India skipper Virat Kohli indicated that Ravindra Jadeja will return to the Indian fold once the all-rounder is fit to take the field. He also said that the team is looking at match-winners going into the T20 World Cup later in the year.
Virat Kohli on Possible return of Jadeja
Jadeja had started training last week after undergoing successful thumb surgery and Kohli feels the all-rounder’s inclusion will make the Indian outfit more balanced.
“I feel the squad right now what we have barring Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) who will come back whenever he is fit is the squad that I feel is the most balanced in front of the all options readily available for us to take on the field,” Kohli said on the eve of the first T20I against England.
Jadeja injured in the last over of the 1st innings of Australia vs India 1st T20I match
India have some newcomers in their squad and all of them have high potential to start firing from game number one.
The Indian skipper also highlighted how the hosts are looking for players who have the “X-factor” and are more suited to the T20 style of batting.
“We have played with a certain kind of pattern in the past. We didn’t probably have a big tournament to work towards. If you look at the squad we have to try and made an addition like guys who can be X-factor with the bat,” said Kohli.
“Do things which is the need of the hour in the T20Is. These guys have done (that) in the IPL on a regular basis. We have tried to cover all those bases. Now it will be interesting to see how they go about these games.
“These are the only games we have as a team before the World Cup. And it will interesting to see how these guys fair out in the middle,” he added.
Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja hit the nets on Thursday as he practiced batting and bowling after making a return to the field last week following his thumb surgery.
Jadeja recovers from thumb surgery
He had suffered a blow to his left thumb while batting on Day 3 of the third Test against Australia in Sydney. After going for scans, it was found that Jadeja had dislocated his thumb.
After a gap of two months, the all-rounder held the bat and ball and wasn’t able to hide his excitement. He posted a short clip on Twitter in which he can be seen working on his game in his trademark style.
‘Feeling good. holding bat n ball after two months #gettingready #focusonyourself,’ Jadeja tweeted.
Earlier on March 9, Jadeja went through a fielding drill where he was seen taking a few catches. He shared the video with the caption, “Slowly but surely.”
Team India and Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja believes he will be the best cricket player in the world by the year 2025. In response to the IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals’ question about the same, Jadeja replied by writing his name in the comments section.
The official social media handle of the franchise is famous for being the best admin amongst the eight IPL teams, for sharing some of the wittiest posts, and coming up with some of the best responses.
On Wednesday, the handle put up a question “Who will be the world’s best cricketer in 2025?”
Jadeja reply to RR
Jadeja, who is recuperating from the thumb dislocation injury, will be representing MS Dhoni led Chennai Super Kings in the upcoming season of the IPL.
Virat Kohli names Bhuvneshwar Kumar as the key player for the upcoming T20WC
Ahead of the first T20I against England, India skipper Virat Kohli revealed that pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar remains key to their plans for the T20WC which is scheduled to be played in India later this year.
Virat Kohli Praises Bhuvneshwar Kumar
India and England will be locking horns in a five-match T20I series beginning Friday. Pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar is making a comeback into the side after being on the sidelines for more than one year due to injury. The pacer had last played for India back in December 2019 in a T20I against West Indies.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“Bhuvneshwar is shaping up really well. He has come back, he is fit. He has worked really well to get back to full fitness and look he is a smart operator, we have seen that in the past. And he continues to bring that experience onto the field which is going to be vital for us. He has a clear understanding of what he wants to do going forward,” said Kohli while replying to an ANI query during a virtual press conference.
While speaking about India’s preparation for the T20WC Virat Kohli names Bhuvneshwar Kumar as their key player for the upcoming tournament.
Virat Kohli
“He wants to contribute towards many more Indian wins in the coming months. Obviously in the T20 World Cup, we would need our most experienced bowler and he is right up there with anyone else in the world in the start, in the middle, and in the death as well. He is a guy you can bank on and I am very glad to have him back. Hopefully, he can build strongly from here and be as ready as he is now for the World Cup,” he added.
When asked whether he thinks India would be the favourites for the T20 World Cup later this year, Kohli said: “I actually think England will be the team to beat in the T20 World Cup, they are the number one side in the world and the prime focus would be on them in this year’s World Cup. All the other teams will be wary of the strength they bring on to the park and they would be the favourites and that would not change regardless of how they think.”
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami have been rested for this series and right now Natarajan‘s participation in the series looks doubtful. The hosts have a problem of plenty to pick and choose from the likes of Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, and the returning Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Bhuvneshwar who is a yorker specialist at the backend might just get a nod because of his skills which have paid dividends for his IPL franchise SunRisers Hyderabad.
Ahead of the five-match T20I series against Virat Kohli led India, England cricketers Dawid Malan and Sam Billings had a heartfelt interaction with three blind cricketers – Vishnu, Dinesh and Nikul – from Gujarat about their love for cricket.
Dawid Malan Sam Billings interacts with blind cricketers
The English duo discussed the feeling of stepping into the largest cricket stadium – Narendra Modi Stadium – in Ahmedabad while also expressing their thoughts on blind cricket.
Vishnu, Dinesh, and Nikul, in the virtual interaction asked Malan and Billings about their experience of stepping in the Narendra Modi Stadium, their experiences of playing in IPL and India, and what their favourite sport was while growing up.
However, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the players couldn’t meet the blind cricketers in person. But Vishnu, Dinesh, and Nikul gifted Malan and Billings the balls used in blind cricket and the English cricketers have agreed to give it a try when they get a chance.
Cricket knows no boundaries!
Who needs a hit of cricket chat ahead of 🏴 first #T20Cricket match with 🇮🇳 tomorrow? See English cricketers @sambillings & @dmalan29 have a chat with ‘unbelievably skilful’ blind cricketers from Gujarat about their love for the sport. #INDvENGpic.twitter.com/5Ni7GGPCcE
Malan and Billings shared their thoughts after their interaction with the blind cricketers from Gujarat with the video going viral on social media.
Dawid Malan’s view
“It was wonderful and very humbling to speak with Vishnu, Dinesh and Nikul. Their commitment to the game we all love, despite the challenges they face, is a real lesson in how to accept challenges and overcome them. Our chat also emphasised to me how cricket really is a game for everyone, no matter what circumstances you find yourself in.”
Dawid Malan
Sam Billings’ View
“I think Dinesh and Nikul, two of the players we spoke with, had travelled for five hours just to be on the call with us. Those two, together with Vishnu, the Gujarat captain, were fantastic to speak with and they were even generous enough to give us each a ball used in blind cricket. Dawid and I both agreed we would give it a try when we get the chance, although it seems incredibly difficult, and I think we are both in awe of the skills the players have.”
England captain Eoin Morgan picked the favourites for the upcoming ICC T20WC ahead of the first T20I against India in Ahmedabad.
Eoin Morgan on upcoming T20WC
“Given that the World Cup is here, I do think they will enter the World Cup as favorites, so this is going to be a great test for us and a great challenge and throughout the whole tour and not just for T20s,”said Morgan in the pre-match virtual press conference ahead of Friday’s encounter in Ahmedabad.
“It is going to be from our point of view a learning process, going through what positions we might find ourselves in seven month`s time at the World Cup, with a perfect case scenario that we are playing against one of the best sides in the world, in their backyard and we know they are very difficult to beat,” Morgan said.
He was addressing a pre-match press conference here. Morgan said the Virat Kohli-led India are a very difficult side to beat in their backyard and the limited-overs matches will be a challenge for his team.
India wins T20 world cup in 2007
“I do, I probably replicate the answer. India are the team to beat given we are playing them away from home. They are a very difficult side to beat in India,” Morgan said ahead of the series opener at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
“Given that the World Cup is here, I do think they will enter the World Cup as favourites, so this is going to be a great test for us and a great challenge and throughout the whole tour and not just for T20s,” added the 34-year-old Dublin-born batsman.
Morgan Backs Jofra Archer
According to the captain, all his players are fit and available for selection. And that includes pacer Jofra Archer, too. “Yeah, everybody is fit to play and Jofra is available for the series,” he said. Morgan, however, refused to speak about the team composition.
Jofra Archer
“No, I am not giving you a head`s up,” quipped the English skipper when asked about the opening combination. He was also asked about Archer`s workload management and Morgan said the 25-year-old pacer will be rested before the T20 World Cup.
“I think it`s with the three-format players that we have, they are a handful of guys. They are managed really well, you look back at the backend of December and also January, Jofra had off and there would be different pockets throughout. “… After the IPL, towards summer and before the World Cup, where Jofra will be rested and will be really well looked after both physically and mentally,” Morgan signed off.
Morgan made those comments ahead of the first T20I against India in Ahmedabad. The England captain said India will have the edge over others as the World Cup will be played in their backyard. The upcoming T20 World Cup will be held in India later this year.
CSK includes Maheesh Theekshana in their reserve squad
CSK called in two young Sri Lankan bowlers in Maheesh Theekshana and Matheesha Pathirana to add to their reserve squad. The two uncapped players have joined CSK’s training camp and Pathirana will be the focus for a lot of people.
CSK includes Maheesh Theekshana & Matheesha Pathirana
Dubbed as the new Lasith Malinga, because of his action and raw pace, a lot of people are excited to see him. The 20-year-old has a sling action like Malinga and can clock outrageous speeds, which was up for display in the last U19 World Cup, where he bowled a 175kph (108mph) delivery to India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal.
It was claimed to be the fastest delivery ever bowled in any form of international cricket until it was passed as an error in judgment, thus, keeping Shoaib Akhtar’s record of 161.3 kmph against England in the 2003 World Cup intact.
Earlier, CSK bought the likes of Moeen Ali (INR 7 crore), Krishnappa Gowtham (INR 9.25 crore), and Cheteshwar Pujara (INR 50 lakh) from the IPL 2021 mini-auction to provide balance to their squad and provide Dhoni with more options. CSK also traded Robin Uthappa from Rajasthan Royals before the auction.
CSK, who will play their first game of IPL 2021 on April 10 against the Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede Stadium, finished seventh in the points tally last year in the United Arab Emirates and will be looking to better that and return to winning ways this year.
At IPL 2020, they failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in their history, and this year, they are not messing around.
CSK squad for IPL 2021
MS Dhoni (C & WK), Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, KM Asif, Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, N Jagadeesan, Karn Sharma, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shardul Thakur, Sam Curran, Josh Hazlewood, R Sai Kishore, Krishnappa Gowtham, Moeen Ali, Cheteshwar Pujara, K Bhagath Varma, C Hari Nishaanth and M Harisankar Reddy.
Former India batsman VVS Laxman has suggested that KL Rahul should play as an opener alongside Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan should be kept as a back-up option for the upcoming T20WC.
The ICC T20 World Cup will take place later this year in India and the preparations will begin for the hosts with the upcoming five-match T20I series against England. The event is taking place after a gap of 5 years after last year’s tournament in Australia was postponed due to Covid-19.
VVS Laxman Needs KL Rahul to play as Opener
“It will be a tough question, as far as the selection of the second opener is concerned. There’s no doubt about that because Rohit Sharma is an automatic choice in white ball cricket. I will still go with KL Rahul because over the last few months and years I think the Indian team management went with KL Rahul as an opening batsman and he has done really well in that position.
Shikhar Dhawan
“Yes, Shikhar Dhawan had a fantastic IPL, the way he batted top of the order, scoring centuries for Delhi capitals and then he’s in tremendous form for Delhi in the Vijay Hazare, where he scored a big 100 in that tournament as well. With KL Rahul as an opening combination, you want someone who’s second.
Keeping in mind the T20 World Cup, you have to identify who your openers are going to be there in the World Cup and back them; don’t chop and change. You have someone as experienced as Shikhar Dhawan, who can be the backup opener in case one of these openers Rohit Sharma/ KL Rahul gets injured or lose their form,” Laxman said while highlighting the reason behind his choice of openers.
As Laxman himself said, it is going to be a very difficult job for the team management because both batsmen have been in great form.
KL Rahul
Rahul was the stand-out batsman of the last IPL as he won the Orange Cap with an aggregate of 670 runs from 14 matches. But his performances could not take Kings XI Punjab, now renamed Punjab Kings, to the play-offs.
Dhawan finished second in the run charts with 618 runs from 17 matches and played a big role in Delhi Capitals reaching the final. He also scored back-to-back centuries in the tournament.
Perhaps only performance will be the key behind finding out who will open for India for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup.
The last T20 World Cup took place in India itself in 2016, where the hosts lost to eventual champions West Indies in the semi-final. India, who won the maiden tournament in 2007, came close to the title in 2014 too, when they lost in the final to Sri Lanka.
Ab De Villiers smashed a iphone 11 during his practice in nets
AB de Villiers was seen destroying an Apple iPhone in the nets as the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) star is gearing up for the next edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in Pretoria.
Ab De Villiers smashed IPhone
“Iphone out!,” de Villiers kept things short while sharing his post on the Facebook-owned platform. As de Villiers enjoys a massive social media following, the latest social media activity of the Proteas batting maverick has already garnered over a million likes on the photo and video sharing platform. A celebrated figure in the gentlemen’s game, the former South African skipper has over 13 million followers on Instagram.
AB de Villiers has scored 4,849 runs in 156 IPL innings. He has a staggering strike rate of 151.91 which speaks enough about his excellence.
The Virat Kohli and ABD-starrer RCB side will hope to bring an end to their IPL title drought in the next edition of the cash-rich league. The Kohli-led RCB side will kickstart their new campaign against defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) led by Rohit Sharma on April 9.
As the new IPL season in around the corner, all eyes will be on RCB as they bought Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell for a whopping sum of Rs. 14.25 crore. Besides Maxwell, the revamped squad of the Virat Kohli-led side have big guns like Dan Christian and Kyle Jamieson.
They ended up the last season in the top four in the league stages and qualified for the play-offs. However, they couldn’t make it to the finals as they lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the eliminator. With the new season ahead, they would aim for their maiden title win with some quality firepower in their camp.
Former Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq refused to compare Virat Kohli and Babar Azam as he believes cricketers from his country have more talent.
Abdul Razzaq on Virat Kohli and Babar Azam
“Firstly, we should not say such a thing [compare Virat Kohli with Babar Azam]. You can’t compare Indian players with Pakistan players because Pakistan has more talent,” Razzaq told Cricket Pakistan in an interview.
“If you look at our history, we have so many great players who we can draw comparisons with like Mohammad Yousaf, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Saeed Anwar, Javed Miandad, Zaheer Abbas, and Ijaz Ahmed,” said Razzaq.
Virat Kohli
Elaborating on his point, the former hard-hitting all-rounder said, India and Pakistan need to play together, and only then can a fair comparison between Kohli and Azam can be drawn.
“Virat Kohli and Babar Azam are completely different players. If we want to compare the two, then it’s important to hold matches between Pakistan and India and then judge who is a better player.
“Virat Kohli is a good player and he has performed well against Pakistan. I have nothing against him but if Indians don’t compare their players with Pakistan, then we shouldn’t do that as well,” Razzaq said.
Babar Azam
Both Kohli and Azam are regarded as one of the top all-format batsmen going around currently. While Kohli started his career well before his Pakistan counterpart, Azam has risen through the ranks rapidly.
“He [Babar Azam] played under me for five to six years at ZTBL and I never dropped him as captain. He was very talented and a very decent batsman. He proved himself [on the world stage] and is now the number one batsman,” he said. “If we look after him properly, he will go on to break all the records,” Razzaq said.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore(RCB) have signed uncapped New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman Finn Allen as a like-for-like replacement for Josh Philippe who will miss the entire IPL 2021 for personal reasons.
RCB Signed Finn Allen for IPL 2021
Allen, who had initially found no takers in the auction last month, had listed his base price at INR 20 lakh – identical to that of Philippe who was snapped up by the Royal Challengers at the IPL 2020 auction. Like Philippe, Allen can open the batting and keep wickets if needed.
“The RCB management is disappointed to lose a player of Josh’s calibre for this IPL season, but at the same time we fully understand, respect and support his decision of excluding himself from the tournament,” the franchise said in a statement.
“We had to select the next best option from the list of players registered for the IPL auction, at the same base price as Josh (20 lakh). We spent a great amount of time working through that potential list and have selected Finn Allen as a top-order batting replacement.”
Allen, the 21-year-old Auckland batsman who had moved to Wellington ahead of this domestic season, had a bumper Super Smash 2020-21, his chart-topping 512 runs at a strike rate of almost 194 powering the Firebirds to the title.
All up, Allen clattered 25 sixes in the tournament – the most by any player – and pulled off a variety of trick shots, including an outrageous switch-hit off New Zealand and Northern Knights’ premier spinner Mitchell Santner.
A day out of the Super Smash final, Allen had no expectations of an IPL call-up although he conceded that featuring in the league would be a bit of a dream come true.
“For me, there are no expectations,” Allen had told ESPNcricinfo. “It has kind of always been that way for me – I’m just going out there and enjoying what I am doing. Just trying to win the title for Wellington, and if more than that comes out of it, it would be awesome. Obviously going to the IPL would be pretty amazing – that’s almost my dream for a long time now, so yeah hopefully get lucky and get picked up. But, obviously no expectations, and if it doesn’t happen, there’s always the future.”
A day after lifting the Super Smash trophy, Allen made it to the New Zealand T20I squad although only as a cover for senior opener Martin Guptill. After Guptill cleared his fitness test, Allen linked up with Wellington again and continued his stellar form with a maiden List A hundred.
During his knock of 128 off 59 balls, he drew level with Peter Fulton for the fastest hundred (50 balls) by a New Zealander in the format as Wellington posted 427 for 8 – another New Zealand List A record.
Mike Hesson on roping Finn Allen
RCB director of cricket Mike Hesson, who had closely followed the New Zealand domestic season, was impressed with Allen’s ball-striking in the Super Smash.
“From a New Zealand point of view, once again I’m not so sure about Colin Munro right now,” Hesson had told Ian Smith on Sky Sports NZ in February. “I think he has played a lot of cricket and once again you what he can do.
You can bring him in if you need to. Finn Allen is the exciting one, isn’t he? It’s a matter of whether you can fit him in there…often players need to have a breakout season like that just to get their first opportunity before you find out that they’re actually really good.
“And New Zealand has done that with (Devon) Conway – obviously he’s been knocking on the door for a long time – and Will Young is another fine player who has had to bide his time.
But, if we think back to when Martin Guptill made his debut – he was young and on the back of some really, really good domestic performances to the point where he needed that opportunity. And Finn Allen, for me, there’s no better time to do it. He’s been exceptional at the top of the order and once it’s about who you going to leave out.”
At RCB, Allen will now unite with Hesson and Kyle Jamieson, who was signed for INR 15 crore at the IPL 2021 auction.
Allen’s maiden IPL deal means he could potentially be unavailable for New Zealand’s three-match T20I series at home against Bangladesh, starting on March 28. IPL 2021 is due to begin on April 9, with RCB scheduled to play their league fixtures in Chennai, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Kolkata. The franchise’s pre-season camp is already underway in Bengaluru.
England Legends pacer Chris Tremlett, who is famous among fans for his well-built physique especially after his retirement from the game, praised Sachin Tendulkar for maintaining his fitness after the two players caught up at the gym.
Both Tremlett and Tendulkar are representing their respective sides in the ongoing Road Safety World Series 2021 in Raipur.
Chris Tremlett Praises Sachin Tendulkar
“If I can look as good as this guy at his age I’ll be a very happy man,” Tremlett wrote while sharing the picture of him with the ace Indian cricketer. He also tagged Tendulkar.
Former England quick Chris Tremlett has undergone an incredible transformation since retiring from cricket. The 39-year-old, who played 12 Tests for England before retiring in 2015 due to back issues, has added 20 kilos of muscle to his already imposing 200cm (6ft 7) frame.
Interestingly, Tremlett is one of the tallest individuals to have played international cricket, but unfortunately for him, he could play just 12 Tests, 15 ODIs, and one T20I for the national side before he was sidelined due to injuries and a stretch of inconsistent performances.
The former England pacer moved from Hampshire to Surrey in the English County but his career never elevated the way he would’ve wanted. He last played a professional game in 2015 for Surrey. After that, he’s been busy making himself a bodybuilder and has been spending a lot of time in the gym.
Former England captain Kevin Pietersen was at his humorous best on social media after the England Legends team beat their Indian counterpart in the Road Safety World Series match in Raipur on Tuesday.
Kevin Pietersen led EL beats India Legends in Road Safety World Series
England Legends, led by Kevin Pietersen, beat India Legends by 6 runs in a thriller at the newly-built Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur.
After the game, Pietersen took to Instagram to share a photo with the England Legends squad while taking a cheeky dig at England selectors.
“So England CAN beat India in India! How cool was that game? England selectors – we’re all available,” Pietersen captioned the picture.
Pietersen went on to become the Player of the Match on Tuesday as he led his side with a 37-ball 75 run knock to help them post a score of 188/7 in 20 overs.
For India Legends, Sachin Tendulkar and Sehwag failed to give a massive start that needed by the Indian side. Yuvraj Singh for his counterpart added 22 runs and dismissed off Panesar delivery. Manpreet Gony and Irfan Pathan remain unbeaten while India winds up their innings before reaching the target.
Pathan brothers – Yusuf and Irfan – were the stars with the ball. Yusuf Pathan picked up 3 wickets for India while Irfan took 2 wickets.
Kevin Pietersen has earlier slammed the England Test team after they were bowled out for 81 runs in the Pink-ball Test against India in Ahmedabad.
“All I am going to say is that the batting was dreadful and awful from both teams. I think if they are honest with themselves, they will admit they batted poorly. 21 of the 30 dismissals came from straight deliveries.
“There was nothing dangerous on the wicket, there just needed to be better batting. With better batting, this would have gone to Day 3, maybe Day 4,” Pietersen said.
