(Cricket news) At the beginning of Day 4 India were in a commanding position as they were 125/3 with a lead of 257. Rishabh Pant and Cheteshwar Pujara were at the crease but England bowlers came through with some quality. Pujara tried to cut Stuart Broad's wide short ball but it went straight to the hands of the fielder. Shreyas Iyer came in and started playing his shots like he usually does but then England reverted back to their short ball theory which is Iyer's weakness. The batter fell straight into the trap as he was dismissed by Matthew Potts. 

England kept India quite for a very long time and the runs stopped flowing. Pant had already smashed Jack Leach all over the park in the first innings but the bowler got his revenge. Pant was trying to take him on again but couldn't do so. He was dismissed after trying to play a reverse sweep which was caught at first slip. Jadeja was also dismissed on 23 after being cleaned up by Ben Stokes. Unfortunately for India this time their tail didn't wag and they were bowled out for 245 before tea. England started really well in the 2nd innings. Alex Lees and Zak Crawley stitched a 107 run partnership as both batters were looking solid. Lees reached a fine half century of just 44 balls.

Just before tea Jasprit Bumrah came into the attack and managed to clean up Crawley. The English opener left the ball which came back into him and dislodged his stumps. Bumrah once again provided a breakthrough in the very first ball after tea as he managed to produce an edge off Ollie Pope. Moments later Lees was run-out which put India right back in the contest. The visitors picked up 3 wickets in no time and put the pressure back on England. The two in form batters Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root soaked in all that pressure with minimum effort. The pair batted the rest of the day and added a partnership of 150 runs. Root is unbeaten on 76 while Bairstow is 72 not out. The latter was given a lifeline as Hanuma Vihari dropped him off Siraj's bowl.

Both Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj failed to bowl tight lines which made things easy for Root and Bairstow. Jadeja did keep things tight from one end as he bowled from over the wicket into the rough. England are coasting towards what will be a record breaking victory. India will need to produce something extraordinary to win the match as a draw is pretty much out of the equation. There will be a lot of pressure on Jasprit Bumrah who is captaining for the very first time. Even Bumrah the strike bowler will be under the pump as he is expected to get the breakthrough.

Also read: Harmanpreet to return in Melbourne Renegades colours in WBBL

(Cricket news) England started day 3 on 84/5 with Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow at the crease. The pair started to open up and play aggressively from the beginning of the day. Bairstow had been really cautious on Day 2 but really opened up after settling down. Ben Stokes was dropped on 18 by Shardul Thakur off Mohammed Shami's bowling. Stokes' luck wasn't up as he was dropped once again by skipper Jasprit Bumrah off Thakur's bowling. Both were rather regulation catches and that too of Stokes who is mighty dangerous. Thankfully for India, Stokes hit the very next ball towards Bumrah once again and the Indian captain dived to his left to take a blinder. Stokes had to walk back after scoring 25 off 36.

Nothing was slowing down Bairstow's onslaught as he continued to counter attack as he reached his century in just 109 balls. The batter scored just 16 runs off his first 65 balls and then scored 84 off 54. This was his 3rd hundred in consecutive Test matches and his 5th in 2022. He was soon dismissed by Mohammed Shami who produced an edge which went to Virat Kohli at first slip. Sam Billings played a nice little cameo of 36 off 56 before being dismissed by Siraj. India cleaned up the tail fairly early as England were 284 runs behind.

Shubman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara opened the batting with a lead of 132 runs. James Anderson struck in the very first over as he got rid of Gill who edged the ball to Zak Crawley at second slip just like the first innings. Pujara and Hanuma Vihari steadied the ship with some solid batting. The pair didn't take any risks even though the run rate was very low, they managed to stay at the wicket. Vihari got out on 11 after he chased Stuart Broad's ball and only managed to edge it to Bairstow at 3rd slip. Broad kept bowling fuller to try and tempt Vihari to drive which ultimately brought the breakthrough. 

Virat Kohli came into bat and instantly started playing his strokes including two glorious trademark cover drives. Kohli's bad luck continued as he was dismissed by an unplayable ball from Stokes. The hall bounced way more than it should have which caught Kohli by surprise. The ball took an edge and was on its way down after hitting Billings's glove but Joe Root was there to pick up the pieces. Kohli could only manage 20 off 40 as his struggles continued. Pant came into bat and started to put the bad balls away. Pujara reaches a solid half century to mark his return after a short time out of the squad. 

England went with altered tactics towards the end of the day. They got Anderson to bang it in short from around the wicket to Pujara. On the other end was Joe Root who was constantly bowling wide to Pant to try and tempt the keeper. The pair managed to keep their calm as India finished the day on 125 for 3 with a lead of 257 runs. India are in a very commanding position with two days to go. They will be hoping to bat till tea tomorrow before trying to bowl out England once again. England will be hoping that they can make inroads by cleaning up India for less 350 before trying to pull off another stellar run chase.

Also read: ECB names squad for England Men’s white ball matches against India

(Cricket news) Day 1 of the final deciding Test match between India and England ended with India on 338/7. India are definitely on top after Day 1 especially considering the fact that Ben Stokes won the toss and put India into bat first. India once again went with the same bowling combination without Ravichandran Ashwin. Cheteshwar Pujara and Shubman Gill opened the batting while Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari played in the middle order.

There was movement of the pitch for the seamers but very little movement or no movement in the air. The wicket didn't have much bounce or carry in the first session at least. Shubman Gill started the innings really well as he played a couple of gorgeous strokes. The opener was looking really good before he played a nothing shot off James Anderson which picked up the edge on its way to Zak Crawley at 2nd slip. Gill could've easily left the ball on both line and length but he had a poke at it which was a shame because he was looking so good on 17. 
Pujara on the other hand played his natural game and looked very solid. He played a beautiful straight drive which showed that he had regained his bat swing and footwork since his last Test match. He was given out caught behind but the decision was overturned after DRS. His stay didn't last long after as he was dismissed with a beauty from Anderson. The delivery bounced much more than expected and took the edge flying into Crawley's hands as he was dismissed for 13.

India's new number 3 Hanuma Vihari really struggled in the beginning. Vihari was given a lifeline as Crawley dropped an easy catch at first slip off Matt Potts. He was playing and missing quite a bit before finally falling to Matt Potts' ball while on 20 off 53. The ball was an outswinger off the hand but due to the pitch's natural variation it nipped in off the surface to catch Vihari plum on the pads as he didn't even bother to review. Virat Kohli's nightmare form and incredible bad luck continued as he could only manage 11 runs. He tried to leave a wide delivery from Potts but the ball hit the bat and found its way to the stumps. Rishabh Pant came in to bat ahead of Shreyas Iyer presumably to keep the right hand, left hand combination. Iyer started well by playing his shots and scoring a few good boundaries but then struggled as soon as the English bowlers started to bowl short. He was on 15 off 10 balls when he nicked Anderson's ball down the leg side towards Sam Billings who took an excellent catch down.

India were in deep trouble at 98/5 and it looked like England would have the advantage after the first innings but Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant had other plans. The pair stitched together a crucial partnership of 222 runs to give India the advantage. Pant scored 146 off just 111 balls hitting 19 fours and four sixes. He scored runs all over the ground with a range of shots including his trademark one handed six which went 101 metres long. Jack Leech who picked up 10 wickets in the last Test against New Zealand was hit for 71 runs in 9 overs. Pant was finally dismissed by Joe Root's wide flighted delivery which was caught at first slip by Crawley.

Jadeja's innings was completely opposite as he was very patient and didn't take any risks. He played a wonderful hand in supporting Pant as he finished the day unbeaten on 83 off 163 balls. His innings was an incredible paced innings which consisted of 10 fours. The improvement in Jadeja's red ball batting has been immense in the last couple of years and has been one of the main reasons for India's success. Shardul Thakur didn't trouble the scorers as he could only manage to score 1 run before being dismissed by Ben Stokes. India will start day 2 with Jadeja and Mohammed Shami at the crease.

England's bowling started off great but then went a little haywire. Anderson was brilliant as usual as he picked up 3 crucial wickets. Potts started really well by picking up 2 wickets but was later very expensive. Broad was decent on the day but went wicketless. Jack Leech had a very tough day as he was hammered by Pant all over the place. He tried a lot of things but nothing was working. Joe Root stepped up after Leech's hammering and got rid of Pant. Ben Stokes had a very tough day with the ball despite picking up a wicket. The skipper bowled way too short and wide majority of the time including a few wild balls and a lot of no balls. England will have to bowl 7 overs before the new ball is available but they will like to get things wrapped up before that. A certain Ravindra Jadeja will be standing in the way of that.

Also read: Bold and brutal calls in India's T20I squad for the England series

(Cricket news) Last year India and England went head to head for 4 Tests. India were leading the series 2-1 after an impressive performance. The 5th and final Test at Old Trafford was indefinitely postponed after a Covid outbreak in the Indian camp. The two teams now gear up for the deciding Test match at Edgbaston. A lot of things have changed since the last time as both teams will have different coaches and captains. There are certain other changes in both the teams but it should be a cracking Test match in any case. 

India's possible playing XI:

Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.

Bench: Mayank Agarwal, Umesh Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, Prasidh Krishna, KS Bharat

Rohit Sharma has been tested positive for Covid and even though he isn't ruled out, it is unlikely that he will be available. Cheteshwar Pujara is likely to open the batting even though Mayank Agarwal has been called up to the squad purely due to his recent county performances and also because Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari both deserve to be in the side. Leaving out Ravichandran Ashwin is going to be very difficult but doing that worked in the first 4 matches. The combination of 4 seamers and Ravindra Jadeja works perfectly in English conditions. The rest of the team pretty much picks itself. Jasprit Bumrah is likely to lead the side in the absence of KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma which will make him the first fast bowler to captain India in 35 years.

England's possible playing XI:

Alex Lees, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Johnny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Ben Foakes, Matthew Potts, Jack Leech, Stuart Broad, James Anderson

Bench: Sam Billings, Harry Brook, Craig Overton, Jamie Overton 

James Anderson and Ben Foakes missed the last Test but both are available for the match. England's middle order of Ollie Pope, Joe Root and Johnny Bairstow are in excellent form and will be extremely crucial for them. The playing XI pretty much picks itself as the team did really well against New Zealand. The opening combination is still a concern but England have decided to stick with it. Jos Buttler's incredible white ball performances have still not earned him a call back into the Test.

Light rain and showers are predicted in the first two days while the rest three days are expected to be sunny. The seamers will definitely get good purchase off the pitch especially in the first two days. There will be some turn on the pitch towards the end due to sunny weather but not much. The toss will be very crucial and both teams will definitely like to bowl first. England are favourites going into the match after their performance against New Zealand and the fact that India are missing both their first choice openers. The visitors however cannot be ruled out because there is too much talent in their squad. 

Also read: How catastrophic will Rohit Sharma's potential absence be for India?

(Cricket news) India were leading 2-1 in the Test series against England last year but the 5th and final Test was postponed due to Covid crisis in the Indian camp. India now gear up for that final Test but Covid and injury issues are still not leaving them. Vice captain KL Rahul was ruled out of the match due to injury and then captain Rohit Sharma tested positive for Covid. Rahul Dravid in a press conference said that Rohit Sharma can still be available for the game but the chances of that happening are however unlikely. Mayank Agarwal was a late addition to the squad and is a candidate to open the batting.

India's possible playing XI-

Openers: Shubman Gill & Cheteshwar Pujara

Shubman Gill was originally selected as the third opener and his place in the side was almost certain once KL Rahul was ruled out. Despite Mayank Agarwal being in the squad, it would make perfect sense for Cheteshwar Pujara to open the batting. Pujara has experience of playing in England and he should be comfortable in the position. Pujara’s inclusion will allow India to play both Hanuma Vihari and Shreyas Iyer. Mayank Agarwal had really struggled to make runs and his exclusion from the side in the first place is an indication that he will not play. If Rohit Sharma does somehow recover in time then he will open with Gill while Pujara will most likely move to number 3. Pujara's recent county performances means that he is almost undroppable, at least from this match.

Middle order: Hanuma Vihari, Virat Kohli & Shreyas Iyer

Virat Kohli is going through a tough phase but Dravid has clearly stated that he will be backed. Kohli played well in the practice match which is a good indication. Vihari and Iyer should complete the middle order. Iyer has done well in India since his debut but is yet to play in overseas conditions so this will be a good Test for him. Vihari has previously said that he is most comfortable at number 3 and that is where he will play if Pujara opens. If Rohit Sharma is fit or India chooses to open with Agarwal then one of the two will have to sit out and it will most likely be Iyer.

Wicket keeper: Rishabh Pant

KS Bharat played exceptionally well in the practice match but Rishabh Pant wasn't too bad himself. Pant is undroppable from the Test side and will be for a long time. His contribution to the team will be very crucial. There is a high chance that he will play at number 5 to get a left and right hand combination unless Ravindra Jadeja is promoted. Pant was decent in the first 4 matches but he will like to show a better performance in this match.

All-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja & Shardul Thakur

Ravindra Jadeja is also undroppable from the red ball team in any conditions. His ability with the bat and ball is very important for the combination that India plays. Leaving Ravichandran Ashwin out will be a very difficult decision but playing him over Jadeja will mean that India will lose some crucial runs. India has a world class fast bowling attack and they have the option of playing 4 fast bowlers which is very useful in English conditions. India did play both Ashwin and Jadeja in the WTC final which didn't work out well for them. Playing more than one spinner is always risky in English conditions even if that spinner is Ashwin who is arguably the best in the world. Shardul Thakur is the perfect 4 seamer as he has the knack  of picking up wickets at crucial times. His ability with the is also a great asset to the side which gives India much needed batting depth. 

Seamers: Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah & Mohammed Siraj

Bumrah and Shami are two of the best seamers in the world and their selection is a no brainer. Bumrah is also likely to captain the side in Rohit Sharma's absence. Mohammed Siraj's performance in the first 4 matches last year will definitely make him the designated 3rd seamer in the side. Umesh Yadav is the other option but Siraj is ahead of him in the pecking order. Prasidh Krishna who is on his first Test tour is the other option.

Bench: Mayank Agarwal, Umesh Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, Prasidh Krishna, KS Bharat

Also read: How catastrophic will Rohit Sharma's potential absence be for India?

(Cricket news) It has been over two years since India won the Border Gavaskar trophy against Australia. India's victory in the Test series is still fresh in the minds of everyone who witnessed the series, especially Indian fans. Voot have released  a 4-part docu series which will take the fans on a trip down memory lane. The series not only highlights what people already know but also gives a rare insight on some incidents which went under the radar.

Popular actor Jimmy Shergill is the narrator while Neeraj Pandey is popular for directing the movie MS Dhoni: the untold story is the director. Journalists Peter Lalor and coach Paddy Upton voiced their opinions on what transpired throughout the series. The pair tried to break down why certain things happened and how it affected the end result. Upton who has spent time as the Mental Conditioning and Strategic Leadership Coach of the Indian National cricket team said things about the Indian mentality of performing best when backed against the wall. He also compared the behavior of this Indian side to the history of India in war where they don't attack first but when attacked they always reply with full power.

Journalist Bharat Sudarshan offered his insights on what he saw and observed throughout the series. He narrated one particular incident where he saw Rishabh Pant practicing with pain while talking to himself. Tim Paine and Pat Cummins talked about their mindset in certain situations. Paine talked about how he was irritated and angered that Indian players broke the quarantine rules. He also said that he was frustrated by Ravichandran Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari's antics in the Sydney Test match where they used the same chest pads and wasted time. The then Australian captain also said that the frustration was the reason for his behavior. 

Cummins talked about his bowling performances throughout the series. He also said that bowling bouncers to other bowlers is a part and parcel of the game. Ajinkya Rahane talked how running out Virat Kohli haunted him for the rest of the game. He also talked about certain key decisions he made through the series and also the atmosphere in the dressing room. Cheteshwar Pujara highlighted his battle with Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazelwood. He also talked about his mindset in the last two Tests and how he endured several body blows. 

Ravichandran Ashwin was witty and funny in describing several incidents. He talked about his game plan against Steve Smith and also his innings at the SCG. He gave an insight into his injury struggles and how he thought that the series was his last chance to prove himself. Hanuma Vihari also talked about the innings at SCG and his injury struggles. Mohammed Siraj touched upon his father's death just before the series, the racism he faced and his performance with the ball. Rishabh Pant talked about his disappointment after being dropped in the first Test. He later explained his mindset while playing with pain and the reason he played attacking cricket. 

Washington Sundar talked about his role as a net bowler to eventually being given his Test cap at the Gabba. Every Indian player interviewed praised Ajinkya Rahane's captaincy and also talked about the impact of Virat Kohli's departure. The series will take the fans on a trip down the memory lane and certain moments are bound to give one goosebumps.

Also read: How much will KL Rahul's absence in the England Test affect India?

Mumbai, Jun 2 (Cricket News) Out-of-favour India batter Ajinkya Rahane said it would take at least six to eight weeks to recover fully from the hamstring injury he had sustained while playing for Kolkata Knight Riders in this year's Indian Premier League.

Rahane had sustained the injury in KKR's second last game and was subsequently ruled out of the remainder of the tournament.

"That (injury) was really unfortunate. But my rehab is going really well. I am recovering really well. I was in Bangalore (at the NCA) for nearly 10 days and I am going there again for my rehab and recovery. It's been on track," Rahane told PTI. "So right now my only focus is on getting better. Get fit as soon as possible and be on the field. I am not sure (when) I will be able to get (fully) fit, it is expected to be around 6-8 weeks but at this moment it is about taking one day at a time, one week at a time," added the elegant right-handed batter.

Rahane was speaking after the trailer launch of web-series 'Bandon Mein Tha Dum' to be streamed on 'Voot Select', based on India's 2020-21 Test series triumph in Australia. India won the series 2-1 after losing the first Test in Adelaide.

Turning out for KKR, Rahane scored 133 runs from seven matches in the just-concluded IPL, but the Mumbaikar termed his experience as a "good one".

"My experience with KKR was really good. I really enjoyed playing for KKR and the atmosphere there was really good. It is kind of a family atmosphere. We enjoyed each other's success on and off the field but unfortunately we couldn't qualify for the play-offs," he added.

"They (KKR team management) gave me a lot of freedom to play my game and I thought it was something special. Playing under (then KKR head coach) Brendon McCullum, I learnt a lot." Rahane, who scored a match-winning 112 in the 2020 Melbourne Test that scripted the turnaround for India, said it was a "special" knock.

"Definitely that hundred (in Melbourne) was really special and I think that is one of my best hundreds so far overseas and also in Test cricket.

"Considering what happened in Adelaide, 36 all out, losing the Test match and then going to Melbourne with a different mindset and getting a hundred there and winning the Test was more special.

"My hundred was special because we won the Test match there and from there we got the momentum and eventually went on to win the series," he signed off. 

Also Read : Indian domestic players can walk into South Africa's side any day: Luus

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Jun 1 (Fandom News) Filmmaker Neeraj Pandey and Voot Select on Wednesday announced web series "Bandon Mein Tha Dum", which will chronicle India cricket team's historic test series win against Australia in 2021.

The non-fiction docu-based show will shed light on the trials and tribulations that the Indian cricket team had to navigate ahead of their victory against Australia at their home ground of Gabba.

With their win at Gabba cricket ground in Brisbane, the Indian team had clinched the test 2-1 and retained the Border-Gavaskar trophy.

Pandey, best known for thriller movies like “A Wednesday”, “Baby”, “Naam Shabana” and sports biopic “M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story”, has directed the series.

The show will feature behind-the-scenes footage, candid narratives from cricketers Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Cheteshwar Pujara, Mohammad Siraj, Rishabh Pant and Hanuma Vihari, the coaches and journalists, who covered the India-Australia series.

Pandey said the Indian team's victory brought tremendous joy to the cricketing and wider sporting community, at a time when people were grappling and coming to terms with the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The human stories in this cricketing fairy tale elevated the series beyond a cricketing audience and created huge euphoria across all segments of the Indian society. The nation was gripped and it was therefore befitting for us to bring the story to the people of India of one of the greatest comebacks in the history of sports and cricket,” Pandey said in a statement.

"Nothing excited me more than retelling this story which went beyond high-quality cricket, hard work, perseverance, determination , commitment, sportsmanship and decoding the x-factor through the mind of the players which repeated the David Vs.Goliath story," he added.

Gourav Rakshit, Chief Operating Officer, Viacom18 Digital Ventures, said the company's strategy is to entertain viewers with high quality and binge worthy content.

"Our robustly curated content mix and our success with digital-first is a testament to our commitment to provide viewers with game-changing experiences. 'Bandon Mein Tha Dum' is the first of the many such narratives and we will continue to explore new genres and avenues that are in sync with our audience's core values,” Rakshit said.

"Bandon Mein Tha Dum" will premiere soon exclusively on Voot Select. 

Also Read : Revisiting Eric Cantona's illustrious legacy on his birthday

News Source : PTI

(Football news) The Indian team was on the verge of creating history the last time they were in England. The men in blue were leading the Test series 2-1 with one game to go but unfortunately the match had to be postponed due to a Covid outbreak in the Indian camp. Now India is ready to go back to finish the job. BCCI has announced the 17-member squad for the match.

Squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain) Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Prasidh Krishna

Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Hanuma Vihari, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Umesh Yadav were always going to be in the squad. It was already confirmed that KS Bharat will be trusted as a 2nd choice wicket keeper in the squad. Out of all these players only KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant are in the squad for the T20I series against South Africa.  

Shardul Thakur returns to the squad after being rested for the Sri Lanka series. Cheteshwar Pujara was dropped from the squad due to poor form but is now back. After being unsold in the IPL mega auction, the batter went on to score a lot of runs in county cricket which has massively worked in his favour. Whether he is put straight back into the XI will be very interesting to see. Priyank Panchal, Jayant Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav and Saurabh Kumar who were a part of the Sri Lanka series have been dropped. 

The two notable absentees are Mayank Agarwal and Axar Patel. After scoring a match winning hundred against New Zealand, Agarwal had underperformed against South Africa and Sri Lanka. The only sensible reason why Axar Patel has been dropped would be the conditions. The management looks to be pretty clear that Axar won't be playing even if there are multiple injuries. Ajinkya Rahane who was also dropped from the squad with Pujara ruled out any possibility of a return as he suffered an injury during the IPL. There is still no place for Ishant Sharma in the squad.

Prasidh Krishna gets his maiden call-up into the red ball side. After being a net bowler for the series last year, the seamer has had an incredible year. His performances in the IPL, Ranji Trophy along with his man of the series show against West Indies in the ODIs has given him a much deserved call-up. Even though he will be behind Shami, Bumrah, Siraj, Umesh and Shardul in the pecking order it should be a good experience for him. Prasidh is considered to be a big part of India's Test team future and this is the first step.

Also read: Takeaways from India's squad for T20I series against South Africa

(Cricket news) KKR’s slim hopes of qualifying for the playoffs this season rely on them to win against a strong LSG squad. On the other hand LSG will be on the back of two losses and will hope to bounce back and secure their position in the top 4.  All KKR can make sure is that they get a big victory in order to get their NRR (0.160) ahead of Delhi Capitals (0.255). That would mean DC's game against Mumbai Indians will be a must-win game for them.

For LSG their batting has been the reason for the good run in the tournament but over the last two matches it has somewhat deteriorated. LSG since the auction have had the best opening combination as they have an average of 36.13 for the first wicket which is the second-best in IPL 2022. But their batting problems start after the pair of Quinton de Kock and KL Rahul are separated. From batting position 3 to 6, LSG batters have averaged only 21.88, which is the worst of any team in this year's IPL. They have tried different players at different batting positions but none have paid dividence as of now. They have tried as many as nine batters, including K Gowtham, Jason Holder and Karan Sharma, at number 3 and 4. One saving grace for this team are the fast bowlers as both the young bowlers in Avesh Khan and Mohsin Khan have seriously impressed with the correct line and length. KKR have lost 38 wickets to short or short-of-good-length balls from fast bowlers, expect Jason Holder and Chameera to bowl a lot of short balls 

KKR and opening batting combination have been a niggling theme this season, they have already used five opening batting combinations this season, and finally managed to get a first 50-plus opening stand through Venkatesh Iyer and Ajinkya Rahane against MI. But with Rahane ruled out, they will be forced to change their opening pairing yet again. KKR over the last few matches have been heavily reliant on Nitish Rana to score the majority of the runs, he has scored 176 runs in his last five games at an average of 44 and has also hit 22 sixes, which is subsequently  the most by an Indian batter this season, and has taken on the spinners especially in the middle overs. Shreyas Iyer also needs to lead from the front after a blistering start to the tournament he has been struggling to score runs recently. In the bowling Andre Russell has become their leading wicket taker with 17 wickets this season as Umesh Yadav (6.9) and Tim Southee (7.0) have been the most economical. All three fast bowlers will need to perform if KKR are to get a massive victory.

Pitch and weather report: The DY Patil pitch has been tiring out as winning the toss and batting first becomes important. The older the ball, the more difficult it becomes to bat on this pitch. Batters need to take advantage of the power play if they are to post a respectable total. The temperature is going to hover around 30 degrees as no rain is expected today.

Interesting facts:

• LSG have a  run-rate of 11.30 at the death is the best of any team in IPL 2022, while KKR are at the bottom of that list at 9.82.
• KL Rahul has been dismissed for 10 or less for 12 times since the start of 2018 - six of have come in this season alone and subsequently four of those have come in the last five innings
• Shreyas Iyer has only 115 runs in his last 6 innings, at an average of 19.17 and a SR of 104.55
• Sunil Narine has an economy rate of only 5.48 this season
• Andre Russell needs 28 runs to reach 2000 runs for KKR in the IPL. 
•  Tim Southee needs five scalps to take 50 wickets in IPL

Also read: GT look to continue winning run, RCB need big victory to remain in play-off race

Probable XI for LSG:
1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 KL Rahul (capt), 3 Deepak Hooda, 4 Krunal Pandya, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Ayush Badoni, 7 Jason Holder, 8 Avesh Khan, 9 Mohsin Khan, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Dushmantha Chameera

Probable XI for KKR:
1 B Indrajith, 2 Venkatesh Iyer, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Sam Billings (wk), 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Sunil Narine, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Varun Chakravarthy
 

Mumbai, May 17 (Cricket News) Kolkata Knight Riders batter Ajinkya Rahane has been ruled out of the remainder of the IPL, owing to a hamstring injury, the franchise said on Tuesday.

In an official announcement posted on its Twitter handle, KKR said, "Ajinkya Rahane is going to miss the remaining games of #IPL2022 due to a hamstring injury. Wish you a speedy recovery @ajinkyarahane88. The knights camp will miss you." Rahane had undergone scans, which revealed that he had torn his tendon.

In a video posted in the same tweet, Rahane said, "I really enjoyed my time on and off the field with everyone. (I) Learnt a lot as a cricketer; about life; about everything. I will definitely come back stronger next year and I am sure we will do well as a team in the next game and hopefully we will go to Kolkata and the play-offs." Kolkata will take on Lucknow Super Giants in their final league match at the DY Patil stadium in Navi Mumbai.

With seven losses and six wins, KKR are placed at the sixth spot with 12 points and they will not only have to win but do it with a big margin and then hope that other results go their way to salvage any hope of sneaking into the knockout stage. 

Also Read : Tilak Varma could be an all-format India batter: Sunil Gavaskar

News Source : PTI

Navi Mumbai, May 17 (Cricket News) Kolkata Knight Riders need a big win in their final round-robin match to keep their slim IPL play-off hopes alive, while Lucknow Super Giants will look to seal their position in the top four when the two teams face off here on Wednesday.

With seven losses and six wins, KKR are placed at the sixth spot with 12 points and they will not only have to win but do it with a big margin and then hope that other results go their way to salvage any hope of sneaking into the knockout stage.

LSG already have one foot at the play-offs as they are placed at the third spot with 16 points but with a number of teams jostling it out for remaining three berths, they will look to add two more points to avoid any last-minute hiccup.

Two-time former champions, KKR, which had reached the final last year, have managed to keep their theoretical chances alive after coming good in the last two matches against Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Shreyas Iyer's men rode on Andre Russell's all-round brilliance and near perfect execution from the bowlers to notch up a comprehensive 54-run win over SRH in their last match.

While Russell and Sam Billings lifted KKR to 177/6 to set up the win, the top-order once again couldn't produce the goods after being reduced to 72 for 3.

Ajinkya Rahane's struggle at the top was evident as he found it difficult to rotate strikes, while Venkatesh Iyer too continued to disappoint in his second season.

Nitish Rana has blown hot and cold, while skipper Iyer's bat has been silent in the last three games. KKR also lost pace spearhead Pat Cummins, who was ruled out owing to a hip injury but it didn't matter much as the Kolkata outfit dished out a stellar bowling effort the other day.

Back in the team after recovering from a calf muscle injury, Umesh Yadav and Tim Southee kept things tight, while Russell snapped three crucial wickets.

Spin duo of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy too were in their elements and KKR will hope for another clinical show from their bowling unit. LSG, on the other hand, are coming into the match after suffering two successive defeats and will have to put up an improved show to end things on a high.

The main concern for LSG is their poor batting show in the last two matches with the batters struggling in the powerplay against quality bowling.

LSG's batting is a lot dependent on skipper KL Rahul, who has done bulk of the scoring with two hundreds but he has been off-colour in the last three games.

Other opener Quinton de Kock, who has scored three half centuries, too has been dismissed for 11 and 7 in the last two games, which added to the team's woes.

However, Deepak Hooda has been rock solid and it was his fifty that kept LSG in the hunt in the last game.

Young Ayush Badoni too will be eager to prove he is not a one-game wonder, while Krunal Pandya also has to step up in the rear end of the tournament.

LSG will also look to use Marcus Stoinis better as he is one of the most prolific all-rounders in world cricket.

Bowling has proved to be the weak link for LSG though the likes of Avesh Khan and Jason Holder have delivered with 17 and 14 wickets so far but Mohsin Khan was taken to the cleaners in the last game.

Spinner Ravi Bishnoi picked up two wickets against Rajasthan Royals and LSG would expect him to keep things tight in the middle overs on Wednesday.

Teams (from): Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (c), Manan Vohra, Evin Lewis, Manish Pandey, Quinton De Kock, Ravi Bishnoi, Dushmantha Chameera, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav, Ankit Rajpoot, Avesh Khan, Andrew Tye, Marcus Stoinis, Kyle Mayers, Karan Sharma, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ayush Badoni, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya. Jason Holder.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Aaron Finch, Abhijeet Tomar, Ajinkya Rahane, Baba Indrajith, Nitish Rana, Pratham Singh, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer (C), Ashok Sharma, Pat Cummins, Rasikh Dar, Shivam Mavi, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Aman Khan, Andre Russell, Anukul Roy, Chamika Karunaratne, Mohammed Nabi, Ramesh Kumar, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Sam Billings, Sheldon Jackson.

Match starts at 7:30 PM. 

Also Read : Mixing up deliveries paid off against Punjab, says Shardul

News Source : PTI

Pune, May 14 (Cricket News) Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 54 runs in a must-win IPL game here on Saturday.

Opting to bat, KKR rode on Andre Russell's counterattacking 28-ball 49 not out to post a fighting 177 for six.

In reply, SRH could manage 123 for 8 in their stipulated 20 overs with opener Abhishek Sharma top scoring with a 28-ball 43 and Aiden Markram scoring a 25-ball 32.

Earlier, Russell and Sam Billings (34) shared a 63-run partnership to take KKR across the 150-mark after they were 94 for five in the 12th over.

With Russell going strong, KKR scored 58 in the last five overs.

Ajinkya Rahane (28) and Nitish Rana (26) also got starts but couldn't extend their innings.

For SRH, Umran Malik (3/33) was back in form with a three-wicket haul, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/27), Marco jansen (1/30) and T Natarajan (1/43) also claimed one wicket each.

Russell also chipped in with the ball, taking three wickets for 22, while rest of the bowlers -- Umesh Yadav (1/19), Tim Southee (2/23), Sunil Narine (1/34) and Varun Chakravarthy (1/25) were also among wickets.

Brief Score: Kolkata Knight Riders: 177 for 6 in 20 overs (Andre Russell 49 not out; Umran Malik 3/33).

Sunrisers Hyderabad: 123 for 8 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 43; Andre Russell 3/22). 

Also Read : Kolkata Knight Riders post 177-6 against SRH in must-win IPL game

News Source : PTI

Pune, May 14 (Cricket News) Kolkata Knight Riders posted 177 for six against Sunrisers Hyderabad in a must-win IPL game here on Saturday.

Sam Billings (34) and Andre Russell (49 not out) shared a 63-run partnership to take KKR across the 150-mark after they were 94 for five in the 12th over.

KKR scored 58 in the last five overs.

Ajinkya Rahane (28) and Nitish Rana (26) also got starts but couldn't extend their innings.

For SRH, Umran Malik (3/33) was back in form with a three-wicket haul, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/27), Marco Jansen (1/30) and T Natarajan (1/43) also claimed one wicket each.

Brief Score: Kolkata Knight Riders: 177 for 6 in 20 overs (Andre Russell 49 not out; Umran Malik 3/33) vs SRH. 

Also Read : Rohit, Pant, Rahul, Bumrah to be rested for SA series; Dhawan and Pandya in line for captaincy

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) For both the teams it will be a do or die fixture as they seem to have a very slim chance of qualifying for the playoffs, given their low tally of 10 points and their negative Net Run Rates. Delhi Capitals, with an NRR of +0.210 on the other hand, appear much better placed. But for both KKR and SRH, a victory isn't going to hurt whatever's left of their campaign.

For KKR their coach Brendon McCullum became the new England test match coach in the middle of KKR's campaign, meaning there's already a sense of flux in the camp and how the team responds to the news will be fascinating to watch. KKR will be without Pat Cummins for the entire campaign as he is flying back home after suffering a hip injury. In the batting department, KKR reverted back to their original opening partnership of Venkatesh Iyer and Ajinkiya Rahane. Venkatesh's 24-ball 43 was essential to Knight Riders posting their first fifty opening stand with a score, 64 for 1 in the powerplay, against Mumbai Indians last match. KKR’s lower middle order of Rinku Singh and Andre Russell have been consistent this season but they need the top order to produce runs. In the bowling department, their highest wicket taker this Umesh Yadav needs to fit as they are missing that experience in the pace bowling department.

After 4 wins on the trot for SRH, their campaign has somewhat gone downhill due to the injuries in the squad. Sunrisers have tried out different bowling options, but Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kartik Tyagi, J Suchith and Shreyas Gopal haven't quite provided the control and wicket taking ability that Natarajan and Washington brought. The good news for Sunrisers fans is that both Natarajan and Washington are likely to be fit for this match. In the batting department, Captain Kane Williamson's powerplay strike rate of 79.52 is the lowest among batters who have faced more than 50 balls this season. His opening partner Abhishek Sharma's form has also cooled off after a hot start but their middle order of Aidan Markarm and Nicholas Pooran have been consistent with their performances. In the bowling department, Shreyas Iyer struggles against Bhuvneshwar Kumar, having scored 44 runs in 49 balls and dismissing him 3 times at an average of 14.67 with a strike-rate: 89.79. Since his five wicket haul, Umran Malik has figures of  4-0-48-0, 4-0-52-0 and 2-0-25-0, which needs to improve if they are to make the playoffs.

Pitch and weather report: The toss in Pune matters a lot as nine of the 12 games in Pune have been won by teams batting first but teams are still reluctant to defend totals. Last match we saw the pitch being on the slower side as the spinners played a massive part in the game. The temperature is going to hover around 26 degrees with no chance of rain as dew will not be a factor in the second innings.

Interesting facts:

• Bhuvneshwar Kumar has the edge over Rahane in the IPL, having got him six times in 15 innings while keeping him to 89 runs off 96 balls
• Andre Russell has smashed Bhuvneshwar for 51 off 21 balls at a strike rate of nearly 243 while getting just once in the IPL.
• This is going to be Shreyas Iyer's 100th IPL game.
• Sunrisers Hyderabad have won only one out of their five IPL matches in Pune.
• Kolkata Knight Riders have won seven out of eight IPL matches in Pune.

Also read: Punjab Kings demolish RCB by 54 runs riding on half-centuries from Bairstow, Livingstone

Probable XI for KKR:

1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Venkatesh Iyer, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Rinku Singh, 6 Sam Billings (wk), 7 Andre Russell, 8 Umesh Yadav/Shivam Mavi, 9 Sunil Narine, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Varun Chakravarthy

Probable XI for SRH:

1 Kane Williamson (capt), 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 6 Shashank Singh, 7 Washington Sundar/J Suchith, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Marco Jansen/Fazalhaq Farooqi/Romario Shepherd, 10 Umran Malik, 11 T Natarajan/Kartik Tyagi
 

Pune, May 13 (Cricket News) Struggling after four straight losses, Sunrisers Hyderabad will need to sort their bowling woes when they take on an inconsistent Kolkata Knight Riders as both the teams look to stay afloat in the IPL play-off race here on Saturday.

A series of losses after a five-match winning streak has dropped SRH to the sixth spot with 10 points and they would need to win all the remaining three games to salvage any hopes of making it to the play-offs.

With 10 points, KKR, however, are on the brink of elimination. Shreyas Iyer's men have just two more matches to go and wins in both will only take them to 14 points, which might not be enough with Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore already sitting pretty in the top four with 14 points from 12 games.

One of the main reasons behind SRH's awful run in the last few games is injuries to frontline bowlers -- Washington Sundar and T Natarajan -- and the sudden loss of form of speedster Umran Malik.

It culminated in SRH conceding more than 190 plus runs in each of the last four games.

While Sundar had injured his bowling hand again, death over specialist Natarajan had picked up a niggle. But coach Tom Moody was hopeful of the duo's return against KKR.

Malik, who looked fast and furious in the earlier games clocking 150kmph consistently, has gone wicketless and conceded too many runs in the last few games and his form will be key for SRH.

Fazalhaq Farooqi and Karthik Tyagi were taken to cleaners by RCB in their last game, further adding to SRH's problems.

In batting, SRH have the quality but skipper Kane Williamson will have to take more responsibility as he has just one fifty to show this season. Although Abhishek Sharma has given them solid starts, the youngster has not been able to anchor the innings.

Rahul Tripathi, Nicholas Pooran and Aiden Markram too have been among runs but SRH batters will need assistance from their bowlers, who will have to ensure that they limit their opposition to reasonable totals.

KKR, on the other hand, are paying the price for making constant changes to their playing XI and are now staring at elimination after losing seven of their 12 games.

KKR, however, are coming into the match after beating Mumbai Indians in their last game and they would look to end things on a high.

The 2021 finalist have struggled in the powerplay this season but with Venkatesh Iyer, who was dropped due to his lean run, back in the mix, KKR produced a good effort against MI.

The seasoned Tim Southee and Pat Cummins too were back in the XI and produced a solid effort, sharing four wickets against MI.

But according to reports, Cummins will miss KKR's remaining matches as he is heading home early to recover from a minor hip injury.

KKR's highest wicket-taker Umesh Yadav had missed the last game after pulling his calf muscle and the team would be hoping he recovers for the match.

Teams (from): Kolkata Knight Riders: Aaron Finch, Abhijeet Tomar, Ajinkya Rahane, Baba Indrajith, Nitish Rana, Pratham Singh, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer (C), Ashok Sharma, Pat Cummins, Rasikh Dar, Shivam Mavi, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Aman Khan, Andre Russell, Anukul Roy, Chamika Karunaratne, Mohammed Nabi, Ramesh Kumar, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Sam Billings, Sheldon Jackson.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson (C), Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Priyam Garg, Vishnu Vinod, Glenn Phillips, R Samarth, Shashank Singh, Romario Shepherd, Marco Jansen, J Suchith, Shreyas Gopal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sean Abbott, Kartik Tyagi, Saurabh Tiwary, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Umran Malik, T Natarajan.

Match starts at 7.30PM IST. 

Also Read : Absence of DRS was unlucky, set off chain of events that went against us: Fleming

News Source : PTI

Navi Mumbai, May 9 (Cricket News) Kolkata Knight Riders finally found the team balance they were looking for to outclass Mumbai Indians by 52 runs here on Monday and keep their slim IPL play-off hopes alive. Lead Mumbai Indians pacer Jasprit Bumrah picked up his maiden five-wicket haul in IPL history to restrict KKR to 165 for nine after fine knocks from Venkatesh Iyer (43 off 24) and Nitish Rana (43 off 24).

Barring a 43-ball 51 from Ishan Kishan, Mumbai batters struggled to get going in the chase as their innings ended at 113 all out in 17.3 overs.

KKR finally played Tim Southee (1/10) and Pat Cummins (3/22) together and the move worked with the seasoned pacers sharing four wickets. Andre Russell too chipped in with couple of wickets.

Another big positive was the return to form of Venkatesh Iyer, who had to be dropped earlier in the competition due to his lean run after a sensational debut season in 2021. While MI were already out of the play-off race, KKR, who have five wins from 12 games, can still sneak into the top four with two games remaining.

In the run chase, Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma (2) fell to a controversial DRS call in the first over after the on-field adjudged him not out for a caught behind appeal.

Going by TV replays, the UltraEdge spike came just before the ball went past the bat but the on field call was overturned, leaving Rohit shake his head in frustration.

Earlier, KKR openers Venkatesh and Ajinkya Rahane (25 off 24 balls) added 60 runs in just 5.4 overs after they were put into bat but the Shreyas Iyer-led side failed to capitalise on that promising start.

Rana blazed his way to a 26-ball 43, with three boundaries and four sixes, but it was Bumrah (5/10), who took five wickets in two overs, to put the brakes on KKR, who suffered a middle-order collapse.

In the 15th over, Bumrah removed Russell (9) and Rana and then clinched three wickets -- Sheldon Jackson (5), Cummins (0) and Sunil Narine (0), in the 18th over, a maiden, to bring MI back into the game.

Venkatesh smashed three boundaries and four sixes, but perished in the sixth over, giving a sitter to Daniel Sams at point, with spinner Kumar Kartikeya Singh (2/32) getting his first wicket.

Venkatesh was brutal on spinner Murugan Ashwin (1/35), hitting him for his first maximum, a pull shot and then hammered a boundary.

The southpaw then walloped his second six over deep mid-wicket off Daniel Sams (1/26), as KKR raced to 26/0 after three overs. He then targeted Riley Meredith (0/35), hammering him for boundary and a six, a scoop shot, in the fifth over where KKR amassed 17 runs.

Mumbai bowlers conceded only 23 runs from overs 7-10.

Kartikeya cleaned up Rahane, with a full delivery that turned in as the opener was beaten while attempting a reverse-sweep. After Rahane's dismissal, Rana upped the ante and launched into Kartikeya, hitting him for two successive sixes, one over long-on. He then tore into Kieron Pollard, hammering two sixes and a boundary in the 13th over, where the side got 17 runs.

But then it was Bumrah, who wreaked havoc with the ball and firmly brought MI back into the contest. 

Also Read : Bumrah's first ever five wicket haul in IPL helps MI limit KKR to 165/9

News Source : PTI

Navi Mumbai, May 9 (Cricket News) Lead Mumbai Indians pacer Jasprit Bumrah picked up his maiden five-wicket haul in IPL history to restrict Kolkata Knight Riders to 165/9 despite fine knocks from Venkatesh Iyer and Nitish Rana here on Monday.

KKR openers Venkatesh Iyer (43 off 24 balls) and Ajinkya Rahane (25 off 24 balls) added 60 runs in just 5.4 overs after they were put into bat their team failed to capitalise on that promising start.

Nitish Rana blazed his way to a 26-ball 43, with three boundaries and four sixes, but it was Bumrah (5/10), who took five wickets in two overs, to put the brakes on KKR, who suffered a middle-order collapse.

In the 15th over, Bumrah removed Andre Russell (9) and Rana and then clinched three wickets -- Sheldon Jackson (5), Pat Cummins (0) and Sunil Narine (0), in the 18th over, a maiden, to bring MI back into the game.

Iyer smashed three boundaries and four sixes, but perished in the sixth over, giving a sitter to Daniel Sams at point, with spinner Kumar Kartikeya Singh (2/32) getting his first wicket.

Iyer was brutal on spinner Murugan Ashwin (1/35), hitting him for his first maximum, a pull shot and then hammered a boundary.

The southpaw then walloped his second six over deep mid-wicket, off Daniel Sams (1/26), as KKR raced to 26/0 after three overs. He then targeted Riley Meredith (0/35), hammering him for boundary and a six, a scoop shot, in the fifth over where KKR amassed 17 runs.

Mumbai bowlers conceded only 23 runs from overs 7-10.

Kartikeya cleaned up Rahane, with a full delivery that turned in as the opener was beaten while attempting a reverse-sweep. After Rahane’s dismissal, Rana upped the ante and launched into Kartikeya, hitting him for two successive sixes, one over long-on. He then tore into Kieron Pollard, hammering two sixes and a boundary, in the 13th over, where the side got 17 runs.

But then it was Bumrah, who wreaked havoc with the ball and firmly brought MI back into the contest.

Also Read : Mumbai Indians win toss, elect to field against Kolkata Knight Riders

News Source : PTI

Navi Mumbai, May 9 (Cricket News) Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to field against Kolkata Knight Riders in an Indian Premier League match here on Monday.

MI made one change with Ramandeep Singh coming in for injured Suryakumar Yadav, who has been ruled out of the remainder of the IPL owing to a left-forearm muscle injury.

KKR made as many as five changes to their playing XI, bringing in Ajinkya Rahane, Pat Cummins, Venkatesh Iyer, Varun Chakaravarthy and Sheldon Jackson.

Teams: Mumbai Indians: Ishan Kishan(w), Rohit Sharma(c), Tilak Varma, Ramandeep Singh, Kieron Pollard, Tim David, Daniel Sams, Murugan Ashwin, Kumar Kartikeya, Jasprit Bumrah, Riley Meredith.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer(c), Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Sheldon Jackson(w), Tim Southee, Pat Cummins, Varun Chakaravarthy. 

Also Read : On BCCI's invite, national football captain Sunil Chhetri interacts with North East cricketers

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) Cheteshwar Pujara is knocking on the selectors doors with his performance in the County championship. After underwhelming performances for India in the tour of South Africa and England along with the home series against New Zealand, Pujara was dropped from the Indian side after being the rock of the team for so long. The batter then went unsold in the IPL 2022 mega auction after which he signed for Susex to play in the England County championship. 

Playing in the 2nd division of the County Championship, Cheteshwar Pujara has scored 717 runs in 7 innings. He has scored 2 hundreds and 2 double hundreds and is also the 2nd highest run getter. Pujara's performance has attracted eyeballs and people are already calling for his return to the Indian side. India has only one Test match scheduled this year which is the postponed game against England. India are leading the series 2-1 and new captain Rohit Sharma along with new coach Rahul Dravid will be looking to seal the series.

Pujara is playing in England which is an added advantage. India at some point will have to move on from Pujara and the process has already started as they have been dropped and calling him back could prove to be costly. Chief selector Chetan Sharma said that if Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara get runs in domestic cricket then they can return to the side. Pujara has done just that so he will definitely be in the mix.

The quality of the County Championship has been questioned but one of the bowlers Pujara got the better of is Shaheen Afridi who is considered the best all format bowler in the world. There are 9 more games left for Pujara to play which could make things clearer. If he continues to put in good performances then it will be very difficult to keep him out of the squad for the Test on first July. 

Also read: Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants look to seal IPL play-off berth in match against each other

New Delhi, May 2 (Cricket News) Regular match practice, something Cheteshwar Pujara was not able to get due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is the reason for the India batter's consistent run in the ongoing County Championship, reckons his father and coach Arvind Pujara.

Pujara, a veteran of 95 Tests, found himself out of the Indian team after the series loss in South Africa alongside Ajinkya Rahane.

The consistency that has made him play close to 100 Tests was not there over past three seasons when he averaged less than 30, forcing the selectors to look beyond him for the home series against Sri Lanka.

But with two double centuries and a hundred in three games for Sussex this season, Pujara is doing what is in his control as he looks to make a comeback for the one-off Test in England in July.

"I feel the lack of game time was a big reason why he could not be consistent over the past three seasons," his father Arvind, who remains his only personal coach till date, told PTI.

The pandemic struck, Ranji Trophy was not happening and Cheteshwar being a one format player, found himself playing series to series with no warm up games too, sometimes with long gaps in between (when India played white-ball cricket).

"When you play the likes of Australia and England, you have to be on the top of your game as you don't get loose balls that you may get at the domestic level.

"There were not enough games for him to play at the domestic level to be ready for bigger battles. That I feel impacted his consistency at the highest level." "Now that he is getting to play regularly, you can see the consistency is back in his game," said the father cum coach.

The 34-year-old did play three Ranji Trophy games this season as the premier domestic event made its return after two years.

After Saurashtra failed to qualify for the knock-outs, Pujara headed to UK for a full-fledged County season.

Pujara's technique was questioned after being dismissed while defending on the front foot on multiple occasions over the last two years.

Without getting into the technical side his son's game, Arvind said when one doesn't play enough games, the ability to "concentrate in the middle for long periods is affected".

His father said Cheteshwar was understandably disappointed after being left out of the Indian team but the setback made him hungrier for runs.

"Selection is in the hands of selectors. I just told him that you need to keeping working hard, keep putting in the effort day in and day out and rest will follow.

"It is every cricketer's dream to play for India and no different for Cheteshwar but you also play for the love of the game. The fact he is playing County Cricket at the moment shows that just wants to be out in the middle." On his selection for the one off Test in England couple of months down the line, "That is for the selectors to decide. I feel especially in overseas conditions, you need your experience players in the team to deal with tough situations and also guide the youngsters. He just needs to keep scoring," Arvind added. 

Also Read : Captaincy pressure burdened Jadeja's preparations and performance: Dhoni

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, May 1 (Cricket News) Guilty of making too many changes at the top, Kolkata Knight Riders would like to find a winning combination against Rajasthan Royals and snap their five-match losing streak in the IPL here on Monday.

The form of Venkatesh Iyer, who is experiencing second season blues, has a lot to do with the changes KKR have been forced to make regularly at the top of the order.

Venkatesh's performances have been underwhelming to say the least after a season that helped him get into the Indian team. After his struggles at the top, the team tried him in the middle-order but that too did not work.

The southpaw was back opening alongside Aaron Finch in the last game but runs deserted him again.

Making the play-offs from here looks improbable for KKR who desperately need to find their best XI and stick with it for the remainder of the competition.

"A lot of chopping and changing is happening, it's been difficult to set up the right combination, with all injuries not helping as well. We need to stick together, play some fearless cricket, not be conservative with the bat.

"Five more matches remaining, we need to play well, show belief and give something back to the team and the management, forget about the past, start fresh and back your instinct," said skipper Shreyas Iyer after the last game.

Shreyas has had a decent run as a batter with 290 runs at 36.25 but he has not got enough support from his teammates. In his first season as KKR captain, Shreyas has shown promise but needs to inspire his troops to script a turnaround.

Alongside Venkatesh, the dismal run of another retained player Varun Chakaravarthy has hurt the team. However, the move to drop him in the previous game did not yield the desired results as KKR lost their fifth game in a row.

The trio of Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav and Sunil Narine has been impressive and will be aiming to keep the in-form Jos Buttler quiet.

Rajasthan rely a lot on Buttler and his 566 runs at 70.75 are a big reason why they find themselves in the top-four. As the Englishman can't be expected to fire in every game, skipper Sanju Samson needs to step up and be more consistent.

They are arguably the best bowling side in the competition but could not defend 159 in their previous game against Mumbai Indians due to heavy dew.

With 19 wickets at 13.68, Yuzvendra Chahal leads the bowling charts this season and alongside R Ashwin, Trent Boult and Prasidh Krishna, the Rajasthan attack has the ability to defend even below-par totals.

However, Royals will be looking for a much-improved batting effort to minimise the dew factor.

Teams (from): Kolkata Knight Riders: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Aaron Finch, Abhijeet Tomar, Ajinkya Rahane, Baba Indrajith, Nitish Rana, Pratham Singh, Rinku Singh, Ashok Sharma, Pat Cummins, Rasikh Dar, Shivam Mavi, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Aman Khan, Andre Russell, Anukul Roy, Chamika Karunaratne, Mohammed Nabi, Ramesh Kumar, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Sam Billings, Sheldon Jackson.

Rajasthan Royals squad for 2022 IPL: Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Riyan Parag, KC Cariappa, Navdeep Saini, Obed McCoy, Anunay Singh, Kuldeep Sen, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, Tejas Baroka, Kuldip Yadav, Shubham Garhwal, James Neesham, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rassie van der Dussen, Daryl Mitchell.

Match starts 7.30 IST. 

Also Read : If dew hadn't played a part, 158 would've been enough: Ashwin

News Source : PTI

Navi Mumbai, Apr 22 (Cricket News) Former champions Kolkata Knight Riders will be desperate to bring their flagging campaign back on track when they face leaders Gujarat Titans in the IPL here on Saturday.

Having suffered three defeats in a row, the Shreyas Iyer-led outfit has slipped to seventh in the table and the task gets tougher against the Titans, who have been a revelation in their maiden season.

The Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans have been firing on all cylinders, with their batting prowess and bowling might.

Pandya pulled out of their last match against Chennai Super Kings owing to a groin injury but it was business as usual for the Titans as stand-in skipper Rashid Khan led the team to a three-wicket win over the four-time champions.

The biggest plus in their win against CSK was Rashid's sensational form with the bat as he smashed a 21-ball 40 to help his team chase down the target with a ball spare.

GT's opening combination may not have given them the desired start and most of the times the middle-order has rescued the Titans.

It was David Miller (94 not out from 51 balls) who anchored the show against Chennai after half the side were back in the pavilion with 87 runs inside 13 overs.

According to Rashid, Pandya's injury was "not serious and there's nothing to be worried about." Pandya has been in superlative form with 228 runs from five innings at an average of 76.00.

The onus would be on Kolkata's bowlers to seize the momentum and stop the Titans' three-match winning run.

KKR's pace attack led by Pat Cummins and Umesh Yadav and spinner Varun Chakravarthy (30 runs from two overs) were taken to cleaners by the Rajasthan Royals batters in their last match.

It remains to be seen if the team think-tank would bring back Tim Southee in the XI as the key lies in getting early breakthroughs and giving Sunil Narine a perfect stage to restrict the flow of runs.

Narine, a vital cog in KKR's wheel for long, has once again been their go-to man and boasts of the best economy rate of 5.03 after seven matches.

The batters have stopped taking risks against the Trinidadian and he would hope that their pace battery gives some early breakthroughs to make the task easier for the wrist spinner.

The game also throws an interesting match-up between former KKR batter Shubman Gill and Narine.

Gill had a fine start to the tournament and scored 84 (vs Delhi) and 96 (vs Punjab) but has gone quiet since then.

As for KKR batting, captain Iyer is fresh from a fine 85 against Rajasthan Royals, but he would hope their opening issue is resolved.

KKR's investment in India Test batter Ajinkya Rahane (80 runs from five matches; average 16.00, strike-rate 100.00) as an opener has been a big letdown, forcing the think-tank to try out different combinations in the last two matches.

In such a scenario, the Titans bowling attack in Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson, Rashid Khan and Pandya would look to capitalise.

Teams (from): Kolkata Knight Riders: Shreyas Iyer (c), Aaron Finch, Abhijeet Tomar, Ajinkya Rahane, Baba Indrajith, Nitish Rana, Pratham Singh, Rinku Singh, Ashok Sharma, Pat Cummins, Rasikh Dar, Shivam Mavi, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Aman Khan, Andre Russell, Anukul Roy, Chamika Karunaratne, Mohammed Nabi, Ramesh Kumar, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Sam Billings, Sheldon Jackson.

Gujarat Titans: Hardik Pandya (c), Abhinav Manohar, David Miller, Gurkeerat Singh, B Sai Sudarshan, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, Matthew Wade, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Wriddhiman Saha, Alzarri Joseph, Darshan Nalkande, Dominic Drakes, Jayant Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami, Noor Ahmad, Pradeep Sangwan, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Varun Aaron, Yash Dayal.

Match starts: 3.30 pm. IST. 

Also Read : Rejuvenated DC take on a in-form RR in match no 34

News Source : PTI

Derby (UK), Apr 17 (Cricket News) Senior India batter Cheteshwar Pujara redeemed himself with an unbeaten double hundred in the second innings as Sussex snatched a draw against Derbyshire at the 2022 County Championship here on Sunday.

Making his debut for Sussex, Pujara was dismissed for six off 15 balls in his first innings on the second day as his team folded for 174 in 56.3 overs in reply to Derbyshire's 505.

However, the Indian produced a superb show in his second essay, hitting an unconquered 201 not out off 387 balls. His innings was studded with 23 hits to the fence.

He shared a 351-run partnership with skipper Tom Haines (243) for the third wicket to bail out Sussex, who were 513 for three in 176.1 overs when the match ended in a draw.

The veteran batter was dropped from the Test team following the series in South Africa. Ajinkya Rahane, too, was ignored for the home series against Sri Lanka. 

Also Read : Ruturaj Gaikwad finds form before GT stop Chennai Super Kings at 169/5

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 7 wickets. After losing their first two games SRH have bounced back with 3 back to back wins. Kane Williamson had won the toss and elected to bowl first as Hyderabad replaced the injured Washington Sundar with Jagdeesha Suchit. Kolkata on the other hand brought in Aaron Finch, Sheldon Jackson and Aman Khan in place of Ajinkya Rahane, Sam Billings and injured Rasikh Salam.

KKR scored 175/8 in the first innings thanks to Andre Russell and Nitish Rana. Kolkata were 31/3 in 4.3 overs when Rana walked to partner his captain Shreyas Iyer. He scored 54 off 36 balls including 6 fours and 2 sixes. Russell produced some late fireworks as hit an unbeaten 49 off just 29 balls. His innings was a classic Russell knock including 4 boundaries and 4 maximums. T Natarajan continued his great form as he picked up 3 wickets. Umran Malik once again displayed his incredible pace as he got two wickets. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Marco Jansen and Jagadeesha Suchit got a scalp each.

SRH ended up chasing the total after losing just 3 wickets with 13 balls to spare. Rahul Tripathi was the anchor of the innings as he scored an incredible 71 against his former club. Tripathi's 37 ball innings consisted of 4 fours and 6 sixes. Aiden Markaram finally found form in the IPL as he scored an unbeaten 68 off 36 hitting 6 fours and a six. Andre Russell picked up 2 wickets while Pat Cummins got a scalp. KKR were extremely disappointing with the ball and were tormented by the partnership between Tripathi and Markaram. Varun Chakravarthy who was very impressive in the previous two seasons has been disappointing in this one so far. Chakravarthy's troubles continued as he conceded 45 runs in just 3 overs in the match.

The Sunrisers are now looking like a proper unit with a very balanced bowling attack. The batters are picking up form which is incredible news for them. KKR on the other hand might be looking to rethink the bowling lineup which looks fragile at the moment. All bowlers apart from Sunil Narine and Umesh Yadav have been conceding way too many runs this season.

Also read: Senior India batter Cheteshwar Pujara falls cheaply on Sussex debut

Derby (UK), Apr 15 (Cricket News) Senior India batter Cheteshwar Pujara could only score six off 15 balls in his first innings of the 2022 County Championship here on Friday.

Making his debut for Sussex, Pujara was dismissed in the 24th over on day two of the division two game against Derbyshire, who amassed 505 in their first innings.

It was not the best of starts to a county stint for Pujara who needs a bagful of runs to make a comeback into the Indian Test team.

The veteran batter was dropped from the national following the series in South Africa. Ajinkya Rahane too was ignored for the home series against Sri Lanka.

Star Pakistan keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan is also in Sussex playing eleven. At tea break, the away team was 92 for four, trailing Derbyshire by 413 runs. 


Also Read : Nitish Rana, Andre Russell steer KKR to 175/8 against Sunrisers Hyderabad

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Apr 15 (Cricket News) Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to field against Kolkata Knight Riders in their Indian Premier League match here on Friday.

Jagadeesha Suchith replaced the injured Washington Sundar in the Sunrisers playing XI.

KKR made three changes -- Aaron Finch, Aman Khan and Sheldon Jackson coming in for Sam Billings, Ajinkya Rahane and Rasikh Salam.

Teams: Kolkata Knight Riders: Aaron Finch, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer(c), Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Sheldon Jackson(wk), Pat Cummins, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav, Aman Hakim Khan, Varun Chakaravarthy.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Kane Williamson(c), Rahul Tripathi, Nicholas Pooran(wk), Aiden Markram, Shashank Singh, Jagadeesha Suchith, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Marco Jansen, Umran Malik, T Natarajan. 

Also Read : With 'lot of time to decide her international future', Mithali to play in Women's Senior T20 Trophy

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) SRH are riding high after two consecutive victories but take on the mighty KKR who will look to bounce back after their disappointing loss against the Delhi Capitals. For SRH they will be without their only spinner Washington Sundar as he suffered an injury last match. On the other hand KKR will welcome the Australian captain Aaron Finch to the squad and maybe can even go start into the playing XI.

For the Sunrisers the main positive over the last two matches has been the opening pair of Kane Willamson and Abhishek Sharma who hit 75 and 42, Kane Williamson scored 32 and 57. It looks like Rahul Tripathi and Nicholas Pooran have also hit form at the right time. Their bowling has been quietly effective lately, with T Natarajan leading the way with eight wickets, and Sundar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar being economical alongside their occasional strikes. Heading into the clash the main concern for Tom Moody and co will be the injury to Washington and who will ultimately replace him in the playing XI. For the SRH, Bhuvi will be the key man upfront as he has a good record against the KKR top order which has been topsy turvy this season, One thing they need to be aware of is KKR's lower middle order which can win matches single handedly.

KKR have mostly banked on individual brilliance for their three victories but as a collective unit they are yet to hit full flow. The most runs scored by KKR in five matches is Andre Russell with 130, 70 of which came in a single innings while Venkatesh Iyer has only one score above 20, Shreyas Iyer has crossed 30 only once, Sam Billings has got starts but has failed to fire on all cylinders, Ajinkya Rahane has scored only 80 runs at a strike rate of exactly 100 despite opening each time, and same applies to Nitish Rana. The KKR management might replace Rahane at the top with Aaron Finch or a relatively unknown quality in Abhijeet Tomar. Umesh Yadav has ten wickets in five matches and has an economy rate of 7, Sunil Narine boasts the best economy rate of 4.85.

Pitch and weather report: The Brabourne Stadium pitch has usually been a high scoring venue as the average first innings score is 180. Dew over the last few matches at this venue is not affecting the outcome as much as it should, the spinners will play a crucial role in restricting the opposition in a small ground. The temperature is going to hover around 30 degrees with no possibility of rain.

Interesting facts:

• Since 2020, Sunrisers Hyderabad haven't beaten  Kolkata Knight Riders
• Rahul Tripathi has career strike rate of 221.42 and 160.61 against Umesh Yadav and Sunil Narine
• Bhuvneshwar Kumar has picked 28 wickets against KKR - the most he has picked against any franchise
• If Aaron Finch gets picked in the playing XI that will be his 9th franchise, which will be the most
• With a strike rate of 99, Rahane and Venkatesh have been the slowest opening pair this IPL

Also read: Skipper Hardik Pandya shines as Titans beat Royals by 37 runs

Probable XI for SRH:

1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Kane Williamson (capt), 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 6 Shashank Singh, 7 Shreyas Gopal, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Marco Jansen, 10 Umran Malik, 11 T Natarajan

Probable XI for KKR:

1 Ajinkya Rahane/Aaron Finch, 2 Venkatesh Iyer, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Sam Billings/Sheldon Jackson (wk), 5 Nitish Rana, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Pat Cummins, 8 Sunil Narine, 9 Rasikh Salam, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Varun Chakravarthy
 

(Cricket news) Delhi Capitals defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 44 runs to get their 2nd win of the season. After winning the toss Shreyas Iyer elected to bowl first and announced an unchanged XI. DC on the other hand brought back Khaleel Ahmed for Anrich Nortje after the South African seamer's disappointing outing against Lucknow Super Gaints. 

Batting first Delhi Capitals got to a mammoth total of 215. Openers Prithvi Shaw and David Warner led the charge scoring half centuries. Rishabh Pant batting at one down scored a quickfire 27 off just 14 balls. Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur scored 49 runs in 3.2 overs to get their side to a massive total. The big talking point was Sarfaraz Khan who despite being selected as a pure batter didn't come out even after DC lost 5 wickets. The move shocked fans and experts alike as it could be a massive blow to the Mumbai batter's confidence. The strategy did work in the end because DC put a good target on the board. Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy and Andre Russell picked up a wicket each. While every other bowler proved to be expensive, Sunil Narine bowled an incredible spell of 2/21 in his 4 overs.

Chasing 216 runs, KKR kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Shreyas Iyer's 54 in 33 balls went in vain as KKR fell 44 runs short. Nitish Rana and Andre Russell did get good starts but couldn't convert them into big scores. Kuldeep Yadav dismantled the side which didn't give him enough games by picking up 4/35 in his 4 overs. The returning Khaleel Ahmed got 3 wickets while Shardul Thakur picked up 2 scalps. Lalit Yadav also chipped in with the crucial wicket of Nitish Rana. KKR could be looking to drop Ajinkya Rahane in the next game after the veteran failed to get going once again. 

Also read: Former England head coach Chris Silverwood appointed Sri Lankan men's team head coach

Mumbai, Apr 9 (Cricket News) Skipper Rishabh Pant will face a big test when Delhi Capitals lock horns with table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders, led by their former captain Shreyas Iyer, in a much-anticipated IPL clash here on Sunday.

Iyer, one of the architects of the Delhi franchise's resurgence in the IPL, having taken them to their maiden final in 2020, was replaced as skipper of the team last season after he missed the first half due to an injury. The franchise didn't retain the 27-year-old, who was picked up by KKR at the auction.

Under his captaincy, the Knight Riders are perched at the top of the league with six points from four outings, their only loss coming against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

The Capitals on the other hand, after a winning start, have slumped to back-to-back defeats and are placed seventh.

Both Pant and Iyer are touted as future India captain and it will be interesting to see how the two fare. However, the wicketkeeper-batter might be feeling the pressure, having won just one game so far.

The Capitals have lost a close match to new entrants, Lucknow Super Giants, after falling to the other new team, Gujarat Titans.

While the return of pace spearhead Anrich Nortje, who had been nursing an injury, bolstered the bowling unit, the South African, who hasn't bowled since the T20 World Cup in November, looked understandably rusty.

Despite having plenty of options, the bowling department has not looked potent, leaking runs against Gujarat Titans and LSG. Mustafizur Rahman has been their top performer but others need to complement him better.

Their batting unit has also looked out of sorts, with skipper Pant again expected to do the bulk of the work with the willow.

The Capitals will be counting on Prithvi Shaw, who smashed 61 off 34 against LSG, and seasoned opener David Warner, to provide a solid start as their middle order is yet to inspire confidence.

KKR head into the match high on confidence, having defeated Mumbai Indians with Pat Cummins scoring a 15-ball 56.

The former champions have looked like a cohesive unit capable of tackling all situations.

Umesh Yadav has been in imperious form, rolling out impressive performances in the powerplay, and alongside Australian Cummins, make for a formidable pace attack that can trouble Delhi's inexperienced batters. Spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine can also turn on the heat.

Venkatesh Iyer shone in the previous game with the bat but the seasoned Ajinkya Rahane is finding it tough and one will have to wait and see how long the team management persists with him. Skipper Iyer would also be on the lookout for a big score.

The Brabourne pitch has worked for the batters. With the dew factor unlikely to affect the day game, the captains might be tempted to bat first. Teams (from): Kolkata Knight Riders: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Aaron Finch, Abhijeet Tomar, Ajinkya Rahane, Baba Indrajith, Nitish Rana, Pratham Singh, Rinku Singh, Ashok Sharma, Pat Cummins, Rasikh Dar, Shivam Mavi, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Aman Khan, Andre Russell, Anukul Roy, Chamika Karunaratne, Mohammed Nabi, Ramesh Kumar, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Sam Billings, Sheldon Jackson.

Delhi Capitals: Rishabh Pant (Captain), Ashwin Hebbar, David Warner, Mandeep Singh, Prithvi Shaw, Rovman Powell, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya, Khaleel Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, Mustafizur Rahman, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Lalit Yadav, Mitchell Marsh, Pravin Dubey, Ripal Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Vicky Ostwal, Yash Dhull, KS Bharat and Tim Seifert.

Match starts at 3.30 PM. 

Also Read : Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) opt to field against Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

News Source : PTI

Pune, Apr 6 (Cricket News) Premier pacer Pat Cummins shone with the bat like never before, equalling the record for the fastest fifty in the IPL, including amassing 35 in an over, as Kolkata Knight Riders crushed Mumbai Indians by five wickets here on Wednesday.

Cummins blazed away to his fifty in just 14 balls, joining KL Rahul on the top of the leaderboard, while opener Venkatesh Iyer batted through the innings for his unbeaten 41-ball 50, as KKR completed a chase of 162 with as many as four overs to spare.

It was unbelievable stuff from Cummins as KKR, needing 35 from 30 balls, got them all in just six deliveries with the Australian Test captain hitting six sixes and four boundaries in his 15-ball 56.

Daniel Sams bore the brunt of Cummins' onslaught the most, conceding 35 runs in the 16th over, which sealed it for KKR.

Together with Iyer, Cummins, who came in at number six, shared 61 runs in just 2.1 overs to overhaul MI's total of 161 for four.

MI, thus, slumped to their third defeat in as many matches.

KKR made a sedate start reaching 16 off the first four overs. The wickets of Ajinkya Rahane and skipper Shreyas Iyer made life difficult for KKR as they slumped to 35 for two in the sixth over.

Sam Billings made 17 off 12 balls before he dismissed by Murugam Ashwin.

Iyer, on the other hand, went about his business in his own way and kept the scoreboard ticking.

While Iyer stood firm at one end, wickets kept tumbling from the other as Nitish Rana failed once again, caught at deep midwicket by Sams off Ashwin.

Andre Russell played a five-ball 11-run knock before he left Iyer stranded, top-edging a Tymal Mills short delivery to Dewald Brevis.

Cummins then took the attack to the opposition and struck Mills for a boundary and a six of consecutive balls.

Having conceded 23 runs in the final over when MI batted, Cummins clobbered the MI bowlers to all parts of the ground to take KKR home in a grand fashion.

Earlier, veteran Kieron Pollard complemented Suryakumar Yadav's brisk half-century by amassing 23 runs in the last over to propel MI after KKR kept things tight for a major part of their innings.

After an 83-run fourth-wicket stand between Suryakumar Yadav (52) and Tilak Varma (38 not out), Pollard (22 not out) smashed the world's premier fast bowler Pat Cummins for three sixes to end MI's innings on a high.

Opting to bowl first on a fresh pitch with plenty of grass, KKR's opening bowlers used the conditions to perfection as pacer Umesh Yadav (1/25) and debutant Rasikh Salam (0/18) relied on back of length deliveries to trouble MI's opening duo of skipper Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan.

Umesh and Cummins (2/49) picked up early wickets to reduce MI to 55 for three.

Umesh looked more threatening of the two as he consistently tested the high-profile MI opening batters with his probing length, producing a fantastic first over which yielded just one run.

Salam tried to match his senior pro.

Umesh struck first blood in the third over with a back-of-length delivery to get Rohit for the fifth time in IPL, with the MI skipper failing to control a pull.

Then came another debutant Dewald Brevis (29), known as 'Baby AB' for his 360 degree shot-making abilities, and he tried to attack the KKR bowlers.

He succeeded in his endeavour for a brief period, hitting two fours and as many sixes, but fell to Varun Chakravarthy (1/32).

All this while, MI's man-in-form Ishan Kishan (14 off 21) was a quiet spectator at the other end.

Unlike his last two innings, Kishan seemed to be struggling from the onset and a poor start didn't help his cause either.

Kishan's struggle came to an end in the 11th over when he miscued a pull off Cummins to KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer.

Varma got a reprieve in the 13th over when Ajinkya Rahane spooned him after a confusion with Billings.

Yadav struck a four and a huge six in the final two deliveries of the same over to give MI's innings some momentum.

Varma grabbed the missed chance with both hand and scooped Cummins over fine leg for a maximum and then followed it with a slash over mid-wicket for a boundary off Chakravarthy.

Yadav, on the other hand, looked in ominous form after returning from injury, dealing mostly in fours and sixes to notch up his fifty in 34 balls. 

Also Read : Want to learn how to play one-handed shots from Rishabh: Warner

News Source : PTI

Pune, Apr 6 (Cricket News) Veteran Kieron Pollard complemented Suryakumar Yadav's brisk half-century by amassing 23 runs in the last over to lift Mumbai Indians to 161 for four after Kolkata Knight Riders kept things tight for a major part of their innings in the IPL here on Wednesday.

After an 83-run fourth-wicket stand between Suryakumar Yadav (52) and Tilak Varma (38 not out), Pollard (22 not out) smashed the world's premier fast bowler Pat Cummins for three sixes to end MI's innings on a high.

Opting to bowl first on a fresh pitch with plenty of grass, KKR's opening bowlers used the conditions to perfection as pacer Umesh Yadav (1/25) and debutant Rasikh Salam (0/18) relied on back of length deliveries to trouble MI's opening duo of skipper Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan.

Umesh and Cummins (2/49) picked up early wickets to reduce MI to 55 for three.

Umesh looked more threatening of the two as he consistently tested the high-profile MI opening batters with his probing length, producing a fantastic first over which yielded just one run.

Salam tried to match his senior pro.

Umesh struck first blood in the third over with a back-of-length delivery to get Rohit for the fifth time in IPL, with the MI skipper failing to control a pull.

Then came another debutant Dewald Brevis (29), known as 'Baby AB' for his 360 degree shot-making abilities, and he tried to attack the KKR bowlers.

He succeeded in his endeavour for a brief period, hitting two fours and as many sixes, but fell to Varun Chakravarthy (1/32).

All this while, MI's man-in-form Ishan Kishan (14 off 21) was a quiet spectator at the other end.

Unlike his last two innings, Kishan seemed to be struggling from the onset and a poor start didn't help his cause either.

Kishan's struggle came to an end in the 11th over when he miscued a pull off Cummins to KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer.

Varma got a reprieve in the 13th over when Ajinkya Rahane spooned him after a confusion with Billings.

Yadav struck a four and a huge six in the final two deliveries of the same over to give MI's innings some momentum.

Varma grabbed the missed chance with both hand and scooped Cummins over fine leg for a maximum and then followed it with a slash over mid-wicket for a boundary off Chakravarthy.

Yadav, on the other hand, looked in ominous form after returning from injury, dealing mostly in fours and sixes to notch up his fifty in 34 balls. 

Also Read : Want to learn how to play one-handed shots from Rishabh: Warner

News Source : PTI

Pune, Apr 6 (Cricket News) Kolkata Knight Riders won the toss and elected to bowl against Mumbai Indians in an IPL match here on Wednesday.

KKR made two changes, bringing in Pat Cummins for Tim Southee and handing Rasikh Salam debut at the expense of Shivam Mavi.

Dewald Brevis will make his debut for MI in place of Tim David, while a fit-again Suryakumar Yadav came in place of Anmolpreet Singh.

Teams: Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer(c), Sam Billings(wk), Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Umesh Yadav, Rasikh Salam, Varun Chakaravarthy Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Kieron Pollard, Dewald Brevis, Daniel Sams, Murugan Ashwin, Tymal Mills, Basil Thampi, Jasprit Bumrah. 

Also Read : Varma's wide range of shots and foot work leaves Shastri impressed

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) Mumbai Indians have always been slow starters to the league but this time they have played two matches and have been beaten quite convincingly. On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders are riding high after Andre Russell’s show against Punjab Kings and they look to stay at the top of the table.

Mumbai Indians have made it a bad habit by starting slowly before revving up as mid-season approaches and then pouncing on teams at the back end. They have continued the same trend this season having started poorly this time also, but the margin for error could be smaller in a 10-team pool. In both their losses so far, Mumbai have failed to capitalise on their batters giving them good starts, both the left-handers in Ishan Kishan and Tilak Verma have given this Mumbai side the much needed impetus at the top but it is the middle order which is not really performing. With Suryakumar Yadav fit, he will most likely replace Anmolpreet Singh in the playing XI. Another headache for Rohit Sharma would be whether to pick Basil Thampi or Jaydev Unadkat, but the only hitch is he's nearly like-for-like to Tymal Mills, in terms of his bowling but after last match and considering Dre Russ can take the bowlers out of the park, he just might get the nod ahead of Thampi.

Kolkata Knight Riders have destroyed their opposition with their pace attack and with Pat Cummins back, their pace attack looks even meaner. Brendon McCullum always emphasised on the fact of playing an aggressive brand of T20 cricket and they certainly showcased it against PBKS last match. One problem heading into the match would be KKR’s death-overs problem with Tim Southee, Russell, Venkatesh Iyer and Shivam Mavi leaking runs in the end but the introduction of Cummins will allow Shreyas Iyer to breathe a bit easier. KKR need to be wary of Bumrah’s threat, the West Indian all-rounder has been dismissed thrice in the last 61 deliveries by Bumrah and averages just 20.33. The KKR management would also expect a lot more from the likes of Venkatesh Iyer and Ajinkya Rahane as they are the key to utilising the power play to the fullest. The KKR management will have a good selection headache whether to drop Billings or Southee for Cummins, both these players have been really good with bat, ball and in the field.

Pitch and weather report: The Pune pitch has been very kind to the bowlers bowling in the second innings. In the previous two matches, bowlers have been able to defend their scores as in Pune dew doesn’t play a major part because of the less humidity but the trend of winning the toss and bowling first will continue. The temperature is going to hover around 29 degrees with no chance of rain.

Interesting facts:

• Mumbai's win percentage of 75.8% is the highest win percentage for a team against an opponent in all of the IPL.
• In 16 IPL games at the MCA, pacers have picked up 3.8 wickets per innings as compared to spinners 1.6 wickets
• MI have won 22 matches against KKR in the IPL, which is the most by a team against an opposition in the league
• Rohit Sharma needs 54  runs to reach 10,000 runs in T20 cricket.
• Sunil Narine needs five more wickets to become the first player to take 150 wickets for KKR in the IPL.

Also read: Dinesh Karthik stars in RCB's come from behind win over Royals

Probable XI for MI:

1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Suryakumar Yadav/Anmolpreet Singh, 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Tim David, 7 Daniel Sams, 8 M Ashwin, 9 Tymal Mills, 10 Jaydev Unadkat/Basil Thampi, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

Probable XI for KKR:

1 Venkatesh Iyer, 2 Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Sheldon Jackson, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Sunil Narine, 8 Tim Southee, 9 Pat Cummins, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Varun Chakravarthy
 

Mumbai, Apr 1 (Cricket News) Kolkata Knight Riders won the toss and opted to field against Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League here on Friday.

Both teams made a change each to their respective playing elevens. Punjab replaced Sandeep Sharma with Kagiso Rabada while KKR brought in Shivam Mavi in place of Sheldon Jackson. Sam Billings will keep wickets.

Teams: Punjab Kings: Mayank Agarwal (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Shahrukh Khan, Odean Smith, Raj Bawa, Arshdeep Singh, Harpreet Brar, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Sam Billings (wk), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakaravarthy. 

Also Read : I am 'spin-fast' bowler who prefers bowling at 100 kmph rather than 75 kmph: Rashid Khan

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) KKR will look to bounce back after a disappointing loss to RCB but on the other hand Punjab Kings will be full of confidence after their swashbuckling batting display against RCB in the first match. PBKS management will welcome Kagiso Rabada in the playing XI as he could be the X-factor that their bowling line up was missing. 

KKR in the last match adopted a very strange game plan as each and every batsman lost their wicket to sceptical shots considering the match situation. Although the result didn't go in their favour, they stayed true to their playbook, hitting more boundaries than RCB. The one positive Brendon McCullum can take from the last match, was his side never giving up attitude as they almost defended a low score courtesy of Umesh Yadav and Tim Southee. Knight Riders head coach Brendon McCullum said that “the allrounder's shoulder was sore after he dived near the boundary”. If Russell doesn't recover in time, then KKR could instead call up Mohammad Nabi or Chamika Karunaratne.

PBKS will be high on confidence after their great batting display against RCB in the first match. They will be further boosted by Kagiso Rabada who is out of quarantine and trained with the team after having participated in the ODI series at home against Bangladesh on the other hand, Jonny Bairstow, is unavailable as he is yet to complete quarantine upon arrival from the Caribbean. Most of the eyes will be on an interesting sub plot will be Andre Russell vs Odeon Smith, Russell is still the gold standard of T20 cricket while Smith is the latest big-hitting allrounder from the Caribbean. Smith idolises Russell and has modelled his game on him and he recently won the T10 league with his idol at Deccan Gladiators in Abu Dhabi. If you see their head to head, Smith has bowled 13 balls to Russell in T20 cricket, keeping him to a mere eight runs while getting him out twice in three innings.

Pitch and weather report: There will be plenty of assistance for the bowlers and it will not be easy for the batters to come and straight away smash fours and sixes. Keeping wickets in hand will be the key to success. Again the dew factor can come into play as the trend of winning the toss and bowling first will continue. The temperature is going to hover around 30 degrees with no chance of rain.

Interesting facts:

• Russell has the edge over Rabada in T20s,he has scored 79 runs off 39 balls at a strike rate of over 200 while being dismissed just once.
• Umesh Yadav has 49 wickets in the powerplay in the IPL at an economy rate of 7.60. Only three bowlers have picked up more wickets than Umesh in the first six overs.
• Sunil Narine has a very strong record against Kings,he has picked up 31 wickets in 21 games at an average of 18.22 and economy rate of seven.
• Harpreet Brar had an economy rate of 6.04 in IPL 2021 which was the best among bowlers who had bowled more than ten overs last season.
• Mayank Agarwal  is 51 runs away from completing 4000 runs in T20 cricket . 
•  Ajinkya Rahane needs just 6 runs away from him to complete 4000 runs in IPL.

Probable XI for KKR:
1 Venkatesh Iyer, 2 Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Sam Billings, 6 Sheldon Jackson (wk), 7 Andre Russell/Chamika Karunaratne/Mohammad Nabi, 8 Sunil Narine, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Varun Chakravarthy

Probable XI for PBKS:
1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Mayank Agarwal (capt), 3 Bhanuka Rajapaksa (wk), 4 Liam Livingstone, 5 Raj Bawa, 6 M Shahrukh Khan, 7 Odean Smith, 8 Harpreet Brar, 9 Arshdeep Singh, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Rahul Chahar

Also read: CSK lose 2nd game in a row while LSG open IPL account
 

Navi Mumbai, Mar 30 (Cricket News) Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Faf du Plessis won the toss and opted to field against Kolkata Knight Riders in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match, here on Wednesday.

RCB fielded an unchanged playing XI, while KKR brought in Tim Southee is place of Shivam Mavi.

While RCB lost to Punjab Kings by five wickets in their last match, KKR beat Chennai Super Kings by six wickets in their opening game.

Teams: Royal Challengers Bangalore: Faf du Plessis (c), Anuj Rawat, Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik(w), Sherfane Rutherford, Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, David Willey, Harshal Patel, Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj.

Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Shreyas Iyer(c), Sam Billings, Sheldon Jackson(w), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy. 

Also Read : Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) set to change Rajkumar Sharma-led coaching staff

(Cricket news) Royal Challengers were left disappointed against the Punjab Kings as they couldn’t defend 205 runs, on the other hand Kolkata Knight Riders produced a clinical performance to get a victory over the defending champions CSK. Brendon McCullum, the coach of KKR and Mike Hesson the coach of RCB, the two men who orchestrated New Zealand's rise as a white-ball cricket will find themselves battling each other out when Kolkata Knight Riders take on Royal Challengers Bangalore.

RCB’s first match indicated that their batting runs deep but their same problem of leaking runs in the death overs continued as last match IPL debutants Odean Smith and Bhanuka Rajapaksa had a field day batting against a very docile bowling lineup. Glenn Maxwell is often that fulcrum for this RCB side, as not only is he the chief destructor with the bat through the middle overs but more importantly his off-spin is a vital counter to opposition stacking up left-handers and something that RCB will miss considering KKR have three powerful left handers in the team. One thing the RCB camp will be really pleased with is the form of Faf Du Plessis, who just missed out on a hundred against PBKS as fans will be hoping that he leads the side from the front with his exquisite batting.

KKR ticked all the boxes against CSK in the last match as Umesh Yadav wreaked havoc in the Chennai batting line up with his early swing movement. The Knights displayed their bowling might against CSK so much so that the batters simply had to turn up and play sensibly to seal the deal, which they did quite comfortably. Since IPL 2020, KKR are one of three sides that have conceded 10+ runs an over in the death overs as the likes of Shivam Mavi and Andre Russell conceded 47 runs in the last three overs but on the contrary, Narine and Chakravarthy at the other end against Super Kings conceded 11.6 runs per over. The KKR think tank needs to figure out the best way of utilising the 8 overs from their spinners as they hold the key to their chance of victory. In the last match, we saw Nitish Rana walk ahead of Shreyas Iyer at number 3, a decision which raised many eyebrows but Rana’s role was simple as he was given licence to play free, something that will continue in this match as well.

Pitch and weather report: As we saw in the previous matches that the pitch is a good one for batting. The bounce is good, the outfield is quick, the boundaries are short and the batters can definitely score a lot of runs on this pitch. The temperature is going to hover around 38 degrees with chances of rain

Interesting facts:

• Faf du Plessis  won the Man of the match twice against KKR last season,
• Mohammed Siraj has not taken a  wicket in the PowerPlay in the last 10 IPL games
• Andre Russell and Sunil Narine have strike rates of 215.12 and 196.43 respectively.
• Russell has hit 75 sixes which are the second most in the tournament since 2019
• Ajinkya Rahane needs 15 runs to 4000 IPL runs and become the ninth Indian to do so

Probable XI for RCB:

1 Faf du Plessis (capt), 2 Anuj Rawat, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 5 Sherfane Rutherford, 6 Shahbaz Ahmed, 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Harshal Patel, 9 David Willey, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Sidharth Kaul

Probable XI for KKR:

1 Venkatesh Iyer, 2 Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Sam Billings/Mohammad Nabi, 6 Sheldon Jackson (wk), 7 Andre Russell, 8 Sunil Narine, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Shivam Mavi, 11 Varun Chakravarthy

Also read: CSK, LSG seek improvement in top-order batting after opening losses

Navi Mumbai, Mar 29 (Cricket News) Seeking to consolidate their position after a winning start, Kolkata Knight Riders will have their task cut out as they take on a determined Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League here on Wednesday.

The two outfits head into the game on the back of contrasting results.

While the Shreyas Iyer-led KKR humbled defending champions Chennai Super Kings by six wickets, Royal Challengers Bangalore suffered a five-wicket loss to Punjab Kings, despite posting a 200-plus score.

For RCB, skipper Faf Du Plessis is in prime form after he made a scintillating 57-ball 88 and would like to continue in the same vein. Opener Anuj Rawat was unable to capitalise on a good start and would be aiming for consistency.

Unburdened by the captaincy pressure, Virat Kohli made a statement and played with more intent against Punjab. He will definitely look to rediscover his glorious touch and continue to torment the opposition bowlers like he did during his prime.

Wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik also played a significant cameo and his role would be crucial once again, if RCB have to set or chase a big total.

If these four go all guns blazing, then it would be a daunting task for the varied KKR attack.

While the KKR bowling unit will have to be particularly cautious of the six-hitting prowess of Du Plessis, which was on display on Sunday, RCB bowlers would have to quickly forget the hammering they received at the hands of the Punjab batters.

A profligate Mohammed Siraj, who leaked 59 runs, will have to pull up his socks. Another key bowler is death overs specialist and last edition's Purple Cap holder Harshal Patel. Even the role of Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, who is capable of spinning a web around the batters, could decide the fate of the match.

For KKR, they ticked all the boxes in their lung-opener against CSK and they would be hoping that they can repeat their performance.

The biggest positive for KKR was Ajinkya Rahane finding his mojo and scoring runs.

Although all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer managed only 16 runs in the first game, he is capable of pummelling any attack into submission.

Skipper Shreyas Iyer along with Sam Billings and Sheldon Jackson would need to shoulder responsibility in the middle-order.

On the bowling front, Umesh Yadav was sensational at the Wankhede. But others including Shivam Mavi, spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine would need to put up an improved show.

All-rounder Andre Russell’s role with the bat and ball could eventually be the difference between the two sides.

KKR are unlikely to tinker with their winning combination.

Being an evening game, dew would certainly be a factor and one can expect a high-scoring affair.

Teams (from): Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj, Faf du Plessis (c), Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik, Josh Hazlewood, Shahbaz Ahmed, Anuj Rawat, Akash Deep, Mahipal Lomror, Finn Allen, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Behrendorff, Suyash Prabhudesai, Chama Milind, Aneeshwar Gautam, Karn Sharma, David Willey, Luvnith Sisodia, Siddharth Kaul.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Aaron Finch, Abhijeet Tomar, Ajinkya Rahane, Baba Indrajith, Nitish Rana, Pratham Singh, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer (c), Ashok Sharma, Pat Cummins, Rasikh Dar, Shivam Mavi, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Aman Khan, Andre Russell, Anukul Roy, Chamika Karunaratne, Mohammed Nabi, Ramesh Kumar, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Sam Billings, Sheldon Jackson.

Match starts at 7.30 PM. 

Also Read : Elgar comfortable with SA players opting for IPL instead of Bangladesh Tests

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Mar 26 (Cricket News) A clinically all-round Kolkata Knight Riders beat defending champions Chennai Super Kings by six wickets as Mahendra Singh Dhoni's first tournament fifty in three years went in vain in the IPL lung opener here on Saturday.

Unburdened by captaincy, Dhoni, who relinquished the leadership role just two days back, smashed an unbeaten 50 off 38 balls to take CSK to 131 for 5 after being put in to bat.

But, KKR, who lost to CSK in the last season summit clash, chased down the target with nine balls to spare, with out of favour India batter Ajinkya Rahane top-scoring with a 34-ball 44.

Rahane, who was bought for Rs 1 crore by KKR after playing very few matches for Delhi Capitals last season, was in good touch as he hit six fours and one six during his knock. He shared 43 runs for the opening wicket with Venkatesh Iyer (16) and that was the highest partnership for KKR in the end.

Nitish Rana (21), new captain Shreyas Iyer (20 not out) and Sam Billings (25) made useful contributions to give KKR a winning start to the tournament.

Iyer thus started his KKR captaincy with a win while his counterpart Ravindra Jadeja, who took the place of the iconic Dhoni as CSK skipper, began his stint with a loss.

Iyer hit the winning runs, a boundary, as KKR reached 133 for 4 in 18.3 overs.

Dwayne Bravo (3/20) was the pick of the bowlers for CSK.

Earlier, KKR dished out a clinical bowling show to restrict CSK to 131/5.

CSK crossed the 130-run mark thanks to Dhoni’s unbeaten 50 off 38 balls (7x4; 1x6) and skipper Jadeja’s 26 not out off 28 balls (1x6). Dhoni's last IPL fifty was 84 not out versus Royal Challengers Bangalore on Apr 21, 2019.

CSK opener Ruturaj Gaikwad (0) perished cheaply. after being caught by Nitish Rana in the slip cordon off pacer Umesh Yadav (2/20).

The typical Wankede track, which had a good amount of bounce, did aid the KKR bowlers and they took maximum advantage.

Devon Conway (3) and Robin Uthappa (28 off 21 balls) then tried to revive the CSK innings, but managed to add only 28 runs for the second wicket.

Conway, who was looking rusty, became Umesh Yadav’s second scalp.

Uthappa was brutal on Shivam Mavi, whom he hit for a boundary in the second over and followed it up by another boundary and a maximum in the fourth over. In between, he hammered Umesh for a six. But his stay was cut short, stumped by Shedlon Jackson off Varun Chakravarthy (1/23) in the eighth over as CSK found themselves in a spot of bother at 49/3.

They further slipped to 52/4, as a horrible mix-up between Ambati Rayadu (15 off 17 balls) and Jadeja led to the former’s dismissal. After 10 overs, CSK were tottering at 57/4.

CSK lost half of their side for 61 after Shivam Dube (3) gave a sitter to Sunil Narine at short-midwicket off pacer Andre Russell.

Then, Jadeja and Dhoni added 70 runs for the sixth wicket to take CSK to a respectable total. The past and present captain duo initially played a barrage of dot balls but Dhoni hammered three boundaries in the 18th over, in which CSK amassed 14 runs.

Showing glimpses of his famous match-finishing prowess, Dhoni fetched a boundary and a six in the penultimate over, from which CSK got 15 runs.

The duo added 18 runs in the final over with Jadeja hitting a six off the final ball, as CSK added 74 runs in the final 10 overs. 

Also Read : Kolkata Knight Riders restrict CSK to 131/5 in IPL opener

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Mar 26 (Cricket News) Kolkata Knight Riders' new captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to bowl in the IPL opener against Chennai Super Kings here on Saturday.

Ajinkya Rahane, Sam Billings and Iyer himself received their maiden KKR caps.

Ravindra Jadeja is leading the CSK side for the first time after iconic Mahendra Singh Dhoni relinquished the captaincy after 12 seasons at the helm of the Chennai-based side.

The Teams: Kolkata Knight Riders: Shreyas Iyer (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Nitish Rana, Sam Billings (wk), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Sheldon Jackson, Umesh Yadav, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakaravarthy.

Chennai Super Kings: Ravindra Jadeja (c), Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni (wk), Dwayne Bravo, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Tushar Deshpande. 

Also Read : IPL 2022: Erudite Pratham looking to dazzle in KKR colours

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) IPL 2022 is about to kick off in its new format. Defending champions Chennai Super Kings will take on last year's runner's up Kolkata Knight Riders. The match will be Ravindra Jadeja's first as a captain after MS Dhoni handed him the captaincy just one day ago. KKR will be led by new captain Shreyas Iyer who is in the form of his life. The match will take place at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. 

CSK Possible Playing XI:

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja(C), Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni (WK), Dwayne Bravo, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Adam Milne, Mitchell Santner.

Moeen Ali is unavailable for selection due to visa issues while Deepak Chahar is injured and will miss the majority of the tournament. Rajvardhan Hangergekar was one of the most exciting talents to come out of India's under 19 World Cup win and should get his opportunity in game 1 itself. 

KKR Possible Playing XI:

Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer (C), Nitish Rana, Sheldon Jackson(WK), Andre Russell, Mohammed Nabi, Sunil Narine, Tim Southee, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy.

Aaron Finch and Pat Cummins are playing the Test match in Pakistan and hence will be unavailable. Ajinkya Rahane will not be getting too many chances as Finch is likely to take his place after he comes back. The choice of wicketkeeper is between Sheldon Jackson and Sam Billings but the former's inclusion works slightly better for the combination.

The first few matches with a brand new squad tends to set the tone for the rest of the tournament. The clash will be crucial for both the sides and will be a good opportunity for a select few who are getting a chance before some of the foreign players become available. 

Also read: What will be Ravindra Jadeja's biggest captaincy challenge?

Mumbai, Mar 23 (Cricket News) Kolkata Knight Riders will miss the services of star Australian recruits Pat Cummins and Aaron Finch in their first five matches of IPL-15, the team's mentor David Hussey said on Wednesday.

It comes as a blow to the two-time winners who begin their campaign against defending champions Chennai Super Kings on the opening day of the tournament on March 26.

"Well, it is a concern, you want your best players available, but international cricket should be the para-limit. Every cricketer should want to play international cricket for their countries so they have commitments that way.

"I think Cummins and Finch will miss the first five games but they will be cricket fit and cricket ready," said Hussey during a virtual press conference.

"So, once they hit the ground running, both quality people and they will fit into the dressing room perfectly well," he stated further.

Australia's ongoing tour of Pakistan ends on April 5 while KKR's fifth match of the season is scheduled for April 10.

KKR were earlier dealt a blow after T20 specialist Alex Hales withdrew from the tournament citing bubble fatigue.

Adding to KKR's misery is the Australian duo of Cummins and Finch, who was roped in as Hales' replacement, missing the team's first few games as they are touring Pakistan.

Hussey believed new KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer has a good cricketing brain and has proved his skills as a leader during his stint as Delhi Capitals captain.

Iyer, who led Delhi Capitals to the final in 2020, was bought by KKR for Rs 12.25 crore at the mega auction last month.

"Shreyas is a born leader, just the way he walks around, he commands respect. Knowing Pat (Cummins) really well, he would be a good deputy and would also lead from the front," Hussey said.

"But the way Shreyas has captained in the past for Delhi, he has a very good cricket brain and a nice vision of how to play the game and I think he will express himself really well. I think it's a smart move from Brendon (McCullum) and KKR management." Asked how he would go about handling the 27-year-old, he replied: "The best coaching is to just leave the good players alone, let them go where they work.

"He is in rare form at the moment. I don't know him, I'm getting to know him but he comes across as true leader and a person who knows his game really really well." KKR also picked up out-of-favour Ajinkya Rahane, but Hussey is confident the former India Test vice-captain will come good.

"He's been a class player for over a decade, he's dominated for Rajasthan Royals and I believe he has at least 5-10 years of international cricket left in him.

"He might not be scoring the runs he wants recently but they way he is training he's going to dominate in the IPL and also he's a leader amongst the group as well." The former Australia all-rounder felt KKR have been able to build a "well balanced" bowling attack.

"Good to have Umesh Yadav back in the side. He works hard on his game and he's an absolute beast and hopefully he charges in and bowls exceptionally quick.

"We got good fast bowlers in Umesh, (Tim) Southee, (Shivam) Mavi and Cummins and good spin in Varun (Chakravarthy) and (Sunil) Narine," he said.

Asked if KKR are missing a quality wicketkeeper, Hussey said, "No, I think we are happy after the auction.

"We got Sheldon Jackson, who is a wonderful wicketkeeper, good striker of the cricket ball and dominates in the Ranji Trophy, also he been the part of our team for long time now and I think he's going to set the tournament alight.

"Then we also have Sam Billings. He's also a quality wicketkeeper who has played Test cricket for England..." 

Also Read : Shastri says India need an all-rounder at No. 6, rules out Hardik as pure batter

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Mar 23 (Cricket News) Kolkata Knight Riders mentor David Hussey feels new skipper Shreyas Iyer has a good cricketing brain and has proved his skills as a leader during his stint as Delhi Capitals captain.

Iyer, who led Delhi Capitals to the final in 2020, was bought by KKR for Rs 12.25 crore at the mega auction last month.

He was named captain by KKR team management ahead of pacer Pat Cummins, who leads the Australian Test side.

"Shreyas is a born leader, just the way he walks around, he commands respect. Knowing Pat (Cummins) really well, he would be a good deputy and would also lead from the front," Hussey said during a virtual press conference on Wednesday.

"But the way Shreyas has captained in the past for Delhi, he has a very good cricket brain and a nice vision of how to play the game and I think he will express himself really well. I think it's a smart move from Brendon (McCullum) and KKR management." Iyer has been in sensational form recently for India.

Asked Hussey how he would go about coaching the 27-year-old, he replied: "The best coaching is to just leave the good players alone, let them go where they work.

"He is in rare form at the moment. I don't know him, I'm getting to know him but he comes across as true leader and a person who knows his game really really well." KKR were dealt a blow after T20 specialist Alex Hales withdrew from the tournament citing bubble fatigue.

Adding to KKR's misery is that the Australian duo of Cummins and Aaron Finch, who was roped in as Hales' replacement, are expected to miss the team's first few games as they are touring Pakistan.

"It is a concern to not have your best players available but saying that international cricket is paramount. They miss the first five games but they'll hit the ground running, match fit. Both are quality players. Hopefully they can perform as per the game plan," Hussey said.

KKR also picked up out-of-favour Ajinkya Rahane and Hussey is confident the former India Test vice-captain will come good.

"He's been a class player for over a decade, he's dominated for Rajasthan Royals and I believe he has at least 5-10 years of international cricket left in him.

"He might not be scoring the runs he wants recently but they way he is training he's going to dominate in the IPL and also he's a leader amongst the group as well." The former Australia all-rounder feels KKR have been able to build a "well balanced" bowling attack.

"Good to have Umesh Yadav back in the side. He works hard on his game and he's an absolute beast and hopefully he charges in and bowls exceptionally quick.

"We got good fast bowlers in Umesh, (Tim) Southee, (Shivam) Mavi and Cummins and good spin in Varun (Chakravarthy) and (Sunil) Narine," he said.

Asked if KKR are missing a quality wicketkeeper, Hussey said, "No, I think we are happy after the auction.

"We got Sheldon Jackson, who is a wonderful wicketkeeper, good striker of the cricket ball and dominates in the Ranji Trophy, also he been the part of our team for long time now and I think he's going to set the tournament alight.

"Then we also have Sam Billings. He's also a quality wicketkeeper who has played Test cricket for England and kept wickets in the shorter format so I think we are pretty well versed in the keeping department and we are well balanced in all departments of our squad." 

Also Read : Our aim is to reclaim IPL title after 13 years, says RR keeper-batter Buttler

News Source : PTI

Bengaluru, Mar 14 (Cricket News) At times, Rishabh Pant has confounded the Indian team with his brazen batting style but skipper Rohit Sharma on Monday said they are willing to accept the way he bats for his sheer ability to be a game-changer in matter of minutes.

Rohit also underlined the point that Pant has been asked to respect the conditions and match situation and that the stumper-batter has got better with his game plans.

The stocky southpaw with his impactful batting in both the innings, titled the second Test against Sri Lanka in India's favour. His quick-fire 39 in first innings and record-breaking fifty in second innings was crucial in putting the Lankan attack to submission. He was declared Man-of-the-series.

"We know how he bats and as a team we just want to give him that freedom to bat in the way that he wants to bat. But also keeping in mind certain situations of the game, where the game is going, we have conveyed that to him but we want to stick with his gameplan as a team," Rohit said at the post-match press conference.

"It just seems to get better and get better, his game-plans. There will be times when you will smash your head and say 'why did he play that shot' but again we need to be ready to accept that with him when he bats." Rohit said the fact that his impact on a game is instant, they are willing to let him bat he wants to.

"He is somebody who can change the game literally in half an hour or 40 minute of the game. I think what comes with Rishabh Pant, we are ready to accept that," he said.

Pant's Keeping and input for DRS call ======================= Praising his improved skills behind the wicket, Rohit said the most significant factor of his in this series was his keeping.

"His keeping was best that I have seen. He kept well when England came last year and he seems to get better every time he keeps wickets for India, so that is something that I have been very impressed with.

"And also the DRS calls, (he) seems to be making the right calls. DRS we all know, it's like a lottery. There are certain aspects of the game that I have told him to look into and that's about it. DRS calls are not something you will always get it right, there will be times when you will be making wrong calls, but that's absolutely okay." On his own Test captaincy ================= Rohit said since he has't captained much in red ball it was a big thing for him to lead in Tests. It was his first series after Virat Kohli quit leadership role.

"There are a few senior members in the team who understand the game well and had their inputs as well. I have my reading of the game as well. But eventually you work on instinct and my captaincy philosophy is to take a call on that point which seems right to you, keeping in mind of where the game is going. I try to analyse these things on the ground," he said.

Jasprit Bumrah performance ================= Bumrah troubled the Lankan batters even on a dry pitch that was tailor made for spinners. He took five wickets in the first innings and three in the second essay.

Rohit said the pacer's performance was magnificent without a doubt.

"To come out and bowl like that in these kind of conditions shows how much skill and ability he has. Someone like Bumrah, he's never out of the game whatever the conditions are," said the captain.

"To bowl on certain pitches, you need certain skill-sets. And he seems to bringing those skill-sets into the game depending on what sort of assistance he has from the pitch.

"In Mohali we saw a different sort of pitch and he was still effective. This was a different kind of pitch. it was turning and bouncing and everything was happening for spinners." Not many homes games for Bumrah ======================= Bumrah has largely played abroad in Test format and Rohit said it was imperative to keep the bowlers fresh and ready.

"Keeping everything in mind, the workload, we have to rotate these guys. They continuously play and we've to take care of them. So he's missed a lot of games.

"In coming years, you'll see a lot of Bumrah playing Tests in India and abroad as well. But as I said, we need to look after these guys really well, make sure they are fresh so that they come out and perform the way these guys have done here. We want to keep them fresh all the time. That's the challenge for us." Team India's long term target ================== Rohit said thei long-term target is to reach the finals of the WTC.

"But, honestly we cannot look that far ahead as it does not work like that. We need to look into the present, make sure that there are few steps to climb to reach to that place. For us, reaching those small goals are very important.

"Having lost the series in SA, it was critical for us to make an impact and get those crucial points for us.

"We were missing two of our experienced batters (Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane) but Hanuma Vihari batting at a new position was a challenge.

"And Iyer batting at six was going to be another challenge, but he showed a lot of maturity in the way he played on those challenging wickets. We pretty much achieved everything that we wanted as a team, boxes got ticked." 

Also Read : West Indies docked WTC points, drop below Bangladesh to eighth place

News Source : PTI

Bengaluru, Mar 14 (Cricket News) India captain Rohit Sharma on Monday said Shreyas Iyer had big shoes to fill following the axing of stalwarts like Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane but he grabbed the opportunity with both hands in the Test series against Sri Lanka and will only get better with more opportunities.

India swept the two-match series against the islanders 2-0 on Monday with a 238-run win in the second Test here. Iyer, who replaced Rahane in the eleven, scored a fine 92 and 67 in a low-scoring game. Hanuma Vihari replaced Pujara at number three.

Other star performers of the series were Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin. Rohit said he is mighty pleased with what they brought to the table.

"It's been a good run, and I have enjoyed it personally and as a team. We wanted to achieve a few things as a team, and we have done that," said Rohit, who led India for the first time in Tests.

On the individual performances, he said, "We have seen Jadeja grow as a batter, and he seems to get better and better. He strengthens the team, and he's also improving as a bowler. And he's a gun fielder, so he is a complete package.

"Shreyas just carried on from where he left off in the T20 series against Sri Lanka. He seemed to carry that form into the Test series.

"He knew he was stepping into the big shoes of guys like Rahane and Pujara, but he has everything that he requires. He will be better now when he starts travelling.

"Rishabh seems to get better with each game that he plays. Especially in these conditions. We saw it in the England series (last year) and now. A couple of catches and stumpings showed how confident he is." Ashwin became the first bowler to take 100 wickets in the World Test Championship and Rohit said the seasoned performer has delivered every time the ball has been thrown at him.

"(On Ashwin) It was personally my feeling (that he is an all-time great). Whenever we give him the ball, he comes up with match-winning performances. He's got a lot of years left in him. We have lots of occasions to look forward to.

"I have to ensure he's in a good mind space. Pink-ball Tests are challenging. We never knew what it was like to play with the pink ball in India, but we are learning to make those adjustments. The crowd just makes it more special," said Rohit.

Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne scored a fine hundred on Monday but his team failed to compete in the two-match series. He acknowledged the shortcomings.

"I would have been happier if we had won the match. Once I got in, I knew I could get a big one. As a team, we know we are a decent team. We didn't get enough good starts to capitalise. And as a bowling unit, we gave too many loose balls," Karunaratne said.

"(On Suranga Lakmal) One of the best I have see in my career. I am very happy for him that he's going to county cricket and I know he will do very well there as well." Player of the Series Pant added: "As a cricketer you want to evolve. In the past, I have made a few mistakes, but I want to keep improving...it was a difficult pitch and I decided I had to attack the bowling early on.

Pant said his keeping is also improving thanks to his growing confidence.

"I think it's more about confidence. I used to think too much about what I might miss. Now I am focusing on my process." 

Also Read : India complete 2-0 series sweep against Sri Lanka (Second and final Test)

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) The pitch is very tricky to bat on in the 2nd Test between India and Sri Lanka. Rohit Sharma's men need 9 wickets to win the game and it's only day 3 as Sri Lanka have a mammoth target of 447. One of the reasons that India are ahead in the game is obviously the amazing performance by the bowlers especially Jasprit Bumrah while the other reason is Shreyas Iyer

Batting on a tricky pitch, Iyer was the only Indian batter to cross the 50 run mark. The Mumbai batter scored an incredible 92 off 98 balls including 10 boundaries and 4 sixes. He unfortunately missed out on his 2nd Test ton as he was stumped while trying to go big. In the 2nd innings, Iyer along with Rishabh Pant helped India to a total of 303 runs. Iyer scored 67 off 87 balls hitting 9 boundaries in the process as he completed two half centuries in the match.

Since making his Test debut, Iyer has been in terrific form and looks to have cemented his place in the side. His real test will come in England where India are scheduled to play the postponed 5th Test. Iyer is yet to be tested in foreign conditions with the red ball where his weakness against the short ball could be exposed. As of now things are going really well for him in all formats of the game.

The most interesting aspect of Iyer's Test career is when his runs have come. He always seems to score in difficult conditions when the team needs it the most. Iyer's ton and fifty in his debut Test was the reason India were 1 wicket away from victory. Even in this Test, if Iyer didn't score those runs, the match would've been much closer than it is. Replacing Ajinkya Rahane won't be an easy job but Iyer looks to be up for it.

Also read: We are waiting for fitness update on Ruturaj and Deepak: CSK CEO Kashi Vishwanathan

(Cricket news) Despite losing the series against South Africa, India are arguably the best Test side in the World. The men in blue have incredible depth in all the departments and never seem to be affected by injuries and absentees. India have always had brilliant batters over the years but the reason for their dominance in recent times is the bowling unit.

In home conditions, spinners Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav and Washington Sundar rarely disappoint. Away from home, seamers Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur swing things in India's favour more often than not. The incredible bowling unit is always backed by the captains, be it Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane or more recently KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma.

Perhaps the biggest reason of all is the combination of the team. India, since the infamous 1st Test against Australia at Adelaide have never gone into a game with 7 pure batters and just 4 bowlers. They have always gone for 5 proper bowling options even if that meant that the batting ends at no. 6. Every other team usually backs 4 bowlers and a batting all-rounder at the most with their wicket-keeper batting at number 7.

There are two simple reasons why this works for India. The first reason is the existence of Rishabh Pant. The gloveman could walk into any side in the world as a pure batter. If in the future Pant stopped keeping wickets he still has the batting talent to continue playing for India. The fact that India have a keeper who is good enough to play in the top 6 of any team allows them to play one batter less because usually the keeper is weaker than pure batters.

The other reason is Ravindra Jadeja. Usually, the case with all-rounders is that they do one thing better than the other. Although Jadeja started as a bowling all-rounder, his batting has improved a lot in the past 3 years. At the same time his bowling is showing no signs of decline. The fact that Jadeja can play as a pure batter or a pure bowler is a huge asset to any team. Australia and New Zealand usually play with 4 bowlers and batter who can bowl seam. That is why Cameron Green and Colin de Grandhomme can be considered as 5th bowling options and not proper bowlers.

With India, the issue is that none of the 5 pure batters can bowl well, even part time, except Hanuma Vihari who did it for a while but doesn't anymore. In South Africa, despite Jadeja being injured, India still went with 5 bowlers and trusted the ability of Pant, Ashwin and Shardul Thakur lower down the order. Even though that didn't work, it showed the stubborn tactics of India. Jadeja and Pant could be classed as two of the most important players for India across formats, maybe more so in the longest one.

Also read: India register emphatic win against Sri Lanka with multiple milestones

Mohali, Mar 4 (Cricket News) India skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat against Sri Lanka in the opening Test of the two-match series here on Friday.

It will be Virat Kohli's 100th Test, while Rohit will start his journey as Test captain with this match.

Hanuma Vihari and Shreyas Iyer replaced Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane in the playing XI for India, who went with three spinners and two seamers.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, opted for three seamers and two spinners.

Teams: India: Rohit Sharma (c), Mayank Agarwal, Hanuma Vihari, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jayant Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.

Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Lahiru Thirimanne, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella(wk), Suranga Lakmal, Vishwa Fernando, Lasith Embuldeniya, Lahiru Kumara. 

Also Read : Abhimanyu, Anustup give Bengal opening day advantage

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) The 1st Test between India and Sri Lanka at Mohali will be a monumental one for multiple reasons. It will be Rohit Sharma's first Test as captain and it will also be Virat Kohli's 100th test. The big change however is in personnel as the selectors have dropped Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane after so many years. There are 2 spots in the Indian playing XI which are vacant at the moment and there are 3 strong candidates.

Shreyas Iyer is the one who is in the form of his life. In India's last home series against New Zealand, Iyer scored a century and a half century in the first Test which was also his debut. In the T20I series against Sri Lanka, Shreyas Iyer scored 200 plus runs without getting out in 3 innings. On form basis, Shreyas Iyer easily gets into the side but in the 2nd Test against South Africa where Virat Kohli was injured Hanuma Vihari was preferred over Iyer. The Mumbai batter is a very good player of spin which makes him a dangerous player in India.

Since making his debut in 2018, Hanuma Vihari has been a regular member of the squad. He was surprisingly dropped from India's last home series against New Zealand which is why Iyer got a chance to make his debut. Vihari has performed well for India whenever given a chance and surely deserves an opportunity. In his last Test innings against South Africa, Vihari batted with the tail in the 2nd innings and added 40 crucial runs to get India to a respectable total. Vihari has been waiting for his opportunity for a long time and as a Test specialist should be in the side.

Shubman Gill through no fault of his own will probably be the one to miss out. Gill made his debut in Australia and had a fantastic series. In the next series against England at home and in the World Test Championship, he didn't get too many runs. Before the England series the batter suffered an injury and only returned in the New Zealand series where he got 2 40s and one 50. He was once again ruled out with an injury before the South Africa tour. With KL Rahul returning to the Test set-up and Mayank Agarwal getting some of his form back, Gill has fallen down in the pecking order.

His future is said to be in the middle order but there too he has stiff competition. On pure talent bases Gill is definitely more talented then both Iyer and Vihari. While Iyer is in good form, his weakness against the short ball means that he may not be a long term option especially overseas which Gill definitely is. One thing is certain that India's middle order is going to chop and change a lot. With India only playing 3 tests in 2022 there will not be too much clarity as to what the middle order look like. Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid could decide to abolish Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri's 5 bowler theory and go with 7 batters.

Also read: Rohit Sharma to begin Test captaincy reign against Sri Lanka in Mohali

Mohali, Mar 3 (Cricket News) Pacer Kusal Mendis' hamstring injury continues to keep him out but wicketkeeper-batter Niroshan Dickwella is back after serving a one-year ban for a bio-bubble breach, Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne said on Thursday unveiling his line-up for the opening Test against India here.

Both Dickwella and Mendis were banned for a year for breaching bio-bubble protocols during Sri Lanka's tour of England last year. Mendis' inclusion for this tour was subject to fitness following a hamstring injury during the fifth T20I against Australia. He did not play in the T20Is against India because of it.

"Dickwella will be the wicketkeeper, (pacer) Dushmantha Chameera will be rested and will be available for the pink ball Test and Mendis has been ruled out," he said on the eve of the first Test, which would be India star Virat Kohli's 100th five-day match.

It would be a milestone for Karunaratne as well given that he would be leading his country in its 300th Test. Karunaratne said he was happy that crowds would be present for the first Test. The BCCI has allowed spectators at 50 per cent of stadium capacity for the landmark game.

"That's a great feeling...captaining in the country's 300th Test. I did not expect it. It is a great honour for me. I will try my best to give the best result for Sri Lanka," he said in the virtual media interaction.

"I came to know it is Virat's 100th Test. A good decision from the BCCI to allow 50 per cent crowd," he added.

Speaking about Sri Lankan preparations, Karunaratne said everything has gone as planned when it comes to drawing up their strategies for the game.

"Sri Lankan players have been training hard and everybody is in good shape. Hopefully they will produce good form in the two Tests," he said.

Karunaratne said the team had plans for young Indian batters like Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gil, who are expected to take the places of veterans Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara.

Rahane and Pujara have been dropped for the Tests against Sri Lanka owing to a prolonged lean patch with the bat.

"Yeah, we have a few plans. some youngsters are playing... they are supposed to fill Rahane and Pujara's place. We are trying to execute the plans He also said the spinners like Lasith Embuldeniya have been doing a good job in the last few years and they can capitalise on Indian conditions, which are traditionally spen-friendly. 

Also Read : The way Tendulkar played was always an inspiration to me: Brevis

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) The men in blue return to red ball action for the first time since the disappointing series loss in South Africa. Team India start a new era under the leadership of Rohit Sharma who will take over from Virat Kohli. The captaincy is not the only change as senior players Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Wriddhiman Saha and Ishant Sharma have been dropped from the side after being an integral part of the team for so many years.

India's Possible Playing XI:

Rohit Sharma(C), Mayank Agarwal, Hanuma Vihari, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant(wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.

Bench: Shubman Gill, Priyank Panchal, K.S Bharat, Jayant Yadav, Saurabh Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj

Leaving Shubman Gill out is going to be a very tough call but it has to be taken as playing all of them will be surplus to needs. Kuldeep Yadav's return is very crucial for the side as India desperately need a wrist spinner in the Test set-up. Virat Kohli will be playing his 100th Test match and there is speculation that he could be promoted to number 3. Two seamers and three spinners has been the combination that India has used in Indian conditions but it does mean that one spinner will be under utilised.

Sri Lanka Possible Playing XI:

Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Praveen Jayawickrama, Lasith Embuldeniya, Suranga Lakmal, Dushmantha Chameera.

Bench: Niroshan Dickwella, Chamika Karunaratne, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando, Jeffrey Vandersay.

Batting wise a lot will be dependent on the experienced Mathews and Karunaratne. Chameera's raw pace has the ability to trouble the Indian batters just like he did in the T20I series. He will once again be looking to get the better of Indian skipper Rohit Sharma. 

Pitch report and Weather forecast:

The weather is forecasted to be nice and sunny except for the 3rd day which could have a possible cloud cover. Mohali is usually a typical Indian pitch with assistance for the seamers at the beginning with the spinners coming into play as the days progress. The captain who wins the toss should look to bat first and get a big score on board. 

Both the sides will be keeping an eye on the World Test Championship table. Rohit Sharma is yet to lose a game since becoming full time ODI and T20I captain and he will be looking to continue the same with red ball cricket. The team has a lot of changes which could backfire but it is definitely a start of a new era in Indian Test cricket history.
 

Also read: How KKR could fare under the new leadership of Shreyas Iyer

Mohali, Mar 3 (Cricket News) Hailed by many as the 'Last of the Mohicans' in cricket's purest format, Virat Kohli will be focussed on making his 100th appearance memorable while "white-ball legend" Rohit Sharma plots the demolition of an out-of-depth Sri Lanka as India's 35th Test captain in the series-opener starting here on Friday.

If one looks back at Indian team's journey since its inception in international cricket back in 1932, it has been about stars, superstars, and megastars, who become the reason for the footfall at turnstiles of various stadiums across the country.

It was the case when Sunil Gavaskar scored his 10,000th run, Sachin Tendulkar bade the most emotional farewell that cricket has ever seen and now the spotlight will be firmly on Kohli, whose domineering presence has turned an international match into a footnote.

Kohli is one among "them" and in a fast-paced world, perhaps the last cricket star who will enjoy an organic following of manic fans.

India was, is and will remain more of a "cricketer-loving" nation and the social media war-cry that perhaps led to fans being allowed in the stadium from Friday is a testimony to Kohli's immense popularity.

This is his 'Test' and for Kohli, a century to mark a 'century' is something he would be craving, having missed that sense of accomplishment that comes with a three-figure mark for over two years now.

A bowling attack that has the likes of Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara or Lasith Embuldeniya is perfect for a sumptuous 'five course' Kohli treat with cover drives, on drives, flicks and pulls on the menu.

Gavaskar and Tendulkar couldn't, neither could a Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid or VVS Laxman but Kohli is a different beast.

The empty amphitheatre was never meant for him. He feeds off the energy from his fans, and as the undisputed hero of his story, he always finds an antagonist, he is trying to slay.

He is a product of the modern day, who loves the spotlight and the spotlight has always loved him back.

However, every story has its own set of sub texts and this Test match is as much as a Kohli story as it is about Rohit and his remarkable ascendancy making light of set ideas and templates.

Journey starts for Rohit's team ==================== They say, a 'A good Captain, is a good captain, is a good captain". Everyone knows Roht's credentials in white-ball cricket especially IPL, where he has even challenged the hegemony of the peerless Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

There is no reference frame to judge how good he will be in a game that's played over five days for six hours.

He is 34 and will surely not be playing white ball cricket for more than three years at a stretch with a demanding calendar.

How he handles a transition phase in Indian cricket, which has started with curtains on careers of Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Ishant Sharma. will have a huge impact on how he is perceived -- just a mere captain or a leader of men.

Does he have it in him to control the ebbs and flows of a Test match where a session changes the complexion or a long partnership can induce frustration? The proof of the pudding as they say lies in eating and one can only wait to see how he responds to the entirely different dynamics of five-day cricket as captain.

Skipper's team Combination =================== Rohit's tactical acumen has always got him respect from all quarters and the first reflection of it in Test cricket would be how he handles his playing XI.

It is expected that Shubman Gill will be coming in at number three in the place vacated by Pujara and will have to show "intent" which was believed to be missing earlier. Gill has the game to do that.

The tricky position will be the other middle-order slot which Rahane had made his own for the longest time.

There are two candidates and both are deserving. Hanuma Vihari, Indian cricket's new fire-fighter, has always been sent out to bat in difficult overseas conditions and hasn't done badly at all. And this makes him a deserving candidate for a fair run of Test matches.

The other is Shreyas Iyer, a very flashy batter but with some technical glitches, including problems against short ball. He had a good initiation in Test matches with a hundred on debut against New Zealand.

Vihari, if one goes by the pecking order, could be that second middle-order man, who brings in that defensive solidity which is required at times. It also helps that he has a great record against spinners.

But there could be a tactical move of sending Rishabh Pant at number five as he can then take on Sri Lanka's premier left-arm spinner Embuldeniya.

Bowling attack ========== The Lankan batting line-up depends heavily on skipper Dimuth Karunaratne along with old guards Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews, both well past their prime.

How well they handle Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja on a pitch that will be dry after being baked by sunshine is a million dollar question.

In a nutshell, one can expect a four-day finish if India bats first and even earlier if they bat second.

Teams (from): ========== India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hanuma Vihari, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Jayant Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Kona Bharat (wk), Umesh Yadav, Saurabh Kumar, Priyank Panchal Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (captain), Dhanajaya De Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dushmantha Chammeera, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Niroshan Dickwella, Lasith Embuldeniya, Vishwa Fernando, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Thirimanne, Lahiru Kumara, Kusal Mendis (wk), Pathum Nssanka, Jeffrey Vandersay, Praveen Jayawickrama, Chamika Karunaratne.

Match Stars 9:30 am. 

Also Read : Your real success is being able to motivate whole generation: Tendulkar to Kohl ahead of 100th Test

News Source : PTI

Mohali, Mar 2 (Cricket News) Veteran batters Cheteshwar Pujara and former Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane were downgraded in the latest central contracts list of the BCCI that was ratified by the Board's Apex Council on Wednesday.

The BCCI has four categories -- A+ which has annual remuneration of Rs 7 crore while A, B and C categories are valued at Rs 5 crore, Rs 3 crore and Rs 1 crore respectively.

Accordingly, Pujara and Rahane, who were in Grade A are now in Grade B, after a slump in form that saw them being dropped from the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka.

That they will be downgraded was reported by PTI on January 20.

The biggest demotion, however, was for injury-ravaged all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who has been shunted out from Grade A to C in the list.

Controversial keeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha, who has been dropped from the Test team, will still be richer by Rs 1 crore after being demoted from group B to C. 

Also Read : Injured Deepak Chahar set to miss half of IPL 2022

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) After having to settle for 2nd place last season, Kolkata Knight riders retained Varun Chakravarthy, Venkatesh Iyer, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell before the auction. After the retention, they were in a dire need for a captain and they found the perfect candidate in Shreyas Iyer. In the first slot itself KKR splashed Rs 12.25 Cr. on the dynamic batter.

As a batter, Iyer has been in great touch since returning from his injury. He scored a ton and a fifty on his Test debut and has just had a record breaking T20I series against Sri Lanka. He will bat at number 3 to anchor the innings as he has done for Delhi Capitals over the years. Despite his heroics against Sri Lanka, Iyer is yet to confirm his place in the playing XI for India. A good IPL with the willow will help him break into the side.

Shreyas Iyer is an experienced IPL captain who knows his trade very well. He has the advantage that KKR has 9 players who were a part of the team last season which means that if gets support from those players his job becomes very easy. It is safe to say that KKR didn't have the best of auctions as they ended up spending too much money on a very limited number of players. The team has potential with a few interesting uncapped players.

Iyer will have a few tough calls to make like Venkatesh Iyer's batting position and which four foreign players to play. One thing is very clear that Iyer will have to lead from the front just like Gautam Gambhir did when he was the captain. The KKR management has always been described as a good environment to play in and the two trophies go on to prove that. 

Kolkata Knight Riders squad:

Andre Russell, Varun Chakravarthy, Venkatesh Iyer, Sunil Narine, Shreyas Iyer, Pat Cummins, Nitish Rana, Shivam Mavi, Sheldon Jackson, Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, Anukul Roy, Rasikh Dar, Chamika Karunaratne, Baba Indrajith, Ashok Sharma, Pratham Singh, Abhijeet Tomar, Sam Billings, Alex Hales, Ramesh Kumar, Mohammed Nabi, Aman Khan, Umesh Yadav.

Also read: Hardik Pandya biggest challenge as new IPL captain for Gujarat Titans

(Cricket news) After a whitewash in the T20I series, India and Sri Lanka are all set to go head to head for two Test matches. Important WTC points will be on the line as the men in blue look to climb from their current 5th spot and the Lankans try to keep their top spot. There are quite a few monumental moments from India's perspective. The first Test will be the 100th of Virat Kohli's illustrious career. It will also be the first series with Rohit Sharma as full time Test captain after Kohli's resignation. It will also be the first series to not feature Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara for a long time as India look to go into transition mode.

Ideal Playing XI

Openers: Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal

It will be interesting to see how skipper Rohit Sharma goes about things with the responsibility of captaincy. In the absence of KL Rahul, both Mayank Agarwal and Shubman Gill will battle for a spot. It is often said that Gill's future lies in the middle order which could be the reason that Agarwal will be preferred. The Karnataka batter, unlike his competition, has an excellent record on Indian soil.

Middle Order: Hanuma Vihari, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer

Virat Kohli is a no-brainer to bat in the middle order. There have been suggestions that he should bat at number 3, only time will tell if that happens. The other two are where Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid are going to have a very difficult time. Hanuma Vihari, Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill all deserve a place in the squad for different reasons. Iyer is definitely the best player of spin which is why conditions wise he has to play plus he is in great form after a record breaking T20I series. 

Hanuma Vihari has been waiting for his opportunity the longest. He has done nothing wrong but has been a victim of India's five bowlers policy. Gill may have to wait for his opportunity a little longer. There is an outside chance that India decide to play 7 batters and 4 bowlers which would mean that all three get in the side but that would definitely be surplus to needs. 

Wicket-keeper: Rishabh Pant

The selectors and the coach have shown a lot of faith in Rishabh Pant after deciding to drop Wriddhiman Saha. It's time for him to repay the faith by not only scoring runs but also by being clinical with the gloves. Pant is returning after a short break which means that he will be fresh and ready to go. The Delhi batter is also nearing 2000 runs in Test cricket which he will be hoping to achieve in this series itself. 

All-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin

India's tried and trusted finger spin twins have won so many matches in home conditions and they will be hoping that they can continue to do the same in this series. The pair always deliver for India when called upon but this time around they will have to do it under the leadership of Rohit Sharma. Ashwin's selection in the squad had a subject to fitness clause but vice captain Jasprit Bumrah said in a press conference that Ashwin looks fit and should be ready to play.

Seamers: Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami

The depth of the Indian pacers makes it so difficult for a captain to pick two seamers in sub-continental conditions. It is safe to say that Bumrah and Shami are the best of the lot even though Umesh Yadav has proved to be better in Indian conditions and Mohammed Siraj is also difficult to keep on the bench for long. Bumrah is also the vice captain of the side and it will be interesting to see how he copes up. India have recently dropped Ishant Sharma whose return to the side looks very unlikely. 

Spinner: Kuldeep Yadav

It has been a good month for Kuldeep Yadav as after returning from injury he has been called straight back into the squad of all formats for India. His inclusion in the Test squad is very important as India desperately need to add a wrist spinner in their squad and who better than a chinaman. Yadav has delivered for India on various occasions in the white jersey including overseas. It might finally be his time to shine as he has been blessed with this opportunity in the absence of Washington Sundar and Axar Patel who have been ahead of him in the pecking order. He may have only one match to pounce on the opportunity as Axar Patel could return to the side for the 2nd Test.

Bench: Shubman Gill, Priyank Panchal, K.S Bharat, Jayant Yadav, Saurabh Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj

Also read: What can people expect from India at the 2022 Women's World Cup?

New Delhi, Feb 28 (Cricket News) Rohit Sharma's first Test as captain will also usher in a new era for India's middle-order with Shubman Gill and Hanuma Vihari all set to become long-term replacements of veterans Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane.

It is now clear that Rahane and Pujara won't be called for the three Tests this season (two against Sri Lanka and one away game against England) where Vihari and Gill, along with Shreyas Iyer as back-up, will be the options.

There are two vacant spots from the last Test that India played in Cape Town and as Virat Kohli plays his 100th Test at Mohali, the three youngsters will be preparing for a long haul in the spots vacated by the two veterans after having made those their own for a decade.

But the bigger question is who will be the one left out if all three are fit going into the first Test starting March 4? Since Gill is raring to go, head coach Rahul Dravid will perhaps like to use him as a middle-order batter, who can also be an enforcer if the situation demands.

There is a distinct possibility that Gill might be used at number three behind Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal.

"I believe Shubman is India's best bet at number three. Yes, he has opened but Mayank is there alongside Rohit and Shubman has the game to bat at that number," former national selector and Test opener Devang Gandhi told PTI.

Gandhi, who was the national selector till January 2021, also said that Gill was initially being prepared for a middle-order role before he made his Test debut as an opener in Australia.

"Why I feel the team management might be inclined to try him at No.3 is because when we fast-tracked him into India A system, he had a double hundred in the middle-order against West Indies A in West Indies.

"Also having already opened in Tests, as No.3 he can also play the new ball well and start moving the game with his repertoire of strokes. You don't want to get bogged down and with Gill, he can start pushing the envelope," Gandhi explained.

While Rahane was primarily a number five batter, there is a possibility that Dravid and Rohit might be inclined to use Vihari at No.6 and send the dangerous Rishabh Pant at No.5 for variation.

"If you see our top-order, Mayank, Rohit, Shubman and Virat are all right handers. It's better if at No.5 we have a left-hander to get the left-right combination going followed by Vihari at No.6 and Ravindra Jadeja, again a left-hander at No.7. It could be the way forward," Gandhi feels.

But what could be the rationale of using a player like Vihari at No.6 and not at No.3 as his technique is closer to that of Pujara who used to blunt the new ball? "Firstly, Vihari has played only one Test at home and he, above everyone else deserves a fair run. Secondly, if you see for India and India A, he has batted at No.5 abroad but in India, he can come in at No.6 when spinners will be in operation and the 'SG Test' ball becomes relatively old.

"Vihari has a fantastic record against spinners in Ranji Trophy and that's something the team management can exploit," he felt.

So where does it leave Iyer, who scored a hundred on debut.

Perhaps he would need to wait.

He isn't Rohit and Dravid's first choice as both Gill and Vihari played Test cricket before him and are currently ahead in the pecking order.

But if anyone reports unfit, he is certainly going to be the next in line.

Possible Team Combination: Rohit Sharma (captain), Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hanuma Vihari, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin (fitness)/Jayant Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj. 

Also Read : Unbeaten Shreyas Iyer guides India to whitewash and achieves rare feat

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) India inflicted a 3rd consecutive whitewash in a T20I series this time against Sri Lanka. While the previous two against New Zealand and West Indies have been team performances this one on some level has been a one man show. If there is a singular reason why India won the series in convincing fashion, it was Shreyas Iyer.

Just under a year ago in an ODI against Sri Lanka, Shreyas Iyer dislocated his shoulder while fielding. He was subsequently ruled for the first half of the IPL 2021. With Rishabh Pant doing a fine job as stand-in captain, Iyer wasn't given back his captaincy upon returning in the second half. Since coming back from the injury, Iyer has gone from strength to strength. The 27-year-old scored a century on his Test debut against New Zealand and was named player of the match. He then fetched a Rs 12.25 crore bid for KKR in the IPL Mega Auction and was appointed their captain. Iyer was left out of the playing XI for the first 2 T20Is against West Indies and got a chance only when Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant were rested in the 3rd match. 

Pant and Kohli were once again rested for the Sri Lanka series while Suryakumar Yadav was ruled out with an injury. Iyer grabbed the opportunity with both arms and got the scores of 57*(28), 74*(44), 73*(45) scoring a total of 204 Runs at a Strike Rate 174.35. Iyer became the only Indian player along with Virat Kohli to score 3 fifty plus scores in a 3 match bilateral white ball series. The Mumbai batter also became the 2nd player after David Warner to score 200 plus runs in a T20I without being dismissed.

The harsh truth is that despite these performances Iyer may not find a place in the Playing XI for the World Cup. That will definitely not be the end of it as he has plenty more to look forward to. He is set to get a long run in the Test format starting against Sri Lanka after Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara were dropped. Iyer may be asked to bat anywhere between number 3 and 5. Iyer may just be in the form of his life and a good Test series against Sri Lanka will just go on to prove that. 

Rohit Sharma has a lot of positives in this series but the fielding has once again been sloppy at times. The only other negative is death bowlingas India bowling first in the last two matches leaked way too many runs in the last 5 overs. Former Indian Captain Sunil Gavaskar highlighted that the death bowling needs to be looked at as India can't afford to leak runs towards the end of the innings on a regular basis. 

Also read: India equal Afghanistan's record by winning 12th consecutive T20I game

Ahmedabad, Feb 26 (Cricket News) Bowlers Tanush Kotian and Shams Mulani produced a rearguard act with a splendid 114-run eighth-wicket stand after Ajinkya Rahane's sedate half-century as Mumbai went into the final day of their Ranji Trophy Group D game against Goa with an overall lead of 158 runs.

The 44-time champions, known for their comebacks, will like to challenge Goa with a gettable target on the final day and go all out for full six points after finishing the day on 322 for seven.

Mulani (49 batting off 129 balls) and Kotian (57 batting off 89 balls) came together at 208 for seven and frustrated the Goa attack with a responsible stand after having conceded a 164-run first innings lead.

Earlier, Mumbai were reduced to 93 for four in the first session itself before Rahane (56 off 148 balls) and the in-form Sarfaraz Khan (48 off 72 balls) added 82 runs for the fifth wicket before the burly right-hander was trapped leg before by left-arm spinner and the opposition's most successful bowler, Darshan Misal (3/96).

While Rahane crawled to his second half-century of the tournament, he was caught by former state-mate Shubham Ranjane off the bowling of off-spinner Amit Yadav before the Kotian-Mulani duo joined forces.

Saurashtra close in on bonus points ====================== Veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara won't get a chance to make amends for his first innings failure but Saurashtra are well on course to notch up an innings victory with bonus points after dismissing Odisha for 165 in the first innings and then reducing them to 115 for five in the second essay.

Saurashtra have scored 501 in their first innings and Odisha have to score 222 runs to avoid an innings defeat with only five wickets in hand.

On the day, Odisha lost 12 wickets after starting their first innings at 52 for three. Veteran seamer Jaydev Undakat and left-arm spinner Dharmendra Jadeja got four wickets apiece as Saurashtra were all out for 165.

Odisha were no better in their second innings.

Brief Scores Mumbai 163 and 322 for 7 (Tanush Kotian 57 batting, Ajinkya Rahane 56, Shams Mulani 49 batting, Prithvi Shaw 44, Darshan Misal 3/96) Goa 1st Innings 327. Mumbai lead by 158 runs.

Saurashtra 501. Odisha 165 (Jaydev Unadkat 4/50, Dharmendra Jadeja 4/48).

Odisha 115/5 (Shantanu Mishra 65, Dharmendra Jadeja 3/48). Odisha trail by 221 runs. 

Also Read : Iyer's fifty hands India seven-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in 2nd T20I

News Source : PTI

Lucknow, Feb 23 (Cricket News) All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who is making a comeback to the Indian side after two months, expressed his delight after his first practice session ahead of the opening T20I against Sri Lanka.

Jadeja missed India's last two series against South Africa and the West Indies as he was undergoing rehabilitation for a knee injury which he had sustained during the home Test series against New Zealand last November.

"Good feeling to be back in the Indian team. Really looking forward to playing the T20 and Test series," Jadeja said in a video posted by BCCI.

"I am feeling so good that finally after two month, I will be playing for India," he added.

The 33-year-old said he was eager to do his rehab properly.

"I was keen to do my rehab properly. I have been working hard on my fitness in NCA. I am very excited for the series. I am playing after more than two months." "I have been practising bowling, batting in Bengaluru. So I was in touch. Today, I felt very good after coming here for my first practice session." India are slated to take on Sri Lanka in three T20Is starting here on Thursday, followed by a two-Test series. 

Also Read : All eyes on Ajinkya Rahane as Mumbai play Goa

News Source : PTI

Lucknow, Feb 23 (Cricket News) In-form India batter Suryakumar Yadav was on Wednesday ruled out of the three-match T20 International series against Sri Lanka owing to a hairline fracture on his hand.

The series starts here on Thursday and Yadav's injury was confirmed to PTI by a BCCI source before the Board issued an official statement.

Yadav, who was adjudged Player of the Series in the preceding T20Is against the West Indies, is the second Indian player to be forced out of the Sri Lanka series after pacer Deepak Chahar.

Chahar was ruled out of the games in Lucknow and Dharamsala after picking up a hamstring injury.

"Deepak sustained a right quadriceps injury during bowling while Suryakumar suffered a hairline fracture during a fielding attempt in the third and final T20I against the West Indies in Kolkata on Sunday," BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in the statement.

"They will now head to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for further management of their injuries," he added.

The 31-year-old Yadav was seen at India's practice session here on Tuesday.

The BCCI has not named any replacements for the two injured players as options are available with the team.

Earlier, the BCCI had announced that Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant would be rested for the series against Sri Lanka.

The T20I rubber against the West Indies was India's first in a packed calendar in the build-up to the World Cup and they now take on Sri Lanka in an identical three-match contest followed by two Tests in Mohali and Bengaluru.

India's T20 squad: ============ Rohit Sharma (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Jasprit Bumrah (vice-captain), Avesh Khan. 

Also Read : All eyes on Ajinkya Rahane as Mumbai play Goa

News Source : PTI

Ahmedabad, Feb 23 (Cricket News) Dropped from the Indian Test team after his prolonged lean run with the bat, Ajinkya Rahane will be the centre of attention when heavyweights Mumbai play Goa in their Elite Group D Ranji Trophy game here from Thursday.

Rahane did score a much-needed hundred (129) in their opener against Saurashtra, but that could not save his place in the Test squad for the upcoming two-match series against Sri Lanka.

The former India vice-captain, though, would like to continue in same fashion against a Goa attack that is not likely to pose many problems.

Apart from Rahane, another Mumbaikar who would be in focus is young Sarfaraz Khan, whose purple patch in red ball cricket continues, having hammered a monumental 275 against Saurahstra.

The 41-time Ranji champions would look to secure full points from the game after Saurashtra denied them an outright win.

With a batting line-up comprising skipper Prithvi Shaw, Rahane, Sarfaraz, Aakarshit Gomel, Sachin Yadav and senior stumper Aditya Tare, Mumbai would look to pile up the runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

Their bowlers led by pacer Dhawal Kulkarni will have to hit the right areas and the role of off-spinner Tanush Kotian and left-arm spinner Shams Mulani would be crucial if Mumbai are to take 20 opposition wickets.

Overall Mumbai, who are much stronger than the team from the coastal state, would like to dominate their opponents from ball one.

Goa, on the other hand, who also secured a draw against Odisha in their opener, will need to improve in all the three departments.

Skipper Snehal Kauthankar, who made an unbeaten 165 against Odisha, would need support from other batters like Suyash Prabhudessai, Amogh Desai and Sumiran Amonkar.

The Goa attack led by the experienced Srikant Wagh will have to be at its best to stop a strong Mumbai batting line-up from putting up a big total. For Goa, the role of all-rounder Shubham Ranjane would also be crucial.

The other Group D game will see Saurashtra take on Odisha. 

Also Read : UAE and Ireland qualify for ICC T20 World Cup

News Source : PTI

Ahmedabad, Feb 20 (Cricket News) Less than 24 hours after being dropped from the India Test squad, Cheteshwar Pujara struck an uncharacteristic 83-ball 91 for Saurashtra in their Ranji Trophy match against Mumbai here on Sunday.

The Elite Group D match ended in a draw with Saurahtra making 372 for nine in their second innings on the fourth and final day.

Saurashtra were only 48 runs ahead when the stumps were drawn but the lack of time meant Mumbai could not go for an outright victory.

So the record 41-time winners settled for three points from the game for taking the first-innings lead while defending champions Saurashtra bagged one.

Bowling his slow left-arm spin to good effect, Shams Mulani returned career-best figures of 7/114, adding to his four wickets in the Saurashtra first innings.

On Saturday, senior batters Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were dropped from the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, starting from March 4 in Mohali after an inconsistent run.

The seasoned Pujara has managed just 602 runs at 24.08 in 14 Tests over the last one year.

Pujara, who last scored a Test century on the 2018-19 tour of Australia, got out for a duck in the first innings of this match, even as Rahane made a hundred.

However, on the final day of the match, Pujara played freely and found the fence at will while maintaining a strike rate of over 100, something very rare when it comes to the man from Rajkot, who is known for his solid defensive game.

In all, Pujara struck 16 fours and a six during his stay in the middle.

Wicketkeeper-opener Snell Patel (98) missed out on a century by just two runs, out caught by Shams Mulani off the bowling of experienced seamer Dhawal Kulkarni.

Patel's opener partner, Harvik Desai made 62 as the duo added 163 runs for the first wicket in a much-improved batting effort.

Pujara added 101 runs for the fourth wicket with Vishvaraj Jadeja, whose contribution in the partnership was a mere 16.

Mumbai had made 544 for seven declared in their first innings and then enforced follow-on on Saurashtra after bowling them out for 220.

Brief scores: Mumbai: 544/7 declared Saurashtra: 220 and 372/9 in 116 overs (Snell Patel 98, Cheteshwar Pujara 91; Shams Mulani 7/114).

Goa: 181 & 394/5d Odisha: 189 & 239/7. 

Also Read : West Indies opt to bowl against India in third T20I

News Source : PTI

Ahmedabad, Feb 19 (Cricket News) Cheteshwar Pujara endured a horror Saturday after first being dismissed without troubling the scorers and then getting the news of being axed from Indian Test team as defending champions Saurashtra were made to follow-on in a group D Ranji Trophy match by 44-time champions Mumbai.

Having declared their first innings at 544 for 7 riding on Sarfaraz Khan's 275, Mumbai then dismissed Saurashtra for 220 on the third day with little-known pacer Mohit Avasthi (4/56) and left-arm spinner Shams Mulani (4/55) being wreckers-in-chief.

After being enforced follow-on, Saurashtra gave a better account of themselves in the second innings reaching 105 for no loss at stumps, with openers Snell Patel (64 no) and Harvik Desai (39 batting) at the crease.

However it was Avasthi, who had a day to remember as he bowled one that came in and Pujara was trapped leg before due to lack of footwork. He survived only four balls.

In his brief stay, he looked completely out of sorts and Avasthi, then ran through the middle order picking up wickets of senior players Arpit Vasavada and Prerak Mankad.

Mumbai will be trying for bonus points as Saurashtra still need to score 220 runs to avoid innings defeat.

While the pitch is an easy one to bat and something that defending champions understood in the second innings when Harvik and Snell comfortably played the Mumbai bowlers during the 30 overs in the final session.

Mumbai's victory will also depend on how fresh Prithvi Shaw's bowlers are on the final day to pick up 10 Saurashtra wickets.

Brief Scores: Mumbai 544/7 decl (Sarfaraz Khan 275, Ajinkya Rahane 129).

Saurashtra 220 (Sheldon Jackson 61, Cheteshwar Pujara 0, Mohit Avasthi 4/56, Sams Mulani 4/55) and 105/0 (f/o) (Snell Patel 64 batting).

Goa 181 and 394/5 decl (Snehal Kauthankar 165, Suyash Prabhudessai 73).

Odisha 189 and (target 387) 22/0 

Also Read : You need to ask Hardik why he is not playing Ranji Trophy: Chetan Sharma

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Feb 19 (Cricket News) White-ball skipper Rohit Sharma was on Saturday officially named captain of the Indian Test team for the upcoming two-match series against Sri Lanka, starting March 4.

Senior batsmen Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, who are battling poor form, were dropped.

Senior wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha and experienced pacer Ishant Sharma were also left out of the Tests as the All India senior selection committee named squads for the Sri Lanka series.

Sri Lanka's tour will begin with a three-match T20 series starting February 24 and will be followed by the five-day matches from March 4.

Rookie Uttar Pradesh left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar was the only new face in the 18-member squad.

Ahead of the T20 series, the selection committee, headed by Chetan Sharma, decided to give Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant a break, while Shardul Thakur was rested for the entire Sri Lanka series.

Meanwhile, Washington Sudar and KL Rahul were ruled out of the entire series.

Ravichandran Ashwin will be available subject to his fitness, while Axar Patel is still recovering and is expected to be fit for the second Test.

"The selection committee deliberated a lot on Rahane and Pujara. We told them we will not consider them against Sri Lanka but doors are open for them. We told them to go and play Ranji Trophy," Selection Committee chairman Chetan Sharma told reporters during a virtual press conference.

India Test squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Mayank Agarwal, Priyank Panchal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, KS Bharat, R Ashwin (fitness), Ravi Jadeja, Jayant Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammad Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Saurabh Kumar.

India T20 squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Bhuveshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Mohammad Siraj, Sanju Samson, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan. 

Also Read : India win last over thriller against West Indies to seal T20 series

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Feb 18 (Cricket News) Rohit Sharma will be officially named the captain of the Indian Test team ahead of the home series against Sri Lanka while senior batter Virat Kohli might take a break from the preceding T20 series before playing his 100th five-day game in Mohali.

The Indian selectors led by chairman Chetan Sharma, who is currently in Kolkata for the T20 series against the West Indies, will be connecting with his colleagues who are on Ranji Trophy duty at various locations for team selection. It is expected that the squad will be announced in the next few days.

As per information available, Kohli could be given a short break from the bubble as the two Tests in Mohali (March 4-8) and Bangalore (March 12-16) will be followed by a direct bubble to bubble entry into various IPL squads.

However the good news for India is that Ravindra Jadeja has recovered from his knee injury that ruled him out of the South Africa and West Indies series.

"Jadeja is fit and available but Washington Sundar won't play the Sri Lanka series. Also KL Rahul looks doubtful at least for the T20 series. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami are although expected to be back after their much earned break," a senior BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

Shubman Gill's current fitness status couldn't be independently verified.

Decision on senior players =============== Wriddhiman Saha is not playing, Ishant Sharma apparently has had a change of heart while Ajinkya Rahane has scored a gritty hundred while Cheteshwar Pujara's turn is still awaited in the ongoing Ranji Trophy.

There will be a lot of curiosity about the fate of the four veterans when selectors meet to pick the squad for Tests against Sri Lanka.

As of now, Rahane and Pujara still might be in contention as they are playing domestic cricket but whether Wriddhiman, after his refusal to play first-class cricket this season, gets the nod ahead of a much younger Kona Bharat is there to be seen.

It is believed that team management now wants to move on from soon to be 38 Wriddhiman and 33 and a half-year old Ishant.

As far as back-up pacers in Test squad are concerned, Prasidh Krishna is being billed as one for the future behind Bumrah, Shami and Mohammed Siraj while Bengal youngster Ishan Porel could be around the squad as a reserve after his consistent performances for Bengal and India A.

Among the middle-order batters, Hanuma Vihari, Shreyas Iyer will certainly get a look-in while Mayank Agarwal is expected to open alongside Rohit in case Rahul is unavailable for the Test matches.

In case Gill is available, he will be included as a specialist middle-order batter.

Mumbai's Sarfaraz Khan has shown a lot of spunk in the last A tour and has followed up with a double hundred in Ranji Trophy. But whether he will be still in India A or at least pushed forward is a big question.

The three specialist spinners will be Ravichandran Ashwin, Jadeja and Jayant Yadav in all likelihood. 

Also Read : To prove myself, I need chances and I will bat wherever team wants me: Yash Dhull

News Source : PTI

Ahmedabad, Feb 17 (Cricket News) His Test career at stake, beleaguered India batter Ajinkya Rahane compiled a much-needed century to keep himself in India reckoning while guiding Mumbai to 263 for three against Saurashtra in their Ranji Trophy opener here on Thursday.

Choosing to bat after winning the toss, Mumbai were also boosted by Sarfaraz Khan's unbeaten 121 off 219 balls on the first day of their elite group D match.

The focus was, however, firmly on Rahane who ended the day at an unbeaten 108 from 250 deliveries.

The 33-year-old Rahane, who had a mediocre Test series against South Africa in the recently concluded tour of the Rainbow Nation, got to his ton in 212 balls, hitting 14 fours and 2 sixes along the way.

The senior batter had managed just 136 runs in six innings in India's 1-2 defeat in the Test series in South Africa earlier this year.

With Test series against Sri Lanka set to be played from first week of March after the T20s starting February 24, this century will provide the confidence that he needs and could ensure that he retains his place in the Indian team.

Another struggling India veteran, Cheteshwar Pujara, who is playing against Rahane in this match, will also look to get a big knock in the game to ensure the national selectors retain him for the series against Sri Lanka.

With new ball bowlers Jaydev Unadkat and Chetan Sakariya operating well, Mumbai found themselves in trouble early on, losing openers Aakarshit Gomel (8) and Prithvi Shaw (1) with just 22 runs on the board.

First-change Chirag Jani had Sachin Yadav trapped in front of the wicket as Mumbai slipped to 44 for three.

However, Saurashtra failed to make any more inroads after that as Rahane and Khan added 219 runs for the fourth wicket to put their side in a comfortable position at stumps.

Rahane took his time before starting to play freely and got to his 36th first-class hundred in 212 balls.

The former India Test vice-captain got to 99 with a big six against left-arm spinner Dharmandrasinh Jadeja, before getting to the three-figure mark with a single.

Rahane's 479 Test runs in 2021 came at an average of 20.82, leading to his sacking from the vice-captain's post ahead of the tour of South Africa.

Brief scores: Mumbai: 263/3 in 87 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 108 batting, Sarfaraz Khan 121 batting) vs Saurashtra.

Goa 181 all out in 64 overs (Eknath Kerkar 76; Basant Mohanty 3/27) vs Odisha 23/3 in 13.2 overs (Lakshay Garg 2/9). 

Also Read : I tried to not give them room to free their arms: Bishnoi

News Source : PTI

Ahmedabad, Feb 16 (Cricket News) Indian cricket's 'backbone', the Ranji Trophy, will make a much-anticipated return after two years amid the easing COVID-19 situation in the country, providing host of domestic cricketers an opportunity to make their name in red-ball cricket while giving veterans like Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara a final shot at resurrecting their Test careers.

A third wave of COVID-19 had threatened the premier domestic event for the second year in a row but the drop in infections has allowed the BCCI to conduct the 38-team event, a massive logistical task in the new normal of bio-secure environments.

All eyes will be on the opening fixture between defending champions Saurashtra and record 41-time champions Mumbai here with Rahane and Pujara on either side, aiming to make the big scores that have deserted them at the Test level for a while.

Both veterans have been working hard in the nets and their coaches feel a big knock is around the corner. Rahane and Pujara will need to make instant impact with the Test squad of Sri Lanka series expected to be announced soon.

Nine bio-bubbles have been created across nine venues in the country and the players had to quarantine for five days, leaving them only two days of training for the first round beginning on Thursday.

The players, however, are in no mood to complain. They are just happy that they are finally getting to test themselves in the toughest form of the game after two seasons of white-ball cricket.

The batters had almost forgotten the art of leaving the ball and bowlers the relentlessness of long spells. Both the departments are up for the challenge but their bodies might take longer to get used to the hard grind of red-ball cricket.

"It is great that red ball cricket is starting. Players have suffered and lost a lot in the last two years both financially and skill-wise. They all are looking forward to the challenge," said Delhi coach Raj Kumar Sharma after the team's first training session on Monday, echoing the views of all teams.

It is also set to be the shortest first-class season for most teams with sides only getting three league games, impacting their match fees and leaving them with little room for error.

Eight groups of four teams each have been formed at the elite level while six teams will fight it out in the plate group. The knockouts, barring the sole pre-quarterfinal, will be held in the post IPL phase starting May 30.

It will also be a high pressure game as it will potentially decide the only quarterfinalist from the group.

The national selectors will also finally get to see the upcoming talent in action.

Only one India A tour has taken place over the past 24 months, the selectors have had to refer to part performances with no first-class cricket played in the country.

Focus will also be on fringe India players including Priyank Panchal, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Hanuma Vihari, who had been controversially dropped for the home series against New Zealand before making the team for the away series in South Africa.

Among the India U-19 stars, skipper Yash Dhull and Raj Angad Bawa are expected to make their first-class debut soon after landing IPL contracts. Dhull will be in Guwahati playing for Delhi against Tamil Nadu.

Teams have been advised to keep two COVID-19 reserves in the squad. There is a good chance of a COVID outbreak midway into the game but the match will go on provided a team has a minimum of nine fit players.

Both teams will be awarded a point each if first innings is not completed.

The games will be played across Rajkot, Cuttack, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Delhi, Haryana, Guwahati and Kolkata.

First-Round Fixtures: ============= Karnataka vs Railways, Elite Group C (Chennai).

Hyderabad vs Chandigarh, Elite Group B (Bhubaneswar) Bengal vs Baroda, Elite Group B (Cuttack) Kerala vs Meghalaya, Elite Group A (Rajkot) Gujarat vs Madhya Pradesh, Elite Group A (Rajkot) Manipur vs Arunachal Pradesh, Plate (Kolkata) Jammu and Kashmir vs Puducherry, Elite Group C (Chennai) Saurashtra vs Mumbai, Elite Group D (Ahmedabad) Odisha vs Goa, Elite Group D (Ahmedabad) Nagaland vs Sikkim, Plate (Kolkata) Bihar vs Mizoram, Plate (Kolkata) Jharkhand vs Chhattisgarh, Elite Group H (Guwahati) Delhi vs Tamil Nadu, Elite Group H (Guwahati) Maharashtra vs Assam, Elite Group G (Rohtak) Vidarbha vs Uttar Pradesh, Elite Group G (Gurugram) Haryana vs Tripura, Elite Group F (Delhi) Punjab vs Himachal Pradesh, Elite Group F (Delhi) Services vs Uttarakhand, Elite Group E (Thiruvananthapuram) Andhra vs Rajasthan, Elite Group E (Thiruvananthapuram) 

Also Read : Maxell set to miss Pakistan tour, start of IPL

News Source : PTI

Bengaluru, Feb 12 (Cricket News) Ishan Kishan and Deepak Chahar clinched the most eye-popping deals as India's battle-hardened T20 exponents laughed their way to the bank on the opening day of IPL mega-auction where the franchises saved their highest bids for home-grown talent.

Kishan's Rs 15.25 crore winning bid from Mumbai Indians pipped the Rs 14 crore figure that CSK offered to retain Deepak Chahar on Saturday. Franchises showed prudence in overall spending but didn't hesitate to loosen the purse strings for proven performers, especially Indians.

In terms of US Dollars, there were 20 million-plus buys, the biggest by far at any IPL auction with most of the beneficiaries being Indian T20 specialists.

It was a satisfying 'Pay Day' for all current India internationals with Shreyas Iyer getting a staggering Rs 12.25 crore deal from Kolkata Knight Riders and the multi-skilled Shardul Thakur making Delhi Capitals break the bank with a Rs 10.75 crore.

These two, along with Kishan and Chahar, were the top four buys of the day.

"I'm really excited to be back at MI. I know everyone has treated me there like a family so I am really happy to be there and I hope to give my best to the team. Thank you so much," said the 23-year-old Kishan in a video posted on his twitter handle.

The big-hitting Kishan made his India debut last year and has been a Mumbai Indians player all along, performing consistently well for the side.

Young pacer Prasidh Krishna (Rs 10 crore) was paid big by Rajasthan Royals for his timely Man of the Series performance against the West Indies while Washington Sundar, another India regular, got richer by Rs 8.75 crore.

One of the expected big buys was pacer Avesh Khan, who was bought by Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 10 crore, the highest in the history of IPL for uncapped players.

Yuzvendra Chahal would be a bit cross as he came late in the day and could only get Rs 6.5 crore from Rajasthan Royals.

Even Nitish Rana, not an Indian regular but an IPL performer, was retained for Rs 8 crore by KKR while the uncapped Rahul Tripathi, who has been consistent in the league, very deservingly crossed the million dollar mark at Rs 8.50 crore.

Shahrukh Khan, another formidable domestic T20 finisher but one with a base price of a mere Rs 20 lakh, was taken for a 'mic-drop' deal of Rs 9 crore by Punjab Kings.

Rajasthan's former one-season wonder Rahul Tewatia was lapped up by Gujarat Titans for a mind-boggling Rs 9 crore.

It wasn't an auction to remember for the old guard and only two 35 plus players -- Shikhar Dhawan (Rs 8.25 crore, Punjab Kings) and Ravichandran Ashwin (Rs 5 crore, Rajasthan Royals) -- got good deals.

Among other seniors Mohammed Shami was taken by Gujarat Titans for Rs 6.25 crore. His new ball partner Bhuvneshwar Kumar got Rs 4.6 crore from Sunrisers.

While this was the last mega auction, what was impressive was the discretion that franchises used while buying players as the focus was on top Indian players available in the market and currently playing white-ball cricket.

For Chennai Super Kings, the aim was to follow Mahendra Sigh Dhoni's template and retain their core base of players as much as possible as they waited to buy back Deepak, another multi-skilled cricketer on ascendancy for India.

KKR retained eight out of their top first 11 players from last season but are still looking short in the fast bowling department.

KKR didn't do too badly as they picked up Australian Test captain Pat Cummins at Rs 7.25 crore, which is less than half of what he was paid at last auction.

"To get back Pat Cummins at that price, we are very, very delighted. We thought he would go higher," KKR CEO Venky Mysore said.

"We could not be happier getting Cummins and Shreyas in the first round itself. Heart beats a bit more properly now, we can now have some fun looking at what else is going on," he added.

While Cummins is a captaincy candidate, he will not be available during the first two weeks even though Mysore didn't want to commit on captaincy.

"As far as captaincy is concerned, that's a decision our coach and the think-tank will take. Certainly, between Cummins and Shreyas, we have solid options for us. I'm sure the think-tank will make the right decisions," he added.

Franchises do their homework =================== In case of overseas recruits, the franchises focussed on those who have shown themselves to be consistent performers in previous IPLs and with a reputation of doing well on Indian tracks.

Like other years, none of the franchises got swayed by performances in Big Bash League, the Caribbean Premier League and the Pakistan Super League and concentrated solely on those who can bring value during the IPL.

So Wanindu Hasaranga, who is from Sri Lanka and currently the world's No. 1 T20 International bowler, fetched Rs 10.75 crore while West Indian Nicholas Pooran, despite a disastrous IPL the last time, got a similar amount from Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The same reason got England's keeper-batter Jonny Bairstow a Rs 6.75 crore bid from Punjab Kings.

It was a case of supply and demand and at what time of the auction one is placed as teams, save for CSK (Dhoni) and Delhi Capitals (Rishabh Pant), didn't have wicketkeepers.

Pooran is an optimistic buy considering that he can be destructive on his day.

The discretion was evident when one saw a David Warner going for Rs 6.25 crore.

It was a very good bargain buy for Delhi Capitals and same could be said about newcomers Lucknow Supergiants, who got a fabulous player like Quinton de Kock for Rs 6.75 crore.

"Absolutely excited to buy David Warner. I cannot believe that we got such a legend at Rs 6.25 crore. With Warner and Prithvi Shaw opening the batting, it will be an explosive start to every single Delhi Capitals innings," DC co-owner Parth Jindal said.

The paucity of all-rounders meant that Jason Holder (Rs 8.75 crore) and Shardul would have attracted solid bids.

"We are really excited to have Shardul as he can bowl in Powerplays and bowl at the death," Jindal said.

Their only dodgy buy is Mitchell Marsh, whose IPL career has been plagued by injuries and paying him Rs 6.50 crore could be a bit of an oversight considering he can't be played at No. 3, where he worked wonders for Australia.

Among domestic players, Riyan Parag's Rs 3.80 crore retention by Royals, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy performer Abhinav Manohar's Rs 2.60 crore deal with Gujarat Titans were eye-catching.

South Africa's U-19 World Cup star Dewald Brevis, known as 'Baby AB' for his batting style's resemblance to AB de Villiers, was brought by Mumbai Indians for Rs 3 crore.

Abhishek Sharma, a left-arm spinner and left-handed batter, who many term as 'Poor Man's Krunal Pandya' for similar skill sets got a whopping Rs 6.5 crore from Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Foreign fast bowlers in demand ====================he Trent Boult came in the marquee set and still fetched a million dollars (Rs 8 crore) for his good show in previous years for Mumbai Indians as Rajasthan Royals aggressively bid for him.

But when his New Zealand teammate and slightly pacier Lockie Ferguson arrived in fast bowler's set, he got the paddles raised at frequent intervals and Gujarat Titans, who didn't have a great first day, suddenly got activated and bought him for Rs 10 crore.

For CSK, Josh Hazlewood's exit will be a big deal as the Australian pacer will now play for RCB with a deal of Rs 7.75 crore.

Another speed demon Mark Wood of England got Rs 7.5 crore from Lucknow Supergiants Good bargain buys by Lucknow Supergiants ========================== While RCB got their opening issues and captaincy sorted with a Rs 7 crore bid for Faf Du Plessis, Lucknow Supergiants claimed Quinton de Kock for Rs 6.75 crore.

Also, a currently out-of-sorts Manish Pandey, for Rs 4.6 crore, wasn't a bad bargain either.

Lucknow, however, bid big for Krunal and clinched him for a cool Rs 8.25 crore. His former Baroda bete noire Deepak Hooda was also taken by Lucknow for Rs 5.75 crore.

It is now up to Lucknow mentor Gautam Gambhir, who knows a thing or two about volatile temperaments, to see that team spirit is not hampered by the warring duo.

Pujara, Rahane, Ishant don't come under hammer, Saha unsold ======================================= Three prominent Test specialists Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ishant Sharma didn't come under the hammer on the day and it is understood that franchises didn't want to spend on players who don't bring value to the table with their T20 game.

They might come back on Sunday at the accelerated bidding process if someone expresses interests. Wriddhiman Saha, who has been told that he won't be picked for Test matches went unsold as teams are looking beyond the soon-to-be 38 year-old Bengal stumper.

Umesh Yadav, for his inconsistent white ball record, also went unsold and one of IPL's bonafide legends Suresh Raina found out that just playing IPL to IPL wouldn't work as Chennai Super Kings didn't bid for him. Ditto for Steve Smith who went unsold as there were no takers. 

Also Read : After SRH snub, Warner looks to start afresh at where it all began in IPL

News Source : PTI

Bengaluru, Feb 11 (Cricket News) Dashing batter Shreyas Iyer and the multi-skilled Shardul Thakur are expected to laugh their way to the bank as two of the costliest buys in the history of Indian Premier League when the last mega-auction commences here on Saturday.

The 10 teams in the league, following the addition of Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Supergiants, will be bidding heavily for the Indian players in a list of 590 cricketers, including 227 overseas candidates up for grabs during the two-day event.

This year's auction might witness the maximum number of Indian million dollar buys (Rs 7.5 crore and above) with more than 10 cricketers set to cross Rs 10 crore bid range and some expected to hit close to Rs 20 crore.

While Iyer could be the highest ever auction buy (in the 20 crore range), the likes of Shardul and Kishan (keeper-batter), with their bouquet of skills, can also fetch anything in the range of Rs 12-15 crore or even upwards if some franchises get into intense bidding wars.

Then there are Deepak Chahar and Yuzvendra Chahal, who can also get anything in the range of USD 2 million (Rs 15 crore) as both of them are proven international performers.

With megastars like Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings), Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) and Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians) retained by their respective franchises, teams would look from flamboyant middle-order batters to good wrist spinners not to forget the all-rounders, who are always in demand.

While KL Rahul, at Rs 17 crore, is the player with highest retention price, former Delhi Capitals skipper Iyer might force some of the franchises like Punjab Kings (Rs 72 crore purse), Sunrisers Hyderabad (Rs 68 crore) and Rajasthan Royals (Rs 62 crore) to break the bank.

These are franchises that need solid middle-order game-changers and also a member of the leadership group in case a Mayank Agarwal or Kane Williamson don't work out.

For Dhoni's CSK, it would be about going mostly go for tried and tested performers, who are known to win matches and championships while teams like Punjab and Rajasthan, as has been their habit, would bid insane amounts for left-field selections.

Even Kolkata Knight Riders where former Mumbai Ranji stalwart Abhishek Nayar, by virtue of being the eyes and ears of CEO Venky Mysore, has the maximum say might go all-out for Iyer as they require a captaincy candidate.

However, with a dodgy retention like Varun Chakravarthy, who is never fully fit and hardly plays anything save IPL, has put the team in a spot with only Rs 48 crore in purse and an entire team to build.

Since this is a mega auction and teams need to have a minimum of 18 players on their roster (everyone will go in range of 22 to 25 players), the Indian players -- both capped and uncapped -- will be highly valued.

That's the reason why last year's Purple Cap winner Harshal Patel has kept a base price of Rs 2 crore as he can get up to five times more than that while second highest wicket-taker Avesh Khan has kept it as low as Rs 20 lakh, hoping it can go up by 50 times (Rs 10 crore).

Even not so great T20 performers like Ravichandran Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane, at their premium base price, are expected to find takers while someone like an Ambati Rayudu might go in for a good Rs 7 to 8 crore.

Bhuvneshwar Kuma, who is well past his prime, and Kuldeep Yadav, who is coming back, are also expected to get decent, if not handsome, deals.

Watch out for Deepak Hooda, who has upped his game since Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and is now also a capped India player, with a very decent first two ODI games against the Windies.

Warner, de Kock, Rabada, Holder star attractions ============================== David Warner is back in form and expect at least three franchises to empty their coffers for the Australian opener who will grab anything between USD 1.5 to 2 million.

Apart from opening the batting, Warner is among the rare overseas captaincy candidates, having guided Sunrisers to the trophy back in 2016 before an ugly fallout last year.

It is expected that Lucknow Supergiants will bid handsomely for Warner while one candidate who can be the highest overseas buy is West Indies' Jason Holder.

PTI had already reported that RCB is ready to bid up to Rs 12 crore and it can even move up considering he can hit big sixes and is more than a handy medium pacer who has a lot of variations up his sleeve.

His Windies teammates like veteran Dwayne Bravo, along with young bowlers like Odean Smith and Romario Shepherd, are also going to get good deals.

If anyone can match or even beat Holder and Warner for a bigger price tag, it is South African keeper-batter Quinton de kock, who will get multiple bids from franchises.

Delhi Capitals let him go at the expense of Anrich Nortje, who is currently nursing an injury but the GMR-JSW co-owned franchise might want to get Rabada back at any cost but they only have Rs 47.5 crore to buy players. Rabada is also on the wish-list of other franchises including Lucknow.

Watch out for Shahrukh, Nitish, Rahul, Devdutt ============================= Even if M Shahrukh Khan doesn't make his debut on Friday against the West Indies, he will remain one of the most sought after players among the Gen-Next with an auction value of anything between Rs 5 to 8 crore because of a low base price which will inevitably start a bidding war.

Nitish Rana, the left-hander, and Rahul Tripathi, the right-hander, have been proven performers and they will go for much higher bids than the likes of established international stars such as Steven Smith, Jonny Bairstow or for that matter, Eoin Morgan.

Both Nitish and Rahul could go for around Rs 10 crore while someone like Devdutt Padikkal will also be in high demand.

Among the U-19 stars, the only one who can fetch a decent bid from the victorious team is Raj Angad Bawa as he is an all-rounder.

While Yash Dhull can get a bid but the franchises are now smart and know how U-19s can often not be upto the challenge given their past experience with the likes of Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Manjot Kalra and Shivam Mavi.

Among little known domestic players, Yash Thakore, Abhinav Manohar, Mayank Yadav, Ritwick Roy Chowdhury, Abhishek Sharma, and Mujataba Yousuf could all get bids. 

Also Read : India win toss, elect to bat against WI in 3rd ODI

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Feb 10 (Cricekt News) He was a central figure in India's epic turnaround during the 2020-21 tour of Australia but stand-in captain of that series Ajinkya Rahane says "someone else took the credit" for decisions he made to resurrect the team after the nightmarish 36 all out in the Adelaide Test.

As regular captain Virat Kohli flew out of Australia, leaving in his wake the disappointment of the humiliating loss in the opener at Adelaide, Rahane took over the reins in the most difficult of circumstances.

What followed was one of the most incredible turnarounds seen in Test history as India rebounded to win the second match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground by eight wickets, with Rahane leading the fight-back with a magnificent hundred.

"I know what I've done there. I don't need to tell anyone. That's not my nature to go and take credit. Yes, there were some things that I took the decisions on the field or in the dressing room but someone else took the credit for it," Rahane said in an episode of 'Backstage With Boria'.

"(What was) important for me was that we won the series. That was a historical series and for me, that was really special." Rahane did not take any names but his comments could well be a veiled attack on the then head coach Ravi Shastri, who was widely acclaimed for the team's performance and dominated the media space for being the architect of the turnaround given that the dressing room resembled a hospital ward at one point.

In fact, Shastri became the voice of the team after those brilliant victories.

Rahane earned plaudits from the cricket fraternity for the manner in which he led the heavily depleted team in one of the most difficult situations, not just at the MCG but through the remainder of the four-match series.

India missed three front-line players at MCG, and continued to lose key players through the series to injuries but still emerged triumphant at the end of it all.

"After that, the reactions from people or those who took credit or what was said on the media, 'I did this' or 'This was my decision', or 'This was my call', it was for them to talk about," Rahane said.

"From my end, I knew what decisions I took on the field and what decisions I took on my instincts.

"Yes, we talked with the management too but I used to laugh about it, that is what I did on the field, I never talk much about myself or praise myself. But what I did there, I knew." However, Rahane suffered a prolonged slump after leading India to that historic series win in Australia, and it continued on the tour of South Africa.

Last year, he played 13 Tests and managed only 479 runs at an average of 20.82.

He scored two 50s and some crucial 40s, but lacked consistency overall.

His shot selection came under the scanner too, leading to the senior batter being stripped of vice-captaincy last December.

In South Africa, he made 136 runs from six innings at a below-par average of 22.67.

But he remains unruffled by the criticism that has followed his run of poor scores.

"I just smile at it. People who generally know the sport will not talk like that. I don't want to get too deep into that. Everyone knows it, you know it, what happened in Australia," he said.

"Even after and before Australia, the contributions I made, especially in red-ball cricket, I don't want to talk about it but Australia was really. As I said, people who know the sport, love the sport they'll talk sensibly," he said.

He has full faith in his ability and remains confident about rediscovering his touch.

"Yes, I am confident about my own ability, I am batting really well and I believe in my ability. And I still believe I have good cricket left in me," Rahane said. 

Also Read : India eye whitewash as Dhawan returns to add more firepower

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Feb 9 (Cricket News) Ishant Sharma is set to skip the Ranji Trophy, Wriddhiman Saha has already withdrawn and the path does not seem too easy for Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane -- has the long due transition phase kicked in for India's Test team? By the look of it, the wheels of change seem to have been set in motion keeping the upcoming home Test series against Sri Lanka in mind as Ishant's Ranji pullout also puts a huge question mark on his international future.

It is understood that even Pujara and Rahane, who are playing Ranji Trophy, will have to score more than just a stray century to be in reckoning as their bad patch has been a prolonged one and one good innings might not undo the damage that has already been done.

The 33-year-old Ishant is the most experienced player in the current Indian Test set-up with 105 Test matches and 311 wickets in his kitty but has gone off the boil since the tour of England.

On Wednesday, Delhi and Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) selection committee met to pick the Ranji squad and despite the selectors as well as office bearers trying to get in touch with Ishant, they were unable to get a confirmation on his availability till evening.

"As and when, if he tells he wants to play, he will be included as he is a Delhi legend. but I don't know what has happened to him since he has been incommunicado for the last week. He hasn't come for Ranji team's practice sessions. We don't know what's on his mind," a senior DDCA selector said.

"We don't know if the Indian team management has told him something which may have led to a change in his mind-set," he added, rather confused.

The writing was on the wall when Ishant wasn't even considered among the top five pacers who played the three Tests in South Africa.

"Just like Wriddhi, even Ishant has got feelers that his India career might just be over. Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj are now India's No 1, 2 and 3 in priority list when all are fit," a senior BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

"Then comes Shardul Thakur, who is an all-rounder and Umesh Yadav was choice No.5," he added.

Against Sri Lanka, India plays two Tests at Mohali and Bengaluru where the two pacers would be Shami and Bumrah (if both are fit) and the third will be Siraj.

It doesn't make sense to take a senior bowler like Ishant and make him carry drinks when an Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna or Ishan Porel can get good exposure.

India, in 2022, play three more Test matches -- two in Bangladesh and one in England which is part of the 2021 series.

Save the Test against England where they might think of fielding four pacers, Ishant is unlikely to fit into the scheme of things.

He played against New Zealand in Kanpur but looked pedestrian for the better part. In Mumbai, an injury was cited as reason for his ouster even though he was seen bowling at lunch time every day.

It is understood that he didn't bowl well enough in the nets in South Africa to be considered for selection in top five.

Time running out for Rahane-Pujara duo ========================= The only two people who have got a bit of grace period are Rahane and Pujara, who have had a dry run for two years.

If youngsters like Hanuma Vihari (a possible No.3) and the talented Shubman Gill (No.5) need to be settled in their new roles, it should start with the Sri Lanka series.

That initiation will ensure that they carry on deep into the World Test Championship's second cycle.

Somewhere, the new team management under Rahul Dravid's stewardship needs to take a few tough calls but it would also depend on what the new Test captain (in all likelihood Rohit Sharma) also feels about the future of these two seniors.

They are sure-shot selections against Sri Lanka but in their case, the team management wants them to play Ranji Trophy which means that if they can score heavily over a period of time, there is a chance of a comeback.

Unlike Ishant and Saha, who seem to have played their last Tests respectively.

For Rahane and Pujara, the Ranji Trophy begins with the two squaring off against each other and they would like to give their everything to keep their places in the team. 

Also Read : Rohit retains 3rd spot but closes in on No. 2 Kohli in ICC ODI batting rankings

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Feb 8 (Cricket News) Senior India batter Ajinkya Rahane, who is going through a prolonged lean patch, was on Tuesday named in Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy squad for the upcoming season.

The 41-time Ranji champions and domestic heavyweights Mumbai have been placed in Elite Group D along with Saurashtra, Odisha and Goa. They will play their league matches at Ahmedabad. The Mumbai senior selection committee, consisting of chairman Salil Ankola, Gulam Parkar, Sunil More, Prasad Desai and Anand Yalvigi, picked young opener Prithvi Shaw as the captain of the 21-member squad.

It was expected that Rahane would play Ranji Trophy to regain form.

The Mumbai selectors have also named all-rounder Arjun Tendulkar, son of legendary Sachin Tendulkar in the squad, which was announced on associations' website.

Other regulars including senior stumper and batter Aditya Tare and pacer Dhawal Kulkarni have also made it to the squad.

Angkrish Raghuvanshi, one of India's top scorers in the Under-19 World Cup, was not picked in the squad.

Squad: Prithvi Shaw (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Aakarshit Gomel, Arman Jaffer, Sarfaraz Khan, Sachin Yadav, Aditya Tare (wicket-keeper), Hardik Tamore (wicket-keeper), Shivam Dube, Aman Khan, Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Prashant Solanki, Shashank Attarde, Dhaval Kulkarni, Mohit Awasthi, Prince Badiani, Siddharth Raut, Roystan Dias and Arjun Tendulkar. 

Also Read : Way we batted in first ODI, it was perfect: Suryakumar Yadav

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Feb 3 (Cricket News) The February 10 start for Ranji Trophy has offered a lifeline to veterans Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane to get their Test career back on track.

With Test series against Sri Lanka set to be played from first week of March after the T20s starting February 25, a big hundred in the Ranji Trophy will provide the confidence that they need and probably ensure that they retain their place in the Indian team.

The Elite group games will start from February 16 after the Plate group matches begin from February 10 and both under-fire seniors will get two matches at least to convince the selectors.

Both seasoned batters have already started training with the Mumbai and Saurashtra squad respectively and are determined to score the big runs that are expected of them.

In fact, both will be in opposite teams if they are part of the crucial Saurashtra-Mumbai fixture in Ahmedabad. "Ajinkya is definitely looking forward to it. We have met a few times now, he has been practising with the Mumbai team. He has had about couple of sessions already. Looked absolutely in fine touch," Mumbai coach Amol Mujumdar told PTI.

"We don't have to look too much into the future but what is lying ahead of us is Ranji Trophy. They both are due for a big one. I feel it is just a question of confidence. Sometimes batting is nothing but confidence.

"If you can regain that confidence somehow. It will come only if you score a big hundred," added Mujumdar.

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly also expects Pujara and Rahane to pile on the runs in the premier domestic competition.

Their prolonged inconsistent run has divided opinions with many saying it is time for the younger lot to replace them in the middle-order. The calls have only gotten louder following the loss in South Africa.

While Rahane has been working hard in the Mumbai nets, Pujara on Thursday had his first session with defending champions Saurashtra at the SCA Stadium in Rajkot.

Pujara batted for 90 minutes in the nets besides undergoing fitness training.

He specifically asked the pacers to bowl reverse swing.

"Pujara is not like other batters. He always has a specific plan when he walks into the nets. He is very meticulous in the way he trains. Today he wanted to practise against reverse swing which he may encounter in the Sri Lanka series," Saurashtra coach Niraj Odedra told PTI.

Time may be running out for Pujara and Rahane but they have all the experience to tide over this tough phase. 

Also Read : U-19 sensation Ravi Kumar set to be part of Bengal Ranji squad, Saha likely to play first two games

News Source : PTI

Sydney, Jan 30 (Cricket News) Australian great Ian Chappell has found Virat Kohli to be an exceptional captain who has carried the Indian team to a higher level and considered England's Joe Root a "fine batter but poor captain".

Kohli, who recently relinquished captaincy after India lost a Test series to the weakest-ever South African team, was sacked as ODI skipper prior to that.

He pointed out the contrasts in Kohli and Root's styles of captaincy and its corresponding efficacy, but few observations made by Chappell could be debated, including the one where he singularly attributed the "development of Rishabh Pant" to the former India captain.

"This is a tale of two cricket captains; one very good at his job and the other a failure," Chappell wrote in his column for ESPN Cricinfo.

"There's no doubt Kohli was an exception as captain; he didn't curb his enthusiasm but he was still able to lead the Indian team to a higher level. With the capable assistance of vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane, he lifted India to overseas success like no other captain had done," Chappell opined.

In the case of Root, he was as blunt as any Aussie would ever be when it came to judging an English cricketer.

"The captaincy failure, despite having led his country more times than any other captain, is Joe Root. It doesn't matter what Root or any other English devotee tells you, Root is a fine batter but a poor captain," his assessment of Root was scathing.

Chappell spoke about how Kohli enhanced the legacy of two successful Indian skippers --- Sourav Ganguly and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

"Kohli took the legacy of Sourav Ganguly and Dhoni and substantially built on it in seven years at the helm. His biggest disappointment as captain was the recent series loss to South Africa after India led the away series 1-0, though he didn't captain in the middle Test of that series, in Cape Town." Chappell wrote about Kohli's passion to do well in the Test arena which was the hallmark of the Indian team that he had led.

"One of Kohli's great achievements was instilling in his team a craving for Test cricket. Despite his all-encompassing success, Kohli's major aim was to achieve victory in the Test arena and this is where his passion really shone." However, one point which could be debated is Chappell's assertion that Kohli was behind Pant's success in Test cricket.

It must be mentioned that Pant had fallen off the previous team management's (Kohli, former head coach Ravi Shastri and bowling coach Bharat Arun) radar during a phase when he was literally left in the lurch.

It took a 36 all out in a Test in Australia and the realization that Wriddhiman Saha doesn't have the batting technique to survive in SENA countries, which prompted Ajinkya Rahane to bring back Pant and the rest, as they say, is history.

"Kohli has a number of individual achievements in his resumé, none bigger than the development of Rishabh Pant as a wicketkeeper and batter. Kohli tended to get his way when it came to selection and some of his decisions in this area were a little questionable but there's no doubting his support of Pant was a master stroke," Chappell observed.

Coming to Root, while he has a presentable captaincy record, Chappell termed his leadership as "unimaginative".

"He (Root) was never going to be a successful leader. Though England under him have a reasonably presentable record at home, Root has lacked imagination as a captain, quickly run out of ideas, and showed little "gut feel" for the game.

"Too often his choice of bowlers to begin a session caused head-scratching, but the real killer were his tactics: they often made no sense." Chappell feels that the reason why Root is a failure is because he hasn't exactly been his own man with "too many off-field advisers".

"A good captain has to take charge and this was an area where Root failed dismally. There's no doubt his last tour was badly hampered by player injuries and he was poorly treated by fate.

"Nevertheless ten Tests for eight losses and two unflattering draws is a fair summation of Root's leadership in Australia. It was poor captaincy accompanied by bad luck." Chappell also made it clear that seasoned pacer Stuart Broad isn't the answer to England's captaincy problems.

"To suggest that the answer to the leadership void is Stuart Broad lacks understanding of cricket captaincy. Apart from Broad's advanced (cricket) age and articulate off-field responses, he's a negative influence -- particularly with field placings -- and would be a poor choice as captain." 

Also Read : Whenever someone is down, we all come together to lift them up: Dhull

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) A tie and super over is a regular feature in T-20 games. In ODIs it is rare but did decide the winner of the 2019 World Cup by the tiniest of margins. Before super over was a thing in one day internationals there was a match for the ages when India toured New Zealand in 2014 and played a thrilling tie in the 3rd ODI.

In the 5 match series, New Zealand won the first two games. In the 3rd ODI at Auckland, India were playing to save the series. M.S Dhoni won the toss and put New Zealand into bat. Martin Guptill scored 111 off 129 balls to anchor the innings as New Zealand were bowled out for 314. Both Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja picked up two wickets while Ravichandran Ashwin, Varun Aaron, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ravichandran Ashwin picked up a wicket each. 

Chasing 315, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan got off to a decent start. India then lost Dhawan, Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane in quick succession. Suresh Raina's 31 and MS Dhoni's 50 got India closer but both of them lost their wickets and India were 184 for 6 in 35.4 overs. Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who wasn't as good with the bat as he is now put together an 89 run partnership in less than 10 overs. Ashwin was dismissed after scoring 65 off just 46 balls.

Jadeja who came into bat at number 8 scored an unbeaten 66 off 45 balls. India needed 29 from 2 oves and had only 1 wicket in hand. In the last over India needed 18 runs. Jadeja hit two fours and a maximum off Corey Anderson. Needing two runs of the last ball the allrounder could only manage a single as the match ended in a tie.

The result kept the series alive as India could've been able to draw the series by winning the next two games. That didn't happen as New Zealand won the remaining two games and clinched the series 4-0. The match was one of the most thrilling draws in ODI history. It also alerted people of Jadeja's prowess with the willow which is now at its peak.

Also read: On this day a year ago, India conquered fortress Gabba against all the odds

New Delhi, Jan 24 (Cricket News) A stand-in captain, who seemed stunningly short of ideas, few seniors at the business end of their careers and a dated approach in white-ball cricket -- India's woes during the tour of South Africa were many, turning what started memorably into an eminently forgettable outing.

The signs were ominous even before they departed with now former Test skipper Virat Kohli's much publicised acrimony with top BCCI officials.

The entire episode didn't leave the team in good stead and once there it all went haywire after the opening Test win.

Stand-in ODI captain KL Rahul was then left to do a lot with too little at his disposal against an opposition, which had gained invaluable confidence.

In the end, it turned out to be a nightmare with dark clouds hovering over the future of this Indian team and no sign of 'VIBGYOR' in the Rainbow Nation.

Virat Kohli and his problems ================== Kohli might not admit but the former captain is going through the toughest phase as a cricketer after having given up captaincy in two out of three formats and being sacked in another.

But Because he is Kohli and in a different class, he managed a fine 79 in the lost third Test, where he looked the best.

He also got two half centuries in ODIs with minimum fuss where he looked more like an accumulator rather than an enforcer that one associates with 'King Kohli'.

The meltdown at Cape Town with his misdirected anger at broadcasters for a DRS gone wrong also tarnished his reputation and letting the game drift away with mindless antics wasn't his finest hour when it came to judging his temperamental.

KL Rahul bungled his lines ================== But if one is very blunt, KL Rahul perhaps blew his chance towards being a long-term option across formats once Kohli relinquished Test captaincy after losing the Test series.

"Did KL Rahul by any stretch look like a captain to you?" a senior BCCI official counter-questioned PTI when asked if he would be considered for the Test captaincy factoring in Rohit Sharma's track record of injuries.

It is understood that coach Rahul Dravid wants to see his namesake as a long-term option and it was evident that he didn't want to put a lot of blame on his captaincy.

"He did more than a decent job and a lot about captaincy is how your players execute the skills. We were short on the ODI side. He will grow constantly and get better as he leads more," Dravid's observation drifted towards the old adage of a captain being as good as his team.

But what would hurt Rahul more is his approach in batting which was more about self preservation. The 55 off 79 balls in the second ODI deserves more criticism for the balls wasted and strike not rotated rather than the runs accumulated by him.

It is for sure that Rahul, if he has to be in the white-ball scheme of things, will have to bat in the middle-order and be a finisher.

His bowling changes didn't work in the middle overs and after watching Temba Bavuma make some inspired moves like starting the attack with Aiden Markram, he introduced Ravichandran Ashwin early in one game but that was more of a reactive move rather than a pro-active one.

Lack of fearlessness in Test matches ====================== What stuck out like a sore thumb is the fact that even the biggest of Proteas fans couldn't have imagined that a team facing huge transitional problems and a coach due to face a commission inquiring into his racial misconduct, would turn the heat on and win five out of six international matches and that too at a canter.

The South Africans played good cricket but were liberally helped by an Indian team that didn't walk the talk on its proclaimed cricketing philosophies.

There wasn't any fearlessness for better part of the tour, no innovative, out of box thinking and at times, they seemed short on execution of skills.

Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane showed some spark in the second innings of the second Test but for the better part, they were not playing their positive game.

Pujara and Rahane didn't even score 200 runs in six innings and the latter's mode of dismissal -- catch to wicketkeeper or slips to back of length rising deliveries on off-stump channel -- became embarrassing after a certain point.

If two careers have really reached the finishing line, it's this duo as giving them a chance to succeed against a weak Sri Lanka on home soil would be a travesty to the likes of Hanuma Vihari, who have long waited for their opportunities.

While talking about bowling, Ishant Sharma not making it among India's top five pacers also doesn't augur well for the 100-Test man as it seems that that the management no longer has a lot of faith in him.

The bowling looked too dependant on Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami in Test matches but both will require rest from time to time.

Ashwin bowled decently but it was another tour of a SENA country where lack of conducive wickets meant that he was largely ineffective.

Ashwin's second coming in white ball cricket wasn't a great one either as he looked flat and out of ideas.

The South Africans played him with ease across formats and it is highly unlikely that Ashwin will feature a lot in India's white-ball scheme of things going into 2023 World Cup.

If Ashwin was disappointing, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was an unmitigated disaster as his pace seems to have dropped by a few notches and the swing is gone.

The bowling lacked sting as well as variation, something that hurt India in middle overs and Dravid was first to admit it.

"Without just saying spinners, we think we need to improve our wicket-taking options in the middle overs, spinners play a big role in that but also you have the quicks coming back and kind of balls that we bowl," Dravid said.

"We have discussed that and we have spoken about that and we understand that it's an area of the game we have been behind a little bit.

"Yes, there are many learnings from this tour, things that we need to keep improving and keep getting better at, and get personnel to do certain things where we are probably lacking a bit. Good thing is that we have some time in ODI cricket to correct those things," Dravid said.

Pant's approach and Shreyas' weakness ========================= The time has probably come for the Indian team to accept that Rishabh Pant will come as a package with dismissals that enrage people and then play a gem which only he can play.

But the bigger problem is Shreyas Iyer, whose technical deficiency against the short ball has been badly exposed on this tour although it has been a talk in the Indian cricketing circles.

That was also one of the reasons Shreyas is still not being thought of as a ready replacement of either Pujara or Rahane as he might be found wanting in testing red ball conditions.

As far as white ball is concerned, Dravid had laid the mandate and it means "security and stability would be given but strong performance will be demanded too." Chahar and Shardul only silver lining ======================= If there is one positive fron this tour, it is Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar taking extra initiative to show that they can be used as multi-skilled players in future, something that had impressed Rahul Dravid too.

"Certainly he (Deepak Chahar) has shown us in the opportunities that he has got in Sri Lanka and over here as well that he has got some really good ability with the bat and I have seen him at India A level to be honest, and I know that he can bat quite well and certainly gives us nice options "...and to have people like him, Shardul being able to contribute with the bat as well, More and more players who can contribute with the bat lower down certainly makes a big difference and gives us more options." These two will get a lot of games in future.

"We would like to give him a few more games along with Shardul and some other people as well who can step up in the course of time in next year or so, and hopefully give us that depth in the side," he said. 

Also Read : South Africa win see-saw thriller to inflict whitewash on lackluster India

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 20 (Cricket News) Veteran batters Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane's position in group A of the BCCI central contracts could be up for deliberation when the board finalises its fresh list of contracted players for the upcoming season in a few days' time.

Another big question is whether the BCCI top brass is in a mood to upgrade two future captaincy contenders -- KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant -- alongside Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah in the elite A+ category.

The BCCI has four categories -- A+, A, B and C -- which carry annual retainership of Rs 7 crore, Rs 5 crore, Rs 3 crore and Rs 1 crore respectively.

Normally, it is the three office-bearers, five selectors and the national head coach, who decide retainerships.

As of now, there won't be massive changes to the 28 names that featured in the last list but there could be some serious discussions about the composition of the current groups which were in place last year.

"Obviously, Rohit, Kohli and Bumrah being the three indispensable players across formats would be in A plus category beyond doubt. But now Rahul and Pant are slowly establishing themselves as all-format regulars, so it needs to be seen whether the duo gets promotion or not," a senior BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

But what could be a more debatable issue is Pujara and Rahane's status after a year of consistent non-performance.

"The central contract is a performance indicator of where you stand as per your performance during the last season. If the BCCI and head coach (Rahul) Dravid decide to honour the duo and keep them in group A, then it's a different issue but under normal circumstances, they ideally won't feature in group A," the source said.

Ditto for Ishant Sharma and Hardik Pandya, who have both struggled due to injuries and lack of form throughout the season and could feature in group B.

Similarly, among the group B players of last season, only Shardul Thakur, who has had some impactful performances in Test matches, can be hopeful of a promotion to group A.

In current group C, Mohammed Siraj is one man, who has shown tremendous improvement while Shubman Gill is one for the future along with Hanuma Vihari, who would also be expecting an upgrade.

Among newcomers, the likes of Venkatesh Iyer and Harshal Patel could make their maiden cut.

Last Season's (2021) Contract List ================= Grade A+: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah Grade A: Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Mohd. Shami, Ishant Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya Grade B: Wriddhiman Saha, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur, Mayank Agarwal Grade C: Kuldeep Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar, Shubman Gill, Hanuma Vihari, Axar Patel, Shreyas Iyer, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Md. Siraj. 

Also Read : Australia women backed by McGrath’s performance win first Ashes T20

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) It's been exactly a year since India defeated Australia at the Gabba to clinch the Border-Gavaskar trophy for the 2nd consecutive time against all the odds. To some Indian fans the match seems like it was yesterday and to some it seems like an eternity ago. 

After securing a fighting draw at Sydney to keep the series alive at 1-1, India went to the Gabba with barely 11 players fit. India's lead bowlers Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin were both out of the game. Net bowlers Shardul Thakur, T Natarajan and Washington Sundar were added to the Playing XI. India started the game with absolutely nothing to lose as their main strike bowler with the most experience was Mohammed Siraj who himself had played only two Test matches. 

Australia won the toss and elected to bat first. Marnus Labuschagne's century guided Australia to 369 runs in the 1st innings. Matthew Wade, Tim Paine and Cameron Green also contributed with their small cameos. Shardul Thakur, T Natarajan and Washington Sundar picked up their maiden Test wickets and ended the innings with 3 wickets each. Despite their inexperience, Indian bowlers didn't let the Aussies run away with the game. Ajinkya Rahane's captaincy was spot on with good bowling changes and appropriate field setting. 

In the 2nd innings India found themselves in deep trouble as they lost 6 wickets for just 180 runs. Sundar and Thakur came out to bat and put together 123 runs for the 7th wicket. India were all out for 336 but it could've been much worse if it hadn't been for the partnership between the two newcomers. Australia came out to bat with a lead of 33 runs. Mohammed Siraj picked up 5 wickets while Shardul Thakur picked up 4 as Australia were all out for 294 runs.

Chasing 328 runs, India were given a good start by Shubman Gill who scored 91 runs off 146 balls. Cheteshwar Pujara occupied the crease 211 balls scoring 56 runs and fought very hard despite being hit by multiple body blows. Rishabh Pant played a match winning knock of 89* supported by Sundar's cameo. India ended up chasing the total with 3 wickets in hand and 18 balls to spare.

India's victory, although fresh in people's memories, has already acquired a legendary status. It has been taken to mythical proportions and deservedly so. Everyone loves a good underdog story and this was the ultimate underdog story where the Indians tackled injuries, bio-bubble, racism and sledging to create history.

Also read: Docu series 'Down Underdogs' will leave Indian cricket fans in nostalgic tears

(Cricket news) It's been almost a year since the Indian cricket team against all the odds defeated Australia in an away Test series. Now Sony Sports has released a 4 part docu series on India's triumph where they won 2-1 away against the mighty Australia despite numeral setbacks. The series is available to watch on SonyLiv

In the docu series, viewers will see players Hanuma Vihari, Mohammed Siraj and Marnus Labuschagne talking about their experiences. Former cricketers turned commentators Sunil Gavaskar, Sanjay Manjrekar, Nick Knight, Isa Guha, Vivek Razdan, Lisa Sthalekar, Micheal Clarke, Jason talked about the series and also their own experiences in similar situations. Journalists Harsha Bhogle, Ayaz Memon, Joy Bhattacharjya, Gaurav Kapoor and Rajdeep Sardesai highlighted several points about the series and the historical context of it.

The topic of the documentary was such that fans of Indian cricket would enjoy it regardless of the quality of the end product because it is still fresh in people's mind and the memories of it would trigger the nostalgic factor in people's brain who have experienced the series even if it is through their T.V screens. Each episode focused on the 4 Test matches titled Adelaide Aberration, Melbourne Magic, Sydney Siege and Brisbane Breached.

Throughout the series there were stories and anecdotes about players like Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, T Natarajan and Washington Sundar. The series brilliantly portrayed important parts of the series like Virat Kohli leaving after the first Test, Ravichandran Ashwin's battle with Steve Smith, Ajinkya Rahane's hundred, India's multiple injury woes, racist abuse, the unexpected debuts of inexperienced Indian players and Tim Paine's sledging. 

The main thing missing was that Marnus Labuschagne, Hanuma Vihari and Mohammed Siraj were unable to enlighten the viewers about their mindset during and before the games. What the atmosphere was inside the changing room was not really talked about. The main takeaway from the series was that it depicted the beauty of Test cricket and why it is the best format of the game and must be preserved. Overall the series is definitely a must watch for all the cricket fans. The high drama along with the ebbs and flow of the Test series is highlighted and enhanced in the docu series. 

Also read: India begin preparations for the 2023 World Cup with 1st ODI Vs South Africa

New Delhi, Jan 16 (Cricket News) The legendary Sunil Gavaskar wants Rishabh Pant to succeed Virat Kohli as the next India Test captain as he believes a sense of responsibility will make the glovesman a better cricketer in all forms of the game.

Kohli surprised the cricket fraternity by quitting Test captaincy on Saturday evening, a day after losing the Test series in South Africa 1-2 to draw the curtains on a successful seven-year reign.

Gavaskar said he preferred Pant as he is an automatic choice for selectors across all formats of the game.

"It's going to be quite a debate as far as the selection committee is concerned as to who should be taking Indian cricket forward. First of all, it should be someone who is an automatic pick across all formats of the game. Once that happens, it will be a lot easier," Gavaskar told India Today.

"If you ask me, I am still staying, I would look at Rishabh Pant as next India captain.

"For one reason only, just like Rohit Sharma was given the captaincy of Mumbai Indians when Ricky Ponting stepped down, look at the change in his batting after that. Suddenly the responsibility of being captain made him convert those beautiful cameos of 30s, 40s and 50s into hundreds, 150s and 200s.

"I think that sense of responsibility given to Rishabh Pant will help him score many more of that wonderful hundred he scored at Newlands," he added.

Further explaining the rationale behind his pick, Gavaskar cited the example of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, who achieved great success after taking over the captaincy at a very young age.

"Yes, I am saying that. Tiger Pataudi was captain at the age of 21 under adverse circumstances when Nari Contractor was injured. Look what he did after that. He took to captaincy like duck to water.

"I think what we have seen with Rishabh Pant as the captain of Delhi Capitals in the IPL, I do believe he has the capability of taking Indian cricket forward and making it a very exciting team to watch," he said.

Limited-overs skipper Rohit Sharma has emerged as the front-runner to take over Test captaincy from Kohli although he was not part of the South Africa series due to an injury. Rohit was recently made Test vice-captain, replacing Ajinkya Rahane. In Rohit's absence, KL Rahul was Kohli's deputy in South Africa. 

Also Read : Thank you for supporting Test cricket so passionately: Warne to Kohli

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 15 (Cricket News) The supremely-talented Punjab batter Shubman Gill will lend solidity to the Indian middle-order when a major reshuffle is expected to force struggling Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane out of the Test team.

The reshuffle is likely to happen in the wake of India's shock 1-2 defeat against an unfancied South Africa.

India's next Test assignment is a two-match series against Sri Lanka, starting February 25 in Bengaluru and at least two middle-order slots will be up for grabs.

Rohit Sharma is expected to be fit for that Test series and will take up his opening slot alongside KL Rahul.

Gill has mostly played as an opener but once he recovers from his shin injury and makes himself available, it is expected that both team management and the selectors will pick him as a specialist middle-order batter.

Pujara and Rahane's exit from the national side is certain. They can only save their places if coach Rahul Dravid puts his foot down and asks the selection committee to give the out-of-form duo one last chance.

But if that happens, it is understandably going to cause a lot of heartburn to all the deserving youngsters, who might feel severely let-down for not getting the break at the right moment in their respective careers.

"I think both Pujara and Rahane will be dropped from the team for the Sri Lanka series. Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari will both play," Sunil Gavaskar said while commentating on India-South Africa series.

"We'll have to see who plays at number three. Hanuma Vihari may take Pujara's place and Shreyas Iyer could be number five in place of Rahane, but we will have to see. Nevertheless, I think there will certainly be two spots up for grabs against Sri Lanka," Gavaskar was also heard saying.

However team management's school of thought might just be divergent from the legendary former India opener.

With Rahane and Pujara bringing in the same type of game into play during past two years, where it was more about self preservation and less about keeping the scoreboard ticking (save the second innings at Wanderers), the Indian team will need a free-flowing batter in that middle-order, who has the ability to take the game away in one session.

In terms of skills, technique, temperament, Gill is the solution to the problem. In fact, had KL Rahul not opted out of New Zealand home series due to niggle and fatigue, Gill would have played in the middle-order.

If Gill plays at number five, he can exploit the conditions when the ball becomes old and the attack is tired. Also, he has the range to take on the bowlers when the second new ball will be in operation.

Two way battle between Vihari-Iyer ====================== The trickier choice is for the other middle-order slot where Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari will be locked in an intense battle. Both have been impressive -- Iyer in his short two-match career and Vihari giving his all in one overseas Test he has competed in.

Vihari is a defensive player, who brings in technical solidity and a sense of calm which is a pre-requisite in Test cricket, especially as the conditions and flow of the game keep changing.

It makes him a good choice for number three as Pujara's replacement but if positive intent and x-factor is considered, Iyer is certainly a far better choice.

However the jury is still out on one aspect of Iyer's batting which the selectors as well head coach Rahul Dravid will be keenly assessing -- the Mumbaikar's ability to handle short balls.

Any chance of comeback for Pujara-Rahane =========================== In Indian cricket, you can never say never. Both are 33 years old and perhaps need to go back to the drawing board and revisit what they have been doing wrong.

The problem with professional cricketers is that if a technical flaw crops up in midst of a series, rectifying it is tough and they just work their way around that flaw.

It's a kind of temporary option but with no dedicated off-seasons like what players of yesteryears enjoyed, probably a break from the national team will give them enough time to work on their flaws and comeback stronger.

It would have been great had the Ranji Trophy not been put on hold once again as it would have given them quality match practice and ability to correct mistakes in live game situation which is always the best option.

If not, they might play for English county but to be fair, county stint during the earlier phase wasn't of great help to either Pujara or Rahane.

Therefore, it doesn't look too bright for the duo as some serious talent is waiting in the wings. 

Also Read : Sri Lanka to start 2022 season against Zimbabwe in three match ODI series

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) After winning the 1st Test in Centurion, India lost the next two Tests against South Africa. The series concluded 2-1 with South Africa playing some really good and resilient cricket. Keegan Peterson was named player of the series for scoring 276 runs in 3 matches. India were 2nd best in important moments where the matches got away from them.

Here are the 3 takeaways from the series:

1. Middle order desperately needs changes:

It may be time to finally move on from Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara. Drastically dropping them from the squad wouldn't make sense but dropping them to the bench certainly would. India has way too much talent on the bench to keep giving the veterans so many opportunities. Shubman Gill, Hanuma Vihari and Shreyas Iyer are eagerly waiting on the bench. Virat Kohli clearly said that the batting needs to be looked at and the with a big home season coming up it might be time for Pujara and especially Rahane to be dropped

2. 5 bowlers formula needs to be looked at:

It is pretty clear that Virat Kohli likes to play 5 bowlers. After Ravindra Jadeja was ruled out of the series it looked like India may revert back to just 4 bowlers but didn't. Neither of Ravichandran Ashwin and Shardul Thakur are good enough to bat at number 7 and India clearly lack a batting all-rounder in the Test set-up. The fact that Ravichandran Ashwin didn't bowl too many overs and picked up only 3 wickets proves the point. In the absence of Ravindra Jadeja no other all-rounder can play at number 7, he has to be a batter who can bowl a few overs like Hanuma Vihari. 

3. Injuries lead to India's downfall:

There has been a lot of hype about India's depth over the past year and rightly so. This series is a proof that the absence of a few key players can take a toll on any given team. Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja missing the entire series was a very big blow for the Indians. Virat Kohli missing the 2nd Test; Mohammed Siraj missing the 3rd and not being fully fit in the 2nd also played its part in India's downfall. India may have incredible bench strength but too much disturbance and changes in the side does come with a price. 

Tags

India, South Africa, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant, Wriddhiman Saha, R Ashwin, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Saurabh Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Arzan Nagwaswalla, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubman Gill and Axar Patel

(Cricket news) After winning the 1st Test in Centurion, India lost the next two Tests against South Africa. The series concluded 2-1 with South Africa playing some really good and resilient cricket. Keegan Peterson was named player of the series for scoring 276 runs in 3 matches. India were 2nd best in important moments where the matches got away from them.

Here are the 3 takeaways from the series:

1. Middle order desperately needs changes:

It may be time to finally move on from Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara. Drastically dropping them from the squad wouldn't make sense but dropping them to the bench certainly would. India has way too much talent on the bench to keep giving the veterans so many opportunities. Shubman Gill, Hanuma Vihari and Shreyas Iyer are eagerly waiting on the bench. Virat Kohli clearly said that the batting needs to be looked at and the with a big home season coming up it might be time for Pujara and especially Rahane to be dropped

2. 5 bowlers formula needs to be looked at:

It is pretty clear that Virat Kohli likes to play 5 bowlers. After Ravindra Jadeja was ruled out of the series it looked like India may revert back to just 4 bowlers but didn't. Neither of Ravichandran Ashwin and Shardul Thakur are good enough to bat at number 7 and India clearly lack a batting all-rounder in the Test set-up. The fact that Ravichandran Ashwin didn't bowl too many overs and picked up only 3 wickets proves the point. In the absence of Ravindra Jadeja no other all-rounder can play at number 7, he has to be a batter who can bowl a few overs like Hanuma Vihari. 

3. Injuries lead to India's downfall:

There has been a lot of hype about India's depth over the past year and rightly so. This series is a proof that the absence of a few key players can take a toll on any given team. Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja missing the entire series was a very big blow for the Indians. Virat Kohli missing the 2nd Test; Mohammed Siraj missing the 3rd and not being fully fit in the 2nd also played its part in India's downfall. India may have incredible bench strength but too much disturbance and changes in the side does come with a price. 

Also read: DRS controversy gave us a window to chip away at target: Elgar

Cape Town, Jan 14 (Football News) A crestfallen India captain Virat Kohli's defence of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane lacked conviction as he put the ball on selection committee's court with regards to the future of the two out-of-form senior batters.

Pujara and Rahane failed in five out of six knocks and haven't made any tangible contribution throughout the year, save a knock here and there, and after the shock 1-2 series defeat against South Africa, it seems to be all over for the veterans of 95 and 82 games respectively.

"I cannot sit here and talk about what's gonna happen in the future. That's not for me to sit here and discuss. You probably have to speak to the selectors, what they have in mind. This is not my job," a jaded Kohli said when asked what message is being given to younger players waiting in the wings to replace Rahane and Pujara.

With Pujara and Rahane being his log-time teammates -- the former in fact made his Test debut before him -- it was difficult for Kohli to walk down the treacherous slope where he had to admit that these two are now past their sell by date.

"As I have said before, I will say again, we will continue to back Cheteshwar and Ajinkya because of the kind of players they are, what they have done in Test cricket for India over the years, playing crucial knock in the second innings (in Johannesburg) as well. These are kind of performances we recognise as a team," the skipper said but, unlike other times when Kohli forcefully drove home a point, here the words seemed like mere afterthought.

And then it came with a rider.

"What the selectors decide to do, I obviously will not comment sitting here." Disappointed but no point harping on 'ifs' and 'buts' ================================ Kohli admitted that not being able to beat South Africa in South Africa is disappointing but he has never believed in 'what if' concepts.

"We are certainly very disappointed as it's natural part of sport, specially for a team that's so driven and believe we can win anywhere in the world. Having done that, it's even more disappointing not to get the result we wanted. That's part of sport. Accept and move on." But when pointed out that the two defeats doesn't really reflect the amount of fight India had put in, Kohli said: "That's part of sport. I can't say what would have happened if this would have happened or that would have happened. It's a fact that we lost 1-2, those balls didn't take edges and didn't come to slips..

"So ifs and buts have no place in sport as it such a beautiful thing that you play one moment at a time and when that moment passes away there's no point thinking about it as there are more and more moments that follow and you have to make sure that you stay in present and capitalise on all those moments individually." For Kohli, if they were meant to win, they would have won it.

"I won't look back at things that could have gone our way as if it had to go our way, it would have gone our way. I don't think there's any point focusing on it anymore." Pant's knock was a high quality one ====================== Rishabh Pant's hundred kept India in the third Test and the skipper had a special mention.

"It was a high quality knock. That's the talent he possesses and we understand the quality he has. He is special talent and can do special things." On ODIs, I can talk from player's point of view ============================= Even amidst all the disappointment, Kohli didn't lose his wry sense of humour as he reminded one and all that he is no longer the ODI captain when asked how will this series defeat affect the team morale in the upcoming three-match 50-over series.

"I can talk from a player's point of view," Kohli said and it wasn't difficult to understand what he meant.

"Driven and motivated to perform in ODI series. I don't think we will take this into ODIs." 

Also Read : Travis Head's quickfire ton rescues Aussie innings after minor collapse on day 1

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) South Africa have clinched the 3 match series 2-1 with a 7 wicket victory in the 3rd Test at Cape Town. The day started with South Africa needing 111 runs with 8 wickets in hand. Keegan Peterson unbeaten on 48 was joined by Rassie van der Dussen.

The pair batted out the tricky first hour or so really well. Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah came out all guns blazing but the Proteas were very resilient. The pair put together 54 runs and by the time Shardul Thakur dismissed Peterson on 82 it seemed like South Africa had already ran away with the game. India failed to take another wicket as Temba Bavuma and van der Dussen guided South Africa to victory. India bowled well just like they have done for the entire series but in the end they kept giving a few looseners which are too costly especially while defending a small total.

India's batting were just not up to the mark in this series. KL Rahul in the first innings of the first Test and Rishabh Pant in the last innings of the last Test were the only big innings by an Indian. Their bowlers failed to rescue them this time around. This might be the last time we see Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane play Test cricket for India and for the better. It might be time to give more chances to Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari. 

The fact that India were favourites going into the series and even before the last Test shows the prowess of this Indian side. Having said that they did lose this series convincingly which clearly shows that there is a lot of work to be done. India had a lot of bad luck especially in the last Test which has led to the downfall. The decision of going with 5 bowlers and not giving Ashwin a lot of overs has also had its effect on the result. India will now look to put all this behind and prepare for the ODIs.

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(Cricket news) After losing both their openers late on day 2, India started day 3 on 57/2 with a lead of 70 runs. Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara had played 39 and 31 balls respectively. Marco Jansen started things off and picked up Pujara's wicket on the 2nd ball of the day. Pujara gloved a ball down the leg side and the diving catch was taken by Keegan Peterson in fantastic fashion.

Ajinkya Rahane continued his poor run of form as he only managed 1 run before falling prey to Kagiso Rabada. Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant stitched a very important partnership of 94 runs. Pant scored the majority of those runs as Kohli was being extra careful. The Indian skipper's resilience was ended by Lungi Ngidi as he was dismissed on 29. Ngidi got rid of Ravichandran Ashwin shortly after before picking up Shardul Thakur's wicket. Rabada dismissed Umesh Yadav while Jansen dismissed Mohammed Shami on ducks. 

Rishabh Pant played a fantastic knock of 100 off 139 balls. He was dropped by Keshav Maharaj on 88 and by Temba Bavuma on 94. He did play aggressive strokes like he always does but was very watchful and picked the right balls to do so. The gloveman took on Maharaj and scored a bulk of his runs against the spinner. Had it not been for Pant India would've lost the game comfortably. The innings displayed his character as it came after he threw his wicket away in the last Test match and was heavily criticised.

South Africa came out to bat with a target of 212. Aiden Markram and Dean Elgar put together 23 runs in 7 overs before Mohammed Shami picked up Markram's wicket. Dean Elgar's luck continued to shine as he played and missed more in this game than any batsman in the whole series. He edged the ball a couple of times but it fell short of the slip fielders. The big moment came in the 21st over when Ravichandran Ashwin trapped him in front. After deliberation Elgar hesitantly reviewed it. During the replays the dismissal looked absolutely plum but the hawkeye showed that the ball had comfortably bounced above the stumps. 

The Indian team was shocked beyond belief even the on field umpire was heard saying "That's impossible" after he was made to reverse his decision. The stump microphone caught the Indian players saying a lot of things which could land them in trouble with the match referee. Ashwin was heard saying ''You should find better ways to win Supersport (The broadcasters)". KL Rahul commented on the situation saying ''Whole country is playing against 11 guys''. Indian captain Virat Kohli leaned towards the stump mic and said “Focus on your team as well when they shine the ball.. and not just the opposition, trying to catch people all the time." The Indian team were clearly frustrated with the game and the series slipping away from them.

India did finally get Elgar's wicket with the last ball of the day as he edged Bumrah's ball down the leg side. South Africa ended the day on 101/2 as they needed 111 more runs and had 8 wickets in hand with 2 days still left to play. South Africa are clear favourites to clinch the series on day 4 of the 3rd Test. India once again need their bowlers to rescue them with a miracle.

Also read: Pant got runs when team needed them most and that's important: Mhambrey

Cape Town, Jan 13 (Cricket News) Chasing 212 to win the series, South Africa were 101 for two at stumps on the third day of the third match against India, here on Thursday.

Mohammed Shami removed Aiden Markram (16) early but skipper Dean Elgar (30) and Keegan Petersen (48) batted superbly.

The South African skipper fell towards the end.

Rishabh Pant scored a combative unbeaten 100 in India's second innings that folded for 198 as pacers Marco Jansen (4/36) Kagiso Rabada (3/53) and Lungi Ngidi (3/21) shared all wickets between them.

Struggling Cheteshwar Pujara (9) and Ajinkya Rahane (1) failed yet again while Virat Kohli (29 off 143 balls) did his best to stay at the crease as long as possible before Ngidi dismissed the skipper.

Brief Scores: India: 223 and 198 all out in 67.3 overs. (R Pant 100 not out, V Kohli 29; Marco Jansen 4/36, K Rabada 3/53).

South Africa: 210 and 101 for 2 in 29.4 overs. (K Petersen 48 batting, D Elgar 30; M Shami 1/22). 

Also Read : Pant makes 100, India set South Africa 212-run target to win 3rd Test

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Cape Town, Jan 13 (Cricket News) Rishabh Pant scored a combative unbeaten 100 to help India set a 212-run target for South Africa in the series-deciding third Test, here on Thursday.

India's second innings folded on 198 as pacers Marco Jansen (4/36) Kagiso Rabada (3/53) and Lungi Ngidi (3/21) shared all wickets between them.

The umpires called for tea break at the fall of the last Indian wicket.

Struggling Cheteshwar Pujara (9) and Ajinkya Rahane (1) failed yet again while Virat Kohli (29 off 143 balls) did his best to stay at the crease as long as possible before Ngidi dismissed the skipper.

Brief Scores: India: 223 and 198 all out in 67.3 overs. (R Pant 100 not out, V Kohli 29; Marco Jansen 4/36, K Rabada 3/53).

South Africa: 210 all out. 

Also Read : Can England take confidence from the draw in Sydney to win the 5th Test?

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New Delhi, Jan 13 (Cricket News) A few days back, after their umpteenth failure, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were trending on social media with the hashtag being 'PuRane' (Old).

Now, social media is a platform for outrage almost 24x7 and it is very easy to call the latest trend as the "proverbial outside noise", which the Indian cricket team management does not like taking note of.

But after five failures in six completed knocks in South Africa, the two veterans surely seem to have played their last Test for India for some time.

It will be a travesty if two among the trio of Hanuma Vihari, Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill (recovering from a shin injury) don't make it to the playing eleven in the two-Test series against Sri Lanka in February-March.

Rahane's tally stands at 136 at an average of 22.66 and Pujara is even worse with only 124 at 20.66. In all likelihood, the statistics will be the final nail in the coffin when Chetan Sharma and his colleagues pick the squad for the next Test series in India.

More than anyone else, the duo knows that time indeed has run out for them. Never ever has Indian cricket establishment given such a long rope to two individuals like the one being given to Rahane and Pujara.

In last two years, they have failed consistently and found success not even sporadically whereas it should have been the other way round.

It seemed that team management as well as selectors were bent on giving them every chance to succeed. And they have been blowing those away.

Perhaps now stake-holders would think that it's time Vihari and Iyer get half of those chances to fail. One can vouch they wouldn't do much worse than what Rahane and Pujara have done.

So what is the problem with Pujara and Rahane? It's a two-fold issue of technical issues which have also been compounded by mental cobwebs.

The most abused word in Indian cricket is 'process' and perhaps the favourite of most cricketers when questions that are difficult to address are thrown at them.

"I trust my process," is a catch-phrase that one hears often in Indian cricket.

But in case of Rahane and Pujara, it can be said that the process has clearly not worked for a while now.

Perhaps it's only fair to give them a break and look at other options which will benefit Indian cricket.

Both of them have been getting out in the same fashion match after match but there seems to be no corrective measures taken and at times it seems they have no clarity as to how they want to play -- fearless cricket or defensive .

In case of Pujara, whose range of strokes is very limited, bowlers have worked him out providing him with very little room to play the square cut and over time, he has now missed out on half volleys which used to be duly patted back to the fielders at cover or mid-off.

His mode of dismissals is also pretty similar as thrice since the Kanpur Test against New Zealand, he has been cramped for room with short balls on his rib cage and he has been slow in trying to get away from that awkward line.

Add to it, the go-slow approach that worked in earlier years isn't working as batters around him aren't scoring as many runs which is also putting him under more pressure.

Pujara's approach and his struggles in the middle make other players in the dressing room feel that there are demons on the track when in reality there's none.

In case of Rahane, the footwork is in a mess, as pacer after pacer bowling slightly back of length on the off-stump channel is able to get him out without much effort.

As a result, he has become a walking wicket and perhaps fit to be axed in the next selection meeting.

However, in Indian cricket, strange things have happened even though one will have to rub their eyes in disbelief if Pujara and Rahane add to their 95 and 82 Tests respectively.

If that happens, it will be a disservice to the Iyers and Viharis, waiting for some semblance of security. 

Also Read : Pant, Kohli take India to130 for 4 at lunch, overall lead by 143

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Cape Town, Jan 13 (Cricket News) Rishabh Pant scored a crucial half-century while skipper Virat Kohli was resolute in his defence as they took India to 130 for four at lunch after early morning blows on the third day of the series-deciding third Test, here on Thursday.

Pant was unbeaten on 51 off 60 balls while Kohli (28 batting off 127 balls) added only 14 runs to his overnight score of 14 as India's overall lead now stands at 143.

This was after Cheteshwar Pujara (9) and Ajinkya Rahane (1) were dismissed cheaply in the first half an hour.

However, the early setbacks didn't deter Pant from playing his natural game as he hit four boundaries and a six while adding 72 runs for the unbroken fifth wicket stand with his skipper, who showed remarkable composure in playing second fiddle to Pant, who went for the jugular as and when situation permitted.

Pant, who had received flak for his poor shot selection under pressure during the second Test, respected the good deliveries but wasn't shy of treating the bad ones with disdain. He was aggressive without being reckless, fearless without being careless.

A case in point was lofting left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj for a six over long-on in the penultimate over of the session, signalling his positive intent.

The best shot however was a square cut on the rise off Kagiso Rabada. A smashing cover drive off Marco Jansen was equally good.

However, it was another failure for Rahane and Pujara, who might well have played their last Tests for India.

Pujara was again cramped for room on the leg side and the tickle of his bat was brilliantly taken by Keegan Petersen at leg slip, diving to his right and snapping it up inches ahead of the ground.

In case of Rahane, Rabada bowled a terrific one which kicked from length and took his gloves and Dean Elgar at first slip caught it after keeper Kyle Verreynne had managed to tip it up with his gloves. 

Also Read : Joe Root considering entering Indian Premier League auction

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(Cricket news) Day 2 of the decider at Cape Town started with South Africa 17/1, trailing by 206 runs. South Africa had the upper hand in the game but it all changed as the day progressed and the fightback was led by India's star talisman Jasprit Bumrah.

Bumrah who picked up Dean Elgar's wicket late on day 1 came in steaming and knocked over Aiden Markram in the 2nd ball of the day. Markram didn't offer a shot to Bumrah's in-swinger and was cleaned up. The night watchman Keshav Maharaj was starting to frustrate the Indian bowlers. He was clean bowled by Umesh Yadav on 25 as South Africa were 45/3. Keegan Peterson and Rassie van der Dussen formed a very crucial partnership as they added 67 runs. India created a few edges but they all either fell short or dropped wide. India seamers were also inconsistent with their lines while Ravichandran Ashwin was inconsistent. 

Umesh Yadav finally got the breakthrough as his full length ball got an edge of Van der Dussen's bat. Temba Bavuma provided good support to Keegan Peterson but Mohammed Shami came through. He dismissed both Bavuma and Kyle Verreynne in the same over to bring India right back in the contest. Marco Jansen walked into bat and was bombarded by Jasprit Bumrah. Jansen negotiated with the series bouncer well but eventually played all over Bumrah's in-swinger just before tea. 

Keegan Peterson played a fantastic knock of 72 off 166 balls before falling prey to Bumrah. Shardul Thakur picked up the wicket of Kagiso Rabada who was in counter attacking mode. Bumrah dismissed Lungi Ngidi to complete his fifer as he finished with the figures of 5/42. The Indian openers couldn't hold on for the rest of the day as Mayank Agarwal was dismissed by Rabada before Marco Jansen picked up KL Rahul's wicket. Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli negotiated the remaining overs well as India ended the day on 57/2.

Now is the time for India's batting to show up and give their bowlers a good target to defend. The Indian bowlers have carried the side for a while but now the batting needs to do a job. The game is very even and India's middle order needs to bat long. Kohli and Pujara played well in the 1st innings but they need to play a big knock in the 2nd innings.

Also read: I wasn't angry, just focussed on my job: Bumrah

Mumbai, Jan 12 (Cricket News) Recalling India' incredible Test triumph in Australia last year despite being ravaged by injuries, the legendary Sunil Gavaskar said the performance ranks among the team's "greatest wins" of all time and can be considered a "golden chapter" in the country's cricket history.

India, led by Ajinkya Rahane, defeated Australia 2-1 in a closely-fought four Test rubber winning in Melbourne and then breaching fortress Gabba in Brisbane last year after Australia had outplayed the visitors in the Day-Night Test at Adelaide.

Heroics of Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin had helped secure a draw for the visitors in the Sydney Test.

"India's win in Australia early last year will go down as one of the greatest wins in Indian cricket history," Gavaskar said.

"To pick themselves up after the dismissal with their lowest ever test score of 36 and then to beat a rampant home team is a tribute to the determination shown by the players and the leadership roles played by the captain, coach Ravi Shastri and his support group "I was privileged to be there and see a golden chapter being written in the history of Indian cricket," added the 72-year-old former right-handed opener.

To commemorate the one-year anniversary of India's win, 'Sony Sports Network' has produced a special docu-series titled "DOWN UNDERDOGS - INDIA'S GREATEST COMEBACK" that will premiere on January 14 and Gavaskar gave his comments to the channel.

Former Australia captain Michael Clarke, who led Australia to the 2015 ODI World Cup win, said India deserved all the credit for fighting it out after the morale-shattering opening loss.

"India picked an attack that worked," said Clarke.

"Different bowlers - not everyone bowls the same, different tactics, different skills, different weapons, so the credit goes to India for their execution but also Australia might have taken for granted their success in the first test," added the former right-handed batter. 

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(Cricket news) In the 3rd and the decider Test at Cape Town, India won the toss India elected to bat first. South Africa went into the game unchanged while India welcomed back Virat Kohli who replaced Hanuma Vihari while Umesh Yadav came in place of the injured Mohammed Siraj. South Africa managed to restrict the visitors to 223 which without question is below par especially after winning the toss. Jasprit Bumrah got rid of Dean Elgar late in the day as the Proteas are 17 for 1 and trail by 206 runs.

KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal started off with a few plays and misses along with edges that didn't carry. The pair slowly started playing their shots and took India to 31. The Proteas then turned it around as they bowled 24 dot balls. The pressure was built and KL Rahul succumbed to it as he edged Duanne Olivier's ball. Kagiso Rabada picked up Agarwal's wicket in the very next over. Cheteshwar Pujara got off to a good start with some of his trademark shots.

He fell just 7 runs short of his fifty as Marco Jansen angle in and seam away ball nicked his bat. Ajinkya Rahane's inconsistent performances continued as he was dismissed by an absolute beauty from Rabada. Just like Pujara, Rishabh Pant also got a start but couldn't convert as he was dismissed by Jansen after he tried to take on a short ball. The tall left arm seamer got rid of Ravichandran Ashwin shortly after. Keshav Maharaj finally joined the party as he got the wicket of Shardul Thakur. Rabada bowled a beautiful bouncer to get rid of Jasprit Bumrah.

Virat Kohli was the lone warrior as he scored 79 off 201 balls. The innings was one of the most resilient one the Indian skipper has ever played. Kohli was extremely disciplined and gritty in his approach. He got beaten quite a few times but continued fighting. Even though he didn't get his long awaited century, Kohli saved his team and anchored the innings. His duel with Rabada was a very entertaining one which the bowler eventually won by dismissing Kohli. The Indian innings came to an end as they were all out on 223.

Aiden Markram and Dean Elgar came out to bat for a few overs before stumps. Jasprit Bumrah struck in the 5th over getting the wicket of Elgar. Keshav Maharaj was sent in as a night watchman and did a good job as he held on. South Africa will start day 2 on 17 for 1 trailing by 206 runs

Also read: Game is in the balance, batters will have to grind: Rabada

Cape Town, Jan 11 (Cricket News) India were 141 for four at tea on the opening day of the series-deciding third Test against against South Africa here on Tuesday.

Skipper Virat Kohli (40) and Rishabh Pant (12) were at the crease when tea was taken.

Duanne Olivier removed KL Rahul while Kagiso Rabada sent back Agarwal. In the second session, India lost the wickets of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane.

The series is currently tied 1-1.

Brief Scores: India 1st innings: 141 for 4 in 54 overs. (V Kohli 40 batting). 

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News Source : PTI

Cape Town, Jan 11 (Cricket News) India skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to bat against South Africa in the series-deciding third and final Test, here on Tuesday.

India have made two changes to their playing XI with pacer Umesh Yadav replacing Mohhamed Siraj and Hanuma Vihari making way for skipper Kohli, who missed the second Test due to back spasm.

South Africa are unchanged.

The series is tied 1-1 with India winning the opener in Centurion while the hosts won the second game in Johannesburg.

India have never won a Test series in South Africa.

Teams: India: Virat Kohli (C), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Umesh Yadav.

South Africa: Dean Elgar (C), Aiden Markram, Keegan Petersen, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Kyle Verreynne(w), Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Duanne Olivier and Lungi Ngidi. 

Also Read : It was great to finish off career with win and a wicket, says emotional Taylor

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town is all set to host the series decider between India and South Africa. India won the opening Test at Centurion while South Africa came back with a gritty victory in Johannesburg. India have a chance to win a Test series in South Africa for the first time. Virat Kohli will once again lead the side after missing the last game.

India's Possible Playing XI:

KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma.

Virat Kohli has recovered from his injury which means Hanuma Vihari has to unfortunately miss out despite his decent performance in the last game. Despite being under the scanner for throwing his wicket away, Rishabh Pant should retain his place in the side. Mohammed Siraj is unavailable due to the injury he picked up in Johannesburg. India have the option of Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav which is a difficult choice to make. Ishant Sharma is likely to get the nod due to his experience especially in South African Conditions.

South Africa's Possible Playing XI: 

Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Keegan Peterson, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Kyle Verreynne, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Duanne Olivier, Marco Jansen.

South Africa wouldn't like to change the winning combination unless it's a forced one. Keshav Maharaj may play a more important role in this game as he may be asked to bowl more overs. Dean Elgar's scintillating performance in the last game would've inspired the entire team. Peterson, van der Dussen and Bavuma showed great signs in the last game. The absence of Mohammed Siraj would be a great plus for the Proteas.

Pitch and Weather Report:

The pitch is expected to be fast bowler friendly and tough work for the spinners. Ravichandran Ashwin might once again look like a surplus but India have been stubborn in their choice of picking 5 bowlers. All 5 days are expected to have a cloud cover with chances of a slight drizzle.

Also read: Biggest game for us in last 10-15 years: Dean Elgar on series decider

Cape Town, Jan 10 (Cricket News) Ravichandran Ashwin can play the all-rounder's role in any conditions, India skipper Virat Kohli said on Monday, impressed by the premier off-spinner's consistency with both bat and ball in recent years.

Kohli said Ashwin has filled in the void left by the injured Ravindra Jadeja in an outstanding manner.

After their setback in Centurion, the hosts South Africa bounced back strongly in the second Test at Wanderers to chase down a tricky 240 and level the three-match series at 1-1.

"Jadeja's value everyone understands and what he has done for the team, but I think Ash has been playing that role pretty well for us," Kohli said on the eve of the third and final Test here.

"Ash knows that his game has come forward by leaps and bounds especially bowling overseas. He understands that himself from Australia onwards." Ashwin played a stellar knock of 46 from 50 balls and was the team's second highest scorer, after stand-in skipper KL Rahul's 50, as India managed 202 all out in the first innings of the second Test.

While Ashwin returned wicket-less in the first innings, the off-spinner bagged 1/26 from his 11.4 overs in South Africa's second essay, as they hosts secured a seven-wicket win to restore parity.

"If you look at his batting contribution in the last Test and the way he bowled in the second innings I think that's an outstanding contribution to the team.

"He's in a very comfortable space where he's willing to contribute to the team and he's doing so in the right intention, in the right way," Kohli said, giving full support the senior player.

Jadeja had suffered a right forearm injury during the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur and after undergoing scans, he was diagnosed with a swelling on his forearm that ruled him out of the South Africa tour.

Kohli said it does not really matter to him when he has either Ashwin or Jadeja at his disposal.

"When you have these two quality cricketers one or the other it really doesn't matter. Unfortunately, Jadeja has had an injury.

"But Ash has obviously done the job in his absence and we have full faith that Ash can continue to play that role of spinning all-rounder for us in any condition that we play," he asserted.

Kohli was ruled out of the first Test because of a sore back and in his absence KL Rahul stepped in to lead the team.

The selectors had made Rahul Kohli's deputy for the tour, keeping mind Ajinkya Rahane's indifferent form and to groom the Bengaluru player as future India captain.

KL is a balanced captain ================================== Giving his take on his Rahul's leadership, Kohli said he had a balanced approach but the Proteas outplayed India with their superlative chase "He (Rahul) has handled it in a balanced way. What I saw from his plans and field placements that he tried his best to get wickets and breakthroughs in the second innings.

"But the situation was such that South Africa played well to chase the runs. I don't thing anything much could have done." Rahul was smart with his decisions but he certainly missed Kohli's on-field aggression.

"Everyone has different styles in captaincy. I would have done a bit differently too but the intent would have been to get the wickets. I think he worked in a balance manner," Kohli concluded. 

Also Read : Transition in teams happens naturally and you can't force conversations: Kohli on Rahane-Pujara form

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Cape Town, Jan 10 (Cricket News) India captain Virat Kohli on Monday made it clear that the current team management is not thinking of phasing out under-pressure senior players Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane as "transitions" can't be forced on individuals based on mere "conversations".

While both the senior players have found some form with fifties in the lost second Test against South Africa but prolonged inconsistency has given rise to questions on whether it is becoming unfair on the likes of Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari, who are forced to sit out despite decent performances.

With Iyer scoring a hundred and fifty on debut in the hone series against New Zealand and Vihari hitting an unbeaten 40 in his comeback Test in Johannesburg, Kohli was asked whether conversations have started on how to handle the transition phase and the skipper nipped it in the bud.

"Well, I obviously can't pinpoint when we will have a talk on transition. The game itself pans out in a way that transitions happen. It can't be forced by individuals," Kohli put forth his point pretty succinctly.

He came in defence of his senior teammates.

"If you look at the last Test, the way Jinx and Pujara batted, in second innings, that experience is obviously priceless for us, especially in series like these where we know that these guys have done the job in the past.

"These guys have performed in Australia the last time we were there. In the last Test, they played crucial knocks in crucial situations and that has a lot of value." The skipper was of the opinion that conversations regarding transitions with individuals (no names taken) could be tricky and one should let that happen organically.

"I feel, transitions do happen and they happen naturally. Conversations can't be forced around transitions is what I feel.

"When the transition happens, everyone knows which direction the team is going, that's a very natural progression and I think we should leave transition to unfold itself and not necessarily force individuals in tricky or difficult situations," he said.

That shot from Pant and "golden words" from MSD once upon a time ========================================== Acceptance of mistake is the first sign of improvement, feels the Indian Test captain as he spoke extensively about Rishabh Pant's rash shot in the second innings at Johannesburg and put it in context with a piece of advice received from his predecessor Mahendra Singh Dhoni which became a thumb rule for him.

"MS Dhoni, at the start of my career, had given me a fabulous piece of advice. Between your first and second mistake, there should be a minimum gap of seven to eight months and then only can you prolong your career.

"That got ingrained in my system that I will not repeat the same mistake," Kohli said in reference to Pant's dismissal while trying to give Kagiso Rabada the charge in Johannesburg.

But he did mention that he and coach Rahul Dravid have had some serious conversations with Pant about that mode of dismissal.

"We have had conversations with Rishabh at practice. When a batter plays a particular stroke, he is the first one to know whether it was a correct shot to play in that particular situation," the skipper's answer was clear enough as to how he felt.

"As long as an individual, one accepts the responsibility, I think, then only can you make proper progress. We have all been out at some point at important stages of a match in our careers.

"Sometimes because of pressure, sometimes because of our own mistake and some other times when a bowler shows quality skills. You need to understand what was the mind-set at that particular moment when you took a certain decision," he explained.

"The more we learn to accept our mistakes, the better players we become. We improve and ensure that (mistakes) are not repeated," Kohli said.

He is confident that Pant will not repeat his mistakes and make his opportunities count.

"He will make sure that next time in an important situation, he will stand up and take responsibility and give an impact performance." 

Also Read : BCCI postpones Cooch Behar Trophy knockout games after massive COVID-19 outbreak

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Cape Town, Jan 10 (Cricket News) Virat Kohli's talismanic presence will be the shot in the arm that India would need in their bid to win the historic first-ever away Test series against South Africa but the hosts will also walk in with a spring in their step in the final Test starting here Tuesday.

Kohli missed the last Test in Johannesburg due to back spasms and if the training session at the Newlands was anything to go by, the skipper is not going to miss the series-finale for anything with the two teams locked at 1-1. The hosts will definitely fancy their chances after a fighting performance drew them level in the second Test.

And playing his 99th Test on what will also be his daughter's first birthday, the batter in Kohli would like to make it a special one for the 'Captain', who has been under tremendous pressure of late.

Nothing succeeds like success and winning the first ever Test series in South Africa in three decades will certainly establish Kohli as one of the greatest to have led the country in the traditional format.

And to achieve that, the team's batting, which hasn't exactly been anything more than mediocre, needs to improve by a few notches and perhaps a first innings score in excess of 300 plus will set the tone.

There are players, whose mere presence gives any team an added psychological boost, and the Indian skipper is one such character.

Whether he is batting or is in the field, Kohli's presence can always be unsettling for the opposition, which is bound to plan differently for him even if it means that he hasn't got a hundred for two years.

But if one closely looks at Kohli's batting in these two years, unlike Pujara and Rahane, he has looked way more assured till the time he has got out.

It has been either one good ball or a rank bad shot that has got him and not lack of confidence and jittery starts that could put the dressing room in panic mode.

Hanuma Vihari might feel hard done after two fighting knocks -- especially the 40 not out in the second innings in Johannesburg -- but such is nature of the beast that he would be the sacrificial lamb till Team India regains its faith in Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane's abilities.

Curbing Cover drive ============== A lot of experts have suggested that Kohli should curb his instincts of playing the off-drive or his favourite cover-drive like Sachin Tendulkar did against Brett Lee at Sydney in 2004 when he didn't play anything on the off-side till he reached his double hundred.

But Kohli has his own methods and the madness associated with it. If Sunday's practice is anything to go by, he would still hit the cover drive if he gets one pitched on the length for the shot.

However, it will also be about the deliveries that he or some of the others would choose for particular kind of shots.

A case in point is Rishabh Pant, whose walking down the track against express pace in recent months, has had a lot of "intent" but not much of "content".

On a Newlands track, which will be juicy with variable bounce, India will need to bat way better against Kagiso Rabada, Duanne Olivier, Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen, all of who bring different skills to the table.

India have never won a Test in Cape Town and for a change in script, the three middle-order veterans need to do way more than what they did at the Wanderers.

However, Newlands has seen some epic battles, none better than the one in 2010-11 series when Tendulkar and Dale Steyn were locked in one of the most exhilarating hour that Test cricket would have ever witnessed.

There is a certain beauty attached with survival and at the beautiful Newlands, Steyn used his every ounce to test a master batter's repertoire of skills.

Pujara and Rahane need to do more ======================= Pujara and Rahane, with their respective half-centuries, did get a life-line but that will certainly not be enough to save their careers unless they do something very big and significant.

If getting fifties was a positive sign, not converting good starts into big hundreds definitely was disappointing.

Similarly, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal would also like to give the team a good start against the fiery South African line-up.

Ishant looks set for comeback, Bumrah seeks improvement ==================================== Ishant Sharma, like Pujara and Rahane, is at the business end of his chequered international career and Mohammed Siraj's hamstring injury is sure to give him some breathing space after the indifferent last six months during which he lost form, had niggles and didn't good enough to be in the mix for long.

Yet, the nature of South African tracks and his over 6 feet frame, with ability to bowl maiden after maiden, makes him a better choice than Umesh Yadav, who is a similar bullish workhorse.

But it will be Jasprit Bumrah, who would like to improve his strike-rate which has gone down since he has come back from his back injury.

Dean Elgar, Rassie van der Dussen and Temba Bavuma were not perturbed by his mindless short-pitched bowling and the Indian slinger would like to do what he does best, bowl fast and full with deliveries deviating on both sides of the track.

That would go a long way in ensuring that they have a great party on Table Top after January 15.

Squads: India: Virat Kohli (captain), KL Rahul (vc), Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Jayant Yadav, Priyank Panchal, Umesh Yadav, Hanuma Vihari, Ishant Sharma.

South Africa: Dean Elgar (captain), Temba Bavuma (vice-captain), Kagiso Rabada, Sarel Erwee, Beuran Hendricks, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Keegan Petersen, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, Glenton Stuurman, Prenelan Subrayen, Sisanda Magala, Ryan Rickelton, Duanne Olivier.

Match Starts at 1:30 pm.

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Johannesburg, Jan 8 (Cricket News) Former Proteas all-rounder Vernon Philander feels the South African batters' attacking intent in the second innings caught the Indian bowlers by surprise in the series-levelling second Test at the Wanderers.

Hosts South Africa bounced back from the 113-run thumping in the series opener by inflicting a seven-wicket defeat on India to level the three-match series here.

The South African batters were up to the task in the second Test with Keegan Petersen and Temba Bavuma scoring fifties in the first innings, while skipper Dean Elgar led the way with an unbeaten 96-run knock in the second essay to take his side over the mark.

"It was probably the best batting performance I've seen from the Proteas in a while.

"The guys were really clinical, and I think the way Dean led with the bat was phenomenal. He made sure he stayed in to a built partnerships with the other batters around him," Philander told Cricket South Africa website.

Philander felt the side's mindset "made a huge difference." "I think in the first innings the boys were a bit tentative, maybe a bit on the defensive side of things. But if you look at the second innings we saw some clear intent.

"The guys were looking to score quicker and you could see the difference it made in demeanour, in body language and the sort of surprise it gave the Indian bowlers, who wouldn't have expected the South Africans to come out and attack as they did.

"It makes a massive difference when you just come out and just allow the bowler to bowl at you compared to showing positive intent like they did. The way they batted was proper," Philander said.

The 36-year-old, who has represented South Africa in 64 Tests, 30 ODIs and seven T20Is, felt the home team's bowling unit did its job well.

"We've always been known to be slow starters, but the way the boys bounced back after losing the toss as well was excellent. There was a lot of expectations on the bowlers to bowl India out and they did that. I thought they bowled phenomenally well in partnerships.

"They probably started a little bit slow in the second innings and may have been disappointed with the areas they hit. They could have been trying too hard and in the process afforded India more opportunities than they would have expected." Philander, who took 224 Test wickets and scored nearly 1779 runs, was lavish in his praise for Kagiso Rabada.

Rabada bowled a game changing spell right before lunch on the third day, taking the key wickets of Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Rishabh Pant in quick succession.

"…with the ball we can't not mention KG and that one spell where he turned the game upside down after lunch. In a series like this against a strong India team, you're going to need bowlers to deliver spells like those that break the game open completely." he said.

But despite the phenomenal display, Philander felt the South African bowlers could have restricted India to a lower total in the second innings.

"There was something in the wicket as we saw and had they been more patient, they could have probably bowled India out even cheaper, but over giving yourself something around the 200 mark, we would have always taken that in the last innings."  The series-deciding final Test is scheduled to begin on Tuesday at Newlands and Philander feels the two sides are neck and neck.

"I don't think there's much between the two teams going into Cape Town. The last Test would have given South Africa a massive boost on all fronts.

"Very often that is all that you need, one win as a team to give you that confidence and momentum. They will feel they now have that behind them and they can go on to win the series," he said.  "Coming to Newlands, one of our favourite hunting grounds, I'm really looking forward to the final Test. It's going to be a cracker." 

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Johannesburg, Jan 7 (Cricket News) Rahul Dravid never believed in "rocking the boat" and is certainly not going to change his template of giving the longest rope possible to Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane even if Hanuma Vihari's wait for regular chances gets a tad longer.

Vihari, Indian cricket's 'Tough Runs Man' has never had it easy in terms of chances as he has played only one of his 13 Tests at home and it was skipper Virat Kohli's back spasms and Shreyas Iyer's stomach bug that opened the door for another chance.

The Hyderabad man did his bit in the second innings with an unbeaten 40 in India's target of 240 for the Proteas.

"Firstly I must say Vihari played really in both innings. In first innings he got a nasty one and unfortunately for him, it popped up and fielder just got his finger tips to it and really got a good catch, he batted beautifully in the second innings and that gives us confidence you know," Dravid was effusive in his praise for Vihari.

He also took the opportunity to praise Shreyas Iyer, another strong middle-order contender.

"Shreyas (Iyer) obviously done that two or three Test matches ago and he has obviously done that and they have just got to take heart from the fact that whenever they are getting opportunities, they are doing well and hopefully their time would come." But that doesn't mean that he will be preferred over and above a Rahane or a Pujara in this set-up with Kohli set to comeback in the next game, Dravid made it pretty clear.

In fact, without naming, he cited examples during his playing days when the middle-order was jam-packed and guys like Kohli, Pujara and Rahane had to wait for a year or two before being Test team regulars.

"If you look at some of our guys now senior players and being sort of considered, senior players, they have also had to wait for their time and also have had to score a lot of runs at the start of their careers." Dravid does have a transition and phase-out plan but like everything has its own opportune time, this will also have to wait.

"So it happens (wait) as its nature of the sport," he said adding, "We can take a lot of heart from the manner Vihari batted in this game and that should give him a lot of confidence and that should give us a lot of confidence." Siraj doubtful for Cape Town Test ========================== Dravid confirmed that fast bowler Mohammed Siraj hasn't recovered from the hamstring injury sustained during the second Test and it can't be said with certainty that he will be available for the final game starting in Cape Town from January 11.

"Siraj is not fully fit and we need to check going forward what is his fitness status. In the next 4 days, whether he can get fit and physio will be doing scans." "As far as Hanuma Vihari's on-field hit is concerned, I am not in a position to tell the extent of injury as I haven't had a detailed chat with the physio." Siraj's injury did pose a problem while defending a neither here nor there kind of target which 240 was.

"Losing Siraj (was a factor) as he wasn't 100 percent in the first innings," said Dravid while lauding the fast bowler's heart to even bowl when he was injured.

"We had the fifth bowler and we couldn't use him as much as we would have liked in that first innings and it did affect our strategy." Used Ashwin first-up on 4th afternoon to exploit "dry ball" =================================== Starting the fourth afternoon's proceedings with Ravichandran Ashwin did draw a lot of flak but the head coach defended the decision.

"I guess we saw the ball spinning on third day for Ashwin and we wanted to get him into action till the ball was dry and see if he gets some spin in first few overs.

"As ball got wet (due to wet outfield), it was difficult for a spinner to get into the game. He (Ashwin) bowled a really good spell on the third day. The gamble was to try and give him the dry ball," the coach explained.

Not having practice game isn't an excuse ========================= Dravid, who had already spoken about how batters should seize key moments, didn't agree that not having practice match could be an excuse.

"We prepared as well as we could in these Covid situations and fact that we didn't have a three-day game, ...really dont have excuses apart from fact that we played well in first Test and SA outplayed us in this game."

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Johannesburg, Jan 7 (Cricket News) The legendary Sunil Gavaskar feels Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane repaid the trust that was shown in them, adding it is easy to get excited by young talents but the team should continue showing faith in its senior players as long as they are "not getting out badly." After a string of poor performances, the under-fire duo of Pujara and Rahane came good with the bat, scoring half-centuries in India’s second innings of the second Test.

"The team has backed them because of the experience and what they have done in the past. They had the belief that they will come good and they did," Gavaskar said on ‘Star Sports.’ "Sometimes we can be a little bit hard on some of our senior players because you have these exciting young players waiting in the wings and we all want to see them get a bit of exposure.

“But as long as these senior players are playing well and not getting out badly, then I think we should show faith in them," he added.

India was without the services of regular skipper Virat Kohli who was ruled out of the Test minutes before the toss due to a lower back spasm.

"It is amazing, this is the first time that India have lost a Test match in which Virat Kohli has not played. They drew once in Sydney but otherwise they have always won.

Despite Rahane and Pujara’s knocks India was not able to contain the South African batters, specially skipper Dean Elgar, who stitched crucial partnerships to lead the hosts to series-levelling 1-1 win here on Thursday.

Gavaskar was not impressed by stand-in skipper KL Rahul’s field placements. He was also critical of the Indian fielding.

“I thought giving Dean Elgar those singles at the start of the innings was making life a little bit easier for him.

"Elgar is not a hooker of the ball so to have two men in the deep did not make any sense. He was taking the singles quite comfortably.

“The Indian fielding could have been just that little bit sharper. But otherwise, it was the South Africans who won the game. I don't think the Indians lost it, the South Africans who won this game," said Gavaskar. 

Also Read : I told myself last night to stay till the end: Elgar

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Johannesburg, Jan 6 (Cricket News) Virat Kohli has already been in the nets and "should be fine" for the Test series decider against South Africa, said India's stand in captain K L Rahul on Thursday.

Skipper Kohli was ruled out of the second Test due to upper back spasms.

South Africa won the second Test by seven wickets to level the series.

"Virat is feeling better already, been in the nets the last couple of days fielding and running around and I think he should be fine," said Rahul at the post-match presentation.

Head coach Rahul Dravid too provided an update on Kohli's fitness at the media interaction.

"He is looking good and having knock at nets. Couple of sessions in Cape Town, he will be good to go," said the coach.

Rahul also spoke on Mohammad Siraj's hamstring injury that he suffered during the second Test. Despite the injury, Siraj kept bowling in the match but was far from his best.

"Siraj is starting to feel better each day. A couple of days break might really help him. But we have quality on our bench as well, Ishant and Umesh are waiting.

"Looking forward to Cape Town. We expected every game to be competitive. A loss like this is disappointing but we've always been a team that gets hungrier after a loss. Credit to South Africa for the way they batted," said Rahul.

'We were 60-70 runs short in first innings' ========================== With South Africa chasing 240 on a tricky surface, India were favourites but the hosts put up a memorable batting performance to record a comfortable win.

Rahul said their below par first innings score of 202 made a lot of difference in the outcome of the game.

"We all felt we could do something special, 122 (on day four) wasn't going to be that easy to get, the pitch was up and down, but like I said, the South African batsmen were really determined and got the job done. If I have to be really harsh, after winning the toss we could have put 60-70 runs more." He also reserved praise for Shardul Thakur, who put an all-round performance in the game including a seven wicket haul in the first innings.

Rahul also lauded senior batters Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara who struck crucial 50s in the second innings under extreme pressure.

"They've been great players for us, they've always done the job for the team over the years. They've obviously been under the pump a bit, but in the team we believe Pujara and Ajinkya are our best middle order batsmen.

"We always knew they could do something like that. Hopefully that gives them confidence and they can go out in the next test and put up an even better performance." Some call it stupid, some call it brave: Elgar on taking body blows ========================================= South Africa skipper struck a match-winning and unbeaten 96 on day four to script a famous win for his team. On the way, he also took a lot of blow on the body which stood out in his gritty knock.

"I would like to think the knocks I take make me extra motivated to perform. Some would call it stupid and some would call it brave. The bigger picture is for us to win.

"We struggled to get a stable batting line-up and we had to be very patient. We've entrusted those positions to guys we feel can perform those roles and great to see them pull it off," said the southpaw.

On the team's comeback from the loss in the series opener, he said: "The basics of batting and bowling don't go away. We missed that in the first game. Saying that, it wasn't easy. Tough conditions we had to face as a batting unit.

"As a bowling unit, the Indians were on top at times. Massive respect to our bowling unit, they showed a lot of character. With KG (Kagiso Rabada), there was something that happened behind the scenes but we're not going to get into that. Sometimes KG needs a rocket. You could then almost sense the intensity and focus, he was in the zone.

"The moment he has that attitude, he wants to bowl and wants to contribute, you have to use it as a captain. It was awesome to see him on fire." Elgar is also keeping his cards close to his chest ahead of the series decider.

"I played a domestic game in Cape Town, not going to give away any info. 1-1, South Africa vs India, I don't think you could have written a better script," he added. 

Also Read : South Africa beat India by seven wickets in second Test, level series

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(Cricket news) At the end of day 3 South Africa have the advantage and are looking the most likely team to win. India started day 3 on 85 for 2 with Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara on the crease. The pair made the best possible start with their run scoring intent. 

Two of India's most senior batters played a few aggressive strokes and came in with the intent of scoring quick runs. Both reached their half centuries and took India's lead to 128. South African bowlers looked out of place for a while as they failed to trouble the batters. Kagiso Rabada then came through and got a double breakthrough as he produced an edge of Rahane on 58 for Kyle Verreynne to catch before trapping Pujara plum in front. Rishabh Pant came into bat and was hit on the helmet by Rabada while facing his 2nd ball. The next ball Pant hastily came down the track and tried to smash the ball but only managed to nick it. Pant's recklessness put India in a spot of bother at 167 for 5 with a lead of only 140.

Ravichandran Ashwin just like the others tried to get quick runs before edging Lungi Ngidi's ball down the leg side to the keeper. Shardul Thakur in classic Shardul Thakur fashion scored a quickfire 28 at less than a run a ball with powerful shots all over the field. He then gave his wicket away as he pulled Marco Jansen's ball straight to deep square leg. Jansen then got rid of Mohammed Shami and got into a heated confrontation with fromer Mumbai Indians teammate Jasprit Bumrah. Ngidi picked up the wicket of Bumrah shortly after. Hanuma Vihari who had been playing sensibly at the other end, started to play his shots with only one wicket in hand. He got himself to 40 before Ngidi bowled Mohammed Siraj. 

Aiden Markram started really aggressively with 240 to chase, playing a range of shots while Dean Elgar was cautious at the other end. While on 20 his edge of Bumrah fell just short of 2nd slip. KL Rahul responded by bringing on 1st innings hero Shardul Thakur straight after the tea break. Markram hit a four off the 2nd ball of Thakur's 2nd over. He then struck Markram on his pads in the 3rd ball but was not given out due to height. The 4th ball was similar but this time was going down the leg side. He beat the outside edge on the 5th ball and struck him plum on the back leg in the last ball to get India the breakthrough. 

Keegan Peterson joined his skipper in the middle and added 46 important runs before Ravichandran Ashwin got him out LBW. Rassie van der Dussen then came out to bat. Indian bowlers turned the heat on Elgar and hit him with a lot of body but the Proteas captain fought hard and held on. South Africa ended the day on 118 for 2 with 122 more runs needed with 2 days left. South Africa are favourites now but India have won games from worst situations in the past year with these same set of bowlers. Two early wickets is all it will take for India to get right back in the contest. Dean Elgar looked well winded at the end and it will be interesting to see if he feels the effects of it on day 4. If Elgar and Van der Dussen bat out the first hour it will be difficult for India to bounce back. Day 4 will almost certainly be the last day of this enthralling Test match.

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Johannesburg, Jan 5 (Cricket News) Cheteshwar Pujara strongly believes in old adage "form is temporary but class is permanent" and said it holds true for him and Ajinkya Rahane as their fluent half-centuries kept India in the hunt for a win in the second Test.

Pujara and Rahane had been in wretched form in the run-up to this second innings and their 111-run stand formed the cornerstone of India setting a target of 240-run for the Proteas.

Asked if he and Rahane felt the pressure after legendary Sunil Gavaskar had predicted that second innings could be their last chance, Pujara's reply had the same positive intent that was there during his batting.

"We are confident and there is lot of backing from team management. We have always been learning from Sunny bhai and whenever I have spoken to him, he has always been supportive," Pujara said at the end of the day's play.

He understands that questions will be asked when runs will dry up but players like him and Rahane have won a lot of games for the team.

"Yes, there are times when you are going through bad form, there will be questions but we are confident players. Myself and Ajinkya and we know we are working hard on our game and there's a saying form is temporary but class is permanent and it applies here.

"We have done well in past and management has showed a lot of faith in us and it has paid for sure and once batter is back in form, you keep scoring runs and keep going up and up," he said.

For Pujara it has been a great thing that both coach Rahul Dravid and captain Virat Kohli have supported him.

"The team management has always been supportive except the outside noise, coaching staff, captain everyone has been behind the players.

"There are times when you don't get too many runs but important is to follow right routine and keep working on game because at times, you won't get runs but if you follow the right processes, you will get runs and this is what has happened. I am sure this form will continue." Heavy roller settles the pitch down ==================== Pujara is confident that the pitch will deteriorate in the second hour with variable bounce coming into play.

However the use of heavy roller on the track does make batting easier, he admitted.

"I think with heavy roller, the pitch settles a bit, it takes little bit of time for cracks to open up as the dents are there and it settles down a bit. After an hour or so it starts having variable bounce, that's what we are expecting tomorrow, first hour it might play nicely," he said.

Pant will come good ============= Pujara backed Rishabh Pant who copped a lot of flak for charging down the track to Kagiso Rabada and throwing his wicket away.

"We all know that Rishabh plays an attacking game. While he didn't get runs in this game, he will surely come good in the coming games," PUjara said. 

Also Read : Elgar would be key to get us over the line: Sammons

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Johannesburg, Jan 5 (Cricket News) Coming out with a strong response in pursuit of a challenging 240-run target, South Africa ended the day three of the second Test against India at 118 for two, here Wednesday.

Skipper Dean Elgar (46), who took many a blow on his body, and Rassie van der Dussen (11) will resume the home chase on Thursday morning. They need 122 more runs to level the series.

India removed opener Aiden Markaram (34) and Keegan Petersen (28) but the home batters ensured there were no more setbacks after that.

Earlier, resuming at 85 for two, India put on board 266 runs. Cheteshwar Pujara (53), Ajinkya Rahane (58), Hanuma Vihari (40 not out) and Shardul Thakur (28) defied the Proteas attack.

Pacers Lungi Ngidi (3/43), Marco Jansen (3/67) and Kagiso Rabada (3/73) shared nine wickets between them.

India are leading the series 1-0, having won the Centurion Test by 113 runs.

Brief Scores: India: 202 and 266 in 60.1 overs (A Rahane 58, C Pujara 53; K Rabada 3/73, M Jansen 3/67, L Ngidi 3/43).

South Africa: 202 and 118 for 2 in 40 overs. (D Elgar 46 batting, A Markaram 34, R Ashwin 1/14, S Thakur 1/24).

Also Read : India set South Africa 240-run target to win second Test

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Johannesburg, Jan 5 (Cricket News) India set South Africa a tricky 240-run target to win the second Test after being bowled out for 266 in their second innings on the third day of the match here on Wednesday.

Resuming at 85 for two, India called the shots with Cheteshwar Pujara (53) and Ajinkya Rahane (58) striking half-centuries.

Once they were dismissed by Kagiso Rabada, the Indian innings seemed to have lost momentum with Rishabh Pant falling without opening his account.

However, Hanuma Vihari (40 not out) and Shardul Thakur (28) defied the Proteas attack to swell India's overall lead.

Pacers Rabada (3/73), Lungi Ngidi (3/43) and Marco Jansen (3/67) shared nine wickets between them.

If India manage to defend the total, they will seal their maiden Test series triumph in South Africa.

Brief Scores: India: 202 and 266 in 60.1 overs (A Rahane 58, C Pujara 53; K Rabada 3/73, M Jansen 3/67, L Ngidi 3/43).

South Africa 1st innings: 202. 

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Johannesburg, Jan 5 (Cricket News) India reached 188 for six at lunch to stretch their overall lead to 161 runs against South Africa on the third day of the second Test here on Wednesday.

Hanuma Vihari and Shardul Thakur were batting on 6 and 4, respectively, when lunch was called at the Wanderers Stadium.

Cheteshwar Pujara (53) and Ajinkya Rahane (58), who started the day's proceedings for India, got out after scoring half centuries.

India resumed their second innings at overnight score of 85 for two.

Brief scores: India: 202 and 188/6 in 44 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 58, Cheteshwar Pujara 53; Kagiso Rabada 3/54) South Africa 1st innings: 202. 

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Dubai, Jan 5 (Cricket News) India opener KL Rahul has made a huge gain of 18 slots to reach the 31st position among batters in the latest ICC Test rankings after his Player-of-the-Match effort that helped India defeat South Africa by 113 runs in the first Test.

With the win in Centurion, India took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series which is a part of the World Test Championship (WTC).

Rahul, whose best in the format is eighth position that he attained in November 2017, struck 123 in the first innings and was associated in an important 117-run opening partnership with Mayank Agrawal (60) as India became the first Asian team to win a Test match at the venue while gaining important points in the WTC points table.

Agarwal has gained one place for his contribution, while Ajinkya Rahane is up two places to 25th in the latest update that is carried out on Wednesdays and includes all matches that are completed by Tuesday each week.

Fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami are other Indians to move up the rankings.

Bumrah was up three spots to ninth after finishing with five wickets in the match while Shami's eight wickets, including a five-for in the first innings, saw him move up two places to 17th.

For South Africa, captain and opener Dean Elgar has progressed two spots to 14th after a fighting 77 in the second innings, while Temba Bavuma was up 16 places to 39th for his scores of 52 and 35 not out.

Kagiso Rabada, who grabbed seven scalps, has advanced one place to sixth position while his fellow fast bowler Lungi Ngidi has gained 16 slots and is 30th on the list after finishing with eight wickets in the match.

Debutant left-arm fast bowler Marco Jensen entered the rankings in 97th position. 

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(Cricket news) South Africa started day 2 of the 2nd Test against India at Johannesburg at 35/1 in reply to India's 202 in the first innings. The good news for India was that Mohammed Siraj was on the field despite limping off with a hamstring injury on day 1.

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami started with their spells and didn't give Keegan Peterson and Dean Elgar any bad deliveries whatsoever. Despite creating so much pressure and bowling wicket taking balls Peterson and Elgar managed to hold on. Siraj came into bowl and it was pretty evident that he wasn't fit as his pace was significantly lower than usual. There was even a catching chance where he had to run backwards but couldn't. Had he been fully fit or had there been any other fielder the catch would've been taken. The Proteas batters got a few boundaries off Siraj and later Ravichandran Ashwin. 

Then entered Shardul Thakur who got rid of Dean Elgar with a beautiful ball from over the wicket. Keegan Peterson got himself to his maiden Test fifty showing incredible quality and grit but was dismissed on 62 by Shardul Thakur. Rassie van der Dussen was given out caught behind off Mohammed Shami. The decision was overturned after a review and the replays showed that the ball hadn't carried to Rishabh Pant despite the keeper claiming the catch. Moments after during the last over before Lunch Van der Dussen edged Thakur's ball which was caught by Pant. The umpire signaled out and Van der Dussen walked off but the replay showed that the ball had hit the grass. 

Van der Dussen was not called back and two new batters Temba Bavuma and Kyle Verreynne walked out to bat. Bavuma scored his 2nd consecutive half centuryThe pair added 60 runs playing exquisite strokes before Thakur once again came in and picked up both their wickets. Shami came into the attack and picked up Kagiso Rabada's wicket. Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj got South Africa past India's total with their aggressive approach. Jasprit Bumrah picked up his first wicket of the match as he clean bowled Keshav Maharaj. Shardul Thakur got the last two wickets of Jansen and Lungi Ngidi as he finished with the figures of 7/61 his best in Test cricket. It was also the best figures by an Indian bowler against South Africa.

KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal came into bat as India trailed by 27 runs. Jansen picked up Rahul's wicket while Mayank Agarwal didn't offer a shot to Duanne Olivier's in-swinger and was given out LBW. Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya who are potentially playing for their place in the side negotiated the rest of the overs very well and played some good strokes in the process. India ended the day on 85 for 2 with a lead of 58.

Also read: The progression of KL Rahul as a Test cricketer over the last year

Johannesburg, Jan 4 (Cricket News) South African batter Keegan Petersen said his team will look to keep India's lead under 200 in the second Test as anything more will be difficult to chase on a pitch that is getting tougher by the day.

The seasoned duo of Cheteshwar Pujara (35 batting) and Ajinkya Rahane (11 batting) showed positive intent in the back-end of day two as India recovered to 85 for 2 from 44 for 2 to take an overall 58-run lead.

"The more they get the more it's gonna be for us to get. It's a difficult bowling attack to come up against," Petersen, who was South Africa's top-scorer in the first innings, said after day two's proceedings.

"So realistically, I'd say anything under 200 maybe would be a good totals chase but the more they get, the further away it makes for us." Against some top quality Indian bowling, the 28-year-old notched up his maiden half-century -- a defiant 62 off 118 balls -- in his fourth Test appearance.

Petersen's 118-ball knock came to an end shortly before lunch when he was caught at second slip by Mayank Agarwal after he edged the ball off the bowling of Shardul Thakur who returned with a careerbest 7 for 61.

"It's gonna be tough in the rest of the Test. Pitch is definitely not going to get easier to bat on. There was some top quality bowling attack this morning that kept us on our toes all the time," Petersen said.

"So I'm happy... I wish I could have done more to put the team in a better position. But we will take it as it comes.

"They (Indian bowlers) came out all guns blazing. It was a challenging two hours in the morning session. Both the conditions and the way they executed their plans, it was just good bowling and very tricky." Petersen credited his dad Dirk Petersen for his solid technique that was on full display on day two.

"I have been batting the same way since I was a kid. My only thanks to my dad who is the only guy working with me all his life. So it comes naturally I think." "He played cricket a little bit. I was a kid when he was at the back end of his career in club cricket and that's how I was dragged along," he recalled about his journey.

Petersen Senior's cricket career saw him share the field as part of the Western Province B team in the late 1980s and early 90s. 

Also Read : The progression of KL Rahul as a Test cricketer over the last year.

News Sources : PTI

Johannesburg, Jan 4 (Cricket News) Unheralded seam bowler Shardul Thakur turned out to be an unlikely hero with a career-best 7 for 61 to keep India on even keel against South Africa on an intriguing second day of the second Test here on Tuesday.

Standing at 5 feet 7 inches and with a physique which is an antithesis of what is perceived to be a fast bowler's body, the skiddy Thakur (17.5-3-61-7) landed crucial blows at opportune moments to send the Proteas packing for 229 in their first innings.

It was his effort that nullified India's seemingly inadequate first innings score of 202 with the lead being restricted to 27 and then erased by visitors as they reached 85 for 2 at stumps, losing stand-in skipper KL Rahul (8) and Mayank Agarwal's (23) wicket.

The two under-fire seniors Cheteshwar Pujara (35 batting) and Ajinkya Rahane (11 batting) were at the crease and for a change showed lot of positivity and intent. India now lead by 58 runs.

Shardul means 'Tiger' in Sanskrit and his teammates teasingly call him 'Lord Beefy' which incidentally is legendary all-rounder Ian Botham's nickname.

The 'Tiger' was in a mood to hunt inside the 'Bull Ring' under sunny the Johannesburg skyline and he did exactly that, coming up with a performance which is over and above what even coach Rahul Dravid would have expected.

On a pitch with spongy, tennis ball like bounce, a total of 180 to 200 will be an onerous fourth innings chase for South Africa as the match is expected to end well within four days if the weather doesn't play spoilsport.

The day started nicely for South Africa as their dogged skipper Dean Elgar (28 off 120 balls) was happy to play the ugly waiting game while allowing his younger colleague Keegan Peterson (62 off 118 balls) to play an attacking role.

It was going well in a stand of 74 as South Africa reached 88 for one before Thakur was brought into the attack in the 34th over as the second change.

With Mohammed Siraj bowling from a shorter run-up and not able to exert himself fully due to a hamstring injury, the man from Maharashtra's Palghar district had to take more responsibility with the team virtually one bowler short.

Mohammed Shami (2/52 in 21 overs) and Jasprit Bumrah (1/49 in 21 overs) once again bowled their hearts out, beat the outside edges without much luck before Thakur came into the picture and dealt three blows in quick succession just before lunch.

Under-Rated skill sets but very effective ========================= Thakur, when he burst into the domestic scene, was more of a 135 kmph plus bowler but over the years, he is bowling in the 120-130 kmph band but possesses a mean outswinger and a lethal off-cutter delivered with scrambled seam and grip of a slower delivery.

In case of a scrambled seam, the stitched part of the ball doesn't hit the ground and if the ball's shine is maintained well, which the Indian team did diligently, it lands on the skin (red part) and starts skidding at a pace which is more than what the batters can apprehend.

"Since he has a habit of bowling a lot of off-breaks (slower delivery for pacers with tweak of finger) in limited overs cricket, he is using that skill effectively in Tests also. He might bowl at 130 kmph but with the scrambled seam, he hurries the batter a touch more)," his childhood coach Dinesh Lad told PTI from Mumbai.

The delivery that got Peterson was a conventional outswinger which wasn't at drivable length and the batter went for a non-existent punch through covers only to land in second slip Agarwal's palms.

Before that, Peterson's left-handed skipper Elgar got one that moved late taking the outside edge.

Similarly, in the second session, just when Temba Bavuma (51 off 60 balls) and Kyle Verreynne (21) added 58 and looked like heading for a sizeable lead, Thakur produced a fuller one with scrambled seam that landed on the 'fifth off stump' and cut back sharply to trap the young keeper leg before.

In case of Bavuma, the delivery was fired towards his rib cage and was drifting down before Rishabh Pant took an extraordinary catch down the leg-side.

He again came back in the final session to wrap up the innings.

Thakur doesn't have the lethal yorker of Bumrah or the top quality skill sets of Shami or the scorching pace of Siraj. But he is more than the sum total of his parts, in this case the skills which make him special.

A contentious caught behind ================== Out of Shardul's seven wickets, the dismissal of Rassie van der Dussen did create some controversy as TV replays turned out to be inconclusive whether Thakur's off-cutter, that literally had the batter cut into half, was taken cleanly by Pant.

One angle seemed to suggest that it was picked on the bounce and it was learnt that home team captain Elgar visited the match referee's room to have a chat.

In 2011, Mahendra Singh Dhoni in an exemplary show of sportsmanship had called back Ian Bell after the batter was adjudged run-out in the post lunch session.

On Tuesday, with match hanging in balance, no such favours were doled out by the current team.

Also Read : Thakur gets maiden five-for as SA reach 191/7 at tea

News Sources : PTI

(Cricket news) KL Rahul's white ball career has been a steady climb but his red ball career has been up and down over the years. The past year has been a revelation in his Test career. When KL Rahul was selected for the Border Gavaskar trophy 2020/21 the decision had its own set of critics that said that bringing him back based on IPL performances after dropping him for bad Test performances doesn't make sense. 

Rahul sat out the entire tour of Australia, the home series against England and the World Test Championship. Shubman Gill was ruled out of the England series and Mayank Agarwal was all set to replace him. Agarwal was hit on the helmet during a net session and was ruled out of the game due to concussion issues. KL Rahul, who was essentially the 5th choice opener 2 tours ago got a golden opportunity at Nottingham and scored a fantastic 84. He backed it up with a match-winning century at Lords for which he was named Player of the Match. He scored another crucial 46 at the Oval which India won. 

After missing the home series against New Zealand due to injury, KL Rahul scored a century in the 1st game against South Africa at Centurion. He was also named vice captain of the side after Ajinkya Rahane was removed from the position and his replacement Rohit Sharma injured himself. India won the match at Centurion and Rahul was named Player of the Match. Virat Kohli suffered a back spasm before the start of the 2nd Test at Johannesburg and KL Rahul walked out in a blazer for the toss and became the 34th player to captain the Indian men's Test team.

From not being in the squad to becoming Test captain in an important away game against South Africa, KL Rahul has come a very long way in such a short period of time. He has had a bit of luck with injuries to competitors but eventually his performances on the field has made him a regular in all 3 formats. He is also the new white ball vice-captain and will captain the side in the ODIs against South Africa in place of the injured Rohit Sharma. 


Also read: Australia look for a whitewash against bruised England in Sydney

(Cricket news) The big news at the toss was that it was KL Rahul who walked out in a blazer instead of Virat Kohli who was ruled out due to an upper back spasm. India elected to bat after winning the toss as Hanuma Vihari replaced Kohli. South Africa replaced the now retired Quinton de Kock with Kyle Verreynne while Duanne Olivier came in place of Wiaan Mulder. 

India had a decent start as the Karnataka boys Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul looked comfortable at the crease. The first chance for South Africa came in the 11th over when Kagiso Rabada's in-swinger caught Agarwal's inside edge onto the pad and fell just short of forward square leg. Three overs later, Marco Jansen got rid of Agarwal with an outswinger. Cheteshwar Pujara came in to bat and soon edged a short ball that once again was wide of leg gully. Olivier got rid of Pujara on 3 towards the end of the session. Ajinkya Rahane walked out to bat at no. 4 in the absence of Virat Kohli and got a golden duck. He chased Olivier's ball outside the line and edged it to 3rd slip. 

Hanuma Vihari came into bat and should have been dismissed on 9 by Ngidi but the catch was dropped by Temba Bavuma. He eventually got out on 20 as Rabada's bouncy ball caught his inside edge straight to short leg. All this while KL Rahul remained resilient and watchful. He reached his fifty in 128 balls but threw his wicket away straight after that as he tried to pull Jansen's ball but found Rabada fine leg who took a good catch. Ravichandran Ashwin straight away took the aggressive approach scoring at a run a ball. India lost Rishabh Pant and Shardul Thakur in quick succession after tea and India were in a spot of bother on 157-6. Rabada got rid of Shami before he could do much damage. Ashwin played really well as he played all kinds of strokes but was dismissed on 46 by Jansen. Jasprit Bumrah had his fun for a while as he scored 14 of 11 balls hitting 2 fours and a big six. Rabada dismissed Mohammed Siraj to end India's innings at 202.

Aiden Markram and Dean Elgar played a couple boundaries to get South Africa to 14 for no loss in under 4 overs. Mohammed Shami got the first breakthrough as his in-swinger trapped Markram plum in front. India couldn't manage to get another wicket as Elgar and Keegan Peterson held on. The pair was incredibly lucky on multiple occasions. Peterson was dropped on 12 by Pant off Bumrah. Elgar had more than his fair share of luck as he played and missed way too many balls mostly from Siraj who towards the end of the day walked off the field as he looked to have pulled his hamstring. The day ended with South Africa on 35-1, just 167 runs behind India. The Proteas are now in the driver's seat and would be confident that they could level the series.


Also read: Australia look for a whitewash against bruised England in Sydney

Johannesburg, Jan 3 (Cricket News) South African quick Duanne Olivier, who played his first game for South Africa in nearly three years following his forced return from England, said playing the second Test versus India felt like a "debut game".

The 29-year-old, who signed a Kolpak deal with Yorkshire in 2019 but only to return to South African domestic circuit this season, returned with 3/64 as India were bowled out for 202 in 63.1 overs on day one of the second Test.

"To be honest, when I played today I felt like it was a new debut. You can say I was very nervous today," Olivier said in a media interaction after the day one's proceedings.

Olivier opened his account with Cheteshwar Pujara's wicket and then sent the struggling Ajinkya Rahane out for a golden duck off the very next ball to race to his 50 wickets in Test cricket.

"For me, it's just trying to have good energy on the ball, to put the team in the best position. So we can make life easier for the batters." On top of the world in 2019, Olivier signed the Kolpak deal with Yorkshire and later expressed his ambitions to try and qualify for England.

Olivier played three seasons in England but was no longer a Kolpak player with the loophole coming to a close at the end of 2020 in the wake of Brexit.

He has been the leading wicket-taker in South Africa's domestic first-class competition this season with 28 wickets at an average of under 12.

But the strongly-built pacer had to sit out of the first Test in Centurion because of lingering effects of COVID-19 and also a hamstring niggle.

Lungi Nigdi gave him a perfect support but bowled only 11 overs, without any wicket.

"I don't know why he only bowled 11 overs. I can't tell you that but I think he was very unlucky, he was bowling exceptionally well.

"It's one of these days, when you don't get the rewards even if you bowled well. There's still the second innings, maybe he will get the rewards then." Asked about their bowling unit's transformation from the first Test, he said: "If you look at the first Test, as a bowling unit on the first day I don't think we can pride ourselves on that. If you want to be hypercritical, probably we gave away 20-30 runs too many.

"The message was simple, just try to make them play more and stick to the plan, stick to the process that makes us successful as a bowling unit.

"At the end of the day it's easy to say we didn't bowl well in the first Test. It was our first Test after a long time but no excuses. We have improved, we want to improve more. We don't settle for anything," he concluded.

Also Read : We can still make a match out of it: Ashwin after India's 202 all out on day one

News Sources : PTI

Johannesburg, Jan 3 (Cricket News) Stand-in captain KL Rahul scored a gutsy half-century but could not convert that into a big knock as another shoddy display by Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane left India in a troublesome 146 for 5 at tea on the opening day of the second Test against South Africa, here Monday.

With skipper Virat Kohli ruled out of the match due to back spasm, Rahul (50 off 133 balls) was patience-personified on a bouncy and seaming Wanderers track before one pull shot ended his gritty knock in the post-lunch session.

The Indian skipper for the game hit nine boundaries and he mostly played the short ball well. He kept his pull shots down the ground and drove well before Marco Jansen (2/18) induced from a pull shot that went into Kagiso Rabada's hands at fine leg.

He had nice little partnership of 42 runs between him and Hanuma Vihari (20) before an inspirational close-in catch from Rassie Van der Dussen at short leg sent the latter back.

Rishabh Pant (13) and an attacking Ravichandran Ashwin (24 batting 21 balls) added 30 in quick time as India aimed to get at least a total between 225 to 250 in the first innings.

It was Duanne Olivier who dismissed out-of-form batters Pujara and Rahane off successive balls to leave Virat Kohli-less India reeling in the first session.

Having given up hopes of playing for England, Olivier, who played his first Test in Proteas colour after three years, removed Pujara (3 off 33 balls) with extra bounce and then with slight seam movement had Rahane (0) caught at slips.

Olivier (2/47) bowled multiple spells after being given the new ball alongside Kagiso Rabada.

Mayank Agarwal (26) looked fluent in the first hour with five boundaries before Marco Jansen pitched one in the spot from where it wasn't on drivable length as it climbed on. The opener went for a drive only to edge that to wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne.

Rahul on his part survived strong caught behind and leg before appeals which were negated by debutant umpire Allahudien Palekar, someone who impressed on debut.

The start wasn't great for India as they could not have skipper Kohli in the playing XI due to back spasms but Rahul couldn't blamed for electing to bat first and make best use of difficult conditions.

Till Agarwal was giving him company, the openers just like Centurion, looked good but once he was gone, Pujara once again got into a shell and was very uncomfortable against steep bounce which finally became his undoing.

Olivier's natural back of length deliveries were perfect recipe for disaster as he fended one that was wide of short leg fielder but the next one lobbed up to point fielder for an easy catch.

Rahane's dismissal was that of a player, whose confidence has been torn to pieces. The ball pitched on fourth stump channel with a shade cut-back that creates indecision on whether to play or not. Rahane dangled his bat and the catch was taken in the slips. 

Also Read : Australia look for a whitewash against bruised England in Sydney

News Source : PTI

Johannesburg, Jan 3 (Cricket News) The upper back spasm that ruled Virat Kohli out of the second Test against South Africa could well be a recurrence of the slip disc problem that had stopped him from playing English County cricket back in 2018.

The Indian skipper missed out on what would have been his 99th Test match for the country on the morning of the second game against South Africa here, adding to the intriguing drama that is unfolding around him on an almost daily basis now.

This was after the skipper had a good net session at the Wanderers on Sunday afternoon and coach Rahul Dravid, as is his wont is, didn't drop the slightest hint that the skipper has niggling back issues which have resurfaced after nearly three and half years.

Kohli, in fact, had posted some snap-shots of his training session where he was seen lunging forward and playing the on-drive. It was obvious that he felt fine as he went through an intense net session only to develop a discomfort on the morning of the Test match.

Interestingly, his IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore had tweeted a picture of KL Rahul with a tweet "The focus shifts to the Wanderers as #TeamIndia have a chance to seal the series." Nothing wrong with the tweet save the fact that it was posted 12 noon IST, at least one hour before Kohli's injury status was revealed at the toss by Rahul, who is not a part of the RCB set-up. Although to be fair to them, it didn't mention Rahul as India captain.

Kohli having troubles with his back isn't a new thing.

In 2018, he was suffering from a condition called 'herniated disc' (slipped disc) and was advised by the doctor to not play county cricket for Surrey if he wanted to be part of the Test series after that.

The condition didn't warrant a surgery which could have ruled him out for good three to four months.

A back spasm is sudden tightness and pain in back muscles. It may happen from overuse of muscle or an injury.

In case of Kohli, someone who is a fitness freak and pushes his body to the limits, the chances of back injury are always high and as one reaches mid 30s, the recovery takes more time.

If Kohli recovers within a week to play the third and final Test in Cape Town it would then mean that it wasn't very serious, just like Ajinkya Rahane's hamstring niggle that ruled him out of the Wankhede Test, a day after he had a full session at the BKC Indoor Centre.

With India 1-0 up, Kohli must have wanted to play this game and get back to form which has deserted him for almost two years now.

He was seen sombrely ambling around the Bull Ring before the start of the game and looked visibly disappointed on having to miss a game.

If runs have dried up on the field, his off-the field relationship with the BCCI hasn't exactly made matters easy for him as the establishment's poster boy isn't now on very good terms with the big wigs of the board.

So much so that someone like Dravid, who always likes a healthy distance from controversies, acknowledged that Kohli is being "phenomenal" around the group inspite of all the "noise" around him.

It was an admission that the feisty Indian Test captain is under pressure and perhaps a series win and at least one three-figure score or something close to it will remove a huge load off his chest.

Kohli would have surely addressed the media before the Cape Town Test starting January 11 had it been his landmark 100th game in the traditional format. That's what Dravid had promised on the eve of second Test.

Once "back spasm" ruled him out of contention from the second Test, it does not exactly seem to be the best of times for the megastar, who is battling on-field issues as batter and off-field differences with establishment.

Now it can't be said with any degree of certainty that whether he would be in a mood to take questions from media ahead of his 99th Test.

In any case, the degree of relevance between 99 and 100 is so vast, one can only wonder as to what exactly are the odds that he might not come.

But then Kohli is a non-conformist and could do exactly what nobody is apprehending him to do.

If India wins the series in South Africa, what's left to achieve for the maverick superstar. There could be some more surprises in store for cricket lovers and no one can quite guess at this point, what it could all lead to in the coming few months. 

Also Read : Hafeez says corrupt players should never be allowed to represent country

News Source : PTI

Johannesburg, Jan 3 (Cricket News) Duanne Olivier dismissed out-of-form batters Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane off successive balls to leave Virat Kohli-less India reeling at 53 for 3 at lunch against South Africa on the opening day of the second Test, here Monday.

Having given up hopes of playing for England, Olivier, who played his first Test in Proteas colour after three years, removed Pujara (3 off 33 balls) with extra bounce and then with slight seam movement had Rahane (0) caught at slips.

It left stand-in skipper KL Rahul (19 off 84 balls) with all the fire-fighting on his captaincy debut. Hanuma Viari was giving him company (4) at the break.

Olivier gave away 27 runs in 9 overs that he bowled in two spells after being given the new ball alongside Kagiso Rabada.

Mayank Agarwal (26) looked fluent in the first hour with five boundaries before Marco Jansen pitched one in the spot from where it wasn't on drivable length as it climbed on. The opener went for a drive only to edge that to wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne.

Rahul on his part survived strong caught behind and leg before appeals which were negated by debutant umpire Allahudien Palekar, someone who impressed on debut.

The start wasn't great for India as they could not have skipper Kohli in the playing XI due to back spasms but Rahul couldn't blamed for electing to bat first and make best use of difficult conditions.

Till Agarwal was giving him company, the openers just like Centurion, looked good but once he was gone, Pujara once again got into a shell and was very uncomfortable against steep bounce which finally became his undoing.

Olivier's natural back of length deliveries were perfect recipe for disaster as he fended one that was wide of short leg fielder but the next one lobbed up to point fielder for an easy catch.

Rahane's dismissal was that of a player, whose confidence has been torn to pieces. The ball pitched on fourth stump channel with a shade cut-back that creates indecision on whether to play or not. Rahane dangled his bat and the catch was taken in the slips. 

Also Read : Smith surprised by Broad's limited role in Ashes

News Source : PTI

Johannesburg, Jan 3 (Cricket News) Stand-in India captain KL Rahul won the toss and elected to bat in the second Test against South Africa, here on Monday.

Rahul is leading the side in the absence of regular skipper Virat Kohli, who has been forced out of the Test due to upper back spasm.

Hanuma Vihari replaced Kohli in the visitors playing XI.

South Africa made two changes from the playing XI that lost the first Test with Kyle Verreynne coming in for recently-retired Quinton de Kock and Duanne Olivier replacing Wiaan Mulder.

India are leading the three-match series 1-0.

Teams: India: KL Rahul (c), Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.

South Africa: Dean Elgar (c), Aiden Markram, Keegan Petersen, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Kyle Verreynne (w), Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Duanne Olivier and Lungi Ngidi. 

Also Read : Stokes backs Root and Silverwood, says 'no ambition' to be England captain

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) After a dominating 113 run win in the 1st Test, India will play the 2nd and potentially deciding Test in Johannesburg. A victory would mean that Virat Kohli's men will become the first Indian side to win a Test series in South Africa. The Proteas on the other hand would be looking to come back with a win. 

India's Possible Playing XI:

KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.

India do not have a reason to make any changes in the side. They have been persistent with the 5 bowlers theory and are expected to continue with the same. Ajinkya Rahane's decent performance in the first may just keep him in the side ahead of Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari. India have the option of Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma in case any of the seamers need to be rested or have niggles. Bumrah did twist his ankle in the 1st innings but still bowled extremely well in the last innings. There is a chance that Bumrah could sit out the game.

South Africa's Possible Playing XI: 

Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Keegan Peterson, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Kyle Verreynne, Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Duanne Olivier.

Quinton de Kock unexpectedly announced his retirement from Test cricket after the first Test concluded. Kyle Verreynne should come into the side for his 3rd Test match, Ryan Rickelton is the other option. Marco Jansen had a decent debut at Centurion but the Proteas attack was missing something which Duanne Olivier could bring in.

Also read: Takeaways from India's squad for ODIs against South Africa

Weather report:

Weather is likely to intervene from the 2nd day onwards as the first day is predicted to have cloud cover but no rain. The cloud cover would be good news for the seamers. The captain who wins the toss will be looking to field first and give his seamers something to work with. 

South Africa had a few very good periods in the game where they could have turned it around. Their batters weren't able to cope with India's relentless pace battery. The Proteas just need a few things to go their way. India just need to do the things they have been doing for the past year. The only thing that has room for improvement is the middle order. Pujara, Kohli and Rahane need to get among the runs to make up for playing 5 bowlers. At this point it is difficult to see India losing the game but the Proteas could take advantage of the home conditions and cause an upset.
 

Centurion, Dec 29 (PTI) Virat Kohli shouldn't give up on expansive drives which has got him loads of runs but he does need to be judicious while choosing the right delivery for the perfect execution, feels Indian team batting coach Vikram Rathour.

Kohli getting caught behind by the keeper or in the slip cordon while trying to lunge into cover drives and off-drives have become some sort of a norm and Rathour was asked about the kind of discussions that he has had with the Indian skipper.

"These are shots which brings him (Kohli) lots of runs and it's his scoring shot. He needs to play that shot and I think it is always your strength that turns out to be your weakness as well," Rathour said at the end of the fourth day's play of the first Test against South Africa here.

While Sachin Tendulkar once didn't play a single cover drive against Australia at Sydney during his 241 back in 2004, Rathour believes that merely curbing a certain stroke isn't the solution.

"If you don't play a certain shot, you will never get out playing that shot. You will never score runs as well. Now, when to play that shot, that's the part there are constant discussions.

"Was it right all and right stage to play that shot? If we can tighten up our game-plans a little more, that will be better. So that's the shot he (Kohli) plays well and he needs to carry on playing that shot but he needs to pick better balls," Rathour said, giving his opinion.

We have to be patient with Pujara and Rahane ============================ Rathour said that as a coaching unit, as long both Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane are giving their hundred percent, they are happy to persist with the out-of-form duo.

"They (Pujara and Rahane) are trying their best, giving their best. Rahane looked in really good touch before he got out. So has Pujara. He has played some important innings in the past. You see these are challenging conditions for everybody ..." Rathour said that the team management will show patience.

"You need to be patient and as long as they are trying their best and giving their best, as coaching unit we are fine, how much time they get or are we getting impatient, not at this stage." 

Also Read : Vijay Shankar to lead TN in Ranji Trophy; 3 newcomers in squad

News Sources : PTI

(Cricket news) India have put themselves in a good position after early troubles on day 3. India started the day on 272/3 with centurion KL Rahul on the crease along with Ajinkya Rahane. 

After a wicketless and underwhelming day 1, Kagiso Rabada came in all guns blazing as he got rid of KL Rahul, Ravichandran Ashwin and Shardul Thakur in quick succession. Lungi Ngidi on the other end took the wicket of Ajinkya Rahane when he was on 48 along with Rishabh Pant and Mohammed Shami. Debutant Marco Jansen picked up his maiden Test wicket in the form of Jasprit Bumrah. India's lower middle order collapsed like a pack of dominoes. Jasprit Bumrah was the best Indian batter on day 2 as he scored 14 and hit 2 glorious boundaries in the process. The Proteas changed things around very quickly as Ngidi finished with figures of 6/71 while Rabada finished on 3/72. Ngidi was the pick of the bowlers and was constantly troubling the Indian batters.

Skipper Dean Elgar walked out to bat with Aiden Markram and Jasprit Bumrah did what he always does. The seamer was on song from the very first ball as he got rid of Elgar in the very first over with a beautiful delivery. Keegan Peterson and Markram looked comfortable as the Proteas were 22/1 on lunch. Mohammed Shami started things off in the 2nd session and ran straight through the Proteas batters. He jagged the ball through the gate of Peterson before knocking Markram's top of off stump in quick succession. India had a set back in the 11th over as Jasprit Bumrah nastily twisted his ankle during his follow through. He was immediately taken off the field and returned on the field just before the tea break. 

Also read: Australia retain the Ashes after emphatic innings victory over lousy England

Mohammed Siraj got the outside edge of Rassie van der Dussen as the ball was caught by Rahane at Gully. Shortly after he got Quinton de Kock's outside edge but the catch was dropped by KL Rahul at 3rd slip. De Kock along with Temba Bavuma stitched together a very crucial 72 run partnership. De Kock looked a little nervous but Bavuma played some exquisite strokes as he reached his half century. Ravichandran Ashwin had a tough day as he constantly missed his length, often dropping the ball too short and getting punished as he went wicketless. Shardul Thakur got the massive wicket of Quinton de Kock and broke the partnership.

Shami came back into the attack and picked up the wickets of Wiaan Mulder and Temba Bavuma. Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada had some fun in playing a few good shots before Shardul Thakur once again broke the partnership as he trapped Jansen in front. Shami dismissed Rabada, completing his 5 wicket haul and picking up his 200th Test wicket in the process. Jasprit Bumrah came back to ball without any visible pain in his ankle and picked up the final wicket of Keshav Maharaj as South Africa were all out on 197 which was 130 runs short of India's total. 

Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul came into bat but this time couldn't get a big opening partnership as debutant Jansen got rid of Agarwal with a fine outswinger from over the wicket. Shardul Thakur came in as night watchman and survived as India ended the day on 16/1. India will be looking to set a decent total on day 4 before having a crack at the South African batting on day 5. 
 

New Delhi, Dec 29 (Cricket News) Virat Kohli's watertight grip over Indian cricket loosened significantly in a mixed 2021 bag, when the team's wineless run at ICC events continued but the 'Men in Blue' cherished a historic Test series triumph in Australia.

When M S Dhoni left white-ball captaincy in 2017, Kohli became the undisputed king of Indian cricket with his rule unchallenged for the three years that followed.

In the absence of a strong administration at BCCI, Kohli called the shots and not many seemed to mind it with India performing well across formats though the ICC title eluded them.

However, his reign had to be challenged at some point with Sourav Ganguly and Jay Shah filling the power vacuum in the world's most powerful board towards the end of 2019.

The Alpha males of Indian cricket did not come in each other's way for the following year and cracks in their relationship could only be seen after Kohli decided to step down from T20 captaincy at the end of the 2020 World Cup.

He had no plans to leave the ODI captaincy but India's premature exit from the tournament led to the inevitable and the mighty Kohli did not see that BCCI bombshell coming. Following his sacking as 50-over skipper, dirty linen was washed in public with Kohli and Ganguly contradicting each other on the sequence of events that led to the former's removal.

Kohli is used to the spotlight with cameras following his every move on the field but now that space will be shared by new white ball skipper Rohit Sharma.

With 70 international hundreds under his belt, the charismatic cricketer has nothing left to prove but after a quiet two years with the bat by his high standards and his feud with the BCCI, Kohli will be more fired up than ever to show that he remains the best in the business.

The early exit at T20 World Cup was a big disappointment but it marked the end of a successful era under Kohli and Ravi Shastri, especially in the longest format. Not many can question the greatness of the Kohli-led Test team but the defeat in the World Test Championship final against New Zealand was also a big letdown of the year. India had played remarkably well to reach the final and would have been worthy winners of that trophy but New Zealand once again upstaged them on the big stage. However, nothing can take sheen off India's second consecutive series win in Australia with an injury-ravaged team struggling to even field a playing eleven in the series decider in Brisbane.

The win at the Gabba will be talked about for years to come, not just because it was Australia's first loss at the venue in 33 years but the way India overcame an injury crisis and the 36 all out debacle at Adelaide to script a comeback for the ages.

Kohli went back home after the first Test for the birth of his child but the way Ajinkya Rahane led the side in his absence also played a major role in India's monumental achievement Down Under.

Later in the year, Kohli and Co. were set for another overseas series win but the fifth and final Test in England had to be cancelled due to a COVID outbreak in the visitors. India lead the series 2-1 with the final Test to be played next year.

If India manage to win that series in 2022 and the ongoing battle against Proteas, Kohli will be become the first Asian captain to win Test series in England, South Africa and Australia.

India look in good shape to extend their dominance in the five-day game but Rohit and coach Rahul Dravid have work to do to turn the team's fortunes in white-ball cricket with T20 World Cup and ODI World Cup scheduled in 2022 and 2023 respectively. A bunch of young players will be getting a fair share of their opportunities ahead of the two ICC events and the team management would be hoping to plug the gaps in the power hitting and bowling department.

Like in the previous year, COVID-19 continued to wreak havoc with the international calendar including India's commitments and the suspension of IPL during the raging second wave in the country.

Besides, India's final Test in England being rescheduled to next year, the ODI series between hosts Pakistan and West Indies had to be postponed due to multiple positive cases in the visitors' camp.

Pakistan, which had been trying to bring top teams to the country for years, were dealt a body blow when both New Zealand and England pulled out of their tours citing security concerns.

Considering those off-the-field setbacks, the team's performance at the T20 World Cup was admirable. Unbeaten in the group stage, Pakistan lost to eventual champions Australia in the semifinals.

Australia had to endure a gut wrenching defeat at the hands of India in the beginning of 2021 but the end could not have gotten any better as they retained the Ashes with a complete annihilation of England in the first three Tests.

Also Read : Warner eyes 2023 Ashes, win India before quitting Test cricket

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Centurion, Dec 28 (Cricket News) Indian pacers lived up to their reputation by running through the South African top half, reducing the hosts to 109 for 5 at tea after Lungi Ngidi's six-wicket haul limited the visitors to 327 on day three of the first Test.

After a good batting day at the onset, the second day's heavy showers spiced up the pitch to such an extent that as many as 12 wickets were lost in the first two sessions.

If India lost seven of them for an addition of only 55 runs in the morning due to Ngidi's 6 for 71 and Kagiso Rabada's complementary 3 for 72, Mohammed Shami (2/16), Jasprit Bumrah (1/12), Mohammed Siraj (1/29) and Shardul Thakur (1/27) all got into the act on a spicy deck with a lot of underlying moisture.

Credit to India that despite losing Bumrah for a better part of second session due to sprained ankle, they didn't let the intensity down even after Temba Bavuma (31 batting) and Quinton de Kock (34 batting) had added 72 runs for the fifth wicket.

De Kock's loose shot of a long hop from Thakur that saw him drag one back onto his stumps literally put the Proteas in the dumps.

This was after Bumrah bowled a beautiful length with a tiniest movement that had Dean Elgar edging one to Rishabh Pant.

Coming in as one change, Shami bowled an in-cutter that breached Keegan Peterson's defence and then bowled a late leg-cutter that beat Aiden Markram's outside edge.

Rassie van Der Dussen found Siraj's pace too hot to handle and the outside edge was comfortably snapped at gully by Ajinkya Rahane.

The morning belonged to Ngidi and Rabada as the Supersport Park track stayed true to its reputation of quickening up as time progressed.

The bounce was more and the length that Rabada and Nigidi bowled consistently was a touch fuller compared to first day.

It was Rabada, who drew the first blood on the day with a well directed short ball aimed at Rahul's rib-cage.

The batter simply couldn't manage the pull-shot and the tickle landed in de Kock's gloves.

In case of Rahane, Ngidi hadn't provided enough length for the drive and the ball reared up from length to take his edge and into keeper's gloves.

Ravichandran Ashwin's batting in SENA countries has gone downhill and the leading edge that lobbed up to Keshav Maharaj was a result of not being able to negotiate extra bounce generated by Ngidi.

Rishabh Pant (8)'s dismissal was a carbon copy of Cheteshwar Pujara's where an angular delivery climbed up and it was an easy bat-pad catch for forward short leg.

Bumrah (14) did hit a few boundaries to take the score past 325 which was at least 75 runs short of what India had envisaged at the start. 

Also Read : Bumrah leaves field after sustaining ankle sprain

News Source : PTI

Centurion, Dec 28 (Cricket News) South Africa were 21 for one at lunch on day three after bowling out India for 327 in the first Test here on Tuesday.

India lost seven wickets for 55 runs during the opening session.

Jasprit Bumrah removed opposition skipper Dean Elgar in the first over of the South Africa innings. Keegan Petersen (11 batting) and Aiden Markram (9 batting) were in the middle at the break.

After day two was washed out, India resumed their innings at 272 for three.

K L Rahul (123) and Ajinkya Rahane (48) added one and eight respectively to their overnight scores with Lungi Ngidi (6/72) and Kagiso Rabada (3/72) running through India's middle and lower-order.

Brief Scores: India: 327 all out in 105.3 overs (K L Rahul 123, Mayank Agarwal 60; Lungi Ngidi 6/72, Kagiso Rabada 3/72).

South Africa: 21/1 in 7 overs (Aiden Markram 9 batting, Keegan Petersen 11 batting; Jasprit Bumrah 1/12). 

Also Read : India collapse to 327 all out on day three

News Source : PTI

Centurion, Dec 27 (Cricket News) India lost seven wickets for 55 runs during the opening session on day three to be 327 all out in the first Test against South Africa here on Tuesday.

After day two was washed out, India resumed their innings at 272 for three.

K L Rahul (123) and Ajinkya Rahane (48) added one and eight respectively to their overnight scores with Lungi Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada running through India's middle and lower-order.

Jasprit Bumrah (14) and Mohammad Siraj (4) added 19 valuable runs for the 10th wicket in an otherwise disappointing batting performance by the Indians on day three.

The home team bowlers, who looked rusty on day one, extracted much more out of the surface at SuperSport Park.

Brief Scores: India 327 all out in 105.3 overs (K L Rahul 123, Mayank Agarwal 60; Lungi Ngidi 6/72, Kagiso Rabada 3/72). 

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Centurion, Dec 27 (Cricket News) The second day's play in the opening Test between India and South Africa here on Monday had to be called off without a ball being bowled due to heavy and persistent rain since morning.

What started as a drizzle this morning became a steady downpour in the afternoon.

Twice, the rain stopped and umpires decided on inspection but on both occasions just before they were to step out, heavens opened up once again.

At the end of the opening day's play, India were strongly placed at 272 for three in 90 overs.

KL Rahul was going strong at 122 not out off 248 balls, during which he hit 17 boundaries and one six. Giving him company at the other end was Ajinkya Rahane, on 40 off 81 balls, with the help of eight hits to the fence.

Opener Mayank Agarwal made 60 off 123 deliveries before being dismissed by Lungi Ngidi.

Skipper Virat Kohli made 35 off 94 balls.

Ngidi (3/45) picked up all the three Indian wickets to fall on the first day of the match. 

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News Source : PTI

Centurion, Dec 27 (Cricket News) The start of the second day's play in the opening Test between India and South Africa here on Monday has been delayed due to persistent drizzle.

The situation has been worsened by continuous overnight rains followed by drizzle this morning.

At the end of the opening day's play, India were firmly placed at 272 for three in 90 overs.

KL Rahul was going strong at 122 not out off 248 balls, during which he hit 17 boundaries and one six. Giving him company at the other end was Ajinkya Rahane, on 40 off 81 balls, with the help of eight hits to the fence.

Opener Mayank Agarwal made 60 off 123 deliveries before being dismissed by Lungi Ngidi.

Skipper Virat Kohli made 35 off 94 balls.

Ngidi (3/45) picked up all the three Indian wickets to fall on the first day of the match. 

Also Read : Right way to go: Shastri backs split captaincy

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) India had a very successful boxing day as they are 272 for 3 at the end of day 1. Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat first. India has taken a very big gamble by playing only 6 pure batters followed by Shardul Thakur and Ravichandran Ashwin. There was no place for Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari as Ajinkya Rahane kept his place. South Africa handed a debut to tall left arm seamer Marco Jansen instead of going for the in-form Duanne Olivier.

KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal gave the blues a perfect start to the tour with a 117 run opening partnership. Later, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane accompanied Rahul as India steadied their way to a good score at the end of day 1. As good as KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal batted in the early parts of the innings, it is safe to say that the South African bowling was not up to the mark. Kagiso Rabada looked completely unlike himself as he kept missing his line with very less pace than usual. Debutant Jansen was hammered by the Indians throughout the day as he couldn't find his shape and consistency. He did manage to get a few good balls in but always bowled a loosener to release the batter of any pressure. Jansen did produce an edge of Agarwal when he was on 36 but the difficult catch was dropped by Quinton de Kock. The openers left the balls outside off stump really well and also punished the bad balls.

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Agarwal played the aggressor during the opening partnership as he kept collecting boundaries with his powerful stroke play. He reached his half century just after lunch in 89 deliveries. The Proteas turned it on in the 2nd session as they began to find their lines much better but the Indians continued to maintain a good scoring rate. Lungi Ngidi finally got a perfect ball to jag back into Agarwal's pads when he was on 60 and got the wicket after a successful review. He wasn't done then as he got rid of Cheteshwar Pujara on a golden duck in the very next ball to turn the game on it's head. Ngidi's ball hit Pujara's bat and pad and went straight to forward short leg.

The Indian captain then joined his newly appointed deputy and the pair stitched an 82 run partnership. There was some intricate stroke play in the process as India were 157/2 at tea. It was going well after tea but Kohli decided to throw his bat on Ngidi's loosener way outside off which took a thick outside edge straight to first slip. Former vice captain Ajinkya Rahane walked out to bat under a lot of pressure. Rahane didn't show any pressure and looked in fine touch as he took on the bowling by putting away the boundary balls. KL Rahul on the other hand was silently going on about his business as he reached triple figures. He became only the 2nd Indian opener after Wasim Jaffer to score a ton in South Africa. 

The day ended with India 272 for 3 with Rahul and Rahane unbeaten on 122 and 40. India will be looking at 500 considering the position they are in. The pitch will get quicker as the days progress which could mean that India's decision to trust their 6 batters and play 5 bowlers is paying off. 
 

Centurion, Dec 26 (Cricket News) India opener Mayank Agarwal on Sunday said his side's batters applied themselves as per the team plan, putting the visitors in a strong position on the opening day of the first Test against South Africa here.

Opting to bat, India scored 272 for 3 at close of play with KL Rahul remaining not out on 122. His opening partner Agarwal contributed 60 while Ajinkya Rahane, who was struggling for form, also returned unconquered on 40.

"The plan was to be very disciplined, to play balls which come around the stump and leave as many as possible. We could do just that," Agarwal said at the press conference after the day's play.

"At 272 for 3, it is credit to our batting unit, we applied ourselves. The plan is those who get set will have to continue and Rahul bhai did that." Apart from KL Rahul's century, the highlight of the day was the partnerships India had.

"The highlight as a team was Rahul getting a hundred. We had partnerships and that was crucial. He had a partnership first up with me, and Virat bhai had it also and then with Rahane. I hope they continue the same." He said the Indian team did a lot of pre-match practice sessions at the ground and also the centre wicket to have a feel of the situation and the conditions.

Asked what would be the ideal total India would be looking for, he said, "We want to score as many as we can to place ourselves in a very good position. The first hour (tomorrow) will be crucial. If we do well in that period, we can pile pressure (on South Africans).

"There was a bit of moisture early on and we could see some balls skidding but it got better as day progressed and got quicker." On new coach Rahul Dravid's impact on the team, Mayank, who has worked closely with the former India captain, said, "The conversation of the players with him was about playing with discipline.

"When you play in South Africa and other countries, it is not necessary to look good (to win matches). You have to stick to plan and wait for opportunities. We are glad that we could do that in the first session." He refused to comment on his dismissal following a DRS call for LBW. "I am not allowed to give my opinion and so I want to leave it at that. Otherwise, I will be in bad books and my money (match fee) could be docked." Mayank feltRahul was very disciplined in his game plan and in his mindset.

"If someone is really watching him closely you will know that he (Rahul) knows where his off-stump is, he is really getting to the line of the ball, he is leaving balls really well and he is very disciplined in his game plan and in his mindset." 

Also Read : India reach 272/3 at stumps on Day 1 of first Test

News Source : PTI

Centurion, Dec 26 (Cricket News) Electing to bat, India reached 272 for 3 at stumps on the first day of the opening Test against South Africa here on Sunday.

KL Rahul was going strong on 122 and Ajinkya Rahane was giving him company on 40 at close of play.

Opener Mayank Agarwal made 60 while Cheteshwar Pujara was out for a duck. Captain Virat Kohli contributed 35.

Brief Scores: India: 272 for 3 in 90 overs (Mayank Agarwal 60, KL Rahul 122 batting, Ajinkya Rahane 40 batting; Lungi Ngidi 3/45). 

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News Source : PTI

Centurion, Dec 26 (Cricket News) South Africa fought back with a couple of wickets in the afternoon session via Lungi Ngidi but India still controlled the proceedings by reaching 157 for two at tea on day one of the first Test here on Sunday. India scored 74 runs in the second session while Ngidi removed Mayank Agarwal (60 off 123) and Cheteshwar Pujara (0) off successive balls to provide the hosts much needed breakthroughs.

K L Rahul grew in confidence and was batting on 68 off 166 balls at the break alongside skipper Virat Kohli (19 batting off 54).

After struggling to hit the fuller lengths in the morning, South African pacers bowled with more consistency and attacked the stumps. Agarwal, who got to his half century after lunch, was dismissed against the run of play.

The ball appeared to bounce over the wicket apart from missing the leg stump but the on-field decision was reversed when DRS revealed that it was hitting the wickets, leaving Agarwal in disbelief.

His fall also ended a memorable 117-run partnership, making Rahul and Agarwal only the third Indian opening pair to stitch a century stand in 21 games in South Africa.

With sun coming out, Pujara walked in and was dismissed first ball, inside edging a defensive shot to Keegan Petersen at short leg. Soon after, Rahul brought up his fifty with a delightful cover drive off Ngidi.

Kohli, who has not scored a hundred in more than two years, began with an unconvincing drive off Marco Jansen before clipping spinner Keshav Maharaj wide of mid-on for his second boundary.

Rahul survived a close LBW call off medium pacer Wiaan Mulder late into the session before flicking a half-volley in his following over for his 11th boundary. In the morning session, Agarwal and Rahul played with the required discipline in testing conditions to take India to 83 for no loss.

Kohli made a brave call to bat first on a greenish surface which is expected to get quicker as the game progresses. Both Rahul and Agarwal, who are close friends and play for the same domestic team, left the ball well against a pace attack which did not bowl well enough in favourable conditions. Agarwal carried his good from the home series against New Zealand to SuperSport Park while Rahul stuck to the approach that brought him a lot of success in England earlier this year when he opened the batting alongside the now injured Rohit Sharma.

Rahul was more watchful to start with, showing absolute clarity in leaving the ball while Agarwal was quick to cash in on freebies offered by the opposition pacers.

Agarwal drove Ngidi through point for the first four of the innings. Rahul, who took 21 balls to get off the mark, played an exquisite straight drive off Kagiso Rabada to get going.

Debutant left-arm pacer Jansen made a nervy start to his career with Agarwal dispatching him for three fours in his opening over.

The 6 feet 8 inch bowler's first ball in Test cricket was a gentle full toss which Agarwal duly dispatched through cover point. Then the lanky pacer bowled a couple into the pads which were crisply flicked away.

The South African pacers bowled a tad too short in the first hour of play. The Dean Elgar-led side also wasted a review early in the session.

The only chance that came South Africa's way went begging with a diving Quinton de Kock dropping Agarwal off Jansen. He was batting on 36 at that time.

South Africa decided to leave out in-form pacer Duanne Oliver from the playing eleven while India picked the struggling Ajinkya Rahane ahead of Hanuma Vihari and Shreyas Iyer. 

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News Source : PTI

Centurion, Dec 26 (Cricket News) Openers Mayank Agarwal and K L Rahul played with the required discipline in testing conditions to take India to 83 for no loss at lunch on day one of the first Test against South Africa here on Sunday.

India skipper Virat Kohi made a brave call to bat first on a greenish surface which is expected to get quicker as the game progresses. Both Rahul (29 batting off 84) and Agarwal (46 batting off 84), who are close friends and play for the same domestic team, left the ball well against a pace attack which did not bowl well enough in favourable conditions. Agarwal carried his good from the home series against New Zealand to SuperSport Park while Rahul stuck to the approach that brought him a lot of success in England earlier this year when he opened the batting alongside the now injured Rohit Sharma.

Rahul was more watchful to start with, showing absolute clarity in leaving the ball while Agarwal was quick to cash in on freebies offered by the opposition pacers.

Agarwal drove Lungi Ngidi through point for the first four of the innings. Rahul, who took 21 balls to get off the mark, played an exquisite straight drive off Kagiso Rabada to get going.

Debutant left-arm pacer Marco Jansen made a nervy start to his career with Agarwal dispatching him for three fours in his opening over.

The 6 feet 8 inch bowler's first ball in Test cricket was a gentle full toss which Agarwal duly dispatched through cover point. Then the lanky pacer bowled a couple into the pads which were crisply flicked away.

The South African pacers bowled a tad too short in the first hour of play with India reaching 42 for no loss. The Dean Elgar-led side also wasted a review early in the session.

The only chance that came South Africa's way went begging with a diving Quinton de Kock dropping Agarwal off Jansen. He was batting on 36 at that time.

South Africa decided to leave out in-form pacer Duanne Oliver from the playing eleven while India picked the struggling Ajinkya Rahane ahead of Hanuma Vihari and Shreyas Iyer. 

Also Read : Hockley refuses to commit on Langer's future as head coach

News Source : PTI

Centurion, Dec 25 (Cricket News) Head coach Rahul Dravid didn't let the world in on his preferred playing XI for the opening Test against South Africa but said Indian players have been "professional" when it came to handling "difficult conversation" about their places in the side.

As India geared up for the 'Boxing Day' Test against one of the most depleted South African sides in recent times, Dravid said that it's good if players are disappointed at not being picked as it testifies that they care and have the hunger to be in the middle of action.

The context was what kind of conversations does he have with senior players like Ishant Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane, who might be overlooked in the Centurion Test.

"I think the guys have been very good about it and I think most players are professionals. I mean, obviously, sometimes you need to have difficult conversations with players and by difficult you know what I mean, telling any player that he is not playing, it's hard as everyone wants to play and be part of playing eleven," Dravid said on Saturday.

The batting great believed that most of the senior players have themselves taken tough decisions at some level, may be when they have captained first-class sides or been part of a leadership group.

"They understand situations and not the first time, they had been in situations like this and some of them are in senior positions in their state teams and they are part of decision making groups where they leave out people.

"And some of them might be in leadership positions and some of them are part of senior leadership groups which makes decisions like this, so they understand and as long as they know the reason and we can communicate about it," the 'Wall' said.

Disappointment, at times, is a good thing as it keeps the fire in a player alive, said India's second highest run-getter in Test cricket. But if a tough call is taken, a player needs to take that in the right spirit.

"I don't want everyone to not be disappointed, as that's one of the reasons that makes people succeed at this level. You want to be playing, you want to be competing, you don't want to be sitting out.

"But how you take that as you sit out and how you respond to that and that's really a test of your attitude. So far I have had no complaints and everyone has been fantastic about it," the head coach said.

For Dravid, any decision on playing XI would be based on conditions and the opposition's preferred combination rather than "getting carried away".

"We have some real quality in our squad. Obviously, we have to make a decision and only XI can play and we have to make calls, but it's just the way it is.

"But we won't get carried away and make decisions. We have had very good conversations within the selection group for the tour and having some healthy discussions about what we think is the best XI that gives us best chance to win a Test series in South Africa," the coach added.

"We have better attack but not fair to term Proteas pace attack weak" ========================================== When someone asked if he found this current South African attack a bit "casual" (the scribe meant weak), Dravid was quick to refute that view even though the home team won't have the fiery pace of Anrich Nortje to complement Kagiso Rabada.

"Don't think this attack is casual (weak) by any stretch of imagination but I will agree with you that our attack is certainly more experienced than South Africa attack at this point in time, with the number of Test matches played," he opined.

"...And it might not have been the case in the past, but they have got quality and some very good bowlers (Duanne Oliver) in home conditions and got some proven performers (Rabada) as well.

"We will certainly not take them either casually or lightly and we have contest in our hands and we know we need to put up kind of score that helps our bowlers take 20 wickets, there will be period in Test series where we will have to fight really hard." "I love individual brilliance but only collective effort will win us series" =========================================== Mayank Agarwal had recently said that Dravid works a lot on the mental aspect of each and every player.

"Hope, I am not messing them up actually (laughs)," he laughed.

"At this level, lot of chat and conversations is about keeping them in good head space and keeping them relaxed." Dravid said that conditions can be "challenging", bounce can be steeper and slower and the pitch tends to quicken up on days three and four. And it can go up and down on day five.

"It's very rare that in a series like this, one person is going to score in every single game. I would love that to happen from our side but I know there needs to be contributions from everyone. That's what we are focussed on and not one or two individuals," he said. 

Also Read : Internal conversation about captaincy is not for media: Rahul Dravid

News Source : PTI

Centurion, Dec 25 (Cricket News) Skipper Virat Kohli will be battling on multiple fronts with an aim to get the tricky team combination right as India have a real shot at winning their first ever away series against South Africa, which is short on experience going into the contest, starting with the Boxing Day Test.

The choice between an untested rookie like Shreyas Iyer and a proven but out-of-form Ajinkya Rahane for the number five slot, is not an enviable one. It's more like choosing between rock and hard place with fear of unknown being a persistent factor.

Not to mention the hard call on whether Shardul Thakur with far superior skills should be the fifth bowler in place of an 'over the hill' Ishant Sharma.

These are not easiest of decisions to make that require copious amounts of tactical acumen mixed in equal proportion with proper communication skills.

In Mumbai, during the New Zealand Test, the team management could "rest" both Rahane and Ishant on the pretext of niggles but if on Sunday, the duo doesn't figure in the playing eleven, it will be as good as being dropped.

In the last Test, they were "unofficially dropped" and in this one, they will be officially dumped.

Since their historic first visit in 1992, the tour to Rainbow Nation has been an 'Achilles' Heel' for the touring Indian teams and skipper Kohli, who is certainly veering towards the business end of his leadership tenure, will like to achieve a first.

South Africa is no longer the force to reckon with in international cricket as they have been going through a rough transition phase over the past few years.

Kohli's men would like to pounce on the jittery Proteas like hungry African lions as the visitors have way more quality in its ranks than the home team which is full of rookies.

However an away Test series with some interesting sub-plots and hidden narratives adds to the intrigue of the battle that lies ahead and especially for 'King Kohli'.

This particular series, where even if he emphatically denies in public sphere, will be fighting multiple battles -- some tangible ones and a few intangibles.

First and foremost, Kohli, the captain, who would like to reassert his supremacy with a victory against a side which has only two players with 50 plus games -- skipper Dean Elgar (69 Tests) and senior keeper-batter Temba Bavuma (53 Tests).

It only helps that Kagiso Rabada will not have the dangerous and world's fastest Anrich Nortje for company in the bowling attack and left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj is least of a worry as far as Indian batters are concerned.

Secondly, Kohli, the best batter in the team, has not scored a Test hundred since 2019 and has an average of less than 30. It does not match the lofty standards that is associated with the Indian skipper.

He must be backing himself up to fire in this series.

Kohli is also going into the series after taking on the establishment. He made it clear what he thinks of a sitting BCCI president, who also happens to be a distinguished former national skipper.

But those who know Kohli understand that every little skirmish for him is a platform for a good scrap. In his head, he is someone who loves to fight a good fight and when he perceives the world to be against him, Kohli is at his best.

He has been in good form during the net session and South African attack could just be the meal he would like to feast on.

But he would need his new deputy KL Rahul to replicate his performance in England and also need Cheteshwar Pujara to score a few runs after having blunted the new Kookaburra if need be.

Iyer, who looks ahead of Rahane in battle for No. 5 slot, would be tested by Duanne Oliver's back of the length deliveries that can rear up on a Centurion track which promises to quicken up as match progresses.

In case of Rahane, he is completely out of confidence and that's never a good sign.

Rishabh Pant's game always goes up a notch or two in adverse conditions and skipper Kohli won't mind if he can make a mincemeat of left-arm spinner Maharaj with those one-handed sixes.

A lot will depend on how Rabada and Oliver start the proceedings.

But like any other away tour, the difference between the two sides could be Jasprit Bumrah, fresh from a break and raring to dismantle a batting line-up that depends on Elgar, his deputy Temba Bavuma and De Kock.

If Bumrah and Shami can blow up the top-order, the rest of the South African batters might not do well against Ravichandran Ashwin. Skipper Kohli will need all of that.

Squads: India: Virat Kohli (captain), KL Rahul (vc), Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Jayant Yadav, Priyank Panchal, Umesh Yadav, Hanuma Vihari, Ishant Sharma Dean Elgar (captain), Temba Bavuma (vice-captain), Quinton de Kock (wicket-keeper), Kagiso Rabada, Sarel Erwee, Beuran Hendricks, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Keegan Petersen, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, Glenton Stuurman, Prenelan Subrayen, Sisanda Magala, Ryan Rickelton, Duanne Olivier.

Match Starts 1:30 pm. 

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News Source : PTI

Centurion, Dec 24 (Cricket News) India vice-captain KL Rahul on Friday indicated that the team will continue with its five-bowler strategy in the first Test against South Africa but agreed that the choice between Ajinkya Rahane and Shreyas Iyer for the number five slot is a tough one.

India have been practising here for a week ahead of the opening match, starting Sunday, and the newly-appointed vice-captain believes that a good start is needed to set the tone in the Rainbow Nation where they have never won a Test series.

Asked if playing four bowlers, which allows an extra batter in the line-up becomes a workload management problem for the team, Rahul replied in an affirmative.

"Every team wants to pick up 20 wickets to win Test match. We have used that tactic and it has helped us in every Test match that we have played away," Rahul said during a virtual media interaction.

"Workload also becomes slightly easier to manage with five bowlers and when you have that kind of quality (in Indian ranks), I think, we might as well use it," the senior opener made it amply clear that a fourth pacer will play.

Shardul Thakur, because of his superior batting skills holds an advantage over senior pro Ishant Sharma, it could mean that only one among Iyer, Rahane and Hanuma Vihari will get a look in as Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant select themselves.

"It is a very difficult decision to make obviously. Speaking about Ajinkya, he has been an important member of the Test team, played very, very crucial knocks in his career," Rahul was waxed eloquent about his senior teammate.

"In the last 15-18 months, he has played some crucial knocks, that partnership with Pujara at Lord's, was important for us in winning the Test match.

"Shreyas, obviously has taken his chances and got a brilliant hundred (along with a fifty) in Kanpur and he is very exciting. Hanuma has done the same for us, so it's a tough decision" It was but only natural that Rahul, as a part of team management, kept cards close to his chest.

"We will start having a chat today or tomorrow and you will get to know in couple of days time." Centurion pitch is slow initially ========================== Rahul also agreed with rival seamer Suanne Oliver's assertion that Supersport Park track is slow to begin with and quickens up later only to again taper off towards the end of the match.

"I think Duanne Oliver will know these conditions a lot better than us and yes, last time, we played here, the wicket started off bit slow and then quickened up and then became slow again.

"It's been that kind of a pitch, we have had centre wicket practice and we experienced the same things, we tried to prepare accordingly." Pace and bounce in South Africa is different =========================== The bounce in South African tracks isn't similar to that in Australia where it's faster and the bounce is more even, reckons Rahul.

"It's pace and bounce in pitches here which is very different to every other country. We have come early and tried to get adjusted as it has been a great week of preparation.

"Sometimes pitches can be a bit different because of its tennis ball bounce. In Australia, pitches can be fast and bouncy. We have had a lot of sessions and we are trying to understand and adjust to the conditions." Nothing changes after becoming vice-captain ============================ Rahul is the new deputy to Virat Kohli in absence of an injured Rohit Sharma and for him his primary duty is to give the team a good start and if required provide his skipper with technical inputs.

"I have always enjoyed responsibility and as an opener, we have responsibility of providing good starts. Now, may be a bit more involvement with regards to making strategy with the captain. May be pass on some more information and take some pressure off Virat." For Rahul, key to success is keeping things simple and not to over-think.

"I don't think too much and put myself under pressure that since I have performed in England, I have to do well here and what if I don't do well over here," he said when asked if replicating the show in England is on his mind.

But obviously, he would like to put his best foot forward.

"What I have in my hands is to prepare in the best possible manner and give myself that chance. My preparation has been good. Not just me but everyone had good time, so we are all excited.

"I would try to replicate my form in England and give my team a good start, get through that new ball and hopefully, I can continue that form," he concluded. 

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News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) India will be back in red ball action after becoming the no. 1 Test team in the world following their win against New Zealand. They now face a tough challenge to an unconquered territory of South Africa. Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid will be hoping to get India their first ever Test series win in South Africa. India are missing several key players in Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubman Gill and Axar Patel. South Africa on the other hand will be without Speedster Anrich Nortje. 

India Possible Playing XI:

KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.

Ajinkya Rahane will be under a lot of pressure as this might be his last chance. The big call is the combination of the team. India could go and pick Shardul Thakur instead of Hanuma Vihari to play 5 bowlers. But the above team is very balanced especially with the Indian tail showing in England that they can contribute a little with the bat. Ishant Sharma is another close call who has a lot of experience bowling in South Africa.

Also read: Shreyas Iyer or Hanuma Vihari? Who should get a chance first in South Africa?

South Africa possible playing XI:

Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Keegan Peterson, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Duanne Olivier.

Rabada and Ngidi will be key for the Proteas with their seam bowling. The opening combination of skipper Elgar and Markram will have India's potent new ball attack. Olivier will have to step up and fill the shoes of Anrich Nortje.

Weather forecast and pitch report:

Day 3 and day 4 are expected to be sunny while the other days could have a fair bit of delay due to rain and bad light. The team that wins the toss will be looking to bat first mainly due to the weather conditions on day 1 and day 2. Centurian is usually a batting pitch as the ball comes on to the bat right from the beginning of the game. It will assist fast bowlers more than spinners but spinners could get some turn and bit going into day 4 and day 5. 

India would've been outright favorites had Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja not been injured. The visitors' chances have now taken a massive hit but they are still favorites to win the series and winning the first game would be a massive statement from this Indian side.
 

(Cricket news) India take on South Africa in a 3 match Test series starting on boxing day in Centurion. The big concern going into the series is the lack of a proper all-rounder. Ravindra Jadeja was ruled out of the series with any injury along with his back-up Axar Patel. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill are also out with injuries. India's chances of winning have clearly taken a massive hit but they can still do it. 

The big question will be what combination Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid go for. The Indian skipper has always been in favor of 5 bowlers which is difficult without a proper all-rounder. The 3 all-rounders in the squad are Ravichandran Ashwin, Jayant Yadav and Shardul Thakur who are clearly bowling all-rounders. Ravichandran Ashwin will almost definitely play and if India go with 5 bowlers one of them is got to be Shardul Thakur as the 4th seamer who can bat. If India do go with just 3 seamers and Ashwin then who will be the 7 batter? Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari are up against each other. Ajinkya Rahane has been stripped of vice captaincy which is a clear indication that he is walking a tightrope and could be dropped. If he is dropped at anytime during the tour it again brings up the question of Iyer or Vihari or both or neither

Also read: South Africa handed a big blow with Anrich Nortje injury ahead of India series

Hanuma Vihari has been in the Test set-up for a while now. He has played in tough conditions in England, West Indies, Australia and New Zealand. In his last match he dramatically rescued the Test in Sydney with a torn hamstring. Since then he didn't get a chance in England and was surprisingly dropped for the New Zealand series. He did go on to play in South Africa with the India A side presumably to get used to the conditions. In terms of technique Vihari is better than Iyer in coping with South African conditions.

Shreyas Iyer had a very successful debut against New Zealand where he scored a century in the first innings and a fifty in the second. He is the man in form at the moment but not many would say that he deserves to be in the side ahead of Vihari. Iyer has faced problems with short deliveries which he will have to face on the bouncy South African pitches. He is naturally the kind of batter to take on the bowling whereas Vihari is someone who would be on the defensive side and will look to bat long hours. The two are very different to each which means that it all comes down to what the captain and coach wants. 

(Cricket news) India are all set to take on South Africa in a 3 match Test Series. The first one will be played on boxing day in Centurion. Rohit Sharma, Shubhman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel are not in the squad due to injuries which is a very big loss to India. India has never won a Test series in South Africa and this could be their best chance of doing so.

India's ideal playing XI:

Openers: Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul

Without Gill and Rohit, the opening combination becomes very obvious with KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal. The pair have a very good understanding as they have played with each other since the under-19 level. Agarwal comes into the tour on the back of a match winning ton against New Zealand in Mumbai. Rahul on the other hand has had a fantastic tour of England and has been made the vice captain of the side. Priyank Panchal is a backup incase there is an injury but it is fairly clear that the two will play all the 3 games. 

Middle order: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Hanuma Vihari

Despite the three most experienced batters in this side not being in great form they need to be backed especially while touring South Africa. Rahane is the one who is under pressure after losing his vice captaincy. He is likely to be given at least one game to try and get some runs and strengthen his position in the team for at least this tour. After being dropped for the home series against New Zealand, Hanuma Vihari went to South Africa with India A and had a good series. Vihari is experienced in playing overseas and should be preferred over Shreyas Iyer who had a dream debut against New Zealand. Virat Kohli likes to play 5 bowlers which will be very difficult to do without Jadeja and Axar. Hanuma Vihari's off spin could come in handy unless they play Rishabh Pant at 6 with Ravichandran Ashwin and Shardul Thakur as bowling all-rounders. Playing 5 bowlers would massively affect the batting depth of the side and the risk.of a collapse increases. 

Wicket keeper: Rishabh Pant

Despite Wriddhiman Saha having a good series against England, Rishabh Pant's place was never in danger. He will slot straight back into the side. This will be the gloveman's first tour of South Africa which is possibly the toughest country to bat in. After multiple good performances in England and Australia, Pant will be keen to showcase his talent in South Africa as well.

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Spinner: Ravichandran Ashwin

Ashwin didn't play a single game in England but with Jadeja injured he will almost definitely play all 3 games and will be very crucial in India's chances of winning. He will also have to contribute with the bat as he has done multiple times in the past. Stitching small 50 partnerships and getting 20-30 runs here and there could be a difference maker in South Africa. Jayant Yadav is a good backup option to have

Seamers: Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj

India are stacked in their fast bowling options. Shami and Bumrah pick themselves after recent performances. Siraj has rarely disappointed in Indian colours and has become a very lethal bowler. Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur are very reliable options to have on the bench. There is a chance that Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid decide to back Ishant Sharma at least for the first Test because of his experience of bowling in South Africa which Siraj doesn't have. There are 3 Tests in a space of 21 days which means that there is a high possibility that the seamers will be rotated according to the situation and combination of the side. 
 

New Delhi, Dec 20 (Cricket News) Will it be Virat Kohli's preferred five-bowler template which features all-rounder Shardul Thakur or will an extra batter in Ajinkya Rahane come in keeping in view the bouncy conditions? As the Indian cricket team gears up for the opening Test against South Africa in Centurion from December 26, there are arguments both for and against the two propositions.

There is also a third angle to this combination jigsaw puzzle and that's Hanuma Vihari, who may or may not be considered for a start on the Boxing Day.

The Indian team, for the past three days, has been practising at the Supersport Park in Centurion and Cricket South Africa has provided the visitors an opportunity to practice on the centre wicket in the main stadium.

Centre wicket practice before a Test match in SENA (South Africa, England, Nw Zealand, Australia) countries is a rarity and the skills training (net session) always happens in adjacent area, especially Down Under.

In a short video posted by the bcci.tv, head coach Rahul Dravid spoke about "quality practice and good intensity", which is what a centre strip training provides and middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer, with a smile, spoke about "grass on wicket" after his session in the middle.

Kohli, who has been an attacking skipper tactically and doesn't believe in erring on the side of caution, would like to once again go in with five bowlers but it is the absence of Ravindra Jadeja, a very competent No.7 batter and also a left hander (good for variety), will be missed in the middle-order.

"I think Shardul Thakur is the best choice if they go in with five bowlers as he also gives the option of a steady No.7 batter and we also have Ravichandran Ashwin," former chairman of selectors MSK Prasad told PTI.

"Four bowlers in this line-up are now confirmed if all fit -- Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Ashwin and Mohammed Siraj. I don't think, Ishant will be considered ahead of Siraj on current form," Centurion is a place which is situated 1300 metres above sea level, which means a higher altitude where bowlers can get tired quickly and in case of four bowlers, there remains a possibility of them getting tired.

Prasad though feels that it won't be the case as India will go into the Test with a week's practice, which will help the body get acclimatised. In that case, it won't be a bad idea to play an extra batter.

"I remember once we had a tournament in Nairobi when I played. On the first day of the training, we could barely complete a round of Nairobi Gymkhana as we were completely out of breath due to the altitude level of Nairobi city. After a couple of days, the body got used to it," he said.

In case of an extra batter, the choice is between Rahane and Vihari.

Vihari, who wasn't a part of New Zealand Test series at home had three fifty plus scores, 54, 72 not out and 63 respectively against South Africa A and has gotten used to the conditions in the last one month.

However, Rahane, who perhaps is getting one last series to prove his worth, stands a better chance as of now to be the sixth batter if Kohli takes a more 'Dravidian route' which is safety first.

India's Possible combination 10 certainties (subject to fitness): Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj 11th name: Shardul Thakur (bowling all-rounder)/Hanuma Vihari/Ajinkya Rahane (extra batter). 

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News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Dec 18 (Cricket News) Opener KL Rahul is all set to become Indian team's vice captain for the three-Test series against South Africa, starting December 26, BCCI sources confirmed on Saturday.

Rohit Sharma was made deputy to Virat Kohli for the series but he was ruled out due to a recurring left-hamstring injury.

The 29-year-old Rahul has played 40 Tests so far and has scored 2321 runs at an average of 35.16 with six centuries under his belt. Importantly, he is being looked at as a long-term potential leader in the coming days.

"KL Rahul is going to be Virat Kohli's deputy for the three Test series," a senior BCCI official confirmed.

The PTI had reported on December 13 that Rahul is the frontrunner for the vice-captaincy. Rohit, who had replaced Ajinkya Rahane as the vice-captain for the Test series, suffered a left hamstring injury during the net session in Mumbai which ruled him out for at least three to four weeks.

For the selectors, it was difficult to go back to Rahane who is no longer a certainty in the Test XI and possibly it is too early for Rishabh Pant to be elevated as vice captain of the national team.

Rahul, currenty, is seen as one of the few all-format specialist batter.

Rahul has the right age and experience to be groomed for future when Kohli relinquishes Test leadership. He can take over the mantle for a longer duration.

It is also expected that Rahul will be white-ball deputy to Rohit in the coming days. His name is also doing round to be the leader of new IPL Lucknow franchise. 

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News Source : PTI