Oscar wants exhibition of ‘dominant brand’ of football this season; Engrossa promises to bounce back
Pratyusha Jana: Wednesday’s win at Kalyani was special for Oscar Bruzon as he celebrated his anniversary in the team with an IFA Shield win. While addressing the media about fielding a full-strength squad against a comparatively weaker opponent, the East Bengal FC head coach remarked, “The IFA Shield is no easy tournament. We are also preparing for the upcoming Super Cup, so these matches serve as ideal preparation opportunities for everyone. That’s why we’re giving the entire squad a chance to play.” Reflecting on the previous season, he added, “Last year, we couldn’t dominate games — we were more of a reactive side. This year, my objective is to control every match and play a more dominant brand of football.” On the other side, the coach of Sreenidi Deccan FC Alvaro Engrossa Mota seemed to accept the difference and took a much more optimistic view towards his team. During the post-match conference, the head coach took an optimistic view, stating, “There is no doubt that the team will bounce back in the future. The upcoming matches might be in our favour.” While talking about their horrendous defeat, Mota stated, “It’s a clear difference between the two experienced teams. They are very experienced players, they have played various big tournaments while we are rookie. Our team consists of players in the 18-year-old quota, whereas our opponents are in the 22-year-old quota. So they are much more experienced.” However, Mota turned into a much affirmative side, stating, “These are the competitions that we seek to make the team stronger. We are practicing hard, and I believe the future match results will be on our side.”
East Bengal thrash Sreenidi in IFA Shield opener
Pratyusha Jana: The historical IFA Shield kicked off with a rather easy 4-0 win for East Bengal FC. EBFC glided through the match with four foreigners against all the sons of soil. On Wednesday, East Bengal FC faced the Sreenidi Deccan Football Club, in Kalyani Stadium almost from the beginning of the match they showcased their attacking stance, so much so East Bengal’s goalkeeper Debjit Majumder was never tested throughout the match 90 minutes. The 4-3-4 formation for EBFC never acknowledged any shot from SNFC throughout the debut match of IFA Shield. The first remarkable attack from EBFC came only in the seventh minute however it was ruled off due to being offside. East Bengal’s attacking stance didn’t seem to be ruled down; rather in the 17th minute Miguel Ferreira, Hamid Ahadad , TH Bipin Singh attempted another strategic attack, while missing the goal. Regardless, the first few saves East Bengal opened their scorebook at just 22 minutes into the game, as Hamid Ahadad’s foul led to a free kick by Miguel Ferreira while Adhil Faizal could save the first hit the second hit from Jay Gupta led to the opening net for the day. TH Bipin Singh while not able to score any net brilliantly assisted two of the remarkable nets for EBFC. East Bengal FC dominated the game with a convincing performance against Sreenidi Deccan. The second goal came through a brilliant cross from Bipin, which found Saul Crespo, who headed it home in the 38th minute. In the second half, Sreenidi Deccan struggled to regain momentum, while East Bengal continued their attacking rhythm. Bipin once again played a crucial role, providing an assist that allowed Hamid Ahadad to find the net in the 46th minute. The final goal for East Bengal FC came just five minutes later. From Crespo’s precise corner, Thounaojam Jeakson Singh rose above the defenders to head the ball in, sealing a dominant victory for EBFC by the 51st minute.
Inter Kashi seeks UP Football Association’s guidance to settle home-match venue in ISL this season
Sudeep Pakrashi: Inter Kashi, the 2024-25 I-League champion has officially received the letter of promotion to the ISL this season from the All India Football Federation on Wednesday. AIFF Deputy Secretary General Satyanarayan M confirmed the decision in a letter to Inter Kashi President Prithijit Das and the letter has said, ‘Following a thorough deliberation and in compliance with the final and binding award issued by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the AIFF is pleased to officially declare Inter Kashi FC as the champions of the I-League 2024-25. This decision is based on the AIFF’s obligations as a member of FIFA to respect and implement the decisions of CAS, which are integral to the regulatory framework of international football. The AIFF is pleased to confirm that, as champions of the I-League 2024-25, Inter Kashi FC is hereby promoted to the Indian Super League (ISL) for the upcoming season on sporting merit, subject to Inter Kashi fulfilling the League’s financial and technical mandates.’ The club now will have to solve one of its key issues, which is playing home-matches in the ISL. Inter Kashi selected Kalyani Stadium in West Bengal as the venue for the team’s home matches in the I-League for last two seasons. But Kalyani Stadium has not yet been approved for an ISL venue. Inter Kashi has been in the process to acquire the football stadium of Dr Sampurnanand Sports Complex in Sigra, Varanasi for last couple of years. But the stadium has not yet been ready. Prithiijit Das, the club president revealed while speaking to Parallel Sports, “The football ground and the stadium are there at Sigra, but uncertainty has loomed large over the completion of its construction work. Since we began our journey, we promised the AIFF that our home-match venue would be ready within five years. We will certainly play at home next year, but talking about this season, we will be discussing with UP Football Association as well as the AIFF for their guidance regarding our home-match venue.” Prithiijit hinted that after the organizer of the ISL is decided through the bidding process by the end of this month, they will have a clear picture about their home-match venue for the ISL. However, when asked about the building of team for the ISL, club president hinted also that most of the footballers who contributed to the team’s success in the I-League this season, are likely to be retained. The club will be roping in quality foreigners following advice from their Spanish coach Antonio Habas.
Brian Lara reveals Abhihek Sharma’s desire to play Test cricket for India
Legendary West Indian batsman Brian Lara, who has been watching Abhishek Sharma since 2020 as the coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad, has revealed that the newborn’ star in India’s T-20 cricket has a desire to represent India regularly in Test cricket rather than confining himself to a T-20 specialist. Speaking at the CEAT Cricket Awards, Lara revealed that Abhishek has ambitions of representing India in Tests and ODIs as well and is currently training under the guidance of Yuvraj Singh to realise that goal. Abhishek Sharma lit up the T-20 circuit in 2024. After a standout Indian Premier League season, the left-handed, aggressive batsman rocked the cricket fraternity, being the top scorer in the recently-concluded Asia Cup, scoring 314 runs with an amazing strike-rate of 200. Lara revealed, “I know Abhishek from my time at SRH. I was there during the COVID years. He is an amazing young player, and I think he is something very special. Yuvraj Singh had a big influence on him. His bat speed, the way he hits the ball, the way he plays through the line, shows the Yuvraj effect in him.” Under Yuvraj’s mentorship, Abhishek has already racked up seven T20 hundreds, including two international cricket— one against Zimbabwe and another against England. Lara also revealed that the youngster occasionally reaches out to him for advice and stays in touch despite his rise in stature. “He gives me a call once in a while, and what stands out is that despite his success in T20s, he still wants to find a way to get into the Test team, which is great. For someone like that to think so big is very special,” Lara added. Lara also divulged, “I’ve grown very fond of him. It’s great to see how much he has improved and how far he has come. He’s taken his game to another level.”
Oldest living Test cricketer Neil Harvey reaches 97!
Legendary Australian batsman Neil Harvey, the oldest living Test cricketer, turned 97 years old on Wednesday. Harvey, who is the longest living cricketer for Australia, is also the last living member of Don Bradman’s famed unconquerable Australian side that remained unbeaten in England over 34 matches in 1948. Building on this legacy, the Victoria-born left-handed batter played 79 Tests between 1948 and 1963, scoring 6,149 runs at an impressive average of 48.41. In 306 First-Class appearances, Harvey scored more than 21,000 runs while averaging in excess of 50. Furthermore, one of Harvey’s most remarkable achievements includes his prolific form during a Test series against South Africa in 1952-53, where he amassed 834 runs in nine innings. His run rally in that series is still the fourth-highest for a batter in a single series. On a tour of South Africa in 1949-50, Harvey struck four centuries in five matches and aggregated 660 runs. In fact, Harvey’s early career was marked by extraordinary success. He smashed six centuries in his first 13 Test matches alone, and at 19 years and 121 days, became the youngest Australian to score a Test ton during his knock of 153 against India in Melbourne in 1948. After his retirement, Harvey served as national selector for 12 years and was inducted into the Australian Hall of Fame in 2000.
