SPORTS

All-rounder Washington Sundar and pacer Avesh Khan have joined opener Shubman Gill in the list of players who have been ruled out for the five-Test series between England and India starting August 4.

Both Sundar and Khan have been ruled out due to finger injuries. Sundar has a finger injury, the details of which are yet to be ascertained, while Khan has fractured his finger. Both cricketers will not be available on the tour any further.

Gill had been ruled out two weeks ago due to shin splints and has already returned home.

Classically, the rings represent the plurality of the Olympics movement. But for the thousands who have descended upon this futuristic city, the five Olympic rings have ended up being a metaphor for all the hurdles they’ve had to hop and jump through simply to reach Tokyo.

This was all too evident at a football-field-sized waiting hall inside the Haneda Airport on Wednesday. People from hundreds of nationalities — athletes and coaches, umpires and broadcasters — were herded into this vast space, where they waited nervously for their Covid-19 reports.

The anxiety levels were high since it had emerged that two athletes — a Dutch surfboarder and a Chilean taekwondo player — had tested positive at the city’s other airport in Narita. Heart-breakingly, their Olympics was over even before it began.

Indian tennis player Rohan Bopanna hit out at the All India Tennis Association and its General Secretary Anil Dhupar, saying the federation has done zero homework when it came to understanding the International Tennis Federation rules for Tokyo Olympics qualification.

Rohan Bopanna created a stir when he hit out at AITA on Monday, alleging the tennis body of misleading the players and the entire country over his qualification for the Tokyo Olympics.

Rohan Bopanna's comments came after it was reported that the AITA had requested the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to pair up Sumit Nagal and him for the doubles event at Tokyo Games after the youngster made the cut for the men's singles event earlier in July. The AITA reportedly withdrew Divij Sharan's nomination and send Nagal and Bopanna's names after the earlier pair failed to seal a direct berth with their combined doubles ranking.

The reality of getting a chance to represent her country on sport’s biggest stage is yet to sink in for tennis player Ankita Raina.

“To be in the Olympics is what I trained for every day. It was a dream which now is a reality. I still have to pinch myself at times,” the 28-year-old says as she gets ready to depart for Japan.

“There were some tough times, obstacles and losses. I cannot forget the sacrifices made by my family and the backing and belief of all my coaches, especially Hemant (Bendrey) sir,” an emotional Raina said.

Raina and Sania Mirza, her doubles partner at the Tokyo Olympics, were to leave for Japan on Monday.

Indian opener Mayank Agarwal has stated that the team just wants to ease into things as the Virat Kohli-led side regrouped at Durham County Cricket Club for their first practice session, ahead of the five-match Test series against England. In a video posted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Mayank Agarwal said, "It was good to regroup and come to the Durham cricket ground. It was not a heavy session but it was a session where we all got together, grouped, and played together. We just want to ease into things.

"Obviously getting a chance to hit at the ground and the open net is fantastic. It feels good to play in the actual ground so you get the real feel of wickets, conditions, and everything else. It`s more of a top off but the main session is at the ground and which is available to us which is great," the 30-year-old said. "I also bowled a little and rolled my arm over and it felt nice. It`s always good to add your skills."