Sports
“Isn’t fair” to compare I-League to Indian Super League: Kushal Das
New Delhi: Kushal Das who is the All India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary today stated that it “isn’t fair” to compare the I-League to the cash-rich Indian Super League (ISL).
“There’s always a comparison among the ISL and the Hero I-League which isn’t fair. The ISL was created for a purpose and it has had a rub-on effect on the Hero Federation Cup and the Hero I-League. The appetite for football has been created and it’s here to grow from here,” Das said at the FICCI Goal 2015 meet at the FICCI Federation House here.
It was in October 2014 that the inaugural edition of the ISL kicked off amidst much fanfare at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. The final in Mumbai saw Atletico de Kolkata lift the trophy, beating Kerala Blasters FC 1-0.
“The I-League should be compared from what it was some three years back. At that time, we didn’t have a sponsor while today Hero is on board for support for three editions. Today, courtesy the ISL, we can today afford to have all matches under the floodlights. The rub-on effect has been splendid.”
Speaking about the AIFF’s future endeavours, Das mentioned about the launch of the ‘AIFF Strategic Plan.’
“We have a four-year Strategic Plan. It was launched by Jerome Valcke, secretary general, FIFA in 2014. We sat down with all the stakeholders, did a situational and a swot analysis and that’s how the roadmap was created. Now we know exactly what to do,” Das said.
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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.