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    Virat Kohli May Faces a Ban for his Heated Argument with Nitin Menon

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    Virat Kohli Argument with umpire Nitin Menon
    Virat Kohli Argument with umpire Nitin Menon

    Virat Kohli is on verge of facing a suspension following his angry exchange with umpire Nitin Menon on the third evening of the second Test in Chennai.

    Virat Kohli Argument with umpire Nitin Menon

    During the review — seconds before England closed on 53 for three chasing a notional victory target of 482 — ultra-edge confirmed the ball had missed the bat but struck pad on its way through to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.

    When ball-tracking was then applied by third umpire Anil Chaudhary, it showed that the delivery from left-arm spinner Axar Patel would have gone on to hit the stumps.

    The replay showed that Root had not got a knick on it but it was hitting the wickets plumb – yet the third umpire asked the on-field umpire to not overturn his decision. By then, Kohli had got the message from the dressing-room as players in there were also surprised.

    Joe Root's LBW appeal
    Joe Root’s LBW appeal

    Immediately, Kohli walked towards Menon and had a lengthy discussion with the umpire, reacting rather heatedly before walking back to his fielding position shaking his head.

    Virat Kohli may banned from the ongoing England Series

    Article 2.8 in the ICC’s Code of Conduct covers “dissent at an Umpire’s decision”, and includes “arguing or entering into a prolonged discussion with the Umpire about his/her decision”.

    Notably, Article 2.8 states, “It shall not be a defence to any charge brought under this Article to show that the umpire might have, or in fact did, get any decision wrong.”

    If charged, Kohli could have a Level 1 or Level 2 offence brought against him, leading to an imposition of between one and four demerit points.

    Kohli currently has two demerit points on his record across the last 24 months, one of which was handed down for an incident involving an umpire’s decision. Were he to be found guilty of breaching protocol in this match, a possible punishment of two further demerit points would see him receive a suspension for one Test match.

    Sportsmail columnist David Lloyd, who used to sit on the ICC umpires’ committee, said:

    ‘He cannot be speaking to umpires like that and inciting the crowd. He should be setting a much better example. Someone in his camp should be having a word and the match referee should be very interested. It’s calculated and it’s not a good look.’

    Nasser Hussain’s View

    Ex-England captain Nasser Hussain added: ‘It was odd that the India team and their captain took the full 15 seconds to work out whether to review or not. They weren’t actually sure what they were reviewing for.

    ‘That tends to suggest there was a bit of doubt in their minds and yet Kohli seemed agitated by an umpire who had a milli-second to make that decision. If they were so certain that it was out and should have been given straight away, why did it take them so long?

    ‘Kohli pushes the line with umpires and officials. Joe Root went up and asked in a very smiley sort of way about a review earlier in the game, but Kohli is a lot more animated when he speaks to them — which doesn’t look good.’

    Michael Vaughan’s view

    Michael Vaughan, working for the BBC’s Test Match Social, said: ‘You can’t have this, I’m sorry.

    ‘Kohli is such a powerhouse, you can’t have him intimidating the umpire. It’s a stinker of a decision but you can’t be doing that as a captain.’

    Mark Waugh slams DRS decision

    Former Australian opener Mark Waugh also reckoned that was the plumbest leg-before decision that a batsman had survived.

    His tweet read: “That’s the plumpest LBW I’ve ever seen given not out by DRS. The problem is the DRS went with the umpires call for not out for a caught behind not LBW.”

    Fans Backs Virat Kohli

    The ICC told Sportsmail on Monday night that Srinath was yet to inform their cricket department of any action, although match referees have 24 hours from when on-field incidents are brought to their attention to act.

    While Kohli faced backlash for his conduct on the field, there were fans who urged ICC to look into the ‘umpire’s call’ rule.

    With seven wickets needed to win, India are in form control of the game and look set to level the four-match Test series.

    IPL 2021 Auction: England, New Zealand Players may Miss the IPL 2021

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    Times of Sports
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    Dream11 IPL trophy
    Dream11 IPL trophy

    Cricketers from England and New Zealand are on verge of missing the last two weeks of IPL 2021 tournaments.

    England and New Zealand cricketers miss IPL 2021 

    First, the South African players who are playing against Pakistan could miss the first two weeks as they will be on national duty and with the quarantine rules in place that one has to follow.

    With the IPL 14 scheduled to end in the first week of June, the stars from England and New Zealand could also miss the last two weeks of the tournament as they will be playing each other ahead of the World Test Championship final in July.

    While 13 players from the respective countries have been retained by the eight franchises, 41 players from England and New Zealand would be up for auction on February 18. This would mean that franchises could be hesitant in roping in the stars from these countries and that would hurt players.

    IPL 2021 Mini-Auction: 21 England cricketers in the List

    Alex Hales, Jason Roy, Moeen Ali, Dawid Malan, Sam Billings, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid, Tom Curran, Liam Livingstone, David Willey, Ben Duckett, Liam Plunkett, Nayan Doshi, Lewis Gregory, Reece Topley, George Garton, Ravi Bopara.

    IPL 2021 Mini-Auction: 20 New Zealand cricketers to go under the hammer

    Glenn Phillips, Scott Kuggeleijn, Adam Milne, Ish Sodhi, Corey Anderson, Devon Conway, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Mitchell McClenaghan, Finn Allen, Colin De Grandhomme, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Jimmy Neesham, Neil Wagner, Jacob Duffy, Blair Tickner, Daryl Mitchell, Colin Munro, Josh Clarkson.

    Purse Value of Franchises for the IPL 2021

    While some franchises could go big at the auction, some teams could employ a more conservative approach given the strength of their purse.

    Chennai Super Kings: 19.9 crore

    Mumbai Indians: 15.35 crore

    Royal Challengers Bangalore: 35.4 crore

    Sunrisers Hyderabad: 10.75 crores

    Delhi Capitals: 13.4 crore

    Kings XI Punjab: 53.2 crores

    Rajasthan Royals: 37.85 crores

    Kolkata Knight Riders: 10.75 crore

    Martin Guptill Subjected to Clear Fitness Test Ahead of Australia T20Is

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    Times of Sports
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    martin guptill
    martin guptill

    New Zealand opener Martin Guptill will have to prove his fitness in order to be part of the T20I series against Australia, which begins on February 22 in Christchurch.

    Martin Guptill Possibility for Australia T20 Series

    The 34-year-old Guptill, who had missed the final two games of the Super Smash season with a hamstring injury, assembled with the squad in Christchurch on Friday even as Finn Allen continued to be in the 13-man squad a cover for him.

    “Finn’s been in outstanding form and he’s certainly an exciting talent,” New Zealand selector Gavin Larsen said in a statement. “Martin’s our incumbent opener and our highest T20 International run-scorer, so we’re backing him to do the job at the top of the order, but he will need to prove his fitness and it’s good to know we have a ready replacement in Finn on stand-by.”

    Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman, who were all part of the T20Is against Pakistan, have been backed to continue in the batting line-up after impressing in their international stints. James Neesham, who underwent a finger surgery last month and returned to the Super Smash on February 6 after gaining fitness, is also part of the squad.

    Larsen said this series would serve as a good rehearsal for the T20 World Cup, scheduled later this year in India.

    “Australia will provide a really stern test for our guys who I know will relish the chance to test themselves against the number two T20 side in the world. A five-game series also allows us to really nail down our game-plans and the way we want to play as we look ahead to the World Cup later this year.

    “We’ve got a great rivalry with Australia. With the prospect of full houses up and down the country, I’m sure this series will be the biggest yet.”

    Squad Kane Williamson (capt), Hamish Bennett, Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Martin Guptill (pending fitness test), Kyle Jamieson, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips. Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Finn Allen (stand-by for Guptill).

    Also read: New Zealand Registered their Name in the World Test Championship Finals

    IND vs ENG: Ashwin Urges Peoples to Stop Comparing Pant with Others

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    Times of Sports
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    Ashwin backs Rishabh Pant and urges to stop comparing him with others
    Ashwin backs Rishabh Pant

    India wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant should be given a break from constant comparisons with others, India off-spinner R Ashwin said on Sunday.

    Ashwin Backs Rishabh Pant

    Ashwin said Pant was compared with the legendary MS Dhoni when he started his career and after Dhoni has retired, the comparisons are now drawn with Wriddhiman Saha, which at times gets too much.

    “He was constantly compared with the great MS Dhoni for a long time. Now he gets compared for his wicket-keeping with (Wriddhiman) Saha, this that and all that, sometimes it’s just better to give a break and let people build on confidence,” Ashwin said speaking at the end of the second day’s play in the second Test between India and England, during which he collected his 29th five-for in Test cricket.

    Rishabh Pant
    Rishabh Pant

    Pant had a terrific day with both bat and the gloves. After scoring an attacking fifty with the bat that helped India collect crucial runs towards the end of their innings, Pant grabbed two fantastic diving catches – the first one to dismiss Ollie Pope and the next one to send back Jack Leach.

    Ashwin said Pant got confidence after playing consistent knocks with the bat which translated into his keeping.

    “With respect to Rishabh’s keeping, the name of the game is confidence right, he has been batting well, he has been working incredibly hard on his keeping as well…

    “And sometimes, when you are constantly being compared to someone who has done well for years, it can be really hard, I really do feel for Rishabh, on a lot occasions, when I am watching games from home where he is playing the white-ball format.

    “He has definitely got the ability, that is why he is here and I have no doubt he will go from strength to strength,” Ashwin added.

    India vs England: Mark Waugh Claims Chennai Pitch as “unacceptable”

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    Times of Sports
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    Mark Waugh
    Mark Waugh

    Former Australia batsman, Mark Waugh has aired his opinion regarding the pitch in the ongoing Chennai Test between India and England and is clear on which side of the debate he is on.

    Mark Waugh slams Chennai Pitch

    Mark Waugh termed the pitch being used or prepared as ‘unacceptable’ as 15 wickets fell on Day 2 and 217 runs were scored. Waugh’s assessment comes in as a criticism to the pitch which offered turn and bounce for the spinners from Day 1.

    With Michael Vaughan and Shane Warne among those criticising the Chennai crumble via social media, the former Australia batsman Mark Waugh weighed in by tweeting:

    “I’m all for a good contest between bat and ball in Test match cricket but this pitch in Chennai is unacceptable at Test match level. You can’t have the ball going through the top of the surface on day 1 from the main part of the pitch. Ie not from the footmarks.”

    Graham Thorpe’s Reply

    England, however, refused to be drawn. The assistant coach Graham Thorpe, sitting poker-faced next to Chris Silverwood on the balcony for most of the day, was asked for his opinion.

    He replied: “It’s a very challenging surface, that’s what I’m going to say. In terms of me commenting on the pitch, I think that’s for someone above me to look at. It’s obviously taken turn early in the game and it was a very good toss to win.”

    With England’s best hope of escape on a wing and a prayer, he was reflective on the challenge of batting well on a pitch so conducive to spin. “There are some balls in the pitch which you might not be able to do too much about. We talked about having a plan. How to attack, defend and rotate. It didn’t happen for us today, we didn’t get the partnerships going.

    “We need something very, very special to happen tomorrow and somebody do something amazing with the bat. We knew we were going to have some tough times and the important thing is the dressing room doesn’t get too affected by today.”

    Ben Foakes’s View

    The top-scoring Englishman, Ben Foakes, said after his unbeaten 42: “It was an incredibly tough day. The pitch was playing a few tricks. I just tried to stick to my gameplan.”

    Ravichandran Ashwin, with five wickets under his belt, seemed surprised to be asked about the pitch: “I do not know if they [England] have complaints but if they have then it is completely natural to come up against adverse conditions.

    “The seven days of cricket that we have played so far, England have played really well, competed really well. Time and again there are conditions which will challenge you be it spin or seam. Clearly the challenges are way greater when you come up against seam. It’s just the way you play spin, you have to give time and then cash in, it is another form of art.”

    India vs England 2nd Test

    In the 3rd day of the 2nd Test match, India scored 156 runs for losing 6 wickets. Indian openers failed to make the impressive start. India skipper Virat Kohli stands as the last leg for team India to set a decent target for a team like England.

    PAK vs SA: Pakistan Scripts Record by Beating South Africa in T20I Series

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    Pakistan beats South Africa in T20I series
    Pakistan beats South Africa in T20I series

    Babar Azam-led Pakistan scripted history on Sunday evening as they defeated South Africa in the final T20I of the three-match series by 4 wickets to register 100th win in the shortest format of the game. They have become the first men’s team to reach a century of wins in the shortest format of the game.

    Pakistan Beats South Africa

    With 16 needed off the final two overs, Andile Phehlukwayo bowled a waist-high no-ball which Hasan hit for six to ease the pressure. He then hit a four and a six to seal victory.

    Mohammad Nawaz finished with 18 not out, while skipper Babar Azam scored 44 and in-form Mohammad Rizwan made 42.

    Azam’s view on Pakistan’s 100th Victory

    The victory is Pakistan’s 100th in 163 matches, the first team to complete a century of wins in T20 internationals.

    “It was a complete team effort,” said Azam. “Bowlers were exceptional in the beginning before Miller made the match sensational with his knock. “We did well to cross the target with some batting in late overs and Hasan and Nawaz saw us through. This series win will help us progress as a team.”

    Azam’s counterpart Heinrich Klaasen blamed his side’s poor batting early on.

    “We started with some cowboy cricket and I take full responsibility for that collapse,” said Klaasen.

    Pakistan vs South Africa Short Highlights

    Pakistan, who opened with Haider Ali instead of Azam, raced to 51 off 6.1 overs before Shamsi dismissed Haider (15), removed Rizwan leg-before and bowled Hussain Talat for five to halt the home team’s progress.

    Rizwan, who hit 104 not out and 51 in the first two matches, struck seven boundaries, including two towering sixes, off 30 balls.

    Pakistan won the first match by three runs while South Africa took the second by six wickets, both also played in Lahore.

    South Africa lost their first six wickets for 48 and their seventh at 64.

    Nawaz dismissed Reeza Hendricks (two) and Jon-Jon Smuts (one). Then debutant Zahid Mahmood removed Klaasen (nought) and Janneman Malan (27) off succesive deliveries in his first over.

    When Phehlukwayo went for a duck, South Africa had lost four wickets for seven runs in just nine balls. Miller added 17 for the eighth wicket with Bjorn Fortuin (10) before adding a further 58 for the next in just five overs with Lutho Sipamla who scored eight not out.

    Miller hit four sixes in the last over bowled by Faheem Ashraf, which yielded 25. Leg-spinner Mahmood took 3-40, left-arm spinner Nawaz claimed 2-13 and paceman Hasan finished with 2-29.

    South Africa had previously won five and drawn one T20I series in Asia. 

    Also read: Pakistan Move up on ICC Test Team Ranking List

    Delhi Capitals CEO Dhiraj Malhotra Likely to Replace Saba Karim

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    Dhiraj Malhotra
    Dhiraj Malhotra

    The BCCI have appointed Delhi Capitals CEO Dhiraj Malhotra as the General Manager, Game Development and Operations, a position that was earlier held by Saba Karim.

    Earlier, Malhotra had held senior positions at the ICC and was asked to help out at the World Cup in England due to his vast knowledge.

    Dhiraj Malhotra Appoints as New GM for Game Development and Operations

    The role of the BCCI GM Game Operations, which majorly caters to the domestic cricket operations and organizing international matches in India, is vacant ever since Saba Karim followed CFO and CEO to resign from his role after the Sourav Ganguly-led management assumed power. Karim was on notice for six months, which ended last month.

    “Yes, Dhiraj Malhotra has been formally appointed as GM (Game Development). He will be joining from Monday, February 15,” a senior BCCI source told PTI on Friday.

    Karim’s three-year stint had ended last month after being on a six-month notice period.

    According to the BCCI website, the GM (Game Development) “will be responsible for determining and monitoring the match playing regulations, standards of venues, including pitches and outfields besides the administration of the Domestic Tours Programme.”

    BCCI is confident that the inclusion of Malhotra will help the board in flourishing and his experience of working in ICC operations and as CEO of Delhi Capitals will be beneficial.

    Dhiraj had a commendable stint with Capitals as in the 2019 edition the team reached the playoffs while in the 2020 edition they made their maiden appearance in the final of the league but failed to lift the trophy after facing defeat against Mumbai Indians in the final.

    “Dhiraj’s joining Delhi franchise coincided with two of their best seasons, including a play-off and second-place finish. Also when he was with DC, he was asked to help out at the ICC World Cup in England due to his vast knowledge,” the source said.

    Also read: IPL 2021 Auction Date, Schedule, Traded, Released Players List

    Bangladesh’s Shahriar Nafees and Abdur Razzak Announce Retirement

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    Shahriar Nafees and Abdur Razzak announced retirement from all forms of cricket
    Shahriar Nafees and Abdur Razzak

    Bangladesh’s Shahriar Nafees and Abdur Razzak on Thursday(13/02/2021) announced their retirement from all forms of cricket.

    Shahriar Nafees and Abdur Razzak Announces Retirement

    A reception was organised to honour the two cricketers at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Saturday, during the lunch interval on the third day of the Dhaka Test against West Indies, where they were presented with crests by the BCB and the players’ association.

    “It is only natural that someone else will take my place because everything comes to an end. I would like to thank my childhood coaches Sarwar Imran and Nazmul Abedeen Fahim. I met them when I was 13 years old, and they changed my life,” Razzak said.

    While Nafees recalled the time when he was ten years old and would be taken for training by his parents: “They supported me so I must thank them. I would like to thank my wife and kids, my in-laws, as well my first coach Wahidul Gani.”

    Razzak was the first Bangladesh player to pick up 200 ODI wickets, and also holds the record (joint with Mohammad Ashraful) for the fastest half-century by a Bangladeshi in ODIs – off 21 balls. Among players from his country, Razzak also has the second-most ODI five-wicket hauls and the most wickets in a bilateral ODI series.

    Over the years, Razzah has been a domestic giant, with 137 first-class appearances. He has taken 634 wickets in those games, including 41 five-fors. He is also the first Bangladeshi bowler to bag 600 first-class wickets and has won nine domestic first-class titles with Khulna Division and South Zone.

    After a four-year hiatus, Razzak made an international comeback at the age of 35 when he played the Dhaka Test against Sri Lanka in 2018, which turned out to be his last international outing.

    Nafees will always be best remembered for his 138 against an Australian Test attack that had Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Jason Gillespie, Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill.

    The sight of a strokeful left-handed opener taking on some of the best bowlers the world, who had just conquered South Africa, was a breath of fresh air for Bangladesh. Nafees’ dominance of Warne, in particular, where he hit the legspinner for ten fours in a couple of sessions, remains an iconic image in Bangladesh cricket.

    Nafees had a strong 2006 thereafter, finishing with 1000-plus ODI runs, including three centuries. Later in the year, he became Bangladesh’s first T20I captain, but that remained his only appearance in the then-new format.

    After a low-scoring 2007 World Cup, Nafees lost his place in the team and in mid-2008, he joined the now-defunct Indian Cricket League. The BCB banned the Bangladeshi players for ten years for taking part in the tournament, but they were relieved less than a year later and returned to the fold.

    Nafees would return to the Bangladesh team during a Test against India in early 2010 and went on to play 23 more times for his country, including at the 2011 World Cup, before his last international outing against Zimbabwe in 2013.

    Nafees finished the 2019-20 first-class season with a century and two fifties, having been one of the top run-getters in the seven seasons following his last Test match.

    During the 2015-16 season, he crossed 1000 runs for the first time in first-class cricket, with three centuries and a 62.05 average. He is also Bangladesh’s first batsman to hit a T20 century when he made an unbeaten 102 for Khulna Royal Bengals in the 2013 Bangladesh Premier League.

    Also read: Shakib al Hasan Ruled Out of Final Test Against West Indies

    MS Dhoni Cricket Academy to set up in Telangana, Andhra and Karnataka

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    MS Dhoni Cricket Academy
    MS Dhoni Cricket Academy

    Former India skipper MS Dhoni decided to open his “MS Dhoni Cricket Academy” in three states — Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka. Brainiacs Bee has entered into a strategic multiyear alliance with Aarka Sports Management Private Limited to establish the academies in these places.

    MS Dhoni Cricket Academy

    The alliance will provide opportunities for students in these three South states except Bangalore, to access high-quality cricket coaching here in the academies which will be set up in the next 2 years.

    Mihir Diwakar, Managing Director of ASM, “A strategic alliance has been established between Aarka Sports Management and Brainiacs Bee to establish Dhoni cricket academy in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka states. We see a trusted partner that is committed to providing Dhoni Cricket Academy with substantive support to train and mentor students who want to make an impact in the game.”

    Mihir further said that the academy which started six years back have 50 Cricket Academy in India and three centers overseas with over 500 coaches training cricket enthusiasts. Under these cricket training centres, both boys and girls have been obtaining coaching and are currently representing various states. Almost 10,000 students have been trained under the Dhoni Cricket Academy.”

    Commenting on the Alliance, Brainiacs BEE Director, Vinod Kumar commented that

    “I am excited with this alliance, to offer students access to world-class coaching and training methodologies, which are by Aarka Sports, the best in business sports management company under the guidance and supervision of one of the greatest cricketing mind that the country has produced, We have made a long term commitment to empower potential sports stars with the right kind of exposure to coaching and training.”

    IND vs ENG: Captain Virat Kohli Prefers Duke Balls Over SG

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    Virat Kohli With Cricket Sunglasses
    Virat Kohli

    Team India captain Virat Kohli has expressed his displeasure over the Sanspareils Greenlands (SG) ball after the opening Test match against England in Chennai. The hosts suffered a humiliating 227-run defeat. The SG ball has faced scrutiny several times over his derogatory seam condition after a few overs.

    Virat Kohli Displeases with SG Ball

    Kohli said that team was not pleased to see the ball’s seam get completely destroyed in 60 overs during the opening Test.

    “The wicket was flat and slow and the quality of the ball as well wasn’t something that we were very pleased to see because that has been an issue in the past as well. Just for the ball’s seam to be completely destroyed in 60 overs is not something that you experience as a Test side and something any Test side could be prepared for,” Kohli said after the match.

    SG Ball
    SG Ball

    The SG ball is manufactured by Meerut-based Sanspareils Greenlands as India used their ball since ’90s. It is hand-stitched and provides a prominent seam that is closer together than other balls. The stitching of the SG ball is done through a thicker thread which might be the reason behind their poor condition after a time in a Test match.

    This is not the first time when Kohli expressed his irritation on the SG ball. Earlier, during the two-Test series against West Indies in 2018

    “To have a ball scuffed up in five overs is not something that we have seen before,” Kohli had said. “The quality of the ball used to be quite high before and I don’t understand the reason why it’s gone down The Dukes, I think, is the most suited ball for Test match cricket and if there’s a situation, I would vouch for that to be used all over the world ”

    The Duke ball is used in England and West Indies and has been hailed by skipper Kohli to be utilized in India also. The Dukes are also hand-crafted, while the stitching is done forward and backward across the joint of two cups, which makes it more prominent to stay longer in good condition.

    The Dukes also helped the pacers to get more swing due to his prominent seam as players in England get the benefit of that. The ball also remains harder for a long time which makes bowlers get something from the air and the pitch.

    Sanjay Manjrekar Opens on Virat Kohli’s Captaincy Style

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    Times of Sports
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    Sanjay manjrekar
    Sanjay manjrekar

    Sanjay Manjrekar has admitted that at times Virat Kohli’s decisions are “a little hard to understand”. Virat Kohli has drawn criticism over his team selection and strategy after the first Test against England turned out to be his 4th consecutive loss in the format.

    Sanjay Manjrekar calls Virat Kohli’s leadership as ‘hard to understand’

    The 227-run loss at the Chepauk came as a rude shock to Team India, who were riding high on confidence coming into this series after their historic triumph in Australia last month.

    Kohli returned to lead the team after his paternity break but couldn’t carry on the winning momentum as they went down 0-1 in the four-match series at the MA Chidambaram stadium. It was the fourth successive Test defeat under Kohli and India’s first at this venue since 1999.

    Virat Kohli

    While Manjrekar didn’t fault the team’s tactics in the first Test, he did raise doubts over some of Kohli’s decisions on the field when India were bowling.

    “I wouldn’t say India had bad tactics or they blundered on tactics. Team selection I think was fair. People are talking about Kuldeep Yadav now because Shahbaz Nadeem hasn’t bowled well. This was a tailor-made pitch for him.

    “Tactically, the small parts of the game where Washington Sundar I think bowled the wrong line to begin with. He is a great guy to bowl outside off stump and when he did that, it troubled the opposition batsmen. That’s where Virat Kohli is a little hard to understand, with his overall strategy and team selection,” Manjrekar said on ESPNCricinfo.

    Manjrekar went on to say that England were tactically superior to India even though they were playing in alien conditions.

    “His first few overs (Nadeem), he had two people on the drive. Maybe the bowlers weren’t allowed to begin with to bowl to the field that he wanted.

    “But more than tactics, India’s ability in this match fell short and they would want to make amends in the second Test. Tactically, England were superior but I won’t say that India blundered tactically,” Manjrekar added.

    The second Test between the two teams will be played at the same venue from February 13.

    Sunil Gavaskar Criticize Joe Root After his Impressive Performance

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    sunil gavaskar
    sunil gavaskar

    Despite his scintillating performance with the bat, former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar believes that Joe Root is a notch below the likes of Virat Kohli, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson.

    He showcased a terrific batting show against the Indian attack in the opening Test and played a match-winning 218-run knock. Before that, he had smashed 228 and 186 in Sri Lanka and helped his team win the series 2-0.

    Sunil Gavaskar Slams Joe Root

    During a discussion on Star Sports Network, Gavaskar was asked if he currently considers the English captain as the best batsman in the world. In response, the batting great stated that Root is among the top four but not the best one.

    Joe Root
    Joe Root

    “He is very very good. But I don’t think he is the best batsman in the world. There are four contenders for that and he is amongst the four contenders. But I think he is just a notch below the other three,” said Gavaskar on Star Sports Network.

    Gavaskar went on to speak about Root’s game-changing double ton in Chennai that laid the foundation of England’s win. The cricketer turned commentator said that the English skipper was extremely confident to ‘smother the turn’.

    “What was most impressive about Joe Root’s double ton was the fact that he was so confident from the word go and the positivity with which he moved either forward or he went back. He made sure when he was forward, he was smothering the turn and when he was back, he was making sure that he had the room to play the cut shot or the pull shot,” observed Gavaskar.

    Gavaskar lauded Root for the perfect execution of his sweep shot and said, “And then, of course, the use of the sweep shot against the spinners. That was very calculated, it wasn’t just a random sweep shot. It was a very thoughtful sweep shot and that is the reason he has been so successful in the subcontinent in the last three Test matches.”

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