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Goa Football Association should not have boycotted U-17 WC: Parrikar
Panaji, Sep 29 (IANS) The Goa Football Association should not have boycotted the FIFA U-17 World Cup because ego tussles cannot be bigger than a grand, global event, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Friday.
“The (Goa) football association has officially boycotted the World Cup. I basically think it is personal ego. I don’t think the association should boycott the World Cup. Even though they may find some issues not very comfortable to them, the event is beyond their egos. They should have participated,” Parrikar said on Friday, while speaking at the Dilip Sardessai Sports Excellence awards ceremony in the state capital.
Parrikar also noted that not a single football player from Goa, a state known for its football frenzy, was a part of the Indian team participating in the under-17 Fifa World Cup, blaming bickering between sports association members.
“The U-17 Indian team does not have a Goan player. That is not because we are not talented, that is because our associations are better than us politicians in fighting among themselves,” Parrikar said.
The global tournament featuring teams from 24 countries, which will being hosted by several Indian states, including Goa, kicks off on October 6.
–IANS
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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.