Raman Vijayan joins Gokulam FC women’s team as the head coach, sets eyes on the AFC Women’s Champions League
Former India international and former assistant coach of Chennaiyin FC, Raman Vijayan, entered the country’s women’s football. He has been appointed the head coach of three-time IWL champion Gokulam FC’s women’s team. While speaking to Parallel Sports over the phone from Chennai, the 52-year-old coach said, “I also had dreams of starting a women’s football academy along with my men’s football academy. It has not yet come up. So, from that perspective, I am happy to have obtained the opportunity to work with the women’s football team, although I did not expect this opportunity initially.” Raman, who is expected to begin training from the first week of August, is setting eyes on the team’s qualification for the AFC Champions League. “The team finished runners-up in the last two consecutive IWL. My challenge will be to win the title and qualify for the AFC Women’s Champions League.” When asked about the season behind choosing to venture into women’s football, Raman revealed, “I had offers to join as assistant coach again. But upon returning from a break of one complete season, I decided I would only take up the role of head coach. So, I am happy to be in IWL.” Commenting on the present standard of women’s football in India, Raman explained, “I have been following IWL matches, Indian women’s team’s matches. Women’s football is improving rapidly, and Kerala and Tamil Nadu have made a major contribution to the progress of Indian women’s football, as several footballers from these states are coming up. I have a belief that once the season starts, our team will also be gaining momentum.”
Boral starts his maiden journey for the highest motorable passes with a moped!
Veteran Bengal motorcyclist Subrata Boral started on an ambitious and adventurous journey on 15th July, something which no two-wheeler driver has ever attempted before. Boral embarked on the journey titled ‘Conquer Heights with Least Torque’ from Srinagar. He aims to conquer the highest motorable passes in the Himalayan range on a two-wheeler, which produces one of the lowest torque outputs in its class—the TVS XL 100. Boral was flagged off from the Khyber Himalayan Resort, located in Gulmarg, Srinagar, in the presence of several dignitaries and a large number of motorsports and bike enthusiasts. Boral, now 55 years old, in his maiden venture with a moped, will be attempting the adventure that no one has dared before, and that is to conquer the passes on a moped, a maiden venture of its kind. Boral has completed more than 40 remarkable years on two wheels. He began his motorcycling journey in 1985 on the classic ‘VIP Majestic Moped’, and officially earned his driving license in 1989 at the age of 19. Since then, he has clocked several lakh kilometres across the vast and varied terrains of India and abroad. This audacious expedition is a private ride blessed by the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) with the heartfelt support of its President, Arindam Ghosh. Ghosh has not only encouraged Boral’s journey but has also extended help to generate sponsorship from TVS & VM (Vamsy Merla) to support this dream. “It’s not the machine, but the rider’s heart that makes the journey meaningful,” says Boral. “The TVS XL 100 may be small in engine size, but it carries the weight of my dreams.” Boral will attempt to scale the highest motorable passes, including Umling La (19,300 ft), Marsimik La (18,313 ft), Photi La (18,124 ft), Chang La (7,586 ft), and Khardung La (17,582 ft) on his TVS XL 100. Boral will return to Srinagar via Kargil From Pensi La.
IPL to Blame? Brian Lara makes a huge comment on the West Indies’ batting disaster
Former West Indies cricketer Brian Lara, on Tuesday, took a veiled swipe at the Indian Premier League (IPL) and other T-20 franchise leagues, blaming the tournament for the dismal bating performance of West Indies in the third Test match against Australia, where the home team was dismissed for just 27 runs – the second-lowest total in a Test innings in history was just one run more than New Zealands 26 all out against England in 1955. In the wake of the horrendous batting display, Lara, speaking on the cricket podcast ‘Stick To Cricket’, indirectly blamed the IPL and other T20 franchise leagues for the decline of West Indies cricket. He claimed that players tend to use the national team as a stage to garner attention from T-20 leagues, as opposed to the culture back in his days, when cricketers used to rise through the ranks by playing domestic cricket and county cricket before earning an international debut. Meanwhile, former England cricketer David Lyod has blamed the top three cricket-playing countries, India, Australia, and England. Lyod said, “The big three, they take all the money. They get the big broadcast deals. You need to have a more even distribution to allow West Indies, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka to participate in the deal.” Former West Indies captain Carl Hooper, speaking on ABC Cricket, Hooper said he thinks a few heads should roll for these decisions. “They have made some wholesale changes, massive changes, that I think were not needed. … To make wholesale changes and then get results like this, Cricket West Indies have got to hold up their hands and be held accountable.”
