Indian opener KL Rahul made history, becoming the first-ever player to score 1,000 runs or more for three different Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises. KL achieved this feat during his side's IPL match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), scoring 23 in 14 balls, with four boundaries at a strike rate of over 164. KL is the 11th batter to score 1,000 runs for DC, having made 1,007 runs in 24 innings at an average of 50.35 and a strike rate of 162.41, including two centuries and six fifties, with best score of 152*. 24 innings by Rahul is the quickest to the 1000-run milestone for Delhi Capitals bettering 35 innings each by JP Duminy & Rishabh Pant. This season, KL is DC's top run-getter and overall third with 468 runs in 11 innings at an average of 46.80 and a strike rate of 180, including a century and three fifties, with best score of 152*. Before this, KL had scored 1,000 or more runs for Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). He is PBKS's leading ...
In a mega upset, China stunned Pakistan 2-0 (1-1) in the shootout to enter the final of the Asian Champions Trophy at the Moqi Hockey Training Base in Hulunbuir, China. This will be the first time in the history of the tournament that the Chinese national team has made it to the title round while the second-highest number of title winners Pakistan will play for the bronze medal against the loser of the second semifinal between India and Korea. The Chinese goalkeeper Caiyu Wang was outstanding in his efforts to keep a clean slate in the shootout while Benhai Chen and Chanliang Lin scored for China. Earlier in the match, Yuanlin Lu had given China an early 1-0 lead in the 18th minute.
The first semifinal of the day truly lived up to its billing with China posing a mega threat to Pakistan's hopes of making the final right from the start. They were gritty in their pursuit, dominated the ball possession and created early chances. China were buoyed by the unprecedented support from the home crowd, who turned up in large numbers as it was a government holiday on Monday for the Mooncake Festival which marks the post-autumn harvest celebrations across China.
After a 0-0 stalemate in the opening quarter, China scored in the 18th minute through Yuanlin Lu's powerful dragflick to convert from the PC. The 1-0 lead for China put Pakistan on the backfoot. China also came up with brilliant defending in the second quarter to stop Pakistan from scoring a PC. They had created as many as five PCs this quarter but could not breach the Chinese defence.
Ahead of the start of the match, China Head Coach Jin Seung Yoo, who was a former player for Korea, said, "It's an important game for us and we are totally charged up. This is the first time China is playing the semifinal of such a prestigious event in front of home crowd. Tahir Zaman, the Head Coach of Pakistan, and I have played quite a lot against each other (when Seung played for Korea) including the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. Pakistan used to crush us (Korea) in the matches."
Seung ensured this time, his team was not going to be crushed by Pakistan as they put up an inspired show. They punctured Pakistan's attack and kept the pressure on through tactful defending. Though Pakistan mustered a goal in the 37th minute through Ahmed Nadeem, China ensured they didn't concede another goal.
They played a disciplined game, tackled Pakistani attackers with strong man-to-man marking to ensure they didn't create scoring opportunities. Though Pakistan made a handful of circle entries in the following minutes in the third and the fourth quarter, China restricted their shots on goal quite effectively to keep the scoreline at a 1-1 stalemate.
Hero of the Match, Yuanlin Lu of China said, "We prepared for this match with great enthusiasm. We discussed strategies in small batches before we finally got together as a team and prepared for the match against Pakistan. It also helped that we had played a few test matches against Pakistan just before this tournament. We had won against them in some of those matches, so we were quite upbeat. This was the first time I was playing the Asian Champions Trophy and to win the Hero of the Match is special."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/5F89GmE
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