Latest national and international sports news transcript as of 1:30pm on 29 July 2024
Let’s start with the top cricket news: India defeats Sri Lanka by 7 wickets. Cameo appearances from Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya helped India earn 78 runs in 8 overs in a rain-shortened match against Sri Lanka at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele on Sunday, July 28. India achieved their target with 7 wickets to spare and 8 balls to spare. Earlier, Kushal Perera’s half-century helped Sri Lanka score 161/9 in 20 overs. India have now won the series 2-0 with one match to spare. The third T20I is scheduled for Tuesday, July 30 at the same venue at 7 pm IST.
In women’s cricket news, Sri Lanka won their first Women’s Asia Cup, beating India by eight wickets in the final at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium on Sunday, July 28. After winning the toss and batting first, India posted scores of 165/6 in the 20th over. However, a strong run from Chamari Athapattu, Harshita Samarawickrama and Kavisha Dilhari saw Sri Lanka secure the win in the 19th over. Sri Lanka were in trouble when Athapattu fell for 61 at the end of the 12th over. However, after dropping two catches in the field, Harshita fought back brilliantly to score a half-century.
England batsman Joe Root became the seventh batsman in Test match history to score 12,000 runs, achieving the milestone in the third Test match against the West Indies at Edgbaston on Saturday, July 27. Root achieved the feat with a four-run hit off Alzarri Joseph in the first ball of the second day at lunch to reach 62 runs. Former captain Root partnered current captain Ben Stokes to revive England’s innings with a 100-run+ stand for the sixth wicket. The hosts were reduced to 54 for five in the 12th over as they chased West Indies’ first innings total of 282. Root recorded his 95th fifty-plus score in a Test match during this knock, the sixth-best score among all batsmen.
In Olympic news, 28-year-old Nikhat Zareen took her time to get to this stage and her start reflected that. Zareen, who is good at keeping her distance, struggled to cope with Kareena’s lunges. As soon as that small misstep happened, she got in the zone and cruised to a crushing 5-0 win in her opening bout against Germany’s Maxi Kareena on Sunday, July 28. Zareen will next face Yu on Thursday. The match-up between the reigning women’s 50kg world champion and the reigning women’s 54kg world champion will likely be a tough first three-round bout for the Indian. Since Wu stepped down to the 50kg class, there haven’t been many challengers for her.
In a further update, 22-year-old Manu Bhakar became India’s first female shooter to win an Olympic bronze medal on Sunday, July 28. Manu is India’s fifth Olympic medallist in the sport, the youngest among them and the first since London 2012, when Gagan Narang and Vijay Kumar won medals. Sitting in the stands, coach Jaspal Rana left the final venue in tears moments after the last shot was fired. Next to him, about a dozen Indian fans broke down in a commotion. In front of them, national team coaches and officials hugged each other and slapped each other on the back.
Manu Bhakar’s first Olympic Games was shattered three years ago at the Tokyo Olympics when her gun malfunctioned. PM Modi was quick to remind her how she overcame that setback. Speaking to Manu over the phone, PM Modi said, “In Tokyo, the gun betrayed you. But this time you have overcome it all successfully. I am very happy to hear about your medal. You missed out on silver by 0.1 points but you still managed to win it and make all of us proud. You now have a double distinction to claim as India’s first medal at Paris 2024 and India’s first woman shooter to win an Olympic medal.”
Meanwhile, surfers competing in the surfing competition at Te Aupō, Tahiti, are staying on the Aranui 5 cruise ship, which is anchored about 45 minutes from the surfing venue. Organizers are calling it the first ever floating athlete village. The official Paris Olympics website states, “The decision to host surfing competitions in Te Aupō is in line with Paris 2024’s ambition to spread the Games across France. It offers the opportunity to involve the French overseas territories and their communities in the Olympic Games, as well as showcasing France’s rich and diverse traditions for the first time in history.” Te Aupō is already well known to surfers around the world, with its gigantic waves that can reach heights of 6.6 to 9.8 feet, sometimes reaching as high as 23 feet.
Finally, in hockey news, in the India vs New Zealand match at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris on Saturday, July 27, India’s goals were scored by Mandeep Singh in the 24th minute, Vivek Sagar Prasad in the 34th minute and Harmanpreet Singh in the 59th minute. Coach Fulton wanted control but the chaos that is characteristic of Indian hockey prevailed. India were not about to concede but turned the tide after Sam Lane scored from a penalty corner in the 8th minute. While searching for a goal they were vulnerable to counterattacks and Amit Rohidas made a vital interception to deny New Zealand a 2-0 lead.