Former Australian cricketer Michael Clarke says that ‘India can celebrate for a year if they can beat Australia without Virat Kohli. Indian skipper Virat Kohli has granted Paternity leave by BCCI and will return to India after the 1st Test match against Australia.
The four-Test match series has scheduled to begin from December 17 after the conclusion of limited-overs matches.
Michael Clarke Praises Kohli
“There are probably two sides to Virat, one is the captaincy part and the other is the batting part,” Clarke told IT. “Who is going to bat in place of Virat. KL Rahul is very talented, there is no doubt about it. I think he is experienced in playing like these conditions before. He can do .”
KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant
While Clarke feels that Kohli is irreplaceable, India do have pretty good options.
“But Virat Kohli’s boots can never be filled by anybody. I love Jinx (Rahane). He is a great player. His captaincy is pretty good. Tactically, he is a very good captain and it’s going to be good for India. You have got to see it as an opportunity. You have got to try and create history,” Clarke said.
India can celebrate for a year – Reason
“If India can beat Australia at Australia’s own backyard without Virat Kohli, you can celebrate for a year. That will be an unbelievable win,” he added.
Virat Kohli
Kohli’s absence though weakens India’s claim but Clarke says their players should be confident to take on the might of Australia in order to return home with a win.
“I think that’s the way Indian players have to look at it. They have to believe they are good enough to take on and beat this Australian team,” Clarke said.
Earlier, Clarke had said for India to have any chance of beating Australia in Tests, Kohli will have to set the tone before returning home otherwise they can very well suffer a 0-4 whitewash.
Australia’s super striker Steve Smith is on the verge to miss the 2nd ODI against India on Sunday. He said that he had a really bad dose of vertigo after bed in the morning.
Steve Smith nearly missed the 2nd ODI against India
Smith says after he woke up with vertigo and being sick, he thought he would struggle to take his place in the team. However, after consultation with the Support Staff doctor Leigh Golding, Smith travelled to the ground early to see whether he had recovered enough to play.
Steve Smith
But when asked about the same he said it “didn’t look great there for a while. I didn’t know I was playing today,” Smith told cricket.com.au.
“I had a really bad dose of vertigo this morning and I was struggling until … I came down early to have a hit and a bit of a run-around.
“The doctor, I think he performed six Epley manoeuvres on me this morning and got the crystals out of my ears and I was struggling for a bit.
“Just pleased to be able to get out here and play another good inning and help the team.”
Steve Smith leads Australia to win the series
Australia’s Steve Smith smashed a 105 in the first ODI and 104 in the second ODI which leads Australia to win the 3 match ODI series.
Smith even rated Sunday’s century better than Friday’s based on the fact that he didn’t offer any chances, but was able to play with freedom. Smith put on 138 with Marnus Labuschagne before Glenn Maxwell went berserk with 63 not out from 29 balls as the hosts racked up 4-389.
Team India struggles to make its comeback in the ODI format. Men in blue bowlers doomed team India by letting the hosts to score 360+ runs in both the ODI matches played so far. India seeks to win the 3rd ODI in order to avoid a whitewash ODI series.
Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir slams Virat Kohli for his poor captaincy in the 2nd ODI match against Australia.
Team India scheduled to play 3 ODIs, 3 T20Is, and 4 Test matches against Australia. India struggled to get back in their form in the 50 over format matches. After losing the first ODI, India lost the second match by 51 runs.
Australia posted a mammoth total of 389 runs on the back of a super century from Steve Smith. The Indian bowlers had an off day as Steve Smith along with Finch, Warner, Labuschagne, and Maxwell smashed the Indian bowlers all over the park.
Steve Smith
India struggled to chase the massive target and lost the match by 51 runs. With the loss, India also lost the ODI series as Australia took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match contest.
Gautam Gambhir slams Virat Kohli
“I can’t understand the captaincy to be honest. We kept talking about how important is to take wickets upfront if we have to stop this kind of batting line-up and then you make your premier bowler bowl two overs. Normally, in a One Day game probably there are three spells of 4-3-3 overs. Or probably the maximum is four overs,” Gambhir said on ESPNCricinfo’s post-match show.
“But if you stop your premier fast bowler just by bowling two overs upfront with the news, I can’t understand that kind of captaincy. I probably can’t even explain that captaincy. It is not T20 cricket. I probably can’t understand the reason to be honest because that was poor captaincy.”
Gambhir’s suggestion for the missing sixth bowler
Gambhir also talked about how India could have tried players like Washington Sundar or Shivam Dube if they were facing an issue with the sixth bowler.
“They could have given someone like Washington Sundar or Shivam Dube or whoever was there in the squad to play the next game and see how they go into the one-day format. But if you don’t have anyone in Australia then it is a selection error as well.”
“Unless and until you don’t judge someone you will never be able to find how good he is at the international level. India has not taken those options to Australia and those might come back to hurt them big time,” Gambhir said.
BBL New Rules: Ahead of the 10th edition of Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL), the tournament has introduced three new rules to be followed.
To keep the tournament interesting for fans and challenging for the players, Big Bash League unveiled the ‘Power Surge’, ‘X-factor Player’, and ‘Bash Boost’ rules ahead of the latest edition, set to kick-off on December 10.
All three rules are designed to maximize interest throughout the full 40 overs of a contest and ensure strategic thinking is rewarded.
An ‘X-factor Player’, named as either the 12th or 13th player on the team sheet, can come into the game beyond the 10th over of the first innings and replace any player who is yet to bat or has bowled no more than one over.
x factor rule
Bash Boost
And the ‘Bash Boost’ will be a bonus point awarded halfway through the second innings. The team chasing will receive the bonus point if they’re above the equivalent 10-over score of their opposition, while if they’re trailing, the fielding side will receive the point. Teams will also now be awarded three points for winning the match, as opposed to the traditional two.
Bash Boost rule
Power Surge
The ‘Power Surge’ is a two-over period during which the fielding team is allowed only two players outside the inner fielding circle. The batting side can call for this at any point from the 11th overs of their innings. The fielding restrictions replicate those of the usual Powerplay at the beginning of an innings, which has been shortened to four overs.
BBL power surge rule
Alistair Dobson View on BBL new rules
Alistair Dobson, Cricket Australia’s (CA) Head of Big Bash League, said: “The introduction of these new innovations is yet another reason why the KFC BBL10 seasons is set up to be the most exciting in the League’s history.
“The Power Surge, X-Factor, and Bash Boost prioritise scoring, exciting cricket, introduce new strategic angles, and ensure there’s always something to play for throughout the entire match.
“We’re confident our fans will love what these innovations bring to the game as many of the world’s top T20 players, plus our next generation of Australian stars, bring them to life on the field.”
Woodhill observed: “The best T20 leagues across the globe are the ones that continue to innovate, push the boundaries and challenge the status quo. The introduction of these new Playing Conditions firmly puts the KFC Big Bash League in that category.
“There’s now more emphasis on the role of the coach, more for our fans to look forward to and more for our broadcasters to speak to during each KFC BBL game.
“Despite the challenges of this winter, we’ve got more star overseas players coming to the KFC BBL than ever before and now an ambitious set of innovations to shake up the League. I can’t wait to see our players and coaches embrace these new concepts.”
India have been fined 20% of their match fee for their slow over rate during the first ODI against Australia in Sydney. The match ran an hour beyond the scheduled finish, and techically went past the SCG’s curfew limit for lights, but no one flicked the switch as the contest finally ended at 11.10pm.
These ODIs are part of the World Cup Super League – the qualification pathway to the 2023 tournament in India – and India – and perhaps Australia too – could have faced a potential points deduction, with the playing conditions stating: “If, at the end of the match, the over rate calculation determines that a team has bowled one or more overs less than the minimum over rate requirement, that team will incur a deduction of one point per over for each full over the team falls short of its minimum over rate required in a match.”
Adam Zampa’s view
Adam Zampa
Australia legspinner Adam Zampa has conceded that “something has to be done” about slow over-rates.
“I don’t know what the ruling should be, or if there should be punishment, but something definitely has to be done about it,” Zampa said. “From a viewers’ point of view it’s probably not the best look for the game.”
Steven Smith, who scored a match-winning hundred for Australia, said: “It felt like it went all day. The longest 50 overs in the field I’ve ever had, that’s for sure.”
Zampa suggested one factor in the tardiness was players needing some time to find the intensity for one-day cricket after 14 days of quarantine where, although they were allowed to train for a few hours a day, he said it was difficult to replicate the pressure of the international game.
While there was plenty of high-quality batting in the opening match – led by centuries from Smith and Aaron Finch – there was a raggedness to a lot of the work in the field, especially the catching of both sides.
“I wouldn’t want to make excuses but it’s really hard to imitate the pressure of one-day cricket and the best way to do it was when you are together as a squad and you do fielding sessions and the intensity of the training is at that international standard,” Zampa said.
Zampa on dropping Virat Kohli’s catch
Zampa was guilty of one of the dropped chances when he gave Virat Kohli a life on 1, spilling a top edge at long leg, and briefly it looked as though it could prove costly but Kohli picked out midwicket off Josh Hazlewood having made a run-a-ball 21.
“It’s literally the worst feeling in the world,” Zampa said of the drop. “Each run you start to feel it after that, but from my point of view I was pretty keen to try and make amends with the ball. Fortunately, I didn’t end up having to bowl to him but it’s one of those things, you have to want the next ball to come to you and also want the ball and try and get the wicket as well.”
Zampa’s figures of 4 for 54 were his second-best in ODIs and took his tally in his last four matches to 14 wickets. While wicket-taking records have less significance this year given the overall lack of cricket, Zampa is currently a comfortable leader with 24 wickets at 22.25.
“My bowling is at the stage where I’m really confident in my game, confident in my action,” he said. “I’ve played enough now [to know] what I need to do and how to get the best out of myself.”
England and Wales Cricket Board(ECB) has postponed the England tour of the Netherlands for a year due to the COVID19 pandemic. The tour has scheduled to play in 2021.
England Postponed Netherlands tour
After Netherland’ tour postponed, England not yet confirmed their post-Christmas series against Sri Lanka and India.
According to the Royal Dutch Cricket Association, it was not viable to play the games with few or no fans.
Ashley Giles’s on Netherlands tour postponement
Ashley Giles, managing director of England men’s cricket, said: “It is disappointing that we are unable to play the Netherlands in May in what would be England’s first visit to Holland.
“Hopefully, with the prospect of crowds returning to sport soon, so we can rearrange the three matches in 2022 and showcase international cricket to capacity crowds.”
Roland Lefebvre’s view on Netherlands tour postponement
Roland Lefebvre, the former Glamorgan and Somerset seamer who is now the high-performance manager for KNCB said: “These matches would have been the biggest event in the Netherlands since the Videocon series in 2004 when India, Pakistan and Australia visited Amsterdam.
The prospect of playing the world champions in a full house is exciting and we look forward to welcoming the team back in 2022. We are very grateful for the cooperation we received from the ECB to make this happen.”
Dutch high-performance manager Lefebvre said: “The prospect of playing the world champions in a full house is exciting. And we look forward to welcoming the team back in 2022.”
The World Cup champions(England) set to play the three-match series as part of the ICC’s World Cup Super League.
World Cup Super League will determine qualification for the 2023 World Cup in India. The Netherlands, an associate member, is taking part along with the 12 full members of the ICC.
Sanjay Manjrekar suggest KL Rahul for the 5th position
Indian former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar suggest KL Rahul to continue to bat at no.5 in order to overcome the middle-order batting problem. After MS Dhoni’s retirement India struggles to find a better player to replace him in white-ball format.
Sanjay Manjrekar Suggest KL Rahul to bat at No.5
Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma used to open the match while KL Rahul is expected to balance the middle order. Owing to Rohit Sharma’s injury he missed the limited over format games. While India goes with Mayank Agarwal and Dhawan pair to open the 1st ODI match.
Rohit Sharma Shikhar Dhawan
Rahul was in ominous form during the IPL 2020 as he was the top-scorer in the tournament with 670 runs. But with India, he is likely to be played in the middle-order. Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar has also advocated for Rahul to be played as a No.5 while giving his nod to Mayank Agarwal as an opener.
The reason why Manjrekar needs Rahul to bat at no. 5
“See, the thing is that India has a lot of depth when it comes to white-ball cricket. Rohit is almost irreplaceable but India has options. Let’s not forget, in his last four innings, Rahul scored more than 80 runs in three innings while batting in the middle order (number five) in India’s last ODI series in New Zealand.
The credit needs to go to Rahul that he first got a hundred as an opener and then he registered scores of more than 80 while batting at number five,” Manjrekar told ANI.
KL Rahul
“India’s problem in white-ball cricket for a long time now has been the number four-six slots. In the World Cup, that hurt India a lot and I feel this area needs to be addressed. That is why I feel, Rahul needs to bat at number five because he has done so well in that position and India needs a dependable middle order.
Mayank has a Test match sort of temperament and his recent form can be used by India at the top of the order,” he added.
Both Mayank and Rahul could not contribute much with the bat in the first ODI against Australia. Mayank hit an 18-ball 22 where Rahul was dismissed after scoring 12 runs.
The left-handed batsman had made his international debut against Sri Lanka in 2005. He finishes his international career with 18 Tests, 226 ODIs, and 78 T20I caps. On the occasions of his retirement, here’s a look at five unique records held by Raina that will leave the fans in awe.
Suresh Raina
#1 – Mixed fortunes – Duck on ODI debut, a century on Test debut
Suresh Raina may be one of India’s best-limited overs batsmen, however, his career in the 50-over format did not have an auspicious start, as he was dismissed for a first-ball duck against Sri Lanka. He was dismissed the first ball by Muttiah Muralitharan on his ODI debut as an 18-year-old in 2005.
Surprisingly, the lefty scored his maiden century on his Test debut which also came against Sri Lanka and it remains his only ton in the longest format of the game till date.
#2 – First Indian to score a T20I century
Raina’s 101 against South Africa at the 2010 World Twenty20 in West Indies was the first century by an Indian batsman in T20I cricket. The leftie’s effort is also the only ton by an Indian player at the World Twenty20 Cup.
Despite having tremendous batting prowess, the India team has managed to produce only two T20I century scorers, the other being Rohit Sharma.
#3 – First Indian to hit a ton in all 3 formats
Raina was the first Indian batsman to score a century in all three formats. He scored his maiden ODI hundred against Hong Kong while his first Test ton came against Sri Lanka. In T20Is, Raina scored his first century against South Africa in the 2010 T20 World Cup.
Suresh Raina
#4 – Most IPL caps
A regular member of Chennai Super Kings, Raina is also the most capped player in the league. He has played 192 matches so far and looks set to become the first player to play 200 IPL matches in the upcoming season.
#5 – Most consecutive matches in IPL
This record may surprise many but Raina didn’t miss even a single IPL match from 2008 till the mid of IPL 2016. In the 9th edition, the former captain of Gujarat Lions was forced to miss a game to be with his wife for the birth of their first child. In 2018, Raina missed his first game for CSK after 158 matches.
#6 – The first batsman to score 5000 IPL runs
In the opening game of IPL 2019, Raina became the batsman in the history of the league to score 5000 IPL runs. In less than a week, Virat Kohli too joined the elite list. With 5412 runs, he holds a lead of 44 runs over Raina.
Indian cricketer KL Rahul praises his former skipper MS Dhoni whose role has been replaced by KL in the upcoming Australia tour. After MS Dhoni’s retirement the race for his replacement gets in heat particularly between KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant.
Rahul replaced MSD in limited over series
With Pant’s form being inconsistent for a while, it has cleared the path for KL Rahul as the obvious choice for replacing Dhoni in white-ball format for Team India.
Even though Rahul had previously successfully manned the wickets in the ODI series against New Zealand, KL still believes that replacing MSD is likely impossible in white-ball format.
KL Rahul slammed 112 off 113 balls in 3th ODI against New Zealand
Rahul, captain of the IPL team Kings XI Punjab, shared his insights on the issue and talked about MS Dhoni’s phenomenal contribution to Indian cricket. His remarks come just days ahead of the upcoming tour/series against Australia. The first ODI will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Friday, November 27.
KL Rahul on missing MSD in White ball format
In a virtual press interview, KL Rahul said, “Nobody can fill MS Dhoni’s place. He has shown us how a wicketkeeper-batsman’s role ought to be fulfilled. So we have learned a lot from him.
Dhoni
”The stylish batsman san that he shares a good rapport with spin bowlers such as Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav and will probably give them feedback about the field settings and bowling length. “I’ve done this in one series in New Zealand and I quite enjoyed it… hopefully, I can get better at reading the game and give good feedback to the bowlers and the captain,” he added.
KL Rahul had a memorable outing at the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 in the UAE. He not only led the Kings XI Punjab franchise but also won the Orange Cap as the highest run-getter in the tournament. He smashed 670 runs in 14 games, at an average of 55.83 and a strike rate of 129.34. Rahul has been in pristine form this year and let’s hope he shows the same prowess Down Under.
Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir said that he would have loved to bowl to the likes of India captain Virat Kohli and opening batsman Rohit Sharma if they were to play in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Amir believes politics should be kept aside when it comes to sports as he spoke about the prospect of Indian players featuring in PSL and Pakistani players in IPL.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
Pakistan players restricted to play in IPL
Notably, IPL 2008 was the only edition in which 11 Pakistan players took part in the cash-rich tournament. From the 2009 edition due to political tensions, Pakistani cricketers were barred from further taking part in the tournament.
India and Pakistan have not played bilateral cricket since January 2013 wherein Pakistan visited their neighbours wherein they played 2 T20Is and 3 ODIs. The two teams have not met in a bilateral Test series since the 2007-08 season.
However, India and Pakistan have been meeting each other at bilateral series with their most recent tie coming at the 2019 World Cup. Efforts to hold bilateral series in the past have not worked in favour, resulting in very limited episodes of one of cricket’s greatest rivalries.
Amir interested to bowl Virat and Rohit
“We have always said, as players, that cricket or any other sport, and politics should be kept separate,” Amir told Cricket Pakistan.
“I love challenges like bowling to top-notch batsmen and it would have been great to bowl to them [Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma].
“Be it the IPL or PSL, it would be beneficial for players, from Pakistan and India, playing in these competitions in terms of exposure and quality of cricket.”
Indian former cricketer Sourav Ganguly names Wriddhiman Saha and Rishabh Pant as the best option for the wicketkeeper in Test format. Ever since the retirement of MS Dhoni in August 2020, the race for this slot has intensified.
KL Rahul is more-or-less the No.1 choice when it comes to ODIs and T20Is. But in the Tests, there is a big race between Wriddhiman Saha and Rishabh Pant.
Sourav Ganguly on Saha and Pant
However, in an interaction with PTI, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has said that Wriddhiman Saha and Rishabh Pant are the two best wicketkeeper batsmen in the country currently.
Rishabh Pant
Pant did not have a good IPL but Ganguly backed him to the hilt.
“He (Pant) and Wriddhiman Saha are our two best wicketkeeper-batsmen in the country. Don’t worry. His bat swing will come back. He is a young guy and all of us need to guide him. He’s got tremendous talent. Rishabh will be fine,”Ganguly said.
KL Rahul, who is the vice-captain for the Indian cricket team for the Australia series, has said no one can replace MS Dhoni and that his role as a wicketkeeper-batsman and captain has laid the blueprint for future generations to emulate. One of the major points in MS Dhoni’s captaincy was how he managed to guide the spinners behind the wicket as well as in his captaincy.
KL Rahul
Speaking in the pre-match press conference, KL Rahul said he would try to follow MS Dhoni’s footsteps when it comes to guiding the spinners. “With players like Yuzi (Yuzvendra Chahal), Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) and Kuldeep (Yadav) and the other spinners of the team, we have a decent friendship, decent understanding in the middle. I think I will probably give them feedback on what can be a better length or better pace to bowl at,” KL Rahul said as he was sporting the 92 Retro Jersey.
Sri Lanka Cricket announced the schedule and squad for the inaugural Lanka Premier League(LPL) 2020. The LPL will be held from November 26 to December 16 and will only be played at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium in Hambantota owing to the COVID-19 restrictions.
Five franchises – the Dambulla Viiking, the Jaffna Stallions, the Kandy Tuskers, the Colombo Kings, and the Galle Gladiators – will play in LPL 2020.
Four former Indian cricket team players will be in action during this tournament.
