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By K.R. Nayar From Wankhede Stadium Mumbai. Gopal Jasapara is a cricket coach who not only grooms budding cricketers but also actively participates in the game, conducts cricket discussions on YouTube, and runs a website called  cricketlovers.com . As the head coach of the Dubai-based G Force Cricket Academy, he exemplifies his deep love for cricket, as reflected in the name of his website,  cricketlovers.com . Moreover, he excels in organizing cricket events, which led to him being selected as the Liaison Officer for the West Indies cricket team during the ICC T20 2021 World Cup in the UAE.   Gopal Jasapara (left), Don Edwards, Shannon Young and Charlie, a right-arm spinner  Gopal, as he is commonly known, is the go-to person for many cricketers and even international teams when it comes to travel logistics. His only condition is that the purpose must be related to the cricket. Gopal's commitment is well acknowledged by players like Kieron Pollard and Chris Ga...

By K.R. Nayar From Wankhede Stadium Mumbai.  Sri Lanka’s cheerleader Percy Abeysekera, who passed away at the age of 87 on Monday, leaves behind many memories. For me he was a source of excellent anecdotes and hilarious comments that I very often used in my diary. During the 2011 World Cup jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, while in Sri Lanka, we used to travel together for the matches from Colombo to Kandy. It was an experience sitting with Abeysekera and listening to his stories.   The ever jovial Percy Abeysekera  Above is a picture of him that I had taken during one of our bus travels to Kandy. Our journey to Kandy would start at 7am. On the first day when he came and sat next to me , I did not know who he was. I did not realise that he was the man whose sound would reverberate from the crowd cheering for the Sri Lankan team.    When he introduced himself, I apologized for not recognizing him. He said: “I have the clipping of your a...

By K.R. Nayar  From Wankhede Stadium Mumbai.  The Indigo Flight 6E2245 from Lucknow to Mumbai was filled with Indian cricket fans and a few England fans. Indian fans had their money’s worth and they seem to have also spent a lot of money on shopping as many carried bags filled with clothes and sweets. Most were wearing the Team India jersey too. England fans may have taken this flight to return before their team arrives home.   Indian fans celebrate. Photos ICC The question as to what has happened to England continued to be discussed everywhere. It would be better to assign Scotland Yard to investigate this issue.  The recent joke on Pakistan is that they now need to win the rest of their matches to enter Pakistan.    Jos Buttler  Many things amazed me in Lucknow including the huge loss for England.  On the way to the airport, I passed through Butler Palace and Butler colony. After England’s huge loss to India,  I wonder ...

By K.R. Nayar From Ekana Stadium Lucknow.  Every fan wears Team India's blue jersey and passionately cheers for their team. With over 46,000 spectators doing so at Ekana Cricket Stadium, it was no wonder that England were beaten black and blue. Quite likely no player will claim blue as their favorite color anymore. For that matter, this may apply to all teams that lost to India in this tournament.   Match Day announced in style. Photos ICC As they say, if you are wholeheartedly fond of cricket, it will reward you in various ways. Reporting from Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium for the India-Pakistan match with 100,000 people, and at the Ekana Stadium surrounded by 46,000 fans, and savoring the atmosphere, this ranks as one of the greatest rewards for me. I've reported amidst 94,000 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Stadium, but the fervor experienced at stadiums in India, especially these two, is electrifying.   Ravi Shastri .., whipping up excitement  Duri...

By K.R. Nayar Ekana Cricket Stadium   Lucknow.  India recorded their sixth consecutive win in the 29th match of the ICC World Cup 2023 in front of a packed Ekana Cricket Stadium filled with 46,000 people after outplaying England by 100 runs. Skipper Rohit Sharma marched his team on a tricky two-paced wicket by top scoring with a knock of 87 off 101 balls with 10 boundaries backed by his two deadly pacers Mohammed Shami (4 for 22) and Jasprit Bumrah (3 for 32) and spinners Kuleep Yadav (2 for 24) and Ravindra Jadeja (1 for 16) to bowl out England for a paltry 129 in 34.5 overs.   The other contributors to the victory were KL Rahul’s 39 off 58 balls with three boundaries and Suryakumar Yadav’s 49 off 47 balls with four boundaries and a six. They posted a total of only 229 for 9 in 50, which was a gettable total for England. While India literally hit England for a six to maintain their unbeaten six victories in a row, England crashed to their fifth defeat in six games...

By K.R. Nayar Ekana Stadium Lucknow . A function aimed at spreading and promoting cricket among children before the India-England match was heart-warming.  It was organised by a cricket enthusiast who has been travelling to many venues and carrying out a lot of charity work to promote the game. Shyam Bhatia, who was honoured in Ahmedabad in front of 100,000 spectators by DP World for his years of service to the game, and was invited by Sunil Gavaskar to the Sunil Gavaskar Box at Wankhede, presented cricket kits to many schools, colleges and academies at the Ekana Stadium.   Shyam Bhatia Cricket For Care Cricket kit distribution at the Ekana Stadium  The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) Vice President, Rajiv Shukla, distributed these kits to over 500 children as part of the Shyam Bhatia Cricket for Care initiative to encourage budding cricketers. All these children, before the start of the event were handed Shy...

By K.R. Nayar  Ekana Stadium Lucknow.  Luck seems to favor those who love food, and that might be the reason why I find myself in Lucknow. I would like to express my gratitude to the International Cricket Council (ICC) for selecting this delightful venue, a true haven for food enthusiasts. The Novotel hotel, where I am staying, has adorned its restaurant with cutouts of cricketers. People from various parts of India have flocked here, not only to witness the cricket match but also to savor the delectable cuisines this city has to offer and indulge in some shopping too.   Virat Kohli cut out beckons everyone for breakfast  Lucknow, once the seat of power for the Nawabs in the 18th and 19th centuries, is often referred to as the 'City of Adab.' In Arabic, Adab means refinement, good manners, morals, decorum, decency, and humaneness. People here enjoy poetry, and the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, on whose name the stadium is named, was a poet too....