Adriyan makes debut in the Junior World Cup; Joydeep’s ‘unique’ motivation can be his strength
Sudeep Pakrashi: Adriyan Karmakar followed his Olympian father’s footsteps, earning the tag of World Cupper, 21 years after his father Joydeep Karmakar made debut in the senior World Cup in 2006 as there was no Junior World Cup that time. Adriyan has been the only one from Bengal to have ensured a berth in India’s three-member men’s team for the Junior World Cup, scheduled to be held in Suhl, Germany from 20th to 26th May. Adriyan can also be termed as a rare example where a World Cupper and Olympian father’s son also placed his name in the national team for the World Cup. Joydeep, who missed the bronze by a whisker in the 2012 London Olympics, however, did not sound very emotional while speaking to Parallel Sports. Rather, his observation sounds like only a coach when he opined, “His equipment has changed recently. It takes time to adjust to the new equipment. We were hopeful that Adriyan would be comfortable with the new equipment within the last month. Although he won a gold medal in a national-level competition within this period with the new equipment, I was and he also was not satisfied technically regarding the adjustment with the new equipment. Still, I am optimistic about his performance.” But Adriyan will be entering shooting range in Suhl with his father’s motivation which is unique. “I do not speak or try to send motivational messages to my students, even my son ahead of their events. Rather I ingrain in their minds that once entering the competition he or she is alone. It develops maturity and mental strength. Does your father or mother sit with you in the examination hall? It is like that,” Joydeep revealed. The 20-year-old shooter who will compete in the 50 Meter Rifle-three position and 50 Meter Rifle-Prone, has already drawn attention of the country’s shooting fraternity winning medals in the international competitions like Asian Championship, and World University Games. Simultaneously, Adriyan has been maintaining his authority in the national-level competitions also winning medals in most of the crucial tournaments including Khelo India Youth Games in Chennai last year. Significantly, Joydeep Karmakar has introduced a shooting range in Kolkata which has 20 lanes, the maximum among the ranges in Kolkata. The High-Performance center has also modern facilities where along with the national-level players, promising shooters can also train. The center named Airport-Anex Branch near Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport is likely to be inaugurated next month.
Sunny says Shubman is more competitive; praises IPL for gaining maturity
Legendary Indian batsman and former captain, Sunil Gavaskar feels the IPL is the perfect training ground for future India captains. According to Sunny, tremendous mental pressure of this League is providing the likes of Shubman Gill the required leadership experience before graduating to the highest level. Gujarat Titans skipper Gill is expected to captain India on the Test tour of England following the retirement of Rohit Sharma. Rishabh Pant is likely to be his deputy. Virat Kohli’s retirement, which came just days after Rohit’s decision, has left a massive void in the Test team. Gavaskar said it would take at least a couple of years for Gill and other potential leaders like Pant and Shreyas Iyer to become finished products. “It would take a couple of years (to groom future leaders) to get to the level of our super captains (MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli). All of them brought a different approach to captaincy,” said Gavaskar in a response to a PTI query on Star Sports Press Room. Pant is currently captaining LSG, while Iyer is leading the Punjab Kings in this IPL. “When you see Gill, Iyer, and Pant, three main pretenders to Indian captaincy, you see an amalgamation of all three (Dhoni, Rohit, Virat). Gill is probably more competitive; when there is a decision, he asks the umpire right away. He is probably a lot more involved. “Though Pant is behind the stumps, he is also very involved. Iyer, too, has been superb. All three have brought a lot of positivity in the way they have been captaining. “As a captain, nothing gets you more experience than the pressure of a T20 game. It is the best training ground for captaincy,” added the former India captain.
Inaugural edition of Franchise Shooting League likely to be staged in mixed-team format
Shooting will join India’s franchise-based sports leagues this year. The inaugural edition of the Shooting League of India will be held from 20 November to 2 December with eight teams, National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) president Kalikesh Singh Deo revealed on Saturday after its governing body meeting. It has also been learned that the inaugural edition of the Shooting India League will feature only a mixed-team format across disciplines, not individual events, in a bid to make the event more audience-friendly. The franchise-based league will have eight teams divided into two pools of four teams in the league stage, which will take place between 21st November and 26th November, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the knockout stages. The teams will be divided into two pools for the league stage (Nov 21-26), with the top two teams advancing to the knockouts. “All our partners and members have been signed on or agreed upon; we are in the process of registering various structures required for the governance of the league. NRAI will incubate the league, but it will be run by professionals,” Deo continued. The first edition is likely to be held in Delhi’s Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range. It will feature all six Olympic disciplines — 10m air rifle, 10m air pistol, 25m sports pistol, 50m 3 Positions, trap, and skeet. There will be six men and women in each team, with a maximum of four foreigners. They will be grouped in four tiers — elite champions, world elite, national champions, and junior and youth champions — to lend balance. “ISSF has sanctioned a window from November 20 for 11-12 days. This has been put on the ISSF calendar; a link for the registry of international players is part of the same ISSF calendar document.” This year, it will be held between the world championships in Cairo and the year-ending Doha World Cup final.
