Sports
Saina to become World No.1
New Delhi: Come Thursday when the Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings are revised, Saina Nehwal will become the first Indian woman to be ranked No.1 in singles.
Following reigning World Champion Carolina Marin’s semi-final loss to Ratchanok Intanon at the India Open Superseries here on Saturday, Saina’s way became clear to notch the top spot ahead of her own semi-final, which she plays later in the day.
Spaniard Carolina and Saina were in the race to grab the coveted position in the absence of China’s top ranked Li Xuerui.
It is only a formality for the 25-year-old Saina who will overtake reigning Olympic champion Xuerui on Thursday to become the first non-Chinese woman to be No.1 since December 2010 when Denmark’s Tine Baun was the top ranked shuttler.
The Indian will play her semi-final at the $275,000 event being held at the Siri Fort Sports Complex when she takes on Japan’s Yui Hashimoto.
Home
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.