Sports
Keeper Gurpreet hails overseas scouting programme for U-17 World Cup
Margao : Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, the first Indian footballer to play in an Europa League tie, has hailed the overseas scouting portal to locate more talent for the Indian team which will take part in the Under-17 FIFA World Cup next year.
“It is a really good initiative by the AIFF and the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs. I understand the intent is to find potential players who can represent India in the FIFA U-17 World Cup. I hope it works and I wish all the luck for the people initiating it,” he told www.the-aiff.com from Norway.
Gurpreet who captained India to a 4-1 win in the last friendly against Puerto Rico in Mumbai lauded former India striker Abhishek Yadav, who heads the scouting project.
“It’s obviously a plus to have Abhishek bhai heading the initiative. He has played for India at the highest level and knows what kind of potential we require in order to compete with the best,” he said.
Elaborating on his experience in Norway where there are a lot of Indian residents living all over, Gurpreet informed that he has seen and heard about many Indian boys playing in various academies.
“I have seen some Indian kids in Norway and I have heard that clubs like Vålerenga Fotball, Strømsgodset IF and some other second division clubs located near Oslo have one or maybe more Indian origin kids playing for them and training in their academies,” he said.
“But I am not sure whether they hold a valid Indian Passport or not,” he admitted. “The best part stays that if they possess a valid Indian passport, they can apply.”
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.