MUMBAI: Indian batsman Kedar Jadhav will receive the International Cricketer of the Year award, to be given by the Sports, Journalists Association of Mumbai at a function here on October 23.
Pune-based Akash Chikte, who achieved a breakthrough by clinching a crucial place as goalkeeper in the hockey Indian senior men’s team, and Nashik-based Grand Master Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, who became the fourth Indian chess player to cross the 2,700 ELO rating points, are the joint winners of the SJAM Sportsman of the Year award 2017, a media release issued here said today.
The awards, supported by Star Sports, will be presented at the Bombay Gymkhana.
Chikte (25) was part of the Indian team that won the Asian Champions Trophy last year in Malaysia, and Gujrathi (22) demonstrated his high quality talent by crossing the 2700 ELO points rating while representing Team Solvay in the Spanish Team Championship League in Linares recently.
Gujarathi is the fourth Indian — after Viswanathan Anand, Pentala Harikrishna and Krishnan Sasikiran — to achieve the creditable ELO rating that reflects the skill levels of a chess player, the release said.
Mumbai’s Aditi Dhumatkar has been chosen for the Sportswoman of the Year award.
She had won the 50 and 100m free style gold medals at the 70th Glenmark Senior National Aquatic Championship at Ranchi last year and also the 200m freestyle silver medal.
Pune’s Abhimanyu Puranik, who became India’s 49th Grand Master, was chosen for the Junior Sportsman of the Year award, and Mumbai’s Rayna Saldhana (swimming) and Diya Chitale (Table Tennis), for the Junior Sportswoman of the Year award.
Prashant More has been chosen for the Sportsman of the Year award (Indian Games). He won the men’s singles title at the World Carrom Championship at Birmingham in 2016.
Kedar Jadhav, who showed the wherewithal to hold his own in ODIs for India in the August 2016-July 2017 award consideration period, was chosen for the International Cricketer of the Year award.
Mumbai’s veteran allrounder Abhishek Nayar was chosen for the Ranji Trophy Cricketer of the Year award, while young Mumbai batsman Prithvi Shaw, will receive the Junior Cricketer of the Year award.
Indian batswoman Smriti Mandhana will get the Woman Cricketer of the Year award.
Besides, Indian Premier League (IPL) season 10 winner, Mumbai Indians (MI), will be awarded as the Team of the Year and Mumbai City FC, for putting up a special team performance.
MI won the IPL title for the third time and Mumbai FC City topped last year’s Indian Super League with 23 points, the release said.
The SJAM Golden Jubilee Annual Awards 2017 list is as follows: Sportsman of the Year: Vidit Santosh Gujrathi (chess, Nashik) and Akash Chikte (goalkeeper, Pune: Indian Men’s hockey team) Sportswoman of the Year: Aditi Dhumatkar (swimming, Mumbai) Junior Sportsman of the Year: Abhimanyu Puranik (chess, Pune) Junior Sportswoman of the Year: Rayna Saldhana (swimming, Mumbai) and Diya Chitale (table tennis, Mumbai) Sportsman of the Year (Indian Games): Prashant More (aarrom, Mumbai)
Cricketer of the Year: Kedar Jadhav (Pune) Ranji Trophy Cricketer of the Year: Abhishek Nayar (Mumbai) Woman Cricketer of the Year: (Smriti Mandhana, Sangli) Junior Cricketer of the Year: Prithvi Shaw (Mumbai) Best Team of the Year: Mumbai Indians
Special Team performance of the Year: Mumbai City FC. (AGENCIES)
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SPO-IND-PREVIEW…
India eye improvement in series-decider
HYDERABAD, Oct 12:
India will be itching to bounce back from the thrashing they received in Guwahati when they take on an edgy but resilient Australia in the series-deciding third and final T20 International here tomorrow.
India, who dominated Australia in the preceding ODI series, won the opening T20 comfortably before getting a rude shock in the second game.
Despite the recent success India have had over Australia, Virat Kohli has maintained that the team from Down Under is always tough to beat.
And with the thumping eight-wicket win over the hosts on Tuesday, Australia go into series-decider with some serious momentum.
India had a forgettable day at the Baraspara Stadium in all departments after they lost the all-important toss.
The highly-rated batsmen were found wanting against the swinging ball with rookie Australian pacer Jason Behrendorff doing the bulk of the damage.
Captain Kohli was out for a rare duck and he, along with the rest of the batting line-up, would be eager to make amends.
India’s new ball bowlers did alright in Guwahati but wrist spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav were taken to the cleaners by Moises Henriques and Travis Head, who shared a match-winning partnership of 109.
Yadav especially bowled either too short or too full and the set batsmen did not have any difficulty in punishing the loose balls.
However, the dew proved to be a factor with the ball not turning much in the Australian innings.
Despite the hammering the spinners received, it is unlikely that Kohli will make a change and bring in Axar Patel.
Similar is the case in the pace department which means veteran Ashish Nehra, who is set to announce his retirement in the next series, will sit out again.
Australia did pull one back in the ODI series before eventually losing it 1-4. But the way they played on Tuesday, the same resolve and purpose was missing from their body language in the earlier games.
David Warner has done well in the absence of regular captain Steve Smith, making optimum use of the resources at his disposal.
Behrendorff made his job easier with a spectacular spell of swing bowling before Henriques rose to the occasion after being promoted to number three in the batting order.
Leggie Adam Zampa too played his part well with a twin strike in the middle overs and he would be expected to do the same tomorrow.
While Warner has led effectively, he would surely love to be back among the runs after failing in the earlier two games.
The pitch at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium is usually good for batting and fans will be expecting a run feast after the low-scoring affair on a damp pitch in Guwahati.
Though it has been a regular venue in the IPL, it will be the first time that a T20 International will be played here.
There are chances of rain as well with the weathermen expecting the ongoing spell to last till October 20.
Teams (from)
India: Virat Kohli (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Manish Pandey, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ashish Nehra, Dinesh Karthik, KL Rahul and Axar Patel.
Australia: David Warner (c), Jason Behrendorff, Dan Christian, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Aaron Finch, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Glenn Maxwell, Tim Paine, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye.
Match starts 1900 IST. (AGENCIES)
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