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Sandeep all gung-ho for 2015 Hockey India League
New Delhi: Still smarting from his side Punjab Warriors’ loss in the summit clash of the Hockey India League (HIL) last year, veteran penalty corner specialist Sandeep Singh Thursday promised to come out all guns blazing in the third edition of the league starting Jan 22, next year.
Sandeep scored 11 goals in the tournament last year but his side lost the final via penalty shoot-out to Delhi Waveriders. The 28-year-old had also topped the scorers’ chart in the inaugural edition of the league while playing for the now-defunct Mumbai Magicians.
“As you know the HIL 2015 will start next month, some of the players have already started preparing for it. I am currently working on various skills, sharpening myself in penalty corner and trying some new shots,” Sandeep said in a release.
“However, hockey is a team game, where everyone needs to contribute to win a match. Last season, we lost in the final, so this year, my only aim is to score maximum goals and lift the trophy. I am looking forward to the tournament.”
Sandeep also forms an integral part of the Warriors’ defence, which includes world champions Australia’s skipper Mark Knowles and Christopher Ciriello.
The Punjab side also has big names like the five-time International Hockey Federation (FIH) Player of the Year Jamie Dwyer, Australian strikers Kieran Govers and Simon Orchard, Indian forward S.V. Sunil, former Argentina captain Lucas Rey and Dutch goalkeeper Jaap Stockmaan.
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Sunil Gavaskar gives his opinion of GT allrounder Rahul Tewatia
The left-handed batsman from Haryana is garnering praise from all quarters for the way he’s finishing games regularly in the most exciting IPL season.
Gavaskar reckons Tewatia’s whirlwind knock in Sharjah (in IPL 2020) where he smashed West Indies pacer Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over, gave him the confidence that he belongs to the big stage.
Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, Gavaskar said, “That assault on Sheldon Cottrell in Sharjah gave him the belief to do the impossible and the confidence that he belongs here. We saw the impossible (he did with the bat) the other day as well. There’s no twitching or touching the pads (which shows a batter’s nervousness) when he bats in the death overs. He just waits for the ball to be delivered and plays his shots. He’s got all the shots in the book, but most importantly his temperament to stay cool in a crisis is brilliant.”
Gavaskar has also nicknamed the 28-year-old cricketer the ‘ice-man’ and lauded Tewatia’s ability to remain unruffled during the tense moments.