by Tanish Prabhu
It is raining sports events across the world and India are in the thick of the action as Hockey World Cup, Badminton World Championship and Test cricket series in Sri Lanka are hogging the limelight. Elsewhere, major upsets like Bangladesh shocking hosts Australia in a Test match, are also the highlights of the weekly international sports roundup.
HOCKEY & BADMINTON: MIXED RESULTS FOR INDIANS SO FAR
India men and women’s teams are in the Netherlands for the FIH Hockey World Cup with the men’s team winning the opening league match vs Wales (3-1) but losing the second tie vs England (2-4). The women’s team drew their opener 2-2 vs China before beating South Africa 6-1 in their second outing. India men will have to beat Pakistan in their last group stage match on Wednesday to stay alive. The women’s team have a chance of progressing even if they draw their final group game against England on 20th August. Over in the BWF World Badminton Championship in New Delhi, Indians made a great start with Ayush Shetty and PV Sindhu opening their respective campaigns with victories. The men’s and women’s doubles teams also tasted success in the respective openers.
DARWIN DESTRUCTION
You don’t see the Australian Cricket Team losing many games to lower ranked teams as much and no one really expects them to win, especially in Australian conditions, but Bangladesh proved that on the fourth day of the Top End Series in Darwin, beating Australia by 9 wickets.
Australia lost the moment Pat Cummins won the toss and batted first on a slow, green top that offered nothing for spinners, but by day two and three, the pace bowlers struggled to get any
momentum as well.
It was a historical moment for the Tigers, who never imagined such a victory against a better team who are table toppers in the World Test Championship. The problem was the selection and batting woes for Australia continue. 37-year-old Steve Smith dug Australia out of trouble on day 1. his patient, yet crucial innings of 72 runs took Australia to 198, but it wasn’t enough.
What does Australia really look like without Steve Smith once he walks away from the game in the next two years? Who will have the burden to carry the team on its legs in situations like
this? This clearly shows that Steve Smith is still the greatest test batsmen even at the end of his career and he has nothing else to prove, but the Australian team needs him.
Two of Australia’s underachieving batters, Marnus Labuschagne and Jake Wetherald have underperformed. Labuschagne has been out of form for two years, going into this test series without a century to his name. Every ball he has faced has found his weakness very quickly – edging the ball to the slips, a consistent issue that seems to never end. His spot in the team is in danger now and how long can the selectors show faith in him?
For Weatherlad, his technique has cost him his wicket because he keeps exposing the stumps every ball and he looks scared. The time to find a replacement is now. Wetherald has great numbers in domestic cricket but can’t replicate them at international level. The other player that has been on the radar is Cameron Green. Heading into his 38th test this Saturday, Green played his best test innings of his career of 104 before being dismissed, notching up his third test century for Australia in a losing cause.
But regardless of the result, it was an excellent innings under pressure. It showed how calm he was, the mindset was clear and he didn’t struggle to lose concentration. If he plays like that consistently, he will be more dangerous than ever, but he needs wickets too, to become an established allrounder for Australia.
Bangladesh won every session. They outplayed, out batted and out bowled Australia. Tanzin Tamim played a professional and positive innings for his century against Australia’s best
bowlers. He didn’t play irrational shots, nothing that would throw away his wicket and he was well supported by Monimul and Najumal Shanto. Hasan Mahmud finished the test match with 9
wickets for the match and was well supported by his fellow fast bowlers Taskin Ahmed and Edobat Hossain. The pitch didn’t offer much for spinners, but Mehidy Miraz and Taijul Islam put
the pressure on the Australian batters in the second innings, dotting up balls without giving away boundaries. It was an excellent piece of captaincy by the Bangladesh captain Najmul Shanto. Miraz finished with 5 wickets in the second innings.
What this says about Australia’s current test team is that their star veterans are the end of their careers. The average team age right now is in their mid 30s, with Cameron Green being the
youngest, [age 27]. Selectors have to discuss what is best for their players and what is the perfect team for the future. Australia has a long fixture next year after the summer of cricket, with the India series, Ashes and the World Cup being some of the biggest fixtures in 2027.
PADIKKAL SHINES WITH THE BAT IN SRI LANKA
Where has Devdutt Padikkal been all this time? The selectors have overlooked him consistently over the last two years, meanwhile Padikkal has been notching big scores in all formats in domestic cricket and in the ongoing test match against Sri Lanka, he has scored his
first test century for India in Galle.
India in a commanding position on day 3, but Sri Lanka have been fighting back since the lunch break. The pitch hasn’t offered much for the bowlers, with India finishing their innings on 462. Padikkal starred with 167 and India may have found their set number three batsmen,
they have long been searching for.
For three years, Inda have been experimenting on who is the perfect number three batsmen that could replace Cheteshwar Pujara. Shubman Gill failed, Sai Sudarshan was reasonable, but
Padikkal’s domestic scores have been the best of the lot, especially in the IPL for RCB. Have India finally found their number three set batsmen? Yes, they have.
AUSTRALIANS’ CHARGE IN CINCINNATI
Australia’s dominance at the Cincinnati Open is gathering momentum, with Alex De Minuar and Rinky Hijikata both advancing to the round of 32 as they continue their preparations for the US
Open.
De Minuar survived a major scare against France’s Quentin Halys, recovering from a disastrous opening set to prevail 1-6,6-3,7-6,7-4 in a contest that lasted more than two hours. The fifth seed had received a first round bye but looked anything but comfortable on court early on, but he raced through the first set very quickly.
The Australian’s response, however, demonstrated the resilience that has become a trademark of his game. De Minuar steadied himself after the poor start and refused to back down. After dropping serve twice in the opening set, he was not broken again, eventually forced a deciding set tie break before closing out the match. It was an important victory for the 27 year old, who is using this tournament as his opportunity to play well in the Masters 1000 before the US Open. His next game will be against British player Arthur Fery, who defeated Australian James Duckworth in a three set battle.
For De Minuar, the result represents more than simply another win. With the US Open approaching, every match provides an opportunity to sharpen his hard court game and build confidence before Grand Slam tennis returns to New York later this month.
While De Minuar had to fight for his place in the next round, the other Australian in form, Rinky Hijikata produced one of the tournaments greatest upsets. The 25 year old wildcard defeated rank 19th seed Luciano Darderi 6-4,6-2, producing a composed and lethal performance against the Italian.
Hijikata’s performance sees him face 14th seed Jakub Mensik, who has been playing hard tennis this year. The performances are particularly encouraging for Australia’s men’s tennis, but the consistency is weak. Both James Duckworth, Adam Walton and Chris O’Connell.had also recorded first round victories, although Duckworth fell to Fery and Thanasi Kokkinakis was eliminated. The results have provided reasons for optimism ahead of the US Open, with all the hope on De Minuar who once again stars on court playing for every Aussie fan and player who wants him to win.
But Cincinnati has also delivered a reminder that nothing can be taken for granted. Novak Djokovic was eliminated in the second round by Argentinean Thiago Agustin Tirante in three
sets. For De Minuar and Hijikata, however, the focus remains firmly on the next match. One is an established Australian star with raw talent, but hasn’t gone all the way in many tournaments,
while the other is a wildcard attempting to prove he belongs among the world’s best and to make a name for himself. And with the US Open not far away, their timing could not be any better.
