Left-arm medium-fast bowler Barinder Sran who made his international debut in 2016 announced his retirement from international and domestic cricket on 29 August 2024.
On 12 January 2016, Barinder Sran made his ODI debut for India against Australia and made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club on 20 June 2016. In his T20I debut, the left-arm bowler took 4/10, which is the best bowling figure by an Indian debutant in T20I cricket.
“As I officially hang up my cricket boots, I look back at my journey with a heart full of gratitude. Since switching from boxing in 2009, cricket has gifted me innumerable and incredible experiences. Fast bowling soon became my lucky charm and opened doors to represent prestigious IPL franchises, ultimately culminating in the highest honor of representing India in 2016.
Even though my international career was brief, the memories created will be forever cherished. I am eternally grateful to the almighty for getting me the right coaches and management, who have supported me throughout my journey.
And i think this is the right time to retire from international and domestic cricket, i would also like to thank @pcacricketassociation and BCCI for their support.
As I embark on this new chapter, I carry immense gratitude for the opportunities that cricket has afforded me. Lastly, as the saying goes, “Just like the sky, dreams have no limits”, so keep dreaming”, Sran wrote on his Instagram page.
Barinder made his ODI and T20I debut under MS Dhoni. Sran played his last first-class game in 2019 and his last List-A game in 2021. Barinder also played for four different items in IPL – Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians.
Sran played a total of 24 matches in the IPL between 2015 and 2019 and claimed 18 wickets at an economy rate of 9.40. Speaking of his international career, Barinder appeared in six ODI matches and bagged seven wickets.
The newly appointed ICC Chairman Jay Shah has received a request from Pakistan legend Younis Khan on India’s participation in the Champions Trophy 2025.
The ICC Champions Trophy is all set to go take place in Pakistan next year. Around 8 teams are set to take part in the ICC tournament. With the International Cricket Council confirming the schedule for the event, there is still no clarity on whether India will be traveling to Pakistan for this competition.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah is set to take over as the ICC chairman and he will be taking charge in his role on December 01. On this occasion, the Pakistan legend Younis Khan made a special request to Shah.
Younis has played 118 Tests and 265 ODIs and has urged Shah to show spirit and send the Indian team to Pakistan.
Jay Shah (image: X)
“The cricket should uplift with the appointment of Jay Shah as the ICC chief. Jay Shah needs to show the sportsman spirit, as with the good initiatives of the ICC chief, India can come to Pakistan to play cricket. In the same way, Pakistan can visit India,” said former skipper Younis Khan.
Meanwhile, Australian head coach John Buchanan also urged Shah to take some bold decisions to preserve the longer formats of the game.
Buchanan said Shah will have to address the concerns over the growing number of T20 leagues.
“It’s an interesting question. With Jay Shah now being installed at the head of the ICC, it really is important that the ICC makes some very, very good long-term decisions for the game,” Buchanan said.
“Test cricket is really important. We’ve got the proliferation of the short-format game. We need to keep the transition game, which is the one-day game,” he said.
“It’s too difficult for players to be able to play quality cricket with only two formats, meaning a short format and a long format. We need that intervening, that transition format of 50-over cricket.
Notably, the Champions Trophy tournament is set to return after a short break. The last tournament was played back in 2017 where Pakistan secured their title after defeating India in the finals at The Oval.
India conceded 338/4 in 50 overs with Fakhar Zaman smashing a century for Pakistan. Mohammad Amir removed the Indian top order and helped the side to win the match by 180 runs.
Indian star batter Virat Kohli is undoubtedly one of the greatest players of the era. The right-handed batter Virat Kohli scripts numerous records in his cricketing career and is also believed to be the player to beat Sachin Tendulkar in international centuries count.
Sachin Tendulkar who was popularly called as “God of Cricket” was the leading player to have the most nineties score – 28.
Virat Kohli 90 to 99 OUT List
Virat Kohli also maintains an unwanted record by dismissing in 90s eight times in international format and a couple of times in IPL. Virat Kohli’s first 90s dismissal was back in 2010 when he was dismissed for 91 in an ODI match against Bangladesh in Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka.
Following is the complete list of the Virat Kohli 90 to 99 OUT list in cricket with match, date and venue details:
*Listed based on the match date
Format
Runs
Against
Venue
Date
ODI
91
Bangladesh
Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka
07-Jan-10
ODI
94
West Indies
Sabina Park, Kingston
16-Jun-11
T20(IPL)
99
Delhi Daredevils
Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
10-May-13
ODI
99
West Indies
ACA-VDCA International Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam
24-Nov-13
Test
96
South Africa
The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
18-Dec-13
ODI
91
Australia
W.A.C.A. Ground, Perth
12-Jan-16
ODI
92
Australia
Eden Gardens, Kolkata
21-Sep-17
Test
97
England
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
18-Aug-18
ODI
95
New Zealand
Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala
22-Oct-23
T20(IPL)
92
Punjab Kings
Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala
9-May-24
91 vs Bangladesh in Dhaka(7 January 2010)
Series: Tri-Nation Tournament in Bangladesh, 2010
Match: Bangladesh vs India, 3rd Match at Dhaka
Score: Bangladesh – 296/6(50 overs) | India – 297/4(47.3 overs)
Result: India won by 6 wickets (with 15 balls remaining)
Virat Kohli’s dismissal at 91 in Dhaka ODI becomes his first 90’s dismissal in his international career. In that game, Virat Kohli played a crucial knock with the then Indian captain MS Dhoni and built a 152-run partnership after India lost three wickets for 51 in their 296 runs-chase game.
Virat Kohli scored 91 runs off 102 balls at a strike rate of 89.21 which includes seven boundaries. Kohli lost his wicket in the final delivery of the 35th over bowled by Shakib Al Hasan.
Though Kohli played a bridging knock for India’s victory, it was MS Dhoni who stole the show by bagging the Player of the Match for his unbeaten 101.
India won the game by 6 wickets with 15 balls remaining but failed to win the series as India lost the final by 4 wickets against Sri Lanka. Notably, Virat Kohli emerged as the leading run-scorer of the series scoring 275 runs in five innings at an average of 91.66.
94 vs West Indies in Kingston(16 June 2011)
Series: India tour of West Indies 2011
Match: West Indies vs India, 5th ODI at Kingston
Score: India – 251/10(47.3 overs) | West Indies – 255/3(48.4 overs)
Result: West Indies won by 7 wickets (with 8 balls remaining)
During the final ODI match of the India tour of West Indies 2011, Virat Kohli registered his second 90s dismissal by scoring 94 runs in 104 deliveries. In the first inning, after a couple of early wickets, Virat scored an impressive 94 and dragged India towards a better side.
While Virat was just six runs away from reaching the triple-digit mark, he lost his wickets via run out in an attempt for the second run.
India won the five-match ODI series 3-2 where Virat Kohli scored 199 runs in five innings at an average of 39.80.
Virat Kohli missed out on his maiden IPL century by just one run after being dismissed for 99 in a match against Daredevils in IPL 2013. Virat lost his wicket in an unwanted run between wickets.
While attempting for the second run, Virat lost his wicket after failing to reach the crease before the ball. RCB went on to win the game by 4 runs with Jaydev Unadkat’s impressive five-wicket haul.
99 vs West Indies in Visakhapatnam(24 November 2013)
Series: West Indies tour of India 2013
Match: India vs West Indies, 2nd ODI at Visakhapatnam
Score: India – 288/7(50 overs) | West Indies – 289/8(49.3 overs)
Result: West Indies won by 2 wickets (with 3 balls remaining)
Player of the Match: Daren Sammy, WI – 63* (45) & 1/11
A couple of years later from his 94 vs WI, once again Virat Kohli was dismissed in his 90s against the same opponent – West Indies. But this time, Virat lost his century by just one run.
The incident happened during the second ODI of the West Indies tour of India 2013 played in Visakhapatnam. Batting first India made a slow start but later converted it into a decent scoring game.
Virat Kohli looked in sublime touch during the game, scoring 99 runs from just 100 deliveries which includes nine boundaries. While Kohli was expected to score his century he was dismissed by Rampaul in the final delivery of the 40th over.
India lost the game by two wickets with three balls remaining. India went on to win the three-match ODI Series by 2-1 with Virat Kohli being the highest run scorer of the series with a score of 204 in three innings at an average of 68.00.
96 vs South Africa in Johannesburg(18 December 2013)
Series: India tour of South Africa 2013
Match: South Africa vs India, 1st Test at Johannesburg
Score: India – 280/10 & 421/10 | South Africa – 244/10 & 450/7
Within a month after his heartbreaking 99 vs West Indies, Virat Kohli registered his first 90s dismissal in Test format in a match against South Africa in Johannesburg.
During the 1st Test of India tour of South Africa 2013, Virat Kohli scored 119 runs in the first inning and gave a strong start for the Indian cricket team which pushed them to score 280 runs in the first innings.
India kickstarted their second inning with a lead as MS Dhoni and Co bundled the host for 244 runs in the first inning. Virat Kohli continued his aggressive gameplay in the second inning.
While Virat was batting at 96, the right-hander lost his wicket to Duminy via caught behind and missed his chance of becoming the first No. 4 batsman from India to get a ton in each innings.
Though the match resulted in a draw, Virat Kohli bagged the Player of the Match award for his outstanding performance in both innings. Virat scored 272 runs in the two-match test series including a century and a half century.
91 vs Australia in Perth(12 January 2016)
Series: India tour of Australia 2016
Match: Australia vs India, 1st ODI at Perth
Score: India – 309/3(50 overs) | Australia – 310/5(49.2 overs)
Result: Australia won by 5 wickets (with 4 balls remaining)
Player of the Match: Steven Smith, AUS – 149 (135)
In the opening ODI of the India tour of Australia 2016, Virat showcased his impressive striking ability by scoring 91 runs from 97 deliveries. While Virat was on the verge of scoring his century, the Indian star batter lost his wicket to Faulkner in the middle of the 45th over.
With Virat’s 91 and Rohit’s unbeaten 171, India managed to score 309 runs for three-wicket loss at the end of the inning. But the duo’s innings went in vain as Australia chased the total with four balls left to bowl.
The then Australian captain Steven Smith won the Player of the Match award for his match-winning 149 runs off 135 deliveries.
92 vs Australia in Kolkata(21 September 2017)
Series: Australia tour of India 2017
Match: India vs Australia, 2nd ODI at Kolkata
Score: India – 252/10(50 overs) | Australia – 202/10(43.1 overs)
During the second ODI of the Australia tour of India 2017, Virat Kohli registered his first 90s dismissal as Indian captain.
As a captain, Virat played an anchoring knock and led India to score 252 runs at the end of the first innings. India successfully defended the target and won the game by 50 runs. Virat bagged the Player of the Match award for his crucial knock.
India won the five-match ODI series by 4-1 where Virat Kohli scored 180 runs in five innings at an average of 36.
97 vs England in Nottingham(18 August 2018)
Series: India tour of England 2018
Match: England vs India, 3rd Test at Nottingham
Score: India – 329/10 & 352/7d | England – 161/10 & 317/10
Virat’s 97 vs England in Nottingham is his first 90s dismissal as Indian Test captain. Indian captain played a blazing knock against the host and pushed India to score 329 runs in the first inning.
With the assist of Hardik Pandya’s five-wicket haul, India strangled England for 161 in the first inning and took a 160-plus lead ahead of the second innings. Kohli who missed his century by just three runs in the first inning secured his TON by scoring 103 runs in the second inning.
In the second inning, Bumrah with his impressive five wickets haul, led India to win the game by 203 runs. Virat Kohli was awarded the Player of the Match award. Though England won the five-match test series by 4-1, Virat Kohli bagged the Player of the Series(Test) award for his whopping 593 runs in 10 innings which comes at an average of 59.30.
95 vs New Zealand in Dharamsala(22 October 2023)
Series: ICC Cricket World Cup 2023
Match: India vs New Zealand, 21st Match at Dharamsala
Score: New Zealand – 273/10(50 overs) | India – 274/6(48 overs)
Result: India won by 4 wickets (with 12 balls remaining)
Since his international debut in 2008, Virat Kohli hasn’t registered any 90s dismissal in a World Cup event until the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup in 2023.
Virat’s streak comes to an end during India’s group match against New Zealand in Dharamsala. His 95 against New Zealand in Dharamsala becomes Virat Kohli’s first 90s dismissal in a World Cup event.
After placing India in a commanding position, Virat was expected to score his century but was dismissed by Henry for 95 runs. Virat Kohli ended his ODI World Cup 2023 campaign with a total of 765 scored in 11 innings at a strike rate of 90.31.
Following his first ICC event 90s dismissal in Dharamsala in the 2023 World Cup, Virat Kohli registered his second IPL 90s dismissal in the same Dharamsala venue in IPL 2024. His first 90s dismissal in IPL was back in 2013 when he narrowly missed out on a century, scoring 99 against the Delhi Daredevils(now Delhi Capitals).
With Kohli’s 92, RCB scored 241 runs in the first innings and successfully defended the target and won the game by 60 runs. Virat Kohli won the Player of the Match award for his impressive knock.
How many times did Virat Kohli dismiss on 90 to 99 in International cricket?
Indian star batter Virat Kohli has been dismissed in 90s eight times(six times in ODIs and twice in Tests).
How many times did Virat Kohli dismiss for 99 in International cricket?
Virat Kohli has got out on 99 only once in his international career. During the second ODI of the West Indies tour of India 2013 in Visakhapatnam, Virat Kohli was dismissed for 99 by Ravi Rampaul in the final delivery of the 40th over of the inning.
Did Virat Kohli dismiss for 90s in a World Cup match?
Yes, Virat Kohli has been dismissed for 95 during India’s clash against New Zealand in the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 in Dharamsala.
How many times did Virat Kohli dismiss for 90s in IPL?
While playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Virat Kohli was dismissed in 90s two times in his illustrious Indian Premier League career.
Cricket West Indies has included Deandra Dottin in the West Indies squad for the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 set to be played in UAE. Notably, Deandra was included in the World Cup squad a month after reversing her international retirement.
Dottin who holds the record for scoring the fastest century in Women’s T20Is announced her international retirement in 2022 citing reservations with the team environment.
Along with Deandra Dottin, Ashmini Munisar, Mandy Mangru and as well as the uncapped Nerissa Crafton were also named in the World Cup squad. These are the four changes that the board made to the squad that won their last T20I series 2-1 against Sri Lanka under Hayley Matthews.
West Indies T20 World Cup Squad: Hayley Matthews (c), Shemaine Campbelle, Aaliyah Alleyne, Afy Fletcher, Ashmini Munisar, Chedean Nation, Chinelle Henry, Deandra Dottin, Karishma Ramharack, Mandy Mangru, Nerissa Crafton, Qiana Joseph, Shamilia Connell, Stafanie Taylor, Zaida James
“We have a nice mix of experience and youth. We have some players bordering [on] 19; I think Zaida [James] is still probably a teenager and one or two of the young players there. So, really happy with the mix”.
“Also, I think, we all as West Indians are excited to see Deandra Dottin back. It has been a year of communication – back and forth – with Deandra, and I particularly want to recognise the involvement of Ann Browne-John who has led those conversations over the last year, even when she wasn’t officially the selector. She was integral in Deandra coming out of retirement”, Kishore Shallow, the CWI president, said after the announcement.
New Zealand’s Sophie Devine will step down from T20 captain after the 2024 T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates but will continue to feature as a player in T20Is and lead the New Zealand ODI side.
Devine revealed that her desire to manage her workload better was the primary reason behind her decision. She led New Zealand for the first time on an interim basis a decade ago before taking on the role full-time in 2020.
The team won 25 runs out of 56 matches and one match ended in a tie under Sophie Devine’s captaincy.
“I’m very proud to have had the privilege to captain the WHITE FERNS in both formats. With captaincy comes an additional workload that, while I’ve enjoyed taking on, can also be challenging at times. Stepping away from the T20 captaincy will take a bit off my plate so I can focus more of my energy on my playing role and nurturing the future leaders,” said Devine.
She also confirmed to continue as ODI captain and believes to step down from T20I captain will help cultivate new leaders.
“I’m not ready to give up ODI captaincy just yet. But I won’t be around forever, so I think stepping away from captaining one format at a time gives the next leaders time to find their feet,” she added.
The women’s T20 World Cup in October will mark Sophie Devine’s final assignment as captain in the format. New Zealand has been grouped alongside Australia, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka in Group A.
Sophie Devine is set to lead New Zealand for the third time in the Women’s T20I World Cup in 2024. She led New Zealand in the 2020 and 2023 editions, where they were eliminated in the group stages.
She also led the Perth Scorchers in the WBBL in the past, guiding them to the title in the 2021-22 season, and has already pre-signed ahead of the 2024-25 season.
Pakistan’s test captain Shan Masood and Pacer Shaheen Afridi engaged in a physical battle after a humiliating defeat in the first test of Bangladesh’s tour of Pakistan 2024.
Pakistan cricket has been under major scrutiny getting lambasted by fans and experts from the part of the world. As a result, Shaheen Afridi has been dropped from the Pakistan squad for the second test.
An even more shocking revelation is coming from the Pakistan dressing room as Shan Masood and Shaheen Afridi are embroiled in a physical battle.
Shaheen Shah Afridi can be seen shrugging off Masood’s hand from his shoulder. The video clip went viral after the test match.
It is being stated that wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan has become the victim as the two beat him up as well. Nothing is going in their favor and the break-out of such incidents tarnishes their reputation even more.
Pakistan failed to secure victory and lost by 10 wickets against Najml Shanto’s side. This was the first time Pakistan in the test cricket. Senior players like Babar Azam, Shan Masood, and Shaheen Afridi were criticized on social media after they failed to put up a fight with bat and ball.
Meanwhile, Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz picked up seven wickets in the second innings to secure victory for Bangladesh. Shaheen was removed from the captaincy and was handed to Babar in the white ball formats. Babar Azam captained the team in the T20 World Cup 2024 where Pakistan couldn’t pass through the group stage matches.
Pakistan was expected to do well in this series with the Rawalpindi wicket expected to help the pacer. Pakistan Shan Masood spoke after the first test and admitted that the team had made many mistakes in the first test. He admitted that they read the pitch wrong and would try to correct their mistakes in the second and final match of the series.
Pakistan will play their second test against Bangladesh starting on August 30 at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
Will Pucovski has decided to retire from cricket at the age of 26 after a recommendation from a panel of medical experts.
Pucovski has been considered the future of Australian batting after a stunning start to his FC career. But his career came to a premature end following a series of injuries and multiple episodes of concussion.
The former opener played only one test in his career, against India in 2021 at Sydney. His shaggy hair coming out from beneath his helmet, Pucovski made 62 runs in the game in which he struggled against Ashwin before being dismissed by Navdeep Saini. He also suffered a shoulder injury during the match which sidelines him for six months.
Will Pucovski (image: X)
“My understanding is that an independent panel of experts recommended Pucovski retire three months ago, and all that’s left is for Cricket Victoria and his team to formalize that contractually,” said Tom Morris.
“The news doesn’t come as a surprise to teammates of Pucovski who haven’t seen him at training all pre-season, in fact he’s been traveling overseas.”
Pucovski was concussed recently in March 2024 and was forced to retire hurt after Riley Meredith struck his helmet during a Sheffield Shield match.
He scored 2350 runs at 45.19 with seven hundred in 26 FC matches for Victoria. He made his FC debut in 2017 and also received an offer from the Melbourne Stars in 2020/21. But he has never played T20 cricket since the inception of the Big Bash League.
He was picked in the Test squad to face India on the helmet while playing against tourists for Australia A and suffered a concussion. A multiple concussion has made his career difficult, contributing to his mental health. He tried his best to continue his career in cricket, but the concussion in March prevented him from continuing his career.
He played for Victoria in u-19 level scoring four centuries in national championships and made his List A debut in a tour against Pakistan in 2017. Due to his impressive performance in the tour, he earned his Sheffield Shield debut.
Shaheen Afridi has been ruled out from the Pakistan squad for the second test in the Bangladesh tour of Pakistan 2024 as the board brought in young off-spinner Abrar Ahmed.
Pakistan is set to take on Bangladesh in the second and final test of the two-match test series and it is must must-win game for Shan Masood and his men as they lost the first test match against Bangladesh.
This was the first time that Pakistan was defeated in a Test match by Bangladesh, and a win in the second game will help them avoid a series defeat.
Pakistan has made a big change as they announced their squad a day before the second test. The star bowler Shaheen Afridi has been dropped from the second test against Bangladesh. Mir Hamza has been included in the 12-member squad and could be a potential replacement for Shaheen with Abrar taking the place of Mohammad Ali in all probability.
Pakistan went for an all-out pace attack in the first test against Bangladesh and has decided to move away from it in the second test.
Pakistan test head coach Jason Gillespie said that Shaheen Afridi is not playing the second test because he recently became a father and they wanted him to spend some time with his family.
“Shaheen Afridi is playing three formats for Pakistan. He recently became a father and we want him to spend some time with his family,” Gillespie said.
The second test of the tour will be played between August 30 and September 03 at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
Pakistan squad for Bangladesh second test: Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel (vc), Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Abdullah Shafique, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad
BR-W vs TKR-W Dream11 Prediction: Deandra Dottin-led Trinbago Knight Riders Women will lock horns with Hayley Matthews-led Barbados Royals Women to play the WCPL 2024 on August 29 in Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba, Trinidad.
The pitch at Brian Lara Stadium typically favors slower-paced play. Initially, the ball comes onto the bat well, but batting becomes increasingly difficult as the game progresses. In the second innings, spinners are likely to benefit more from the surface.
Captains who win the toss might choose to bat first to set a challenging target. Overall, the venue has the potential to host an exciting and high-scoring match.
BR-W vs TKR-W Dream11 Prediction – Mega Contest
Batters: J Rodrigues
All-rounders: J Jonassen, C Atapattu, H Matthews, D Dottin, Q Joseph
Bowlers: S Connell, S Pandey, A Wellington, A Alleyne
Wicket-Keeper: K Knight
Captain: H Matthews
Vice-captain: J Jonassen
BR-W vs TKR-W Dream11 Prediction – H2H Contest
Batters: J Rodrigues
All-rounders: J Jonassen, C Atapattu, H Matthews, D Dottin, Q Joseph
Bowlers: S Pandey, A Wellington, A Alleyne, S Ramnath
Wicket-Keeper: R Williams
Captain: C Atapattu
Vice-captain: H Matthews
BR-W vs TKR-W Dream11 Prediction – Small Contest
Batters: J Rodrigues, H Samarawickrama
All-rounders: J Jonassen, C Atapattu, H Matthews, D Dottin, Q Joseph
Lucknow Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka opened KL Rahul’s IPL future and refused to reveal whether the India wicketkeeper batter will be retained for the next three seasons.
After the end of the IPL 2024, many rumours spread across the internet regarding a dispute between KL Rahul and LSG.
KL Rahul captained Lucknow Super Giants for the past three years but failed to lead the team to the glorious spot. The rumours about KL Rahul and LSG’s separation came into the spotlight right after the heated discussion between KL and Goenka after a game against Sunrisers Hyderabad last season when LSG were defeated by 10 wickets.
“As far as I am concerned, I treat him as part of my family. He knows that too,”Goenka told a sports media in an exclusive interaction on Wednesday.
“He (Rahul) has been there since the inception of Lucknow Super Gants. He’s led us for three years. I have gone on record before and I have no hesitation in saying this again that he wanted to win. KL is an important part of the Super Giants family.
As far as retention is concerned, I don’t know. It’s not something I’m going to discuss now. That has to be confidential. There are three months to decide on this.”
There has been intense speculation whether Rahul would be continued as captain. “What is your opinion,” Goenka quipped in a quick riposte declining a direct reply.
Sanjiv Goenka – KL Rahul chatting after the match against SRH(Image: X)
BCCI having recently spoken to the owners of the IPL franchises, is expected to come out with a policy on retention.
While being asked regarding the LSG’s position on the subject, Goenka refused to spell out the franchise’s stand.
“We don’t even know what is going to be the retention policy of the BCCI. Let the BCCI announce the policy. Then we will have three months to decide. It’s too early to take a call on anything like that.”
He, however, made it clear that he is for the continuation of the mega-auction. “Yes, it should be there.”
With Zaheer Khan by his side, Goenka outlined what are the expectations from the new mentor.
“We are looking to get into a winning habit, making winning a habit. For Zaheer, right through his playing career and then in his non-playing career, winning has been a way of life for him. That is what we want and that is what we hope to get. So when I realized he’s no longer with Mumbai Indians, I approached him. It is as simple as that.”
Zaheer has taken the place of Gautam Gambhir, who was the team’s mentor in the first two seasons, when LSG made the play-offs. But they failed to make the last-four stage in the third season. Goenka attributed the poor result to the absence of a mentor.
“We all learn from the mistakes. I think it’s not only about strategic guidance and advice (from a mentor) but also inputs. It’s about making players feel comfortable in their skin. They go out and express themselves, and do so with freedom and clarity. I think that is where we felt that we missed something last year.
“We lost that game to Hyderabad badly, then we lost to Delhi in a game which we could have won. In the game against Gujarat, we should have won with a better margin. We took it to the 20th over.
Those are the situations for which we have nobody else to blame but ourselves. But we are here to improve. And we recognize that in sport you don’t win every year. You cannot win every year and you cannot win every game. But as long as that attitude of winning is there and that attitude to improve from your losses and mistakes is there, I’m satisfied.”
Goenka purchased the franchise for INR 7090 crore in 2022, making LSG the costliest team in the IPL. He has no regrets about such a heavy investment.
“I’m very happy, I’m delighted and I’m excited. I see the valuations going up. We need to improve our performance.”
Australia coach John Buchanan feels that India will face a big challenge as they are short of tour games ahead of the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
With the Border Gavaskar Trophy set to begin in November, John Buchanan considers Australia the favorite for the five-match test series.
India has been victorious in the previous two test series down under in 2018-19 and 2020-21, but the former Australian coach believes it will be quite a challenge for the Men in Blues to adjust to the conditions initially, without having enough tour games.
“I never make predictions, but I would just say that Australia is favoured going into the series right at this stage. When you look around world cricket these days, and it has been for some time, it’s very difficult to tour other countries, and the reason for that is the traveling teams no longer have that preparation in a country (they are visiting),” said Buchanan.
“They don’t play two or three games prior to playing the first Test match to adjust to a country, because nobody wants to tour for that long. That makes it very difficult when you go to Perth, where it’s fast and bouncy. India will be playing against Bangladesh (and New Zealand) at home prior to that, so the wickets are going to be completely different,” he said.
For the first time in 32 years, the Border Gavaskar Trophy is set to be played in a five-match test series along with the second test to be played on a day-night test at Adelaide.
“Five Tests does make a difference because by the time they reach Sydney, both teams will have played presumably four hard Test matches in a short period of time. So, that’s going to test everybody physically and mentally right through the series,” Buchanan said.
“Both the sides, in a sense, are pretty evenly balanced, with good strong bowling line-ups, but I favour the Australian bowling line-up if I had to compare them. India has good strong batting line-ups, but possibly I would still favour the Australian batting line-up a little bit at this point in time, but just as you go into the series, it’s evenly balanced…”
He insists the lack of tour games will have an impact on the series, Buchanan admits that with a packed calendar, it is difficult to accommodate more side games while on tour.
“It means you’ve actually got to stop playing a lot of the T20 and the T10 leagues. But that’s not going to happen. And, of course, from a player’s perspective, they don’t want long tours anymore because they want to be freed up to play other tournaments. So that’s not going to happen,” he said.
“…It’s decisions from the administrators that are key in factoring formats. I think there needs to be a place for the transition game between playing really short format games and the longer format because you need to understand going back to just adjustment and adapting. You need to be able to work out how to adapt your game, bowl or bat, field or whatever, from a really short game to a longer game…”
While Buchanan is not in favor of Steve Smith opening the innings for Australia, the former coach feels the absence of retired David Warner from International cricket a couple of months ago, will not hurt the home team.
“When you look at his (Warner’s) performances over the last 18 months or so, he wasn’t the best player that he was previously. So, it’s time for a change.
“I think after the Australia-India series, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a lot of changes in that Australian Test side because most of them are over 30,” the seasoned coach stated.
Coming to the tournament, the first match will be played between November 22 – 26 at Optus Stadium.
The batter Karun Nair who has appeared in Six Tests and two ODIs for India so far, has eyed on a comeback to the test cricket.
Having not played for Team India for seven years, Nair is not looking too far ahead and wants to relaunch his stagnant career by taking a step at a time.
The 32-year-old batter has been collecting runs for Vidarbha in India’s domestic circuit and Northamptonshire in English Cricket County.
Nair wants to keep up the good work and utilize every opportunity that comes his way. “You have to be prepared for the grind. It’s just about the next game. And I’m not looking too far into the future because sometimes you can get stuck in thinking about what’s going to happen,” Karun told PTI.
“I’ve scored a lot of runs in the last year in all formats. I’ve just been trying to continue doing what I’ve been doing the last year on every given opportunity…taking every opportunity as a new day,” he added.
These are not mind-blowing numbers, but good enough to stir confidence in the batsman who was struggling to find some purpose in his craft.
Karun Nair (image: X)
“You are playing with a different ball there – literally. Everyone knows for Indian batsmen to go and score runs in England…to play the moving ball is tough. So, I’ve learnt a lot more about myself as a batsman finding ways to score runs and believing in yourself.
“There are so many things that I’ve learned in England that, you know, maybe I had it in me but I didn’t realize all this while,” he noted.
He played for Vidarbha from Karnataka during the Ranji Trophy 2024, and it came to come at the right time for him.
He scored 690 runs from 10 matches with two hundreds, helping his side to reach the Ranji Trophy semifinals.
“First of all, it’s the opportunity to play in the Ranji Trophy cricket, which I missed out for a year for reasons that I don’t know. So, I am really thankful to Vidarbha for giving me the opportunity to play first-class cricket.
“So, the aim is to improve on last year and go one step further. And, you know, hopefully, we can win a couple of trophies,” he said.
The 32-year-old was understandably disappointed at not getting a first-class match for a full season but he found a shard of positive in that gloom too.
“It’s obviously been a difficult time for me. But probably that one season taught me how to value each game…practice harder, do everything smarter. I think that (non-playing season) has made me stronger and more determined to do well in each and every game,” he said.
“No matter what happens, it’s kind of made me, I don’t know, brought some kind of fire in yourself. So, just like I said, I’m happy with the way I’m batting. I want to keep continuing this way.”
The last year also rekindled Karun’s dream of walking back into the Indian dressing room.
“Yes, of course. Everyone plays this game to go out there and represent your country and that’s my only aim now — to play Test cricket again, which I think, I’m very confident that I can. I know that I’m good enough,” he said.
But for now, Karun would like to cap the good beginning to a new season with a title triumph in the ongoing KSCA Maharaja T20 with the Mysore Warriors.
“We’ve crossed the first step, that is to qualify for the semis, which is something that we set out to do when we started the tournament,” Karun Nair concluded.
