Sport
India bow out of World Cup in style after hammering Namibia
India beat Namibia by nine wickets in the final match of the Super 12 stage at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 in Dubai on Monday, ending their tournament on a high.
Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin did much of the damage with the ball after Virat Kohli had won the toss in his final match as T20I captain, with the pair taking three wickets apiece to restrict Namibia to 132/8.
And half-centuries from Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul helped India reach their target with 28 balls to spare to give departing head coach Ravi Shastri a winning send-off.
Both teams knew there was no chance of reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup, with the tournament’s final four already confirmed as Pakistan, England, New Zealand and Australia.
But that didn’t prevent a high-quality game in Dubai, with India showing their quality against a Namibia side who have impressed.
But the all-around quality of Monday’s display suggested that India’s T20 squad, who will be led by Rahul Dravid in place of the departing coach Shastri, will be among the favourites for the next World Cup in Australia in a year’s time.
Sport
Ghazanfar replaces injured Mujeeb in IPL’s KKR squad
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have signed young Afghanistan spinner Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar as a replacement for the injured Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Mujeeb has been recovering from a right phalanx sprain in his hand, which he sustained in February 2024 during Afghanistan’s ODI series against Sri Lanka. However, he was also ruled out of the three-match T20I series between the two sides. Since then, the Afghanistan spinner hasn’t played cricket at any level.
Mujeeb was roped in by KKR for INR 2 crores (approx. $240,000) during the 2024 mini-auction. He also missed the opening game against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
The 16-year-old Ghazanfar has featured for Afghanistan in two ODIs. The youngster has played three T20s and six List A games and has 5 and 4 wickets respectively against his name He joins KKR for his base price of INR 20 lakhs (approx. $24,000).
Two-time champions KKR will play their first away game in the 2024 edition against RCB at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday, March 29.
Sport
FIFA World Cup Qualifier: Afghanistan beat India 2-1
In a thrilling match that doubled as a qualifier for both the FIFA World Cup and the 2027 Asian Nations Cup, Afghanistan’s national football team secured a 2-1 victory over India.
The contest saw India taking an early lead, ending the first half ahead 1-0.
However, Afghanistan’s resolve shone in the second half, with Rahmat Akbari leveling the score at 1-1 in the 69th minute.
The decisive moment came when Sharif Mohammad converted a penalty in the 88th minute, propelling Afghanistan to a late lead.
The two teams had previously ended the first leg of their matchup in a goalless draw.
Looking ahead, Afghanistan is scheduled to face Qatar and Kuwait in upcoming matches on June 6 and 11, respectively.
Sport
IPL: RCB register first win against Punjab Kings
Virat Kohli’s authoritative 77(49) helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru register their first win of the TATA IPL 2024 as they beat Punjab Kings by 4 wickets with four balls remaining at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Monday.
Kohli made PBKS pay with some delightful strokeplay to set the platform.
Dinesh Karthik (28 off 10) and Impact Player Mahipal Lomror (17 off 8) then provided the final flourish, stitching an unbeaten 48-run stand off 18 balls, to help RCB chase down 177 in the final over.
Earlier, a disciplined bowling display had helped the home side restrict PBKS to 176/6.
Earlier, Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Faf du Plessis won the toss and elected to field.
Tuesday, March 26, will see Chennai Super Kings take on Gujarat Titans.
In this highly anticipated rematch of last season’s final, defending champions Chennai lock horns with runners-up Gujarat in what promises to be a scintillating encounter at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
IPL fans in Afghanistan can tune in to Ariana Television at 6.30pm Tuesday, or stream live at www.arianatelevision.com, to watch this exciting match.
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