š Fight or Flight
The Lankan resurgence in the IPL, Deepika Kumari's woes and everything you need to know about the Junior Women's WC
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Deepika Kumariās Woes
The nadir for Deepika Kumari came last week. The former World No.1 failed to make the cut for the Asian Games and Archery World Cups this year, after a poor showing at the national trials in Sonipat.
The downward spiral sheās been on post the Olympics has been sharp. Take a closer look at her performances and interviews in the past year and a clear pattern emerges.
"Everyone keeps saying we don't have a medal, we don't have a medal. We think of it a thousand times there, and it dominates our psyche. It's a mental blockade and goes on affecting our techniques.
- She said this in the immediate aftermath of the Olympics, after having missed out on qualification for the World Championships.
It was like a mela (fair)...No tension, no pressure, everyone's there to shoot arrows and enjoy themselves. That's the sort of attitude we need to build. We're always overthinking and sometimes taking on pressures that aren't even supposed to be ours."
- After taking a two-month break from the sport post the Olympics, Deepika and her husband Atanu Das went to Las Vegas for an indoor tournament or as she describes a āmelaā
Confidence ki lagi padi hai. (My confidence has taken a beating)
In a revealing interview with ESPN at the start of the month, she spoke vulnerably about her struggles. She was knocked out in the first month of the world ranking tournament in January because of which she was knocked off the government-supported Target Olympic Podium Scheme.
"In my early days, I was excited to just be able to go for competitions, nothing else mattered. As I turned older and I knew people were watching me and the pressure to win a medal grew," she says, "If you let that get to you, you lose focus. Khud ko hi bhool jaate hai (lose sight of ourselves)."
Another quote from the same ESPN interview.
āI'm sure we will upgrade ourselves further and return stronger from this debacle. We will definitely return with our best versions. It's about mental issues and we are working hard on it."
After she and her husband Atanu Das missed out on a spot in the Asian Games squad.
You donāt have to read too hard between the lines to realise that the pressure to win is hindering Deepikaās love for the sport and in turn, her performance. The pressure was immense in the buildup to Tokyo, where she entered as the the World No.1 and had won five World Cup medals leading to the Olympics. A medal seemed a certainty, the question was what colour would it be.
She spoke of how she felt sheāll never be able to lift a bow again in the two month break she took post the Olympics. Pardon us for our amateur psychoanalysis but perhaps the trauma of Tokyo wasnāt overcome in those two months?
"Pure ek saal ka chutti ho gaya hai,ā she said forlornly after her most recent debacle. Archery doesnāt feature in the Commonwealth Games this year so the Asian Games was the marquee event of the year. Rediscovering her love for the sport doesnāt seem a bad way to spend the year.
The Lankan Resurgence in the IPL
The island flavour brought by Wanindu Hasaranga and Bhanuka Rajapaksa was the dominant theme in week 2 of the IPL. The lack of Lankan players in the India leg of the IPL last year was a harrowing critique of how far Sri Lanka cricket has fallen. So the dominant showings of Hasaranga and Rajapaksa were heartening.
āIPL is a place where you try and get the best players in world cricket to come and play. And it's a good message for the Sri Lankan players to lift their game up, get competitive, so they could be part of the IPL on their merit," MI coach Mahela Jayawardene had said last year.
To understand how big of a deal it is for Lankans to play in the IPL, you just need to watch the YouTube live chat between Malinga and Hasaranga last year. When the spinner talks about receiving calls from two IPL teams, Malingaās face fills up with pride - āWanindu Hasaranga playing in the IPLā he says aloud, a massive smile breaking across his face. Itās all too overwhelming for Hasaranga; he grew up wanting to be a pace bowler and Malinga was his idol. Tears roll down his face.
Malinga has been Lankaās greatest export to the IPL and RCB fans will be hoping that Hasaranga leaves a similar legacy to his idol. Can the googly reach the iconic proportions the yorker did? Hasaranga was the first in-season guest to be interviewed by Mr. Nags. So heās already well on his way to achieving cult status.
But, everyone already knew Hasaranga would tear it up in the IPL. Rajapaksa has been a revelation. His star-turn in the IPL has been the most recent chapter in a story thatās been packed with twists and turns in the last few months.
In January, he declared his retirement from the game citing āfamilial reasonsā but was talked into withdrawing his resignation a few days later by the SLC. Rajapaksa had repeated run-ins with former Lanka coach Mickey Arthur over his fitness and was even fined US$ 5000 last year for being critical about his omission from the squad. His fitness saw him being dropped for the recent series against Australia and India. In fact, the last time he played for his country was at the T20 WC last year.
The Punjab management have a loyal critic-base but credit where itās due, they seem to have pulled off a coup with his purchase. āHe compares his batting style to Adam Gilchrist,ā read his Cricinfo bio. Maybe the association with Punjab was meant to be.
A Guide to the Junior Womenās Hockey WC for the uninitiated
What?
Itās a tournament for U-21 players that began in 1989. This is the 9th edition of the World Cup.
Where?
South Africa
When?
It began last Friday, with Netherlands routing USA 9-0 in the opening game. The WC was actually slated to take place in December last year but Omicron had other plans.
Who?
So normally 16 teams compete but Mr. Putinās actions led to Ukraine withdrawal a couple of days before the tournament began. Spain, Australia and New Zealand had already pulled out of the World Cup because of COVID concerns.
How has India done at this tournament historically?
This is our fifth appearance in the Junior Women WC. We missed out on qualification in 2016 but in the 2013 edition we won an improbable bronze medal. It was and remains our best showing in this tournament. Vandana Katariya and Rani Rampal were a part of that 2013 team, you may have heard of them.
Howās the team this year?
Hereās the funny thing - in the 20 player-squad, three played the Tokyo Olympics last year and eight others have played for the senior team.
Salima Tete, who was part of that iconic Olympics team, is the captain. She also led India in the 2018 Youth Olympics where they won a Silver medal.
Do we stand a chance this year?
Thereās been an air of confidence to the team in the buildup to the World Cup and so far theyāve backed it up with strong performances. They beat Wales 5-1 in their opening game and followed it up with a dominant 2-1 win over Germany. Weāve qualified for the quarterfinals with a game in hand. We can dare to dream!
Thatās exciting! Where can I watch the matches?
All the games can be streamed on watch.hockey for free!
Chak De India!
Dude, your only reference point for womenās hockey canāt be a 15 year-old film. Please stop.
Person of Interest
While India had an early exit at the Womenās World Cup, there was Indian representation in the Final. GS Lakshmi, a former Railways cricketer, was the match referee for the England - Australia game on Sunday.
After a stellar career in the domestic circuit, Lakshmi began officiating matches in 2008 and has since embarked on a journey that has taken her to dizzying heights.
In 2019, Lakshmi became the first woman to be included in the ICC International Panel of Match Referees. In December that year, she created history by becoming the first woman to officiate a Menās ODI game.
"I want to officiate in the Women's World Cup, both the ODI and T20I tournaments, especially in the final. Cricket, and more specifically women's cricket, has got me to where I am today, so my heart is still with the women's game,ā she said in an interview in May 2019.
She literally spoke her dreams into reality. Sunday may have belonged to the mighty Australians but it was a historic day for Indian cricket too.
Direct Hits
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