Former IOA president, 2010 CWG chief Suresh Kalmadi dies at 81
Pune (PTI): Former Indian Olympic Association president and veteran sports administrator Suresh Kalmadi died at a hospital here in the early hours of Tuesday.
He was 81.
Kalmadi is survived by his wife, son and daughter-in-law, two married daughters and a son-in-law, as well as grandchildren.
Kalmadi, who had been unwell for some time, died around 3.30 am.
A towering figure in Indian sports administration for more than two decades, Kalmadi served as IOA president from 1996 to 2011, making him one of the longest-serving heads of the country's apex Olympic body.
Born in 1944, Kalmadi began his professional life as a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force, taking part in both the 1965 and 1971 wars, before entering politics and sports administration.
He went on to represent Pune in the Lok Sabha multiple times as a Congress leader and also served as a Union minister, while steadily consolidating his position in Indian and international sports bodies.
As IOA president, Kalmadi had enormous influence during a period when Indian sport was expanding its global footprint.
He also served as president of the Asian Athletics Association and was a member of the IAAF Council, making him one of India's most powerful sports administrators internationally.
Under his IOA tenure, India achieved a historic breakthrough at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when shooter Abhinav Bindra won the country’s first-ever individual Olympic gold medal. He was also the Chairman of the Organising Committee when Delhi hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2010.
Kalmadi was also closely associated with the growth of athletics and sports infrastructure in Pune, and played a key role in initiatives such as the Pune International Marathon, which became a regular fixture on the Indian road-running calendar.
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Experience comes when you play bigger teams in bilateral series: Rashid Khan
Chennai (PTI): Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan called for more bilateral series against stronger cricketing nations after his team signed off from the T20 World Cup on a high, defeating Canada in their final group match here on Thursday.
Afghanistan played some exhilarating cricket, going down to South Africa in a gripping second Super Over after the scores were tied, a humdinger that provided one of the early thrills of the World Cup.
However, the spin-bowling stalwart said Afghanistan could make significant strides if they get regular opportunities to compete against stronger cricketing nations.
"Couple of areas to improve, with the batting, the middle order got a bit stuck against the big teams, and then with the bowling the death overs. That comes when you play the bigger teams in bilateral series," said Rashid after his team defeat Canada by 82 runs, with him returning excellent figures of 2 for 19.
The stalwart said the side had arrived well prepared for the tournament and produced some breathtaking cricket, but admitted the narrow defeat to South Africa proved costly and remained a painful setback.
"We were well-prepared (for the tournament), we played some unbelievable cricket. The game against South Africa, that really hurt everyone. We had to win one of those (first two) games and see how the tournament unfolded. We'll take some positive things from this World Cup and look forward," he said.
With head coach Jonathan Trott set to part ways with the team, Rashid described the departure as an "emotional" moment for the side.
"I think we had some wonderful times with him. Where we are now, he played a main role. It's emotional to see him leave us, but that's how life is. We wish him all the best and somewhere down the line we see him again."
Ibrahim Zadran, who was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 95 off 56 balls, said it was satisfying to finally register a substantial score after two below-par outings.
"I enjoyed it, didn't play better cricket in first two innings, which I expect. Wanted to back my skills, really enjoyed it. Pressure was there, it's there all the time. I want to put myself in pressure situations and enjoy it," said Zadran.
"Wanted to play positive cricket, rotate strike and punish bad ball, create partnerships and this is what I have done."
