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    Virender Sehwag One of The Most Destructive Openers in Test History: VVS Laxman

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    Times of Sports
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    Most destructive openers in Test history
    Virender Sehwag and VVS Laxman in Test match

    Batting legend VVS Laxman has paid rich tributes to his former India teammate Virender Sehwag for his infectious positivity.

    Sehwag, is widely regarded as someone who redefined the role of a Test opener maintaining his attacking style unchanged across formats. In 104 Tests, 251 ODIs and 19 T20Is in which he scored 8586, 8273 and 394 runs respectively.

    Most Destructive Openers in Test History

    Despite the criticism that came his way because of his care-free approach towards batting, Sehwag established himself as one of the greatest India batsmen as he became the first ever from his country to register a triple century in Test cricket.

    “Cocking a snook at those who questioned his pedigree against high-quality fast bowling, Virender Sehwag went on to establish himself as one of the most destructive openers in Test history. Viru’s immense self-belief and positivity was as mind-boggling as it was infectious,” Laxman tweeted on Friday.

    Laxman has been paying tributes to teammates who influenced him immensely including Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath.

    Laxman called Dravid ‘the ultimate team man’ 

    “The game’s most committed student, Rahul was the ultimate team man, responding to every challenge with complete dedication. Despite being in a position to say ‘no’, he not only kept wicket in white-ball cricket and opened the batting in Tests, but did so with utmost diligence,” he wrote.

    For Tendulkar, Laxman said the legend stayed grounded despite his immense popularity and incredible achievements. “His trail-blazing career is the stuff legends are made of, but even more endearing is his commitment, passion & respect for the game that made him what he is. Staying grounded despite the adulation he received is a remarkable quality, one of the hallmarks of his greatness @sachin_rt,” he said.

    The former Indian player Virender Sehwag says that it would be difficult for MS Dhoni to make a way back to Indian International squad.

    WATCH : Sachin Tendulkar Once Threaten Ganguly that he Would “Send Ganguly Back Home and End His Career”

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    Times of Sports
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    Vikrant Gupta states that Sachin Tendulkar once warned Ganguly

    Vikrant Gupta in a you tube video for SportsTak states that Indian former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar once threaten Sourav Ganguly that he would end Ganguly’s carrier. Sachin took over captain’s role in 1996 and lead India in 25 test match and 73 ODI matches. Tendulkar steps down as captain after a 0–2 margin lose at home against South Africa and Sourav Ganguly took over as captain in 2000.

    ‘Sachin Tendulkar threatened Sourav Ganguly to send him back home and end his career’

    Sachin Tendulkar led Team India to 98 matches across formats. His dismal captaincy record saw the national team clinch 27 wins and 52 losses. He could only win 28 percent of his matches as a captain. But the Barbados Test thrashing in 1997 was the ‘worst loss’ of them all.

    India were set a target of 120 runs to chase by the West Indies, and when umpires called it a day on Day 3, the visiting side were at 2/0. Tendulkar was confident of a win and that night, he told a restaurant owner to keep a champagne ready for their party after the victory.

    However, on a rough track, where Indian batsmen failed to play responsibly and the greats Curtly Ambrose and Ian Bishop were on top of their games, the Tendulkar-led side were bundled out for 81 runs.

    This is how the situation unfolded in the dressing room as narrated by Aaj Tak Sports Editor Vikrant Gupta:

    “Sachin also gave a lesson to all the players in the dressing room, doubting himself on his abilities after the two-Test series. Sourav Ganguly, who was new to the team went up to console the skipper. When he walked up to Sachin, the then captain told him to get ready for the next day’s morning run. Ganguly did not turn up for it and that is when Sachin threatened him that he will send him back home and end his career,” Vikrant Gupta said on a YouTube video for SportsTak.

    After that day, Ganguly worked hard and made sure he never gives Tendulkar a chance to thrash him.

    Also read : “In comparison, Dhoni is ahead of Sourav Ganguly” : Former Team India cricketer Atul Wassan Claimed

    Check out the full video : 

     

    “Don’t give Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni oxygen” : Former Australian cricketer Dean Jones

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    Times of Sports
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    Dean Jones on Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni

    Dean Jones, the former Australian cricketer, reckons that the Aussies don’t prefer to sledge batsmen of the calibre of Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni. The veteran feels that trying to get under their skins can backfire severely and ‘confrontation’ is something they like. Even as Dhoni prefers to stay calm, Virat is vocal and never shies away from expressing his feelings on the field of play.

    During India’s tour of Australia in 2018-19, the hosts’ players didn’t try to agitate Virat, who was a tad aggressive in his approach. As per the 59-year-old Jones, who played 52 Tests and 164 ODIs for the national team, Australia curbed their instincts even against the likes of West Indies’ Sir Vivian Richards and New Zealand’s Late Martin Crowe.

    Don’t give Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni oxygen

    “I’ll tell you the reason why they went quiet on Virat. Because we went quiet when Viv Richards came out to bat. We went quiet on Javed Miandad, on Martin Crowe. And there is a reason behind that — You don’t upset the bear, you don’t upset Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni because this is what they like – a confrontation,” Jones was quoted as saying on Sportscreen’s YouTube page.

    Earlier, this year, Michael Clarke, the 2015 World Cup-winning captain, said that Australia didn’t sledge Virat because their players were worried about contracts in the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, Jones thinks that the comments defy logic

    The Victoria-born Jones said that since an IPL contract depends upon the coaching staff and the team managers, and hence, sledging Virat has no role to play in it.

    “Don’t give them any oxygen. But I find this reason about not upsetting Virat because of IPL contracts a bit rubbish. Is Virat going to stop anyone from playing? That is down to the coaches and managers,” he added.

    A number of Aussie players take part in the IPL. David Warner, the skipper of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), is the leading run-scorers among the foreign players. He also won the team the title back in 2016.

    Pat Cummins fetched a stunning INR 15.5 crores from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for the 2020 edition of the mega event. The likes of Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson and Aaron Finch also managed to secure lucrative contracts.

    Also read : MS Dhoni Reveals his ‘Newest Beast’ Here is all You Need to Know About It

    “Paranthe Kithe Hai?” : Sachin Tendulkar Replies to Yuvraj Singh’s ‘Keep it Up’ Challenge

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    Times of Sports
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    Sachin Tendulkar's Reply to Yuvraj Singh's Keep it Up Challenge

    Sachin Tendulkar took the ‘keep it up’ challenge, started by Yuvraj Singh, to another level by asking the former India all-rounder to cook “Paranthe” for him. On Sunday, Yuvraj Singh posted a video on Instagram, bouncing a tennis ball off a rolling pin and challenged batting legend Sachin Tendulkar to do the same without breaking anything in the kitchen.

    Instead of attempting the same, Sachin Tendulkar replied with another Instagram video, asking Yuvraj Singh to make “Paranthe” with the rolling pin instead of bouncing the ball.

    “Yuvi paranthe kithe hai?” Tendulkar captioned the video on Instagram with a Face Savoring Food emoji.

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    Yuvi paranthe kithe hai? 😋

    A post shared by Sachin Tendulkar (@sachintendulkar) on

    “Yuvi, you have replied well of my challenge with a rolling pin in the kitchen. You make good paranthe with a rolling pin. Look, I have an empty plate, pickle and curd. Make nice paranthe for me,” Tendulkar can be heard saying in the video.

    Earlier, Yuvraj had challenged Tendulkar to break his “record of 100 in the kitchen”.

    “Master you have broken so many records on the field!! time to break my record of 100 in the kitchen ! Sorry couldn’t post full video cause it will be too long to count 100 paji back to you hope you don’t break other things in the kitchen @sachintendulkar,” Yuvraj captioned the video on Instagram.

    Yuvraj started the trend of ‘keep it up’ challenge among Indian cricketers by posting a video of himself on Instagram where he kept bouncing the ball on the side of his bat.

    He nominated Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma and Harbhajan Singh to take the challenge.

    Tendulkar added his twist to the task by bouncing the ball repeatedly off his bat with a blindfold on and asked Yuvraj to ace the challenge in the same way.

    Yuvraj admitted that he knew he was challenging the wrong legend. In reply to Sachin’s Instagram post, he said that he might need a week to complete this task.

    “I knew I challenged the wrong legend ! This might take a week il try,” Yuvraj left a comment on Tendulkar’s post.

     

     

     

    “When going to Pakistan, security was an issue” : Kumar Sangakkara Recalls 2009 Lahore Bus Attack

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    Times of Sports
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    Terrorist attack on Sri Lanka cricket team
    Kumar Sangakkara recalls 2009 Lahore bus attack

    Former Sri Lankan Cricket team captain Kumar Sangakkara recalled the unforgettable incident that took place while touring Pakistan. The shootout incident by 12 gunmen on Sri Lanka cricket team took place on March 3rd 2009 in Lahore.

    It was the third morning of another Test match. Shortly before 09:00 local time, just outside the Gaddafi Stadium where the 12 gunmen ambushed them.

    Sangakkara recalled the entire episode while speaking in an interview to Sky Sports : “At the time, when going to Pakistan, security was an issue. We had written about our concerns on security, and were exploring insurance for players if something happened. So, we were refused politely, and we were told that they have done all the groundwork to ensure security, so we went.”

    “We were having our usual banters on the bus, people talking about what you are going to do this evening. One of our fast bowlers said ‘wickets are so flat here, I am going to get a stress fracture or something. I hope a bomb goes off,  so we could go home’. And 20 seconds later, this happens,” Sangakkara revealed.

    “Our team’s masseur at the time was in the front, we heard the gun shots, we thought they were firecrackers. He got up, and said ‘get down, they are shooting the bus’. Dilshan was also in front, I was more central. Mahela was right at the back, Murali was sitting right behind me so that he can annoy Thilan Samaraweera. I remember Tharanga Paranavitana, the opener, was in front.”

    “All hell broke loose, we hid at the aisle of the bus, on top of each other, and then the shooting started. They shot the bus as many times they could, and threw grenades, and fired a rocket launcher. And for some reason, I don’t know why, we survived,” Sangakkara said.

    The attack took place about 500m from the cricket ground, at Liberty Square

    “Thilan was injured, I got hit on the shoulder with a lot of shrapnel. Ajantha Mendis was injured. Tharanga Paranavitana gets up bleeding from his chest and collapses saying he’s been shot. We hear ‘oohs and aahs’ from all around the bus. Paul Farbrace has an iron spike through his hand, so we get into the ground, which is 500m from there, very rudimentary security of course. Unfortunately, most of the security personnel guarding us, died and that was tragic.”

    “They tried to shoot the bus driver, missed him by a couple of inches. He was the hero, we survived probably because he was left alive to drive us through that. Everyday he used to take four attempts to get through the narrow gate, but this time, he drove in straight into the ground. We get off. Tharanga Paranavitana, we thought had died for some reason, feels his back, and says, I dont have a hole in my back, so I think I am okay and walks off the park. Thilan is bleeding everywhere, he’s been shot very badly. He gets taken by ambulance to hospital. Ajantha Mendis and I were due to get in the next ambulance, but then they were shooting next to ambulance, so we decided we would stay here,” he further recalled.

    “Being Sri Lanka Cricket team, there comes a joke from the other side, and a bit of laughter, and everyone started talking, chatting, joking. At no time, we felt sorry for ourselves. No one thought ‘why us’,” the former left-handed batsman signed off.

    Also read : “Mahi said let’s have another toss of the coin” : Kumar Sangakkara Recalled 2011 WC Toss Moment

    Virat Kohli’s Reaction to Anushka Sharma’s Sun-Kissed Instagram Post is Unmissable

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    Times of Sports
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    Virat Kohli's Reaction to Anushka Sharma's Sun-Kissed Instagram Post is Unmissable

    From getting a haircut to playing cricket in the terrace, India skipper Virat Kohli is making the most of his time staying indoors during the lockdown with his wife, actress Anushka Sharma.

    Kohli is truly upped his social game during the lockdown to keep himself and his fans in high spirits. On Thursday, Anushka posted a sun-kissed picture on her Instagram page and Kohli was quick to respond to it.

    Anushka captioned the picture and wrote, “By now I know all the sunlight spots of every inch of my home.”

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    By now I know all the sunlight spots of every inch of my home 😬

    A post shared by AnushkaSharma1588 (@anushkasharma) on

    Gushing over his wife’s picture, Kohli’s response was ‘gorgeous’.

    Virat Kohli’s reply to Anushka Sharma’s photo

    In a bid to help citizens during the testing times, Kohli and Anushka have recently come forward and lent their helping hands for the ones affected in the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The power couple donated to the PM-Cares Fund, an initiative by Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They also gave away Rs 5 lakhs each to help the Mumbai Police Personnel in the situation of crisis.

    With the IPL postponed indefinitely, Kohli is keeping himself busy with his wife and is often chatting with fellow cricketers via Instagram Live.

    “Aye Kohli, chowka mar na,” : Anushka Sharma

    Earlier Anushka Sharma took to her Instagram handle to show us how she was trying her best to see that her husband does not miss the cricket field, during this lockdown. She is seen screaming at Kholi saying, “Aye Kohli, chowka mar na,” which when translated reads, Kohli hit a 4. This is something we all have heard from one fan or the other while watching a match at a stadium.

    Also read : “Times when you crave attention” : Sakshi Dhoni Shares Photo of Dhoni in Lock down Period

     

    Pakistan Former Cricketer Faisal Iqbal States “Virat Kohli Will Be Naseem Shah’s Bunny Anytime”

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    Times of Sports
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    Virat Kohli Will Be Naseem Shah's Bunny Anytime: Faisal Iqbal
    Naseem Shah's statement on Virat Kohli

    Former Pakistan cricketer Faisal Iqbal has said that the Indian skipper Virat Kohli will become Naseem Shah’s bunny in the coming future. Naseem Shah who has just started his career in international cricket and is yet to prove his mettle in the game. The pacer is yet to face India in an international match, and this claim of Iqbal is somewhat strange.

    “With due respect to Virat as a great batsman, I am sure our upcoming superstar fast bowler @iNaseemShah with genuine pace and swing Virat will be his bunny anytime! Looking forward to the future battle,” Iqbal tweeted.

    Earlier in a media interaction, Shah had said that he respects Virat Kohli, but he does not fear him.

    “They are special matches as they happen so rarely and yes, I am looking forward to playing against India whenever that opportunity arises. I hope that I can bowl well against India when that chance comes by and won’t let our fans down. As for Virat Kohli, I respect him but don’t fear him,” PakPassion.net had quoted Shah as saying.

    “It’s always a challenge to bowl to the best, but that’s where you have to raise your game. I look forward to playing against Virat Kohli and India whenever that chance comes,” he added.

    Earlier this year, Shah had become the youngest cricketer in the history of international cricket to take a hat-trick.

    He had achieved the feat against Bangladesh. The pacer has so far played just four Test matches in his international career, scalping 13 wickets.

    On the other hand, the comparisons between Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar have also kept on growing and many have picked the current Indian skipper to break the records set by Tendulkar.

    Tendulkar managed to call time on his career after registering 100 international centuries, while Kohli currently has 70 centuries across all formats.

    Currently, Kohli is ranked at the top spot in the ICC ODI rankings while he is in the second place in Tests rankings after Australia’s Steve Smith.

    Watch Naseem Shah’s Hat-trick : 

    The Best of Champions Trophy: India’s Memorable Matches

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    Times of Sports
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    India's Memorable Matches in Champions Trophy
    India won the Champions Trophy 2013(Image: ICC)

    The Champions Trophy has witnessed some memorable matches involving India.  Be it the final of 2000 between India & New Zealand, the 2002 trophy sharing between India & Sri Lanka or the 2017 India versus Pakistan final, the tournament has been a mode of entertainment for players and fans.

    Below are some of the ‘Champions Trophy Classics’ fans can treat themselves to:

    ICC CT 2002, Match 11, IND v ENG 

    A young Virender Sehwag proved that he had what it takes to be in the team when India faced England during the ICC Champions Trophy in 2002. With a target of 270 staring at them, India had the task of beating the highest chase at Premadasa stadium which was 244 at that time. Captain Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag came in as openers to lead the chase. India tore apart the England bowling attack with both openers registering centuries in what was one of the most inspiring run chases of the time. Sehwag decimated the English bowlers smashing 21 fours and 1 six in his blistering knock of 126. Ganguly then took the team home with an unbeaten knock of 117 as India cruised to a crushing 8-wicket win.

    ICC CT 2002, Semi-Final 1, IND vs SA

    In another brilliant comeback by Team India under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly, the Men in Blue beat South Africa to enter their second consecutive Champions Trophy final. A good performance by Sehwag at the top and an inspiring knock of 62 from a young Yuvraj Singh helped India reach 261/9 in their 50 overs. South Africa replied brilliantly with Herschelle Gibbs and Jacques Kallis giving a tough time to the Indian bowlers, but once Gibbs retired due to injury, the Indian bowlers bounced back and ran through the South African middle order. Sehwag took 3 important wickets, showing his class with the ball as India restricted the Proteas to 251, thus securing a 10-run victory.

    ICC Knockout 2000, 1st QF, IND v AUS

    This match proved that an emerging and strong Indian team were determined to make a strong statement to the world. Playing for victory, the young team upset the Australian apple cart, taking the side to the knockout stage of the tournament in 2000. Australia won the toss and decided to bowl first. Indian openers Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly gave India a decent start before young Yuvraj Singh played a sensational cameo that yielded 84 to help his team reach 265/9 in their 50 overs. Australia failed to take off and kept losing wickets at regular intervals making it a tough chase for them. Indian seamers didn’t give the batsmen any room and bowled the Australians out for 245 to pocket a 20-run win.

    ICC CT 2009, Match 5, IND v WI

    India won the toss and chose to field first when they faced West Indies at The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg in 2009. The Indian bowlers complimented their captain’s decision as they rattled the Windies’ batting line-up, sending them back to the hut for just 129 runs in 36 overs. Seamers Praveen Kumar and Ashish Nehra bagged three wickets each with captain MS Dhoni also emerging with one wicket to his credit. India chased down 130 with ease as young Virat Kohli went on to score a comfortable 72 off 104 balls helping India to win in the 33rd over.

    ICC CT 2013, IND v ENG (Final)

    MS Dhoni achieved the feat of winning all three ICC tournaments as a captain when India beat England in the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy final. With rain playing as a spoilsport for most part of the day, the game was reduced to a 20-over affair. Put into bat, India were in a spot of bother at 66/5 since the England bowlers made use of the wet conditions. However, Virat Kohli and Ravinder Jadeja managed a decent partnership. Jadeja’s flourish at the end helped India score 129 off their 20 overs. England didn’t have a huge total to chase but the pitch was tricky which favoured the Indian bowlers. With the match taking multiple turns during the second innings, it was sure to be England’s victory with Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara going strong but when Ishant Sharma bowled the 18th over, the match turned in favour of Team India. Sharma got both Morgan & Bopara out in consecutive deliveries leaving the lower middle order of England stunned as they collapsed and fell short of the target by 5 runs. India won the Champions Trophy for the second time.

     

    Just Shine the Ball and Get On With It, You Can’t Sanitise the Whole World: Barry Richards

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    Times of Sports
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    Barry Richards idea to shine the cricket ball
    Barry Richards idea to shine the cricket ball

    South Africa batting great Barry Richards gave an controversy suggestion on use of artificial substance to shine the ball instead of saliva. Experts gave an idea of sanitising cricket balls and using artificial substances to shine the ball due to the temporary ban on saliva where Barry not too pleased with this suggestion.

    “If you try to sanitise every germ out of this world, you’re never going to do it. You can sanitise the ball, but it will go into the crowd, there’s somebody there who hasn’t washed his hands… so it’s ridiculous. Just shine the ball and get on with it. The way they’re going now, are they saying they should sanitize the pads, helmets?” he said on the YouTube show Fan Play-Sports Ruler ‘Inside Out With Baggs’.

    “We’ve been with germs forever. If you try to sanitise the whole world, it’s a waste of time.”

    When the 74-year-old was asked to pick a batsman to play for his life, he gave three choices.

    “To win a game it would be Viv Richards, somebody to draw the game it would be someone like a VVS Laxman or Geoff Boycott, somebody to watch… I love watching Brian Lara bat.”

    Richards, considered to be one of the greatest batsmen from South Africa, picked former English skipper Mike Brearley was the best captain of his era.

    Comparing the captains of his era to former India captain MS Dhoni, he said: “Captains of my era are a little bit different. They had less pressure from the media than they do today.

    “(Mike) Brearley was always a very impressive captain. He might not have been the best player but a very impressive captain. He got the best out of the players. So in my era he would probably be the best captain.”

    Richards said if he had an opportunity, he would ask Dhoni what his interests are outside cricket.

    “Serious question to ask MS Dhoni…he has got a lovely attitude to cricket. So probably, I would ask him what his interests are outside of cricket, I would really like to know that.”

    The former South African batsman picked Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers as the best contemporary batsmen in world cricket.

    On five bowlers of the current generation who would have troubled top batsmen of his era, he said, “Obviously Mitchell Starc would. If you play in India, then R Ashwin would obviously be very challenging.

    “Jimmy Anderson, swing bowler…Trent Boult, he is a pretty handy bowler…if you are playing in Cape Town, I think Vernon Philander would definitely be in the mix.”

    Richards also felt it will be tough for cricketers to motivate themselves when they return from the COVID-19 induced break.

    “It will be tough for them to motivate themselves. Sometimes it will work in reverse. If you haven’t played something for a long time, you miss it and you become very keen. So, when they get on to the park, I think sometimes you can get ahead of yourself,” Richards said.

    “You are so keen to do well that you lose your focus on what has worked for you. You are stepping too fast. They might have to take a breath and say what was working for me before lockdown and what will work for me now.”

    Also read : Kookaburra Cricket Ball Shine Polish: Australian Firm Comes up with Saliva Alternative to Shine Cricket Ball

    Jonty Rhodes Points Out AB de Villiers as Greatest Fielder of All-Time in an Instagram Live Session

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    Times of Sports
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    Ab de Villiers best catch
    Ab de Villiers-best fielder of all time in cricket

    Former South Africa batsman Jonty Rhodes has said that AB de Villiers is the greatest fielder of all time in his opinion. The 35-year-old De Villiers had announced his retirement from international cricket on May 23, 2018.

    De Villiers captained South Africa in all three formats, although after a series of injuries he stepped down from the Test captaincy. In 2017 he stepped down from captaining the national limited-overs teams and in May 2018 announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket.

    AB de’s intention for T20 world cup

    However, in January 2020 De Villiers expressed his intention to make an international comeback and play for South Africa in the 2020 T20 World Cup.

    He gets his last chance to get in to the International team for the last time. South Africa’s head coach Mark Boucher has given AB De Villiers a deadline of June 1 to make himself available for the selection. Where he could make his international return for the Proteas lineup against Sri Lanka this year.

    ABD “Greatest Fielder of All-Time” : Jonty Rhodes

    Rhodes was doing an Instagram Live with former Zimbabwe pacer Pommie Mbangwa when he was asked to name the greatest fielder of all time.

    “The greatest fielder of time? AB de Villiers. He is a wicket-keeper, he is at slip, he fields at mid-off, long-on, the guy is the greatest of all time,” Rhodes told Mbangwa. “Andrew Symonds was the first guy I saw who could field at every position. He could field at the boundary as he had a strong arm. For a big unit like Symonds to dive at full length, it took good amount of effort,” he added.

    Further elaborating his point, Rhodes said that AB de Villiers reads the game very well.

    “I have loved Suresh Raina, but the best fielder I have seen since Jonty Rhodes has to be AB de Villiers, he just moves so well, I think someone like Ben Stokes is at all the hotspots, AB de Villiers reads the game as well, and he is a batsman so that helps him in reading the game, from my prespective, De Villiers has to be the best fielder,” Rhodes said.

    Rhodes is viewed as the greatest fielder in the world and during his playing days, the former South African cricketer made the backward-point position his own.

    During the Road Safety World Series earlier this year, Rhodes was part of South Africa Legends side and his love for fielding was evident there as well. He was seen flying around and showing some remarkable sense of fielding.

    Also read : South Africa’s AB De Villiers Makes an Update on his Return to International Squad If IPL 2020 Fails Amid COVID-19

    Watch the full Instagram Live session : 

     

    MS Dhoni Reveals his ‘Newest Beast’ Here is all You Need to Know About It

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    Times of Sports
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    Dhoni with his Swaraj tractor
    Dhoni with his Swaraj tractor

    Indian former cricket team captain MS Dhoni has took a long break from cricket without any announcement. Dhoni was last seen in semifinals of the world cup 2019 a game where  India lost to New Zealand and exits from world cup tour.

    Literally Mahi’s name hit the media in January when BCCI announced the names of central contracted players without Dhoni’s name. After a huge break Thala Dhoni is expected to make his return in 13th edition of cash rich Indian Premier League where he lead the Chennai Super Kings(3 times IPL trophy winners).

    Mahendra Singh Dhoni owns an enviable collection of cars and bikes. From heavy-duty bikes like Suzuki Hayabusa, Ninja H2, to SUVs like Hummer H2 and the GMC Sierra, Dhoni is a proud owner of several mean machines. However, his latest acquisition is a different one altogether.

    Presumably, due to his interest in organic farming, amidst the lockdown, the former India skipper was pictured driving a tractor from Mahindra Swaraj.

    Chennai Super Kings (CSK) twitter handle shared a video of MS Dhoni enjoying a tractor ride. “#Thala Dhoni meets Raja Sir in his newest beast! #HBDIlayaraja #WhistlePodu,” CSK captioned the video on Twitter.

    38-year old Dhoni has been reportedly into farming during the 3-month long lockdown due to Covid-19 pandemic and the Swaraj 963 FE will now help him drive around his 7-acre farmhouse in hometown Ranchi.

    Thanking Dhoni for his choice, Rajesh Jejurikar, Executive Director- Auto and Farm Sectors, Mahindra & Mahindra said, “As India moves to Bharat, so does M S Dhoni. Thanks for choosing a Swaraj tractor for your farm in Ranchi.”

    Due to the out break of corona virus the cash rich league has been suspended till further notice while BCCI seeks possibilities to host the event around September – November window in-order to avoid the huge loss.

    Former Pakistan All-rounder Abdul Razzaq Claims “India lost the match intentionally” Against England in World Cup 2019

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    Times of Sports
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    Abdul Razzaq claims India lose the match intentionally
    Abdul Razzaq claims India lose the match intentionally

    Former Pakistan allrounder Abdul Razzaq said that there is no doubt that India lost to England in 2019 world cup intentionally last year and the match has now again come under scrutiny since excerpts from Ben Stokes’ latest book ‘On Fire’, on the match, came into light last week.

    No intent from Dhoni

    Stokes, in his book, analysed England’s World Cup matches, and while addressing the clash against India, the all-rounder wrote that “there was little or no intent from Dhoni” in the match. He also described the partnership between Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as “mystifying”.

    Talking about the same former Pakistan bowler Sikander Bakht, on Twitter, said that even Stokes wrote India lost intentionally to England to remove Pakistan from the World Cup.

    However, despite Stokes denying the claims on social media and calling the suggestions as “clickbait”, Razzaq believes that India did not play up to their full potential in the match.

    Speaking in a Pakistan news channel ARY Sports on Saturday, Razzaq said: “We were watching the match, we all felt the same. I also think ICC should put a fine on this. If any team loses a match intentionally to make sure a team does not qualify, then the team should be fined for this. If a quality bowler is not trying to bowl according to his standards, not giving a good line and length, and bowling full length, and giving away runs, then it comes to notice.”

    India lost the match intentionally

    When asked by the anchor if he thinks India deliberately lost, Razzaq answered in the affirmative. “There is no doubt (India lost the match intentionally). I said it at that time as well. Every cricketer felt the same. A player who can hit a six or a four is defending the ball, you just know,” he further added.

    As for the match, the two teams saw the hosts England setting a mammoth target of 338 for the Virat Kohli-led side. Despite Rohit Sharma’s hundred, India failed to surpass the target, finishing at 306/5 in 50 overs.

    Former Pakistan spinner Mushtaq Ahmed said that West Indies players had told him that India lost the game to stop Pakistan from entering the knockout stages. “I was working with the West Indies squad at last year’s World Cup. After India’s loss to England, Jason Holder, Chris Gayle, and Andre Russell said to me, Mushy, India didn’t want to see Pakistan qualify for the semi-finals,” Mushtaq Ahmed had said in the same interview.

    Also read : “Maybe the World Cup is postponed but the final decision lies with the ICC” : Pakistan’s Imam-ul-Haq on T20 WC

     

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