Latest news with #U19
Hindustan Times
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Sai Sudharsan: Inconsolable after being dropped from U19 team due to poor physical shape, to India Test debut
Jersey no.66. India's Test cap number 317. These belong to Sai Sudharsan now. The young Tamil Nadu cricketer could not stop his ear-to-ear grin a few minutes before the toss of the India vs England first Test at Headingley in Leeds on Friday. It started when Cheteshwar Pujara was asked to hand over the cap to him. Surely Sudharsan would have known at least a day before. But it's an unmatchable feeling when it finally happens. Captain Shubman Gill, vice-captain Rishabh Pant, and pacer Mohammed Siraj took turns to congratulate Sudharsan and hug him. Pant, being Pant, decided to pull the youngster's cheek - he is now the big brother, of course. A few minutes later, captain Shubman Gill confirmed Sudharsan would bat at No.3. The position belonged to Rahul Dravid, Cheteshwar Pujara and briefly to Gill. Big players, those. But Sudharsan's smile narrated a different story: the one bereft of worries, the one built on hard work, perseverance and belief, which had taken a huge hit not too long ago when he was a teenager. Sudharsan was inconsolable after being dropped from the Tamil Nadu U19 team in December 2019. The reason? Poor physical shape. He himself knew that. He started working on his fitness with his mother, Usha Bharadwaj, a former volleyball player for Tamil Nadu who specialises in strength and conditioning. Father R Bharadwaj, who was a track and field athlete for India, also helped his son get fitter and stronger. "During the [pandemic] period, we started training together," Sudharsan's mother told ESPNCricinfo. "I took care of his strength and conditioning, while my husband took care of Sai Sudharsan's running and ground training. We wanted to make sure he had strength and endurance - the foundation for fitness. If you have both, you can push to play any sport. Flexibility is also important. "Because of Covid, all of us had to be indoors, and fitness became a family activity for us. Sai Sudharsan got addicted to it, and I also showed him videos of Virat Kohli, which motivated him and encouraged to become fitter and stronger. His brother also chucked a lot of balls to him at the nets. He used to do push-ups and then challenge Sai Sudharsan to do it." Sudharsan went from strength to strength. His body got better, he got fitter and his batting showed great potential. A great player of spin-bowling from a young age, Sudharsan worked on his game against the fast bowlers. His career took a defining turn when he was picked up by the new IPL franchise, Gujarat Titans, in 2022. He was a consistent scorer in domestic cricket, but the international standards training he got at GT helped him mature as a cricketer. A strike rate of 127.9 in five matches in his debut season was a bit of an issue. And just like his fitness and shortcomings against genuine pace, Sudharsan started working on it. He added the ramp shot to his arsenal and the results started to show from the next season. His strike rate improved and so did his run-scoring. Sudharsan scored 527 runs in 2024. Months before that, his dream of representing India came true when he made his ODI debut against South Africa. But the ultimate goal remained playing Test cricket. "It's everybody's dream to play (Test cricket) for the country," he had told Hindustan Times during the this year's IPL. "You get a very good platform like IPL to showcase our talent and if we do well, we obviously play for the country, we get an opportunity to represent our country. But I feel the most important thing right now is look at what the team needs, look at what the situation needs at that point in time and that point in game. 'If I do that really well and try and be so consistent in that and make my team win whenever possible, I think the other things will become a by-product of that,' he said. He walked the talk. Sudharsan won the Orange Cap after scoring the most runs in IPL 2025. His 759 runs in 15 matches came at a strike rate of 156/17 - his best season by far.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Man Utd wonderkid inspires incredible comeback as England u19s score four in 11 MINUTES to salvage point against Germany
ETHAN WHEATLEY inspired an incredible comeback for the England U19s against Germany at the Euros. The Manchester United wonderkid netted a crucial goal as the Young Lions battled back from 5-1 down. 2 2 Noah Darvich and Said El Mala put the Germans 2-0 up inside 31 minutes. Fulham 's Joshua King got England back into the game before Germany took full control with three more goals. England appeared down and out until they pulled off a miraculous fightback in the second half. Wheatley, 19, scored in the 52nd minute to close the gap to three and salvage some hope. Reiss-Alexander Russell-Denny, Zach Abbott, and Jesse Shaun Derry then all scored before the 64th minute to level the score in a stunning 11-MINUTE turnaround. Fans were left stunned by the efforts of the teenagers at the Stadionul Arcul de Triumf in Bucharest, Romania. Many took to social media to heap praise on the players. One posted: "This is all-timer stuff." JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS A second wrote: "German keeper gone full Mexico 70 - Peter Bonetti." A third commented: "As the Germans should know, 5-1 really isn't a dangerous lead." Thomas Tuchel discusses England future after World Cup A fourth said: "If only the men's team did that!" Another added: "One of the best games I've seen in ages. Brilliant from England." The result leaves England's U19s second in Group B, trailing just their next opponents, Holland. Germany will not have to wait long for a chance of revenge over England. The U21s will face off tomorrow night at their age-level Euros in Slovakia.
NDTV
4 days ago
- Sport
- NDTV
D. Deepesh, Naman Pushpak Drafted Into India U19 Squad As Replacements
D. Deepesh and Naman Pushpak have been drafted into the India men's U19 squad for the upcoming tour of England as replacements for injured Aditya Rana and Khilan Patel, the BCCI said on Monday. The tour is scheduled to take place from June 24 to July 23. "The Junior Cricket Committee has named D. Deepesh and Naman Pushpak as replacements for Aditya Rana and Khilan Patel, respectively, for the upcoming India U19 tour of England," the BCCI said in a statement. Both Deepesh and Naman were part of the standby players' list for the tour. Aditya sustained a stress fracture in his lower back, while Khilan suffered a stress reaction in his right leg during the ongoing high-performance camp at the BCCI Centre of Excellence. The team will be led by Ayush Mhatre, who shone for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025. The tour comprises a 50-over warm-up match at Loughborough University, followed by a five-match Youth One-Day series in Hove, Northampton and Worcester. Two multi-day matches against England U19 will be played at Beckenham and Chelmsford respectively. Wicketkeeper-batter Abhigyan Kundu has been appointed as the team's vice-captain. The squad also features 14-year-old explosive batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who amassed 252 runs, including a blistering 35-ball hundred, for Rajasthan Royals in the last IPL. Suryavanshi and Mhatre were also a part of India's runners-up finish at the U19 Asia Cup in the UAE last year. Updated India U19 squad: Ayush Mhatre (captain), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Vihaan Malhotra, Maulyarajsinh Chavda, Rahul Kumar, Abhigyan Kundu (vice-captain & WK), Harvansh Singh (WK), R. S. Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Henil Patel, Yudhajit Guha, Pranav Raghavendra, Mohammed Enaan, Anmoljeet Singh, D. Deepesh, Naman Pushpak. PTI AH AM AH AM AM
NDTV
6 days ago
- Sport
- NDTV
The Rise Of Aiden Markram: A Look At His Top 3 Knocks, After WTC Final Heroics
South African Aiden Markram played an innings of a lifetime at the World Test Championship final at Lord's, justifying years of backing despite patches of inconsistency. His class and talent were all on display as he played a stroke-filled century while anchoring the innings from one end. Markram, making his Test debut in 2017, currently has 2,993 runs in 46 Tests at an average of 36.50 with eight centuries and 13 fifties. He has proven to be a paradoxical player. While he is an absolute treat to the eyes, his inconsistency can frustrate fans. His composure and temperament stands amongst the very best in the game, but yet on many occasions, a rash hit has led to his departure from the crease. His not-so-remarkable numbers did attract calls from fans and experts to drop him, but the 30-year-old gave them all a befitting answer. Despite the patchy nature of his career, one thing is for sure, he is the man for the finals for his side. It all started on January 2014, when a young Markram, 19 years of age, played a well-compiled knock of 66* in 125 balls, helping South Africa chase 133 against Pakistan to guide the team to the U19 World Cup title, South Africa's first world title at any level of the game. Along with the World Cup, he walked away with the 'Player of the Tournament' award, for 370 runs in six matches, with two centuries and a fifty. He was the third-highest run-getter in the tournament. Then in 2023, he led South Africa to their only final appearance in white-ball cricket, during the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 at Barbados. While Markram was poor with the bat in the tournament and scored just four in the title clash, his leadership was top-notch, his bowling changes and field placements mostly brilliant. Proteas lost the final by seven runs thanks to a miraculous comeback scripted by the Indian pace attack, but it instilled in Proteas a self-belief needed for big matches. Then during the WTC final, Markram headed into the title clash with not-so-impressive record. In preceding eight calendar years in Tests, five of them saw him average below 40. His record in the knockout matches for Proteas was not spectacular either, with just 68 runs in four matches. However, with each classy drive and punch sent piercing through gaps, Markram proved his class. He dominated spin, continuing his unbeaten record against spin great Nathan Lyon. Even the pace trio of skipper Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood were handed some meaty blows. After a first innings duck, he displayed immense resillience, making a huge mental switch during the second innings. Instead of crumbling under pressure, Markram dropped the anchor and struck a fine partnership with skipper Temba Bavuma during a tough 282-run chase in a match which had seen both sides huff and puff to the 200-run mark. Markram's knock is the first century during a tournament final by a South African cricketer. While the previous June ended in a heartbreak, in the month of June this year, Markram produced a career-defining knock that could usher a new era for Test cricket in South Africa, which once faced criticism for sending a B-team during their tour to New Zealand earlier last year during the WTC cycle 2023-25. Best thing about time is, that it changes. Markram proved it in a way South Africans will remember for a long time.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wonderkid fulfils DESTINY by signing for Liverpool
Liverpool's latest signing Armin Pecsi is another example of this. It was the Hungarian wonderkid's destiny to play for the club. Pecsi's father, Imre, is a Liverpool fan. His son, Armin, was born in 2005 - the same year the Reds pulled off the miracle of Istanbul. Advertisement Growing up in Gyor, Armin, just like his father, became a fan of the Reds. Thousands of miles away from Liverpool, the youngster was wearing the club's colours with pride as he shared on his Instagram page announcing his arrival at the club. Three years ago, Pecsi was already walking around the Anfield dressing room. Back then, he made the visit while he was playing in U19 European qualifying matches in the north of England. Incidentally, it's here where he first caught the eye of scouts, playing a blinder against England's U19 team, making six saves and keeping a 10-men Hungary in the game, with his side narrowly losing 1-0. In between those qualifying matches, Hungary's team made a visit to Anfield, and had a tour around the stadium. Pecsi standing at the back with his long hair, will have already fulfilled a lifelong dream of visiting the famous stadium. Little did he know that three years later, he'd be there again, signing for the club. But before that, a few more significant things had to happen to forge Pecsi's arrival into destiny. Advertisement In 2023, Dominik Szoboszlai signed for Liverpool. Hungary's best player, Pecsi's countryman, signing for his beloved club. To make matters even better, by that point Pecsi was Szoboszlai's fellow colleague, with Matyas Esterhazy's EM Sports Consulting representing both of Hungary's promising stars. As a result, Pecsi had the opportunity to watch Szoboszlai in action during Hungary's winter break in the 2023/24 season. As shared on his Instagram, he attended a game back in December 2023. Even then, he couldn't have fathomed that he'd be signing for Liverpool and he'd soon get the opportunity to play at Anfield as player of the Reds. But that's now the prospect that awaits him.
