Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Chetan Chauhan, one of Indian cricket's most well-known openers, died on Sunday from Covid-19 related complications after being put on life support for nearly 36 hours. Chetan, who played 40 Tests for India, was 73 and is survived by his wife and son Vinayak. He was currently serving as the minister of sainik welfare, home guards, and civil security in the Uttar Pradesh cabinet. Chetan Chauhan, who was the legendary batsman under Sunil Gavaskar's longest serving opening partner, was admitted to Sanjay Gandhi PGI hospital in Lucknow on July 12 after being testing positive for the coronavirus. His health worsened because of kidney-related ailments and he was shifted to Medanta hospital in Gurgaon. On Friday night, he had a multi-organ failure and was put on ventilator support. After retiring, Chetan Chauhan served in the Delhi and Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) in various capacities - president, vice-president, secretary and chief selector - apart from being manager of the Indian Team during its tour of Australia in 2001. He was elected to the Lok Sabha twice from Amroha in Uttar Pradesh, in 1991 and 1998 and was honoured with the Arjuna Award in 1981.
AIFF may settle for shorter I-League
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has suggested curtailing of all leagues this season to ensure that players’ safety is not jeopardised in times of the corona pandemic. The Indian Super League (ISL), I-League and even Second Division I-League will all be played at a single venue this season. While ISL will choose between Goa and Kerala, Kolkata is the preferred venue for I-League and second division. “I am clear that we have to be very careful about player safety. If that means curtailing of leagues, we have to do that,” AIFF general secretary Kushal Das said after the league committee meeting. Curtailed leagues, for now, would be reducing the length of the competition. From five months to four, for the ISL, and even shorter for I-League.
BCCI members unhappy with NCA’s functioning
A senior Team India cricketer, who had started training at a private facility once partial lifting of lockdown began in June, complained about a niggling injury that individuals around him expected the National Cricket Academy (NCA) to attend to. Expressing “helplessness” to do much in the middle of the pandemic, the academy said it couldn’t help by way of an online diagnosis and remedy either because the cricketer’s complete medical record was not at the NCA’s disposal. The cricketer is fit now, and back in the nets, but the academy’s stated ‘helplessness’ became a talking point soon after. “What exactly is the NCA’s role, if not to identify a cricketer’s fitness and injury-related concerns and address it?” a senior cricket administrator said, post a webinar held by the academy to address BCCI members and their operational divisions. With batting legend Rahul Dravid at the helm, the academy has time and again insisted that it is trying to put better work policies and a clearer, more structured vision in place but members say that will happen only after the BCCI and the academy together acknowledge that “at the moment, the NCA is a glorified government hospital where nobody wants to go”.
Hockey training camps to start from Aug 19
The Indian men and women hockey campers will resume training from August 19, a day after their quarantine ends. The campers returned to the Sports Authority of India, South Centre on August 3 and 4 following a six-week break. On arrival they were tested for Covid-19 and six players from the men’s camp including skipper Manpreet Singh tested positive. While Mandeep Singh was hospitalised, the others – Manpreet, Jaskaran Singh, Surender Kumar, Varun Kumar and Krishnan Pathak - were shifted to a multi-speciality hospital here as a precautionary measure. There has been speculation about the status of the camp, but SAI - in consultation with various stakeholders including the men and women team chief coaches - decided to go ahead with the training. It made make little sense to call off the camp and send the players back home, only to follow the quarantine protocol on their return later.
