Unique ways to appreciate the mighty oceans of the world

Spend some time in the ocean and promise to celebrate its uniqueness this World Ocean Day

By IANSlife

June 01, 2023 (IANSlife) Dive deep to find corals, swim with dolphins, save endangered

Hawksbill turtles, and learn about the conservation of their habitat. As we approach World Ocean Day, which is observed annually on

June 8, and to commemorate its uniqueness, IANSlife has curated some of the coolest oceans you can visit around the world.

Swim with butterflyfish in Koh Tao, Thailand

From heavenly beaches and lush palm trees to turquoise waters and diverse marine life, the Islands of Maldives embody everything perfect for a leisurely escapade. Designed in harmony with the natural environment, The Residence Maldives offers myriad activities catering to every traveller’s interest, including the world’s largest and deepest coral atolls.

The waters of the resort’s GaafuAlifu atoll are home to

Discover vibrant corals in the deepest atolls of Maldives

over 1,200 species of corals, fish, sharks, green turtles, manta rays, and eagle rays. You can witness them by snorkelling and deep-sea diving. The resort also largely contributes to marine conservation by being part of the Maldives Underwater Initiative promoted by the Maldivian Ministry of Tourism and the Protect Maldives Seagrass, an initiative launched by the Blue Marine Foundation.

Save the endangered turtles in Oman

Koh Tao Island is no less than a tropical haven, thanks to the profusion of spectacular beaches, dive sites, and a wealth of different activities to enjoy.

Tanote Bay, located on the island’s east coast, is perfect for travellers who wish to witness the

Kingdom’s marine life teeming with various species, such as butterflyfish, angelfish, parrotfish, rabbitfish, and groupers.

The island encourages ethical and sustainable tourism by organising Spotlight Koh Tao, an annual event comprising workshops and

Witness the largest aggregation of whale sharks in Qatar

exhibitions which inspire tourists to participate in activities such as coral reef rehabilitation, sea glass jewellery making, coco tie-dye making, and fish aggregation with locals, among other initiatives that contribute towards marine conservation.

Nestled between the majestic mountains and glittering waters of the Gulf, Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah, Muscat, reflects the beauty of this Middle Eastern country. The sea around the resort is replete with rich marine life, such as turtles, rays, eels, fish, coral reefs, and shipwrecks that make beautiful underwater sights. A fully equipped and professionally staffed Dive Centre arranges daily excursions and guided diving tours. A nighttime expedition and three daily dives are available too. Marine experts guarantee that everyone makes the most of their aquatic adventure. Oman is home to five different species of turtles, and one of the nesting sites is Shangri-La Muscat’s private beach. The Turtle Care Project aims to protect the endangered hawksbill and green turtle species as a ranger looks after nests and protects them from potential threats. Between March and September, when hundreds of turtles return to the resort’s beach to lay eggs, guests are invited to witness hatchings, help to protect their nests and attend Turtle Talks at the hotel’s Eco Centre.

As a peninsula surrounded by the Arabian Sea and blessed with year-round sunny weather, Qatar is famous for crystal-clear beaches, waterparks, and marinas that invite everyone to try out activities and experiences. The country also serves as the perfect habitat for many aquatic species that thrive in warmer temperatures, such as the Hawksbill Turtles that feed on marine delicacies at Al Ghariyah Beach. In addition, Qatar is home to the largest aggregation of whale sharks that prefer the warm and shallow sea waters of the country’s northeast coast, located about 145 km from Doha and reached by yacht. Qatar also accommodates the world’s second-largest population of Dugongs at the Al Thakira mangrove forest. One can witness these underwater creatures in full glory from April to September by kayaking.

New Delhi, June 12 (IANS) In the run-up to the 2023 World Test Championship final between Australia and India at The Oval, many former players like Ricky Ponting and Wasim Akram had given a slight edge to the Pat Cummins-led side to lift the coveted mace.

On June 11, just a little after noon in London, they were indeed proved right as Cummins & Co beat India by 209 runs to be the WTC winners for the very first time and complete their set of ICC trophies, making them the first side in men's international cricket to do so.

For India, it was the second straight time they came runnersup in the WTC final after 2021, with the art of winning knockout games slowly becoming a lost heritage. But for its huge number of fans, it was back to familiar feelings as the 2023 WTC final entered the list of tournaments from which India came without an ICC title.

IANS looks at reasons behind India's crushing finale loss at The Oval and with the new WTC cycle starting next month, what they need as a transition era looms over the team.

Ashwin selection call

One of the wise pieces of advice cricket has ever got is to go on the field with your best cricketers, barring injuries coming into play. That advice also means that you got to pick your best batters and bowlers. At The Oval, India chose to leave out ace offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin, the top-ranked Test bowler with 474 scalps, who had previously picked a six-fer at the venue while playing for Surrey in 2021.

When the match was on, one sensed that India missed the trick by not playing him on seeing the bit of assistance the pitch provided to Ravindra Jadeja and Nathan Lyon. Irrespective of whether conditions could have been, not playing your best spinner in a prestigious clash for the title is a big mystery which has left many, including the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, baffled.

Though Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj were excellent with the ball, the efforts of Umesh tour of England by falling to the wide ball trap in second innings. Apart from Kohli dismissal shot in second innings, the shot selection in both innings left many legends of the game baffled.

Co-incidentally, the top-order from the WTC 2021 final was also featuring in the 2023 finale, which shows that nothing has changed in the lack of runs from top-order despite the personnel being the same.

Yadav and Shardul Thakur as third and fourth pacers were less than desired of what the team would have liked them to be.

With India already missing Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer due to injuries, leaving out Ashwin didn't make any sense, especially with Australia having five left-handed batters.

No response to being pushed on backfoot from day one

To be very honest, the result of the WTC final was decided on day one of the game itself. India elected to bowl first and were playing catch up throughout the match despite batting fightback from Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur in first innings.

India were excellent in the first hour, keeping Australia in check at 29/1 in 12 overs and taking out David Warner. But after that, as the bowlers changed, so did the game. From there, there was no stopping Australia as they reached 327/3 at stumps and eventually made 469.

Not being tight in tactics also played a part in India being pushed on backfoot right on day one. India bowled in strong areas of Travis Head, giving him the room to take boundaries quickly apart from rotating strike easily and bowling just one short ball to him in his first 29 balls. By the time the short-ball ploy to cramp him for room came, Head was already past 90 and got his hundred in no time.

Top-order failures come to the fore

Just like many times in the past, the batting problem of India's top-order came back to hit them hard on a big stage, yet again, unable to even touch 300 in both innings. Rohit Sharma couldn't replicate his stunning run in the 2021 tour of England in both innings. Shubman Gill is yet to look comfortable in playing Tests in England.

Cheteshwar Pujara, despite two months of county cricket for Sussex, couldn't thrive in what was to be familiar conditions for him. Virat Kohli gave the feeling of going for a long stay at the crease, but flattered to deceive in his fifth

Maybe it's the right time for introducing some freshness in the top-order (like Yashasvi Jaiswal) as well as in middle-order, and look beyond the highlyexperienced folks by rewarding performers of Ranji Trophy and India A tours.

Fast bowlers with more depth and control

In the last few years, a big part of India's overseas success came from the fast-bowling unit, making Bumrah, Shami, Siraj, and Umesh Ishant Sharma the envy of the cricketing world.

But with Bumrah injured due to recurring back injury and doubts over whether he would be playing consistent Test cricket in future as well as Ishant being phased out, India's fast-bowling unit suddenly looks thin on depth.

Shami and Siraj are certainties, but are people like Umesh, Thakur and Jaydev Unadkat seen as sure starters, especially when India take the field in their next WTC cycle assignment in West Indies? Umesh and Thakur lacked penetration and control with the ball, allowing Australia to run away with the game.

On-field things aside, India have also been unlucky on the fitness part too. Apart from Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna has been out for long due to back injury.

There's no word on development of Navdeep Saini, Kamlesh Nagarkoti (he's down with back injury too), Ishan Porel, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Shivam Mavi and Kartik Tyagi in longer format, who can also provide some runs with the bat.

Overall, all these factors show that there are a lot of problems in the Indian Test team which need urgent attention to solve. There is a lack of vision for the future for developing lethal and consistent fast bowlers as well as batters, which the opposition will fear too.

That also includes organising A tours regularly and appointing a chief of selectors, which also plays a role in teams winning big titles consistently. Otherwise, the mistakes from 2023 will continue to repeat endlessly, leading to more heartbreak for the Indian team and its ever-loyal fans in ICC tournaments.

New Delhi, June 13 (IANS) Former Australian spinner, Brad Hogg has expressed his agreement with Rohit Sharma's call for a threematch World Test Championship (WTC) final and also suggested International Cricket Council (ICC) a new format for the next cycle.

After suffering a crushing defeat in the WTC final, India skipper had called for the WTC Final to be played as a three-game series.

"You work hard for two years and then you have only one shot at it. Test cricket is all about finding that rhythm, finding that momentum as well. So, I think, if in the next cycle, if it is possible, a three-match series would be ideal," Rohit had said.

Echoing the Indian skipper's sentiments, Hogg agreed with his thoughts on the WTC final and proposed an intriguing new format to determine the winner of the mace by dividing the teams into two divisions, each consisting of four teams.

"I agree with Rohit Sharma that the WTC Final should be a threematch series, but this time it was a one-match final and Australia won that, and I am not taking away from that. It is about the game moving forward. I think there should be two divisions with four teams each -- the top four teams in division one and the rest in division two. The associates can be in division three and work their way up," Hogg said in his YouTube channel.

Hogg further elaborated on the details of his proposed format changes for the WTC.

"The top two teams in division one play a three-match final on the home soil of the top team in the table. Then the teams ranked three and four in division one play against teams that finished top two in division two," the former spinner said.

"Team three of division one will play at home against team two of division two, and then team one of division two will play team three of division one," Hogg added.

Canberra, June 14 (IANS)

Australian women's football captain Sam Kerr has declared winning the World Cup at home is the biggest goal of her career.

Kerr, 29, will on July 20 lead the Matildas onto the pitch for their opening game at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup against Ireland in Sydney, reports Xinhua.

The tournament, which will be held in Australia and New Zealand, shapes the biggest event in the history of Australian football and Kerr's career.

Currently ranked 10th in the world, the Matildas are widely considered contenders to become the first Australian team to win the World Cup following recent victories over fellow top-ranked teams England, Spain and Sweden.

"It would be the ultimate dream. That's why I play football. That's why I do what I do every day. That's why I sacrifice so much, to win a World Cup," Kerr was quoted by the Australian Associated Press (AAP) on Tuesday.

Kerr is the all-time leading scorer in Australian history but missed a crucial penalty as Australia were knocked out of the 2019 World Cup by Norway in a round-of-16 shootout.

Despite the added pressure of hosting the tournament, Kerr said she and her teammates were solely focused on their preparation with 36 days to go until the tournament starts.

"The most important thing is we focus on ourselves and focus on performing to the best of our ability and enjoying it too, because this is a once-in-alifetime experience," she said.

"You don't want it to become a bad experience by getting overawed by the crowd or whatever it may be, you want to enjoy this experience."

CLOSE-IN: IPL 2023 was a Perfect 10 India vs Pakistan on Oct 15 in draft schedule of ODI World Cup: Reports

A last-ball finish in the IPL'23 was, as one can term it, a perfect 10. The tournament was without a doubt an unimaginable success. The cricket was scintillating and the hordes of spectators at every venue were quite remarkable.

The final between Gujarat Titans (GT) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the enormous Ahmedabad stadium got delayed by a day due to rain and to have a full house the next day showed the dedicated love of the IPL followers. The digital world of live streaming of the matches had millions of eyeballs as well. This truly augmented the fact that T20 cricket is here to stay and one that will rule cricket in the future.

The IPL'23 has brought about a completely different dimension to the game. The Impact Player substitution has made a huge IMPACT. The possibility of getting an additional bowler or batsman, if needed, was a boon for many a side. It led to a dynamic change in the way the playing eleven of the teams were structured and the IPL benefitted enormously. Totals that looked out of reach became possible through the inclusion of an extra batter as well as defending via an extra bowler.

The umpteen number of close finishes with many of them off the last few deliveries, made viewing nail-biting and extremely interesting. Seeing cricketers perform and successfully implement their capabilities in such an intensive high-pressure situation was astounding. How can one describe the mental calmness of the two shots played by Ravindra Jadeja, a six and a four, to clinch the victory for his side, CSK, off the last two balls of an IPL final? One needs nerves of steel to do so, similar to a Rinku Singh performance of hitting 5 sixes off the last 5 deliveries to clinch victory for his side, Kolkata Knight Riders. These are remarkable feats, along with many others that made the IPL'23 so enjoyable to watch.

One did feel sorry for Gujarat Titans led by Hardik Pandya, to lose the final match which seemed to be in their favour for most of the game. A total of 215 runs that they notched up was a huge task for CSK to chase. The rain gods and luck came to CSK's advantage and with the reduction in overs and runs due to the match being affected by rain and the breaks that they got, gave them time to regroup and reignite mentally.

Hardik Pandya, the man in-line most likely to lead India in the T20 format, tried to look calm and unflustered during CSK's chase and gave an impression that he had things under control. However, due to the reduction in overs, assessing which of his bowlers would be the most effective to exploit the situation the best, is where he unfortunately faltered. However, when it finally came down for CSK to get 10 runs off the last 2 deliveries, it looked like GT were on the road to victory.

Mohit Sharma, the astute Gujarat Titan bowler, brought a ray of hope when he delivered four outstanding balls. This is when Hardik faltered unknowingly.

Mohit Sharma had his tail-up having bowled four superb yorkers showcasing that his rhythm and muscle memory were well in tune.

Hardik, in trying to calm Sharma down, stopped play to boost his bowler and have a light-hearted chat over a cold drink with him. This action by the GT captain resulted in two huge mistakes. One where he gave the cool and experienced Ravindra Jadeja time to get his thought process in place, especially as both he and Shivam Dube had struggled to hit a boundary on four earlier occasions. The second and most important failure was that Hardik in his attempt to play cool, lost the bowling rhythm and flow that Mohit Sharma had captured in his deliveries previously. Thereafter, he did the unthinkable of following the same ritual on the last and final ball of the match. This incident takes one back to the earlier days when coaches were against either a bowler or a batter taking refreshments in between the stipulated time of a drinks interval. Their profound theory was that it broke one's concentration and momentum. Players in the past went even further when they refused to change a pad or a wet glove or even an item of torn clothing as it may deter their mindset and mental concentration. A good example of this was when Sunil Gavaskar, during his magnificent century at Manchester against England in 1974, in cold dreary and bowling-friendly conditions, refused to change his torn trouser, lest he lose his concentration. He rates that innings as his finest.

This brings one to the men who control the game at the centre, the umpires. One felt that on many occasions in the IPL, they were very lax in their approach. Long chats between overs, extra time for captains to adjust their field, drinks coming in at every stoppage, and at times when the batter had barely played a few deliveries, were some things that needed to be monitored far more strictly.

There was a famous incident of Mahendra Singh Dhoni taking those four extra precious minutes by interacting with the umpires to ensure that one of his bowlers would be able to bowl because he was off the field earlier. This may have been a very good ploy by Dhoni, but one in which the umpires came through as being very lenient. The DRS somehow seems to have softened them, especially in controlling tricky situations out in the middle.

Dhoni is at present the biggest icon in Indian cricket. He has captured the heart of every Indian and has a fan following that he truly deserves. For his side to win the IPL'1yu23 under his able captaincy was the icing on the cake.

A perfect 10!

(Yajurvindra Singh is a former India cricketer. The views expressed are personal)

New Delhi, June 12 (IANS) The highly anticipated match between India and Pakistan during the upcoming ODI World Cup is set to take place on October 15 in Ahmedabad, as per the draft schedule of the marquee event.

According to an ESPNcricinfo report, the BCCI shared the draft schedule with the ICC, which then sent it to the participating countries for feedback before a final schedule is put out early next week.

As per the initial draft schedule of the 2023 ODI World Cup, prepared by the BCCI., England and New Zealand are set to meet in the tournament-opener on October 5 while India are set to open their campaign against Australia on October 8 in Chennai.

The report further said India are scheduled to play their league matches across nine venues while Pakistan are slated to play across five venues during the league phase.

While the draft schedule does not provide specific details about the semifinal venues, it is expected that they will be held on November 15 and 16. The final match of the tournament is set to take place on November 19 in Ahmedabad.

India's itinerary in draft schedule: India vs Australia, Oct 8 in Chennai

India vs Afghanistan, Oct 11 in Delhi

India vs Pakistan, Oct 15 in Ahmedabad

India vs Bangladesh, Oct 19, in Pune

India vs New Zealand, Oct 22, in Dharamsala

India vs England, Oct 29, in Lucknow

India vs qualifier, Nov 2, Mumbai India vs SA, Nov 5, Kolkata

India vs qualifier, Nov 11, Bengaluru

JioCinema resumes digital innings with India’s tour of West Indies 2023

cycle. The 3-match ODI series begins July 27 and will be played in Barbados and Trinidad. The five-match T20I competition tips off in Trinidad on August 3, followed by two matches in Guyana and the last two fixtures in Florida, USA.

Mumbai, June 14 (IANS)

JioCinema on Wednesday announced the acquisition of digital rights to India's Tour of West Indies 2023 to live-stream the month-long series that includes two Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is. The all-format bilateral tour starts July 12 with the first Test in Dominica followed by the second in Trinidad. The Test series will mark the beginning of India's World Test Championship 2023-25

"JioCinema offered a seamless streaming experience that resulted in astonishing benchmarks never heard of. We pushed the boundaries of technological capability to affirm that sports is best experienced digitally," said Viacom18 - Sports Head of Strategy, Partnership & Acquisitions Hursh Shrivastava.

"With the India Tour of West Indies 2023, we will forge ahead and offer our viewers a worldclass presentation."