With just two days away for the tournament, Nepali team’s Batting Consultant for the upcoming tournament, Indian Coach Umesh Patwal shared few important gaps and focus areas that the Nepal cricket team need to focus in the upcoming series.

In his interactions with a Nepal-based media house, Patwal said the team need to focus more on strategizing the ‘game sense’.

The Coach went on to explain that the Nepali team is good at ball sense but lacks in having a proper game plan while performing in tournaments.

“They pick up the ball well but the execution of shots, like when they should go for big shots and when they should go for singles, that’s where they are not very sure. The game plan is poor. They appear to be uncertain when to go after the bowlers and when to stick to the wicket,” reads Patwal’s statement.

Nepal Cricket Team Lacks Competition

Speaking about gaps in Nepali team’s batting plan, Patwal said the team basically lacked tough competition in the tournaments they played.

Except for the T20 leagues, the Nepali team hasn’t faced a tough competition in their matches and would possibly feel some pressure in facing bowlers in the 50-over matches.

Experience in T20 matches gave the team the ability to chase short scores. But they might struggle in 50-over matches if the targets are around 250 runs as they haven’t batted long in the past, adds the Coach.

However, some of them can cope up by their character in the game.

“It’s a game, few guys could cope because of the way they are as a character. I believe that cricket is played by character but not the cricketers. And if you want match winners you need more characters. So hopefully if you find few characters in the team, you could still end up on the winning side,” says Patwal.

Overall, the Coach suggests the team needs good batting performance considering the previous records that hardly show best performers in the team except for Dipendra Singh Airee who performed well in one of the recent matches.

Will have to wait and see how the team performs in this second ODI International!

About Umesh Patwal

Umesh Patwal is not a new name for Nepali cricket team. He was also the team’s coach for the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe in March 2018, and for Biratnagar Warriors in EPL 2018.

The Coach was also the Tournament Director for the Pokhara Premier League (PPL) 2018.

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This was because the Nepali veteran cricketer and the longest-serving member of the Nepal cricket team Shakti Gauchan said goodbye to his cricket career!

Gauchan, who already announced retirement to the international cricket in July 2018, took the #EPL2018 stage to say goodbye to his domestic cricket career as well.

So, Gauchan’s EPL teammates Pokhara Rhinos decided to give him a rare honor and took the veteran leg-spinner on to their shoulders, amid more than 10,000 cricket fans watching the scene with happiness.

The situation moved Gauchan a lot, who literally cried out of emotion with intense joy waving to his fans with happy tears and for the love his teammates had for him.

“I think this guard of honor and love from the spectators is the result of my honest contribution to the country and loyalty to the game. The emotions in the ground (while receiving the guard of honor and cheers from the crowd) was something which I cannot express in words. This moment is unforgettable for any player and it will etch in my memories for a lifetime,” Gauchan told the media.

Destined for Nepal Cricket: Gauchan’s Records & Milestones

Gauchan, who says his life is ‘destined for Nepali cricket’, made his debut in the senior national Nepal cricket team in the 2002 ACC Trophy against Oman.

From then, the veteran continued to grow with the sport and has successfully completed his
18-year-long active journey with the national cricket team.

When the national anthem was played while I was playing for Nepal for the first time during the 2001 ACC U-17 Youth Asia Cup in Bangladesh, my inner soul had said you are born for Nepal and have to do something for your country. Cricket is the only thing that will direct you. 18 years down the line, the love that I have earned from cricket is something that I am very proud of,” Gauchan added.

Hailing from India, Gauchan began his career as the opener batsmen and set a 1000-run mark, becoming the first Nepali cricketer to do so for the senior team.

Gauchan was equally successful as a bowler too! He is the third Nepali cricketer to have taken 100 wickets after his co-team members Mehboob Alam and Basanta Regmi.

Besides in regular national team, Gauchan also led the Nepal U-17 team in the U-17 Asia Cup and then the Nepali U-19 team, gifting centuries for both the youth and senior teams.

Gauchan also has a special role in Nepal’s maiden ODI entry!

Nepal To Global: ICC T20 Made Gauchan Special!

Gauchan also played for Nepal in many international cricket tournaments.

Gauchan is also the first Nepali cricketer to score 100 runs in the World Cricket League, which he made in Italy during the 2005 Division 2 Qualifier match.

In total, Gauchan played 9 Twenty20 international tournaments for Nepal. He was known for taking 18 wickets in List A and 32 wickets in Twenty20s, and a total of five wickets in the First-Class matches.

Gauchan moved on to leave his mark in every match he played for Nepal in the world cricket!

ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers at UAE was one termed as ‘Gauchan’s come-back’ after a short gap, where he claimed hat-trick wickets against Denmark becoming the only male cricketer to have made such rare feat in Nepali cricket history.

Following this, he also received a call for brief training camp at the Indian Premier League for Rajasthan Royals.

Gauchan’s reputation as a spinning sensation touched new heights when he bowled the world cricket legend Rahul Dravid! Gauchan also have a special role in Nepal’s maiden entry to the ICC World Twenty20 in 2014 in Bangladesh.

Gauchan’s performance in the World Twenty20 tournament also earned him special recognition from the former Pakistani cricketer-turned commentator Ramiz Raja. Raja called Gauchan “Shakti, The Power” in the Nepal-Hong Kong match, where veteran spinner took 3-9 wickets in four overs and also stood as the ‘Man of the Match’.

“Singing the national anthem during the World Twenty20 and playing at the Lord’s will be memorable for me. I will always miss the ground where I have played and of course being with the national team,” reads Gauchan’s statement.

“My innings as a player has now ended. I know I have to move on now and life is going to take a new turn. My mission now is to help Nepal play the 50-over World Cup and the prime target is to elevate country into a Test nation if I get support from everyone. It’s tough, but we should not stop dreaming because that is how we played Twenty20 World Cup,” says Gauchan.

Now at Everest Premier League 2018!

Gauchan led the Pokhara Rhinos team in the last season of the Everest Premier League, but let the opportunity for Scottish Captain Kyle Coetzer in #EPL2018.

Although Gauchan could not repeat his magical bowling performance, he managed it decently taking 2-132 from 18.5 overs.

“When I came to bowl at the start of the innings, I realized that these overs were going to be my last. I thought of giving the best. Well, it might sound like a joke but when I came to ball the final ball, I was thinking of not being hit for a four or a six,” Gauchan said in a media briefing.

The Conclusion
Thanks to Gauchan who took the Nepali cricket to the next level. Hope Gauchan’s journey and the success tracks of other sensations like Sandeep Lamichhane will inspire and bring more Nepali cricket talents to the limelight.

The post Veteran Shakti Gauchan Waves ‘Good Bye’ to Nepali Cricket! appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Nepali football team saw 4-0 win against over Bhutanese football team in a second Group A match held as part of the SAFF Championship in Dhaka on September 06, 2018.

Though Anant Tamang placed his team in the lead on 21 minutes, Bhutan continued to strike Nepal until the 71^st minute. But, a second goal by Nepal changed the game all at once moving the team to success finally.

While Sunil Bal doubled Nepal’s lead to bring a sudden shift in the game, Bharat Khawas and Nirajan Khadka hit Nepal’s third and fourth goals to finish the rout.

 “After taking over the national team, I particularly focused and worked on the set pieces. We don’t have any other option other than beating Bhutan and keep alive our qualification hopes. We prepared and structured the players to get the best out of the set pieces and that’s how we won,” says Balgopal Maharjan Nepal Head Coach .

Goalkeeper Kiran Limbu led the Nepali football team in place of captain Biraj Maharjan, which marked Limbu’s first such role as the captain of the national football team.

This victory adds another success story to Nepal’s sports journey, especially with Bhutan, which got defeated by Nepal in all the last seven matches played.

With this, Nepal stands second in the Group A teams behind Pakistan that lost to Bangladesh.

Now, Bhutan will play with Pakistan and Nepal will next play with Bangladesh, which already has two wins in its basket, to secure its spot in the semi-finals!

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After more than a week-long struggle across various sports of the ASIAD 2018, Nepal finally scored a biggie in the cross-country paragliding competition held at the Gunung Mas Puncak in West Java, Indonesia.

Nepali paragliding men’s team performed at their best to finally bring a ‘silver medal’ for the country.

As the authorities cut down the race duration from 25 km-12.5 km, Nepali team had to undergo a tough competition in the rush hour of the paragliding race that was badly hit by weather conditions.

After an exceptional performance, the team fell short of 28 points and found its place next to Japan missing a ‘gold medal’.

The Nepali team comprised of Bijay Gautam, Bimal Adhikari, Sushil Gurung, Ukesh Gurung and Bimla Thapa, who altogether earned 2797 points in today’s round pushing the total score to 11,364 points.

Meanwhile, the Japanese team earned 2057 points in the today’s round taking their count to 11,391 points to win the event.

The Nepali team drew wide appreciation for bringing the country back to fame in the international arena after a 20-year-long wait since Sarita Rajbhandari got a ‘silver’ in Taekwondo in 1998.

“This is the biggest achievement for us. This win and the medal are for all the Nepali people,” says buoyant Coach Yogesh Bhattarai.

Nepali skipper Bimal Adhikari lauded the team at their success and expressed hope the country would win more medals in the upcoming competitions.

With this victory, Nepal has so far won two ‘silver medals’ in the Asian Games 2018 till date accounting to the all-time medal count of 24.

Also Read:

• International Paragliding Competition 2017: Nepal Wins, Aims Asian Games 2018
• Asian Games 2018: New National Records in Weightlifting

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No doubt, Nepal has always been at its best in this regard!

Despite its geographical location and infrastructure challenges, the country never looked back in adopting any new thing that adds to its progress and charisma at the international level.

Among various such areas, Nepal holds a special inclination to sports, and has been riding high on success in many national and international sports events.

While Cricket, Football and Volleyball have been some key sports interests of Nepal, there is one new sports trend that the world started talking about in case of Nepal i.e. ‘Golf’.

Here in this article, we will see how Nepal caught up the golf trend, which is today more than a sport and also the country’s most-popular tourism activity.

Golf History in Nepal: Pastureland to Top-notch Courses

The start of golf sport in Nepal dates back to the times of Rana rulers.

As the historians say, ministers in the Rana ruling introduced golf to Nepal by bringing along golf clubs and courses on their return from foreign nations like Scotland, a century ago.

Golf in Nepal took its actual form in 1917 when the then prime minister of the country had reportedly introduced golf clubs along with setting up a basic course.

Beginning with the pastureland for cows (the area where today’s Tribhuvan International Airport is at), the golf sport eventually matured to become the sport played in well-built golf courses.

However, the sport activity remained limited to the then Nepali elite families and expatriates for long until Royal Nepal Golf Club (RNGC) came up in 1965.

However, the sport went on to see many transformations with the growing interest among the locals.

Nepal saw its first real golf tournament Lava Cup in 1920 and marks the anniversary celebrations on September 02, every year.

No Turn Back

It did not take much time for golf in Nepal to become a professional sport that can draw huge sponsors.

The major breakthrough for golfing in Nepal came in 1993 with the launch of Surya Tobacco Company’s annual Surya Nepal Masters Open.

The tournament emerged as the first internationally-organized professional tournament with a hefty cash prize and has been a major attraction for professional and amateur golfers from many Asian and other nations.

The tournament went on to become a most-sought for Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), which has also been promoting golf and joined Surya Nepal Masters as its co-promoter for the event.

The tournament is currently played at the Gokarna Golf Course.

Golfing in Nepal

Today, many call ‘golfing in Nepal’ as one of the key memorable experiences.

Beginning with RNGC in 1965, the country went on to see the emergence of seven well-built golf courses with good standards, with three in Kathmandu (RNGC Course, Gokarna Forest Golf Resort and Tribhuvan Army Officers’ Golf Course), two in Pokhara (Yeti’s Golf Course in Fulbari Resort & Spa and Himalayan Golf Course), and one in Dharan (Nirvana Country Club).

Kathmandu RNGC Course: Developed in 1986 and currently owned by Royal Nepal Golf Club (RNGC), this is a 9-hole golf course with international standards located in Kathmandu.

Gokarna Forest Golf Course: A 72-course golf area with 18 holes located close to the heart of Kathmandu city, this course is considered as one of the finest golf courses in South Asia spread across an area of 470 acres in the well-preserved Gokarna Forest. More than a course, it gives a sanctuary experience.

Yeti’s Golf Course: Set in the backdrop of Seti River gorge, this 9-hole course is challenging for golfers of all levels: Amateurs and professionals. 

Apart from these, the country also has one private golf course in the Chaudhary Industrial Village premises in Nawalparasi District with a good infrastructure set-up.

Golfing is one of the most expensive sports in Nepal. However, all the aforementioned golf courses maintain required amenities in line with the international standards and have a very high-quality equipment.

Love to visit? One can participate in any of the golfing events conducted in these courses on a regular basis. Besides, you can also learn from them by joining crash courses offered by them.

Nepal All Set for New Golf History

If one has to speak about golf in Nepal, the first name that appears to mind is Pratima Sherpa.

Popularly known as the Nepal’s top-rated golfer and the country’s aspiring first female professional golfer, Pratima earned a wide global recognition in her short career and is a now an active teenage golfer set to make major strides in the country’s golf history.

“Nepal is a smaller country than most and playing golf can be difficult for poor families like ours. But I’ve got a big opportunity to play golf and feel very proud and lucky that I’ve got that chance. I want to become a great golfer,” says Pratima.

Pratima rose to fame as a Nepali golfer nationally and internationally, and has also earned a huge local support.

 “Fruits of labor are always sweet, so now I’ve been given the opportunity to play golf I am going to try my hardest,” says Pratima, who is relentlessly working to set a milestone in the Nepal’s golf history.

Let’s hope more such golf aspirants will rise to fame locally in Nepal making the country’s fame in golf sport to global!

Also Read:

• Nepal’s Growing Enthusiasm for Handball
• Nepal — A Growing Cricket Nation
• Swimming, A High-esteem Sport for Nepal
• Nepal’s Table Tennis Now International Treasure
• Naismith to Nepal—The Basketball Journey
• Nepal’s Taekwondo: Defense At its Best!
• Nepal Ice Hockey – Legacy in the Making
• Martial Arts- Nepal’s Foray into the Art of Self Defense

The post Golf, Nepal’s Next Challenge to World Sports! appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

In the opening match of the football tournament, Nepal faced Bangladesh driving the latter to lose the game at a score of 2-0.

The match held at Doha Stadium saw outstanding performance by Nepali Striker Indra Jung Limbu who gave a dashing start hitting a goal in the very first five minutes of the match.

And, the second goal at the 23^rd minute of the game was hit by Arjun Subba.

Bhakta Bhandari played a significant role, by passing on balls, behind the goals of both the players.

Meanwhile, the match with Japan saw a winning performance of Nepali football team against the Japanese football team at 2-0.

The match with Japan, held at Al-Markhiya Stadium, saw outstanding performances by Arjun Subba and Shiba Shrestha.

Nepali football team’s next match with Lebanon has been scheduled for February 8, 2018, the fourth match against Singapore on February 15, 2018, and the fifth match with Indonesia on March 1, 2018.

All the next three matches have been scheduled to be held at Doha Stadium.

Nepali football team comprises of Captain Shiva Shrestha, Arjun Subba, Indra Jung Limbu, Bhakta Bhandari, Pasang Sherpa, Milan Thapa, Anil Dhimal, Pawan Napit, Dipak Sonar, Dawa Lama, Bikesh Bhandari, Ganesh Khadka, Dipak Sonar and Bharat Dital.

There are two groups in the tournament. Group A includes India, Jordan, Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka and South Korea while Group B includes Nepal, Lebanon, Indonesia, Japan, Bangladesh and Singapore.

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