India lose to Oman after taking lead in opening World Cup Qualifier
Guwahati, Sep 5: Captain Sunil Chhetri's early strike went in vain as India surrendered a one-goal advantage to lose 1-2 to Oman in their opening fixture of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers here on Thursday.
The 87-ranked Oman rallied to score twice through Rabia Alawi Al Mandhar in the last eight minutes of regulation time.
The 35-year-old Chhetri, international football's second highest scorer among active players, pushed India ahead in the 24th minute with his 72nd strike.
However, Mandhar broke Indian hearts when he flicked the ball past Gurpreet Singh Sandhu to restore parity in the 82nd minute. More disappointment was in store for the 103-ranked India as Mandhar completed his brace in the 89th minute in a stunning turnaround.
India dominated the first half with more shots at opposition goal and also enjoyed possession.
Ashique Kuruniyan, who returned to the team after missing the Kings Cup and Intercontinental Cup due to injury, created problems for the Oman defence with his pace and trickery in the left channel.
Following one such run down the left flank in the 24th minute, he was fouled by Abdulaziz Al Ghailani and India got a free kick on the left edge of the box.
Brandon Fernandes took the set piece, sent a grounder in the middle of the box and Chhetri fooled his marker to drill in a left-footer into the Oman net, much to the celebration of a vociferous crowd.
Before that, India were denied lead in the 15th minute when Udanta Singh's shot off a Chhetri pass beat the Omani goalkeeper but it struck the crossbar, to the dismay of the home side. Udanta was also denied a goal in a similar fashion against the UAE in the Asian Cup earlier in the year.
There were periods of incessant Indian attack in the first half and central defender Sandesh Jhingan sent the ball over the bar in a free header off a corner taken by Anirudh Thapa in the 20th minute.
Oman pressed hard in the closing stages of the first half and goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu made a great save in the 43rd minute, blocking a Ahmed Kano header in a one-to-one situation to keep India's lead intact.
The visitors made a strong fightback in the second half to leave the home team disappointed.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Dhoni is still going strong: CSK head coach Fleming quashes Dhoni's retirement speculation
Chennai, Apr 5 (PTI): Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming said MS Dhoni is “still going strong” and putting an end to the former skipper’s run in the IPL is not a role assigned to him.
The presence of Dhoni’s parents -- Pan Singh and Devaki Devi -- at the Chepauk for CSK’s match against Delhi Capitals on Saturday had fuelled speculation about an imminent his retirement.
“No, that's not my role to put an end to it. I have no idea. I'm just enjoying working with him. He's still going strong. I don't even ask these days. You guys are the ones that ask (about retirement),” said Fleming in the post-match press conference.
The decision to send Dhoni at No. 9 attracted heavy criticism but on Saturday the legendary cricketer walked out at No. 7 but struggled to gain any momentum during his 26-ball 30 as CSK lost the match by 25 runs, their third straight defeat.
Fleming did not see Dhoni coming in the 11th over as a damage limitation move and said batting at that stage was really tough.
“The intent was there. When he went out, I think the ball started to grip a little bit more. We understood it was going to be good for the first half and then gradually get slower. So, we were keen to bat and then take pace with the ball.
“They did it really well. Vijay Shankar struggled to get timings all the way through his innings. But that period from 12 to 16 overs was difficult for all. It was tough to watch and certainly tough to be out there. So the game was just slipping away, and even with intent and different methods to do it, it was just too big a scale,” said Fleming.
However, Fleming admitted that CSK need to produce better outings with the bat, and they have not really exploited the resources in their ranks.
“We are focusing still very hard on bowling-wise to restrict teams but we do need to be better with the bat. We need to have one or two players in form, predominantly the top three or four.
“We need a bit more production there, and that then allows the power hitters to finish off to come in at the right spots. Here, we’re having to introduce players just not quite at the right time.
“We've got Dube as well, who's close, but just not quite getting the job done. So there are thereabouts, but six to 20 to 15-run losses are annoying,” he noted.
Badani pats Rahul
Delhi Capitals’ senior batter KL Rahul did not allow CSK left-arm wrist-spinner Noor Ahmad to settle down, and DC head coach Hemang Badani said it played a big role in his side’s win.
“Rahul was clear enough that he was not going to let Noor settle down because he felt that Noor was somebody who was a crucial bowler for CSK.
“And he wanted to make sure that once you put the opposition's best bowler down, it becomes difficult for the opposition to keep coming back after that.”
Rahul opened the innings for DC against CSK much against his middle-order slot in recent times, and Badani said the right-hander has the experience to tackle such shuffles.
“He is somebody who has been around long enough to understand the need of the hour. He has opened for India. He has batted at 4-5 in the recently concluded Champions Trophy. So I genuinely don't think it's difficult for someone of his calibre.
“If I had to make someone else do that, then I completely get your point that it's not easy for a batter to shift. But I think he has got the calibre, the mindset, the understanding of the game to go up the order or bat at number 4,” said Badani.
