'He wants to come and perform for the team...': Shreyas Iyer on Jaspr…

Team India is set to take on Afghanistan in a three-match T20I series. The first match is scheduled to be played on September 13 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

Ahead of the match, Team India's skipper Shreyas Iyer said that lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah has come out of an injury, and he will need game time. djcc.club

"As a player who comes out of an injury, it's important that he gets game time. And you need that sort of confidence when you're coming into the game. He has played so much of cricket over the years; he's immensely experienced, but at the end of the day, if you would ask me as an individual who is coming out of an injury, I would want more game time and more confidence leading up to a certain tournament," he said during the pre-match press conference.

The skipper then said that the pacer is looking to deliver performances for the "Men in Blue" and win more tournaments.

"Definitely, I interacted with him yesterday, and he's in that mindset where he wants to come and perform for the team and see to it that we win championships," said Iyer.

Earlier, Bumrah sustained a knee injury during the ODI series against England, following which he also missed the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka.

On the other hand, opening batsman Ibrahim Zadran was officially named Afghanistan's T20I captain. This will be his first series as Afghanistan's full-time T20I skipper.

The second game will be played on September 15, followed by the third match on September 17. The Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi will host all three shortest-format matches between the "Men in Blue" and the Afghans.

IND vs AFG 1st T20I: Full squads

India: Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Tilak Varma (VC), Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy*, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar*, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah*, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana*.

Afghanistan: Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Azmatullah Omarzai, Ibrahim Zadran (C), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Darwish Rasooli, Nangeyalia Kharote, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Sediqullah Atal, Noor Ahmad, Noor ul Rahman (WK), Abdullah Ahmadzai.

(With ANI Inputs)

Boria Majumdar

Seven days left for the Asian Games and the Indian hockey teams, men and women, are in Japan getting ready for a hugely important assignment. They need to win gold to ensure direct qualification for LA28, and unless that happens, Olympic preparations will get impacted. While the women have momentum, the men are searching for it post a failed World Cup campaign.

To ensure the Games go to plan, the players need to be at their best, both physically and mentally. And that’s where the role of Hockey India officials come in. As administrators, they have a responsibility towards the players and the sport. The priority is to win gold and qualify. To do so, they need to ensure their egos don’t take precedence and things don’t go out of control.

Sadly for Indian hockey, that’s exactly what is happening at the moment. The President sends a suspension notice to the Director General asking him to step down. The notice is sent by an advocate who isn’t someone empanelled by Hockey India. And yet he is acting on behalf of the President. In response, the Secretary General sends a stinging response calling the notice illegal and saying the body will not even take cognisance of it. Both letters are in the public domain within minutes and the sport is in the throes of yet another controversy.

With elections approaching, it is natural things will get complicated. Barbs will be thrown at each other and a lot will happen. But then all of it should happen post the Asian Games. Nothing is more important and both Dilip Tirkey and Bholanath Singh should recognise that. Neither Tirkey nor Bholanath can derail the campaign, and by doing what they did last night, they run the risk of costing India two gold medals.

Will the players not get impacted by these shenanigans? Will they not check what’s going on and get drawn in? Does hockey need yet another controversy with just a week left? As President and Secretary, will Tirkey and Bholanath show some restraint and stop washing dirty linen in public?

I am not interested in the right or wrong here. I am not going to take sides either. I don’t know whether Tirkey is right. Nor do I care. As supporters of Indian hockey, all we should care for is how India fare at the Asian Games. Frankly, who heads Hockey India or who wins the election shouldn’t bother us. Tirkey and Bholanath aren’t relevant after a point. The sport is and for some reason that’s what is being sacrificed at the altar of egos.

The jersey controversy ahead of the World Cup was a national embarrassment. Just when it seemed the sport had moved past it, we have this new battle of egos brewing. From what we hear, executive board members have now jumped into it and Commander Srivastava has majority support. Where does that leave Tirkey? For a legend of Indian hockey, how is it looking? Is it helping the sport and India’s campaign? Clearly there is a need for restraint and that’s what is missing.

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The upcoming IND vs AFG T20I series will give better clarity to the fans on the Indian cricket team management’s pecking order with regard to the Sanju Samson vs Vaibhav Sooryavanshi conundrum.

The Indian team management, led by head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shreyas Iyer, find themselves in a difficult position of potentially benching either Samson or Sooryavanshi, the sort of match-winners other teams in the world would love to have on their side.

The India vs Afghanistan T20I series will get underway on Sunday in Delhi. On the eve of the 1st T20I, captain Iyer was quizzed on the Samson-Sooryavanshi puzzle. Iyer remained coy on who will play in the opening fixture of the series, hailing the talent that he has at his disposal.

Iyer reckoned it’s a “tight call” for him and Gambhir to make regarding the choice of openers, adding that “whoever gets the opportunity, it’s definitely for the team’s benefit.”

The Indian T20I skipper also assured that whichever opener is benched, he will be given confidence and clarity.

Logic dictates that you run back to Sanju Samson: Vivek Razdan

While it’s a tough call to make for the Iyer-Gambhir pair, for veteran commentator Vivek Razdan, Samson should be the definite choice over Sooryavanshi given the former’s memorable exploits at the T20 World Cup 2026.

Speaking on Sony Sports Network, Razdan said, “Out of the four prospects we have for the top order, only three can play. Now the difficulty here is that Sooryavanshi has become such a big name because of social media and his antics during the IPL, there is always talk about him. In my opinion, we need to show a little patience because we are talking about Sanju Samson here. You cannot touch Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan.”

Renowned for calling India’s Gabba 2021 Test victory, Razdan recalled Samson’s famous heroics of three consecutive half-centuries in the T20 World Cup this year, a feat that has etched his name in the hearts of the fans and established his legacy in the annals of Indian cricket.

The revered commentator also pointed out that India’s top 7 is filled with a spate of left-handers – Abhishek, Ishan, Axar, and Tilak along with one or both of Dube and Sundar – which became a problem for India during the T20 WC, prompting the management to bring in Samson, replacing Rinku Singh in the line-up.

“Samson is a player who won India a World Cup a few months back and was the player of the tournament as well. So this becomes a tricky problem. So logic dictates that you run back to Sanju Samson.

“If you look at India’s batting unit, you have Kishan, Axar Patel, Abhishek, and Tilak Varma, who are all left-handers. There’s only Iyer who is a right-hander in there. Also, Samson is not a small name that we are discussing here. So, in my opinion, India should look to start the series with Sanju Samson,” Razdan asserted.

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Arsenal expanded their lead in the Premier League by securing a 2-0 victory against Sunderland, thanks to critical goals from Bruno Guimaraes and a penalty from Bukayo Saka. In contrast, Liverpool missed an opportunity to gain ground, settling for a goalless draw with Fulham. Chelsea also struggled, drawing 2-2 with Hull City, while Tottenham and Aston Villa both dropped points, complicating the title race further.

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur has urged her team to keep things simple and trust their strengths when they face Sri Lanka in the Women’s Asia Cup final on Sunday, with the defending champions seeking to avenge their defeat in the previous edition.

India and Sri Lanka have emerged as the two standout sides in the tournament, setting up another high-stakes contest in Dubai. Harmanpreet, however, does not see the final as a battle between a stronger and weaker team.

Harmanpreet Kaur Wants India To Stay Simple

Harmanpreet believes the key to winning a tournament final is sticking to what the team does best rather than attempting anything extraordinary.

“Whenever you are playing a match which is so important to win the tournament, that day it is all about just playing on your strength and backing your strength,” she said at the pre-final press conference.

“Rather than trying too many things and thinking of doing something extraordinary, it is all about sticking to your strength, backing yourself and trusting your gut feeling.”

Sri Lanka defeated India in the 2024 final after chasing down India’s 165-run total with eight wickets in hand. Harmanpreet said India are not dwelling on that result but are aware of the challenge posed by the Sri Lankan side.

“Last time when we played against Sri Lanka, they came up with some really solid plans and solid performances. T20 is all about on a given day who is going to play the best cricket, they are going to win,” she said.

“There is no doubt about any team being stronger or any team being lesser than anyone. It is all about playing good cricket on an important day.”

India Batters Need Time In Dubai

Harmanpreet has been encouraged by the way different players have stepped up at various stages of the Women’s Asia Cup.

“Everyone in the team is very important and their contribution means a lot to us. It is good to see that whoever is getting the opportunity, they are coming up with some really solid performances,” she said.

India’s batting unit has produced runs in difficult situations, while the bowlers have consistently delivered strong performances.

The captain acknowledged that batting on the Dubai surface has not been easy and said India’s batters will need to spend time at the crease before looking to attack.

“This pitch is a little tough to bat on, but at the same time we just need to back ourselves, back our strength. We know we have such a good batting lineup,” she said.

“Whoever is doing well on that day should take the responsibility and finish the game for the team.”

Harmanpreet Kaur Praises Sri Lanka Bowling

Harmanpreet also praised Sri Lanka’s bowling attack for its ability to execute plans effectively on the Dubai surface.

She stressed the importance of patience for India’s batters, particularly in the early stages of their innings.

“You have to really spend some time and then you can go for your shot. Whoever is settled, that person needs to take the responsibility and play till the end,” she said.

India will also have to contend with Sri Lankan opener Chamari Athapaththu, one of the most dangerous batters in women’s cricket.

“We definitely want to take her wicket as soon as possible because we know how dangerous she is when she is batting. We want to come up with some solid plans against her, not only against her, but all the batters,” Harmanpreet said.

India Captain Plays Down Toss Pressure

The Indian captain refused to attach too much importance to the toss, saying it remains outside a captain’s control.

“I don’t put any pressure on myself because toss is something which I feel is not in my control. We have been playing here for almost two weeks. We know the conditions, the pitch, and I think it is all about trusting your plans, trusting your gut feeling and backing them,” she said.

Harmanpreet also emphasised the need for composure, warning that trying too hard to produce something special could lead to unnecessary mistakes.

“We have seen whenever we are trying to do something special or something extraordinary, we have always made so many mistakes,” she said.

“Tomorrow’s match is all about trusting yourself and trying to make fewer mistakes on the field. The team which makes fewer mistakes in an important game has more chances to win.”

Indian Fans Could Lift Team

Harmanpreet is also hoping for strong support from Indian fans in the Women’s Asia Cup final.

“They have been our biggest strength whenever we are playing. They come and cheer for us. They play a big part in our lives,” she said.

“When the stadium is packed, you feel more positive and you want to do more for your team. They mean a lot to us and hopefully they will come and cheer for the teams tomorrow.”

India will therefore enter the final with a clear message from their captain: trust their plans, play to their strengths and minimise mistakes as they seek to reclaim the Women’s Asia Cup title from Sri Lanka.