means India sealed the two-match series 1-0, and now Kohli’s side will head to South Africa for three Tests and three ODIs, beginning December 26.

England skipper Joe Root on Friday broke the record of former captain Michael Vaughan after smashing most runs in the longest format of the game by an English batter in the calendar year.

Root achieve the feat on day three of the first Ashes Test against Australia on Friday. The England captain had registered a duck in the first innings but in the second essay hit a classy fifty to surpass Vaughan. Vaughan in 2002 had scored 1481 runs and Root came close to breaking his record when he hit 1477 in 2018. The England captain finally surpassed Vaughan as he scored a classy half-century on Friday in the first Test.

Coming to the game, Root and Dawid Malan kept staged England’s fightback as the two batters steadied the visitors’ ship by the end of Day 3 of the ongoing first Ashes Test here at the Gabba, Brisbane on Friday.

At the Stumps, England’s score read 220/2– trailing by 58 runs. Malan and Root have played unbeaten knocks of 80 and 86 runs respectively.

England all-rounder Ben Stokes suffered a knee injury during the first Ashes Test here at the Gabba, Brisbane on Thursday.

Stokes suffered the injury during the 29th over of the first Test when he was chasing a ball to the boundary. He will be assessed overnight by the medical staff team, as he was clearly seen struggling the entire day. “Obviously Ben has hurt himself on the field today so didn’t bowl full pace at the back end of the day. Think our medical guys will assess him overnight and see how he is. Other than that the guys are okay,” said England bowling coach Jon Lewis as reported by ESPNcricinfo.

Talking about the team’s preparations, Lewis said that the team will ‘dust’ themselves, and will be all set to perform on Day 3 of the Ashes.

“Our preparation probably played a part in the last session, but it is what it is, similar for both sides. I know the guys will front up again tomorrow, there’s a lot of character, I know they’ve been in some pretty sticky situations before and they’ve come through it all right. I know the guys will dust themselves down tonight,” said Jon Lewis.

Coming to the match, Travis Head and David Warner played knocks of 112 and 94 respectively as Australia extended its lead to 196 against England on Day 2 of the ongoing first Ashes Test here at the Gabba, Brisbane on Thursday.