Cricket West Indies (CWI) on Friday committed to gender pay equity among its players having signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the West Indies Players Association (WIPA).
The MoU is for the period from October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2027 and covers all agreements in respect of player remuneration and updated terms and conditions across the West Indies system. “The MOU outlines plans to achieve parity in international and regional match fees, international captain’s allowances, international team prize money and regional individual prize money for all West Indies cricketers by 1 October 2027,” the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) said in a statement.
Just last year, the ICC announced prize money parity at ICC tournaments for men’s and women’s teams. WICB President Kishore Shallow said the announcement was a significant moment in the region and major step for all parties in reaching pay equity in the future.
“This is a historic day for West Indies cricket…we are taking a significant step towards creating a more inclusive and progressive cricket framework. This step reflects our unwavering commitment to gender equality and acknowledges the immense contributions of female players to West Indies cricket,” he said.
“In the preceding year, we undertook substantial enhancements to our travel policy, mandating that the West Indies Senior Women’s team travel business-class on all extended international flights and are accommodated in single rooms during international assignments. This aligns seamlessly with the established policy for West Indies Senior Men’s tours. Today, with the signing of this MOU, we take another significant stride in narrowing the gender gap within our cricketing community.”
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India is celebrating its 75th Republic Day on 26 January 2024 (Friday). The Republic Day celebrations marks the day India’s Constitution came into effect. The national celebrated the special occasion with president Droupadi Murmu hoisting the national flag at 8 am at Kartavya Path. French president Emmanuel Macron is the chief guest for the event this year.
On the 75th Republic Day, sportspersons of India also shared their wishes on the social media platforms. Here are some of their posts from X (formerly Twitter).
Today, we complete 74 years as a republic. May we continue to prosper more every year. Happy Republic Day!
सभी देशवासियों को गणतंत्र दिवस की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ।#HappyRepublicDay
Cameron Green is playing at the Gabba for Australia against West Indies despite testing positive for COVID-19 ahead of the second Test. Green is eligible due to Cricket Australia’s protocols which allow players to compete even if they do not return negative results in the next 24 hours, but they must be kept apart from the team.
An example of that was visible when Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood shooed away Green in a funny manner after dismissing Kraigg Brathwaite. After the fall of wicket, all the Australian players ran towards Hazlewood to congratulate the bowler including Green, but the pacer playfully shooed away the all-rounder.
Australian camp was hit by the COVID storm ahead of the second Test match. Travis Head contracted the infection at the end of the first Test in Adelaide. A day ahead of the gabba Test, Green and head coach Andrew McDonald tested positive for COVID-19.
West India who lost the first Test by 10 wickets won the toss and opted to bat first in the second Test and were 123/5 at the time of publishing thsi report.
Joshua Da Silva and Kavem Hodge were batting, while Mitchell Starc has taken three wickets so far. Hazlewood and Pat Cummins got one wickets each.
Australia’s Playing XI: Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
West Indies Playing XI: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Justin Greaves, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Kevin Sinclair, Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, Shamar Joseph
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Australia captain Pat Cummins said players have to “own it” over their decisions off the field after Glenn Maxwell’s alleged drunken incident in Adelaide.
Maxwell was hospitalised after attending the concert of Brett Lee’s band Six and Out with reports suggesting he was suffering from dehydration. In the aftermath, Cricket Australia (CA) have launched an investigation into the incident.
Ahead of the second Test against West Indies, Cummins was asked about the incident and whether Maxwell had a drinking problem.
Cummins revealed he was at the The Gov, the pub where Six and Out were performing, but had “left pretty early”. The Aussie skipper stated he and Maxwell didn’t meet at the venue.
“I knew he was in town but I didn’t see Maxi at all,” Cummins said.
The World Cup-winner added, “We’re all adults and part of being an adult is you make your own decisions.
“In terms of this incident he wasn’t on tour with Australia, he was over there for a private event, so he wasn’t with the cricket team. So it is a little bit different, but absolutely, any decision you make you’ve got to own it and be comfortable with it.”
When asked if Maxwell needed to consider his choices, Cummins said, “Potentially, I think only ‘Maxy’ can answer that one.”
Former Australia captain Michael Clarke expressed his shock regarding the incident with the idea of an ambulance being needed made him “nervous.”
“To have to be put into an ambulance, that makes me nervous,” said Clarke on Fox Sports.
“With these sorts of things, with off-field stuff. I like to go, ‘Benefit of the doubt and innocent until proven guilty’.”
“One thing I know, Cricket Australia will get to the bottom of it. These days there’s cameras, there’s people, so the truth will be told. The other thing we need to do is make sure he’s OK. He didn’t end up spending the night there (in hospital).
“I can’t think of a time where I’ve had to call an ambulance or an ambulance had to be called for me, no matter how drunk I was.
So I’m worried there is more to this and I just hope he’s OK first and foremost.”
Maxwell was not named in the 13-man squad to face West Indies in a three-match ODI series between 2-6 February.
“It is not related to him being replaced in the ODI squad, a decision that was made following the BBL and based on his individual management plan.
Maxwell is expected to return for the T20 series. No further comment will be made at this time,” CA had said in a statement.
Maxwell has had a couple of absurd off-field injuries. At the ODI World Cup last year, he suffered a concussion when he fell off a golf cart. In 2022, he broke his leg while running at a friend’s birthday party.
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England have announced their playing XI for the first Test against India which will start on 25 December ay Hyderabad. The Three Lions have included four spinners in their team and only one specialist pacer. Lancashire’s Tom Hartley will be making his Test debut for England. Ollie Pope, Ben Foakes, Rehan Ahmed and Jack Leach are the players who enter the playing Xi after not being involved in England’s last Test against Australia at The Oval last summer.
England XI:
1. Zak Crawley
2. Ben Duckett
3. Ollie Pope
4. Joe Root
5. Jonny Bairstow
6. Ben Stokes (C)
7. Ben Foakes
8. Rehan Ahmed
9. Tom Hartley
10. Mark Wood
11. Jack Leach
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Two fiercest rivals ever to play the game of cricket, Virender Sehwag and Shoaib Akhtar were recently involved in a playful banter. One of the most lethal fast bowlers of the game, former Pakistan cricketer Akhtar terrified opposition batters with his sublime pace and bounce. Sehwag, on the other hand, was known for his aggressive brand of batting. The duo were involved in a hilarious interaction recently. “Hamaray pyaray Viru bhai Virender Sehwag yeh batatay huay k mera lamba run up ko kitna intezar kerwata tha. And he feels it was a big distraction, [Our beloved Virender Sehwag shares how much my long run-up used to make him wait],” Akhtar wrote, sharing a video of his interaction with the ex-India batter on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
In the now-viral video, Sehwag can be heard saying, “I would keep looking down, knowing that it would take 10-15 seconds for him to finish his run-up”. Akhtar, in response, asked Sehwag if his long run-up used to distract him. The former India opening batter replied, “A lot of thoughts would run in mind. Will he hit my toes or a beamer on my head? He will hit somewhere.”
Previously, the two were involved in another hilarious conversation, where Akhtar was seen attempting to take a dig at Sehwag. Legendary Pakistan cricketers Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis were also present in the discussion. “I thought this interaction was only for bowlers. What is this gentle off-spinner doing here?” Akhtar asked in the Instagram session. Sehwag gave a witty response by saying, “Shoaib, it is my duty to hit first ball fours, not yours.”
Their hilarious exchange of words did not stop there with the Rawalpindi express replying, “Oh Viru, darna nahi. Last time jab hum teeno khel rahe the or tu apne chasme saaf kar raha tha [Don’t be afraid. Last time when we three were playing, you were wiping your glasses].”
Sehwag promptly issued a cheeky reply by saying “Bawaal karna achhi baat hai, but control. Chasme saaf karke ab mein lenses pehenta hun tumahara khoobsurat chehera dekhne ke liye [It’s good to play mischief but in control. I have tuned to contact lenses to see your beautiful faces].”
After enjoying a stellar outing on the field of cricket, Sehwag and Akhtar are now part of the commentators’ panel for the International League T20 2024. The competition will come to an end with the final being played on February 17 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
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The England cricket team arrived in Hyderabad on Sunday, 21 January. The English side will be involved in a five-match Test series, scheduled to start with the first match being played on 25 January at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium.
Ahead of the series, the England team suffered a big setback as middle-order batter Harry Brook opted out owing to personal reasons and returned home. Dan Lawrence has been called up to replace him in the squad. The official social media handle of the England cricket team posted a video of their team’s arrival in India.
“Hello, Hyderabad! The City of Pearls,” read the post shared on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
Brook’s absence is a big jolt for England as they aim to become the first side to win a Test series in India in over a decade. Since making his debut in the final Test of the summer of 2022, Brook has been a regular performer with an average of 62.15, along with a strike rate of 91.76, across 12 appearances. Brook has four centuries to his name in these matches.
Now that Brook is no longer available, the England team management can deploy Jonny Bairstow as a specialist batter at the number five spot. Ben Foakes can take over the wicket-keeping duties, especially on tracks that are expected to assist the spinners a lot more.
In recent times, India have been the dominant side against England at home. India have maintained an unbeaten Test run against England on home soil since 2012. The last Test meeting between India and England in India was back in 2021 when the hosts came from behind to win 3-1. Remarkably, India have not lost any home Tests since 2012.
Rohit Sharma took part in a personal net session at the BKC Ground in Mumbai, while senior players such as Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja reached Hyderabad and were also seen training in the nets. The report went on to add that Rohit will join the Indian team in Hyderabad on Monday.
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India will host England in a five-Test series scheduled to start on 25 January at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. The last Test series between these two rivals ended in a 2-2 draw, with India losing the last match at Edgbaston in July 2022.
As the teams prepare for the upcoming series, India skipper Rohit Sharma expressed satisfaction with the team combination. Though, there are concerns after India’s recent performance against South Africa in red-ball cricket. India’s squad sees 22-year-old wicket-keeper batter Dhruv Jurel in the team along with the spin triumvirate of Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel.
On the other hand, England captain Ben Stokes will come to India with a formidable side that include the likes of Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, James Anderson and Mark Wood. Harry Brook has been withdrawn from the series due to personal reasons with Dan Lawrence coming in as replacement. There are also promising talents and the English side would want to make an impression with their new brand of cricket.
Here’s all you need to know for the India-England series
Head-To-Head Record
India and England have faced off 131 times in Tests. India have won 31 matches while England have emerged victorious 50 times. 50 Test matches have resulted in a draw.
Total matches played – 131
India won – 31
England won – 50
Drawn – 50
Tied – 0
Test record in India
For the matches played in India, there have been 16 series so far, with the hosts being the clear dominant force. Out of these, India emerged victorious in eight series, while England secured victory in four. Four series have ended in draws.
England: Ben Stokes (captain), Rehan Ahmed, James Anderson, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Shoaib Bashir, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes, Tom Hartley, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood, Dan Lawrence
India vs England Test series schedule
1st Test: 25-29th January 2024, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad at 9:30 AM IST.
2nd Test: 2-6th February 2024, Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam at 9:30 AM IST.
3rd Test: 15-19th February 2024, Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot at 9:30 AM IST.
4th Test: 23-27th February 2024, JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi at 9:30 AM IST.
5th Test: 7-11th March 2024, Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala at 9:30 AM IST.
India vs England: Broadcast details
India vs England matches will be televised live on the Sports18 network in India.
Where will the matches be live-streamed?
Fans in India can enjoy the live streaming of the Test matches on the JioCinema app and website.
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Mohammad Shami is currently recovering from an ankle injury that he sustained during the World Cup last year. As per a report, Shami will now seek consultation from an expert in London. After his stellar performance at the World Cup, where he emerged as the leading wicket-taker, Shami has been out due to the injury and has not featured in competitive cricket since the final against eventual champions Australia in Ahmedabad. He had targeted the England series but has not been included in the squad for the first two matches.
Shami was satisfied with his progress and conveyed it to the medical experts at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). As per a report by Cricbuzz, Shami, accompanied by Nitin Patel from the NCA’s sports science department, will soon travel to London for further consultation.
Prithvi Shaw at NCA
Young Indian batter Prithvi Shaw, who too is undergoing rehabilitation at the NCA, is expected to require at least one more month before making a return to competitive cricket. Shaw’s comeback is hugely dependent on clearing higher levels of agility drills and acceleration tests.
Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has expressed optimism over Shaw’s availability for the knockouts of the Ranji Trophy. Shaw, retained by Delhi Capitals for the next edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), had missed a significant part of the previous domestic season due to an injury. Shaw had picked up the injury when he was part of Northamptonshire in a one-day championship game against Durham.
Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav recently underwent groin surgery in Germany. This was his second such surgical procedure in a short span. Surya was operated on by a specialist in Munich. This was similar to the procedure that was undergone by KL Rahul in 2022. After the surgery, the recovery process is expected to last four-to-five weeks. Reports suggest that Surya could take a longer time to recover. He will be a key batter for Mumbai Indians in the IPL. He will also play a crucial role in India’s T20 World Cup journey later this year in June.
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England batter Harry Brook will miss the upcoming Test series against India due to personal reasons and will return to the United Kingdom, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed on Sunday. “Harry Brook is set to return home with immediate effect for personal reasons from the England Men’s Test tour of India. He will not be returning to India.”
“The Brook family respectfully requests privacy during this time. In light of this, the ECB and the family kindly request the media and the public to respect their wish for privacy and refrain from intruding on their private space,” the ECB added.
The ECB said that a replacement for Brook would be announced in due time. “The England selectors will confirm a replacement player for the tour in due course,” it added in the release.
The 24-year-old Brook has played 12 Test matches for England since making his debut against South Africa in September 2022. He has amassed 1181 runs at an average of 62.15, and has scored four centuries and seven half-centuries. In the last Test he played for England, in an Ashes Test last July, Brook scored a match-winning 85 in a match-winning cause at The Oval.
England have not won a Test series on Indian soil since 2012, when Alastair Cook and Co had come back from behind to clinch the four-match series 2-1.
Former England cricketer Michael Atherton believes India’s spinners will play a big part and could be key to the hosts in their bid to win the upcoming Test series against England. India have announced a spin-heavy squad for the first two Tests against England, with the first Test starting in Hyderabad on 25 January. Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav make India’s spin bowling attack. The pitches for the upcoming Tests are expected to offer a lot of turn that will assist the spinners immensely.
“I think India will win. Their spinners are better than England’s and that will be the defining thing in the end. If you go to India, spin will play a big part, it historically has done and I suspect it will always do. India do have a very strong seam attack as well,” Atherton told on Sky Sports.
“India’s four spinners are very different to England’s. They have two left-arm finger spinners in Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. They have a wrist spinner in Kuldeep Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin is one of the greatest spinners of all time,” he added.
Atherton feels England will face a challenge against India with their spin attack being led by Jack Leach. “England have a solid left-arm spinner in Jack Leach and then three very inexperienced spinners after that with Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir and Rehan Ahmed. It will be a particular challenge for them, but the selectors see a high ceiling for them,” added the 55-year-old.
England’s previous Test series win on Indian soil came in 2012, when Alastair Cook and Co came from behind to win the four-match series 2-1.
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Later, a family member told news agency PTI that it was Sania Mirza who had filed for a divorce. “It was a ‘khula’. I do not wish to comment beyond this,” said the source.
What is ‘Khula’ in Islam?
In Islamic law, ‘Talaq’ and ‘Khula’ are two ways for a husband/wife to get a divorce. The difference lies in how they start.
In ‘Talaq’ proceedings, husband is the one who decides to divorce. The husband notifies the wife about the desire for a divorce – orally or in written. Then, there’s a period called ‘iddah’ for the couple to try and fix things. If they can’t, the divorce is believed to be finalised.
For a ‘Khula’ in Islam, the wife takes the initiative. Usually, the wife is required to give back the wedding gifts or dowry from the ceremony. After khula she can’t claim ‘mehr’ or maintenance since the desire to divorce has come from the woman’s side. Like Talaq, there’s a time for both to fix things. But the big difference between both types of separation is in who gets the process underway.
A wife can seek ‘Khula’ in various situations. Abuse or neglect, irreconcilable marital differences, or financial neglect by the husband are some of the reasons. The wife can also for a divorce if the husband is unavailable for a prolonged period. Additionally, she may also initiate the process for personal reasons.
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India vs Bangladesh, ICC U-19 World Cup Group A match preview: India will be hoping to begin their defence of the ICC U-19 World Cup title on a winning note when they face Bangladesh in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
Bangladesh won the toss and captain Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby invited his Indian counterpart Uday Saharan to bat.
India and Bangladesh have shared quite the intense rivalry at the U-19 level. Bangladesh, after all, had defeated India in the final of the 2020 World Cup, which incidentally had also taken place in South Africa.
The Akbar Ali-led Bangladeshi team had bowled the Indian team out for 177, and would successfully chase down a revised target of 170 from 46 overs to win their first major world title in any level — whether in men’s senior and U-19 or in women’s cricket.
Bangladesh had also recently handed India the knockout blow in the ACC U-19 Asia Cup, pulling off a major upset in the process. The Tigers would once again bowl the ‘Colts in Blue’ out for a sub-par 188, and would later chase the target down quite easily to collect a four-wicket victory. Bangladesh would later hammer UAE by 195 runs in the final to win the tournament for the first time.
Teams:
India XI: Adarsh Singh, Arshin Kulkarni, Musheer Khan, Uday Saharan (c), Sachin Dhas, Priyanshu Moliya, Aravelly Avanish (wk), Murugan Abhishek, Saumy Pandey, Raj Limbani, Naman Tiwari
Bangladesh XI: Adarsh Singh, Arshin Kulkarni, Musheer Khan, Uday Saharan (c), Sachin Dhas, Priyanshu Moliya, Aravelly Avanish (wk), Murugan Abhishek, Saumy Pandey, Raj Limbani, Naman Tiwari
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The focus will be on Bazball and whether England sticks to their new-found policy when under pressure in India, said bowling great Zaheer Khan. India and England are set for five-match Test series which starts in Hyderabad on 25 January. The last time England won a Test series in India was in 2012, but there is a lot of buzz this time around since the visiting team adopted Bazball style of play under coach Brendon MCcullum. In an exclusive show titled ‘Insiders Preview Ind vs Eng’ on JioCinema, Zaheer Khan, Parthiv Patel and Pragyan Ojha provided a broad overview of what fans can expect from the mouth-watering contest ahead. They discussed England’s approach that revolves around Bazball, the pitches on offer and the importance of the toss. Excerpts:
On the teams’ approach to the series
Zaheer Khan: You don’t often see a five-Test series taking place these days. Bazball will remain in focus, and we’ll see whether England’s approach will remain the same. The kind of pitches that we’ll be playing on will also be another point of discussion for sure. But both teams will be eager to prove their supremacy.
On the concept of Bazball which has been so effective but is still untested in India
Pragyan Ojha: Bazball involves playing fearless cricket and England tries to gain a psychological edge using this strategy. Executing Bazball will be difficult in India because it won’t be easy to play the Indian spinners or for that matter Jasprit Bumrah and the other pace bowlers.
On India’s approach in the context of the World Test Championships standings
Parthiv Patel: I think the Indian team will aim for 5-0. I think they need a 4-0 win to get to the top of the WTC standings. Looking at the last cycle, India won a lot of overseas Tests. I don’t think India need to change their approach. It’s the visiting teams that have to come up with different strategies. It remains to be seen whether Bazball will work here or not. If the ball spins, I don’t think it will work here because there’s too much quality in India’s spin attack that includes Ashwin, Jadeja, Axar and Kuldeep.
On the confidence that England will carry after their 3-0 series win over Pakistan in 2022
Pragyan Ojha: I feel England will be very confident with the strategy they have adopted. But they need a back-up plan. Because the conditions won’t be like what they were in Pakistan. The wickets were slightly better and favoured the batsmen. Here, the conditions will favour the spinners. So how they tackle this will be very important. Their performance in the first Test will set the tone of the series.
On the pitches that can be expected
Parthiv Patel: I think every venue will have its own character. We may see similar tracks in Hyderabad and Vizag. In Rajkot, if they prepare a good wicket, we may see a lot of runs being scored. Their fast bowlers can hope to get some help in Dharamsala. At every venue, how many runs they get in the first innings, will be crucial. Winning the toss too will be crucial for them. If they lose the toss, it will be very difficult for them to come back.
Catch all the live action from India vs England – 1st Test starting January 25, 2024, Thursday, 9:30 AM onwards, LIVE & Exclusive on JioCinema, Sports18 1 (SD +HD) and Colors Cineplex (SD+HD)
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After demolishing Afghanistan in the T20I series, the Indian cricket team will now have to shift their focus to Test cricket. In their next assignment, Team India will be up against England in a five-match Test series scheduled to start on January 25. The last time England had clinched a Test series victory in India it was Kevin Pietersen who produced a sublime performance back in 2012. The former England captain had pulled off a remarkable knock of 186 in the second Test in Mumbai back then. The English cricket team had gone on to win that Test series 2-1. Now, ahead of England’s Test series against India, Pietersen has recalled how he dealt with Indian spin maestro Ravichandran Ashwin back then.
In an interview to former England cricketer Michael Atherton for The Times, Pietersen also offered a word advice to Ben Stokes and his men.
“I picked Ashwin’s ‘doosra’. He used to load the ball at the back of his run-up, and I think he still does that now. He never ran up with the ball in his hand as an off-spinner and changed it late for the doosra; you can’t do that. He loaded it up early,” Pietersen said.
“If your feet are good, and you are not planting your front foot and you are playing down the line of the ball, you should be fine. Just make sure you are not getting bowled or lbw. If you nick it to slip, no problem at all. If you get bowled or lbw that’s a big issue. You have so much time to wait for the ball and then judge length or line and then move,” he added.
The opening Test match between India and England is scheduled to take place in Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium from 25 January. The Test series will come to an end with the fifth and final fixture being played in Dharamsala. The last Test series played between these two sides had ended 2-2. Despite taking a lead in that series, India had to concede a defeat in the final fixture.
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There’s lots of sporting competitions to look forward to in the upcoming weekend. The Indian men’s senior team may not be in action this weekend, but their Under-19 side, led by Uday Saharan, commence their U19 World Cup title defence against Bangladesh in Bloemfontein on Saturday. India have been placed in Group A along with Bangladesh, USA and Ireland
Apart from cricket, there’s football and tennis too, with the AFC Asian Cup 2023 in Qatar and the Australian Open 2024 in Melbourne taking place respectively. And Premier League’s matchweek 21 carries on from last weekend, with Arsenal facing Crystal Palace in the London Derby at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, while Liverpool travel to the Vitality Stadium to face Bournemouth.
As far as hockey is concerned, the India women’s team led by Savita Punia would hope to defeat Japan in the FIH Olympic Qualifiers bronze medal match after going down to Germany via penalties with a 3-4 margin. This will be the last chance at qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics for the women’s hockey team.
We now take a quick look at the sporting events that’s in store and where you can watch them (All times IST):
Cricket
ICC Under-19 World Cup (Star Sports/Disney + Hotstar)
India vs Bangladesh (Saturday, 1.30 pm)
Pakistan tour of New Zealand (Amazon Prime Video)
New Zealand vs Pakistan, 5th T20I (Sunday, 5.30 am)
Football
AFC Asian Cup (Sports18/JioCinema)
Jordan vs South Korea (Saturday, 5 pm)
Kyrgyzstan vs Saudi Arabia (Sunday, 11 pm)
Premier League (Star Sports/Disney + Hotstar)
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace (Saturday, 6 pm)
Bournemouth vs Liverpool (Sunday, 10 pm)
LaLiga (Sports18/JioCinema)
Real Madrid vs Almeria (Sunday, 8.45 pm)
Real Betis vs Barcelona (Sunday, 11 pm)
Serie A (Sports18/JioCinema)
AS Roma vs Hellas Verona (Saturday, 10.30 pm)
Udinese vs AC Milan (Sunday, 1.15 am)
Bundesliga (Sony Ten/Sony LIV)
FC Koln vs Borussia Dortmund (Saturday, 8 pm)
Bayern Munich vs Werder Bremen (Sunday, 10 pm)
Ligue 1 (Sports18/JioCinema)
Lyon vs Rennes (Saturday, 1.30 am)
PSG vs Brest (Monday, 1.15 am)
Tennis
Australian Open (3rd round) (Sony Sports Network)
Anna Kalinskaya vs Sloane Stephens (Saturday, 5.30 am)
Shang Juncheng vs Carlos Alcaraz (Saturday, 7.45 am)
Ugo Humbert vs Hubert Hurkacz (Saturday, 8 am)
Jelena Ostapenko vs Victoria Azarenka (Saturday, 8.30 am)
Grigor Dimitrov vs Nuno Borges (Saturday, 10 am)
Cameron Norrie vs Casper Ruud (Saturday, 11.30 am)
Magdalena Frech vs Coco Gauff (Sunday, time TBD)
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The cricket matches in New York during the T20 World Cup 2024 in June will see the sport and organisers make multiple innovations as the International Cricket Council (ICC) tries to spread the game in the United States of America. US is one of the biggest markets for sports with billions being spent on it every year, but cricket is still to crack the code in the country. The US national cricket team has not achieved anything significant so far and international matches involving India in Miami over the years and Major League Cricket (MLC), a T20 franchise league which began in 2023 and has four teams out of six teams owned/co-owned by IPL franchises, have not made a major impact on the market so far.
The future, however, is expected to be different. With the inclusion of cricket in 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and an ICC event moving to US for the first time in 2024, the sport is expected to get a massive boost. To forward cricket’s case in the US, the India vs Pakistan game in the 2024 T20 World Cup has been arranged in the North American country rather than in co-hosts West Indies.
The match has been scheduled to take place in New York in a pop-up stadium rather than in Florida or Dallas where permanent stadiums already exists. While the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium in Lauderhill, Miami, Florida has a capacity of 20,000 and the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas only has a capacity of 7,500.
To have a bigger crowd at the stadium, the decision was taken to schedule the match in New York in a new pop-up stadium which will have a capacity of 34,000. The Eisenhower Park which will be in Nassau County (Long Island), New York, will become first modular stadium in cricket and is expected to be ready by end of May. The Eisenhower Park will be hosting eight out of 16 matches US will be hosting during the T20 World Cup 2024.
The first match at the stadium will be on 3 June between South Africa and Sri Lanka. India play their first match on 5 June against Ireland, before facing Pakistan on 9 June. They will also take on US at the same venue.
With so many matches scheduled at a completely new venue, which will be a pop-up stadium, it’s natural that fans and organisers are concerns over the quality of the pitches at the ground.
A drop-in pitch will be used for the T20 World Cup matches at New York. A drop-in pitch is a pitch that can be prepared anywhere away from the stadium and is later “dropped” into the stadium where it will be used.
Unique drop-in pitches
It has now be revealed that the drop-in pitches for the Eisenhower Park is going to be unique in the way it is being prepared. The ICC has hired Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions to execute the preparation and delivery of the pitches. One of the members of the Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions is the Adelaide Oval head groundsman Damien Hough.
Hough has revealed that six of 10 trays were built in Adelaide and have been shipped to Florida where the pitches are being made.
“It’s a bit tricky, we basically built six of the 10 trays here in Adelaide. We made them modular. We’re really proud of them. We’ve got a couple out of the back that will probably come out here [on Adelaide Oval] next year,” Hough told Channel 7.
“We put them in a shipping container and send them really wherever we want around the world. But they’ve gone over to Florida. And I’ve just come back from a month of work over there putting the trays together, putting the soil in, compacting them and putting the grass on. So we’re in the grow-in phase.
“We’ve got a business, a company over there called LandTek that are helping us with the grow-in phase. Then there’s a couple more strategic trips throughout the next six months to do some work on them and then transport them from Florida all the way up to New York where we’ll put them in and prepare them.
He added that it will take two days for the transport the drop-in pitches from Florida to New York and four drop-in pitches will be used at the venue.
“It’s a lot of work that’s gone into it so far. But the real work starts around the start of May. It’ll take two days to transport them up which is quite incredible. Never done that before. So there’s a lot of firsts. And then there’s getting them in the ground.
“Four go into that venue, that pop-up stadium, 34,000-seat stadium. Eight games in 10 days. One of them is Pakistan and India which will be amazing. And then there’s six that go into the warm-up venue with so many teams rotating through and so much training.”
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An inspired spell of bowling from Josh Hazlewood and a brilliant attacking century from Travis Head put Australia in complete control of the first Test against the West Indies in Adelaide on Thursday.
After Head smashed 119 from 134 balls to take Australia to 283 and a first-innings lead of 95, Hazlewood took four wickets for just two runs at the start of the West Indies second innings to deal a hammer blow to the visitors.
At stumps on the second day, the West Indies were 73-6, still 22 runs from making Australia bat again.
Joshua Da Silva was not out 17, with Justin Greaves dismissed off the last ball of the day’s play.
Hazlewood removed the top four West Indies batsmen in a superb spell of seam bowling.
He dismissed Tagenarine Chanderpaul for a first ball duck, then in his next over he had captain Kraigg Brathwaite caught by Head at a deepish short leg.
The West Indies were 7-3 when Alick Athanaze gloved a bouncer to keeper Alex Carey, then 19-4 when Kavem Hodge edged to Steve Smith at second slip
Kirk McKenzie and Greaves tried to rebuild the innings and took the score to 40 before McKenzie tried an expansive drive off Cameron Green, only to spoon the ball to Marnus Labuschagne at short cover.
Greaves and Da Silva batted sensibly and looked certain to take the West Indies safely to stumps, only for off-spinner Nathan Lyon to trap Greaves lbw for 24.
On a pitch that troubled every other batsman, Head seemed to be playing on a different surface when he batted, bringing up his seventh Test century with a glorious cover drive to the boundary.
He eventually fell after making a brisk century, caught brilliantly on the boundary by Kavem Hodge off the bowling of Alzarri Joseph, but by then the damage had been done and Australia were firmly in control.
– Dazzling debut –
The Australians were expected to dominate a below-strength West Indies, who have three players on debut in this match.
But led by exciting newcomer Shamar Joseph, the visitors took regular wickets throughout the first two sessions to initially keep the Australians on the back foot.
Joseph, playing only his sixth first class match, ended with 5-94 in a magnificent Test debut.
Australia had reshuffled their batting order on the retirement of David Warner, moving Steve Smith to opener so they could bring Green back into the side.
The first part of that experiment failed when Smith fell for 12 on Wednesday, so the Australians would have been hoping for big runs from the towering Green.
But he was gone for 14 in just the second over on Thursday morning, caught by wicketkeeper Da Silva off Shamar Joseph to leave the Australians 69-3.
Head came in and immediately looked to attack while Usman Khawaja, who started the day on 30, was slowly accumulating runs at the other end as the score passed 100.
It was another debutant, Greaves, who made the breakthrough, enticing an extravagant drive from Khawaja, who only succeeded in edging it to Athanaze at second slip.
All the batsmen struggled with the slow pace and variable bounce of the wicket, and it was no surprise when the Australians lost another wicket to the slips cordon, Mitchell Marsh edging to third slip where Greaves took a sharp catch.
Greaves nabbed his second wicket when he had Alex Carey caught by Da Silva, before Shamar Joseph got his fourth when Mitchell Starc gloved a ball to short leg.
The West Indies kept taking wickets, but they were unable to stem the runs and what could have been a manageable Australian lead quickly blew out to a daunting one.
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India captain Rohit Sharma has said that the squad for the T20 World Cup 2024 is “still not finalised” but the management is aware of the “8-10” players who will be making the cut. The T20 World Cup will be played in June but India don’t have anymore international matches to pick the squad. The IPL 2024 which will runs form Match to May will have a big say in the final squad. However, players like Rinku Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ravi Bishnoi, who have done well in T20Is over the last one year are set to be part of the squad.
After the end of the third T20I against Afghanistan in Bengaluru on Wednesday, Rohit spoke to JioCinema and revealed India’s plans for T20 World Cup squad, spoke about managing a large talent pool and the series sweep over the Afghan Atalans.
On how India intend to manage the large talent pool
Rohit: It becomes challenging to a large extent because you are trying out a lot of players. Like when we were playing the ODI World Cup, we tried out many boys in T20s. They perform but when the main squad is announced, some boys have to be left out. So, it is disappointing for them. But our job is to bring clarity to the team. It shouldn’t be that we want to do something and something else is happening. So, in the pool of 25-30 players we have, they know what is expected of each player.
We have still not finalised the squad for the T20 World Cup, but obviously in the mind you know the 8-10 players who are going to play. Then you decide on the combination after looking at the conditions of the place you will be travelling to. In the West Indies, the conditions are quite slow, so we have to pick the squad accordingly. Again I say, Rahul bhai and I have tried to maintain clarity in the team. The one thing I have learnt from captaincy is that you can’t keep everyone happy. You have to focus on the needs of the team.
On to what extent India were able to execute their plans in the 3-0 series win
Rohit: We had a lot of discussions before the series. I had not played for one year, so I discussed ideas with Rahul bhai (Dravid). Although I was watching the games, I was not playing. I got an understanding of a few things, so we wanted to implement them and also do something different.
We wanted our bowlers to bowl in a different way, someone wasn’t comfortable bowling in the power play, so we had to use them there. Some were not comfortable bowling at the death, we asked them to bowl there.
On how difficult it was to motivate himself and the team post the ODI World Cup final loss
Rohit: I don’t think anyone here needs motivation. All the boys want to leave their imprint. Not everyone gets a chance to play for India, so I am sure all the boys who are here, want to make the most of it. You can see that they are making the most of the opportunities they are getting. That makes mine and Rahul bhai’s job a lot easier from that perspective. We just need to provide clarity.
On what he did post the World Cup final to get back to his best
Rohit: The 50-over World Cup is the biggest World Cup for me. It’s not that I don’t give importance to the T20 World Cup and the World Test Championships. But, we grew up watching the 50-over World Cup. And when it takes place in India, it’s a very big event. We tried. Unfortunately, we couldn’t win. The whole team was sad. I am sure all the fans were sad too. But we have one more opportunity now and we’ll focus on how to use that opportunity and win the World Cup.
On the switch hits and reverse sweeps he executed in the 3rd T20I
Rohit: I have been practicing it a lot in the nets. You have to play some shots in order to put the bowlers under pressure. When the ball is spinning and you can’t hit straight, you have to try something new. I have been practicing reverse sweeps and sweeps for the past two years. You would have seen me play them once or twice in Test matches. You have the options and it’s up to you how you are using those options. The ball was spinning and gripping today so, I thought I’d play with the spin rather than step out and hit hard in front of the wicket.
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Debutant Shamar Joseph gave the West Indies some hope after taking two top-order wickets during Australia’s reply to the visitors’ first innings total of 188 in the opening Test in Adelaide Wednesday. Australia were 59-2 at stumps, with Usman Khawaja not out 30 and Cameron Green on six.
Australia were only 129 runs behind, but with key batsmen Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne back in the pavilion.
Earlier, Australian captain Pat Cummins won the toss and sent the West Indies in to bat on a cool and overcast morning, a decision that proved fruitful when the visitors were reduced to 133-9.
But Joseph, playing only his sixth first class match, gave the score some respectability with a breezy 36 off only 41 balls.
The best was still to come for the 24-year-old, who came on as first change and had Smith caught at third slip with his first ball in Test cricket.
Shamar Joseph dismissed Steven Smith on the first ball of his Test career.
He then enticed a hook shot from Labuschagne, which went straight to Gudakesh Motie at deep fine leg to leave Australia 45-2.
That could have been even better had wicketkeeper Josh Da Silva not dropped Khawaja on one, a catch he should have taken.
Earlier, Josh Hazlewood took 4-44, including his 250th Test wicket, and Cummins 4-41 as Australia ran through the West Indies batting line-up.
Australia had gone into the Test making only one change from the team that beat Pakistan 3-0 earlier in the summer.
Smith moved to the top of the Aussie order in place of the retired David Warner and Green was back at number four.
It was a different story for the West Indies, who gave debuts to Joseph and all-rounders Kavem Hodge and Justin Greaves.
Windies skittled out
West Indies openers Kraigg Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul began sedately, content to leave as many balls as possible.
Cummins brought himself on in the 10th over with immediate results, a fuller ball enticing Chanderpaul into an expansive drive, only to slice the ball to gully where Green used all his height to take a comfortable catch.
Cummins then removed Brathwaite with a beautiful ball that was angled in, then straightened and took the top of off stump to leave the West Indies 27-2 after the first hour.
Alick Athanaze and Kirk McKenzie then steadied the ship and looked to take the West Indies to lunch at two down, but with the score on 52, Athanaze opted to leave a Hazlewood delivery only to see the ball cannon into his off stump.
It was Hazlewood’s 250th wicket in Test cricket, meaning the four main bowlers in Australia’s attack — Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Cummins and Nathan Lyon — have all reached that milestone.
Hazlewood continued after lunch with the wickets of Hodge (12), McKenzie (50) and Greaves (5) to leave the West Indies reeling at 108-6.
That became 132-7 when Cummins had Da Silva caught at deep square leg for six, before one run later they lost both Motie and Alzarri Joseph.
But Shamar Joseph rescued the situation, showing no fear as he reached his highest first class score, with Kemar Roach offering solid support.
The West Indies needed to make an early breakthrough and they put the disappointment of missing Khawaja behind them with the important wicket of Smith.
There were some Australian nerves jangling when Labuschagne fell, but Khawaja and Green saw the home side safely to stumps.
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Rishabh Pant has been away from cricket for over a year now but he has been making appearances both on the cricket field as well as on social media. In a recent video, doing the rounds on social media, Pant was spotted engaging in a light-hearted conversation with Virat Kohli during India team’s training session at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru ahead of the third T20I against Afghanistan. The India wicketkeeper had endured a car accident in December 2022 and this forced him to stay away from competitive cricket throughout the entire 2023 season after undergoing knee surgery.
Pant had to undergo three successful reconstructive surgeries on the ligaments and has been sharing his recovery and training videos on social media platforms. The 26-year-old recently took part in a shadow practice session
Pant is undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru and is expected to make a comeback during the next edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) which will commence on March 22. The southpaw was part of the Delhi Capitals camp last year and was also present at the IPL auction in Dubai back in December last year.
Sourav Ganguly, the director of cricket for the Delhi Capitals, had recently expressed his optimism about Pant’s comeback to professional cricket. “He’s (Pant) in good shape now. He will be part of the upcoming IPL season. There’s ample time for him to resume practice,” Ganguly had said during DC’s camp at Jadavpur University Salt Lake Campus.
India take on Afghanistan in the 3rd T20I
Team India, having already sealed the series, will now look to end it on a high note when they take on Afghanistan in the third and final T20I in Bengaluru tonight. This will also be India’s final T20I match before the World Cup scheduled to be held later this year in June. Rohit Sharma’s men kicked off the series with a six-wicket victory in the first T20I. In the second game, the hosts once again clinched another six-wicket win.
In a noteworthy return to T20Is, Virat Kohli smoked a 16-ball 29 at a strike rate of 181 in the second match against Afghanistan in Indore. With the series already clinched, the Indian team management might give opportunities to Sanju Samson, Kuldeep Yadav, and Avesh Khan in Bengaluru.
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Having already clinched the series against Afghanistan with a commanding win on Sunday, Team India will be entering the third and final T20I in Bengaluru on Wednesday in a relaxed state of mind with room for some experimentation.
India find themselves 2-0 up in the series following back-to-back victories over the Afghan Atalan, at Mohali’s IS Bindra PCA Stadium and Indore’s Holkar Stadium respectively. Both matches witnessed the Indian team elect to field after winning the toss and chase targets down with six wickets and plenty of deliveries to spare.
Both Axar Patel and Shivam Dube played crucial roles in the victories. Axar registered figures of 2/23 and 2/17 in Mohali and Indore respectively to strangulate the Afghan batters in the middle overs, finishing the pick of the bowlers on both occasions. Dube, on the other hand, doesn’t have an average in this series, staying unbeaten on 60 and 63 respectively and finishing the job on both occasions.
The two were joined by rising star Yashasvi Jaiswal in Indore, with the young opener smashing a 34-ball 68 after being benched for the first game to assert himself as the first-choice opening partner for skipper Rohit — who returned to the T20I format for the first time since November 2022, but has endured the ignominy of back-to-back ducks.
Also making his return to the Indian team in the shortest format for the first time since the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia is Virat Kohli, who unlike fellow batting stalwart Rohit, managed to make an impact with the bat with a 16-ball 29. Unlike his struggles in the format in 2022, Kohli decided to take on the Afghan bowlers from the word ‘go’, highlighting a transformed approach towards T20Is in the build-up to the World Cup that takes place in the West Indies and USA in June.
With the third T20I effectively reduced to a dead rubber after consecutive wins for India, the Men in Blue have the luxury of making a few tweaks here and there in their lineup and give an opportunity to some of their fringe players keeping the World Cup in mind. Wednesday’s fixture, after all, will be India’s final in the format before the T20 World Cup. India face England in a five-Test series next which will be followed by the Indian Premier League that concludes right before the mega event.
Here are some of the things that skipper Rohit and coach Rahul Dravid might target in Bengaluru on Wednesday:
Give Sanju Samson an opportunity
Samson managed to get included in the T20I squad for the Afghanistan series after his heroics in South Africa, where he struck a match-winning ton — his first for India — in the ODI series decider in Paarl. Jitesh Sharma currently remains India’s first choice for the wicketkeeper-batter’s slot as far as the T20 World Cup squad is concerned, though he too might have to vacate it should Rishabh Pant prove his fitness in this year’s Indian Premier League.
Sanju Samson scored his maiden international century during the third ODI against South Africa in Paarl. Reuters
However, with the series already won, it wouldn’t hurt the Indian team if they gave Sanju Samson a shot against the Afghan bowlers. A solid knock on Wednesday could take the Rajasthan Royals skipper closer to realising his dream of representing the country in a global event.
Play Kuldeep Yadav alongside Ravi Bishnoi
Axar has been among India’s standout performers in this series so far and it will be very difficult for the Indian team management to leave him out of the T20I side from hereon, even if his direct competition happens to be star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja himself. However, with the series secured, the team management could look at playing Kuldeep Yadav alongside Ravi Bishnoi in the third T20I in Bengaluru.
While Kuldeep was Inda’s standout bowler in 2023 and finished as the highest ODI wicket-taker that year, Bishnoi has surged ahead of him in the shortest format with his recent performances since the home series against Australia. An opportunity on Wednesday will not only add variety to the Indian attack, but will also give 29-year-old Kuldeep the opportunity to stake claim in the T20I side, which at the moment doesn’t appear a certainty.
Give Rohit-Kohli opening pair a shot?
This might appear a tad unlikely especially after Jaiswal’s brilliant knock on Sunday. However, there are quite a few experts and fans out there hoping to see Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli open for the Indian team in this year’s T20 World Cup. For that to happen, the two batting stars should ideally open in the final match before the mega event, and with the series already clinched, they have the perfect opportunity to do so.
Virat Kohli collected five boundaries in his 16-ball 29 during the second T20I between India and Afghanistan in Indore. Sportzpics
“In New York or the West Indies, the pitches will be such that there will be more chances of runs getting scored in the first six overs. So ideally, you want Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to be together from the start. If you have to follow that template, start it now,” former India opener Aakash Chopra had said recently.
Either of Jaiswal, Gill of Tilak Varma could play at the No 3 spot should Kohli move up the order.
Maintain undefeated run against Afghans
Last, but certainly not the least, Team India enjoy an undefeated run against Afghanistan in international cricket since the two sides first met in the 2010 T20 World Cup match in St Lucia. India and Afghanistan have faced each other 12 times across formats — seven T20Is and four T20Is besides a one-off Test in Bengaluru that happened to be the Afghan Atalan’s historic debut in the format.
And only twice have the Afghans managed to avoid a defeat against the Men in Blue — in the Super Four match of the 2018 Asia Cup (ODI) and the final of the Asian Games men’s cricket competition (T20I) last October. The Asia Cup match ended in a tie while the Hangzhou Asian Games final ended in a washout.
Preserving their unbeaten run against the Ibrahim Zadran-led side thus will be a motivating factor in the dead rubber.
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After dominant victories in the first two T20Is, Team India, led by Rohit Sharma, will now look to complete a series sweep when they take on Afghanistan in the third fixture on Wednesday, January 17. The third and final T20I of the series is scheduled to be played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
India had to chase in the first two T20Is against Afghanistan and made the contests look easy. Now, with the series already sealed and the conditions favouring the hosts, the Indian cricket team may very well make a few changes in their last T20I game ahead of the World Cup scheduled to be played later this year in June.
In the series opener, India secured a convincing six-wicket victory. They then followed it up with a dominant performance, achieving another six-wicket triumph over the Ibrahim Zadran-led side at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Sunday.
India’s Shivam Dube produced an explosive knock of an unbeaten 63 off 32 balls to guide his side to a sensational victory in the penultimate match. Young India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was also in stunning form as he pulled off a crucial knock of 68 off 34 balls in the second T20I. Their performances helped India to comfortably chase down the target of 173 with 26 balls to spare in the second match.
Let’s check out the weather report for the third India vs Afghanistan T20I match.
Bengaluru weather forecast
The final T20I between India and Afghanistan match will take place in Bengaluru and as per the predictions, the sky will remain partly cloudy on the matchday on Wednesday. The weather is anticipated to be pleasant, with a maximum temperature reaching 27 degrees Celsius. There is not much chance of rain playing a spoilsport during the third T20I between India and Afghanistan.
India vs Afghanistan: Bengaluru pitch report
The M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru has always been a batting-friendly venue. Recently, Team India had successfully defended a total of 160 against Australia, with slow bowlers playing a significant role for both sides. In the nine T20Is, held at this venue so far, teams chasing have been more successful as they enjoy a 5-3 advantage over sides batting first. Dew might turn out to be a factor later in the game and hence, winning the toss, captain could opt to field first.
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Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan has been one of the most prolific run-scorers in international cricket. His partnership with Rohit Sharma will always be one of the biggest reasons behind India’s domination in ODIs in the last one decade. Together, they formed a formidable opening duo, laying the groundwork for imposing big totals and orchestrating memorable run-chases in the 50-overs format.
Dhawan and Rohit amassed an impressive 5,148 runs while opening for Team India in ODI cricket. This feat makes them the fourth pair in ODI history to surpass the 5000-run milestone while opening the innings.
While Dhawan has now fallen down the pecking order, Rohit has taken over as the captain of the side in all three formats. Speaking about his partnership with Rohit, Dhawan attributed much of the success to the Team India skipper’s support from the other end.
“My collaboration with Rohit & his support at the other end at the top of the order has been instrumental in providing strong starts to the team, setting the foundation for successful chases and big totals. I seriously give credit for a lot of my best performances to Rohit’s support,” Dhawan said in an interview with the Times of India.
Dhawan even spoke about the key moments during their association and talked about their opening stand which was a 193-run partnership against Australia in the fourth ODI at Mohali back in 2019. The southpaw also recalled a memorable performance put up by them- a 210-run stand for the first wicket against Pakistan in the 2018 Asia Cup in Dubai.
Dhawan last played for India in 2022 when he scored three runs off eight balls in a match that was dominated by Ishan Kishan. The India wicketkeeper had dazzled in that fixture with a double century (210) against Bangladesh at Chattogram.
The emergence of Kishan and Shubman Gill has forced the selectors to look ahead and Dhawan will now have to re-stake his claim with an excellent series of performances in the next IPL edition. Dhawan has so far featured in 34 Tests, 167 ODIs and 68 T20Is. He will lead the Punjab Kings franchise in the 2024 edition of the IPL. In the last IPL season, the 38-year-old had amassed 373 runs in 11 games.
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India’s middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer began the preparation for the five-Test series against England with a Ranji Trophy game for Mumbai against Andhra Pradesh. The England series which starts on 25 January is seen as an opportunity for England to win their first Test series in India since 2012. The new-found aggressive Bazball style of play is what makes England a dangerous opposition. Iyer, however, is not bothered about Bazball and says that Inda must stick to their plans and not think too much about their opponents.
He spoke exclusively to JioCinema.
Excerpts:
On playing the Ranji Trophy match ahead of the series against England
It was a nice experience. I wasn’t expecting much from myself to be honest, but I wanted to create a rhythm going forward into the five-Test matches. The intensity will be high. Also, to stand on the field for 90 overs takes a lot of effort, so it all started from here (match against Andhra Pradesh).
On the challenges of playing a five-Test series
You have to take one match at a time and not think much ahead. You have to take all the factors into consideration. In terms of your mental ability, the stress is going to be a lot but at the same time, you have to handle the pressure situations well. So, these are the pros and cons of playing Test matches. You have to be mentally inclined towards adapting across 90 overs and as I mentioned, this was the right practice for me coming into the Ranji Trophy and getting used to the situation.
On developing his game against spin bowling
I grew up playing my cricket in Shivaji Park Gymkhana (Mumbai). The wickets there were predominantly spin-friendly, so I had to adapt and get used to them and be versatile in terms of my approach. Also, I played a lot of tennis-ball cricket in my society which was under-arm and you had to spin the ball. The culmination of all these factors led me to playing spin very well.
On his thoughts on Bazball
To be honest, I don’t really think about what the opposition is going to do and what kind of mindset they are going to come with. It’s important we stick to our own plans and focus on our own abilities rather than concentrate much on our opponents. So, these are the small qualities we have to keep in mind and look forward to put our best foot forward and see to it that we seize the moment.
Catch all the live action from India vs Afghanistan – 3rd T20I on January 17, 2024, Wednesday, 7:00 PM onwards, LIVE & Exclusive on JioCinema, Sports18 1 (SD + HD), and Colors Cineplex (SD + HD)
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India all-rounder Hardik Pandya will take over leadership duties at Mumbai Indians in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). This change sees Pandya stepping into the position previously held by Rohit Sharma, who was at the helm when Mumbai Indians clinched the trophy on five occasions. Team India skipper Rohit will now be playing under the leadership of Hardik in the IPL 2024 season.
This decision resulted in multiple debates and now former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, has weighed in on the matter. The 2011 ICC World Cup-winner believes that in the competitive landscape of IPL, big decisions should never be unexpected. Drawing from his own experiences, Yuvraj said that franchises are always looking to promote young talents they have heavily invested in. He also stressed the importance of Rohit and his significant achievements as the captain of the side.
“In franchise cricket, it always gets tough as you get old. Every franchise is always looking to promote a young player on whom they have spent a lot, and that is only fair. I have faced this situation too. But then, there can’t be a replacement for experience. Rohit has huge experience and has delivered. But a franchise has to think long term,” Yuvraj told The Times of India.
One of the key players in the Indian side, Rohit has been facing doubts over his future in T20I cricket. India, under the leadership of Rohit, had to suffer a disappointing exit from the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final against England. Rohit recently made a comeback to T20I cricket during the three-match series against Afghanistan, though his return did not go according to plan as the India captain failed to score in both the T20Is against the Afghan cricket team.
Pandya, on the other hand, has been out of action due to an ankle injury during the ODI World Cup last year.
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Virat Kohli recently revealed his bonding with legendary Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic. The talismanic India batter recalled how a simple “hello” on Instagram resulted in a cross-sport camaraderie. Kohli’s interesting anecdote was shared by the official handle of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
Djokovic has reacted to the post by penning a heartfelt note. The Serbian great thanked Kohli for his “kind words.” Djokovic even expressed his desire to play with Kohli in the future.
“Thank you for these kind words Virat Kohli. Looking forward to the day we play together,” wrote Djokovic, who is currently defending his Australian Open title in Melbourne.
Earlier, BCCI had shared a moving post which perfectly encapsulated Kohli’s admiration for Djokovic. “I got in touch with Novak very organically, I was just looking at his profile once on Instagram and I just happened to press the message button. I thought I’ll just say hello, maybe,” the former India skipper revealed in the video.
“And then I saw a message from him on my DM already. I never opened it myself. So, the first time I saw my own messages myself, I saw, that he messaged me himself. And I was like, let me just check if it’s a fake account or something like that. But then I checked it again and it was legitimate. And then, yeah, we got talking. We keep exchanging messages every now and then. I congratulated him for all his amazing achievements.,” he added.
Djokovic and Kohli have been greats in their respective fields and even in their mid-30s, the two are aiming to achieve more success. While Djokovic is now taking part in the Australian Open, Kohli is busy with international assignments.
Kohli made a comeback to T20I cricket on Sunday night during the second match against Afghanistan. He scored 29 off 16 balls in that game played at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. Team India won the contest by six wickets.
Meanwhile, chasing a record-extending 11th men’s title at the Australian Open, Djokovic kicked off his campaign with a hard-fought win over qualifier Dino Prizmic. Djokovic needed just over four hours to get the better of his Croatian opponent in the first round of the Australian Open.
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New Delhi: The T20 boom has threatened the existence of Test cricket but what is also hurting the red-ball game is the “abysmal pace of play”, reckons Australian great Ian Chappell. In a column for ESPNcricinfo, Chappell blamed the batters for wasting too much time in the middle.
“The pace of play in Test cricket is abysmal. It’s slowing every day and nothing is being done to improve matters. On the one hand Ben Stokes genuinely strives to improve the entertainment quotient of Test cricket but he’s being undermined by the administrators’ lack of initiative,” he wrote before asking some pertinent questions.
“Why are batters allowed to meet mid-pitch during overs to discuss who knows what without penalty? Why aren’t batters informed that etiquette requires them to be in their stance at the crease when a bowler is ready to deliver?
“Heat extremes excepted, why allow drinks at times outside of the regular break? Why do glove changes occur so often? Surely this is superstition more than need. Why aren’t boundaries signalled only for balls that hit the rope rather than allowing pointless replays that look at the whereabouts of a fielder’s feet or hands?” he asked.
The DRS also has also contributed to the slow pace of the game, feels Chappell.
“Have administrators heard how players shouldn’t argue with an umpire? Then why do those same administrators encourage arguing with an umpire by allowing players to review decisions? The number of tactical reviews is growing out of hand and replays are taking too much time.
“How come players are allowed to charge at umpires while they are appealing, without any recrimination? I was appalled to see Australian players indulging in this heinous behaviour in the SCG Test recently. This bad habit should be subject to penalty.”
He also questioned batters getting away with changing stance till the very last moment.
“How can it be fair that a bowler has to nominate his method of delivery through the umpire (right- or left arm, over or round the wicket) but a batter can face up left-handed but then change to play a right-handed shot?
“There’s one main reason for this – to undermine the field placings. There is no doubt it’s skilful but it’s not fair. Fairness should be a consideration when framing cricket’s laws. A batter shouldn’t be allowed to change the order of his hands or feet,” he wrote.
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Sydney: Australian cricketer Shaun Marsh on Sunday announced his retirement from professional cricket, with the Melbourne Renegades’ fixture against Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League on Wednesday being his last assignment. He joins former Australian skipper Aaron Finch into retirement.
“I have loved playing for the Renegades. I’ve met some great people over the last five years, and the friendships I’ve made will last a lifetime,” Marsh, 40, said in a statement to the Renegades.
“To the Renegades’ coaches and staff and everyone behind the scenes, thank you for backing me in from the start and over my final years. It’s made my job a little easier out in the middle.”
Despite starting the season late due to an injury, Marsh accumulating 181 runs in five outings at an average of 45.25 and a strike rate of 138.16. He also hit three half-centuries.
Before joining Renegades during the 2019-20 season, he had a lengthy and successful stint with Perth Scorchers between 2011-19, and he also paid tribute to his previous team.
“I owe a lot to the Scorchers. I’ve got some fond memories of playing in Perth and really enjoyed my time there. The back-to-back titles are up there for me as the most enjoyable moments I’ve experienced on a cricket field,” he concluded.
Marsh also had a great stint with Australia across formats, scoring more than 5,200 runs and 13 centuries, while his last outing for the Kangaroos was against Sri Lanka at The Oval during the 2019 ODI World Cup.
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The iconic Usain Bolt took out the record-breaking Formula E car, GENBETA, for a spin ahead of the Mexico E Prix. The GENBETA last year broke the indoor land-speed world record with a top speed of 218.71 kmph, setting a new mark in the Guinness World Records title.
The eight-time Olympic champion, Usain Bolt, who stands at 6 feet 5 inches tall, confessed that he initially felt claustrophobic while squeezing his tall frame into the car.
“There was no space, it was just really, really tight and close. First time in my life that I’ve been claustrophobic but the moment I got going, I was just enjoying,” said the fastest man on earth.
But once he was comfortable, he accelerated from the start line on the track at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit, achieving 0-60mph in 2.89 seconds and powering through 100m in 4.36 seconds.
The 37-year-old retired Jamaican sprinter, who holds the world records in the 100 metres and 200 metres, experienced the 400kW power of the GENBETA from the start line and along the straight.
“It’s different, it’s a rocket ship on wheels. The power I got; the surprise that I got when launching and everything… it gave me a different feeling I can’t describe it; the adrenaline you get is on a different level, easily,” he said.
“I said this earlier to the cameraman, I promised I wouldn’t say it again, here we go I’m saying it a second time: ‘This is the first time I’ve ever said this in my life, the GENBETA car is actually faster than me — it was mind-blowing. I’ve never said anything is faster than me’.”
Bolt had the assistance of current Formula E World Champion driver Jake Dennis (Andretti Formula E Team), who also gifted him a signed helmet, and former F1 driver David Coulthard.
“I just want to say this was an experience of a lifetime — I did not expect this, and I will be telling people, ‘you should be experiencing this.’ A really wonderful experience.
“I was told — As soon as you drive, you don’t want to stop or get out, and they were right. The speed is indescribable; that was a lot of power,” Bolt added.
“This is the only time I’ll say something is faster than me” 😅
Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds said “GENBETA is a development car — born out of the GEN 3. We have the ability to test our technology and improve it. We’ve already broken an indoor world record last year with this car.
“We thought what better than to take the record-breaking car and pair it with the fastest man on planet earth; it was quite a marriage what we saw today.” “What you know of him (Bolt) is that he’s got cool and swagger, but behind that exterior lies the most competitive man you will ever meet. He personifies Formula E.
“He is about bettering, pushing yourself, reaching new heights, he is inclusive, and just a lovely fella… seeking to deliver ultimate levels of performance. That personifies what we’re all about,” he added.
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