Bengaluru, Jun 20 (Cricket News) South Africa head coach Mark Boucher termed India seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s performance in the series as “special” while ruing the absence of Aiden Markram, who he feels could have made a lot of difference for the Proteas over the course of the five T20Is.

Bhuvneshwar, who now only plays white-ball cricket, got six wickets in four completed games and gave away only 85 runs in 14 overs at an economy rate which was just a shade above six runs per over.

"Bhuvi was special in this whole series as we came up against some quality bowling. He put us under pressure in Powerplays and barring one game (Delhi), where we got off to a good start, they have dominated us with both ball and bat in Powerplays," Boucher said after the series ended in 2-2 despite Proteas going 2-0 up at the onset.

However, losing Markram due to COVID-19 at the start of the series had a huge impact, felt the former glovesman.

"It was tough losing Aiden Markram even before we started the first game. We wanted to play six batters with Aiden being our sixth option and we couldn’t do that,” Boucher added.

The long IPL did make the players tired and that also had an effect on the final outcome, he said.

"We didn’t play our best cricket and it was quite tough on our IPL players to stay throughout the whole IPL and then come to India back-to-back as well," he explained.

"Guys are little bit tired as well. So they will all enjoy the break and (having learnt a) lot of lessons in World Cup year. And see, if we can plug a few gaps going into Australia albeit in different conditions." While stars like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah were rested for the series, Boucher lauded the depth of the Indian cricket system created by the IPL.

“I know there weren’t a lot of top (India) players over here but the depth that Indian cricket has at the moment largely due to the IPL, they can take lot of confidence as well." "You just cant walk up in India and expect to win a series as well. So, we played a couple of good games and two bad games and there are a couple of reasons for that, but you can’t get too much into it," he added.

However in Australian conditions, South Africa will have a different gameplan.

"Plans will change in Australia and we are aware of that. We tried a few options in these conditions and saw if they worked or not.

"And I think, we asked a few questions and we got some good answers." Boucher made no bones about the fact that South Africa need to improve upon their Powerplay batting.

"We struggled to get going in few of the games and we speak about it after every game and may be see how we can change our mindset and intent, specially after third game, when we went after with the intent we needed," he said.

"And our bowling at certain stages was very good and at certain stages, we looked rusty and sort of understand that couple of guys coming into the series after IPL and may be a bit tired," he signed off. 

Also Read : Takeaways from the epic tied between India and South Africa

News Source : PTI

Cuttack, Jun 12 (Cricket News) A distraught skipper Rishabh Pant made no bones about the uninspiring performance of the two leading spinners Axar patel and Yuzvendra Chahal, urging them to come good after another meek surrender at the hands of South Africa in the second T20 International here on Sunday.

While Axar could be given only one over in which he conceded 19 runs, Chahal was equally bad as he was smashed for 49 runs in four overs. In the two games, Axar has given away 59 runs in five overs while Chahal has gone for 75 in six overs.

"The spinners have (need) to come (perform) better into the game," Pant said at the post-match presentation ceremony without elaborating much.

He admitted that a total of 148 for 6 was probably 15 runs short despite the track being two-paced in nature.

"I think (while) batting, we were 10-15 runs short," he said.

"Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar for his 4/13) and all other fast bowlers though bowled very well. We were short in the second half and the things did not go our way.

"The bowlers started really well, but after 10-11 overs, we did not bowl well and that's where the game changed. We thought we were going to do similar things (as the South African bowlers). In the last three matches, we will look to win," his answer lacked conviction.

Man of the match Heinrich Klaasen is happy that he could play such a knock as it would "extend his career".

"I am glad the knock came against India. I hope it extends my career longer. I haven't performed well in the last couple of years. I am very happy and confident to be here," Klaasen said.

He was selected as regular keeper Quinton de Kock sustained a wrist injury.

"Quinny (De Kock) came up to me two days back in the team bus and said he injured his wrists. I thought he is a strong character and he will be fine. But yesterday again, he said his hand is not fine. Yesterday morning, we came to training and the coach told me I might play." His skipper Temba Bavuma was happy how things panned out.

"It was a tricky chase. They got the ball to talk with the new ball, it was tricky. I was just trying to hold in and allowed Klassen to come and do what he does best. We could have been clinical at the end but the result is what matters," Bavuma said.

"Klaasen can do a lot of damage with a couple of ball. He adds a lot of value to our batting. It is about whatever your role is," he was all praise for Proteas' hero of the second game. 

Also Read : South Africa beat India by 4 wickets, take 2-0 lead

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, May 17 (Cricket News) With an eye on the future, Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma on Tuesday said they are looking to try out as many players as possible before concluding what has been a forgettable campaign for the five-time IPL champions.

MI suffered their 10th defeat of the ongoing season after losing to Sunrisers Hyderabad by three runs here.

Chasing 194 for victory, the MI innings ended at 190 for seven.

Asked about the Mumbai bowling at the presentation ceremony, Rohit said, "We wanted to try a few things keeping one eye on the future. We wanted to try out certain guys to bowl under pressure in certain situations of the game.

"I thought they batted pretty well to get to 193 but the way we pulled things back at the back end was a great effort." When asked about the season's last game, the MI skipper said, "For us it's pretty simple. We just want to tick off the boxes, finish off on a high note if possible.

"We will try everything we can from our side to put our best foot forward in the last game. If there is an opportunity to try out some more guys, we will look to do that too." Rohit (48) was at his effortless best and looked set for a big score. He gave a solid start to Mumbai's chase alongside Ishan Kishan (43), with whom he shared a 95-run opening stand.

The two plundered 17 runs in the ninth over bowled by Malik, with the pacer guilty of bowling two no balls and a wide.

But two overs later, Kane Williamson's decision to bowl Washington Sundar (1/36) paid dividends as Rohit holed out to Jagadeesha Suchith in the deep. Then, Tim David smashed his way to 46 off just 18 balls before being run out as MI fell short.

"Till about the second to last over, I thought we had it. Unfortunate run out of Tim David but we thought we were very much in the game till that run out. Even 19 runs to go with two overs, you would back yourself to get that but unfortunately we couldn't do it.

"Credit to Sunrisers to hold their nerve. It was a very tense moment and they held their nerve very well at the back end," Rohit said.

"We were not consistent with the ball up front and that can happen. But I thought it was a great effort towards the back end. With the bat, we came pretty close but couldn't finish it off." Sunrisers bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who bowled a wicket-maiden in the 19th over, said he was looking to bowl yorkers.

"I was just looking to bowl the Yorkers because I know even if I miss, there's a less chance that it may not go for a boundary. I knew if I gave a boundary then we may be under pressure but I was just looking to stick to the yorker.

On his bowling through the season, the senior seamer said, "I'm pretty satisfied the way I've bowled this season." Delighted with Bhuvneshwar's brilliant penultimate over, SRH skipper Kane Williamson said, "Our death bowling has been a strength of ours and Bhuvi's one of the top death bowlers of the tournament. His contribution today and to bowl a maiden is an amazing contribution and match winning moment really." Williamson also praised the efforts of Rahul Tripathi (76), Priyam Garg (42) and Umran Malik (3/23), while expressing his relief at getting a much-needed win.

"Nice to break the streak. But also nice to win the wrestle. Had a few games where momentum wasn't on our side and we couldn't wrestle it back. All in all a very good performance and a lot of learning to come out of it," Williamson said. 

Also Read : SRH keep slim playoff hopes alive with three-run win over MI

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
 

(Cricket news) Both Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad have found it tough to maintain consistency in this year's IPL 2022.  The two teams are separated by just two points but as many spots. The battle to get into the top four is bound to be more intense with each team having four games left after this.

DC are yet to find that winning combination as David Warner, the former title-winning captain, will go up against SRH for the first time since his unceremonious exit from the franchise last season. DC’s batting this season has been topsy turvy as the middle order has been hot and cold the entire season with the likes of Mitchell Marsh, Rovman Powell and Axar Patel unable to perform at a consistent level. In the bowling department it has been the Kuldeep Yadav show as he has picked up 17 wickets this season and subsequently won the man of the match trophy everytime DC have won this year. The left arm trio of Axar, Mustafizur and Chetan Sakariya will be the key in restricting their opposition to a low score as Mustafizur Rahman has kept Tripathi in check to a strike rate of 40, Chetan Sakariya limits him to 83 and finally Shardul Thakur  has restricted him to a strike rate of 117.

The SRH camp on the other hand will be hoping that their bowling finds its mojo back after conceding a lot of runs in the last two matches. The likes of Umran Malik, Marco Jansen and T Natarajan have been phenomenal this season but over the last two matches they have been taken to raptors, going more than 10 rpo. Bhuvneshwar Kumar will hold the key for SRH as he has dismissed Prithvi Shaw twice and he scores just a run-a-ball against Bhuvneshwar. This could set the tone early for SRH and might put them in the driving seat. In the batting department, SRH will be desperate that their skipper Kane Williamson, who has only one fifty this season, finds his touch again. One positive is the form of the young opener Abhishek Sharma who has scored more than 320 runs in this year’s tournament and is lighting up the season with his stroke play.

Pitch and weather report: The Brabourne pitch has seen lots of runs scored as well as opposition getting out for less than 100 runs. It has been a relatively spin-friendly ground as the small boundaries might come into play. The temperature is going to hover around 31 degrees as dew may play a part in the second innings.

Interesting facts:

• Kane Williamson has won eight out of nine tosses this season
• Rishabh Pant has a strike-rate in excess of 145 in five of the six innings he has faced more than ten balls.
• Warner is the highest run-getter for Sunrisers in IPL history, with 4014 runs at an average of 49.6.
• Pant has 466 runs, has hit 22 sixes and smashed 128* against Sunrisers
• Kane Williamson needs to take two more catches to reach 100 catches in T20 cricket.
• Axar Patel (99) needs just one scalp to complete 100 wickets in the IPL
• Mustafizur Rahman (46) requires four wickets to reach 50 wickets in the IPL.

Also read: Concerned that different types of bowlers are getting Kohli out: Ian Bishop

Probable XI for DC:
1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 David Warner, 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt& wk), 5 Lalit Yadav, 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Chetan Sakariya

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, 10 Umran Malik, 11 T Natarajan/Kartik Tyagi

(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) Both the sides will desperately want to perform this season after not performing to their fullest potential in the last IPL. RR had a tremendous auction this IPL and hopefully fully capitalise on the plethora of talent they have, on the other hand SRH’s Kane Williamson, who was retained ahead of the mega auction, has the charge of the Orange Army as the franchise is trusting him to get the IPL trophy back to Hyderabad.

Sunrisers will be without Rashid Khan and David Warner for the first time since 2017 but have tried to get able replacements for those two talisman in the squad. If SRH have a fit squad then their bowling lineup looks quite potent as Washington Sundar could do a holding role with the new ball or after the powerplay as the seam trio of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan and Umran Malik can offer 12 very different kinds of overs to the oppositions. Bhuvneshwar with his  swing at the top, Natarajan with his signature yorkers at the death and Malik with his raw pace can trouble the batters. Marco Jansen, the tall, left-arm seamer, could also be an option if SRH want their lineup to be pace heavy. SRH will heavily rely on the young Indian core to perform as the likes of Rahul Tripathi and Abhishek Sharma will be open, setting a platform for Williamson and Nicholas Pooran to build upon.

Royals have perhaps the best death-bowling options in the IPL this year as Trent Boult can do a job with the older ball along with being lethal at the top with him swinging the new ball one into the right-hander. Prasidh Krishna, who over the past year has been putting brilliant performances for the Indian Cricket team will likely partner Boult in the powerplay, and hopefully build a successful partnership. Going into the tournament, RR possibly have the best two spinners in R Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal and they could capitalise on it to strangle the opposition in the middle overs. They retained the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson and now have Devdutt Padikkal who is most likely to bat at No. 3. Rassie van der Dussen, who has enjoyed a purple patch for South Africa recently along with Shimron Hetmyer are probably vying for one spot in the middle order.

Pitch and weather report: The MCA Pune pitches are known for supporting batters and spinners as the game progresses but again, the trend of winning the toss and bowling first will continue as chasing teams have had an advantage here. No chance of rain is expected at the venue as the temperature would hover around 33 Degrees.

Interesting facts:

• In the IPL Sanju Samson has averaged 54.50 with a strike rate of 145.33 and Jos Buttler has averaged 43.00 with an unbelievable strike rate of 159.25) .
• Royals have the most successful IPL seamer and also spinner in the powerplays. No seamer has taken more power play wickets than Boult (21) and no spinner has taken more wickets in the phase than Ashwin (8).
• With Sunrisers retaining a similar fast-bowling unit to 2021,Padikkal has scored at a strike-rate of only 94.21 against SRH
• Boult and Krishna both last season went above 10 runs a over in the death overs
• Romario Shepherd picked up 18 wickets in 9 matches in the CPL.

Probable XI for SRH:

1 Rahul Tripathi, 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 5 Aiden Markram, 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Marco Jansen/Romario Shepherd, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 T Natarajan, 11 Umran Malik

Probable XI for RR:

 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Jos Buttler, 3 Devdutt Padikkal, 4 Sanju Samson (capt, wk), 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Riyan Parag, 7 James Neesham/Nathan Coulter-Nile, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Prasidh Krishna

Also read: Sensational Shami leads Gujarat Titans to 1st ever IPL win

Kolkata, Feb 19 (Cricket News) India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant says the team is looking at exploring as many options as possible in the build-up to the T20 World Cup, which is to take place in eight month's time.

Pant, who was appointed vice-captain in the absence of KL Rahul for the ongoing T20 series against the West Indies, smashed a brisk half-century in the team's win in the second game here on Friday night.

Among other questions, he was also asked about the plans for the T20 World Cup in Australia.

"There's still time for the World Cup, so the plan is to try out as many options as possible," the 24-year-old said at the post-match media interaction.

"We are trying to find out which positions suit whom and how they can benefit the team. So we're trying out several options, whatever seems right for the team eventually will be final." In the absence of the rested pace duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, seamer Harshal Patel held his nerves to help India emerge winner after West Indies big hitter Rovman Powell threatened to take the game away with back-to-back sixes in the final over.

Pant said the plan was to keep the ball outside off stump.

"After getting hit for two sixes, the talk was to try bowling outside off, but then he ultimately backed himself.

"There's obviously pressure in the game, but as individuals, we tend to focus on our skill rather than thinking too much," Pant added.

With the injury-prone Hardik Pandya not available, India are also looking to use seam-bowling all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer as a finisher.

Venkatesh, who caught the selectors' eye after impressing as an explosive opener for Kolkata Knight Riders in the UAE leg of the IPL 2021, played an 18-ball 33-run cameo.

He, along with Pant, put on an entertaining 76-run partnership from 35 balls to lift India's total to 186/5.

"Yes, in the IPL he opened for KKR, but we can't be thinking too much about that. In the Indian team we are just trying to find different positions for different people. He used to play down the order (for Madhya Pradesh).

"When you come down the order, you know the situation. He (Venkatesh) is someone who reads the situation really well. He is a mature cricketer," Pant was all praise for Venkatesh.

Asked about their match-turning partnership after Virat Kohli (52) departed in the middle overs, Pant said the plan was simple.

"We talked about keeping it simple and not trying too many things. The plan was simple, see the ball, hit the ball." When asked how secured he's feeling batting at No. 5, Pant said: "It's all about the team plan. As an individual, I can't think about whether I've to secure this place or that place.

"I have to do whatever the team needs from me. It's about keep improving each and every day." India now have another spin option in 21-year-old Ravi Bishnoi, a googly specialist who returned with match-winning figures of 2/17 on debut in the first T20I.

In the second T20I, he took 1/30, and Pant was seen constantly egging on the youngster from behind the stumps.

"For a newcomer in the team, it's all about giving him confidence. The more you give him confidence, talk to him about what he feels as an individual, all these are important.

"Yes we can give our plans, but for a bowler, it's very important to know what he feels, especially for a youngster who has just come into the team. So if we give him the confidence and let him have his own plan, then he will also learn more," Pant signed off. 

Also Read : That is where experience comes into play: Rohit on Bhuvi's four-run 19th over

News Source : PTI

Kolkata, Feb 18 (Cricket News) Bhuvneshwar Kumar's form since his return from injury has often been questioned but India skipper Rohit Sharma "believes in him a lot" after the seamer bowled a brilliant penultimate over that helped the hosts win the second T20 against West Indies.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar conceded four runs in the 19th over as West Indies fell short by eight runs in an exciting finish.

"You are always a bit scared when you are playing against these guys (West Indies power hitters). In the end, it was a phenomenal finish. Right from the start, we knew it wouldn't be easy. But I am proud we executed our plans under pressure. It was very critical at that point when Bhuvneshwar bowled.

"That's where experience comes into play. Bhuvi has been doing it for many years and we believe in him a lot," said Rohit at the post match presentation after series sealing win.

He also praise the batters with India posting 186 for five at the Eden Gardens.

"The way Virat started he took the pressure off me as well. It was a very important innings. And great finish by Rishabh and Venky Iyer. To see that sort of maturity from Iyer is very pleasing. He looks confident and towards the end he asked me if I wanted to give him an over." However, the fielding can be better, he said.

"We were a little sloppy in the field, a little disappointed with that. We could have done better if we had taken those catches. We wan to try and minimise those mistakes moving forward," added Rohit.

West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard took a lot out of the game despite the loss and praised Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell for taking the game to the final over.

"He was phenomenal today (Powell). His partnership with Pooran almost took us over the line. Pleased with the guys. The ball was moving around and they have got good bowlers. You have to give credit where it's due," he said.

"In the first game you could have said we were a bit slow in the middle overs but we corrected that here. We cannot call the batters out. We can look at it in different ways how we could have got those eight runs. We are a work in progress." 

Also Read : Bhuvi magic derails WI as India seal series with 8-run win

News Source : PTI

Kolkata, Feb 18 (Cricket News) Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Harshal Patel produced superb bowling in slog overs as India survived some anxious moments before walking out with an eight-run won over West Indies in the second T20I that handed them an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series here on Friday.

Chasing a stiff 187, wicketkeeper-batter Nicholas Pooran (62 off 41 balls) and Rovman Powell (68 not out from 36 balls) hit belligerent fifties to keep them in the hunt as they needed just 29 runs from the last two overs.

But death bowling specialist, Bhuvneshwar Kumar revived India's hopes by removing the dangerous-looking Pooran with a slower off-cutter.

Under pressure after he dropped Rovman Powell off his own bowling, Bhuvneshwar was brilliant and conceded just four runs in the over.

Needing to defend 25 in the final over, Patel was hit for two consecutive sixes but he held his nerves to seal the issue for India.

This was India's 100th win in T20Is as they sealed the series with one match to go on Sunday.

Earlier continuing his impressive run in his debut series, Ravi Bishnoi dismissed Brandon King (22) in his third delivery to break the second-wicket stand.

But Pooran and Powell looked without any trouble against the Indian attack.

Wicketkeeper-batter Pooran continued his impressive form to smash a second successive half-century, while Powell gave a fine support at the other end with a 28-ball 50 as the Windies recovered from being 59/3 inside nine overs.

Dropped on 21 by Bishnoi in the 10th over, Pooran brought up his fifty in 34 balls -- his second in as many games -- with a slog over off Deepak Chahar's final over.

Powell then completed a 28-ball fifty as India looked under real pressure before Bhuvneshwar turned it around.

Earlier, Virat Kohli was back among runs with a fifty while Rishabh Pant smashed a quick-fire unbeaten 52 to lift India to a challenging 186/5.

Kohli hit his 30th fifty in the shortest format, his first since the 57 versus Pakistan in the T20 World Cup on October 24 last year.

The former captain's sheer elegance was on full display as he cut, pulled and also took the aerial route en route to his 41-ball 52 that had seven fours and one six.

Luck also favoured Kohli on the day as the former skipper brought up his 30th T20I fifty with a slog over long-on after Jason Holder failed to get hold of the catch as the ball went over the boundary.

But Kohli failed to make it big and was cleaned up by Chase two balls later after the Windies off-spinner breached his gate for his third wicket.

Chase was impressive in the middle overs to return with 3/25 and which included the wickets of Rohit Sharma (19) and Suryakumar Yadav (8).

Thereafter it was Pant and Venkatesh Iyer (33 from 18 balls) show on offer as they took charge on the likes of Kieron Pollard and Romario Shepherd in their 76-run partnership from 35 balls.

Pant (52 off 28 balls) brought up his third fifty in T20Is with a double in the penultimate delivery of the innings, taking just 27 balls to get to the milestone.

Earlier India got off to a slow start with Sheldon Cottrell bowling four dots on the trot before dismissing Ishan Kishan in the second over of the day.

Kishan, who was the most expensive buy of the IPL 2022 mega auction, looked listless and under pressure to continue his poor form and departed for two after his 10-ball stay.

But thereafter it was Kohli show at the sparsely-crowded Eden as the former India skipper delighted his fans with his elegant timing and strokeplay.

Getting off the mark with a boundary with a whip to the square leg boundary, Kohli found his timing early on and got a second boundary in the same over of Akeal Hossain.

Kohli was the aggressor and skipper Rohit was happy to play the second fiddle as the duo took India's score to almost 50 in the first six overs.

There was a clear shift in India's batting in the powerplay as the duo were not afraid to take the aerial route.

Rohit departed for 19 in 18 balls after a fine partnership with Kohli that yielded 49 runs from 36 balls before Chase gave the breakthrough in his first over removing the Indian skipper after inducing a thick leading edge to be caught at the point.

In his next over, Chase accounted for Suryakumar but Kohli ensured that there was no further damage. 

Also Read : Bihar batter Gani smashes 341, highest score on FC debut

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 25 (Cricket News) Saurashtra skipper Jaydev Unadkat feels the players' skills against the red ball have started diminishing and potential cancellation of a second consecutive Ranji Trophy season will be a "great loss" for domestic cricket in India.

After the COVID-19-forced cancellation of Ranji Trophy last year, a first in the tournament's rich history, the postponement of the current season due to the third wave of the pandemic has left many players worried.

The premier tournament was supposed to begin on January 13 and lead pacer Unadkat and the rest of the Saurashtra players had started their preparations to defend the maiden title they won back in March 2020.

'Players' skills are being hampered' ===================== It felt like a different ball game altogether at the camp with players only used to white ball cricket for the last two seasons.

"Two years in a row would be a great loss. One year itself was a great loss. When we started our pre-season camp before the eventual postponement, it felt like a whole new game," Unadkat told PTI.

"Leaving the ball, bowling with pace and bowling long spells. All that had gone out of the picture. It is going to be difficult for sure if it doesn't happen this year too.

"I hear that BCCI is keen on staging it. If the virus situation doesn't become threatening, we can have it in February with a stricter bubble and more vigilance," said the left-arm pacer who picked a record 67 wickets in a memorable 2020 season.

If February is not possible, then the BCCI must start the next season with Ranji Trophy, feels the pacer who has played one Test, 7 ODIs and 10 T20Is for India.

"For batters, even when I was batting I left the first ball alone it felt very different to be honest. I had not left a ball in two years of my batting practice. Probably the same for all batters barring the openers who were doing it even in one-dayers.

"For the bowlers, bowling that full length and trying to swing the ball but people were trying different things and were bowling a few balls. It was bound to happen with such a long gap. It will hamper the skills of cricketers for sure if there is a two-year gap," said Unadkat recalling the experience at the training camp.

The seasoned cricketer also understands that the BCCI has an enormous task at hand in staging a 38-team event amid the challenges posed by the pandemic.

"It is disappointing but I feel this was bound to happen considering the COVID situation and the right decision taken was taken. Hopefully things get better and we can play at least half of it or the league stage before the IPL," he said.

'Central contracts will ensure financial security in these uncertain times' =========================================== The BCCI compensated all the players who were part of the 2019-2020 season but that did not include many players on the fringes of state teams.

Unadkat offered a solution.

"See the maximum that BCCI can do is compensate players like last year but that is only for the guys who played the year before. The guys who were not part of that squad and are on the fringes it is more difficult for them.

"May be the state associations can take the initiative. Whosoever was on the brink of selection, for example if top 20 are being compensated by the BCCI, the next 20 too have to be taken care of." On his stance on central contracts, he added: "The board was keen on it coupe of years ago when things were normal but post COVID no one really has put their hands on it. I don't know why. That can obviously help a lot of cricketers especially in this situation." With red-ball cricket not played in the country in the last 24 months, the India selectors can only factor in the performance of the 2020 season while giving an opportunity in the Test team.

Despite a stellar season, Unadkat has been ignored repeatedly. But that doesn't impact his motivation level.

"Obviously losing out a year after having the best phase of my career in red-ball cricket was unfortunate. I would still be at the same level of motivation when the season starts. "White ball cricket has been happening and I am improving on that front. I just hope I get a team where I can actually get to show my skills in a versatile role," he added referring to the upcoming IPL mega auction. 

Also Read : Rohit Sharma fit to lead lead India vs Windies; Bhuvi, Ashwin under scanner as Hardik back in radar

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 25 (Cricket News) India's white-ball captain Rohit Sharma is "fit" and ready to lead the side against the West Indies in a six-match white-ball series starting February 6 with the three ODIs in Ahmedabad.

However, the team selection meeting, which is set to happen this week, will be an interesting one as some senior players like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ravichandran Ashwin, after their indifferent performance against South Africa in their 0-3 ODI series defeat, will come under the scanner.

But Rohit is ready to lead the side after a left hamstring injury ruled him out of the South Africa tour. The T20 matches against the Caribbean team are set to be held from February 16 to 20 in Kolkata.

"Rohit is fit and available for the series against the West Indies," a senior BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

"By the time, the West Indies series starts, it will be more than seven and half weeks of rehabilitation and recuperation for Rohit.

"He is already training in Mumbai and is expected to be in Bangalore for the fitness test and get a formal okay from the National Cricket Academy," the source informed.

Rohit set to be named Test captain too ======================== It is almost certain that for the time being, Rohit will be named the Test captain although BCCI will be looking at other options considering his workload and the responsibility that comes with leading India in two back-to-back World Cups in 2022 and 2023.

It is understood that KL Rahul's first stint as captain hasn't gone as per expectations and for now, he will have to remain an apprentice under Rohit till he is seen to be ready to lead the national team in near future.

Under Rahul, India lost all four international games in South Africa and for men who matter in Indian cricket, he hasn't exactly come across as a proactive captain.

It is understood that Rahul's performance as Lucknow Super Giants captain will be keenly monitored during this edition of the IPL.

Hardik Pandya's comeback ================ Hardik Pandya has been bowling in the nets and even though it is not clear whether he can bowl full tilt but Venkatesh Iyer's relative inexperience at No.6 and Rahul Dravid's admission that the colourful Baroda man was missed, can pave the way for his comeback against the West Indies.

"You have to remember after the T20 World Cup, Hardik was dropped and not rested because of his fitness. The selectors wanted to send him a message after his underwhelming show at World T20 but he is too good a player to be kept out for long.

"If not against West Indies, then he will surely be back against Sri Lanka," the source added.

Ravindra Jadeja also seems to be close to attaining full fitness and will play either against West Indies or in the next assignment against Sri Lanka.

Bumrah might be rested =============== Jasprit Bumrah's workload management is paramount for this current Indian team and there is a possibility that he might be rested for the six matches.

This is after Bumrah played all six games in South Africa which, which included three Tests and three 50-over games, and sent down the highest number of overs (104.5 overs in Tests and 30 in ODIs).

However, Bhuvneshwar, whose form has tapered off, might be dropped while Ashwin might get one more series as the South Africa white-ball leg was his comeback in ODIs.

The likes of Avesh Khan and Harshal Patel could once again make it to the T20 team. 

Also Read : Morgan looking for rejuvenation along with captaincy record in 3rd T20

News Source : PTI

Paarl, Jan 21 (Cricket News) Flamboyant Rishabh Pant believes that the difference between the two teams in the just lost ODI series was far better middle-overs batting by the South African side.

Having lost the first game by 31 runs, Indians were once again soundly thrashed by seven wickets after having put up a reasonably good 287 runs on the board.

"The track was slightly on the slower side and at the same time, we had enough runs on the board," Pant, who scored 85, said after the match.

"Last match (first ODI), we chased and this match we batted first, so when they batted, the wicket was much better for batting. In second innings, it became slower an slower as the game progressed.

"Today, it was same but they batted well in middle overs that's why they chased down the target. We didn't get enough wickets in the middle overs," he said.

SA Spinners were better, admits India keeper =========================== Pant admitted that Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram and Tabraiz Shamsi bowled better than Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal in the two games.

"I think they (SA spinners) were more consistent in their lines and lengths and they are used to playing in these conditions," he said.

One of the biggest reasons for the defeat is lack of 50-over game time for a long duration, opined Pant.

"We are playing ODIs after long time and lots of factors we can talk about but as a team, we are always looking to improve and hopefully, we will be able to rectify them in coming matches." Not concerned about Bhuvneshwar's form ========================= Pant brushed aside queries about poor form of veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

"As a team, we are always looking to improve and I don't think there is much concern about Bhuvi bhai's form. Obviously, we are playing ODI after long time so we are just getting used to the momentum, obviously disappointed after losing the series but we are looking at ways to improve," he added. 

Also Read : Where we need to get better is right in front of us: K L Rahul

News Source : PTI

Vadodara, Nov 9 (Cricket News) In-form Deepak Hooda's quickfire 75 and an impressive show by the bowlers helped Rajasthan notch up a comfortable 30-run win over Haryana in their last Elite C group game and qualify for the knockout stage of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy here on Tuesday.

Rajasthan topped the group with 20 points after remaining unbeaten in the league stage.

Put in to bat, Rajasthan rode on Hooda's blistering 75 off 47 balls to post a competitive 155 for six and then bundled out the opposition for 125, with Mohit Jain (4/14) picking four wickets.

Rajasthan lost openers Yash Kothari (3) and Ashok Menaria (0) early and were reeling at 4 for 2.

But then in-form Mahipal Lomror (46) and Hooda steadied the ship with their 87-run stand for the third wicket.

While Lomror hammered five boundaries and a six, Hooda struck five fours and four maximums, as he toyed with the opposition attack.

Once Lomror was trapped in the front of the wicket by rival skipper Harshal Patel, Hooda took the onus on himself and ensured that his bowlers had a decent total to defend.

Chasing 156, Haryana lost skipper Harshal Patel (14) cheaply. His opening partner Chaitanya Bishnoi (41) tried to take the game deep, but did not get support from others, as Rajasthan bowlers kept making in-roads.

Haryana was never on course for a comfortable chase and suffered a middle and lower-middle order collapse. None of their batters even showed a fight, as Rajasthan added another four points to their kitty. For Rajasthan, Jain was well supported by young speedster Kamlesh Nagarkoti (3/25), while Lomror (1/18), Ravi Bishnoi (1/30), Shubham Sharma (1/17) played their parts to perfection.

Brief Scores: Rajasthan 155/6 (Deepak Hooda 75, Mahipal Lomror 46; Sumit Kumar 2/28, Harshal Patel 2/42) beat Haryana 125 all out (Chaitanya Bishnoi 41, Mohit Jain 4/14, Kamlesh Nagarkoti 3/25) by 30 runs.

Himachal 148/7 (Raghav Dhawan 57, Prashant Chopra 35; C Stephen 4/11, Manish Golamaru 1/30) beat Andhra 118 all out (Ashwin Hebbar 43, Ricky Bhuvi 41; Pankaj Jaiswal 5/18, Rishi Dhawan 3/16) by 30 runs.

Jammu and Kashmir 156/6 (Jatin Wadhwan 45, Qamran Iqbal 37; Utkarsh Singh 2/22, KR Singh 1/8) lost to Jharkhand 157/5 (Virat Singh 40, Ishank Jaggi 30; Ram Dayal 2/28, Parvez Rasool 1/24) by 5 wickets. 

Also Read : Kohli quitting T20 captaincy shows all is not well in Indian dressing room: Mushtaq Ahmed

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Nov 3 (Cricket news) Former India selector Sarandeep Singh has highlighted the selection howlers in the T20 World Cup squad and said though Rohit Sharma is the obvious choice to lead the side in white-ball formats, he can't be a long-term option.

As India stare at a group stage exit from the World Cup, Sarandeep said the exclusion of Yuzvendra Chahal and Axar Patel was baffling. He also asked why Hardik Pandya was included in the squad when he has not been fit enough to bowl regularly.

Virat Kohli will step down from T20 captaincy after the World Cup and Rohit is set to succeed him.

With questions now being raised on ODI captaincy, Sarandeep said Rohit is the man for the job but only in the short term.

"Rohit is a good choice (for white-ball captaincy), he is among your best batters. But the call the selection committee has to take is whether to make him captain for couple of years (till 2023 ODI World Cup) or find a leader who can lead the team for a long time.

"If they are looking at the bigger picture, K L Rahul and Rishabh Pant are good choices," Sarandeep, whose last assignment was India's historic tour of Australia earlier this year, told PTI.

Shardul Thakur took Bhuvneshwar Kumar's place for the New Zealand game, which was a massive mistake as per Sarandeep.

"If you lose one game with the your best eleven, you don't make drastic changes, you have to stick to it.

"Bhuvi should have never been dropped. If at all you had to bring in Shardul, you should have dropped Hardik, who is not the player he is used to be. Why would you pick Hardik when he is not fit enough for his all-round skills? He has not bowled regularly for two years now," said the former India spinner.

Sarandeep also had his say on other selections in the World Cup squad.

"Some of the selection calls were beyond me. Shami is one of India's best bowlers but he is not as effective in T20s as he is in Tests and ODIs. Axar Patel was earlier in the squad but you brought Shardul in his place. He could have been your main bowler.

"Yuzi Chahal was performing for the last four five overs and you don't keep him in the squad. You say that he doesn't bowl fast enough but we have been taught from day one that spinners are supposed to bowl slow and flight the ball." Sarandeep also gave his views on mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy.

"Who is a mystery spinner? You play a game or two and then you play after six months. I used to ask this in our selection meetings also. Mystery spinner is not someone who would play regularly. The teams will pick you in that case." While India have played badly in the tournament, Sarandeep feels they are not a bad team.

"What we need to realise is that other teams have actually become better. India remain a good team but need to catch up with others as it has been shown in this tournament," he added.

Also Read : Bumrah only notable movement among Indians as others dominate rankings

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) After the IPL, India played England in a warm up match for the World T20 and got enough match practice before the game against Pakistan on Sunday. India produced a clinical performance against a top side as they won by 7 wickets, a lot of positives can be taken out of the performance but a few areas of concern are also there that India can improve before the match against Pakistan.

KL Rahul will open with Rohit Sharma

Like we saw in the IPL, KL Rahul has just continued his immaculate form as he scored 51 runs off just 24 balls, he not only played with class and elegance but the main takeaway from yesterday's innings is that he took full advantage of the powerplay. This is a different kind of Rahul as he usually tends to take his time and build his innings, but if this same trend continues then that would mean Rahul will be the aggressor in the beginning and Rohit can take his time and build partnerships with others.

India's bench strength looks strong

A lot of talk was on whether they should drop Ishan Kishan for Shikhar Dhawan but yesterday he defined his selection after a blistering knock of 70 off 46 balls which included three sixes and seven boundaries. With Ishan, it proves that if in the tournament Ravi Shastri feels like going into the match with a left- right opening combination then he knows that Ishan Kishan will do a job out there. As for India’s bench options, they look pretty strong and most of the players look in good touch.

Suryakumar Yadav should bat at no 4

Yesterday we saw Rishabh Pant at no 4 as it looks more likely that he will bat in that position heading into the World Cup as he is the only left handed batsman in the top 6. The Indian team management need Suryakumar to fire in all cylinders as he's a type of player that can win you matches with unorthodox batting style but heading into the tournament his form in the IPL hasn’t been great. The coaches along with Virat Kohli need to send him up the order so that he takes some balls to settle into a groove which will help him get back to his best. 

Varun Chakaravarthy looks like the main spinner in the team

Rahul Chahar only picked up a wicket he conceded to many runs and gave away a lot of length balls as the batsman cherished the freebies. He was trying to get the ball to spin off the surface but wasn’t getting much assistance from it, on the other hand Ashwin bowled a straight line and kept the batsman in check. Varun didn’t play the match as he played the IPL final days a few ago but it won't be a surprise that he will get to bowl his full quota of overs against Australia in the next warm match. The reason Varun might get picked as the lead spinner is because he has the element of mystery in his balling which might cause the opposition batsmans some problems.

Also read: India looks to fix batting order in final T20 WC warm-up game Australia

Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s form looks like an area of concern

An ever present name on the team sheet, Bhuvi might be struggling this calendar year especially since he hasn’t had a great IPL and it has greatly hampered his confidence. Bhuvi is India's most consistent bowler when it comes to line and length but yesterday he was all over the place as Johnny Bairstow and Moeen Ali took to the raptures as he conceded 54 runs at an economy of 13.5 runs per over. The Indian team management needs to take a decision whether they keep faith in him or replace him with Shardul Thakur or play an extra spinner in his place against Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday.
 

New Delhi, Oct 16 (Cricket news) Mahendra Singh Dhoni has completed his primary assignment with distinction, leading Chennai Super Kings to their fourth IPL title but now comes the tricky one -- to be the 'Mentor' of Indian cricket team at the T20 World Cup.

Dhoni the leader is very different from any of his predecessors or successors but whether in Team India blues or CSK's canary yellow, he has been an active voice on the field for the last 17 years in top flight cricket.

The new role though will be a slightly trickier one where from active voice, Dhoni is expected to become an "actively passive voice" where it would depend on skipper Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri as to how they use the nuggets of information that they get from him.

The term "Mentor' in Indian crick

et has a broad domain -- strategist, motivator, sounding board, one can take his pick. In case of Dhoni, he is expected to be a sounding board as this Indian team, despite not winning big events, has been in auto-pilot mode for a long time.

If one has watched Dhoni, he never fixes something that isn't broken. He will only speak when spoken to and will never encroach in Shastri or Kohli's domain. That's not the MSD style.

But he has been a captain for most of the senior players in this side, who made their debuts under him and also attained super stardom with his guidance.

So, in this month-long role with the Indian team, how does Dhoni benefit? He certainly does.

It will give Dhoni an idea about whether he can straightaway be a mentor and save CSK's retention money for the next Indian Premier League.

Dhoni has been pretty ambiguous about his future as an IPL player. He made it clear that BCCI's retention policy will determine how he sees his role in the CSK set-up.

And this is where, his role becomes very important.

He is going to be a sure-shot presence in the dug-out and if he finds that he is able to help Kohli and his men execute any specific strategy that he wants in a particular game, it would certainly give him confidence of engineering CSK's transition without actually being present on the field.

One can be sure that Dhoni isn't an imposing personality. He has shown that he believes in decisions being taken by choice and not under compulsion.

So what are the key areas where he could be captain Kohli's sounding board? KL Rahul or Ishan Kishan, who should be Rohit Sharma's opening partner: ============================================= Dhoni has maximised the potential of his resources with Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf Du Plessis playing a huge role in CSK's triumph.

If Kohli goes to him for advice, will it be the technically correct Rahul, who has been a great IPL player or Kishan, who has shown more attacking intent in Powerplay? How effective can be Kishan if he plays in the middle-order? The answer to these questions is awaited.

Should it be Hardik Pandya the batter or Shardul Thakur the all-rounder? ============================================ Hardik Pandya has flattered to deceive during the past two IPL seasons but the problems didn't seem too big as Mumbai Indians won the title back in 2020.

However their disappointing show in the 2021 edition will also increase worries for the Indian team considering that he is unlikely to bowl in the Indian campaign at the World Cup.

Shardul hasn't set the stage on fire with his T20 batting in this IPL but he has had his moments of glory and India won't mind that.

Dhoni knows what to expect of Shardul and perhaps understand how to use Hardik. What will be his choice? Again, one will have to wait.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar or Shardul Thakur, who will be 3rd seamer? ======================================= Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been well below his best in this IPL with six wickets from 11 games at an economy rate of 7.97 while Shardul has 21 wickets at a costly economy rate of 8.80.

However, in this edition whenever Dhoni has needed wickets, Shardul more often than not, has delivered.

As a captain Dhoni expects a certain result from him player and leaves it on him on how he gets it. Shardul has done it while Bhuvi of late hasn't looked a wicket-taking bowler. Who will Dhoni pick -- experienced guy or the result oriented one? How Dhoni's passive voice makes an "active difference" will determine his course -- a place in the dug-out or once again behind the stumps with a hawk-eye on proceedings.

Also Read : Indian team has talent, needs to show maturity to win T20 WC: Ganguly

News Source : PTI

Bhavnagar, Aug 19 (Cricket news) His entire life flashed before his eyes when he geared up to bowl on his international debut, says young pacer Chetan Sakariya, reflecting on his journey in India colours during the recent limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka.

The 23-year-old had a meteoric rise in the past six months as he first impressed in the IPL after being picked up by Rajasthan Royals and then went on to represent India, claiming three wickets in the two T20Is and one ODI against Sri Lanka.

"When I was preparing to bowl that first ball, I had a couple of minutes to go through marking my run-up, warming up etc, and in that moment, I could see a flashback of everything that had unfolded in my life – the good, the bad, the sacrifices, the support, the criticism - everything.

"So, it was emotional but gave me a lot of motivation to do well and that was the thought in my mind," the left-arm pacer from Saurashtra, who had lost his father to COVID-19 in May, said in a release issued by his IPL franchise RR.

Sakariya came into the limelight when he was snapped up by Rajasthan Royals at the IPL auction for Rs 1.2 crores and he impressed with seven wickets in as many matches in the first phase of IPL.

"...to make it to the Indian team, it has been a dream come true. When I first heard of it, there were a lot of thoughts in my head, but I was unable to believe it," he said.

"I pinched myself because I was wondering if it was even true. I didn't think of it in a way that I would get to play or not, just being a part of that dressing room was a huge moment for me." Talking about his first interaction with Rahul Dravid, who was the coach of the Indian team in Sri Lanka, Sakariya said: "...I was shocked and startled at first because I couldn't believe that it was really him...he asked me about my family background, playing experience, etc.

"He also asked about cricket in Saurashtra and how we've been doing well in the last five years, and complimented me for my bowling and said he had followed my journey during the IPL, and that he liked how I bowled with the new and the old ball.

"So, it felt amazing that a legend like him knew who I was and was following my performances." Sakariya said training with experienced India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar during the tour also helped him a lot.

Also read: Ranjane, Wagh, Kerkar join Goa for upcoming domestic season

"I met Bhuvi bhai during the nets, and saw him bowling consistently at one spot, so I asked him what the secret behind it was, and he told me that the secret was to feel the action, and make sure that the focus is on each step during the run-up. So that was special, and I've tried doing that as well," he said.

The remainder of the IPL is scheduled to begin in the UAE from September 19 and Sakariya said he has spent some time in Chennai under the guidance of RR's strength and conditioning coach AT Rajamani Prabhu to be in good shape.

"I had about two weeks where I wanted to focus on explosive training because T20 is a format where you need to produce that explosive energy any time in the game.

"So, I was working a lot on that under humid conditions, which certainly helped me retain my fitness levels during the off-season," he said.

With the Royals currently occupying the fifth spot in the table, Sakariya reckons his team has a good chance of making it to the playoffs.

"I think whichever matches we won were extraordinary matches, like we were able to achieve the unachievable targets. And whichever matches we lost, were close matches except the RCB one.

"Therefore, I just want to focus on doing well for my team because I know that if I'm able to contribute, we will be able to win and hopefully make it to the playoffs." 

News source: PTI

Colombo, Jul 30 (Cricket news) Rahul Dravid believes that the new crop of Indian batsmen will learn with experience that "not all wickets will be flat" and they need to develop the art of scrapping it out on low-scoring tracks like the ones on offer during the last two T20 Internationals against Sri Lanka.

India lost the three-match T20 International series against Sri Lanka 1-2 on Thursday, playing without nine of their first team players due to COVID-19 related isolation.

Rookies Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Nitish Rana along with Sanju Samson literally struggled against a quality spin bowling attack led by leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga.

Asked if he was disappointed in the manner the younger players were found wanting against Hasaranga and company, Dravid replied in the negative.

"I am not disappointed as they are young. They are going to learn and get better only when they are exposed to these kind of conditions and quality of bowling. Sri Lankan team's bowling attack is an international bowling attack," Dravid said while assessing the overall performance in the series.

But the former India captain and an all-time great did admit that there is lot to learn on how to play on challenging tracks, saying pitches in domestic cricket have become easier to bat as compared to his times.

"They would have liked to score a few more runs. They now have an opportunity to reflect that not all wickets are going to be flat. We need to find ways to scrap and score 130, 140 on these wickets," Dravid observed after seeing the Ranas and the Padikkals struggle on a Premadasa track where ball wasn't coming on to the bat.

"It's really a good learning as they are all young players. This is a great opportunity to reflect on these performances and may be come up with some slightly better strategies.

"Let me be fair, we don't get these kind of conditions very often in T20 cricket but when you do, I think, you have responsibility to play slightly better," the head of National Cricket Academy said.

Dravid said even his generation had their share of struggles but he feels during their times, they did play on tracks that offered turn and some were "under-prepared." "I think the wickets in domestic cricket may have got better -- one thing that is probably different when I was sort of starting while growing up the wickets tended to turn a little bit more.

"Honestly some of the wickets we used to play used to be under-prepared but wickets have got a bit better in Ranji Trophy which is great. I don't think the talent is missing it's just that you need experience to figure out a few more stroke making options in these kinds of pitches," he opined.

The problem with the COVID-19 isolation was the fact that save skipper Shikhar Dhawan, there wasn't a single experienced batsmen available which would have nicely blended with the youngsters in this team.

"It needs time and experience and you need to blood young players with experienced players so that you have that cushion. Obviously, last couple of games, we didn't have that cushion, most of guys other than Shikhar were young." Dravid didn't want to take names of who all are T20 World Cup aspirants while praising the Indian spin quartet of Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Varun Chakravarthy and Rahul Chahar.

"We have a really good crop of spinners who are coming through. Heartening to see how our four spinners performed and even stand bye spinner Sai Kishore is a really good bowler." Sanju Samson, who has now failed in nine consecutive T20 matches since last year, was defended by the Indian coach.

"It was not the easiest pitch to bat on. In ODIs, he got a chance and scored 46. He was batting well in the first T20 but last couple of wickets (pitches) were challenging.

Also read: Rutu, Devdutt will be disappointed but management will give them a free hand: Mhambrey

"I guess yeah, if you look back at the series, we will be a little disappointed. Having said that not only Sanju but a lot of young guys in this team are talented kids, and we need to patient with them." Dravid was also impressed by the fact that the young team was able to live a cooped up life in a bio-bubble for 45 days with only six matches to play.

"We have been in bubble for 45 days and we have played only six matches in those days, for a variety of reasons. The Sri Lankan boys picked up COVID-19 after their England tour and whole series got postponed," he said.

"....it has been challenging. The boys have been in quarantine and they have been in bubble and they have only seen hotels, even in hotels, certain parts of hotels. It's credit to all boys in the manner they maintained their spirit and worked really hard, I cant fault any of the boys for their effort," he said.

He praised skipper Dhawan and his deputy Bhuvneshwar Kumar for maintaining a good team environment in difficult times.

"Shikhar, Bhuvi, the leadership group for the environment that they created and terrific energy that they created, I can't fault them on their effort." However, he put things in perspective as to how playing cricket in these times of pandemic was a privilege when so many people around the world were suffering.

"It was tough for us and not an easy situation to be in. We are lucky to play cricket as we have seen in last few years, a lot of people go through a lot of sufferings and go through some very very difficult times," he said.

News source: PTI 

Colombo, Jul 25 (Cricket news) Suryakumar Yadav, with his 360 degree shots, is "amazing" to watch, said India captain Shikhar Dhawan after a crushing 38-run win over Sri Lanka in the first T20 International here on Sunday.

Surya scored 50 off 34 balls, his second half-century in his fourth T20 International and was involved in a 62-run stand for the third wicket with Dhawan. "He(Surya) is a great player and we enjoy watching him bat. He took the pressure from me and the way he plays calculated shots was amazing to watch," Dhawan said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

While Dhawan admitted that he thought they were "10-15 runs short", he also assessed that it wasn't too bad in terms of recovery.

"I feel we played quite well after losing early wickets. It was about one or two boundaries, we knew we could get going." Dhawan was confident that his spinners would do well and it was vindicated by Yuzvendra Chahal and Krunal Pandya with debutant Varun Chakravarthy doing well to make a late comeback.

Also read: We will try out new guys but will experiment only after ensuring series win: Capt Dhawan

"They were playing well. We knew our spinners will do the job on that wicket. Bhuvi bowled well, so was KP (Krunal). Everyone stood up and even Varun too playing his first match did well giving a few runs and got the wicket. He's (Varun) difficult to pick, I am very happy for him." Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka felt that a target of 165 was gettable.

"I think 164 was chaseable on this wicket. I think their bowlers upfront started really well. And then there were not enough middle-order batters to finish the game.

"I think our bowlers did an amazing job. I hope we come out and do better than this in the next game," Shanaka commented.

News source: PTI 

Colombo, Jul 21 (Cricket news) With its back to the wall, Team India responded like champions, said coach Rahul Dravid in an inspiring dressing room speech after his young side registered a series-clinching win in the second ODI against Sri Lanka here.

Chasing 276 for victory on Tuesday, India were reduced to 193 for seven in 36th over but Deepak Chahar (69) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (19) shared an unbroken 84-run stand to take the visitors home with three wickets in hand and five balls to spare.

"Obviously we finished on the right side of the result, which is incredible and fantastic but even if we didn't finish on the right side of the result, it is the fight all the way through was absolutely brilliant, so well done to all of you," Dravid said in a video posted on BCCI.tv.

"We said they were going to respond, we knew we had to respect the opposition. The opposition was going to respond, they're also an international team. They responded, and we responded back like a champion team.

"With our back to the wall, we found a way to break them. So really well done to all of you. Fantastic job." Bhuvneshwar (3/54) and Yuzvendra Chahal (3/50) snared three wickets each, while Chahar claimed two to restrict Sri Lanka to 275 for nine, built mainly around half-centuries from opener Avishka Fernando (50) and Charith Asalanka (65).

India found the going tough with Suryakumar Yadav anchoring the chase with a 44-ball 53 but once he was gone, the visitors slipped to 193 for seven.

Also read: Sri Lanka have forgotten how to win games for last so many years: Legendary former spinner Muralitharan

However, Chahar smashed his maiden ODI fifty and in the company of Bhuvneshwar took the team home.

"It is not the right time to talk about individuals at this point, obviously there were some fantastic individual performances, especially towards the end," said Dravid, who was named India head coach for the limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka.

"We had talked about that, we acknowledge and recognise every player's contribution in this game. If you look at the whole game, there were some very good team performances.

"So many good performances in our bowling, batting, even at the start, fantastic team performances from all of you." The video also featured Suryakumar, Bhuvneshwar, and Chahar talking about their experience about the match.

"I don't have words, I think it is one of the best games which I have been part of, I have seen live... it is an unbelievable victory," Suryakumar said.

"Bhuvi, our vintage man and DC, we have been talking about his batting, and today he has proved himself, it was a complete team effort. It was something special from Deepak Chahar." The third an final ODI will be held on Friday.

News source: PTI

Colombo, Jul 5 (Crickey news) Senior batsman Manish Pandey scored a half-century for Shikhar Dhawan XI while flamboyant Suryakumar Yadav smashed a quick-fire 50 odd for Bhuvneshwar Kumar XI in an intra-squad T20 simulation game at the SSC ground on Monday.

Bowling coach Paras Mhambrey told bcci.tv that the coaching staff was pleased with the "intensity" and the players ticked all the right boxes in humid conditions.

Batting first, Dhawan XI put up 154 for four in 20 overs with Pandey scoring 63 off 45 balls. Ruturaj Gaikwad contributed 30-odd, opening the innings.

Opposition skipper Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the best bowler with figures of 2/23 in 4 overs.

In reply, Prithvi Shaw and Devdutt Padikkal added 60 runs in quick time to set up the chase and Surya's 50-odd helped them achieve the target within 17 overs.

Also read: Cricketer Dhawan too needs to secure his T20 WC spot even though He is skipper for SL series: Laxman

Mhambrey said since the target was easily achieved by the side batting second, "we decided we will revise the target and gave them a situation where they had to score 40 odd runs in four overs to win the match. We wanted to push them and get the best out of situation."

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Jun 27 Not taking "your best swing bowler" Bhuvneshwar Kumar on the tour of England is a huge mistake and Shardul Thakur should have been a part of the 15-man squad for the World Test Championship final that India lost, feels former selector Sarandeep Singh.

Since Thakur was not a part of the 15-man squad, he could not be drafted into the playing eleven as the fast bowling all-rounder after rain in Southampton made conditions more favourable for the pace bowlers.

And not picking Bhuvneshwar for the WTC final and the five Tests against England starting August 4 is baffling, said Sarandeep whose tenure ended with the triumph in Australia earlier this year.

"The playing eleven picked two days ago before the game was perfect with two spinners in it. But it should have been changed as the conditions got more conducive to fast bowling (after rain),"Sarandeep told PTI.

"You picked the two spinners (Ravinchandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja) because they can bat. The only fast bowler who could bat was Shardul and he was not in the 15. He should have been there in the 15-man squad irrespective of whether he made the eleven or not eventually." Talking about a fit again Bhuvneshwar, who has been named vice captain for the limited overs tour of Sri Lanka next month, Sarandeep said the crafty pacer was an automatic pick in the UK squad.

"Not taking Bhuvi to England is a huge mistake. He is the best swing bowler you have and he is not even part of the squad." He also feels time has come to groom someone like Shardul for the fast bowling all-rounder's slot with Hardik Pandya not fit enough to bowl in the longest format.

"You can't be relying only on Hardik anymore. You don't know when he will be fit enough to bowl in all formats so someone like Shardul needs to be groomed or even Vijay Shankar or Shivam Dube are there." He expects Mohammed Siraj to play regularly over the five Tests against England.

"There will be rotation in that series. It is the right time to blood in Siraj and give him as many games as you can. He is bowling well. If there is a long gap, he would find it tough to find the right length straightaway.

"A little flexibility is needed. You play your two spinners but if the conditions suit the pacers then play the extra seamer," said Sarandeep.

The former India spinner also agrees with India skipper Virat Kohli, who has called for more intent while batting in overcast conditions.

"Our bowling has been fine for a while now but the problem is the batsmen. (Shubman) Gill could not perform in the home series against England. He played well in the opening session with Rohit (in WTC) but could not convert. Gill has to take responsibility now and absorb the pressure.

"What is clear now is that you can't play defensive too much if the ball is doing a lot. Whether it is (Cheteshwar) Pujara or (Ajinkya) Rahane or anyone else. You have to bat out of your comfort zone after a certain point to counter the conditions..

"It is too early to call for an overhaul but change of approach is very much needed from the batsmen. Even in Australia the lower order made those crucial runs. We need players to take the pressure off Kohli and Rohit." Sarandeep also highlighted the fact that India have not been able to win an ICC event under Kohli despite playing well consistently.

"They deserve to win, they are playing well for over four years but why it is not happening means there is something wrong," he added. News source PTI 

Dubai, Apr 13 (PTI) Experienced India seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar on Tuesday won the ICC Player of the Month award for his superlative show in the limited overs series against England in March. The 31-year-old Indian took six wickets at an economy rate of 4.65 in the three ODIs, while capturing four wickets at a fantastic economy rate of 6.38 in the five T20Is to emerge as the standout bowler on either side in the white ball series. "After what seemed like a really long and painful gap, I was delighted to be playing for India again. I used the time away to work on my fitness and skill and I am happy to be back taking wickets for my country," Bhuvneshwar said in an ICC release. "I would like to thank each and every person who helped me in this journey starting from my family and friends and my teammates. Also, a special thank you to the ICC voting academy and all the fans who voted for me and made me the ICC Men's Player of the Month for March." Besides Bhuvneshwar, ace leg-spinner Rashid Khan of Afghanistan and Zimbabwe's Sean Williams were also nominated in the men's category. Former India batsman VVS Laxman, representing the ICC Voting Academy, said: "Bhuvi missed nearly a year and a half of international cricket through multiple unrelated injuries, but you'd never have guessed. "He was outstanding in both the PowerPlay overs and at the death in the white-ball formats against a powerful, aggressive England batting line-up. Economical and penetrative, he was instrumental in shaping Indian triumphs in both series." South African Lizelle Lee, who played four ODIs against India where she scored a century and two half-centuries to move to the top of Women's ODI batting rankings, was named the ICC Women's Player of the Month for March. "I am happy and honoured to receive this award. Such accolades are a great way to keep me motivated and to continue to work even harder on my game. A big thank you to my teammates for their support as this would never have been possible without them," Lee said. Commenting on Lee's performance in March, Ramiz Raja, representing the ICC Voting Academy, said: "It is not easy scoring those many runs in alien batting conditions. It is always a challenge to adjust from bouncy pitches to slow low turning tracks and Lizelle did magnificently." The nominees among the women's also comprised Indian duo of Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Punam Raut. According to a release issued by the game's governing body, the three nominees for each of the categories were short-listed based on on-field performances and overall achievements during the period of that month (the first to the last day of each calendar month). The short-list was then voted on by the independent ICC Voting Academy and fans around the world. The ICC Voting Academy comprises prominent members of the cricket fraternity including senior journalists, former players, and broadcasters and some members of the ICC Hall of Fame.

Chennai, Apr 9 (PTI) Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner on Friday said the return of senior India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar will strengthen his side which is already quite balanced in all departments. Bhuvneshwar played just four games in last year's IPL in the UAE after sustaining a hip injury but he is currently in top form after an excellent show for the country during the white-ball leg of the England series at home. "Our team is pretty balanced and there are going to be some selection headaches which is always good," Warner said on the twitter handle of SRH. SRH play their first match on Sunday against Kolkata Knight Riders here. "It is great that Bhuvi is back. He has had a fantastic series against England. We have a lot of depth in bowling and firepower in batting." The swashbuckling Australia opener said the slow pitches in Chennai and Delhi will suit his team. "We are playing in Chennai in Delhi in our first 8 or 9 games. The wickets there ill be tad slow which will suit our style of play," said Warner who has come out of a mandatory quarantine. He said he did some running inside his hotel room during quarantine to keep himself fit. "They gave me a big enough room and I had a little bit of running inside it." SRH reached the play-offs in the last edition in the UAE where they lost to eventual runners-up in the Qualifier 2. Bhuvneshwar, on his part, said he was looking to feature in a full season this time. "It's good to be out of quarantine. Feels that the last IPL was just a few days back. I am not thinking of any new things but will just focus on the simple things and use my experience and bowl my variations, like that," he said. "I was not there for almost the whole IPL last year and looking forward to play the whole season this time and hopefully contribute for the team."

New Delhi, Feb 20 (PTI) Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav and Rahul Tewatia on Saturday earned their maiden India call-up for next month's five-match T20 series against England as the selectors rewarded them for their stupendous performances in the IPL. Wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant, all-rounder Axar Patel and pacer Bhuvneswar Kumar also returned to a fresh-looking squad. The selectors named a 19-man squad for the series starting March 12 in Ahmedabad with an aim to try out new faces such as Kishan, Yadav and Tewatia in a World Cup year. All three had a stellar IPL though Yadav has formed the backbone of Mumbai Indians' batting over the years. Questions were raised when Suryakumar Yadav did not make the team for the series in Australia but his long wait has finally ended. Kishan too had a good IPL and has been in red hot form in white ball cricket. He got the call-up on a day when he smashed 173 off 93 balls for Jharkhand in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Tewatia, who plays for Rajasthan Royals and Haryana, had smashed West Indian Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over in the IPL last year to pull off a stunning win for his team. Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson and Manish Pandey have been dropped from the side while pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been rested. Mohammad Shami and Ravindra Jadeja were not included as they they are still recovering from injuries they suffered on the Australia tour. Pant comes back into the team following a stellar run in Tests in Australia and his good form has continued in the home series against England. Bhuvneshwar returns to the side having recovered from a hamstring injury he suffered in the IPL. He recently played for UP in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Patel, who last played a T20 in February 2018, is also back having performed consistently in the IPL. His selection comes after he took a five-wicket haul in his maiden Test and is a like-for-like replacement for Jadeja. Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who missed the Australia series due to an injury, has also been named in the team. Left-arm pacer T Natarajan has expectedly retained his place following an impressive debut series in Australia. Both Kishan and Pant have been named as wicketkeepers, so it remains to be seen if K L Rahul will continue to keep the wickets. All five games will be played in Ahmedabad. India's T20I squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, Varun Chakravarthy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, T Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini and Shardul Thakur