Monday, August 31, 2020

NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder force Game 7 vs. Houston Rockets; Miami Heat beat Milwaukee Bucks in opener

Lake Buena Vista, Florida: Chris Paul gave the Oklahoma City Thunder at least one more game in the bubble, scoring 15 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter for a 104-100 victory over the Houston Rockets on Monday night in Game 6 of a Western Conference first-round series.

Paul made two free throws with 13.1 seconds left and the game tied at 100, and Danilo Gallinari added two more after a turnover by Russell Westbrook to finish it off.

Game 7 will be Wednesday night, with the winner advancing to face the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers.

Oklahoma City Thunder's Chris Paul (3) goes up for a shot between Houston Rockets' James Harden (13) and Robert Covington (33) during the second half of an NBA first-round playoff basketball game, Monday, Aug. 31, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

It gives the West two Game 7s, with Denver and Utah set to play theirs on Tuesday.

Gallinari added 25 points.

James Harden had 32 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Rockets, while Robert Covington had 18 points and Westbrook scored 17 in his second game back from a right quadriceps strain.

HEAT 115, BUCKS 104

Jimmy Butler scored a playoff career-high 40 points, Goran Dragic added 27 and Miami clamped down defensively in the final three quarters to beat Milwaukee in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Bam Adebayo had 12 points, 17 rebounds and six assists for the fifth-seeded Heat, who are 3-1 overall against the top-seeded Bucks this season. Tyler Herro added 11 points for Miami, which improved to 5-0 in the postseason.

Khris Middleton scored 28 points for Milwaukee, which also dropped Game 1 of its first-round series against Orlando. Brook Lopez had 24 points on 8 for 10 shooting, and Giannis Antetokounmpo had 18 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for the Bucks.

But Antetokounmpo's night will likely be best remembered by what he did at the foul line: The reigning MVP went 4 for 12 from the stripe, the worst performance by anyone with at least 12 free-throw attempts in a playoff game since Andre Roberson went 2 for 12 for Oklahoma City on April 23, 2017 against Houston.

Kyle Korver added 11 for the Bucks, who scored 40 points in the first quarter and managed 64 the rest of the way.



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IPL 2020: 'Not here to have fun', RCB captain Virat Kohli says bio-bubble needs to be respected at all times

India and Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli understands "the privilege" of being able to play cricket in the middle of a raging pandemic and he wants all IPL participants to respect the tournament's bio-secure bubble.

Speaking on RCB's Youtube show 'Bold Diaries', the 31-year-old swashbuckler said he didn't exactly miss the game during the COVID-forced lockdown, which brought sporting action to a halt.

Virat Kohli during a training session for RCB. Image: Twitter/ @imVKohli

"Maybe because I was going on day and night for the last 10 years...It was a revelation for me in the sense that my focus was not solely on missing the game all the time," Kohli said.

Now that he is gearing up to be back in action with the IPL, starting 19 September in the UAE, Kohli said the BCCI's Standard Operating Procedure and the bio-bubble restrictions should be non-negotiable for all participants.

"We are all here to play cricket...The bio-bubble needs to be respected at all times for the tournament to happen eventually. We are not here to have fun and roam around and you know say that 'I want to hang out in Dubai'," Kohli asserted.

"That is not the time we are living in. Accept the phase that we are going through and understand the privilege that we have, just to be a part of the IPL. Everyone should accept that and not behave in a manner which situation doesn't require them to," he said.

Speaking about coming back to the game after five months, Kohli said it didn't take much time for him to find his groove.

"A couple of months back you couldn't imagine that you will have IPL firstly...When we had our practice session yesterday, I realised how long it has been. When I was heading to the practice session, I felt nervous," he conceded.

"I felt a bit jittery but things were okay. I didn't miss the game as much as I thought I might...just carrying on with life was also important," he said.

Kohli credited the side's support staff, led by Team Director Mike Hesson, for making everyone understand what's at stake and at the same time, not put them under pressure.

"Culture will not change for any individual preferences," he said.

On the tournament being played without in-stadia fans because of the bio-bubble restrictions, Kohli said it would be strange at first but eventually players will adapt to the feeling.

"I would not say it won't be difficult, strange. The echo of bat hitting the ball, I haven't experienced it for the last 10 years. The Ranji Trophy was the last time. But we have done this at some stage of our lives," he said referring to the domestic games which are played in near-empty venues.

"The crowd factor will definitely play a part but the instincts will kick in and it will diminish quite quickly."

Also, the instinctive celebrations on the field will also be restricted due to health-safety protocols. Kohli reiterated that everyone has no choice but to adapt.

"It has to be a balance. You cannot go berserk. We can't be like kids being sent to a park," he quipped.

The star cricketer, who will welcome his first child in January with actor wife Anushka Sharma, said he has been over the moon ever since he got to know about it.

"It is an incredible feeling. It puts things in perspective for you. It is difficult to describe how you feel," he said.
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US Open 2020: Coco Gauff ousted in first round; Karolina Pliskova, Naomi Osaka progress

New York: Top seed Karolina Pliskova shrugged off the eerily quiet atmosphere to reach the second round of the US Open as the women's draw followed the form book on Monday.

World number three Pliskova, elevated to top seed in the absence of world number one Ashleigh Barty and second-ranked Simona Halep, needed just over an hour to dispose of Ukraine's Anghelina Kalinina.

The Czech ace overcame an early wobble, when Kalinina fought back from 1-4 down to level at 4-4 in the first set, to clinch a 6-4, 6-0 victory in 1hr 3min.

The 28-year-old, a finalist at Flushing Meadows in 2016, will now face France's Caroline Garcia in the second round.

Pliskova, who made a disappointing early exit at last week's ATP/WTA Western & Southern Open tune-up event in New York, said she was adjusting to playing before empty stands at the Open, where spectators are barred because of Covid-19 protocols.

"I felt better than in my previous match, last week," Pliskova said after her tie on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court.

"I think the center court is better place to play no matter -- I mean, it's still without people, but I just felt somehow a little better.

"And I had a lot of practices on this court, so I felt just quite used to it."

Pliskova's sixth-seeded compatriot Petra Kvitova also advanced safely, downing Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu 6-3, 6-2.

The 30-year-old two-time Wimbledon champion, who has never gone beyond the quarter-finals in New York, said she was adjusting to the empty stands, as well as tournament regulations which prevent players from sightseeing in the city.

"It's been different, for sure," Kvitova said. "I'm glad that I had a couple of matches before to kind of get used to these new things.

"I really had to get used to being in the bubble. It's something totally different, which I was normally doing -- going out for a coffee, sitting in Central Park.

"Suddenly this is not the option."

Elsewhere on Monday, Germany's 17th seed Angelique Kerber, the 2016 US Open champion, booked her second-round berth with a 6-4, 6-4 defeat of Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic.

The 32-year-old admitted the fan-free atmosphere had required a mental adjustment.

"It's a little bit weird to play without fans and without the support and the atmosphere on the center courts," Kerber said.

"It's a little bit like the feeling when you play practice matches against the players. But of course you know it's like a serious game.

Karolina Pliskova, of the Czech Republic, returns a shot to Anhelina Kalinina, of the Ukraine, during the first round of the US Open tennis championships, Monday, Aug. 31, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

"It is more, for me today, it was more also mentally to prepare for the match that I know we play without fans and all the situation. It was not so easy at the beginning, but then, yeah, you get used to it a little bit."

Coco Gauff exits

Coco Gauff's hopes of launching another deep run at a Grand Slam ended in the first round at the US Open on Monday, with the US teenager succumbing in three sets to Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova.

Gauff, who created a sensation at Wimbledon last year when she became the youngest player in the tournament's history to qualify for the main draw before reaching the fourth round, was beaten 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.

The 16-year-old former junior world number one from Delray Beach had battled back to level the match against the 31st-seeded Sevastova after dropping the first set.

But after squaring the match by taking the final three games of the second set to win it 7-5, Gauff was soon scrambling to save the match in the third set.

Although Gauff saved three match points, Sevastova eventually closed out the win, converting her fourth match point.

It was a disappointing exit for Gauff, who backed up her fairytale Wimbledon campaign last year by reaching the third round at the US Open before another decent showing at the Australian Open in January, where she exited in the fourth round.

Gauff, a fan favourite at previous Grand Slam appearances, said afterwards she did not think the absence of spectators in New York had hampered her performance.

"I think I compete just as hard with fans or not," she said. "I could have played better today. Just going to get back to work and get ready for the French Open."

However the teenager acknowledged that limited playing opportunities in 2020 due to a tennis calendar upended by COVID-19, had impacted her development.

"The main part that hurt was just getting matches under my belt, getting experience," Gauff said when asked to assess the impact of the coronavirus disruption.

"That's what I need on tour. I'm playing against people older than me who have been in more situations, difficult situations, than I have. I think the biggest thing is I just need experience.

"Right now my plan is just to play as many tournaments as I can, to get matches under my belt. I'm still in doubles here, so I'll be here hopefully till the end. That's the goal."

Gauff's long-term ambitions also include winning qualification to play at next year's Tokyo Olympics.

"Definitely a goal of mine to qualify," Gauff said. "Right now I'm just focused on the match ahead, just focusing on the moment now. But obviously that's a goal, to qualify for the Olympics next year."

Osaka wears mask in memory of Breonna Taylor in win

Naomi Osaka, of Japan, wears a mask in honor of Breonna Taylor as she celebrates after defeating Misaki Doi, of Japan, during the first round of the US Open tennis championships, Monday, Aug. 31, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Before and after her first-round victory at the US Open, Naomi Osaka wore a mask bearing the name of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman who was fatally shot by police.

It's just one of seven face coverings, each in honour of a different person, that Osaka brought to Flushing Meadows — the same number of wins it takes to claim a Grand Slam trophy. The world's highest-earning female athlete hopes she can get the chance to raise awareness about racial injustice by using each mask during her stay in New York.

"It's quite sad that seven masks isn't enough for the amount of names, so hopefully I'll get to the finals so you can see all of them," said Osaka, the champion at the 2018 US Open and 2019 Australian Open.

"I'm aware that tennis is watched all over the world, and maybe there is someone that doesn't know Breonna Taylor's story. Maybe they'll, like, Google it or something," Osaka said. "For me, (it's about) just spreading awareness. I feel like the more people know the story, then the more interesting or interested they'll become in it."

On the court, she overcame some uneven play late Monday night to beat 81st-ranked Misaki Doi 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 in an all-Japanese matchup in an empty Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The No. 4-seeded Osaka's movement was an issue at times; she is coming off a left hamstring injury that forced her to withdraw from the final of the Western & Southern Open on Saturday.

"Physically I feel like I could be better. But I can't complain because I won the match," Osaka said. "During the match, it slowly got a little bit worse. Yeah, I just feel like there's some recovery time that I'm lacking that I wish I could get back. For the most part, I'm managing."

It was during the Western & Southern Open last week that Osaka took a public stand by saying she would refuse to play her semifinal, joining athletes in various other sports who walked out to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by a police officer in Wisconsin.

Osaka's move prompted tournament organisers to halt action entirely for a day. When play resumed, Osaka agreed to compete, after all, because the day off for the Western & Southern Open brought additional attention to the issue.

Osaka walked out on court for her match Monday night with a black mask and white lettering with the name of Taylor, a 26-year-old who was fatally shot when police officers burst into her Louisville, Kentucky, apartment using a no-knock warrant during a narcotics investigation in March.

Osaka put the mask back on for her post-match interview.

"A lot of people ask me if I feel more stressed out ever since I started speaking out more. To be honest, not really," Osaka said. "At this point, like, if you don't like me, it is what it is. You know what I mean?"

Against Doi, Osaka wound up with 38 unforced errors, 13 more than her winners total. But after a forehand into the net gave the second set to Doi, Osaka quickly went ahead in the third by breaking in the opening game.

Doi never has been past the fourth round at any Grand Slam tournament. She is now 1-8 for her career at the U.S. Open and 0-18 against opponents ranked in the top 10.

Osaka is now 34-1 in Grand Slam matches when taking the first set; the only loss came against Simona Halep at the 2016 French Open.

Next up for her is a match against Camila Giorgi of Italy.

"She's very unpredictable for me," Osaka said, "so I guess I just have to be on my toes."

(With inputs from AP)



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ICC match referee Javagal Srinath backs bowlers in run-out debate, says non-striker 'should stick to the crease'

If a batsman at the non-striker's end is leaving the crease before the bowler has released the ball, he is not following the spirit of the game and should not seek empathy if he is run out, reckons ICC match referee and former India pacer Javagal Srinath.

India off-spinner R Ashwin courted controversy when he ran out Jos Buttler during last year's IPL as the England batsman backed up too far. The act triggered the age-old debate on the bowler's conduct in such dismissals.
Srinath does not feel that the bowler is wrong if he runs out a batsman in this fashion.

"The bowler is focusing on the batsman. For the batsman (at the non-striker's end) to stick to his crease till the ball is released is no big deal, because he's not batting, nor is he thinking of anything else." Srinath told Ashwin on his Youtube show 'DRS With Ash'.

File photo of Javagal Srinath. AFP

File photo of Javagal Srinath. AFP

Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting feels that the bowler violates the spirit of the game by this dismissa and he would not allow Ashwin to do it. Ashwin, who captained Kings XI Punjab last year, will play for Delhi Capitals in this year's IPL, scheduled to be held in UAE from 19 September.

"So the batsman shouldn't leave the crease and the bowler should focus on just bowling and the batsman he's going to bowl to. If the batsman is taking undue advantage, and if he's involved in a run out, I am fine. I am perfectly okay with that," Srinath said.

India's former pace mainstay said the rules state that the onus is on the batsman to stay inside the crease till the ball has been released.

"Don't look for any empathy. Don't invoke the spirit of the game. The spirit of the game is with the runner. He cannot move out of the crease. If he is doing it, he's not invoking the spirit of the game itself. I would believe that the batsman should stick to the crease."

The former bowler said if the runner is leaving the crease he is taking undue advantage and it can have an impact on the outcome of a close game in an unfair manner.

"Even if the batsman has inadvertently left the crease, and it happens to be the last ball of the match where there's a run-out (chance) with the batsman in by an inch, but he has already taken three foot forward before the ball has been delivered, the result is unfair.

"One of the teams will probably pay for it. I would like to see a balance here."

Srinath said he would want the batsman to stay, be more careful. Look into the arm of the bowler and let himself go only after the ball is released.

"It cannot be that he's gaining four to five feet advantage every ball. In T20, every ball matters. How many games go to the last ball?" he asked.

Ashwin has backed his decision and also found support from Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal.



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Internet sensations: How India’s Chess Olympiad gold was won, and almost lost, due to the power of internet

Frantic calls were made to the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board to hold up maintenance work in a corner of Chennai near Viswanathan Anand’s house.

In Andhra Pradesh’s Vijayawada, an assistant engineer and a linesman were stationed outside Koneru Humpy’s residence until her online matches would finish.

Fans helped Vidit Gujrathi set up two more internet connections as a failsafe mechanism to ensure the Indian captain’s connection remained stable after he lost due to the internet snag in a group game against Mongolia.

Another fan shared how multiple internet connections could be used to make a solid Virtual Private Network (VPN) that would hold through the duration of a match, vital information that was relayed to vice-captain Srinath Narayanan, via Vidit and subsequently to the entire team.

IAS officers helped GrandMasters reach out to officials across several states to ensure stable connections for players scattered across the country.

These measures may seem extraordinary, but being fussy has led to India winning their maiden Chess Olympiad gold (which they will share with Russia).

Cricketers fret about pitches. Footballers worry about the raucous fans of opposing teams. Shuttlers factor in the drift before tournaments. Tennis stars who do well on clay may have woeful records on grass or hard courts.

But for a chess player, the sport has forever been a duel of wits with the person across the board, with little else being a factor.

The original Master: Viswanathan Anand has been the flag bearer of Indian chess for over three decades and is still going strong

The King: Viswanathan Anand has been the flag bearer of Indian chess for over three decades and is still going strong. AFP

With the coronavirus pandemic forcing chess players to compete from their home, they have had to cede a bit of control to their internet connections.

The internet that allowed the sport to carry on in these unprecedented times, injected a new life into the sport during the lockdown, and even ushered in a promising Indian fan base almost proved to be the Indian team’s undoing on Sunday.

“I can't remember whether it was the quarters or the semis... but there was a power cut in this part of Chennai for maintenance work,” Anand told the press on Monday. “They would cut power from nine in the morning to five in the evening. I was using two connections, one through internet cable and the other one mobile (wireless).

“The catch is when the power is restored, the problem arises because they switch off the generator. During that brief moment of switching, I could lose the internet and would lose 10-15 seconds in reconnecting. The power was supposed to come back halfway through the first game and I was planning for that.” explained the five-time world champion, who in a career spanning three decades, has seen it all.

But the pandemic-enforced lockdown has nudged everyone out of their comfort zones. Anand was concerned about losing his internet during a game. But a phone call from Srinath, laid his concerns to rest.

“Srinath had spoken to TNEB and they had agreed to restore power to our building three hours early and they promised not to cut it till the final.”

Now able to see the lighter side of the situation, Anand said members of his apartment building in Chennai had become fans of Srinath.

“Srinath, you have a lot of fans in my apartment building because we got our power back three hours early,” Anand revealed in an online press conference where all 13 members of the team had assembled in tiny rectangles over a Zoom call to discuss the past few days spent over 64 squares.

It wasn’t just officials in Tamil Nadu that got calls for help. Breaking into a laugh, Koneru Humpy revealed, “Srinath did the same thing in Andhra. An assistant engineer and a linesman were sitting downstairs till my game had ended and that was the story of every day till the final. Srinath made all the arrangements to ensure India wins the gold.”

In the first-ever online Chess Olympiad, the internet both helped and hampered India’s march to the final.

In Round 6 of Pool A against Mongolia, India captain Vidit, and Humpy’s internet disconnection saw India drop two crucial points which resulted in a 3-3 tie. It was a match that the Indians started as favourites, and the tied result could have potentially affected their chances. Whereas in the quarter-finals against Armenia, where India won the first round 3.5-2.5, the Armenians appealed that a move from Haik Martirosyan on board number five against Nihal Sarin wasn't registered by the system. Despite Armenia claiming there were no issues with their internet, the appeals review committee rejected their plea following which Armenia defaulted the second round.

India’s board number four, Harika Dronavalli said, “The game against Mongolia cautioned us. In fact, in a way, it (internet failure) happened for our own good. We had a break of four days (before the quarter-finals) wherein all of us started taking extra precautions.”

“Srinath got some ideas to get a Speedify app (An app that allows users to use multiple internet connections all at once) and get other connections together and it worked out perfectly fine. I think the initial hiccup followed by the break gave us the opportunity to build the infrastructure correctly for the knockout stages.”

Not one to hog all the credit himself, Srinath was quick to clarify that he wasn’t the only one troubleshooting. In fact, it was the larger community of fans, officials, and many such individuals who helped India achieve the top honour.

“The Speedify idea was suggested by a fan to Vidit,” Srinath revealed. “In most of these cases, I helped only with the execution part. Similarly we had a lot of people from the bureaucracy helping us. Whenever we approached any IAS officer, he would help us contact the relevant authorities, for example, the power secretary of Andhra Pradesh or any state, we could reach Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu etc, we were able to ensure electricity was available across the country. The only place we didn’t have control over was in Prague but there were no electricity issues in Prague. So a lot of people were united in this quest to make India win the gold and many helped us behind the scenes, this was just one such instance.”

Electricity might not have been a problem in Prague, but P Harikrishna, who is based in the Czech Republic capital, had a different challenge. He had to shuttle from his new house to the old one as internet connection was yet to be set up in his new home.

Vidit, too, shared how the number of internet connections increased in his house and how his supporters helped him with the technicalities of setting up an internet connection.

“Before the start of the tournament, I had only one internet connection. By the time the Olympiad ended, I had three connections. A lot of fans helped me set up the internet connection right before the tournament,” India’s first Olympiad-winning captain said.

Vidit Gujrathi. Image Credit: David Llada/Firstpost

Vidit Gujrathi likens India's Olympiad gold to 1983 World Cup win in Cricket. Image Credit: David Llada

Online euphoria

Anand’s ‘We are the champions!!’ tweet was retweeted over 17,000 times in the first 24 hours. Vidit partied with his 83k subscribers on YouTube. Harikrishna managed to engage in some over the board chess on the same evening after winning the gold medal.

Harika uploaded a photograph of herself with a serene backdrop enjoying a well-deserved break after 10 days of manic chess.

Vantika Agarwal joined Twitter overnight and had more than 1000 followers. A man boy of few words, sometimes none, Nihal Sarin, managed to tweet twice (albeit one of the two tweets just read ‘Happy’, while the other was, ‘That was a fun ride!’), R Praggnanandhaa even had his leg pulled by GrandMaster Surya Sekhar Ganguly on social media threatening to leak some of his (presumably embarrassing) photos online.

There are doubts that Divya Deshmukh, who expressed her wish to simply sleep through the next week after winning the Olympiad final, has had any shut-eye at all, as she revels in the memories (or as she puts it ‘lessons’) of a lifetime.

Chithambaram Aravindh, Bhakti Kulkarni, R Vaishali, and Humpy might not have taken to Twitter, but were all present on the Zoom call for the press address arranged on Monday, which incidentally, as the players revealed, was the first time all of the team members were on a call together.

Wading through all these odds and more, when FIDE eventually announced India as joint winners of the first-ever online Olympiad alongside Russia, the Prime Minister, President, various cabinet ministers, sporting icons, commentators and even business tycoons joined in with the scores of fans over social media in celebrating India’s first-ever gold medal in the competition.

‘Best social event’

As most, if not all, aspects of life, have been brought to a grinding halt due to the spread of COVID-19, chess remains an anomaly. Chess thrived and even saw a surge in its popularity, especially in India.

"It is an amazing feeling to win a gold for India. These are the moments that we will always remember," Vidit reflected on Monday. The Indian skipper went on to liken the Olympiad victory to India's first World Cup win in cricket.

Having added another honour in his trophy-laden cabinet, Anand called the Olympiad gold a “special win and a magical moment”

“This is a very special gold for me to add to my cabinet and I hope especially for the youngsters that whatever they go on to achieve in their careers they look back at this moment as a very special one. It is the first time we have won gold and that's simply a magical moment.

“I really like the sensation and the ambiance of winning it as a part of the team. Somehow, getting together with a lot of chess players and feeling that we are fighting for a common cause is very inspiring, especially during the time of a pandemic this was the best social event that I had for quite some time,” said India’s board number one.

Of Armageddons and dreams

Anand also shed light on how as soon as the format of the Olympiad was announced he was confident of India’s chances as the Indian juniors and the women’s field was as strong as any country participating in the event.

“I was very happy when the format for this Olympiad was announced because I really liked the idea of having everyone together, right from juniors being a part of one team. We could show all the strength that India has and I thought (before the event started) this might be a good Olympiad for us. Of course, it went like a dream.”

However, during the dream run, one of the most tense situations arrived during the semi-finals of the tournament when India lost the first round 4-2 and delivered on-demand to take the second round 4.5-1.5, forcing the match into a tie-break, where the officials chose the Women’s category to decide the eventual result of the match via an Armageddon.

Humpy stepped up. She played with the black pieces and a one-minute handicap. Needing only a draw to seal India’s place in the final, she did something even better - she won.

“I was very well prepared to play the Armageddon match. Both Srinath and Vidit had mentally prepared me to go for it. Before the knockout format started, the team was strategising regarding which player would be suited for Armageddon in each category,” the World Rapid champion said.

Humpy, with the black pieces, defeated Poland's Monika Socko in the tie-breaker. Getty/File image

Nerves of steel: The star of the Armageddon, Koneru Humpy, delivered under pressure by defeating Poland's Monika Socko in the semi-final of the Chess Olympiad. Getty/File image

“When Vidit and Srinath asked me if I was willing to play the tie-break, I was very confident of playing that (Armageddon), because I had won my World Rapid title (in 2019) playing the same format. I also had some good memories of winning the Armageddon, back in 2008 in the Asian Indoor Games.

“But after the loss in the first set, it was a difficult situation in the second round. Winning in that round was mentally more difficult for me than playing in the tie break. But, that is where all of us, Anand, Vidit, Harika, and myself, registered victories and it was clear that we were dominating Poland. Once the Armageddon started, nothing ran into my mind apart from the game. I was playing with the black, so I was very keen not to lose the game.”

Winning the tight Armageddon in the semi-finals of an Olympiad with the hopes of the entire team hinging on your shoulders can be a daunting task in more than one way. However, for the 33-year-old Humpy, coming to terms with playing online was a challenge in itself. To do it after taking a two-year hiatus from the sport between 2016 and 2018 and climbing back to the top is certainly a fairytale, one that has had its climax scripted at the height of a pandemic.

“I had no dreams of playing online chess because I feared playing online,” she revealed. “I never believed in myself that I am good enough in these technical things and I am more comfortable playing over the board. But this pandemic has forced us to play online chess. When I played women's speed chess I was very hesitant while accepting the invitation but once I took part, I gradually got used to it. Towards the end of the event, I was comfortable playing online. That event helped me a lot during the Online Chess Olympiad. It is a completely different experience for me but I am getting used to it.”

‘Getting used to...’ has been a common central theme across the globe for quite some time now.

Indian chess’ original superstar, Anand, hopes the Olympiad gold is the start of many things for India.

While the young players might not be erudite with their words just yet, it was their play that was at the forefront of India’s win.

The supporters’ involvement has added the missing jigsaw to the sport as the 25-year-old leader from Nashik considers the Olympiad victory as a potential watershed moment for chess, comparing it to the moment that arguably changed the landscape cricket in India and making it the most popular sport in the country.

"Winning the 1983 World Cup changed how cricket was looked at and I feel this (winning the Olympiad gold) could be one of those moments that could change the sport forever," Vidit said.



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IPL 2020: RCB name leg-spinner Adam Zampa as replacement for Kane Richardson

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) has named Australian leg-spinner Adam Zampa as a replacement for his compatriot Kane Richardson, who pulled out of the IPL starting 19 September in the UAE.

Richardson opted out of the tournament to be with his wife for the birth of his first child.

"We're thrilled to welcome Adam Zampa in RCB colours. He replaces Kane Richardson. Let's #PlayBold Adam Zampa." RCB tweeted on Monday night.

"The RCB family is excited for Kane and his wife who are expecting the birth of their first child and respect his decision to pull out of the tournament," it added.

Zampa joins the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Moeen Ali and Pawan Negi, strengthening the team's spin attack.

"We are disappointed to not have Kane's skills with us this IPL, as he was certainly on top of his game," RCB team director Mike Hesson said.

"However, once we found out Kane and Nyki's baby was due during the IPL, it's an exciting time, and we were fully supportive of Kane wanting to be at the birth of their first child.

Hesson felt Zampa also gives the side "extra options if conditions suit spin as expected during the tournament."

This will be Zampa's second stint in the IPL as he earlier played for the Rising Pune Supergiant.

The 28-year-old went unsold at the auction last year while Richardson was bought for Rs 4 crore by RCB.

Both Richardson and Zampa are currently in the England as part of Australia's squad for the white-ball tour.

The two teams are slated to play three T20Is and as many ODIs between 4-16 September.

The 13th edition of IPL was shifted out of India due to the COVID-19 pandemic.



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US Open 2020: Talk of 'fake bubble,' 'bubble in bubble' on Day 1 as Novak Djokovic, Naomi Osaka post wins

New York: For all of the obvious concessions to the coronavirus at the no-fans-allowed US Open — near-empty arenas; silence pierced by the occasional clap, sneaker squeak or roaring jet; a lack of line judges — the aftereffects of one player's positive test caused the biggest stir on Day 1.

Yes, plenty of matches were played amid a pandemic at the first Grand Slam tournament in nearly seven full months.

And, yes, first-round matches were lost — by 16-year-old Coco Gauff among the women, and No. 9 seed Diego Schwartzman among the men. And won — by No. 1 seed Karolina Pliskova, 2018 champion Naomi Osaka and 2016 champion Angelique Kerber among the women, and No. 1 Novak Djokovic, No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas and No. 5 Alexander Zverev among the men.

But Monday was significant for introducing terms to the tennis lexicon such as "bubble in the bubble" and "fake bubble." That's because seven players were allowed to stay in the tournament while placed under additional restrictions on their movement and subjected to daily COVID-19 testing after coming in contact with Benoit Paire, the Frenchman dropped from the US Open after testing positive for the coronavirus, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press.

The players were not identified to the AP by the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the US Tennis Association did not announce the names of anyone involved.

Kristina Mladenovic, of France, serves to Haley Baptiste, of the United States, during the first round of the US Open tennis championships, Monday, Aug. 31, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Kristina Mladenovic is one of the players to have come in contact with Benoit Paire who tested COVID-19 positive ahead of US Open. AP

But three players from France acknowledged their involvement: Kristina Mladenovic, who is seeded 30th in women's singles; Adrian Mannarino, seeded 32nd in men's singles; and Edouard Roger-Vasselin, who is entered in men's doubles.

Mladenovic and Mannarino spoke about the situation after wins Monday, saying they were part of a group that played cards with Paire. Both said it was tough to focus on court.

"I'm kind of exhausted mentally, but I'm still really happy to be able to play," said Mannarino, who will face Jack Sock of the United States in the second round. "I need to enjoy it as much as I can."

Mladenovic said she practiced with Paire for about an hour and spent 30-40 minutes at a card game in the lobby of a hotel being used by the USTA for what it has called a "controlled environment" — staying away from the word "bubble" used by sports such as the NBA that more closely limit access to athletes.

"I am basically in a new 'bubble in the bubble,' so there's not very much I'm allowed to do, which makes it tough for me to compete and mentally be kind of fresh and ready," said Mladenovic, who doubled over and let out a loud yell after beating Hailey Baptiste of the United States 7-5, 6-2.

Baptiste said she was unaware that her opponent was one of the players who had been in contact with Paire. According to Baptiste, she rode in an elevator with Paire.

Mannarino said he's been forced to take the stairs to his seventh-floor hotel room to avoid contact with other players.

Asked to describe what she can and cannot do, Mladenovic chuckled.

"Let's make it simple: I'm allowed to play my match," she said. "Literally, not allowed to do anything else."

Tournament director Stacey Allaster said the players potentially exposed to the virus because of contact with Paire now must be tested daily for COVID-19, instead of every four days.

Mladenovic said she was told she can spend time with her brother but "no one else," and has been banned from working out at the gym and "any other facilities that have been put in place for the players."

"It's pretty tough for me to accept that ... because it's not like I'm part of (Paire's) entourage," Mladenovic said.

Said Mannarino: "We're not in a bubble. We're in a 'safe environment,' which is different. It's really hard for everybody to feel really safe."

Paire, who used the term "fake bubble" in an Instagram post, is one of two people to have tested positive so far — and the only player. The other was a fitness trainer; two players he was in contact with — Argentina's Guido Pella and Bolivia's Hugo Dellien — were kicked out of the Western & Southern Open, the tournament that preceded the US Open at the same site.

As for the difference between those two players who potentially were exposed being dropped from the field and this more recent group remaining eligible to play, Allaster said: "Each case is determined by the facts and circumstances. We will not discuss how the two are specifically different because this is protected health information."

She and other officials still have 13 more days to go as they try to navigate the challenges of staging a major international sports event amid the pandemic.

Karolina Pliskova, of the Czech Republic, right, returns a shot to Anhelina Kalinina, of the Ukraine, during the first round of the US Open tennis championships, Monday, Aug. 31, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

US Open is being played without any fans. AP

Among the noticeable changes Monday: There are full complements of line judges only at two courts; the rest are relying on a chair umpire and electronic calls. Everyone is supposed to wear masks unless they're playing. Players have to walk to get their own towels instead of having them handed over by ball people.

And, of course, no raucous roars or belittling boos.

"Normally, the first day of the US Open, there's usually just like a buzz around the grounds. Today it was just quiet. That was weirdest thing for me," said Mitchell Krueger, an American who beat Pedro Sousa, 3-6, 6-2, 7-5, 6-3. "When I was warming up at 10 a.m., that would have been the time the gates would have been opening in a normal year and people (would) start rushing to the courts and getting good seats for the matches."

There were about 15 people in the seats at 14,000-capacity Louis Armstrong Stadium for the start of Kerber's 6-4, 6-4 victory over Ajla Tomljanovic.

When Kerber broke to take the first game, one person — her coach — clapped.

"It's kind of a little bit the feeling when you play, like, practice matches," Kerber said.

There were seven people in Court 11's bleachers — six after one left in the middle of the seventh game — for No. 27 Borna Coric's 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 win over Pablo Andujar, whose complaint to chair umpire Fergus Murphy about serve-clock management was easily audible.

Andujar: "In my opinion, it's too fast. ... Can you please give a little bit more (time)?"

Murphy: "No."

Andujar: "No?"

And other than some fake, piped-in crowd noise and loud music blaring on changeovers, there was almost no sound at all in cavernous Arthur Ashe Stadium for its first match of the tournament, Pliskova's 6-4, 6-0 victory over Anhelina Kalinina.

Said Pliskova: "I was like, 'Should I cheer myself?'"



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The Haunting of Bly Manor to premiere on 9 October, Netflix confirms with series teaser

Horror drama The Haunting of Bly Manor will debut on 9 October, Netflix has announced.

The streamer revealed the premiere date as it released the first teaser trailer of the follow-up to its successful and critically acclaimed horror anthology The Haunting of Hill House.

Check out the official announcement below

The season two of the Netflix series derives its title from the setting of Henry James' 1898 novella The Turn of the Screw, which features the story of two orphans (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Amelie Smith) looked after by a young governess (Victoria Pedretti), who acts as the narrator.

In the one-minute-long teaser, the viewers see the Bly Manor come alive with creepy dolls as the characters deal with personal losses, old and recent.

Mike Flanagan, who also created and directed Hill House, is returning for the twin duties. He has also executive produced the new series along with Trevor Macy under a multi-year overall television deal they have signed with Netflix.

The first season of the limited series was based on Shirley Jackson's iconic novel of the same name.

It focused on the Crain family, shifting between their past selves living in the spirit-infested Hill House and their present selves dealing with both the psychological and supernatural demons that haunt them.

The cast included Michiel Huisman, Carla Gugino, Henry Thomas, Elizabeth Reaser, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Kate Siegel, Pedretti, Lulu Wilson, Mckenna Grace, Paxton Singleton, Julian Hilliard, Violet McGraw, and Timothy Hutton.

Besides Pedretti and Thomas, Siegel, and Jackson-Cohen are also returning for Bly Manor in new roles.



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LaLiga: Barcelona waiting on Lionel Messi, season resumes 12 September against Villarreal

Madrid: With or without Lionel Messi, Barcelona already knows it will start its season at home against Villarreal at the end of September.

The Spanish league announced its calendar on Monday, and the first round is scheduled for the second weekend of September. But Barcelona and other teams who played later into this past season will have some of their games postponed so they have time to prepare.

All matches will continue to be played in empty stadiums. The league hoped at least some fans would be allowed into matches, but Spain has been struggling to contain a new surge of coronavirus cases.

Lionel Messi. AFP

Messi, who last week told Barcelona he wants to leave, skipped the team's first day of training on Monday. He had already been a no-show on Sunday as the squad underwent coronavirus testing at the club's training center. He wants to leave on a clause that allows him to leave for free at the end of the season, but Barcelona said that clause has expired. It wants the Argentine great to stay at least until the end of his contract in June 2021.

There is no sign of how long the dispute is going to last, as neither the club nor the player appear to be willing to make concessions.

Barcelona's first match would have been against promoted Elche at Camp Nou Stadium, with the second against Athletic Bilbao.

The first Clásico against Real Madrid will be in late October, also at Camp Nou. The second will be on 11 April in Madrid.

Real Madrid, which also returned to training on Monday, will debut in the second round at Real Sociedad. Only Madrid's first-round game was postponed as it didn't reach the Champions League quarterfinals.

Atlético Madrid has been given the first two rounds off, and will start against Granada at home.

The league is scheduled to finish in May 2021.



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Russian Athletics Federation submits doping reform plan to World Athletics

Moscow: The Russian Athletics Federation submitted a draft anti-doping reform plan to World Athletics, the latest step it had to follow to avoid being expelled by the sport's governing body.

The Russian federation was on the brink of expulsion after missing a 1 July deadline to pay World Athletics $6.3 million in a fine and other costs but was reprieved when the Russian sports ministry provided the funds six weeks later. It had to submit the draft plan by Monday.

“The draft plan reflects a range of measures which RusAF intends to consistently implement as part of the reinstatement process,” the federation, known as RusAF, said on Monday.

“Among the main points are the strengthening preventative and anti-doping work, structural reform of RusAF and the (Russian) regional federations.” The plan has not been made public.

World Athletics’ Russia task force has until 30 September to make any changes it sees fit before RusAF implements it.

World Athletics confirmed it received the plan.

“The Taskforce will now review the plan and advise RusAF of any improvements it requires, which must be incorporated to the Taskforce’s satisfaction by 30 September 2020,” World Athletics said in an emailed statement.

The World Athletics council said in March that RusAF must aim to “ingrain throughout Russian athletics a zero tolerance for doping culture.”

It's the latest attempt to resolve an impasse between World Athletics and RusAF, which is still serving a suspension imposed in 2015 over widespread doping. Previous efforts took a hit last year when senior RusAF officials, who have since left the organization, were accused of using forged medical documents to give an athlete an alibi for being unavailable for drug testing.



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US Open 2020: Novak Djokovic questions tournament shot clock rule on way to first round win

New York: Novak Djokovic admittedly got a bit distracted. He was unaware of the US Open rule about time allowed between points. He barked in the direction of his entourage — among the only people in the Arthur Ashe Stadium seats. In the end, though, he did what he always does in 2020: win.

"I lost my focus," Djokovic said afterward. "Kind of got stressed out a couple times. Screamed."

The No. 1-ranked Djokovic began his bid for Grand Slam title No. 18 on Monday night by extending his season start to 24-0 with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 victory over Damir Dzumhur at Flushing Meadows.

"Do I want to keep the streak going? Of course, I do. Am I thinking about it as a priority No. 1 every single day? No," said Djokovic, who opened 2011 with a 41-0 mark. "It's there, and of course it's an additional motivation for me. It actually fuels me to play even stronger, play even better, I think, bring the right intensity every match."

During a pre-match TV interview, Dzumhur said about Djokovic: "Hopefully, he is not 100 percent."

Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, serves to Damir Dzumhur, of Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the first round of the US Open tennis championships, Monday, Aug. 31, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

That was probably a reference to the way Djokovic dealt with neck and stomach issues during last week's run to the Western & Southern Open title on the same hard courts being used for the US Open.

Djokovic played a three-set semi-final Friday, then a three-set final Saturday.

But the 48 hours before facing Dzumhur, who has been ranked as high as 23rd and now is 109th, apparently were enough for a full physical recovery.

"I felt good on the court today," said Djokovic, who trails only Roger Federer, with 20, and Rafael Nadal, with 19, in the men's Grand Slam trophy standings.

Neither of those rivals is entered in the US Open, only part of the reason Djokovic is an overwhelming favorite to win what would be his sixth title in a span of eight major tournaments.

One minor hiccup during his opening match had to do with the way the serve clock is being implemented at the US Open: Chair umpires are starting that 25-second countdown much sooner now than they were during the Western & Southern Open.

Djokovic was not the only player to wonder aloud about that system during a match Monday.

"Why did you start it?" he asked chair umpire Damien Dumusois, noting that during the previous event players got more time to go collect their towels between points.

Dumusois said the pace is intentionally supposed to be quicker at the US Open, to which Djokovic replied: "You do it here different? Why? There is no explanation? ... Thanks for letting us know."

After the match, Djokovic said: "No one really brought it to my attention. The lack of communication is something that worries me once again. I mean, that's something that really upset me. ... We've played in the certain tempo, so to say; got used to it during the Western & Southern tournament, which just ended two days ago. Two days later, we have a different rule that was just not communicated to us. That's something that I found just not acceptable, not fair."



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US Open 2020: Coco Gauff ousted in first round; top-seed Karolina Pliskova enters second round

New York: Top seed Karolina Pliskova shrugged off the eerily quiet atmosphere to reach the second round of the US Open as the women's draw followed the form book on Monday.

World number three Pliskova, elevated to top seed in the absence of world number one Ashleigh Barty and second-ranked Simona Halep, needed just over an hour to dispose of Ukraine's Anghelina Kalinina.

The Czech ace overcame an early wobble, when Kalinina fought back from 1-4 down to level at 4-4 in the first set, to clinch a 6-4, 6-0 victory in 1hr 3min.

The 28-year-old, a finalist at Flushing Meadows in 2016, will now face France's Caroline Garcia in the second round.

Pliskova, who made a disappointing early exit at last week's ATP/WTA Western & Southern Open tune-up event in New York, said she was adjusting to playing before empty stands at the Open, where spectators are barred because of Covid-19 protocols.

"I felt better than in my previous match, last week," Pliskova said after her tie on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court.

"I think the center court is better place to play no matter -- I mean, it's still without people, but I just felt somehow a little better.

"And I had a lot of practices on this court, so I felt just quite used to it."

Pliskova's sixth-seeded compatriot Petra Kvitova also advanced safely, downing Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu 6-3, 6-2.

The 30-year-old two-time Wimbledon champion, who has never gone beyond the quarter-finals in New York, said she was adjusting to the empty stands, as well as tournament regulations which prevent players from sightseeing in the city.

"It's been different, for sure," Kvitova said. "I'm glad that I had a couple of matches before to kind of get used to these new things.

"I really had to get used to being in the bubble. It's something totally different, which I was normally doing -- going out for a coffee, sitting in Central Park.

"Suddenly this is not the option."

Elsewhere on Monday, Germany's 17th seed Angelique Kerber, the 2016 US Open champion, booked her second-round berth with a 6-4, 6-4 defeat of Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic.

The 32-year-old admitted the fan-free atmosphere had required a mental adjustment.

"It's a little bit weird to play without fans and without the support and the atmosphere on the center courts," Kerber said.

"It's a little bit like the feeling when you play practice matches against the players. But of course you know it's like a serious game.

Karolina Pliskova, of the Czech Republic, returns a shot to Anhelina Kalinina, of the Ukraine, during the first round of the US Open tennis championships, Monday, Aug. 31, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

"It is more, for me today, it was more also mentally to prepare for the match that I know we play without fans and all the situation. It was not so easy at the beginning, but then, yeah, you get used to it a little bit."

Coco Gauff exits

Coco Gauff's hopes of launching another deep run at a Grand Slam ended in the first round at the US Open on Monday, with the US teenager succumbing in three sets to Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova.

Gauff, who created a sensation at Wimbledon last year when she became the youngest player in the tournament's history to qualify for the main draw before reaching the fourth round, was beaten 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.

The 16-year-old former junior world number one from Delray Beach had battled back to level the match against the 31st-seeded Sevastova after dropping the first set.

But after squaring the match by taking the final three games of the second set to win it 7-5, Gauff was soon scrambling to save the match in the third set.

Although Gauff saved three match points, Sevastova eventually closed out the win, converting her fourth match point.

It was a disappointing exit for Gauff, who backed up her fairytale Wimbledon campaign last year by reaching the third round at the US Open before another decent showing at the Australian Open in January, where she exited in the fourth round.

Gauff, a fan favourite at previous Grand Slam appearances, said afterwards she did not think the absence of spectators in New York had hampered her performance.

"I think I compete just as hard with fans or not," she said. "I could have played better today. Just going to get back to work and get ready for the French Open."

However the teenager acknowledged that limited playing opportunities in 2020 due to a tennis calendar upended by COVID-19, had impacted her development.

"The main part that hurt was just getting matches under my belt, getting experience," Gauff said when asked to assess the impact of the coronavirus disruption.

"That's what I need on tour. I'm playing against people older than me who have been in more situations, difficult situations, than I have. I think the biggest thing is I just need experience.

"Right now my plan is just to play as many tournaments as I can, to get matches under my belt. I'm still in doubles here, so I'll be here hopefully till the end. That's the goal."

Gauff's long-term ambitions also include winning qualification to play at next year's Tokyo Olympics.

"Definitely a goal of mine to qualify," Gauff said. "Right now I'm just focused on the match ahead, just focusing on the moment now. But obviously that's a goal, to qualify for the Olympics next year."



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CU Soon movie review: Fahadh Faasil & Friends snatch innovation from the jaws of the lockdown for a clever thriller

Language: Malayalam with some English

Okay, so now I know what a dating app looks like. (*inserts laughing emoji)

That’s the platform on which UAE resident Anumol Sebastian meets silly Jimmy Kurian one fine day. By his own admission, Jimmy (played by Roshan Mathew) has a boring job in a banking corporation in the Middle Eastern desert state. We soon learn that he is flighty enough to seek a permanent relationship within days with this young woman he barely knows. (*inserts eye roll) 

His mother (Maala Parvathi), with the benefit of maturity that life has not yet bestowed on him, ropes in his older cousin Kevin Thomas (Fahadh Faasil) to snoop on this stranger her son says he loves. Kevin is a tech wiz who has no qualms about hacking. These four people – seen almost entirely on their computer and cellphone screens throughout director Mahesh Narayanan’s CU Soon – set the ball rolling for what turns out to be a clever, astonishingly gripping entertainer. 

The text on screen at the start of the film assures the audience that CU Soon was shot adhering to all the COVID-related safety protocols being enforced by the Kerala government during the lockdown. It was inevitable that some smart director somewhere in the world would find a way to shoot a full-fledged feature film while the ongoing coronavirus pandemic keeps humankind confined mostly to our homes. That in India this director has emerged from the Malayalam film industry aka Mollywood is expected, since the past decade has marked a return to a golden era of Malayalam cinema, with directors and writers experimenting with themes, formats and genres like never before.

Narayanan, of course, already had a track record of excellence as an editor before he made his debut as a director with 2017’s indisputably brilliant Take Off starring Parvathy and Kunchacko Boban. It is unsurprising that for a film as cutting-edge as this one – with the story rolling out entirely through the characters’ text exchanges, video conversations and voice messages – Narayanan found a natural partner in Fahadh. The star, who had a significant supporting role in Take Off, has been at the forefront of thematic innovation in recent Malayalam cinema, and is the perfect fit for CU Soon.

Despite the restrictive format, Narayanan’s sure-footed direction and brisk editing combined with his lovely cast’s comfort with the camera makes CU Soon a remarkably pacy thriller and a perfect antidote to the immobility that the pandemic has imposed on us. 

CU Soon is streaming on Amazon Prime Video India.

Rating: ***1/2

(Watch this space for a longer version of this review)



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Zlatan Ibrahimovic to stay at AC Milan as 38-year-old striker signs one-year contract extension

AC Milan is hoping a full season from Zlatan Ibrahimovic will result in a return to the Champions League after a seven-year absence.

Seven-time European champion Milan announced on Monday that the 38-year-old Ibrahimovic signed a one-season contract.

The deal is reportedly worth 7 million euros ($8.3 million).

Ibrahimovic began his second stint with Milan in January on a six-month contract and helped turn the Rossoneri’s season around with 10 goals in 18 Serie A matches.

Milan finished sixth in the Italian league this month and earned a Europa League spot.

Serie A opens on Sept. 19, although Ibrahimovic could make his season debut two days earlier when Milan visits Shamrock Rovers of Ireland in the Europa League’s second qualifying round.



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US Open 2020: Novak Djokovic eases past Damir Dzumhur in first round; Alexander Zverev earns hard-fought win over Kevin Anderson

New York: Pre-tournament favorite Novak Djokovic marched into round two of the US Open Monday as he launched his bid for a 18th Grand Slam with a straight-sets win.

The world number one dispatched unheralded Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia-Herzegovina 6-1, 6-4,6-1 under floodlights at an empty Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.

The Serbian superstar took just 23 minutes to win the first set before laboring to a narrow victory in an hour-long second set.

With Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer absent, Djokovic is looking to close the gap on them in the race for the all-time men's singles Grand Slam record.

Djokovic currently has 17, behind Nadal on 19 and Federer on 20.

Earlier, fifth seed Alexander Zverev was made to work hard as he progressed into round two of the US Open Monday following a three-hour-long tussle with 2017 finalist Kevin Anderson.

The German, seeking his first Grand Slam title, took the first set on a tie-break 7-6 (7/2) before losing the second 7-5 in an eerily empty Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Ultimately, the 23-year-old proved too much for the South African veteran, winning the third set 6-3 and the fourth 7-5.

Afterwards he shared a moment on a big screen with his tennis-playing brother Mischa Zverev who was beamed into the stadium from his sofa at home.

"I am actually quite happy with a first round like that," said Zverev, who reached his first Grand Slam semi-final at the Australian Open earlier this year.

"Kevin is not someone you usually play in a first round. This is a fourth round, quarter-final, semi-final match normally against him. I am extremely happy to be through," he added.

Fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas eased into the second round of the Flushing Meadows tournament, which is being played without fans due to coronavirus, with a straight-sets win over Spain's Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

The Greek player needed just one hour and 38 minutes to dispose of the world number 41, 6-2, 6-1, 6-1.

The 22-year-old Tsitsipas, sixth on the ATP rankings, will play American wildcard Maxime Cressy after he defeated Slovakian Jozef Kovalik, ranked 123 in the world, 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Britain's Cameron Norrie enjoyed one of the day's most impressive wins, charging back from two sets down to sink Argentine ninth seen Diego Schwartzman 3-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 7-5.

"It shows that it was just two dogs out there battling with no serves really," said the 76th-ranked Norrie, will face another Argentine, Federico Coria, for a place in the third round.

Alexander Zverev, of Germany, returns a shot to Kevin Anderson, of South Africa, during the first round of the US Open tennis championships, Monday, Aug. 31, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Elsewhere in the men's draw on day one, 12th seed Canadian Denis Shapovalov required four sets to overcome US wildcard Sebastian Korda.

The 21-year-old left-hander won the first set 6-4 before losing the second by the same score. But he rallied to win the next two 6-3, 6-2.

"Playing without the fans is definitely different," Shapovalov said.

"You know, I love to use the fans to kind of pump me up. So I had to do that within myself. But I'm getting familiar with it pretty quick," he added.

Frenchman Gilles Simon enjoyed a straightforward victory over Egypt's Mohamed Safwat. The 35-year-old triumphed 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.

Adrian Mannarino, also of France, defeated Italy's Lorenzo Sonego 6-1, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 in a match that lasted two hours and 41 minutes.



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Firstpost Masterclass: 'You need huge amount of resilience', Ish Sodhi explains spin-bowling in T20s

Editor's note: Professional sport is as much a scientific pursuit as it is a recreational wonder. What appears routinely mundane is a result of the hours spent honing the craft and deciphering the body mechanics till it becomes a monotonous muscle memory. In Firstpost Masterclass, our latest weekly series, we look at precisely these aspects that make sport a far more intriguing act than we know.

When Twenty20 cricket came into existence, people were worried about the survival of spinners. But over the years, they have not only survived but also bossed the format.

Currently, a staggering nine of the top 10 bowlers in ICC's Men's T20 rankings are spinners. While seven spinners occupy the top 10 list in Women's T20s. There are a number of intriguing aspects to spin bowling in T20s. To understand them, Firstpost caught up with New Zealand spinner Ish Sodhi in our latest episode of Firstpost Masterclass.

In his seven-year career, Sodhi has so far had reasonable success and impressive numbers in T20s with 170 wickets from 152 matches at an average of 24.30, a strike rate of 18.6 and economy rate of 7.83.

Ish Sodhi in action in 2019 IPL. Sportzpics

He's had varied experience playing in some of the biggest leagues like the IPL, Caribbean Premier League and Big Bash League. And as he gets set to don a new hat, that of spin consultant and operations executive at Rajasthan Royals this season, we try to pick his brain on the art of spin bowling in T20s.

How did you start off with cricket?

When I was nine, we had been in New Zealand for 5 years and my cousins were coming to NZ because their family wanted to settle here as well. They came and stayed with us and I had never really known what cricket was, which is kind of really weird because I come from a really strong Indian Punjabi background. So it's kind of bizarre that I wasn't exposed to it earlier. My cousin came over from Punjab and he said he really wanted to play cricket and join a cricket club and he couldn't speak English very well. And, fortunately, I could speak Punjabi and English.

So I joined this cricket club with him as his translator. All things happen for a reason because I would have never thought or decided on joining cricket unless my mum asked me to be a translator. Man! I am really glad that happened because it's such a wonderful game to be part of. It's not until you are locked down for six months and don't have a chance to play cricket or have a chance to be in a team environment that you realise how great this game is. I look back at that moment when I joined that cricket club, at the time I didn't realise it, but it was going to be the start of a really special journey for me.

How did you take up leg-spin?

I was 12 when I went to a cricket academy where Dipak Patel was the head coach. And he just asked one day, 'Is there anyone here who is a spin bowler'? I just wanted to impress him because I knew that he was a spin bowler so I put my hand up. Had never bowled spin in my life. And he put me in a net by myself and said, right, show me what you've got. And naturally, I just bowled leg-spin. And from that day I fell in love with it and decided to research guys like Shane Warne and then I found Anil Kumble. Fortunately, I grew up in an era where we had Youtube so could learn a lot from them.

We will see you in a new role and interesting role as spin bowling consultant and operations executive for Rajasthan Royals this season. What does your role involve?

It's a brand new role that's been created. Exactly what it entails will probably become apparent once the IPL starts but initially the main role that I have is as a spin bowling consultant. I worked a lot especially in the second year I played for RR. I played only two games in the season but I worked a lot with the young spinners off the park trying to impart some of my experience and knowledge. Although I am only 27, still quite a young spinner, I've been playing T20 cricket since 2012-13, so it's quite a bit of time and hopefully, some of the experience that I have passed on to the younger spinners during that campaign I suppose may have helped them in some way or another. And RR saw it fit that there was an opportunity for me to take on the role if I wasn't picked up in the auction. And so it was something that I took on and something that I will really enjoy doing.

When T20s came into existence, people were worried about the survival of spinners but they have bossed the T20s. What's the reason spinners have had so much success in the format?

I listen to quite a few old leg spinners from the 1990s and 2000s, that's kind of when I was growing up. The guys like Shane Warne, Stuart MacGill, Anil Kumble, those were probably three best spinners of that era. The Australian leg spinners used to say the hardest thing in Test cricket was trying to make the batsman play a shot. But every time they did make them play a shot there was a chance of getting a wicket. I think if you use that same skill in T20 cricket, the batsman is playing a shot every ball so if you are bowling your best deliveries as a leg spinner, spinning the ball hard, spinning it both ways, and if the batsman is trying to take you on then the margin for error can be a lot higher, that is a big reason why spinners have had great success in T20 cricket. Because you have to attack all the time and if the spinner is accurate enough and the pitch is offering spin, it's actually quite difficult to do.

"I listen to quite a few old leg spinners from the 90s and 2000s, that's kind of when I was growing up. The guys like Shane Warne, Stuart MacGill, Anil Kumble, those were probably three best spinners of that era." Sportzpics

What qualities and mindset do a good spin bowler need in T20s?

It comes down to preparation, knowing your opponent, pitch conditions but the main thing is you have to have a huge amount of resilience. If I could go back in a time machine and tell a 17-year-old of myself it would be: In T20 cricket always be resilient, never give up. If you get hit for a six, you can still get a wicket and make a contribution to your team. Even guys like Imran Tahir who is one of the greatest T20 bowlers of all time still playing at 41-42 and still doing really well, he always says to us and the young leg spinners: Never give up, always be resilient, if the batsman hits you for a six, you can get him out next ball. And that's a really strong quality to have as any bowler but more so as a spinner because you can't bowl a bouncer, you can't use intimidation in that regard, so you have to use it in a different way.

Is a holding role more effective than an attacking one?

Personally, I like the idea of getting as many wickets as possible before the last 5-6 overs. If you have a team four, five or maybe six down before 16 overs, in those last four overs, your seam bowlers are bowling to No 7, 8, 9 who haven't been in for a long time. And maybe then they can control the death a little bit better than, for example, if you are bowling to a batsman who is 60 not out off 40 deliveries and then they can start to accelerate as they are seeing the pitch well.

But in recent times, it's probably become apparent that dot balls get wickets as well. So, one type of bowler is the one looking to be aggressive and willing to go for runs to get wickets. And another type is the one who bowls 5-6 runs an over and through that pressure, the team gets wickets at the other end or they might get wickets because of that pressure as well. Both of those two types of roles: holding and attacking are still trying to achieve the same thing, which is to get wickets, but it's just how many runs are you willing to gamble to get those wickets. That comes down to the individual.

Does the mindset - whether to attack or defend - vary with pitches?

Definitely. I was having this conversation earlier today with a friend. We play T20 cricket in New Zealand most of the time and we were talking about the difference between red-ball cricket and T20s and we definitely find that the length you have to bowl is different in places like NZ or the UK, or the pace is different than you perhaps might bowl in India or in the Caribbean because the pitches allow for little bit more spin at times and the wickets are slower.

Definitely in NZ, bowling back of a length is important because you probably won't get too much spin out of the wicket. So you have to be really smart with your lengths and that perhaps isn't quite as an attacking role as what you would play in the subcontinent or the Caribbean because you are trying to hit the stumps most of the time and use the spin. It definitely does vary.

How important should be the emphasis on spinning the ball?

Again, I was having that conversation today as well, it's funny you are asking these questions. It's important. Even when you are trying to bowl that back of a length, it's important that you spin the ball hard into the surface. That's something that guys like Santner, Sunil Narine, these finger spinners are really good at because they can fire the ball into a hard length with revs on the ball and that's why they are so effective. You've got to put revs on the ball unless you've got incredible control of your length, otherwise putting revs on the ball gives you a little bit more margin for error.

Ish Sodhi giving it a rip in the nets. AFP

You spoke about bowling in different countries, can you delve into the key to spin bowling in England, New Zealand or Australia where the ball doesn't turn much?

Through my experiences having played a lot with Santner who has a really great understanding of spin bowling, we generally find that in New Zealand, Australia and perhaps England as well, overspin is the key. To get right over the ball, that's generally when you can get most spin out of the surfaces. I don't know if it's because they are hard or maybe they are quite bouncy so that you can use that bounce from the overspin.

But we've always found that when you bowl overspin, you can get something out of the wicket. If you bowl sidespin it generally goes straight. But then the ironic thing is we sometimes go to India and play and you have to be adaptable and bowl sidespin because sometimes on those wickets, sidespin turns a little bit more. If you look at guys like Ravi Jadeja, he is incredible in Test cricket in India because he bowls fast side-spinners sometimes 95-96 kmph, so while we don't want to go away from the strengths, we want to learn to be able to do both. But I guess because we have grown up in NZ, bowling overspin has been the key for us to get something out of the surface.

So, where have you enjoyed bowling the most in T20s?

There are two places. One has definitely got to be India. The atmosphere is just really enjoyable and obviously sometimes the wickets can suit spin bowling which is nice. Growing up in NZ if you get a wicket that spins it's really enjoyable to bowl on. The other one is Australia which is really good because the boundaries are really big so at times you've got a little bit more margin for error to flight the ball slightly more and be a bit more aggressive. But I do love playing in NZ as well because it's such a big challenge. We play at Eden Park sometimes and the boundary over your head is 45 metres so you have to be really conscious every ball. But if you do a really good job and contribute to your team, it's really satisfying.

What's an ideal delivery in T20 cricket?

Five-metre length. If you can nail a five-metre length, spin the ball either way off the off stump, that's the ideal way to go about it. That's kind of what I will aspire to do now moving forward and just try to keep the stumps in play.

How does the perfect length to bowl in T20s change in comparison to Tests and ODIs?

In T20 cricket if you look now, batsmen see the ball full. I learnt the concept in England because the coaches used to call it a step hit length. If the batsman can step and hit the ball over your head or over the leg side then it’s generally a little bit too full. You want to be slightly back so if they are trying to step hit you there's a chance the ball might spin and they might not be close enough to it and may get a top edge or something like that. In T20 cricket, a back foot defence might be a really good length that you are bowling, but in Test cricket, you want to encourage the batsman to drive just to be able to bring some dismissals in play. That's the main difference, you just don't want to be too full in T20 cricket. Now-a-days, if you overpitch, it feels like 8 out of 10 deliveries are going for six. It's really important to be conscious of your length, bring it back but still spin it really really hard.

In the ODIs, because you are trying to be slightly more aggressive, you can vary your lengths a little bit more. If you are going for 7 an over, that's not a biggie, it's not a big deal if you are getting 2 or 3 wickets. One of the best exploiters of 50-over cricket at the moment is Adil Rashid. England go out there and try to score 320-330 every time and he just tries to get wickets through the middle for his team and does a phenomenal job. And sometimes he might get 3/70 and he's played the best match-winning role. In early 2000s, it was normal for spinners to go for 35-40 runs in their 10-over spell, get one wicket and it might look good but it's not going to make as much of an impact as perhaps 3/70 will make for a team now-a-days.

I was having a discussion with my CPL teammate Sohail Tanvir about the four fielders outside the ring and he said that back in the day, batsmen used to look to see off the ball in the first 10 overs, then consolidate from 10-40 overs and look to accelerate in the last 10. Whereas now, where there are just four fielders out between 10-40 overs, it seems to be the time when the batsmen are trying to get really aggressive and capitalise on the extra fielder being up in the ring.

That's a really unique skill for a bowler to be able to exploit because the batsmen have slightly more advantage with the extra fielder in and they are always going to come after you. As a spinner, in the middle phase, I am willing to go at 6.7 or 7 an over as long as I am getting 2-3 wickets so that the batsman isn't on 70 not-out in the last 10 overs. The death bowlers in my team have new batsmen to bowl to and that's a really important role for a spinner to play for the team at the moment.

Since you are tall, naturally you like to use that advantage and bowl a bit back, isn't it?

Definitely. Especially because if I go too full, it's coming from such a height that it does go too full and sometimes can be a bit loopy, so I have to bowl hard into the surface as opposed to guys who can bowl flat and skiddy. It's important for me, especially in conditions where it’s not suiting spin bowlers, to be slightly back of a length. And that is something which I and Santner speak about quite a lot.

You spoke about Adil Rashid in ODIs. Who according to you is the best spinner in T20s?

Oh, it's got to be Rashid Khan, isn't it? Khan, Imran Tahir, those two are phenomenal. I and Fawad Ahmed call Imran Tahir the president and Rashid Khan Prime Minister... That's probably because of the age difference. But looking at the T20 cricket in the world, I love watching them bowl the most. I haven't seen their stats but I am sure they will be right up there with the best in the world.

What makes Tahir and Rashid so successful in this format?

They are two very different bowlers. Rashid can bowl 90 to a 100 kmph and spin the ball both the ways all out of the back of his hand which is very difficult to pick and he's always got the stumps in play. Very accurate, same as Imran Tahir. Immy just bowls phenomenal changes of pace. He bowls really quick ones out of the front of the hand, bowls the odd slower ones, and always seems to drop it on a really good length and has one of the biggest googlies in the world. So two completely different bowlers and both are very successful. For young kids watching these guys do it differently but still having a similar kind of success is a cool thing.

"Rashid Khan and Imran Tahir are two very different bowlers. Rashid can bowl 90 to a 100 kmph and spin the ball both the ways all out of the back of his hand which is very difficult to pick and he's always got the stumps in play. Very accurate, same as Imran Tahir. Immy just bowls phenomenal changes of pace." Sportzpics

 

How do you build a T20 over?

In the past, the batsmen probably wanted to get a boundary off the first ball or second ball of the over to try and put pressure on you. So there has to be a little bit of respect of that fact if you are playing on a good surface, and perhaps getting him off the strike for one isn't the worst option. Then, you might look to attack them in the middle of the over and hopefully they are in a mode of trying to rotate the strike, you might get a dot ball or a wicket. And say you haven't got a wicket and bowled five balls for six runs then the last ball of the over you don't want to gamble and try to get a wicket and get hit for a boundary. You want to maybe get a dot ball or even a single to pass the ball onto the next bowler and hopefully keep the pressure on for them to try and get a wicket.

If you have been hit for three sixes in a row, how do you recover?

There've definitely been times in my career when I've been hit for three sixes in a row (smiles). And definitely stood at the top of my mark and thought, ‘oh, what if I get hit for a fourth one’? But it's important to stand at the top of your mark after that's happened, forget that it's happened and try to focus on the next delivery. It's really important to have that clarity because especially in T20 cricket you could get hit for three sixes and in the next over you could get a wicket or next ball you can get a wicket and help change the momentum of the game for your team.

You always have to remember that you are always in the game. Because there is a lot of time in T20 cricket now, back in the day we used to say it's a really quick game but you can come back from an over that goes for runs. However, it's important as well that if your first two or three balls go for 12 or 13, then last 3 balls you are really conscious that the over only ends up going for 17. That's actually a win because the last three balls have only gone for 3-4 runs as supposed to if you let it get ahead of you and the next three balls go for another 12 runs and it's a big over of 24 and now the momentum is with the batting side.

Suppose the over doesn't end well and you are hit for another two boundaries or sixes. How do you recover in the next over if your captain does hand you the ball again?

Generally, if the captain hands you the ball again especially being an aggressive leg-spin bowler, he wants a wicket from you. He wants you to get a wicket because the batsman might be on 60 not out, if you get him out then brilliant because it might bring the new batsman in and he goes for a few dot balls. So you've got to remember that you're always in the game and it's important to remember that you are playing a team game. It sometimes gets so easy to get caught up in your own personal game and role. But you are playing a role that's eventually going to contribute to a result for your team. And it's really important to keep that in mind. That helps you construct your next over a lot better than if you are just worried about getting hit for more runs.

How much thinking goes into outclassing a batsman as compared to waiting for them to make a mistake?

Most of the batsmen that we play against in T20 cricket are very very high quality and world-class. They've got shots all over the ground. So, potentially waiting for them to make a mistake asking them tough questions is probably the best option. As long as they are trying to hit you off the best delivery that can you bowl, it's a really good option. Before the match, you might sit down and look at some video and figure out what the right line and length is to bowl to a certain batsman but other than that if you commit to that plan and they still get you for runs, you can still walk away and be pretty happy with your performance.

As a bowler, what kind of dismissal you are looking for in T20s?

It depends on where I am playing. If it's a low slow wicket then I am always looking for an LBW or bowled and if it's a place like NZ, then perhaps I am looking to bowl a length where they try to hit me for a six and the ball goes straight up and they get caught. Or I might be trying to bowl at the wide lines so that they can't reach it and might try to go across the line and it goes straight up. It does change but definitely in the subcontinent on the slower wickets, LBW and bowled hitting the top of the stumps.

How important is using the crease for a bowler in T20s?

It's probably something I would like to do more of. In red-ball cricket, we do it quite a lot because we've got a lot of time to think about the way we are trying to dismiss the batsman, using different types of variations. But a guy like Mitchell Santener does it really well. I've seen Imran Tahir do it really well. Ravi Jadeja does it phenomenally well. Perhaps the more people that I've seen do it are finger spinners, I don't know if that's because they don't have a Doosra or some of them don't have the Carrom ball so they might need other variations to help them be effective. Yeah, but it's definitely something I would like to do more of.

"It's important for me especially in conditions where it’s not suiting spin bowlers to be slightly back of a length. And that is something which I and Santner speak about quite a lot." Sportzpics

How does it help? Can you delve deep into use of the crease?

If you are tight to the stumps and bowl the ball straight down the line, it will spin sharply so the batsman might miss the ball by a considerable margin. If it's turning so much and I decide to come from wide on the crease, and my angle comes in and then it turns the same amount, it doesn't look like it's turning as sharply so you might be able to get the edge because the angle is so much smaller as opposed to bowling straight down the line of the stumps and then it might spin too much that the batsman might miss the ball.  It's a nice delivery but the batsman is not out. So you might want to change the angle and make it such that the batsman's angle or the bat is exposed.

What's the key to bowling in Powerplay?

I haven't done a lot of powerplay bowling in my career. Most of the bowling I've done is after six overs. But the best powerplay bowlers that I've seen bowl, they bowl wicket to wicket, keep the stumps in play and ensure that they get hit on just one side of the wicket. So if they might have their fielders on the leg side they ensure that they don't give the batsmen much room or they might get their fielders on the off side and ensure that they don't give the batsmen any straight deliveries so that they can hit it over to the leg side.

The best leg spinner I've seen in the Powerplay is Samuel Badree. He was the best at doing it and was wicket to wicket, quite a skiddy bowler. I don't think he tried to spin the ball away too much. Most of the deliveries to a right-hand batsman were either big sliders out of the front of the hand hitting middle and leg stump or a googly that was pitching on middle and off stump and hitting the middle and leg stump. He was the best at exploiting that powerplay as a leg spinner. So yeah, stumps in play, wicket to wicket, back of a length.

Do you find the newer ball harder to bowl with or easier?

I really enjoyed bowling with the new ball. Definitely having the two fielders outside the ring as opposed to five was always going to pose a challenge. But there are a couple of times I did it, it was because the pitch was offering a little bit of spin and we used it as an aggressive option. I really enjoy being that aggressive bowler and the conditions were in my favour. I assume on a wicket that's a really good one (for batting), it definitely comes down to being a lot more courageous and defensive with your length. But it is definitely different if the wicket is offering something. Then you just bowl your best delivery, spin the ball both ways and try to get wickets - LBW and bowled.

What's the perfect pace to bowl in T20s?

It depends on the wicket. But if look at guys like Rashid Khan, he bowls at 90 to 100 kmph and if I try to do that, then perhaps I would go away from my own strengths. But when you look at guys like Yuzvendra Chahal, he has a very successful T20 record and sometimes bowls at 78-79 kmph. So, it depends on the conditions and it depends on you and what makes you the best you can bowl. But it's working it out on the day. For example, Santner sometimes speaks about the fact that the pitch is spinning a little bit when it's slower so I am going to change my pace a little bit but if it's spinning when I am quick then I will just keep bowling quick. And that's something you work out on the day as well.

"Even when you are trying to bowl that back of a length, it's important that you spin the ball hard into the surface. That's something that guys like Santner, Sunil Narine, these finger spinners are really good at because they can fire the ball into a hard length with revs on the ball and that's why they are so effective. " Sportzpics

How difficult is it to spin the ball with pace?

That's probably the thing that sets aside Rashid Khan from most bowlers. The fact that he can still spin the ball both ways at that 90-100 kmph pace and still get a degree of overspin. It is difficult, if it wasn't then you would have five or six Rashid Khan's in the world but there's only one. Sandeep Lamichhane also does it really well. I know Shreyas sometimes bowls 90kmph googlies in the IPL which is really difficult to do. It's definitely difficult but it can be done. It takes time to work on that and have the confidence to be able to do it under pressure. That is the thing that sets aside very high-quality spin bowlers from perhaps not so high-quality spinners.

"Rashid Khan is just the king of deception, isn't he? He's got great control of his variations so it might help him a lot. Whatever he does is working really well so it definitely helps him. " Sportzpics

How much of a role does the pitch play in deciding the speed to bowl through the air?

If it's a really flat pitch, then you've to change the pace. You can't become a one-pace bowler and get hit. If the pitch is spinning, most of the time you want to be slightly quicker. Try to make the batsman make a decision when it’s spinning at pace because it's often the hardest thing to do. But if it's really flat and you keep bowling that quick pace if it's not spinning that much then guys like Andre Russell would just eat you up.

How often should one use variations in T20s?

When I was younger, Brendon McCullum was my captain in ODI and Test cricket. And he gave me a piece of advice that probably works in T20 cricket as well. He said, if it's spinning, you don't need to use your variations as much but if it's not spinning, then perhaps you need to use your variations to try and make the batsman do something different. But a guy like Imran Tahir might bowl two three or four variations an over whereas someone like Rashid Khan might bowl a leg spinner and a googly and that's it. It varies for different bowlers but it is true if it's spinning a lot, you don't need to bowl a lot of variations but if it's not then probably you do.

Why are wrist spinners so successful in T20s?

Number one is because they spin the ball both ways. And it is because the batsmen are trying to play a shot every ball and they've got the opportunity to spin the ball away from both right and left-hand batsmen. So when you are trying to play a slog sweep and the ball is spinning away from you, that's a tough option and that's probably why they get a lot of wickets through that middle-overs phase.

How do you bowl to Russell or ABD given that they have this habit of hitting good balls for fours?

I suppose to guys like that, you have to be very very conscious of their strengths but then you also have to be really conscious of your own strengths and try to implement them as much as you can. And just like you said, sometimes they hit really good balls for a four, if they do that, you go back to the top of your mark and something tells you that you might have to do something different. But that's most of the time they are expecting you to do. So, if they do hit a really good ball for a four or six off your bowling, if you are in the best mindset, then you probably go and try to do it again. They might hit it for four or six the second time, they might do it a third time but maybe on the fourth one, you might get a wicket. The better the batsman, the simpler you have to keep it.

Some leggies switch to using their wrong’un as a stock ball against left-handers. Is that something you've considered?

Definitely. Often these days, left-handers are always expecting a googly from you early. I have bowled a lot of googlies to the lefties early on in my spells because I personally like the ball going away from the bat. That's my best attacking and defensive option. But it's important to have a mix of both because sometimes if you bowl you googly to lefties then the stumps aren't in play. Perhaps bowling your leg spinner on off stump might bring your stumps in play which can get you LBWs and bowleds. So it's important to use both. That's definitely something that Rashid Khan does really well. Sometimes the batsman goes for a cut shot with Rashid Khan, it spins back at him at pace, and the stumps come out of the ground. I love watching that any day.

What's your favourite form of dismissal in T20s?

Ah, it's going to be LBW and bowled. Perhaps you've done the batsman off the pitch, so you get that wicket. Often stumped is quite good as well when they charge down the wicket and it spins past them quite a lot, that's quite nice. Any wicket is good, man. But those three are probably the best dismissals.

Why do most spinners who are effective in T20 cricket don't replicate their success in Test cricket?

It does require different skills. It requires a huge amount of patience and accuracy. Look at guys like Nathan Lyon, Yasir Shah, these guys are phenomenal Test bowlers. They are really accurate and nail their stock delivery over and over again. If you play T20 cricket, over the years, if you just bowl the stock ball and nothing else then perhaps you might not be as successful as you can be. There has got to be a huge amount of admiration for all bowlers, batsmen and spinners that can be really successful in all three formats because now a days more than ever, with the change of field during fielding restrictions in ODI cricket, it does change the game a lot. And it varies a lot from format to format. Some players are very good at T20 cricket, some at Test cricket, some might be very skilful in one-day cricket but if you find guys that are really good at all three then it takes a lot of work and understanding of the game. Think of guys like Jadejas, Ashwins, your Yasir Shahs and all these great bowlers. There's a huge amount of respect for them to be able to do what they do.

"If I could go back in a time machine and tell a 17-year-old of myself it would be: In T20 cricket always be resilient, never give up, if you get hit for a six, you can still get a wicket and make a contribution to your team. " AFP

How much research goes into what variation is used against what batsman vs how much is instinct?

We are really fortunate in this era to have a lot of video footage so you might be able to discover trends with certain batsmen over time and then the match-ups can become a little bit clearer. But then when you are out on the field and you sense the batsman is coming after you feel like you might have to bowl a variation then it comes down to instinct. There has to be a mix of both, you can't just be a robot and kind of think of what you are going to do to someone because they might come at you and completely change your plan and that's definitely happened to me in the past like we spoke about earlier with AB de Villiers. The pitch was spinning and I felt like I was going to try and make him keep playing a drive down the ground or something but because it was spinning so prodigiously, he started sweeping and reverse sweeping and then my plans went out of the window so perhaps I felt like I had to bowl a little bit fuller because maybe I should get under the bat while he is sweeping and that's where instinct came into it. But also I probably bought into what he was trying to do to me and that's what makes great players great.

What's your favourite wicket so far in T20s?

It's got to be Virat Kohli. One of the best players of our generation. If you can get him out, it goes a long way in contributing to your team. The time that I got him out, in the T20 World Cup, was a really satisfying wicket for me because that meant that we had them five down. And we could go into the death phase bowling more to the tail-enders than we had to bowl to him.

Ish Sodhi (C) celebrating the wicket of Virat Kohli in 2016 World T20. AFP

It was just my first delivery. I tried to bowl the biggest leg spinner I could. I bowled it outside the off stump, he went for a cover drive and nicked it (to the keeper). It doesn't always happen like that because he could have easily missed that ball but thankfully he nicked it first up.

Now-a-days bowlers look to bowl quicker through the air. Is there still a place for traditional giving-it-air spin bowling?

Yeah definitely. Chahal does it and that's what makes him so effective because he's got great control of his pace and he can bowl slow, drift it and spin it. He might bowl a slow and wide one. Santner does the same, sometimes he bowls balls at 75 kmph wide so that the batsman can’t get any pace on the delivery. Kuldeep Yadav does it really well. There's definitely a place for change of pace, especially on good wickets. If you look at Chahal, he’s bowled most of his career at Bangalore and for the majority of his career, it's always been a very batsman-friendly wicket. And he always had the courage to toss the ball up continuously and get lots of wickets and be a really successful bowler for that RCB team. It definitely shows there is a lot of place for it especially if you can do it as well as he does.

You spoke about Chinnaswamy stadium and earlier you had spoken about Eden Park stadium, so how much does the size of the ground play into a bowler's mind before a match?

It's definitely something you have to consider. Because batsmen might play slightly differently on a very small ground than on a big ground so you might take that into consideration in your preparation. The first few times you play on a small ground it's a daunting task but once you have the experience and you've played on it a quite a few times and you may have had a bit of success on it, you realise how to bowl on certain grounds then it becomes a little bit easier and it just something that you have to factor into your preparation.

Yuzvendra Chahal flighting it for RCB. Sportzpics

 

What next for Ish Sodhi now? How are you looking at the next five years?

In five years’ time I will be 32, so still a reasonably young leg spinner when it comes down to some of the guys I am playing in this Caribbean Premier League. Fawad Ahmed is here, he's about 39-40, I've got Imran Tahir who is 42 and then you've got Pravin Tambe who's come over here who is actually 48 years old. Considering that being 27 years old and having played as much as I have, I’m still a very young leg spinner compared to a lot of the guys here.

I would like to keep continuing to grow, improve. I would love to continue to play as much as I can for NZ and contribute to some wins. The next goal for me is the 2023 World Cup in India. I would love to be able to play a role for NZ and there's obviously a few T20 World Cups leading into that. These are definitely the things that I would target.

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