Good start to the series boys ! great tone set by our bowlers and well played sir !@IamAbhiSharma4 top knock '!! I'm impressed you hit 2 boundaries down the ground aswell ! #indiavsengland
Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) January 22, 2025
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Editors Note: In a nod to our 90 years of history, each week SPEED SPORT will look back at the top stories from 15, 30 and 60 years ago as told in the pages of National Speed Sport News.
15 Years Ago 2010
News: Fourteen-time NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Funny Car champion John Force admitted he humiliated himself after competing in Septembers four-wide Funny Car exhibition during the NHRA Carolinas Nationals at zMAX Dragway.
I embarrassed myself at the press conference. We came right back in to talk about what had taken place. When I drove this four-lane race, I ran in here and I was like Tom Cruise on Oprah jumping up and down, screaming, Force said. Everyone said, He went nuts, because it was that exciting and thrilling.
Force will have another opportunity to compete four wide as NHRA and drag strip officials announced Thursday competitors will race four wide during Marchs inaugural stop at the four-lane all-concrete facility adjacent to Charlotte Motor Speedway. The race. set for March 25-28 has been appropriately named the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals.
The four professional categories Top Fuel, Funny Car. Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle will compete in the four-wide format in both qualifying and elimination rounds. The first two drivers to cross the finish line in the first and second rounds will advance to the third round. and the driver to cross the line first in the third round will be the event winner.
This is going to take a driver of drivers to figure out, said force. who was on hand for the announcement along with Speedway Motorsports Inc. President 0. Bruton Smith and NHRA President Tom Compton.
Bruton and Speedway Motorsports have done more for NHRA in the last 10 years than any entity I can think of. Theyve built the palaces we now enjoy during the Full Throttle season. Were very appreciative, Compton said. This is the crown jewel of all of them. Why not come twice? Why not run four lanes? Theyre there and were gonna do it.
When I first saw the renderings of the facility and took a tour when it was under construction, it was fun to imagine four cars running side by side. Now we will get to see it and Im for it, said four-time Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin. I am sure it will he some of the most exciting drag racing we have ever experienced. This is exactly why Bruton built zMax Dragway.
Winners: William Thomas took the lead on lap 5 and went on to win the 40-lap NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model National Touring season opener at Columbus (Miss.) Speedway.
The victory was the fourth series career win for the third-generation driver.
Thomas started on the outside of the front row and battled for most of the event with early race leader polesitter Ronnie Johnson.
Johnson held the bottom groove of the third-mile clay oval to keep the point for the first 34 laps of the race, while Thomas cruised the high side.
A lap-34 restart saw Thomas get a run on Johnson, and lead pair raced side by side for a lap until Thomas took the lead going down the backstretch on lap 35.
I went a little soft on tires tonight. and I thought I had worn it out by the halfway point, Thomas said. I dropped back to the third spot, but the caution flags we had in the second half of the race cooled off my right-rear tire and brought it back to life.
Johnson had to settle for second in his quest for his second-straight and fourth Winter Classic win with the series at Columbus Speedway. Even with a runner-up finish, the National Dirt Late
Model Hall of Fame inductee was still upbeat after the race.
Weve won a lot of Winter Classics here at Columbus Speedway. and we won here last November. but we got outrun tonight and finished second, Johnson said. William drove a
good, clean race, so finishing second isnt the end of the world, and it was still a good night.
Justin McRee, Chris Ragan and defending series champion Eric Cooley rounded out the top five.
30 Years Ago 1995
News: According to annual statistics compiled by The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., a record number of spectators made their way to auto races across North America last year.
More than 14 million watched auto races last year, an increase of more than a half million spectators, or 4.5 percent.
Goodyear monitors 16 professional racing series and results are published annually as a barometer of motorsports popularity. Attendance figures are compiled from official sanctioning body statistics, track information and Goodyear racing reports.
All figures represent weekend totals.
Each year I am amazed by the increased popularity of motorsports, said Leo Mehl, General Manager of Goodyear racing worldwide. If you look at the last 5 years alone, attendance figures have gone up 16 percent. I doubt there are many other sports out there that can compare.
Topping the list, NASCAR Winston Cup boasted the largest number of spectators. More than 4.8 million fans watched Dale Earnhardt race to his seventh Winston Cup title during the 31-race season an increase of 18 percent. Much of the increase was due to the addition of the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Twenty-four NASCAR tracks had attendance increased with several tracks breaking attendance records every time they opened the gates.
The PPG Indy Car World Series, including the USAC-sanctioned Indianapolis 500, also witnessed a record year 3.1 million fans came out in 1994, a three percent increase over the previous
season.
An estimated 1.7 million fans were on hand for more quarter-mile breaking runs on the NHRA drag circuit. An amazing 111 of 130 possible event elapsed time and speed records fell in pro categories at 18 national events.
They just keep doing a better job every year, Mehl said. The speeds, the competition at improved facilities they know how to put on a show. With records being shattered year after year, it is no wonder their attendance figures have skyrocketed over the last several years.
Emerging as one of racings big draws is the NASCAR Busch Series Grand National Division. Attendance was up 12 percent to 1.3 million spectators.
Another series that grows in popularity each year is the World of Outlaws. The exhausting
schedule of 67 sprint car events over 93 datesbrought more than 1.5 million spectators representing a one-percent increase.
Winners: Stevie Reeves came full circle with his racing career.
The determined open wheel competitor-turned-stock car driver was back at his racing roots in the RCA Dome and became the ninth different driver in 11 years to win Saturday nights Thunder in the Dome.
Reeves, whose roots go back to quarter-midget racing in the city, zoomed into big leads on every restart to capture the 100-lap USAC Midget Invitational Thunder in the Dome XI. His return to midget car racing after a season on the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series was complete with victory.
Reeves, a two-time USAC national midget driving champion, was right at home in Ralph Potters V -6-engined midget. Potter is the 1994 champion car owner with driver Tony Stewart, one of 10
driving champions among the 48 competitors including UMARA Sportsman Midget champion Sue Spencer.
We might have cost Ralph more than we won, Reeves said after his $5,010 victory drive In the Ralphs Mutner & Brake Shops Potter. We lost oil pressure, so we might have really hurt the motor.
Nevertheless, Potter praised, Stevies never done a better job than he did tonight.
Reeves represented Team USA because he now resides in North Carolina but it was Team Indiana that regained the team championship bonus with six Hoosier-based drivers finishing among the top 10. The final count was Team Indiana 162, Team USA 138.
Team USA won in 1994 to end a nine-year Team Indiana streak. Reeves won $7,137 for his 100-lap triumph Saturday from a $32,975 purse.
Tony Elliott, who led the first 13 laps, was second and trailed by Ryan Newman, John Warren and Chuck Leary.
60 Years Ago 1965
News: Elzie (Buck) Baker, at 45 the dean of NASCAR Grand National drivers, became the first big-name driver to enter a General Motors product in the Feb. 14 Daytona 500.
Baker entered the car, a 1965 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 Holiday Coupe with a 425 cubic inch engine. The car is sponsored by Hubert Hoff or Norfolk, Va., owner of Hoff Cadillac Oldsmobile agency there.
Baker said in a telephone interview that we are putting roll bars in the car now and safety hubs for the front end are being made. We are in the process of putting the car together and will be at Daytona a few days late, but expect to get in a few days or practice.
When asked about the chances of the new and untried car, he replied, Getting the car late is a real handicap, but we expect to run with them at Daytona and shortly afterwards expect to outrun em real good.
Baker advised that he is going completely through the engine and reworking everything in it. Different pistons, clearances, carburetor and ignition will go in and a precision balance job should deliver 500 horsepower.
The wheelbase is 123 inches, a little long, but good for Daytona, he said. Its only six inches longer than a Plymouth and thats no handicap on a big track. If we get within 40 horses of our competition, we can run with them at Daytona due to the excellent aerodynamic characteristics of the car.
Baker reported his crew chief will be Bill Hohman and assisting on the crew will be Bob Schuyler, Jimmy Helms and Buck Brigance on gas and tires with another crewman yet to be named.
Horr, contacted by phone, advised that the Daytona challenge would cost about $8,000. When asked about a second and third car, one for Bakers son Buddy and another for short tracks, he
said, Well see how things go at Daytona.
Hoff got his first taste or racing when with a Chevy dealer in Arlington, Va., they sponsored SCCA driver Dick Thompson.
Hoff said that Thompsons Sting Ray successes made the dealer, Bob Rosenthal, Chevy, the biggest Corvette dealer in the nation. Hoff is obviously looking for sales traffic in his showrooms.
He said, Joe Weatherly made Norfolk race conscious. Its a great sports town, and I think my association with Baker and stock car racing will be a success.
Baker also reported that he is preparing a 1965 Plymouth and a 1964 Dodge for the Daytona 500.
As or Monday, there were 43 entrants in the 500, the latest being the new Ford of Freddy Lorenzen.
The 1965 coil spring Fords, based on their performance at Riverside, are favored in the 500 miler. The new Ford production 427-inch low-rise engine reportedly puts out more horsepower than last years high-rise engine, which, along with Chryslers hemi-head powerplant for Plymouth and Dodge was outlawed for 1965 events. The rules announcement by NASCAR led Chrysler to pull out of the NASCAR circuit.
Winners: Bill Vukovich took another big step forward in his short midget career Saturday night when he went wire to wire to win the wild and wreck-filled 30-Iap main event at the Oakland Exposition Building.
A near capacity crowd watched Bill, driving the Britton Offy, jump into the lead on the start only to have the first of nine caution flags come out as Dick Atkins spun trying to beat Bill through the tum with Joe Leonard, Tommy Morrow, and Dee Hileman piling in.
When the green was thrown, everybody made the first lap with Bill leading followed by Atkins, Dick Deis, Leonard, Sherman Cleveland, and Ken Martin.
The yellow came out on lap three when Tommy Morrow spun with Koster passing Copp for eighth at the yellow. The new rule of double file restarts keeps positions well juggled on every restart.
This time after the green it was Deis into second with Atkins holding third over Cleveland. Lap five brought out another yellow when DeJong, Koster, and Hileman tangled. Then McGreevy, Martin, and Koster wrecking on lap six with Koster out after his front end gave out.
The drivers ran the final five laps without passing with Vukovich taking the checkers with Deis in his own Offy, just inches behind with a gap back to DeJong, who was third in the Stryker Offy.
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STATESVILLE, N.C. Garage 66 has signed Chandler Smith to attempt to make the 67th Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) Intl Speedway, driving the No. 66 QuickTie Ford Mustang Dark Horse.
The Talking Rock, Ga. native has ascended the NASCAR ranks and already picked up several race victories in his young career. After graduating from the ARCA Menards Series with 10 wins, Smith has earned five NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series wins and three NASCAR Xfinity Series wins, including two last season on his way to a Top-five finish in the championship.
This year, he will be racing full-time for Front Row Motorsports in the Craftsman Truck Series.
Im very excited for the opportunity to race our way into the Daytona 500 with Garage 66, Smith said. Being in The Great American Race is such an honor, and I cant thank QuickTie and Carl Long enough for helping put this all together.
The 22-year-old already has NextGen superspeedway race experience, finishing in the top 15 in the 2023 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona. He has top-20 finishes in all three of his Cup Series starts to date.
Carl Long, who operates Garage 66 with co-owners Rocky and Tom Smith as well as John Jackson, had a tumultuous few days after Mike Wallace was ruled ineligible to compete in the 500 and had to scramble to put another deal together.
The last few days have been a whirlwind of phone calls and emails after Mike Wallace was not approved to be the driver of our Daytona 500 entry, Long said. After several days of non-stop communication with available drivers who could race a Ford, the pieces came together to place Chandler Smith in our car.
I am super pleased to have Chandler in our seat. He has friends behind the wheel of the other cars. At Daytona, we will need all the friends we can find to help race our way into the show! There are a lot of really quality cars attempting this race, which could easily make the most exciting part of the 2025 Daytona 500 the race to be in the race. With Roush-Yates power and Chandler behind the wheel, the odds of Garage 66 and our No. 66 team making the event just got stronger.
The hood of the MBM Cup entry during Speedweeks will carry QuickTie, a proprietary, patented hold-down system for high wind and seismic construction.
Coble Enterprises, which specializes in personalized property management for residential and commercial properties, remains committed to the No. 66 team in Daytona as an associate sponsor.
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Avalanche's Nichushkin delayed by injury setback
Published in
Hockey
Wednesday, 22 January 2025 10:49
Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin had a setback in his rehab from a lower-body injury and is now considered week-to-week.
Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said Wednesday that Nichushkin "is not close to coming back soon."
Nichushkin, 29, has not played since Dec. 31. He has 17 points (11 goals, 6 assists) in 21 games this season.
"He's an impact player on any line that he plays on and has a huge impact on special teams, too," Bednar said. "One player of that caliber makes a big difference."
The Avalanche are 14-7-0 with Nichushkin and 14-12-1 without him this season.
Nichushkin was suspended in May for at least six months and placed in Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. It was an announcement that came in the middle of Colorado's playoff run, marking the second straight postseason where the right winger was unavailable because of circumstances away from the ice.
He missed the opening 17 games of the season before debuting Nov. 15.
Nichushkin has 291 points (127 goals, 164 assists) in 533 career games with the Dallas Stars (2013-16, 2018-19) and Avalanche. He won a Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2021-22.
The Associated Press and Field Level Media contributed to this report.
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The Anaheim Ducks acquired Justin Bailey from the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday in exchange for fellow forward Pavol Regenda.
Bailey, 29, has spent this season with the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League, recording 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in 33 games.
He has totaled 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) in 141 career games with the Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks and Sharks. He was selected by the Sabres in the second round of the 2013 NHL draft.
Regenda, 25, has 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) in 36 games this season with the San Diego Gulls of the AHL.
He has appeared in 19 career NHL games, totaling three points (one goal, two assists) -- all with the Ducks.
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McDavid not proud of reaction, frustrated by ban
Published in
Hockey
Wednesday, 22 January 2025 14:49
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid expressed both remorse and frustration Wednesday for the cross-checking incident with Vancouver's Conor Garland, how it was handled by officials and the three-game suspension that was levied as a result.
"I can't have that reaction; everyone knows that," McDavid said of the cross-check to Garland in the final minute of Saturday's game. "[It's] not the reaction I'm proud of or that anyone wants to see out of me, and I understand.
"That being said, there's lots of infractions going on there [in the moment]. Maybe the whole thing is avoided with the blow of the whistle."
McDavid and Garland became physically engaged and tumbled to the ice. Garland held McDavid's arm as he tried to stand, and McDavid responded by punching Garland to separate them. When McDavid tried to re-enter the flow of the game, Garland again wrapped his arms around the center and took him back to the ice.
By the time they were both back on their skates, McDavid delivered a hard cross-check to Garland's head.
The NHL's Department of Player Safety determined Monday that it wasn't a routine play and suspended McDavid for three games. He ultimately chose not to appeal.
"The league made their decision; I don't necessarily agree with it," McDavid said. "I'm not saying there shouldn't have been any penalty or suspension or anything like that. I understand their decision. Have to move on."
In a video statement, the Department of Player Safety said McDavid "retaliate[d] aggressively and intentionally, escalating the altercation by raising his stick significantly and making this contact: a high cross-check that makes direct contact with an opponent's head with sufficient force" that warranted supplemental discpline.
This is McDavid's second career suspension. The first was a one-game ban for an illegal check to the head of New York Islanders defenseman Nick Leddy in February 2019.
McDavid on Wednesday said he was just "trying to tie the game" and wasn't expecting the wrestling match with Garland to escalate.
"I'm not really looking to engage with him," McDavid said. "There's a lot of holding [in the skirmish] and holding down -- he holds my head down for a little bit and stuff like that."
McDavid was asked if he could see what the referee's reaction was while the two players were wrapped up.
"I did not," McDavid snapped back. "I had my head between my legs."
"I know where we are in the time of the game and what we're trying to do," McDavid added later. "The longer [the holding] goes, the more you think there's going to be something. But I understand the refs have a hard job. With that being said, I have a hard job, too. Everyone has a hard job. That's why we're in this business."
Edmonton's star center is currently fourth in the league in scoring with 65 points in 43 games. He will forfeit $195,312.51 in salary while missing games against Washington on Tuesday, the Canucks on Thursday and Buffalo on Saturday.
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Madrid get big UCL win with Rodrygo, Vini doubles
Published in
Soccer
Wednesday, 22 January 2025 14:21
Holders Real Madrid hammered RB Salzburg 5-1 in a Champions League clash in the Spanish capital on Wednesday thanks to doubles from Brazilian forwards Rodrygo and Vinícius Júnior either side of a goal by Kylian Mbappé.
Rodrygo opened the scoring with a tidy finish from a Vinicius cross in the 23rd minute and extended the home side's lead in the 34th, curling home a shot from inside the box after a brilliant back heel flick from Jude Bellingham.
Mbappé took advantage of a massive blunder by Salzburg goalkeeper and captain Janis Blaswich to score the third in the 48th minute, while Vinicius made two magnificent runs in the 55th and 77th minutes to extend Real's lead.
Mads Bidstrup scored the visitors' consolation goal in the 85th minute.
Last year's champions Real Madrid are 16th in the standings on 12 points and have secured qualification for the next round, but would need to win their last game at Brest and rely on other results to earn a top-eight finish and avoid a two-legged playoff.
Salzburg are 34th, third from bottom, eliminated from the competition with only three points from seven games.
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Arsenal all but seal top-8 after win over Zagreb
Published in
Soccer
Wednesday, 22 January 2025 14:21
Arsenal all but secured a spot in the top eight places of the Champions League as they outclassed visitors Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 on Wednesday thanks to with goals from Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Martin Ødegaard.
Rice struck inside the opening two minutes after a clever lay-off by Havertz and the German put Arsenal in full control with a 66th-minute header. Captain Ødegaard put the icing on the cake with a third in stoppage time.
Victory lifted Arsenal to third in the standings with 16 points and with the top eight qualifying automatically for the last 16 only an extraordinary sequence of results in next week's final round of group matches could deny Mikel Arteta's side.
Arsenal travel to Girona for their final game where a draw will be enough to avoid any possibility of being dragged into a two-legged playoff in February.
Defeat for Fabio Cannavaro's Dinamo side left them in the elimination places ahead of their last match at home to AC Milan which they will have to win to stand any chance of a playoff.
Arsenal's Premier League title challenge suffered a blow when they were held 2-2 by Aston Villa on Saturday.
But they have been extremely reliable in the Champions League and a fifth win in seven games was always on the cards once Rice drilled a low shot past Ivan Nevistic after Havertz had cushioned a pass to him from a Gabriel Martinelli cross.
It was Rice's first goal in the Champions League.
Arsenal were occasionally threatened on the counter-attack as Dinamo showed plenty of pace going forward.
Arteta's side began the second half in lacklustre fashion but once Martinelli crossed for Havertz to plant a header past Nevistic the victory was in the bag.
Rice should have added his second when he headed wastefully wide, but Ødegaard made no mistake late on.
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Paris Saint-Germain clawed back from two goals down to stun Manchester City 4-2 in the Champions League on Wednesday and leave the English club outside the playoff places and in danger of elimination.
Goals from PSG's Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola, João Neves and Gonçalo Ramos turned the match on its head after City had taken the game by the scruff of the neck.
Substitute Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland struck in the 50th and 53rd minutes to give City a 2-0 lead, but fans who braved the torrential rain at Parc de Princes were treated to a brilliant comeback.
Dembélé latched on to a cross from Barcola to sweep home a goal in the 56th minute. Barcola levelled four minutes later when he tucked in the rebound after Désiré Doué's blistering shot came back off the crossbar.
PSG parked themselves in City's half and took the lead in the 78th minute when the visitors' back line struggled to clear Vitinha's free kick, leaving Neves to head in at the back post and Ramos added the fourth in stoppage time.
Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
PSG climb to 22nd in the table, while City, who hoisted the Champions League trophy in 2023 but have won just two of their seven group games, dropped to 25th, one spot below the playoff qualification spots.
City's loss sets up a nerve-jangling finale when they host Belgian side Club Brugge on Jan. 29. The top eight teams qualify automatically for the round-of-16, while sides finishing ninth to 24th compete in two-legged knockout playoffs to secure their spot in the last 16.
PSG were the better side for most of the game and briefly celebrated a goal by Achraf Hakimi seconds before halftime which was ruled out for offside.
City seemed to be continuing their revival weeks of poor results when Grealish rifled in the rebound from Bernardo Silva's shot, and Haaland doubled the lead when Grealish's cross took a deflection to fall to the Norwegian who hammered home from close range.
But PSG then blitzed the English champions, who had squandered a three-goal lead against Feyenoord to draw 3-3 in November, and they travel to VfB Stuttgart for their final game of the league phase.
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Champions League as it happened: PSG push Man City to the brink
Published in
Soccer
Wednesday, 22 January 2025 14:40
Matchday 7 of the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League campaign is done and dusted, with a number of eye-catching results leaving a tantalising final round ahead of us.
Catch up on all the play-by-play from Paris Saint-Germain's epic 4-2 win over Manchester City, Real Madrid's 5-1 demolition of RB Salzburg, Bayern Munich's shock 3-0 loss to Feyenoord, and more!
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Abhishek: 'The team has always told me to keep my attacking intent'
Published in
Cricket
Wednesday, 22 January 2025 11:32
Abhishek Sharma has had a blistering couple of years in the IPL and his elevation into the India T20I side has been justified by his performances, which now includes a 34-ball 79 against England in Kolkata.
But he has also blown hot and cold on occasion, being dismissed for under 20 in eight of his first 12 T20I innings. With India having a plethora of top-order batters, all potentially breathing down his neck and vying for the same position, the pressure can build on a man who is still only 24 years old.
However, Abhishek said his captain and coach have told him never to change his intent, and that's what has given him the clarity to play fearless cricket.
"I have thought always from the start to be a team player," Abhishek said in the press conference after setting up India's win with 43 balls to spare. "In India there will always be a lot of competition [when it comes to selection] in our senior team. But when Suryakumar and Gautam paaji tell me to always keep my intent, that was a big moment for me, that when the team wants me to do that, then I can do it.
"As a batsman it can play on your mind if you don't score runs in 3-4-5 innings, but the way the coach and captain have managed all the players, even when I've not done well - even then they tell us, 'we know you're gonna win the game for us, any game, just go and express yourself. I think when the captain or coach say this, you get confidence and you back yourself."
Abhishek has worked closely with some great batters as a young man coming up the ranks, and he credits them for not only improving his batting but also giving him the scope to play freely.
"I believe I'm very lucky in this," he said. "I've been working with Yuvi paaji at first. Going forward, I had Brian Lara, who really helped me at SRH. Moving forward, Dan Vettori was pretty simple, he just wanted everyone to express themselves, and I think that gave me the freedom to play my shots. So obviously with Yuvraj Singh, Brian Lara and even Gauti bhai right now, they just want me to showcase my talent the way I play and to back myself."
Abhishek also revealed his style of preparation leading into big tournaments and series, while giving a nod to India's new batting coach Sitanshu Kotak.
"I think it comes at the camp only, once you're practicing for a tournament," Abhishek said. "I try and want to face the kind of bowlers I will potentially face in a match.
"Special mention to Kotzy sir [Sitanshu Kotak] and Abhishek Nayar bhai. Both helped me in the nets to get me similar bowlers. I always believe that going into a match or a particular tournament, I hope I get similar bowlers that I will get in the match. Shot selection is very simple for me. I watch the ball and react."
On a good batting surface in Kolkata, Abhishek did not forget to credit the India spinners for their strangle-job of an explosive line-up like England to restrict them to 132, going as far as calling Varun Chakravarthy a "game changer."
"I think if you see the last few series, the way Varun has bowled, I think he has been a game changer for us," he said. "When you get good wickets all around in the T20 format, you have to have that bowler that bowls really well. It is always difficult for other teams to pick him up. Also the other spinners, Ravi Bishnoi and Axar bhai. It is very difficult for batters to play shots."
Sreshth Shah is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo. @sreshthx
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