Tag Archives: India Records

INTERNATIONAL: SPORTS / WRESTLING: Sangeeta Phogat Wins Bronze Medal At Hungary Ranking Series Wrestling Tournament

Sangeeta Phogat lost her semifinal but won the bronze play-off 6-2 against young Hungarian Viktoria Borsos, the U-20 World Championship silver medallist.

Sangeeta Phogat, one of the six wrestlers who protested against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh at Jantar Mantar, on Saturday won a bronze medal in the non-Olympic 59kg category that featured six grapplers at the Hungary Ranking Series tournament. Sangeeta began with a crushing defeat by fall but bounced back with a win in her second bout. She lost her semifinal but won the bronze play-off 6-2 against young Hungarian Viktoria Borsos, the U-20 World Championship silver medallist. Sangeeta, who won the National Championship in the 62kg last year, began with a defeat by fall against American Jennifer Page Rogers.

The contest lasted just 80 seconds with the American pulling away with a right leg attack that led to a take-down and multiple rolls. Eventually, the American got herself in a position to pin Sangeeta.

In her next bout against America’s Brenda Olivia Reyna, the Indian managed to shake off rust and was quick with her movement. She went into the break with a 4-2 lead and kept consolidating to finally win the bout by technical superiority.

One win and one defeat in six-wrestler draw put her in the semifinal against Poland’s Magdalena Urszula Glodek.

Sangeeta initiated double-leg attacks but lacked power to convert those moves into points. Still she led twice, first 2-0 and then 4-2m but Glodek’s counter-attacking moves were good enough to race to a close 6-4 win.

In the bronze play-off against local favourite Borsos, Sangeeta took the lead with a take-down move. The Hungarian fought back to make it 2-2 but Sangeeta soon launched a fast and furious attack.

Borsos put up a good defence but Sangeeta breached it for a 4-2 lead.

In the second period, Sangeeta did not lose a single point and added two to her kitty to take the bronze medal.

source/content: sports.ndtv.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: INDIA IN FRANCE: Indian Military Contingent Marches in Paris to Sare Jahan Se Accha, July 14th

Indian military contingents with connections to France dating back over a century to both World Wars, marched in the Bastille Day parade, while IAF Rafale jets took part in the flypast.

The strains of Sare Jahan Se Accha rang through the Champs-Élysées on July 14, as a 242-member Indian military contingent marching in France’s Bastille Day parade saluted chief guest Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron. Welcoming Mr. Modi, Mr. Macron said that India was “a giant in world history, with a decisive role to play in the future, a strategic partner, a friend.”

Both the marching contingent and the band have historical connections to France, being some of the oldest units of the Indian Army. They fought in both World Wars, with many members laying down their lives in battlefields here and being decorated for their sacrifices.

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“This July 14, soldiers and Rafale aircraft from India are marching and flying alongside our troops. We honour the memory of those who fought with the French in the First World War. We shall never forget,” Mr. Macron said on Twitter.

Bastille Day, which is France’s national day, marks the anniversary of the storming of the infamous Bastille prison in 1789 during the French Revolution. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was the first Indian chief guest at a Bastille Day parade in 2009. Mr. Modi became the second Indian PM to play this role, as India and France mark 25 years of their strategic partnership this year.

IAF Rafales in flypast

The parade began with a flypast by French aircraft, showing the colours of the French national flag, followed by a formation of three Rafale fighter jets of the Indian Air Force and a French Air Force Rafale. The marching contingents began as the flypast ended.

The Indian Army contingent, comprising 68 marching personnel from the Punjab Regiment and 38 band members from the Rajputana Rifles, was led by Captain Aman Jagtap. Their brisk march in unison, hands swinging high, drew applause and appreciation from many onlookers as well as several members of the French military.

World War memories

Indian troops saw participation across theatres in both World Wars. Over 1.3 million Indian soldiers participated in World War I; almost 74,000 of these fought in the trenches and never returned, while another 67,000 were wounded. In World War II, a staggering 2.5 million Indian soldiers fought in locales from Asia to Africa and Europe, including the battlefields of France.

Troops of the Punjab Regiment took part in both World Wars, as well as in post-independence operations. In World War I, they were awarded 18 Battle and Theatre Honours. “The gallant soldiers fought in Mesopotamia, Gallipoli, Palestine, Egypt, China, Hongkong, Damascus and France,” the Army said, in a statement. “In France, they took part in an offensive near Neuve Chapelle in September 1915 earning the Battle Honours ‘Loos’ and ‘France and Flanders’. In World War II, they earned 16 Battle Honours and 14 Theatre Honours.”

The Rajputana Rifles is the seniormost rifle regiment of the Indian Army and took part in some of the bloodiest battles of both the World Wars. The band of the Regiment was raised in 1920 at Nasirabad, Rajasthan. “During the World War II, the battalions of the Regiment fought in every theatre where the Indian Army was involved. They are the recipient of six Victoria Cross prior to independence,” the Army said.

Navy destroyer in France

The Naval contingent comprised four officers and 64 sailors, and was led by Cdr. Vrat Baghel, a specialist in gunnery and missile warfare who earlier sailed on the French ship BCR Var during bilateral exercise Varuna. His three deputies were Lt. Cdr. Disha Amrith, who led the Indian Navy contingent at the Republic Day Parade 2023, Lt. Cdr. Rajat Tripathi, and Lt. Cdr. Jittin Lalitha Dharmaraj.

In addition to the contingent, the Indian Navy was also represented by INS Chennai, an indigenously designed and constructed guided missile destroyer, which is on deployment to France from July 12 to 16. The ship’s crew represented India at the Bastille Day celebrations at Brest, a port city in northwestern France, the Navy said.

IAF’s French connection

The IAF flying contingent in Paris comprised four Rafale fighter jets, two C-17 Globemasters, and 72 IAF personnel. The IAF observed that many Indians — including Welinkar, Shivdev Singh, H.C. Dewan and Jumbo Majumdar — fought over the skies of France during the two World Wars. Some, like Jumbo Majumdar, were also decorated for their gallant actions over the Falaise Gap during the terminal phase of World War II, the IAF noted.

In addition, the IAF has a long history of operating French aircraft, starting with the Ouragan, followed by fighter aircraft like the Breguet Alize, Mystere IVA, SEPECAT Jaguar, and Mirage 2000, with the Rafale jets being the latest in this illustrious line. Helicopters Alouette-III and Lama continue to fly with the three services, acting as a lifeline in remote high altitude areas. The IAF’s marching contingent was commanded by Squadron Leader Sindhu Reddy, a helicopter pilot who has extensively flown the Alouette-III.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: INDIA’s PROGRESS: 415 million Indians Came out of Multidimensional Poverty in 15 years, says UNDP study

The UN report noted that deprivation in all indicators declined in India and “the poorest States and groups, including children and people in disadvantaged caste groups, had the fastest absolute progress.”

A total of 415 million people moved out of poverty in India within just 15 years from 2005/2006 to 2019/2021, the United Nations (UN) said on July 11, highlighting the remarkable achievement by the world’s most populous nation.

The latest update of the global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) was released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) at the University of Oxford.

It said that 25 countries, including India, successfully halved their global MPI values within 15 years, showing that rapid progress is attainable. These countries include Cambodia, China, Congo, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Morocco, Serbia, and Vietnam.

In April, India surpassed China to become the world’s most populous nation with 142.86 crore people, according to UN data. “Notably, India saw a remarkable reduction in poverty, with 415 million people exiting poverty within a span of just 15 years (2005/6–19/21),” the report said.

“The report demonstrates that poverty reduction is achievable. However, the lack of comprehensive data during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic poses challenges in assessing immediate prospects,” it said.

In India, 415 million poor people moved out of poverty from 2005/2006 to 2019/2021, with incidence falling from 55.1% in 2005/2006 to 16.4% in 2019/2021.

In 2005/2006, about 645 million people were in multidimensional poverty in India, with this number declining to about 370 million in 2015/2016 and 230 million in 2019/2021.

The report noted that deprivation in all indicators declined in India and “the poorest States and groups, including children and people in disadvantaged caste groups, had the fastest absolute progress.” According to the report, people who are multidimensionally poor and deprived under the nutrition indicator in India declined from 44.3% in 2005/2006 to 11.8% in 2019/2021, and child mortality fell from 4.5% to 1.5%.

“Those who are poor and deprived of cooking fuel fell from 52.9% to 13.9% and those deprived of sanitation fell from 50.4% in 2005/2006 to 11.3% in 2019/2021,” according to the report.

In the drinking water indicator, the percentage of people who are multidimensionally poor and deprived fell from 16.4 to 2.7 during the period, electricity (from 29% to 2.1%) and housing from 44.9% to 13.6%.

The report said that countries with different incidences of poverty also halved their global MPI value. While 17 countries that did so had an incidence under 25% in the first period, India and Congo had a starting incidence above 50%.

India was among the 19 countries that halved their global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) value during one period – for India it was 2005/2006–2015/2016.

According to the 2023 release, 1.1 billion out of 6.1 billion people (just more than 18%) live in acute multidimensional poverty across 110 countries. Sub-Saharan Africa (534 million) and South Asia (389 million) are home to approximately five out of every six poor people.

Nearly two-thirds of all poor people (730 million people) live in middle-income countries, making action in these countries vital for reducing global poverty. Although low-income countries constitute only 10% of the population included in the MPI, these are where 35% of all poor people reside.

Children under the age of 18 account for half of MPI-poor people (566 million). The poverty rate among children is 27.7%, while among adults, it is 13.4%. Poverty predominantly affects rural areas, with 84% of all poor people living in rural areas. Rural areas are poorer than urban areas across all regions of the world.

Countries halved their MPI in periods as short as four to 12 years, demonstrating the feasibility of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of halving poverty according to national definitions within 15 years.

“Thus, it is crucial to consider context-specific multidimensional poverty indices that reflect national definitions of poverty since the global MPI assesses multidimensional poverty with the same methodology,” the report said.

The agencies, however, added that despite these encouraging trends, the lack of post-pandemic data for most of the 110 countries covered by the global MPI restricts the understanding of the pandemic’s effects on poverty.

“As we reach the mid-point of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we can clearly see that there was steady progress in multidimensional poverty reduction before the pandemic,” the Director of the Human Development Report Office, Pedro Conceição, said.

“However, the negative impacts of the pandemic in dimensions such as education are significant and can have long-lasting consequences. It is imperative that we intensify efforts to comprehend the dimensions most negatively affected, necessitating strengthened data collection and policy efforts to get poverty reduction back on track,” Mr. Conceição added.

A press release issued by the UNDP said that judging from the few countries where data were solely collected in 2021 or 2022 – Mexico, Madagascar, Cambodia, Peru, and Nigeria – momentum on poverty reduction may have persisted during the pandemic.

Cambodia, Peru, and Nigeria showed significant reductions in their most recent periods, offering hope that progress is still possible. In Cambodia, the most encouraging case among these, the incidence of poverty fell from 36.7% to 16.6%, and the number of poor people halved, from 5.6 million to 2.8 million, all within 7.5 years, including the pandemic years (2014–2021/22).

However, the full impacts globally remain to be measured, it said. With a renewed emphasis on data collection, “we need to broaden the picture to include the impacts of the pandemic on children,” the press release said.

“In over half the countries covered, there was either no statistically significant reduction in child poverty or the MPI value fell more slowly among children than among adults during at least one period. This suggests that child poverty will continue to be a pressing issue, particularly in relation to school attendance and undernutrition,” it said.

Director of OPHI at the University of Oxford, Sabina Alkire, said the scarcity of data on multidimensional poverty is hard to comprehend, let alone justify.

“The world is reeling under a data deluge and gearing up for the next era of digital growth. Yet we do not have a post-pandemic line of sight for 1 billion of the 1.1 billion poor people,” Ms. Alkire said.

“This problem is eminently solvable – data on multidimensional poverty are faster to gather than most realise – requiring just 5% of questions in the surveys we use. We call on funders and data scientists to make a breakthrough on poverty data, so the interconnected deprivations that strike poor people in real-time can be tracked – and intercepted,” she added.

The global MPI monitors poverty reduction and informs policy, showing how people experience poverty in different aspects of their daily lives – from access to education and health to living standards such as housing, drinking water, sanitation and electricity.

The MPI as a poverty index can be pictured as a stacked tower of the interlinked deprivations experienced by poor individuals, with the aim of eliminating these deprivations.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: REGION – ASIA: The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) Adjudged as Asia’s Best Member Athletics Federation by the Asian Athletics Association (AAA)

The Athletics Federation of India has been adjudged as the best member federation in Asia by the Asian Athletics Association.

Olympian Adille Sumariwalla, the AFI president, received the award at the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Asian Athletics Association in Bangkok on Monday.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

GLOBAL: BUSINESS & ECONOMY: INVESTING DESTINATION: India Pips China as Most Attractive Emerging Market for Investing: Invesco Global report

As per the report, India is a better story now in terms of business and political stability.

India has overtaken China as the most attractive emerging market for investing for sovereign wealth funds in 2023 due to its solid demographics, political stability and proactive regulation, a report said on Monday.

The Invesco Global Sovereign Asset Management report has captured the views of 142 chief investment officers, heads of asset classes, and senior portfolio strategists from 85 sovereign wealth funds and 57 central banks. Collectively, these institutions manage about $21 trillion in assets.

As per the report, India is a better story now in terms of business and political stability. In addition, fast-growing demographics, good regulation initiatives, and a very friendly environment for sovereign investors are the positives for the country.

“India has now overtaken China as the most attractive emerging market for investing in emerging market debt,” the report stated.

The report noted that India is among a number of countries, including Mexico and Brazil, that are benefitting from increased foreign corporate investment aimed at both domestic and international demand. This was seen as helping fund current account deficits as well as support currencies and domestic assets including debt.

In addition, India and South Korea continue to be the most attractive destinations for increasing exposure, the report noted. Going by the report, emerging markets offer a range of attractive investment opportunities in both public and private markets.

The report found inflation as the most significant short-term risk to global economic growth. This was followed by rising geopolitical risk, tight monetary policy, supply chain disruptions and impact of climate change on environment as other risks.

Central banks looking to combat yield volatility and inflation risk see gold as a safe-haven asset. This spurred record gold purchases in 2022, a trend prevailing into the first quarter of 2023, it added.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: SPORTS / ATHLETICS / DISCUS: Silver for Seema Punia in 33rd Qosanov Memorial Athletics, Kazakhstan, Achieves AFI’s Asiad qualification mark

Discus thrower Seema Punia opened her international season with a season-best 57.35m for a silver medal at the 33rd Qosanov memorial athletics meet in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on Saturday.

That saw the 2014 Asian Games gold medallist, who will be 40 later this month, achieve the Athletics Federation of India’s qualification mark (57m) for this September’s Asian Games in China.

Thailand’s Subenrat Insaeng, a bronze medallist at the 2019 Asian Championship in Doha, took the gold with 59.57m.

Iran’s Farzaneh Fasihi surprised Kazakhstan’s Asian champion Olga Safronova and emerged the meet’s fastest woman, winning the 100m in a personal best 11.41s.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: SPORTS/ ATHLETICS / JAVELIN: Neeraj Chopra Wins for 02nd Consecutive Time the ‘Diamond League’ Title in Lausanne, Switzerland 

Chopra who started with a foul, had to wait till his fifth throw to lead the field with a distance of 87.66m.

Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra clinched the prestigious Diamond League title for the second consecutive time by throwing his spear to 87.66m on Friday.

But the coveted 90m mark eluded the star Indian javelin thrower yet again.

Coming back from a one-month injury lay-off, Chopra’s title-winning performance at the Lausanne leg in challenging conditions was below his own top-10 efforts but he still stamped his authority in the prestigious One-day meet.

The 25-year-old Chopra, who had skipped three top events due to a muscle strain he sustained last month, had won the season-opening Diamond League in Doha on May 5 with his fourth career-best throw of 88.67m.

“I was feeling a bit nervous coming back from an injury. It was a bit cold here tonight. I am still far from my best, but I feel it is getting better,” Chopra said after his win.

It was a cloudy day with the temperature during the men’s javelin throw event recording 17 degree Celsius and humidity at 78 per cent.

“I am relieved it is coming together well for me. A win is a win and I will take that happily.”

Chopra began with a foul and then had 83.52m and 85.04m throws.

He had another foul in the fourth round before coming up with his title-winning throw of 87.66m next.

His sixth and last throw was 84.15m.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first to congratulate the champion athlete on his latest achievement.

“Congratulations to @Neeraj_chopra1 for shining at the Lausanne Diamond League. Thanks to his extraordinary performances, he has finished at the top of the table. His talent, dedication and relentless pursuit of excellence is commendable,” PM Modi tweeted.

Germany’s Julian Weber was second with a best throw of 87.03m, while Tokyo Olympics silver medallist and season-leader Jakub Vadlejch (SB: 89.51m) of the Czech Republic was third with an 86.13m effort.

Reigning world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada, who has been struggling for form, was fifth with a best throw of 82.23m.

Chopra had won the Lausanne leg in August last year also for his maiden Diamond League title.

A month later, he became the first Indian Diamond League champion after winning the 2022 grand finale in Zurich.

The Indian superstar, who has a personal best of 89.94m, cemented his top spot in the Diamond League standings with 16 points, followed by Vadlejch (13 points) and Weber (12 points).

Following the Lausanne event, men’s javelin throw will also be a part of the roster in the Monaco and Zurich legs on July 21 and August 31 respectively before the Diamond League grand finale in Eugene, USA, on September 16-17.

On May 29, Chopra issued a statement, informing about his injury.

He pulled out of the FBK Games on June 4 at Hengelo (the Netherlands), Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland on June 13 and Ostrava Golden Spike meet in the Czech Republic on June 27.

All three meets were World Athletics Continental Tour gold events.

But he did not miss any Diamond League competition as the subsequent legs in Rabat, Rome, Paris and Oslo did not have men’s javelin events on the roster.

In the men’s long jump, India’s Murali Sreeshankar finished fifth with a below-par jump of 7.

88m which he achieved in the third round.

The 24-year-old Sreeshankar, who had clinched the third spot in the Paris leg on June 9 for his maiden Diamond League podium finish, had produced a career-best 8.

41m during the National Inter-State Championships in Bhubaneswar earlier this month.

LaQuan Nairn of Bahamas, who beat Sreeshankar for the gold in the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, took the top spot with a third-round jump of 8.11m.

Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece was second with an 8.07m effort while Yuki Hashioka of Japan was third with a jump of 7.98m.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: DEFENCE / GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS: Indian Marching Contingents of 3 Services, Military Band, Rafale Jets of IAF to take part on July 14th, French Bastille Day Parade, Paris

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will witness the event as the Chief Guest; India and France are celebrating the 25th anniversary of a strategic partnership that was launched in 1998.

Marching contingents of the three Services and a military band, making up a total of 242 personnel, will take part in the French Bastille Day parade on July 14 in Paris, while three Rafale fighter jets of Indian Air Force (IAF) will be part of the flypast as Prime Minister Narendra Modi witnesses it as the Chief Guest.

Each Service contingent will have 68 personnel while the military band will have 38 personnel, adding up to 242 personnel, the parade plan released by France shows.

Mr. Modi has accepted the invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron to be the Guest of Honour at the Bastille Day Parade. An official press release from the Ministry of External Affairs had said that a contingent of the Indian Armed Forces will participate in the parade which marks “liberty, equality and fraternity”.

Mr. Modi’s visit to France also comes as India and France are celebrating the 25th anniversary of a strategic partnership that was launched in 1998. Earlier, in 2009, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh participated in the July 14 celebrations.

The visit comes amid a hectic diplomatic calendar for India and international travel for Mr. Modi as India hosts the G20 and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summits, the G7 outreach and Quad summit in May, as well as several other bilateral visits, both incoming and outgoing

In another instance, the IAF is planning to host a multilateral air exercise Tarang Shakti at the end of this year and approval from the Defence Ministry is awaited. “The plan is to invite 12 friendly foreign countries with whom we interact regularly and have a certain degree of interoperability,” a senior defence official said, adding that, of these, six countries will be with a fighter compliment while the other six would be present as observers.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: MARINE & FISHERIES: Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) Scientists Facilitate Successful Cultivation of Indian Pompano through Cage Fish Culture in Padhthonse Village, Udupi district

A team of scientists from the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Mangaluru, has facilitated successful cultivation of Indian Pompano (Trachinotus mookalee) for the first time in Karnataka in the Swarna estuary at Padhthonse village, Udupi district, and its harvest was done from June 2 to June 26.

The pilot project began last November under the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan Programme, wherein the beneficiaries got hands-on training in various aspects of cage culture.

Indian Pompano fingerlings, measuring 2-3 cm, were procured from the marine finfish hatchery of the Vishakhapatnam Regional Centre of ICAR-CMFRI.

About 4,000 fingerlings, each weighing 3-4 gm, were released into cages at a density of 40-50 fishes per cubic metre after acclimatising them to the local condition.

The fingerlings were fed pelleted floating feed twice a day, amounting to 5% of their body weight, said a release from CMFRI-Mangaluru.

After a five-month grow-out period, the Indian Pompano was harvested in batches between June 2 and 26. The average growth observed during this period was 400-450 gm, resulting in a total harvest of 1,300 kg with survival rate of 90%.

The beneficiaries sold the harvested fish locally, fetching prices ranging from ₹450 to ₹490 per kg generating ₹6.1 lakh revenue. With expenses at ₹3.75 lakh, the net profit earned was ₹2.35 lakh in six months.

Success of the pilot would not only provide alternative livelihood for SC families, but also help other local communities. The success has demonstrated the rapid growth rate of Indian Pompano to reach the preferred table-size in six months and the favourable market demand for the same.

Cage cultivation of fish in coastal Karnataka began in 2009-10 in coastal rivers with over 900 cages being installed in estuaries till now.

The Fisheries Department, the National Fisheries Development Corporation etc., extended financial support to over 500 families. Seabass, Red Snapper and Snubnose Pompano were among the species grown in cages.

The research programme was led by A.P. Dineshbabu and his team of scientists comprising Sujitha Thomas, Geetha Sasikumar, Rajesh K. M., and Divya Viswambharan.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: SPORTS /CRICKET: INDIAN ORIGIN: From Marketing to being Holland’s Matchwinner, Andhra-born Anil Teja Nidamanuru hopes to play World Cup in India

The right-hand batter from Vijayawada hopes his team qualifies for the World Cup so that he can play in India with his family members watching him from the stands.

Chasing a mammoth target of 375 against West Indies in their ICC World Cup Qualifier match in Harare on Monday, the Netherlands were 170/4 after 29.1 overs when skipper Scott Edwards joined Anil Teja Nidamanuru in the middle.

Born in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, Anil then stitched together a 143-run partnership with his captain for the fourth wicket. The 28-year-old Anil might have lost his wicket before the Netherlands shocked the two-time world champions in a Super Over thriller but it was his quickfire hundred (111 off 76 balls, 11×4, 3×6), which is also the fastest ODI century by a Dutch player, that kept his team in the match.

Having played 16 ODIs for the Dutch side so far, Anil must have enjoyed the latest innings the most. The win could act as a catalyst for the team as the Netherlands now have a realistic chance of making it to the World Cup scheduled in India in October-November this year. And Anil would definitely want that to happen as he wants to exhibit his skills in a country where it all started more than two decades ago.

“It will be a dream come true to come to India and play. India loves cricketers, it’s a part of their culture. It would mean everything to me, especially with my family in attendance. Having them at the ground would be nicer,” the right-hand batter told this daily from Harare after his team’s memorable victory.

With his mother Padmavathi Pallekona studying and working in Singapore, Anil grew up at his grandparents’ home in Vijayawada.

“My grandfather Pitchia Shastri bought me the first cricket bat there (Vijayawada) and encouraged me to play. When I was six, my mother got a job in Auckland and we both moved to New Zealand. Say it a coincidence, my mother’s hospital where she got the job was next to Cornwall Cricket Club, the venue where Kiwi greats like Martin Crowe and Mark Greatbatch honed their talent. I also started training there once we settled in Auckland.”

Anil played age-group cricket in the city before making his List A debut for Auckland Aces at the age of 23 in 2018. He also went on to play T20 and one-dayers for the team but given the tough competition, he could never become the permanent fixture of the team.

“I worked very hard to get into that team but never managed to cement my place. The best way to continue playing cricket was to go abroad so I started playing as an overseas professional for clubs in England. The weather permitted me to do so as when it was winter in New Zealand, it was summer in England. So in that way, I could play cricket throughout the year.”

‘Played cricket after working 40 hours a week’

However, by then Anil, who also bowls right-arm off-break, has started looking for a full-time contract. He had two options back then — either move to Ireland or Netherlands.

“In 2019, I decided to go to the Netherlands for six months. But the stint which was supposed to be of six months extended as I got a job in the marketing department of a technology company. My initial aim was to live and work hard but somewhere back in my mind there was always that dream of playing cricket. Work was the driving force but cricket was my passion. So despite working 40 hours a week, I started doing fitness training in the morning and cricket training in the evening after work.”

The hard work paid off as he made his international debut against West Indies in an ODI on May 31 last year. His team might have lost the match but Anil scored an unbeaten 58 to impress all and sundry.

“The team management is very understanding. They are very supportive as they let me work as well as play. I know hard work is the only option so I make maximum use of time I have after work. But it wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Netherlands coaches, support staff and everyone associated with the game in the country. The coaches especially head coach Ryan Cook take time out for me so that I can do one-on-one quality training. The trainers, the support staff they all are very supportive.”

Speaking on the game plan while chasing the improbable total against the mighty West Indies, Anil said, “Chasing 375, there is only one way to play. The openers gave us a good platform. Given the momentum we had, we just have to be positive. As far as I was concerned, my strategy was to be positive for the first 2-3 balls of every over. The icing on the cake is the Super Over win. It really means a lot as a century wouldn’t have made me happy had we lost the game. Credit goes to the boys, the coaching and support staff.”

‘Kohli, a role model on and off the field’

Like many players across the globe, Anil is a big fan of India’s star batter, Virat Kohli.

“Of course, it has to be Kohli for a number of reasons. I have scored only two international centuries so far but here is he who has scored more than 70 hundreds. I really loved the way he goes about his game. We played against him in the T20 World Cup in Australia. I was amazed at how he constructed his innings. Besides, the way he carries himself off the field. He is fully professional and a fitness freak. Basically a role model both on and off the field.”

Anil tries to visit India at least once a year but his work and cricket commitments mean he is forced to miss the trip quite often. The last time he visited the country was in March 2021.

“My grandfather passed away five years ago but my grandmother still lives there. I really hope we make it to the World Cup so that I come to India and play with my grandmother and family members watching me from the stands,” signed off Anil.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)