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    Jofra Archer is on Verge of Missing the Test Series Against India

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    Times of Sports
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    Jofra Archer
    Jofra Archer

    England pacer Jofra Archer may miss the Test series against India owing to another Elbow injury. Virat Kohli led India were scheduled to play 5 match test series against England post the WTC finals against New Zealand.

    Jofra Archer may skip Test vs India 

    Archer, who had returned to action for Sussex in the County Championship against Kent last week at Hove, only bowled five overs. He was suffering from pain in his right elbow when bowling and as a result, he was unable to bowl in the final two days of the match.

    England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Sunday then confirmed that Archer has been ruled out of the upcoming two-match Test series against New Zealand.

    “Jofra has been reviewed by a medical consultant in respect of his right elbow soreness. He will now proceed to surgery tomorrow,” the England Cricket tweeted.

    Earlier this year, Archer had suffered a cut to his hand while cleaning at his home in January shortly before flying to India to prepare for the Test series.

    The ECB’s medical team managed the injury throughout the tour, and it did not impact his availability. A fragment of glass was removed during the operation to his middle finger on his right hand in March.

    Archer had played two Tests and all the five T20Is against India, and then he was ruled out from the ODI series and the first half of the IPL. England and New Zealand are slated to lock horns in a two-match Test series, which gets underway on June 2.

    England Squad For New Zealand Tests

    Joe Root, James Anderson, James Bracey, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Dom Sibley, Olly Stone, Mark Wood.

    England have back to back schedule this year, including home assignments against Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and India followed by the T20 World Cup and the Ashes series Down Under.

    It is too soon to determine a post-procedure time frame for Archer’s rehab but the firebrand seamer is set for a significant spell on the sidelines.

    Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s Father Died Owing to Liver Cancer

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    Times of Sports
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    Bhuvneshwar Kumar
    Bhuvneshwar Kumar

    Indian pace bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar lost his father owing to liver cancer. The 63-year-old was undergoing chemotherapy for cancer and also had liver ailments but his condition deteriorated two weeks ago.

    Bhuvneshwar Kumar Father died of Liver Cancer

    Kiran Pal Singh was a former Uttar Pradesh police employee who had opted for voluntary retirement from the role of sub-inspector. He was diagnosed with liver cancer in September 2020, when Bhuvneshwar was playing in the UAE for last year’s IPL.

    Cricketers Pays Tribute

    “So sorry to hear about your father @BhuviOfficial. May his soul rest in peace, Thoughts and prayers with you and family. Please take care and stay strong,” Jaffer tweeted.

    Former Indian cricketer Raina sent out the condolence message for Bhuvneshwar’s father.

    “Very sorry to hear about your Father @BhuviOfficial! May his soul rest in peace. Heartfelt condolences to you & your family..Om Shanti,” Raina tweeted.

    SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH ), Bhuvneshwar’s IPL team, also condoled the death of the pacer’s father.

    “Our condolences to @BhuviOfficial & his family on the passing of his father. Stay strong, Bhuvi,” SRH tweeted.

    “Our thoughts are with you and your family”, Mumbai Indians tweeted.

    Last week Indian spin bowler Piyush Chawla too lost his father due to COVID19. Apart from this senior bowler another young bowler from Rajasthan Royal Chetan Sakariya also lost his father to the COVID-19 battle.

    Harsha Bhogle Biography | Career | Salary | Family | Lesser Know Facts

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    Times of Sports
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    Harsha Bhogle
    Harsha Bhogle(Image: Online)

    Harsha Bhogle is the name that comes into everyone’s mind when one thinks about world-class cricket commentators. Bhogle started commentating at the age of 19 with All India Radio. Here we wrote about Harsha Bhogle biography, which will keep you interesting throughout the read.

    As a turn in his carrier, Harsha Bhogle becomes the first Indian commentator to get invited by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation during India’s tour of Australia just before the 1992 world cup.

    In the year of 1992, Harsha Bhogle was rated as a “sexiest voice on the radio” on a poll and some independent websites announced him as the number one commentator for that particular season.

    Till date, Harsha Bhogle remains as one of the best cricket commentators who brings an on-field presence for the Television viewers.

    Harsha Bhogle
    Harsha Bhogle

    Harsha Bhogle Biography

    Real Name

    		 Harsha Bhogle

    Date of Birth

    		 19-Jul-1961

    Birth Place

    		 Hyderabad, Telangana, India

    Hometown

    		 Hyderabad, India

    Nationality

    		 India

    Education

    		 B.Tech – Chemical Engineering, Osmania University’s College of Technology in Hyderabad
    Post Graduate Diploma in Management, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad

    Family

    		 Father – A.D. Bhogle
    Mother – Shalini Bhogle
    Brother – Srinivas Bhogle
    Sister – Svati Bhogle
    Wife – Anita Bhogle
    Sons – Chinmay and Satchit

    Favorite Cricketer

    		 Rahul Dravid(India)

    Hobbies

    		 Writing Blogs and Columns and Playing Cricket

    Religion

    		 Hinduism

    Salary

    (as of 2020), Broadcaster – ESPN Star Sports & ABC

    		 Fee per Match – $2,500(US Dollars)
    Fee Per Series – $55,000(US Dollars)
    Annual Salary – $1 Million(US Dollars)

    Books
    • The Winning Way 2.0: Learnings From Sport for Managers
    • Out of the Box: Watching the Game We Love
    • Azhar: The Authorized Biography Muhammad Azharuddin

    Early Life

    With a non-cricket background family, Harsha Bhogle becomes an elite member of the cricket Commentator panel. Harsha Bhogle is the son of A.D Bhogle and Shalini Bhogle who were working as Psychology professors.

    He completed his schooling at Hyderabad Public School and then completed his Chemical Engineering from Osmania University college and University in Hyderabad and done his PGDM from IIM Ahmedabad.

    After his education, he joined an advertising agency and worked there for two years, and moved to a sports management company. Harsha Bhogle is married to Anita, his classmate from IIM-A on 3rd November 1985. 

    Harsha Bhogle is married to Anita, his classmate from IIM-A on 3rd November 1985. 
    Harsha Bhogle with his wife Anita

    Career

    • He started commentating at the age of 19 with All India Radio while living in Hyderabad.
    •  In 1991–92, he became the first Indian commentator to be invited by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation during India’s cricket series before the 1992 Cricket World Cup.
    • He has since worked for ABC Radio Grandstand during India’s Australian tours, and for eight years worked for the BBC as part of their commentary team in the 1996 and the 1999 Cricket World Cups.
    Harsha Bhogle - During his early days as Commentator
    Harsha Bhogle – During his early days as Commentator
    • Since 1995, he has been presenting live cricket from all around the world for ESPN STAR Sports and was part of the commentary team that included Ravi Shastri, Sunil Gavaskar, and Alan Wilkins along with Geoff Boycott and Navjot Singh Sidhu, for a few seasons, and later, Ian Chappell and Sanjay Manjrekar.
    • He covered the 2011–12 series in Australia solely for ABC Radio.
    • He has hosted television programs such as Harsha Online, Harsha Unplugged and School Quiz Olympiad for ESPN and Star Sports.
    Harsha Bhogle hosted "Harsha Unplugged" for Star Network
    Harsha Bhogle hosted “Harsha Unplugged” for Star Network
    • Bhogle had a Television program named after him, “Harsha ki khoj”(“Harsha’s Quest”), that strove to find broadcasting talent in India.
    • Bhogle expanded his online presence by hosting Out of the Box with Harsha Bhogle on YouTube.
    • Bhogle was voted the favourite TV cricket commentator by Cricinfo users based on a worldwide poll.
    • Bhogle has also anchored BBC’s travel serial Travel India and Business Today Acumen Business Quiz and Debate competitions.
    • Bhogle was the advisor to the Mumbai Indians for the 2008 IPL.
    • Bhogle has been covering all Indian Premier League seasons since 2009.
    On 10 April 2016 Harsha Bhogle's IPL contract as a commentator was terminated
    Harsha Bhogle with ipl commentators
    • He was dropped from the commentary team by BCCI in April 2016 due to alleged criticism from Indian players.
    • On 10 April 2016, his IPL contract as a commentator was terminated. The decision came as a surprise for the voice of Indian cricket since he had conducted the Season 9 draft auction, featured in the league’s promotional videos, was in the commentators’ 51-day-long duty roster, and even had his flight booked by the production house.
    • BCCI officials said Bhogle had an angry exchange with a cricket official at the venue as he wanted him to open the door, and this reached the Nagpur-based BCCI president Shashank Manohar. Those in the know said this incident was the trigger that resulted in Bhogle losing out.
    • Bhogle has published and authored a number of books, including a biography of Mohammad Azharuddin and a collection of columns in The Indian Express, Out of the Box – Watching the Game We Love, and is also a columnist for the Chennai-based “The Sportstar” a subsidiary of The Hindu Group of Publications under the title “Hitting Hard” by Bhogle. (2009).
    • Bhogle has presented the program TRAVEL INDIA WITH HARSHA BHOGLE on the Discovery Channel and TLC.

    • In the 2011 World Cup held in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, he anchored the pre and post-match shows that featured Simon Hughes, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Sunil Gavaskar, Tony Greig, and Sourav Ganguly.
    • In 2013, he was given the seat in commentary by Ian Bishop to conduct the final interviews when Sachin Tendulkar played his final test.
    • Bhogle currently hosts a weekly show called “This Week’s Special” aired on Star Sports. The show takes the viewers back in time to make them relive cricketing memories from the past. The first episode was aired from 1 October 2015.
    • He has been a part of Times Group subsidiary Cricbuzz since 2016 and writes articles as well as doing video analyses with them.
    • Bhogle is currently one of the Board of Governors of IIM Udaipur.
    • On 16 May 2019, he was named among the 24 commentators for the 2019 ICC World Cup held in England and Wales.
    Harsha Bhogle
    Harsha Bhogle
    • During the 2nd test of Bangladesh’s tour of India, the 1st D/N test of both Indian and Bangladeshi cricket teams, a few Bangladeshi batsmen were struck by the pink ball.
    • Bhogle raised concerns about the visibility of the ball, with Sanjay Manjrekar, his fellow commentator, replying that only people like Bhogle would need to ask such questions as they have not played at that level.
    • This on-air spat raised many eyebrows. Due to this, along with his “bits and pieces” remark towards Ravindra Jadeja during the 2019 ICC World Cup, Manjrekar was removed from the BCCI’s list of commentators ahead of the 2020 India – South Africa ODI Series, that got postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

    Famous Quotes on Harsha Bhogle

    Bhogle being an extraordinary cricket commentator receives praises from various cricket players as well as from sports media groups. Following are some of the famous quotes over Bhogle:

    • The Hindustan Times said “Warne and Bhogle are one. They made a complicated and tricky art appear easy, prompting many imitations, but no true successors.”
    • The Hindustan Times while ranking him no 1 called him “the average Joe who has become the icon of cricket commentary”.
    • The Deccan Herald said “In many ways, Bhogle is a pioneer, the man who put Indian radio and television commentating on the world map”.
    • Adam Gilchrist called him “India’s Richie Benaud equivalent and the guru of cricket from India”. 
    • Sachin Tendulkar said “I have realized that speaking to him sometimes opens up completely different perspectives in addition to the ones I already have…”
    • Cricinfo said he has “the boy-next-door image. Once he found his feet in television, he became the first superstar of the game in India who was not actually a player”

    Lesser Known Facts about Harsha Bhogle

    • Bhogle has been a student of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.
    • Bhogle started his career as a cricket player for the APCA and had played small-level cricket.
    • Harsha Bhogle used to play cricket for the APCA and also he played for the Osmania University along with Mohammad Azharuddin.
    • He did not go well in Cricket and later he staffed commentating at the age of 19 with All
      India Radio in Hyderabad.
    • Before the 1992 Cricket World Cup in 1991—92, he became the first Indian commentator to be invited by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation during India’s cricket series.
    • Since then Bhogle has worked for ABC Radio Grandstand during India’s Australian tours,
      and for eight years Bhogle worked for the BBC as part of their commentary team in the 1996 and the 1999 Cricket World Cups.
    • Bhogle has been commentating for ESPN STAR Sports since 1995.
    • Since 2009, Harsha has been covering all Indian Premier League but dropped in 2016 by
      BCCI due to alleged criticism from Indian players.
    • In 2010 Harsha Bhogle was named “The greatest icon of cricket commendatory“.
    • Readers of Cricinfo voted him as their “most favourite commentator”.
    • He was the only one to feature among the top three in each of the categories – ‘favourite commentator”, “most unbiased”, “most insightful” and “most entertaining”
    • Bhogle has hosted many TV programs such as Harsha Online, Harsha Unplugged and
      School Quiz Olympiad for ESPN and Star Sports.
    • Bhogle has authored numerous books incorporating a biography of Mohammad Azhamddin and a collection of columns in The Indian Express, Out of the Box — Watching the Game We Love and is also a columnist for the Chennai-based “The Sportstar”.
    • Bhogle and his wife Anita Bhogle have written a book titled The Winning Way; it is based on business knowledge drawn from the sporting world.
    Bhogle and his wife Anita Bhogle have written a book titled The Winning Way
    Bhogle and his wife Anita Bhogle have written a book titled The Winning Way
    • He has, at various times, been in brand commercials for Pepsi, Hero Honda, Airtel, Tata-AIG, Sugar-Free, Procter & Gamble (for Vicks), has done brand promotions for Vodafone, Cadbury, IBM among many others and is now a brand ambassador for Castrol and Boehringer Ingelheim (Stroke Awareness)
    • In his career Bhogle has commented on more than four Hundred One day Internationals and over a hundred test matches and in plenty and associated with T20 formats since India played their first T20 match against South Africa.

    Awards

    • ITA Award for Best Anchor Commentator (Sports) – 2001, 2003
    • ITA Award for Best Sports Personality of the year – 2008

    Robin Uthappa Reveals How MS Dhoni Handles S Sreesanth

    By
    Times of Sports
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    Uthappa narrates incident between Dhoni, Sreesanth during T20 against Australia
    Robin reveals how MSD handles Sreesanth in early days

    Robin Uthappa has recently revealed an interesting incident that involves CSK captain MS Dhoni’s hilarious way of handling the high temper of S Sreesanth back in the day. The incident took place during a T20 match against Australia in 2007.

    Robin Uthappa explains how MSD handles Sreesanth 

    Speaking on the YouTube show ‘Wake Up With Sorabh’ by stand-up comedian Sorabh Pant, Uthappa recalled that the Indian team was playing against Australia just after the 2007 T20 World Cup.

    Narrating the incident, Uthappa said that it was either Andrew Symonds or Michael Hussey who had backed up from the crease and Sreesanth stopped between his run-up and took the stumps off, and started appealing to the umpire by continuously saying, “How is that?”. Seeing this, MS Dhoni came running from his position and told Sreesanth, “Just go bowl bro” after pulling him aside.

    Watch Robin Uthappa Chat with Sorabh

    Later in the episode, Uthappa also spoke about how the likes of Sreesanth, Gautam Gambhir, and himself would be in charge of sledging against the Australians because the rest of the team would be ‘gentlemen’.

    Uthappa also spoke about how impressive Sreesanth’s return to domestic cricket has been, saying that his outswingers and his release are still one of the best in the country — “at par with Kapil Dev and Mohammed Shami”.

    “He would be bowling at around 125 kph now, if he can keep his discipline and keep working on his bowling, he can build up his pace into the 130s and still turn out to be a dangerous bowler,” Uthappa said of the 38-year-old Sreesanth.

    Uthappa Shares T20WC Finals rivalry with Pakistan

    Uthappa then looked back at the final of the T20 World Cup, in which India edged Pakistan by two runs to be crowned World Champions.

    In a moment that will go down in the folklore of Indian cricket, Misbah-Ul-Haq tried to play an aerial scoop shot off Joginder Sharma, but ended up skying the ball to short fine leg, where Sreesanth completed the catch.

    Uthappa, who was standing at long on, recalled the thoughts that were going through his mind between the time the ball went in the air and landed in Sreesanth’s hands.

    “I was standing at long on. So many things happened during that match. When that ball went in the air, my first thought was ‘ok, who is at short fine leg?’.

    And when I saw it’s Sree, I started sprinting and I was praying ‘Please pull us through.’ Because again, you don’t lose a World Cup final to Pakistan. There’s just something that we always get the better of them in a World Cup,” Uthappa added.

    India Women Cricket Team Set to Play Their First Pink Ball Test Match

    By
    Times of Sports
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    India Women cricket team
    India Women cricket team

    India Women will play their first-ever pink ball day-night Test match at the WACA during their tour of Australia in September.

    India Women set to play their first pink ball Test match

    The news was confirmed by BCCI secretary Jay Shah on his Twitter handle. “Taking forward our commitment towards women’s cricket, I am extremely pleased to announce that Team India @BCCIwomen will play in their first-ever pink ball day-night Test later this year in Australia,” Shah tweeted.

    The match will also be the second day-night Test with a pink ball in women’s cricket history after the drawn contest between Australia and England in Sydney in 2017.

    It will be the first time since 2014 that the Mithali Raj-led side will be competing in two Test matches in a calendar year. They are scheduled to play a one-off Test against England in Bristol, starting from 16 June.

    The India tour of England will also consist of a three-match ODI and T20I series. The Test against England will be India Women’s first since their victory against South Africa in Mysore in November 2014.

    Nick Hockley, Cricket Australia’s Interim CEO, said, “The men’s Test series against India last season was an extremely competitive series that came down to the wire and we have no doubt that this women’s multi-format series will be just as hard-fought.

    “We look forward to welcoming members of the India women’s team to Australia after what has been an incredibly challenging time and thank the BCCI for supporting this ground-breaking tour.”

    Women’s India Tour of Australia Schedule

    ODI Schedule

    Date Format Venue
    01-09-2019 1st ODI North Sydney Oval
    22-09-2021 2nd ODI Junction Oval, Melbourne
    01-09-2024 3rd ODI Junction Oval, Melbourne

     

    Test Schedule

    Date Format Venue
    September 30-October 3 Pink-ball Test match WACA, Perth

     

    T20I Schedule

    Date Format Venue
    01-10-2007 1st T20I North Sydney, Oval
    01-10-2009 2nd T20I North Sydney, Oval
    01-10-2011 3rd T20I North Sydney, Oval

    Rahul Dravid Assigned as Head Coach for India’s Tour of Sri Lanka

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    Times of Sports
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    Rahul Dravid
    Rahul Dravid

    Rahul Dravid, who is known as ‘The Wall’, is going to be the new coach of Team India during the tour of Sri Lanka. Team India is scheduled to play the Sri Lanka tour with a new team combination where the regular Indian team is scheduled to play the WTC finals in UK.

    Rahul Dravid Appointed as Coach for Sri Lanka Tour

    “The Team India coaching staff will be in the UK and it is best that the young team is guided by Dravid as he has already worked with almost all of the India ‘A’ boys. The comfort the youngsters share with him will be an added advantage,” the official told ANI.

    The tour of Sri Lanka will prove to be Rahul Dravid’s second stint with India after working as a batting consultant during the England tour in 2014.

    Before taking over as the head of NCA in 2019, Dravid had worked closely with the current crop of youngsters at the U-19 level as well as in India A setup.

    The India squad for the Sri Lanka series is expected to be selected at the end of June. The three ODIs will be played on July 13, 16, 19 and the T20Is are expected to be played between July 22-27.

    They will serve a week-long quarantine beginning with three days of hard quarantine in hotel rooms followed by four days of training but with movement strictly restricted between the hotel and the grounds. They will then fly back to India on July 28.

    To keep the safety of the teams’ bubbles intact, the matches are likely to be played without crowds. The Sooriyawewa ground near Hambantota and the stadium in Dambulla are the frontrunners to host the matches.

    India last toured Sri Lanka in 2018 for the Nidahas T20 tri-series and in 2017 for a bilateral all-format tour.

    Virat Kohli Helps Former Indian Women Cricketer by Donating 6.77 Lakh

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    Times of Sports
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    Virat Kohli
    Virat Kohli

    Virat Kohli, who has already set up a fundraiser along with his wife Anushka Sharma, donated Rs 6.77 lakh for the coronavirus treatment of the mother of former Indian women cricketer K.S. Sravanthi Naidu.

    Kohli helps Indian former Women cricketer

    Sravanthi, whose mother is suffering from severe symptoms, appealed to BCCI and Hyderabad Cricket Association for help.

    The ex-women cricketer had already spent Rs 16 lakh for the treatment of her parents who contracted the virus. While her mother is still critical, her father is in the ICU.

    Notably, Kohli’s gesture was in response to the tweet tagged to him by N. Vidya Yadav, former BCCI South Zone convenor (women’s cricket) and sister of N. Shivlal Yadav, seeking help to Sravanthi.

    Sravanthi Naidu - Former Indian women cricketer
    Sravanthi Naidu – Former Indian women cricketer

    “Honestly, I was amazed at his spontaneous gesture. Such a great gesture from such a great cricketer. I am also grateful to the Indian fielding coach R. Sridhar who also took up the issue with Kohli,” Vidya told Sportstar.

    The 34-year old played four women’s One Day Internationals and one Test for India. She holds the record for producing the best bowling figures on WT20I debut (4/9).

    Naidu played one Test and four ODIs as of 2014. She was a part of the 2014 India Women’s squad for three Twenty20s against Bangladesh and also the Women’s World Twenty20.

    Meanwhile, Kohli has a hectic schedule ahead. He would first be leading the Indian team against New Zealand in the much-awaited final of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship, which starts from June 18 and will be played in Southampton. Then, the Kohli-led side will take on England in a five-match Test series.

    India’s Senior Women squad for Test & ODI

    India Women squad for the only Test match, ODI & T20I series against England has been announced by BCCI. The team will fly along with Men’s team to the UK.

    Mithali Raj (Captain), Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur (vice-captain), Punam Raut, Priya Punia, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Sneh Rana, Taniya Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Indrani Roy (wicket-keeper), Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Poonam Yadav, Ekta Bisht, Radha Yadav.

    Mohammed Shami Differentiate Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s Captaincy

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    Times of Sports
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    Mohammed Shami
    Mohammed Shami

    Team India pacer Mohammed Shami reveals the difference between playing under Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

    Shami on Kohli vs Rohit Sharma Captaincy

    Team India pacer Mohammed Shami has praised Rohit Sharma’s leadership saying that India’s opening batsman and limited-overs vice-captain gives freedom to bowlers.

    “As a bowler, when I go to him for advice, he always gives positive answers. Rohit always pushes the bowlers to do what their mind tells them to, irrespective of how the batsman is playing or his strong points,” Shami told India TV on Wednesday.

    “I think that is very important for the confidence of a fast bowler,” he said.

    The 30-year-old pace bowler, who has recovered from a forearm fracture and played in the Indian Premier League for Punjab Kings, is part of the India squad for the tour of England where the Virat Kohli-led side will play six Test matches, starting with the World Test Championship final against New Zealand in Southampton on June 18.

    Virat Kohli
    Virat Kohli

    “Rohit is a different character. He is a cool person, except when he comes to bat,” said Shami while adding that Kohli is as aggressive as fast bowlers.

    “Fast bowlers are very aggressive, both old and new. But the one player who could probably emulate their aggression is our own captain! Sometimes, when a picture of Virat’s celebration of a wicket goes viral on social media, I funnily ask him, “Was it my wicket or yours?,” Shami said.

    “He celebrates more than the bowlers! Sometimes he points out that you don’t look too happy with the wicket, so I simply tell him, ‘You did all the celebration for me!’.

    “But it is important to have fun on the field. Virat shows aggression, obviously, but as a unit, he has led the team brilliantly so far. In addition, he is a very aggressive batsman too,” the pacer added.

    PSL 2021: Emirates Cricket Board Will Hosts the Remaining Matches

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    Times of Sports
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    Pakistan Super League
    Pakistan Super League

    The remaining 20 matches of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021 edition will be held in Abu Dhabi, confirmed a source on Tuesday, as the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) gave the green signal for Pakistan to host the series in the UAE.

    PSL 2021 set to play in UAE

    Only 14 matches of the tournament had been played when the pandemic forced the PCB to suspend the PSL 2021.

    However, Wasim Khan, the PCB’s chief executive, said there is still plenty of obstacles to navigate before the future of the tournament is decided.

    “We had an interactive and productive meeting in which we considered a number of factors,” Khan said after the Zoom meeting between the PCB and the six franchise owners on Friday.

    “While the UAE has emerged as a preferred venue, a number of challenges remain, which will be worked through over the coming days. We remain committed to doing everything possible to complete the HBL PSL 6.”

    Friday’s meeting also considered advice from Pakistan’s National Command and Operation Centre, the body overseeing the country’s Covid-response effort.

    According to a statement from the PSL organisers, the viability of finishing the season is dependent on playing the matches before Pakistan departs for their limited-overs tour to the UK.

    “As the [Eid] holiday period has already started in both the countries and the Pakistan men’s national cricket team has to depart for the United Kingdom on 23 June, the PCB will use this time to work with the Emirates Cricket Board to check if the event can be successfully delivered within the available time,” the statement read.

    “During the holiday period, the PCB will work on a revised tournament schedule, while it will liaise with the ECB in relation to finalising playing and training facilities, hotel bookings, ground transportation and visitors’ visas.

    “PCB will carry out a detailed financial and risk assessment as well as cost analysis before reporting back to the franchises, who will then review before a decision on the event venue is confirmed.”

    UAE restricts Player’s families

    Sources said that it is expected that the teams would proceed to Abu Dhabi by May 22. According to sources, families of players and officials have not been allowed to travel to Abu Dhabi.

    The UAE recently banned entry of people from Pakistan due to Covid issues. A source said that the first game will be held on June 1 at Abu Dhabi.

    Only 14 matches were held in the first phase held in February and March here at the National Stadium which had to be postponed when a handful of foreign players and officials tested positive for Covid-19.

    Sources said that foreign players would come to Abu Dhabi directly. Because of a recent intensive spike in Covid cases in Pakistan, franchises had advised the PCB to shift the remaining matches to the UAE.

    According to sources, if the UAE refused to grant the PCB’s request then the Board would go for its second option and hold the remaining matches in Karachi.

    Also read: PSL 2021 Schedule to Restart from June 1 with Finals on June 20

    Aakash Chopra Explains Why Selectors Need to Look After Prithvi Shaw in T20WC

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    Times of Sports
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    Aakash Chopra
    Aakash Chopra

    Aakash Chopra has said that the Indian selectors can’t look past Prithvi Shaw for the T20 World Cup, considering his solid form in IPL 2021.

    Aakash Chopra Praises Prithvi Shaw

    In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra believes that Prithvi Shaw ought to be in the Indian team’s plan of things for the T20 World Cup after his endeavors in IPL 2021.

    “If Prithvi Shaw continues batting like this, I feel will have to be considered for the World T20. You just cannot ignore him now because of the kind of form he has shown, the kind of runs he has put, and the fashion in which he has scored those runs,” Chopra said.

    Prithvi Shaw
    Prithvi Shaw

    “We had spoken earlier that Prithvi Shaw will be one of the finds of the tournament, that his strike rate will be the best. And he is standing there only. The way he has batted, six fours off six deliveries, it is not that easy to hit six boundaries in the first over,” the former Indian batsman added.

    Aakash Chopra said that Prithvi Shaw’s stunning batting in IPL 2021 was likened to his presentation on Test debut against the West Indies.

    “The way he has batted, the skills and fearless approach he has shown, he was taking risks but it did not seem like he was doing so. He has been absolutely sensational. We saw the old Prithvi Shaw, who had scored a century on his Test debut,” he concluded.

    Shaw has absolutely advanced his case for selection in the Indian team for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Nonetheless, with many batsmen competing for the subsequent opener’s spot alongside Rohit Sharma, the 21-year-old should dole out some exceptional exhibitions in the series against Sri Lanka to stay in the selection scene.

    Prithvi Shaw in IPL 2021 scored an impressive 308 runs with a strike rate of 166.48 by playing in 8 matches before the BCCI postponed the IPL 2021.

    Watch Aakash Chopra’s Review on DC

    CSK: Suresh Raina Explains How MSD React to his IPL 2008 Contract

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    Times of Sports
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    Raina Dhoni

    Suresh Raina in his autobiography book allocated a column on “How MS Dhoni Reacted to his IPL 2008 Contract with CSK”. The much-awaited Suresh Raina autobiography ‘Believe – What Life and Cricket Taught Me’ is set to available from July 19, 2021.

    Raina praises Dhoni in his Autobiography 

    In this section, he explained the reaction he received from his “brother from another mother” MS Dhoni on his IPL 2008 contract.

    With most icon players already bought by franchises, CSK put in an early bid for Dhoni – the person they were looking at to lead the side. Dhoni, who was already the captain of the Indian limited-overs team in 2008, was bought by the Super Kings for $1.5 million at the 2008 players’ auction.

    Suresh Raina Autobiography book
    Suresh Raina Autobiography book

    Soon after he was bought in early, CSK was looking at forming a core featuring Indian stars. And that is where Suresh Raina was considered. With a base Base price of $125,000, Raina’s stocks skyrocketed to a price of $650,000 by the end of the inaugural auction.

    By then, Raina had become friends with Dhoni and had spent a good two seasons with him. This benefitted the CSK as they went on to win three IPL titles and are to date considered one of the most consistent sides in the cash-rich league.

    In a book titled ‘Believe’, Raina reveals what Dhoni told him after he was bought by CSK.

    Like always, Dhoni kept it short and simple, he said merely three words ‘Maza aayega dekh.’

    Excerpt from the book: The IPL auctions happened, and like every other cricketer in the country, I was waiting eagerly to know which team I would be playing for. I was elated to go to the Chennai Super Kings. It meant Mahi Bhai and I would be playing for the same team. I heard from him almost immediately after I was bought in the auction. He said, ‘Maza aayega dekh.’ There was a lot of attention on him, of course. And looking at some of the other figures whom Chennai had bought Matthew Hayden, Muttiah Muralitharan and Stephen Fleming I was just delighted to be in the same team as them. The IPL strengthened my bond with Mahi Bhai even further.

    Click here to purchase Suresh Raina’s autobiography ‘Believe – What Life and Cricket Taught Me’ book.

    CPL 2021: Daren Sammy Will No Longer Play for St Lucia Zouks

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    Times of Sports
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    Darren Sammy
    Darren Sammy

    St Lucia Zouks have retained the core of the team, which took them to the 2020 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) final, though skipper Daren Sammy will not be a part of the squad in the 2021 edition.

    Sammy, the two-time T20 World Cup-winning captain, has been given the role of ‘T20 cricket consultant and brand ambassador’.

    Daren Sammy will not play in CPL 2021

    The players the Zouks retained are Andre Fletcher, Kesrick Williams, Rahkeem Cornwall, and Roston Chase. They will be joined by Obed McCoy, Mark Deyal, and Javelle Glen. The Zouks have 10 spots left to fill in their squad and the remaining players will be announced in the coming weeks.

    Coach Andy Flower shared a personal message to Sammy on his newest appointment expressing “I have loved my interaction with him. Thank you very much for what you have done and look forward to working with you in the future. Preparations are ongoing as the franchise works aggressively on identifying exceptional players to bring to the team to victory.”

    Daren Sammy on his new Role

    “It’s been an absolute pleasure to have led and been a part of the St Lucia Zouks from its inception. Even though some may say good things must come to an end, it will not be in this instance. St Lucia Zouks and I will always be a team,” said Sammy.

    “But since venturing into coaching, I realise I have a new passion that can allow me to still contribute and play a part in taking the franchise forward on its quest to winning a CPL title and developing future stars,” the 37-year-old player said.

    Daren Sammy played 74 CPL games for the St. Lucia-based franchise, scoring 898 runs and picking up 24 wickets. His highest score was 60*, while his best figures were 3/18.

    The CPL 2021 will get underway on August 28 in St Kitts & Nevis. Trinbago Knight Riders are the defending champions of the CPL, having won their fourth title last year.

    Also read: Ab de Villiers to Not Comeback from Retirement, CSA Confirms

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