India captain Rohit Sharma has heaped praise on Shubman Gill after his rise to No 1 in the one-day international batting rankings on the eve of their Champions Trophy opener.
The Indians face Bangladesh at Dubai International Stadium on Thursday. They were runners up the last time the competition was played, nearly eight years ago, when they lost the final to Pakistan in London.
The competition is being played in two countries after the Indian government ruled their national team could not tour Pakistan.
While the competition was getting under way in Karachi with a game between Pakistan and New Zealand, just over 1,000 kilometres away in Dubai, the Indians were making their final preparations.
They enter the event in fine touch. They thrashed England in a warm-up series this month, during which time Gill announced his return to form with some heavy scoring.
The 25-year-old batter had been run shy during India’s Test tour of Australia in the winter. He bounced back with scores of 87, 60 and 112 against England, rising to the top of the ICC’s ODI standings in the process.
Gill is now Rohit’s understudy, and the captain said he never had any concerns about his prowess in the 50-over format.
“Gill is a very, very classy player,” Rohit said. “There was never a doubt about his ability in this squad. If you mix formats, I don’t think that is the right way to judge any player.
“All players have their strengths in certain formats. If one format doesn’t go well it doesn’t mean that another format will be the same.
“It is there for all of us to see what happened in Australia. Things have changed, certainly in a different format.
“Gill’s numbers are crazy. He has been superb for us in the past three or four years that he has batted. There is a reason he has been elevated to be the vice captain of the team.
“I hope he has a great tournament and that will help us achieve the things we are looking forward to [doing].”
Rohit played down the idea that Champions Trophy success has played on India’s minds given the long hiatus since the last competition. He reasoned that all ICC tournaments are coveted.
“Every title, every ICC trophy that we play for, it is so important,” he said. “Not just in this Champions Trophy, but all the previous World Cups, they were all important for us.
“We come here thinking that we want to lift the trophy but there are so many things we have to do before holding on to it.
“As a team our focus will be on how we can do things right on the field, and how we can move forward. It is a very important tournament.”
All India’s matches will be played in Dubai, no matter how far they make it. The first semi-final is being staged in Sports City, whether India make it through the group phase or not, and the final will also be there if Rohit’s side reach that point.
They have been regular visitors to the city in recent years, including staging a section of the Indian Premier League there during Covid.
“It does assist all types of bowlers so as a batter you have to be mindful of that and try to assess as quickly as possible,” Rohit said of the challenge of playing in Dubai.
“That is what I have done here. Not just here, but anywhere, you try to assess as quickly as possible, then your instinct and your batsmanship, plus the situation of the team, take over.”
While the tournament has been rescheduled so that India’s matches are played in Dubai, the switch could also work in Bangladesh’s favour.
They might be underdogs in the competition, but they are extremely well supported in the UAE. Their age-group side even attracted sizeable crowds when they won the two most recent Under 19 Asia Cups in Dubai.
“Wherever we are going to play, there are a lot of supporters,” said Nazmul Hossain Shanto, the Bangladesh captain.
“They supported us when we win, when we lose. So that is a big part in this game and we feel the crowd will come tomorrow and support us.
“If you look at all eight teams – they are quality teams. And against India, Pakistan, New Zealand, we have good memories.
“We won a couple of matches in recent times. Last year, when we played India in Bangladesh, we have some good memories from then. But that is past, if we play well tomorrow and execute our plan, we will have a good match.”
UAE v IRELAND
All matches start at 10am, and will be played in Abu Dhabi
1st ODI, Friday, January 8
2nd ODI, Sunday, January 10
3rd ODI, Tuesday, January 12
4th ODI, Thursday, January 14
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Pros%20and%20cons%20of%20BNPL
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPros%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EEasy%20to%20use%20and%20require%20less%20rigorous%20credit%20checks%20than%20traditional%20credit%20options%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EOffers%20the%20ability%20to%20spread%20the%20cost%20of%20purchases%20over%20time%2C%20often%20interest-free%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EConvenient%20and%20can%20be%20integrated%20directly%20into%20the%20checkout%20process%2C%20useful%20for%20online%20shopping%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EHelps%20facilitate%20cash%20flow%20planning%20when%20used%20wisely%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECons%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EThe%20ease%20of%20making%20purchases%20can%20lead%20to%20overspending%20and%20accumulation%20of%20debt%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EMissing%20payments%20can%20result%20in%20hefty%20fees%20and%2C%20in%20some%20cases%2C%20high%20interest%20rates%20after%20an%20initial%20interest-free%20period%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EFailure%20to%20make%20payments%20can%20impact%20credit%20score%20negatively%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ERefunds%20can%20be%20complicated%20and%20delayed%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3ECourtesy%3A%20Carol%20Glynn%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
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Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
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Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
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Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
TRAINING FOR TOKYO
A typical week's training for Sebastian, who is competing at the ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon on March 8-9:
- Four swim sessions (14km)
- Three bike sessions (200km)
- Four run sessions (45km)
- Two strength and conditioning session (two hours)
- One session therapy session at DISC Dubai
- Two-three hours of stretching and self-maintenance of the body
ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon
For more information go to www.abudhabi.triathlon.org.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
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- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
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- £250m to train new AI models
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
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