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I-League to merge with ISL in next few years: AIFF
Kolkata: All India Football Federation general secretary Kushal Das said on Saturday that the Indian Super League (ISL) and the I-League football tournaments would be merged in the next two to three years.
The second edition of ISL will commence on October 3, following which the I-League will begin.
“We will have only one league in the next two to three years, but how to merge these two together is being planned out,” Das told reporters here while attending I-league Mohun Bagan’s 125th year celebrations at the Netaji Indoor Stadium.
Das also said Indian football needs a shake up.
“Its been long that there’s been no change in football here, it needs a shake up, we have roadmap and even all stakeholders have the same view of having just one league.”
Asked about the plight of struggling I-League clubs Bharat FC and Pune FC who are rumoured to be contemplating shutting shop, Das said, “We have not received anything officially, AIFF president Praful Patel will meet officials of both clubs to discuss the issue.”
“If need be both these clubs can be merged together. They have complained of their diminishing fan base, so we have dismissed a bid from Bengaluru because they already have a team”, he 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.