Sanjay Bangar appointed RCB's head coach
Bengaluru(PTI): Indian Premier League side Royal Challengers Bangalore on Tuesday elevated its batting consultant Sanjay Bangar to the post of head coach for the next two years.
Banxar, who was appointed as the side's batting consultant in February, will be taking over the reins from Mike Hesson.
Hesson, who remains with the team in his existing role as Director of Cricket Operations, had donned the additional hat of head coach for the second leg of the IPL in UAE after Australian Simon Katich stepped down due to personal reasons.
"Today we have appointed Sanjay Bangar as head coach of the RCB for next two years," Hesson said in video posted by RCB's official Twitter handle.
"Sanjay is highly respected as a coach, primarily know as a batting coach, he certainly has far more expertise than just that.
"Sanjay is very good at building relationships with the players and support staff, he does that through his expert knowledge, which is a key element we are looking for in terms of growing and developing our group so we are title contenders," Hesson added.
Bangar comes with vast experience having served as the batting coach of the Indian men's senior team for five years from 2014 when Ravi Shastri took over as team director. He continued in the role till the 2019 World Cup before being replaced by Vikram Rathour.
Speaking about his new role at RCB, Bangar said, "I have worked with some exceptional and talented members in the squad and can't wait to take this team to the next level.
"There's a lot of work that needs to be done with the IPL Mega Auctions and the season following it, but I'm sure that together with the continued support of the management and the support staff, we can deliver the goods and bring cheer to our fans across the globe."
The 49-year-old, who represented India in 12 Tests and 15 ODIs between 2001 and 2004, will have his work cut out with the IPL mega auctions scheduled ahead of the new season.
"RCB has been committed to its philosophy of supporting and grooming talents from within the team and appointing Sanjay Bangar is the reflection of that belief," RCB Chairman Prathmesh Mishra said.
"Sanjay Bangar has been part of our support staff as a batting consultant and brings a wealth of experience, both as a player and batting coach, having worked extensively with the Indian cricket team.
"We are confident that he will be able to bring his experience to the fore and maximize the potential of the squad." he added.
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India & Israel elevate ties to special strategic partnership, vow to soon conclude free trade deal
Jerusalem (PTI): India and Israel on Thursday elevated their "time-tested" relationship to a special strategic partnership and agreed to soon firm up a "mutually beneficial" free trade deal even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly backed the Gaza peace initiative, asserting that humanity must never become a victim of conflict.
Following talks between Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, the two sides inked a plethora of agreements to expand cooperation in areas of trade, agriculture, energy, cyberspace and digital payment.
India and Israel also vowed to expand their already close defence partnership by working towards joint development and joint production of military hardware under the framework of the transfer of technologies.
In his media statement, Modi said India's security interest is linked to peace and stability in the Middle East, adding that New Delhi fully supports the Gaza Peace Initiative.
"India's stance is clear: humanity must never become a victim of conflict. A path to peace has been created through the Gaza Peace Plan. India has fully supported these efforts," he said.
"In the future as well, we will continue dialogue and cooperation with all countries," he said.
PM Modi landed in Israel on Wednesday on a two-day visit. It is his second visit to Israel in nine years.
In his remarks, the prime minister said India and Israel have a united view that there is no place for terrorism in the world and both sides stand shoulder-to-shoulder in countering terrorism and its supporters.
"Our relationship is founded on the strong bedrock of deep trust, shared democratic values, and human sensitivities. Our bond has stood the test of every trial of time," he said.
"Today, we have taken the historic decision to elevate our time-tested partnership to the status of a 'Special Strategic Partnership'," he said.
The prime minister also announced the establishment of an India-Israel critical and emerging technologies partnership to impart a new momentum for cooperation in areas of artificial intelligence, quantum, and critical minerals. "I am pleased that an agreement has been reached for the use of UPI in Israel," he said.
The prime minister, referring to the threat of terrorism, said India and Israel will continue to confront the menace unitedly.
"India and Israel are completely clear that there is no place for terrorism in the world. In any form, in any expression, terrorism cannot be accepted," he said.
"We have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in opposing terrorism and its supporters, and we will continue to do so," he added.
India and Israel also discussed the implementation of the India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and cooperation under the framework of I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA).
