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Every draw is tricky, will have to be 'respectful and ruthless' against opponents: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu does not want to belittle the lower-ranked opponents in the upcoming final round of the Asian Cup qualifiers and said the hosts have to be "respectful as well as ruthless" when they kick off their campaign on June 8. Clubbed with lower-ranked opponents in Hong Kong (147), Afghanistan (150) and Cambodia (171), world number 106 India are the favourites to make the cut for the 2023 Asian Cup main tournament from group D. "Every draw in modern-day football is a tricky one. We need to be respectful towards our opponents," the 30-year-old Gurpreet told the AIFF website. "Obviously, they have also been preparing for these three matches, and it's understandable that they have done their homework much like us. "We can't take anyone lightly not at this stage because the stakes are high. Even as much as we need to respect the teams we play, we need to be ruthless in our approach."

Asian Cup Qualifiers: Another step on the road to future

Stimac has a roadmap for the future and the forthcoming Asian Cup qualifying tournament is a step in that direction. As of now, Stimac's focus is on fitness and despite players having niggle issues he is confident that he has a side to do the job. The Croatian is quite happy with the preparatory camp in Bellary, before coming to Kolkata. "It's really nice to be in this football city," he said. In fact, he is looking forward to the home crowd putting its weight behind India. Grouped with Afghanistan, Hong Kong and Cambodia, India would be optimistic about their chances. Stimac had to rework his plans somewhat after losing Ritwik Das. Defender Deepak Tangri may not be a like-for-like replacement, but it still fits Stimac's scheme of things.

"The Only Guy...": Rashid Khan Names Indian Youngster Whom He Finds "Hard" To Bowl To

Rashid Khan continued his great form in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with some scintillating performances for 2022 champions Gujarat Titans. He finished with 19 scalps in 16 matches. It was for the sixth consecutive time, since he started playing in the IPL in 2017, that the Afghanistan leg-spinner picked at least 17 or more wickets in a single season. His economy of 6.60 RPO was brilliant as he put pressure on the rival batters. There was hardly anybody who could play well against Rashid. Now, the spinner has named the one batter whom he finds hard bowl at.

Sri Lanka Keen To Host Asia Cup Amid Severe Economic Crisis: Report

Sri Lanka is keen to host the upcoming Asia Cup which will start from August 27 this year onwards and is making arrangements for it, said an Asian Cricket Council (ACC) source. The tournament is scheduled to be held in August. Though Sri Lanka is the host for the tournament, questions are being raised if it could still happen as the country battles a major economic crisis.

Jude Bellingham questions whether authorities 'care' about racist abuse directed at Black footballers

By Darren Lewis, Sana Noor Haq and Aleks Klosok, CNN

Worst goals in 2021/22: Video compilation is hilarious

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Twitter Blows Up After Hardik Pandya's Bowling Heroics In IPL Final vs Rajasthan Royals

Hardik Pandya led from the front in the IPL 2022 final against Rajasthan Royals, producing a stunning spell of bowling to put Gujarat Titans in the driver's seat. Having lost the toss, Gujarat Titans came under some early pressure with young Yashasvi Jaiswal chancing his arm. Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson then steadied RR before Hardik Pandya removed his counterpart. Buttler seemed to be headed for another big score but was stopped short in his tracks by Hardik. The Indian all-rounder then got another big fish in the form of Shimron Hetmyer to end with figures of three for 17 off his four overs.

Kohli jinx to Indian talent: Five things we learned from IPL

The Indian Premier League (IPL) ended with debutants Gujarat Titans hammering Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets in front of almost 105 000 fans at the world's biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad.

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Afghanistan Sport News

Every draw is tricky, will have to be 'respectful and ruthless' against opponents: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu

Asian Cup Qualifiers: Another step on the road to future

"The Only Guy...": Rashid Khan Names Indian Youngster Whom He Finds "Hard" To Bowl To

Sri Lanka Keen To Host Asia Cup Amid Severe Economic Crisis: Report

Jude Bellingham questions whether authorities 'care' about racist abuse directed at Black footballers

Worst goals in 2021/22: Video compilation is hilarious

Twitter Blows Up After Hardik Pandya's Bowling Heroics In IPL Final vs Rajasthan Royals

Kohli jinx to Indian talent: Five things we learned from IPL