Former Indian leg-spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan has alleged that he has been "colour discriminated" all his life, including in his own country. Sivaramakrishnan has played nine Tests and 16 ODIs for India. The leg-spinner opened up about his experience with discrimination and racism crisis in the wake of the racism scandal that has rocked English cricket.

Also Read: Spin wizard Shane Warne injures himself in a motorbike accident

The former leg-spinner was known for his prodigious turn and flight. Meanwhile, he was reacting to a Twitter post that hinted at online trolling faced by commentators.

"I have been criticised and colour discriminated all my life, so it doesn't bother me anymore. This, unfortunately, happens in our own country," Sivaramakrishnan wrote on his Twitter handle.

Sivaramakrishman is not the only one who faces Racism crisis

Sivaramakrishnan is not the only Indian player to open up about discrimination against. Tamil Nadu opener Abhinav Mukund had also raised this issue on social media in 2017. Abhinav Mukund has featured in 7 Tests for India.

"I have been travelling a lot within and outside our country since I was 15. Ever since I was young, people's obsession with my skin colour has always been a mystery to me." Mukund added in the statement.

"Anyone who follows cricket would understand the obvious. I have played and trained day in and day out in the sun. And not even once have I regretted the fact that I have tanned or lost a couple of shades.

Read Also: Cricket Facts: Teams to win every ICC event (white ball)

"It is simply because I love what I do and I have been able to achieve certain things only because I have spent hours outdoors. I come from Chennai probably one of the hottest places in the country. I have gladly spent most of my adult life in the cricket ground." Last year, former India and Karnataka pacer Dodda Ganesh, too, had opened up about his experience of racial discrimination.

Former Yorkshire player Azeem Rafiq testified about the racial discrimination that he faced at a parliamentary hearing.

Ranji Trophy was founded as the 'Cricket Championship of India' at a meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India in July 1934. The first Ranji Trophy fixtures took place in the 1934-35 season.

Mumbai are the most successful state in Ranji's history, winning 42 titles, including 15 consecutive trophies between 1958 and 1973. Here is the Ranji Trophy winners list since the inaugural season.

Mumbai - The most successful team in the Ranji Trophy

Mumbai are the most successful first-class team in Indian domestic cricket across different competitions. They have won the Ranji Trophy title a total of 42 times and also won the inaugural season of this prestigious tournament.

Read Also | Most Wickets in a Ranji Trophy Season

Mumbai won seven out of the first 20 seasons and then between the 1950s and 1970s, they won 20 out of 22 titles in the Ranji Trophy. Mumbai's latest title came in the 2023-24 season.

After Mumbai, Karnataka have won the most Ranji Trophies (8) followed by Delhi (7), Baroda (5), and Madhya Pradesh (5). Karnataka have been part of the tournament since the inaugural season. They had to wait until the 1973-74 edition to lift their maiden title. Their latest win came in the 2014-15 edition.

Also Read: Most Successful Teams in the Ranji Trophy History

Delhi won their maiden Ranji title in 1978-79 and their most recent win came in the 2007-08 edition while Baroda made their first-class debut in 1937 and won their maiden title in 1942-43.

Madhya Pradesh have also won five titles after their debut in the 1941 season. They won their first Ranji title in 1945-46, defeating Baroda in the finals.

Also Read: Last 10 winners of the Ranji Trophy

Ranji Trophy winners since 1934-35 season

Technology is quickly changing how players train in football and cricket, transforming conventional practices for these games and it is redefining human performance.

The role of technology in these two popular sports is visible, from relying on sensors which monitor all activity; to virtual reality simulations that aid decision-making, 

In recent years, technology has become smaller, more robust, and versatile, and thus new opportunities, especially in sports, have emerged. At the moment, updates are provided through smartphones, wearable functionality is used to avoid injury, GPS is used to track movement, and players are outfitted with sensors that send real-time information to a coach's device.

This article addresses the state-of-the-art equipment and approaches that are changing the paradigm of training, player development, and the game itself.

How Technology is Changing Cricket and Football Training

1. Wearable Technology

Trainers can invoke sensors wired to the body or some portion of "smart clothing" for measurement and monitoring in real-time. The real-time displays can be used to help the trainer determine what every sportsperson should push more. During training practice, trainers can use real-time measures to inform when to stretch, rest, or make training more challenging.

Laser and GPS are both being used more and more in different aspects of sports preparation. Instead of looking only at times and splits, coaches can measure athletes' exact position, distance, velocity, and acceleration, to better analyze their areas of improvement.

2. Video Analysis Tools

Modern-day football is becoming faster and more tactical. Athletes have to acquire both their athleticism and tactical awareness to enhance their decision-making process in the course of play. Video analysis is used for both individual and team tactical development.

In football, video analysis usually consists of a careful analysis and examination of game matches, practice, and player activity, to assess player performance, tactics, and strategies. Advanced technologies such as wearable tracking units and video analysis techniques are used in the process of achieving these things to capture and analyze critical elements of data, e.g., player location, combinations of teams, and player movements.

Video analysis can be used by coaches, analysts, and players to obtain a more complete picture of what goes on around the ball by giving a graphical representation of the game happening around them.

Video analysis can help a group of individuals to recognize the points of improvement, e.g., to enhance the winning approach and cope with different match situations effectively as the tool between the raw performance data and useful insights.

3. Virtual Reality (VR) Training

Virtual Reality (VR) applications have been of considerable interest in many high-performance and entertainment applications over the past few years with advances in technology, increased availability, and the mobility of VR systems.

More precisely, by embedding environmental constraints within an interactive virtual space, VR can also be used to train in motor, mental, and cognitive skills, strategy, and tactics.

VR offers promising novel solutions to many professional high-pressure, high-skill environments, especially for the training, and learning of difficult skills in otherwise expensive and/or hazardous settings. When properly used, VR provides complete control over the training environment, including cues and challenges, along with safe and reproducible training tasks. 

Because of this, it is designated as a promising instrument, which could help increase athletes' performance.

4. Biomechanical Analysis

The scientific study of biomechanics focuses on the physics and mechanics of how organisms move. In its general sense, it may include anything from knowing how a dancer entirely moves the whole body to the microscopic muscle cell-level response and observing the posture of an active horse.

Biomechanics is a narrower area in sports, which can offer helpful input to sportsmen, trainers, and sports medicine professionals who can help to enhance performance and decrease the chance of injury.

All of these biomechanical tests, including poor kinematics, rotational forces in specific joints, muscle imbalances, fatigue monitoring, and the quality of the movement being rehabilitated, may be detected.

5. Data Analytics

Data analytics has optimized athletes' performance by identifying previously unknown factors and related events. Those actions include, for example, leg motion, dive angle, rotational speed, and fluid motion.

Trainers can help players to successfully use this type of sophisticated movement tracking. If it is on the order of milliseconds, it can be the deciding factor for a race win or loss.

6. Recovery Technology

A significant reduction in injury levels and faster detection times demonstrates how technology greatly benefits sports training. Performance monitoring, movement processing, and improving communication are not only advantages but also contribute to making less susceptible environments.

Trainers and coaches can use training management software to monitor the specific training-based elements related to, for example, energy, nutrition, and sleep, that constitute the training process. Individualization of practices by trainers or coaches to optimize results helps prevent fatigue and self-inflicted injuries.

Besides the unavoidable external factors, injury-free sports may eventually be realized as a future scenario.

7. Communication and Collaboration Tools

Training communication has been enhanced by tools such as YouTube. YouTube contains millions of minutes of exercise and entertainment that are available to, and easily shared by anyone.

Physicists, especially in the area of sport and motor control, need to put much more emphasis on teaching sport and motor control with play debates or footage from films for their continuing education.1 Athletes and coaches can load and view the required films during sports practice or leisure time.

Other communication technologies have further been developed, namely My Fitness Pal, computer or mobile-phone journals on food and exercise, and personal digital health. My Fitness Pal enables trainers to monitor athletes' everyday diets, and players would be responsible for their training.

Artificial Intelligence has been improving the sports we watch and analyze for nearly the past 20 years, but the latest generation of ultra-modern AI tools is revolutionizing every aspect of sports, from improving player and team performances to ensuring safety along with fan engagement and the experiences.

AI can process and store large amounts of data, which allows us to gain insights that we couldn't see before. This capability is at the center of the revolution. For the players, this brings improved strategies, varied training methods, and a significantly lower risk of injury.

The fans enjoy a whole new level of engagement in the game, thanks to Al-powered platforms providing content tailored to them, such as virtual reality experiences and more.

The massive impact of AI in the Sports Industry

Artificial Intelligence is revolutionizing the Sports Industry rapidly by offering solutions to common problems such as individual performance, tactical requirements, injuries and recoveries, variations in training, etc.

The capacity of AI and GenAI tools to analyze complex data and provide instant insights is ushering in a new era of athletic performance and fan engagement as well.

From predictive analytics that improve player safety and performance to AI-powered viewing experiences for fans, the influence of artificial intelligence is setting the bar higher across the industry.

1. Player and team performance

GenAI can analyze team and player behavior to reach conclusions that would contribute to improved training and coaching. For example, they can monitor and analyze the movements of players with computer vision.

In this way, they can assess whether an athlete is moving wrongly or could be injured. Machine learning algorithms can watch game videos to identify patterns of the opposing team. Sports coaches can be made to develop wiser game plans and strategies by artificial intelligence.

Some techniques, including motion tracking and motion analysis, can capture changes in the posture, movement, or technique of a player that indicte fatigue or poor motor control.

According to a study by Grand View Research, the sports analytics market size was valued at $1.9 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach $5.2 billion by 2028, showcasing the rapid growth and demand for advanced analytics tools in sports.

The following two tools are widely applicable to player and team analysis:

• SportVU: This system tracks detailed player and ball motion in a game with computer vision and machine learning. It can analyze shot mechanics, accelerations and decelerations, speed, and distance.
• KINEXON: This system tracks positional and motion data in real-time by equipping players with sensors.

2. Injury Prediction and Prevention

Injuries occur regularly in professional sports. Identifying and preventing injuries before they even occur is likely one of the most thrilling applications of AI.

Teams can utilize AI algorithms to monitor an individual's motion as they move their joints and strain their muscles. It can search for patterns or instabilities that signify an injury before the symptoms themselves appear.

AI can recognize a slight deviation in the amount of strain a soccer player puts on their knee joint and warn the coaches or medical staff. Way before the injury became acute enough to cause the player to miss games, the team could either give them rest or do exercises to help them recover.

A report by MarketsandMarkets estimates that the global sports medicine market, which incorporates AI-driven health monitoring solutions, is projected to reach $9.3 billion by 2026, underlining the significant role of AI in athlete well-being.

The following two tools could be used in the AI-powered prediction and prevention of injuries:

• Sparta Science: It uses computer vision and motion sensing in analyzing movement patterns of an athlete. Based on motion data, biomechanical deficiencies, and especially risks of increased injury, machine learning models are able to identify those. 
• Zone 7: It measures injury risk using factors such as workload, degree of fatigue, and others through artificial intelligence and research in sports science. Their methods take age, position, body composition, and medical history into account. 

3. Training Through AI-Powered Analytics and Wearables

Smartwatches and fitness trackers are examples of wearable technology that have become essential for tracking many of the parameters mentioned earlier.

Wearable GPS devices that can track athletes' speed and location, overall distance traveled, and movement patterns are available to provide relevant information.

Wearable heart rate monitors use optical sensors to measure blood flow in real-time, tracking the heart rate. This is an important aspect of monitoring heart health, fitness levels, and recovery. It also helps in tracking blood oxygen levels, which is another important component of modern-day fitness trackers. They use optical sensors to track the oxygen saturation level of blood.

Since the 2010s, Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), such as GPS tracking vests, have been commonly used in professional sports. Such vests are offered with discrete and effective GPS tracking and sensors located on the back and shoulders; they are typically worn as tank tops.

In football and rugby, the vest is mainly utilized to track the location and movement of a player and, thereby, report strengths and weaknesses.

4. Sports Commentary and Reporting

Sports commentary and reporting can automatically be generated from match events and live data by employing natural language processing (NLP) methods like GPT-3. Artificially intelligent commentary not only comments on a strategy but also summarizes the critical events of match play. 

Similarly, GenAI can create such highlights, summaries, and post-match data reportage for viewing audiences as well.

NLP methods can make the commentary more dramatic and interesting by taking into account the game statistics and situations in real-time data. With the use of generated personalities and tones, it is possible to accommodate various fan interests in the coverage.

Automated GenAI reporting enhances sports coverage and commentary without losing interesting and captivating stories.

5. Sports Officiating

The use of AI in sports officiating is not without controversy, including traditional backlash and concerns regarding technology's influence on the game. Yet, the improvements it introduces, such as real-time analysis and decision support, are dramatically enhancing the accuracy and fairness of officiating.

Its capabilities to review plays from multiple angles and analyze them in seconds are proving invaluable in high-level games where every call matters.

Despite initial doubts, the use of AI in officiating is increasingly being accepted, with many seeing its potential to eliminate human error and ensure a level playing field.

As the technology improves and its uses extend, its role in assisting fair play and accuracy in sports is poised to increase, ushering in a new era in the use of technology and sportsmanship.

6. Player Scouting

Team owners are using artificial intelligence to review the performance of the players. To determine the most skilled people to invest in, they use data analysis using artificial intelligence. It takes millions of dollars to find talent in the sports world.

So, team owners would like to ensure that scouting one player is the best decision. Artificial intelligence is used widely in scouting players for any sport, be it cricket, football, or basketball.

AI-powered Change in Fan Engagement and Experiences

1. Personalized Fan Engagement

To provide customised fan experiences, GenAI algorithms can model the preferences and behaviours of audiences. Sports teams and broadcasters can use these insights to optimize engagement across media channels.

For example, social media platforms can deliver tailored video highlights, personalized promotions, and AI-recommended content to resonate with each fan.

The NBA revealed 'NB-AI', allowing fans to activate "movie mode" and watch live games animated like popular films, such as Spider-Man

pic.twitter.com/zb2IYT2YBX

— Dexerto (@Dexerto) February 16, 2024

Based on their past interactions and activities, the Generative AI identifies what content types, sports stats, and topics each fan finds most appealing. It creates and sends personalized content for each person. This level of customization, enabled by GenAI in sports, helps sports organizations connect more deeply with their audiences.

2. Viewing Experiences

GenAI can process live video to generate augmented reality (AR) overlays and graphics that enhance broadcasts or live streams.

For example, shot trajectories, real-time player stats, and situational analysis can be visualized and overlaid onto the gameplay footage. For virtual reality (VR), GenAI can create real-world simulated environments for an immersive in-game perspective.

The key innovation is using Generative AI to dynamically generate and adapt AR/VR overlays and environments on the fly, customized to each moment. As the narrative and action of the game shift, the GenAI-powered augmented experiences shift with them, elevating viewing to multidimensional engagement. 

A survey conducted by PwC found that 65% of sports fans are interested in using AR or virtual reality (VR) devices to watch sports, indicating a growing appetite for immersive experiences enabled by AI-driven technologies.

Conclusion

AI collaboration with sports is making the place safer as well as fairer. Predictive modeling and algorithms in AI are becoming a must for injury prevention. AI guarantees that more accuracy and fairness can be introduced in the outcome of a game by enhancing officiating. Both the aspects of performance and integrity are vital components in ensuring the prosperity and popularity of sports continue.

The impact of AI reaches sports journalism, advertising, and the creation of next-gen sports equipment, beyond the field or court. These innovations create new revenue streams and provide more exciting ways for fans to engage with their beloved sports and teams.

In this sense, artificial intelligence in the sports field could be said to be, by itself, a change not only for the athletes or for the coaches but for the sports system in general. With AI, the sports of the future could easily be foreseen because technology would harmoniously mix with manly athleticism at its highest levels.

The Pakistan team was heavily trolled when they waved the Chinese flag in the India versus China match in Asian Champions Trophy final match in China. But then, a totally different picture came in front when pakistani chess players chose to appreciate the Indian Contingents. India, standing out as the winner in both male and female and male chess Olympiads, got a heartwarming but not unusual gesture from the Pakistani contingent.

Pakistan players chose to pose with the Indian players, holding the flag. The photo stands out as an utmost flagbearer of peace. 

For a long time, critics and enthusiasts have been trying to promote sports as a mode of friendship. and why not! Seeing the two neighbours excelling simultaneously should be a matter of pride! But whenever situations favoured, trolls took the internet.

Pakistani fans donning Virat Kohli's jersey to Indian fans appreciating rookies like Shaheen Shah. the 90s kids have been idolizing both Sachin Tendulkar and Wasim Akram at its peak! Yet the tag "big-arc' rival got stuck to these countries due to geopolitical unrest!

A fan who has always wanted to shed off the hate every time a Mohammed Amir hugs a Virat Kohli is presenting four such instances when the GAME PROMOTED PEACE AND NOT HATERED!

Shahid Afridi

A household name, may be for his excellence or for him coming back from retirements, had shown his respect for his neighbour in 2018.

2018 St. Moritz Cricket Tournament in Switzerland, a tournament was played on frozen lake in sub-zero temperature. A matting wicket was made on the ice to play. A charity match where not just Afridi but legends like Shoaib Akhter, Virender Shehwag, Zaheer Khan, Graeme Smith, Andrew Symonds, and many others attended.

A handful of Indian and Pakistani fans were there, who urged Afridi to pose with them. One had an Indian flag that crumbled when Afridi requested "flag seeda rakho apna (straighten your flag).

This broke the internet with love. Not only that, he acknowledged fans from both countries for showering the bulk of love he got.

Even in a Legends' League match, he was seen giving an autograph to an Indian fan on his flag.

𝑩𝑰𝑮 𝑴𝑨𝑵 𝑾𝑰𝑻𝑯 𝑨 𝑩𝑰𝑮 𝑯𝑬𝑨𝑹𝑻 😍

Shahid Afridi gives an autograph to a fan on the Indian flag 🙌#LLC2023 @SAfridiOfficial pic.twitter.com/LonnLwlDAt

— Cricket Pakistan (@cricketpakcompk) March 19, 2023

Read also: A Bronze costs just USD 100: Trembling Future of Pakistan Hockey Team

Shaheen Shah Afridi 

Amidst trolls for mimicking KL Rahul, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's departure to him, there's another side to this young left arm fast bowler.

During the Asia Cup, when the suspended match at Colombo frowned the fans, Shaheen brought a gift to his contemporary best Jasprit Bumrah, and definitely some awe moment to the fans.

Shaheen congratulated Bumrah for his baby boy and gifted him stuffs for his son Angad. Burmah's wife, the sports presenter Sanjana Ganseshan too appreciated Shaheen's gesture.

An introduction to Shaheen's kindness is now leading to gate where he showed respect to Bumrah's country. In the 2022 World Cup match at Sydney, Shaheen was seen sighing an Indian flag offered by a fan. 

Arshad Nadeem

The bromance between Arshad Nadeem and Neeraj Chopra is not unknown to the athletics fan. The amount of respect each one has for the other has reached to their own residence, with their mothers claiming the other athlete as like their own son.

However, the competition here is not exactly "fierce," as in cricket. The mutual respect has restricted it to "entertaining" competitions.  A proof? Definitely!

The Budapest World Championships got the first ever medallist for Pakistan. It was their Arshad Nadeem winning the silver with a throw of 87.82 metres. Neeraj Chopra got the gold with 88.17 m. 

However, Nadeem felt short of Pakistan's flag while posing. When Neeraj offering his own flag, Nadeem accepted to stand holding it and pose, showing respect not just to his mate but to India as well.

Read Also: Cricket versus "Sports": A friend or a foe?

Shahzaib Rindh

Not so common name for the common fans, but the Salman Khan fan and a Karate champion Shahzaib Rindh held both Pakistan and India's flags promoting peace.

In a Karate combat event, the Pak rising star defeated the Indian opponent Rana Singh by 2-1 contest. However, emerging victorious, he waved both the flags and voiced his urge to promote peace.

“This fight was for peace. We are not enemies, we are together. Together we can do anything. This fight is for Pakistan and India’s friendship and being closer,” Shahzaib stated after the fight.

His words resonated deeply with fans, transcending the realm of sports and entering the realm of diplomacy. Shahzaib’s act was a reminder that sports can also inspire unity, not just rivalry.

A beautiful and powerful message by Pakistani fighter @RindhShahzaib after his victory over Indian fighter in @KarateCombat #KC45
Pakistan beat India by 2-1 in team competition in Dubai last night.. #ShahzaibRind #KarateCombat #PakvsInd #PakvInd #Unity pic.twitter.com/tCikyDBNrM

— Eco Vibes 🌍 (@EcoVibeExplorer) April 20, 2024

Sports for Peace

Here are just four instances when an athlete kept rivalry aside, by respecting the flag. But there are a good number of off-field stories that promotes love and respect between players and fands of two countries.

Amidst all the hate and political dipolitics that have poisoned the air, isn't it high time to promote sports as a torchbearer of peace and brotherhood? 

Lancashire registered a dramatic three-run victory over Worcestershire in their One-Day Cup 2024 match at the Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester. Lancashire scored 237 with skipper Josh Bohannon top-scoring with 87 runs. Worcestershire were very close to victory but Lancashire bowled them out for 234 and claimed a win by three runs. Venkatesh Iyer turned out to be the main man with his back-to-back wickets.

Read Also: Most matches played as captain

Bowling the 49th over, Iyer had to defend 16 runs off 12 balls as Worcestershire were 222/8 at the end of the 48th over. It was not a good start from him as he leaked 12 runs off the first four deliveries. With only four runs left to win from eight balls, the Indian all-rounder scalped the remaining two wickets in his last two deliveries. He dismissed Tom Hinley for 24, and Harry Darley for a duck. 

In the first inning, George Balderson scored 50 runs for Lancashire and helped them post a defendable total. Tom Hinley stole the show with three wickets while Tom Taylor and Harry Darley scalped two wickets each. Later in the chase, Worcestershire skipper Jake Libby scored 83 runs while Taylor scored 41. For Lancashire, Charlie Barnard scalped three wickets while Joshua Boyden and Iyer scalped two wickets each. 

Despite the loss, Worcestershire have qualified for the quarterfinals.