Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
While Kapil Dev led India to its first-ever cricket World Cup victory in 1983 and Yuvraj Singh starred in the 2011 triumph, Mohali lad Arshdeep Singh emerged as a key player in India’s ICC T20 World Cup win in the USA and West Indies. The 25-year-old pacer was the joint-highest wicket-taker for India and played a pivotal role in the team’s seven-run win over South Africa in the final in June, taking two crucial wickets.
“It feels special to be the joint-highest wicket-taker in the T20 World Cup. When the last five overs remained, we believed we could make a comeback and win the trophy for India,” said Singh.
The Kharar native began his cricketing journey under coach Jaswant Rai in Chandigarh and was part of the Indian U-19 team that won the ICC U-19 World Cup in 2018. Since making his T20I debut in 2022, Singh has played 60 T20Is, claiming 95 wickets at an average of 18.10, along with eight ODIs, in which he has taken 12 wickets.
His father, Darshan Singh Aulakh, now the security head at Groz Beckert Asia, and his mother, Baljit Kaur, played an active role in his journey. They witnessed his historic feat in the West Indies. “It was a dream for Arshdeep to win the World Cup, and it was a proud moment for us to see him wear his medal,” said Kaur.
While cricket fans across India and the region have long enjoyed international matches and IPL games at the IS Bindra International PCA Stadium in Mohali, the completion of the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in 2024 brought a new chapter to Punjab cricket. The 38,000-capacity stadium hosted five IPL matches during the 2024 season. Its debut match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals on March 23 marked a historic moment for the region.
“Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium at Mullanpur has been constructed to world standards and designed to provide cricket fans with a memorable experience. Cricketers have always enjoyed playing at Mohali, and the same has been true for the new stadium. All five IPL matches this year showcased world-class facilities and provided fans with an exceptional experience,” PCA secretary Dilsher Khanna told The Indian Express.
Built over an area of more than 40 acres, the new stadium includes a secondary ground, Ground B, which features seven pitches and 11 practice pitches. The main ground has seven wickets and is equipped with a herringbone drainage system, sand field, international-grade dressing rooms, steam and sauna facilities, a gym, and parking for over 1,600 cars. The venue also boasts 49 corporate boxes, and its dressing rooms are located in the Harbhajan Singh Pavilion.
The IS Bindra International PCA Stadium, constructed in 1994, has hosted 14 Test matches, 26 ODIs, and seven T20Is, including Virat Kohli’s 100th Test match against Sri Lanka in March 2022. While the Mullanpur Stadium is yet to host an international match, it is expected that future international games allotted to the PCA will take place at the new venue. “The new stadium has been built with international cricket requirements in mind, reflecting the vision of the Punjab Cricket Association. Just as fans enjoyed international cricket at the old stadium, we expect them to have a similar experience at the new one,” PCA president Amarjit Mehta told The Indian Express.
Two of its former trainees, Rupinder Pal Singh and Gurjant Singh, were part of the Indian hockey team that won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. In 2024, Chandigarh Hockey Academy, Sector 42, celebrated yet another milestone with its trainees Gurjant Singh and Sanjay Kumar contributing to India’s bronze medal victory at the Paris Olympics. Singh joined the academy in 2005, while Kumar joined in 2011.
Hailing from Khaliara village in Punjab, Singh has played 124 matches for India, scoring 31 goals. Kumar, from Dabra village in Haryana, has represented India in 47 matches, scoring three goals. Kumar’s father, Neki Ram, is a small-scale farmer. During a visit to the academy after winning the Olympic medal, Kumar reflected on his journey: “What started as a dream for me as a 10-year-old at the CHA academy in 2010 has finally seen the light of day (in 2024). Returning to the Chandigarh Hockey Academy with the Paris Olympics bronze medal is surreal. I hope this medal inspires each trainee to aim for an Olympic medal one day. My Olympic medal belongs to them too,” Kumar told The Indian Express.
Gurjant Singh, who is set to play for Soorma Hockey Club in the upcoming Hockey India League, also shared his experience at the academy. “Training at the Chandigarh Hockey Academy allowed us to see players like Rajpal Singh, Baljit Singh Dadhwal, and Prabhjot Singh in action, which always motivated us to dream of representing India. Winning two Olympic bronze medals is a special feeling, and I am confident that these achievements will inspire every trainee at the academy,” Singh told The Indian Express.
With a total of 1,104 entries, the Yonex Sunrise 31st Smt Krishna Khaitan Memorial All India Junior Ranking Prize Money Tournament, conducted by the Express Shuttle Trust in Panchkula, saw the emergence of new U19 talent in the national ranking badminton tournament. Held under the aegis of the Badminton Association of India, the tournament has a rich history, with London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal and Rio and Tokyo Olympics medallist P V Sindhu having won the title in the past. This year, the tournament featured top-ranked U19 shuttlers competing in boys’ and girls’ singles, doubles, and mixed doubles categories. Rajasthan’s Sanskar Saraswat clinched the boys’ U19 title, while Punjab’s Tanvi Sharma emerged as the girls’ U19 champion.
Saraswat secured a 21-11, 21-12 win over Delhi’s Ginpaul S to claim the boys’ title. “I started playing badminton at the age of seven in Jodhpur. My father and coach, Raj Saraswat, has been my inspiration, and every time I win a title, he celebrates as if he has won it himself. I had won the doubles title here earlier, partnering with Mayank Rana, and while Arsh and I lost in the finals this time, the biggest memory has been winning the boys’ U19 singles title,” Saraswat told The Indian Express.
Sharma achieved a commanding 21-9, 21-13 victory over Haryana’s Medhavi Nagar to win the girls’ U19 singles title. National coach Pullela Gopichand’s wife, PVV Laxmi, had won the inaugural title in the tournament’s first edition in 1991. “Winning a title that PV Sindhu didi and Saina didi have won is a special feeling for me. My mother and coach, Meena Sharma, has been my pillar of strength, and this win is dedicated to her,” Sharma said after her victory.
With a total of 28 medals, including the team championship in the T11 category, at the 23rd National Athletics Championship for the Blind held in Nadiad, Gujarat, earlier this month, eight visually impaired athletes from Chandigarh created history. While six of these students, namely Kashish, Tanisha, Praladh Batra, Gajender, Abhishek Kumar and Kartik, hail from the Institute for the Blind, Sector 26, two athletes, Usha and Jagriti Chaubey, are from DAV College, Sector 10, and Sri Guru Gobind Singh College, Sector 26, respectively.
Twenty-year-old Kashish, who scored 89.6 per cent in the tenth standard and is currently studying in the 12th standard, won five medals in the nationals. She clinched gold in the girls’ 400m, 800m, and 1500m events, apart from a gold in the 4x400m relay and a silver in the 4x100m relay. “My father, Om Prakash, has always encouraged me to compete in sports, and I am inspired by players like Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra and badminton player Lakshya Sen. I won five medals in the 2022 nationals as well, and these medals will motivate me further,” Kashish told The Indian Express.
Eighteen-year-old partially visually impaired Tanisha, who won four medals in the 2022 nationals, added five more medals to her tally this month. The Mohali resident, whose father, Anil Kumar, is a postman in Chandigarh, is currently studying in the 10th standard. She won gold in the girls’ 1500m and the 4x400m relay, a silver in the 4x100m relay, and bronze in the 400m and 800m events in her category. “I have been staying at the hostel for the last nine years, and training with my teammates encourages me. I idolise Neeraj Chopra, apart from Paris Paralympics medallist Simran Sharma,” Tanisha told The Indian Express.
The students have been training under coach Rakesh Sharma. “Each one of them is an inspiration for all of us. They train daily for two hours in the morning before attending school. All equipment is provided by the Institute for the Blind, and our chairman, Dinesh Kumar Kapila, has extended all possible support to these young stars,” Sharma said.
Chandigarh-born Ganemat Sekhon clinched gold at the 67th National Shooting Championship Competitions (NSCC) for shotgun events held at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi earlier this month.
Ganemat Sekhon, India’s top skeet shooter, is the first Indian woman to win a World Cup medal in skeet shooting. “Shooting cannot just be only about shooting films, it can also be about shooting a gun. Women can be skeet shooters too and excel in the sport,” believes Ganemat.
Panchkula’s Raiza Dhillon made history at the 67th National Shooting Championship Competitions (NSCC) for shotgun events at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range. She set a new national record and equalled another while qualifying for both the women’s skeet finals. Raiza’s score of 122 topped the qualification rounds for both the junior women’s and women’s categories, breaking Simranpreet Kaur Johal’s junior record of 120 from the 2018 Jaipur Nationals. Her score also matched Ganemat Sekhon’s mark at the recent ISSF World Cup Final in Delhi.
Chandigarh-born seamer Kashvee Gautam first made the headlines in February 2020 when she claimed all 10 wickets in an innings during an Under-19 domestic tournament against Arunachal Pradesh, a game after she took seven wickets against Jammu and Kashmir. Having debuted for Punjab in 2017, Kashvee switched to representing Chandigarh in 2019.
A year later, she became the first Indian bowler to claim all 10 wickets in a domestic one-day game, with six dismissals as LBWs and four bowled, showcasing her precision. Her feat included a hat-trick and earned her a spot in the Women’s T20 Challenge. The tall, hit-the-deck bowler, who idolises Bhuvneshwar Kumar, was picked up by Gujarat Giants for Rs 2 crore during last year’s WPL auction.
Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
