Cricket News

Team India clinched the five-match T20I series 3-2 against England. However, despite the convincing win, India’s vice-captain Rohit Sharma feels that it is too early to finalise the batting line-up for the upcoming T20 World Cup which is scheduled to be played later this year. He also revealed why the skipper Virat Kohli has opened alongside him. He said that it was only a tactical move and nothing else.

On the other hand, Kohli himself expressed his desire to open in the upcoming IPL as well as like to bat at the top of the order in the T20 World Cup.

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“It is still long time to go for the (T20) World Cup, so early days to talk about how our batting will look like. We have to sit and analyse what suits the team the most,” said Rohit in the post match press conference. “Today was a tactical move because we wanted to play an extra bowler and wanted to leave one batsman out. Unfortunately it was KL (Rahul) which was very tough.”
India made a change in the line up where the pacer T Natarajan replaced an out-of-form KL Rahul. But, Rohit backed Rahul, citing that he is one of the best but considering his form in the ongoing series, he was dropped for the crucial final. He also made it clear that the call was taken only for that match.

“KL has been one our key players in limited overs, especially in this format. Looking at current form, the team management decided to go with the best 11. Having said that, it doesn’t send any signal that KL will not be considered or anything like that. This was just for one particular game. Things might change as we go closer to World Cup,” Rohit further added.

Currently, both teams will take on each other in a three-match ODI series, starting from March 23 in Pune.

India v England, ODI series: Dhawan to remain in focus

Shikhar Dhawan will be the focus as India will take on England in the three-match ODI series. The series will be played in Pune from tomorrow, March 23.

Dhawan in focus

Shikhar Dhawan has had a tough time in the recently concluded T20I series against England. Now as both teams are getting ready to face each other once again in an upcoming ODI contest, Dhawan must be getting ready for a major test. It is important for the 35-year-old to do well in the series. He is expected to open the innings along with Rohit Sharma who would be expected to carry with his good show. The ODI format will give Dhawan enough time to work on his innings. He will be able to build his innings before starting his famous onslaught. Dhawan has the experience; he just needs to momentum to have a good run.

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However, Dhawan will be again in contest with plenty of openers in and outside the squad. Shubman Gill is already a part of combination with Prithvi Shaw and Devdutt Padikkal already in the waiting list after their showcases in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Kohli expected to blast in ODI too

Talking about the form of other players, captain Virat Kohli was back to his form in the T20 series. Kohli’s last hundred in this format came against West Indies around two years ago against West Indies at Port of Spain. With his good form even Kohli would be aiming his 44th ODI century in the upcoming series.

Squads

India: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar, T Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur.

England: Eoin Morgan (Captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Liam Livingstone, Matt Parkinson, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, Mark Wood. Covers: Jake Ball, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan.

Russell to reach India soon, KKR shares picture on social media

Andre Russell is on his way to India to play the next edition of Indian Premier League. Kolkata Knight Rides took to social media to announce the same.

Russell leaves for India

The flamboyant Andre Russell is set to reach India as per the information shared by Kolkata Knight Riders on social media. They announced that their big man is already on the plane and will be reaching India soon to play IPL 2021. Sharing a photograph of Russell wearing a mask on the flight, KKR wrote, “Look who’s on a plane to India. See you soon, big man!”

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Andre Russell had recently suffered from COVID-19 virus during West Indies' tour to Sri Lanka last month. Hence the Caribbean player has been out of action for some time but should start IPL afresh. After having a dull IPL 2020, he will be ready to have a blast in the 14th season of Indian Premier League.

Morgan to join KKR soon

Russell has been a match winner for the Kolkata based franchise. In IPL 2019, the destructive batsman had scored over 500 runs, with a strike rate close to 200. So far in 74 IPL games he has smashed 129 sixes with a strike rate over 180. He has been pretty handy with the ball too. Like always he will be surely utilized by the KKR management to take wickets and give important breakthroughs.

KKR skipper Eoin Morgan is currently on national duty in Pune as he is leading England for a three-match ODI series concluding on March 28 against India. Morgan will be joining his IPL team next week reportedly. As per IPL protocol, all players need to undergo a mandatory quarantine after arriving in the IPL bio-bubble. Former IPL captain Dinesh Karthik, Rahul Tripathi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti were the first to arrive. Kolkata Knight Riders are constantly keeping the fans updated about the arrival of players.
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Prasidh Krishna explains how domestic and IPL experience helped him get noticed

Virat Kohli last year had spoken about Prasidh Krishna’s requirement in the side for the T20 World Cup which did not happen for the pandemic. Now Krishna is a part of India squad for England ODI series.

When Kohli praised Krishna

Prasidh Krishna has been a familiar name since last few domestic seasons. Thanks to his brilliant track record which has made him topic of discussion for number of times. Even Kohli had spoken about Krishna and revealed that India had him in their T20 World Cup 2020 plan in Australia. "I think one guy will be a surprise package going to Australia (for 2020 T20 World Cup which didn't happen due to Covid-19). Someone who can bowl with pace and has bounce. Prasidh has done well in the domestic arena. It is a great luxury to have this group of bowlers in all formats. Looking at the World Cup, we have enough options."

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Now Krishna has made it to India squad for India’s next ODI assignment against England. Recalling Kohli’s words, Krishna said, "Kohli saying this gave me a lot of confidence. For me, someone like the captain of the Indian cricket team talking about you or mentioning your name means that you work a little harder and you might get called up and it has happened. I think it did boost my confidence -- the way I trained and my motivation level."

Krishna on his experience so far

In the interaction with the Times of India, he also spoke about domestic and IPL performances that helped him get the recognition. "It has been a combination of both IPL and domestic cricket performances. At the domestic level Karnataka have been doing really well over the last few years. As a team, once you start winning tournaments and playing big games, many of your players start to get recognised. I think I am blessed being part of the Karnataka side."

He continued, "Even at Kolkata Knight Riders, in terms of the platform they have given me and the exposure I have had, with so many other stars around -- nothing can beat that. When you play IPL, the first thing is that you have to perform in pressure situations against international stars and in front of around 60,000 people. Second thing is that you rub shoulders with the greats of the game. There is so much more to learn from them -- the way they handle themselves -- you try and stay composed no matter what the situation is. Your work ethic and so many other things improve."

Sanjay Manjrekar remarks on Virat Kohli's 'outside talk nonsense' comments

India captain Virat Kohli is known for his straight forward answers are it on or off the field. And, he did a similar thing recently at the press conference on the eve of the first ODI against England in Pune as well. He gave a fitting reply while responding over how they manage criticisms.

When he asked about how players respond to criticism, he replied, "From the first to the last day of my career, all this outside talk has been nonsense to me. Who says what and why about a player, what’s the motive behind it, what’s the thinking behind it, it’s better that all that remains outside because we’re not going to let it enter our system even in the future. We are going to back our players and try and give them a good mental space."

However, it didn't go down well with the former India player turned commentator Sanjay Majrekar who took to Twitter and added, "Outside talk which Virat calls nonsense is basically public reacting to a public performance. And it’s always been the same- Praise when you do well, critique when you don’t. Virat must learn to accept this age old reality with calmness & maturity. Just like Dhoni did."

As far as the game is concerned, Team India have won the four-match Test series 3-1 and five-match T20I series 3-2 against England recently before they took on the same opponent in Pune for the ODI series.

Meanwhile, their convincing win in the final T20I came on the back of new opening pair – Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. They used as many as four pairs but no one could give the desired result apart from the Rohit-Kohli duo. And, after the game, Virat Kohli had said that he has decided to open in the T20 games more often to give chances to the players like Suryakumar Yadav in the middle but there is no "guarantee" that he will do that in the T20 World Cup later this year in India as well.

Following that, he is likely to open in the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League also.

'Players need to be consulted with' - Virat Kohli says over Cricket scheduling

Indian Cricket Team has been playing constantly in recent times which started with the 13th edition of the India Premier League in the UAE last year in November. Following that, they had a tour to Australia and currently, a full-fledged series is going on against England.

However, before the three-match ODI series against England started, Indian skipper Virat Kohli said that players should be consulted over the cricket schedule as well as the extended bio-bubble life where they have been staying for the series during the COVID- 19 pandemic that has made life tough for everyone as well. Moreover, Kohli also added that more attention should be given to cricketers' mental health too which plays an important role.

"The players need to be spoken to and consulted with all round," said Kohli. "Otherwise it’s going to be a case of whoever can last through difficult times like this plays, if not then move away and someone else replaces that player."

He again shared, "I don't think that’s healthy for a cricket system and cricket culture moving forward which we definitely want to make stronger and stronger. I think it's very important to consider how much cricket you are playing. It’s not just the physical side of thing but the mental side of things as well,” said Kohli.
On the other hand, after the three-match One Day International series against their English counterpart, the players will be featured in the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League. Following that, they will tour to England for the final of the inaugural World Test Championship where they will play against New Zealand in June. And, the T20 World Cup will be played at home later this year.

"Scheduling and workloads is something that everyone will have to be very aware," he said. "Especially in today’s day and age where you just don’t know where restrictions might come in."

*Gautam Gambhir wants to see KL Rahul in all three ODIs against England *

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir has recently suggested that KL Rahul should play in all the three ODIs against England as he believes a batsman can’t get his form back by sitting on the bench.

His comments came after Rahul, who played the first four T20Is of the recently-concluded five-match series against England, could manage the scores of 1, 0, 0 and 14 before getting dropped for the last game. And, the India captain Virat Kohli opened the batting for India alongside Rohit Sharma. However, Gambhir feels that dropping Rahul will not do any good for him.

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“Dropping anyone will not do them any favour. He (Rahul) will have to play three ODIs. Someone is out of form; the only way you can bring them back is by giving those more opportunities. Because when you are sitting on the bench, it is not a good feeling. Because you know you have been dropped, and that feeling is not the best feeling,” Gambhir said in an interview with ESPNCricinfo.

However, he also highlighted the positive things too where he pointed out that dropping Rahul allowed the team to play with six bowlers in the final T20I, which Team India won 3-2 to clinch the series as well.

India uses as many as four changes in the opening pair and in Rahul’s absence, Kohli opened the innings with Rohit Sharma which finally paid off as the duo laid the winning foundation for the host.

The hosts put up 224/2 from their allotted 20 overs with Virat Kohli remaining not out on 80 off 59 balls whereas Rohit Sharma scoring 64 off 34 balls as well. Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya gave the late boost, registering scores of 32 off 17 and 39 off 17 respectively. And, they eventually won as well.

Indian Cricket Team is currently playing the three-match One Day International series against England in Pune.

India captain Virat Kohli took a jibe on the much-debated umpire’s call in the Decision Review System, citing that it is creating a lot of confusion and he again shared that LBW dismissals should be based only on whether the ball is hitting the stumps, even if marginally as well.

However, according to the existing rule, at least 50 per cent of the ball needs to be hitting one of the three stumps for the batsman to get out through LBW on review in case an umpire’s call has been challenged on the field.

“I played for a long time when there was no DRS. Right. If the umpire made a decision, whether the batsman liked it or not, it stayed like that. Vice versa the umpire gave it not out and it was out, it stayed like that, whether it was marginal or not,” said Kohli before the first ODI of a three-match series against England in Pune.

“According to me, umpire’s call right now is creating a lot of confusion. When you get bowled as a batsman, you don’t expect the ball to hit more than 50 per cent into the stumps to consider yourself bowled. So from basic cricket common-sense, I don’t think that there should be any debate on that. If the ball is clipping the stumps, that should be out whether you like it or not, you lose the review,” he continued.

Umpire's call has come in the news in recent times ever since Team India faced this couple of times in the recently-concluded series against England where Suryakumar Yadav’s dismissal via on-field soft signals came under the scanner too.

On the other hand, the players will soon tour to England for the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) final in June where they will take on New Zealand. And, Kohli said that these things could be vital in high-stakes tournaments if controversial umpiring calls affects the results of the game in future too.

Suryakumar Yadav, who has impressed everyone with his stunning show with the bat in the T20I series against England, has got the reward too as he earned the ODI call-up as well. But the former India player VVS Laxman said that it will be tough for Suryakumar Yadav to find a place in the playing XI in the ODI setup against England, citing that he will choose those players who have shown consistency in international cricket.

The former great also highlighted the difference between Suryakumar Yadav and Shreyas Iyer, and added that he would prefer Iyer ahead of Yadav. Iyer has been consistent in the ODI team for quite sometimes now and he has become the best answer for India’s No. 4 batting debacle which troubled the team a lot initially.

While speaking on Star Sports show Cricket Connected, Laxman said: “I think it is very difficult to just choose one among both, Suryakumar Yadav and Shreyas Iyer, because what really interests me was the way Shreyas Iyer batted at No. 6. He batted with authority, conviction and just understood the situation and played his shots right from the word go. Because we know that he is ideally suited for No. 4. He has done so well in both, one-dayers and T20Is in that position, but for the first time I have seen him bat at No. 6, and he didn’t disappoint anyone.”

However, he also believed that Yadav has the talent but he doesn’t have the experience yet as he has just entered in the international cricket whereas Iyer has been in the set up for quite sometimes now.

“Suryakumar Yadav is also someone who has got the talent, but with experience, I feel Shreyas Iyer will be my pick ahead of Suryakumar Yadav. Because we just can’t rely on one or two innings and we cannot really discount Shreyas Iyer’s performances in international cricket. Yes, Suryakumar Yadav has done really well for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, but Shreyas Iyer has been very consistent in whatever opportunities he got at the highest level. So, I will always choose Shreyas Iyer to do that role,” he again shared.

The three-match ODI series has been going on at Pune where India has won the first one convincingly.

Team India has recently won the five-match T20I series 3-2 against England. While the youngsters earned their call up and proved why they are worthy of that, Hardik Pandya’s bowling was one of the positives for the host as well.

He was out of bowling after he had suffered a back injury in 2019 and had to undergo surgery as well. And since then, he did not bowl for long spells in any series. However, in the recently-concluded series, the captain trusted him and gave him four overs to bowl in each match and he did quite well which will give India more flexibility in the upcoming T20 World Cup as well.

“I have been working on fine-tuning my action, but at the end of the day, you are thinking of what kind of delivery you want to bowl, It’s slightly difficult but I am coping really well. When I bat I think as a batsman and when I bowl I think as a bowler,” he said to Star Sports.

“Looking at the World Cup, in this series we wanted to try out a few things and also to break the jinx of batting first and winning, feels really great. The wicket allowed us to use more variations and make sure that the batsmen are not getting anything in their zone,” he further added.

Meanwhile, India captain Virat Kohli applauded his players after winning both the Test and T20I series convincingly. He said that the win in the final T20I was a complete performance and further added that it’s dangerous for any opposition team if their opener Rohit Sharma continues to bat that way.

He also believed that it was a complete game for them where they outplayed the opposition despite having dew. He applauded his batsmen too as their middle-order batsmen like Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer didn’t even come to bat as the top-order did the bulk of runs and put up a massive total, which showed how strong a batting unit they have and the captain believed they can do wonders if they get going together.

With the 1st ODI against England in Pune, the Indian Cricket team handed two maiden ODI caps to Krunal Pandya and Prasidh Krishna. And, both of them had memorable debuts, while Krunal made a quickfire half-century, Krishna picked up 4 wickets as well.

However, after the blistering knock of unbeaten 58 off just 31 balls in the first ODI and a memorable win, Krunal Pandya wrote an emotional post for his late father, to whom he has dedicated his maiden ODI fifty on Tuesday. He took to social media and shared, "Papa, with every ball you were always on my mind and in my heart. Tears rolled down my face as I felt your presence with me. Thank you for being my strength, for being the biggest support I've had. I hope I made you proud. This is for you Papa, everything we do is for you Papa."

Meanwhile, his brother, Hardik Pandya also wrote an emotional message for his brother Krunal, who broke down after getting his first ODI fifty. "Papa would be proud. He's smiling down on you bhai and sent an early birthday gift for you," Hardik Pandya wrote in another post on social media. "You deserve the world and more. I couldn't be happier for you bhai. This one is for you Papa."

Notably, Krunal and Hardik had lost their father Himanshu Pandya earlier this year. Krunal broke down during an interview at the innings break after his stunning 112-run partnership with KL Rahul for the sixth wicket which helped India put up a huge competitive total of 317 for 5. Krunal hit 7 fours and 2 sixes and gave India a late boost to finish well in the last few overs as well.

The left-arm orthodox spinner also claimed his first ODI wicket after dismissing Sam Curran and finished his 10 overs with 1 for 59. India won the first ODI by 66 runs. They will take on England in the second ODI on March 26.

Indian Cricket team’s left-handed opener Shikhar Dhawan was dropped from the playing XI after the first T20I against England, which put a lot of question marks on his future in the format. It started after India used as many as four different opening pairs in the five-match T20I series against England and eventually the captain, Virat Kohli opened alongside Rohit Sharma in the final.

However, Dhawan put any such doubts aside in the first ODI and scored a blistering 98 and helped India win by 66 runs in Pune as well. While speaking after winning the Man of the Match award, he said he always tries to help the team even when he is not in the team. But, he missed the three-figure mark by just two runs, although that didn’t bother him too much.

“When I wasn’t playing, I was thinking how I can give to the team. I was being a good 12th man, serving water. In my head, though, I was quite positive and preparing, working on my skills. That when I get an opportunity I can score runs,” he said at the post match presentation.

“I was putting all my efforts in the process. Was doing good gym, running, and net sessions whenever possible? Eventually my hard work paid off. You feel bit sad (getting out on 98) but I am not a person who gets too sad or too happy. I was not in a rush to score 100, went for a shot, and got out. There’s always a next time. Very happy with the performance especially because the team won. Great comeback. Really enjoyed it,” he further added.

After winning the four-match Test series 3-1 and then five-match Twenty20 International series 3-2, Team India were full of confidence that they would secure another win and that reflected in their game too. Despite having a flying start, England couldn’t manage to chase down the total and eventually lost. And, the host will try to register another win to clinch the series as well.

India captain Virat Kohli praised his swashbuckling opener, Shikhar Dhawan, saying that his body language was ‘amazing’ even when he was not in the playing XI throughout the T20I series. Dhawan was dropped from the playing XI after the first game, where he couldn’t score much and the likes of Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav made their debuts as well.

India used as many as four different opening pairs in the five-match T20Iseries against England and eventually the captain, Virat Kohli opened alongside Rohit Sharma in the final. His absence left question marks over Dhawan’s T20I future too but he proved why he is important in the 50-over format by smashing a 106-ball 98 and helped India put up a massive total of 317, which India went on to win by 66 runs as well against England in Pune.

“A special mention to Shikhar,” Kohli said in the post match presentation. “His body language was amazing when he wasn’t playing. He was motivating players, running with extra stuff like water. Today he deservedly got the result he achieved. Made a very important contribution. You saw it was tricky first up and the openers had to start off that way. In that context, his innings was very important since he batted the tough overs. His contribution was better than what the scorecard was.”

England got a flying start and posted 135 runs for no loss in 14 overs before India pulled it back through their pace bowlers, where the debutant Prasidh Krishna claimed four wickets, Shardul Thakur picked up three and pace spearhead Bhuvneshwar Kumar scalped two wickets as well. And, the captain was nothing less than happy. He referred to it as “sweetest” as he feels they didn’t win many good games in ODIs. He applauded his bowlers too after the stunning victory.

India won the first ODI by 66 runs. They will take on England in the second ODI on March 26.

India’s middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of the rest of the One Day International series against England as well as the first half of the cash-rich Indian Premier League which is all set to begin on April 9. The development comes after he sustained an injury while fielding where he dislocated his shoulder in the first ODI against England.

However, with this, he wouldn’t be able to lead Delhi Capitals who kick off their IPL 2021 journey on April 10 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
“Shreyas Iyer subluxated his left shoulder in the 8th over while fielding. He has been taken for further scans and won’t take any further part in the game. Rohit Sharma was hit on the right elbow while batting and felt some pain later. He won’t take the field,” a BCCI release had earlier stated.

Meanwhile, in Iyer’s absence, Rishabh Pant will lead Delhi Capitals in the IPL. And even if he is not available, the team has plenty of options on the table as well where they have Shikhar Dhawan, who has led the side in IPL 2020. And, also, they have Steve Smith, the former Australia captain – who both can do the job quite efficiently.

On the other hand, Mumbai Indians’ team management, as well as fans, must be relieved now that their captain Rohit Sharma’s injury didn’t seem that serious and he is likely to be available when the IPL will start as well. However, England and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Eoin Morgan has sustained an injury as well. He has split the webbing between his index finger and right thumb that needed stitches too.

“We’re going to wait 48 for hours and see how it is…give as much time as needed to hopefully be available for Friday,” Morgan said at the post-match interaction.

After losing the first game, England is in a must-win situation in the second of the three ODIs on Friday to level the series.