Due to the spread of deadly corona virus almost all the sports event has been called off. One of the major upcoming event Men’s T20 world cup too is in oscillation. The huge event has been planned to start later this year in Australia. Due to the coronavirus pandemic Cricket Australia postponed all in and out matches. Earlier the ICC decide to have a conference call regarding this as the hosts have postponed all sort of tournaments.
The total lock down made cricketers to spend time in social media. Cricketers starts to entertain their fans through this medium. Earlier IPL board used CSK skipper MS Dhoni’s photo to mention the importance of self isolation.
Dean Jones Prediction
Fans are also enjoying this un expected break and chance to interact with their most loved sports personalities. Now, as all cricket lovers look forward to ICC Men’s World Cup 2020 for their entertainment. Recently, an Indian cricket fan took to his Twitter handle to post his query. The fan questioned cricket experts to pick four semi-finalists in the upcoming World T20 in Australia.
In no time, Dean Jones, the former Australian international came out with a reply to the fan. According to the Jones, India, Australia, England are sureties and one of West Indies or Pakistan will also make to the semi-finals of the mega tournament.
The cricketer turned commentator was also quick to emphasise the role of bowlers in the upcoming World T20 as he added the team with better bowling arsenal will make to the semi-finals of the show-piece event. Dean Jones wrote, “India, Australia, England, WI or Pak… depends on teams bowlers.”
While India, Australia and England are going to be the forces in the upcoming World T20, no one can underestimate the West Indies firepower and the uncertainty that Pakistan brings in the ICC events.
The world stand still due to the spread of corona virus. Many governments advice and even force peoples to stay isolate. Indian government imposed 21 day lock down in order to control the spread of deadly corona virus. BCCI postponed all the in and out matches including the cash rich Indian Premier League.
In that series India Women’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur conducted a Q&A session on her Twitter handle yesterday in which she answered numerous questions which came her way.
Hey guys as we are staying at home and taking precautions by social distancing . I thought of doing a Q&A session with you. Let’s make the most of the digital world. Send in your questions with #AskHarman and I will answer as many as I can 🙌💯
From revealing that she started her career as a medium-pacer to telling her fans about her cheat meal, favourite singer and best fielding drill, Kaur opened up on various facets of her life and game.
Kaur, who led Supernovas in the T20 Women’s Challenge last year and has also represented Sydney Thunder and Lancashire Thunder in the Women’s Big Bash League and Kia Super League respectively, was also asked about her favourite team in the Indian Premier League.
Harmanpreet Kaur in Lancashire Thunder’s dugout.
While Kaur took the name of Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore, her answer received acknowledgment from England spinner Alexandra Heartley.
Ben Stokes preparing for IPL 2020 amidst coronavirus scare
In order to prevent the corona virus spread Indian government imposed 21 day lock down through out the country. The spread of deadly virus seems increasing day by day in a rapid speed. Due to this disaster many scheduled events has been postponed including the cash rich Indian Premier League.
In an interaction with IANS, BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) President Sourav Ganguly had laid emphasis on things not changing making it difficult for him to take a call on the future of IPL 2020.
Dada offers #EdenGardens to the government for COVID-19 Quarantine if needed 🏥
If another BCCI source is to be believed, first week of May is expected to be the deadline to start the tournament. Despite no clarity on the start date of IPL 2020, England and Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Ben Stokes has started preparing for the cash-rich league.
“At the moment my next competitive cricket is going to be the IPL, because that hasn’t changed yet. So I have to think that I’m going to be playing cricket on April 20.
Ben Strokes
“I have to get my head around that I am playing, even though in the back of my mind I know I’m probably not. I still have to build up and get myself physically in a position that if it does happen, I’m good to go, because I can’t just take three weeks off and expect everything body-wise to get going again for April 20. It doesn’t work like that,” Stokes was quoted as saying by BBC Radio 5live.
Being asked about the travel advice which overseas cricketers will receive before coming to India, Stokes hinted at making the “sensible choice”.
“I don’t know. There would be a lot of advice thrown around and given to us if it was an option to go, and I would have to make the sensible [choice].
“But as I say, taken everything else aside, I just have to think that I’m playing cricket on April 20 because it potentially might happen, and if it does, I don’t want to be behind,” Stokes added.
Aakash Chopra (born 19 September 1977) is an Indian cricket commentator and former cricketer who played for the Indian cricket team from late 2003 until late 2004 as a defensive opening batsman and close catcher in Test matches.
In that list former cricketer Aakash Chopra list the top six captains of Indian cricket.
6. Ajit Laxman Wadekar
Ajit Laxman Wadekar (1 April 1941 – 15 August 2018) was an Indian international cricketer who played for the Indian national team between 1966 and 1974. Described as an “aggressive batsman”, Wadekar made his first-class debut in 1958, before making his foray into international cricket in 1966. He batted at number three and was considered to be one of the finest slip fielders. Wadekar also captained the Indian cricket team which won series in the West Indies and England in 1971(first victory of Indian team in test cricket outside of India was recorded in 1968 under the captaincy of Tiger Pataudi against New Zealand)
“Under Ajit Wadekar, we won for the first time in West Indies and England- both in 1971. He may have captained in only 18 matches, in which we didn’t win a lot of Test matches, but then we are talking of the 1970s here. Under Wadekar, India started winning and the seeds of them becoming a superpower were laid under his leadership” Chopra said.
Ajit Wadekar
5. Rahul Dravid
At No. 5 appeared Rahul Dravid who saw a lot of ups and downs during his captaincy. Chopra praised the former wicket-keeper’s winning percentage record.
Rahul Sharad Dravid is a former Indian cricketer and captain of the Indian national team. He is the Director of Cricket Operations at National Cricket Academy, Bengaluru, India. He also monitors the progress of India A and India under-19 cricket teams. In 2004, after completing his century against Bangladesh in Chittagong, he became the first and the only player till date to score a century in all the ten Test-playing countries.
“He also didn’t captain for a long time, he actually relinquished the leadership [post winning the Test series in England in 2007]. He saw a few highs but he also saw a very bad low which was the 2007 World Cup in West Indies where the team was knocked out in th3 first round. But then, under his leadership, we went on to beat England in England, a place where we haven’t managed to win post that. His win percentage is also outstanding” Chopra further added.
Rahul Dravid
4. Virat Kohli
Chopra named the current Indian skipper Virat Kohli at No. 4. The current skipper has failed to prove himself at ICC tournaments but under his leadership, India is at No. 1 in Test ranking for the past 3 years.
Virat Kohli is an Indian cricketer who currently captains the India national team. A right-handed top-order batsman, Kohli is regarded as one of the best batsmen in the world. He plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL), and has been the team’s captain since 2013.
“Virat has a good team, he is steadily becoming a better captain. He may not have won an ICC trophy but under his leadership, but from the past three years the team has been at the numero-uno spot in the Test rankings. He will also play the final of Test championship and may possibly also win it. As far as ICC events are concerned, the team has always made its way to the semis or even the finals.
Virat Kohli
3. Sourav Ganguly
Chopra listed Sourav Ganguly at No. 3 of his list. The former Indian captain, known as Dada, changed the face of Indian cricket after the 2000 match-fixing scandal. Under his leadership, precious talents of Indian cricket like Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, etc were developed.
Sourav Chandidas Ganguly , affectionately known as Dada (meaning “elder brother” in Bengali), is an Indian cricket administrator, commentator and former national cricket team captain who is the 39th and current president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. As a cricketer he played as a left-handed opening batsman and was captain of the Indian national team.
Ganguly
2. Kapil Dev
The hero of 1983 famous India’s world cup win Kapil Dev has found himself at No. 2. He is considered as the best all-rounder the country has ever produced.
He was a fast bowler and a hard hitting middle order batsman. Regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders to play the game, he is also regarded as one of the greatest captains in the history of cricket. He was named by Wisden as the Indian Cricketer of the Century in 2002.
Dev captained the Indian cricket team that won the 1983 Cricket World Cup. He was India’s national cricket coach between October 1999 and August 2000. He retired in 1994, holding the world record for the greatest number of wickets taken in Test cricket, a record subsequently broken by Courtney Walsh in 2000.
Kapil Dev
1. MS Dhoni
At No. 1, it is none other than Mahendra Singh Dhoni who is the only captain in the world to win all 3 ICC trophies. He also took men in blue to the first spot in Test ranking back in 2009.
MS Dhoni captained the Indian national team in limited-overs formats from 2007 to 2016 and in Test cricket from 2008 to 2014. Under his captaincy, India won the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, the 2010 and 2016 Asia Cups, the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. A right-handed middle-order batsman and wicket-keeper, Dhoni is one of the highest run scorers in One Day Internationals (ODIs) with more than 10,000 runs scored and is considered an effective “finisher” in limited-overs formats.
Due to the corona outbreak many sports event have been called off to reduce the spread. Many government advice and even force peoples to stay isolate in order to prevent the social spreading. The famous IPL has been postponed and in oscillation for its execution. Recently IPL owners after a conference call states that they are ready to bear the losses as was no other choice but to bear what’s happening.
Previously New Zealand all-rounder James Neesham, who is known off-the-field for his amusing activities across social media platforms, put on display another hilarious comments on social media platform Instagram. Neesham recently made a hilarious comment on Ben Cutting’s beard.
Recently former England skipper Kevin Pietersen trolled Indian spinner, Yuzvendra Chahal, for his bowling. The incident took place when Pietersen was doing an Instagram live with batsman Rohit Sharma. Chahal posted a comment on the chat, saying, “KP, you are my first test wicket”.
The statement is funny as Chahal is yet to play his first Test for the country, however, Pietersen replied: “Chahal, I would have closed my eyes batting against you brother”.
As for the Live, Sharma revealed the lowest point in his career. “Not getting picked for the 2011 World Cup squad, that was the saddest moment as it was happening in our own backyard, the final was played at my home ground,” Sharma told Pietersen.
However, the swashbuckling Indian batsman admitted that it was due to his own mistakes. “It was due to my performances, I was not at my best,” said Sharma. The Mumbai Indians skipper also said that the IPL might go ahead if the situation related to COVID-19 settles down.
The out break of corona virus made the whole world to pause their work. The spread of deadly corona virus is in a rapid rate. This deadly virus made the scheduled events to postpone. The cash-rich Indian Premier League too face the same. BCCI seeks every possible way to host the tournament in order to avoid the huge loss.
Finally BCCI comes up with a decision to host the tournament at the end of April or at the beginning of May. BCCI took this decision after having the conference call with the IPL owners on March 24.
The chances for hosting
With the chances of IPL 2020 looking very grim, “We are not even discussing IPL right now. It will be premature to say anything but hosting the IPL this year looks a bit difficult,” a top franchise official told Hindustan Times.
Delhi and District Cricket Association Announcements
A Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) official, also confirmed the same and said “All IPL related work was stopped in mid-March. Only the construction of VIP boxes was underway when this coronavirus pandemic forced us to go on a work-from-home. We were already told not to hold IPL-related work till April 15.”
The official also confirmed that even if the government lifts the ban after 14th April, it will take at least two weeks to get the conditions match ready. Currently, the Indian government have cancelled all the visas and domestic flights all across the country. The Delhi government havealso imposed a ban on hosting any sports event in the city till the situation becomes favourable again.
“The IMGR (Delhi Capitals) guys came here last week and they were told about the developments. Even they looked less hopeful of the IPL taking place this year. Generally, it takes about two weeks for the pitch and construction work to complete before every IPL that means till the end of April it is highly unlikely,” the official added.
Rahul Dravid reveals the reason behind CSK’s success and RCB’s failure in IPL
Rahul Dravid’s IPL carrier
Former Indian captain Rahul Dravid is well known for his good behaviour on and off the field. He is known as one of the gentlemen of the sport. Since his retirement, he has been engaged with training the young guns of the nation. He also went on to win India U-19 world cup in 2018 as a coach Currently, he is the director of the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore.
Dravid played for Rajasthan Royals in the cash rich Indian Premier League from 2008-2013. He maintains an average of 28.23 through out his entire carrier in IPL.
Recently, Dravid analysed and talked about reasons why Royal Challengers Bangalore haven’t been successful in IPL yet. The former Indian captain compared the franchise with Chennai Super Kings, who have been the most successful team in IPL. His analyzation was published in a book titled ‘Cricket 2.0- Inside the T20 revolution’ written by Tim Wigmore and Freddie Wilde.
Dravid stated that the owners of CSK already had an experience of managing a cricket team before IPL. “When they got into the IPL, Chennai probably had an advantage over a lot of other franchises because their owners, India Cements, were already in the business of running cricket teams,” Dravid said quoted by Hindustan Times.
“CSK was just the most high-profile team that they ran. So in a sense, they’ve always had people on the ground and their scouting system was probably better right at the start than any other team,” he added.”
Dravid stated that the owners of CSK already had an experience of managing a cricket team before IPL
Dravid also pointed out that RCB has never been good at picking players at auctions and maintaining a balanced side. “Bangalore have never balanced their team very well. They had their best year when they had a bowler like Mitchell Starc who was able to close out games for them. But they kept going out and picking gun batsmen.”
“For RCB, you always felt they will be chasing a gun death bowler,” said Dravid. “Then the first thing you realise is they’ve spent 15 crores on Yuvraj Singh and you think, ‘Oh, sh!t! They aren’t in the market for that!’” and by the time a death bowler comes round they won’t be able to spend any money so we can outbid them.”
Dravid also believes that the core players of the yellow army have been solid all these years. He also said that CSK has a better bowling unit than RCB leading to their success.
“There are a lot of foreign players available for four slots. But there are a limited number of quality Indian players available, and the fact that CSK have been able to get some of the best guys has meant that they have always had that core. That’s where Chennai have always been successful because they’ve often had stronger bowling than Bangalore,” said Dravid.
As said cricket is a gentle man game India Pakistan players once again proved it. Not in the game but in the real life where Indian player Harbhajan Singh praised Pakistan former cricketer Shahid Afridi on twitter. Afridi post a pic of helping peoples amid of lock down due to corona virus.
The deadly corona virus has been spread world wide in a rapid speed thus every government advice peoples to stay behind doors in order to maintain self quarantine.
Afridi helps people amid corona virus
Due to this, many peoples suffer without food and basic needs. Considering that many helps to feed the poor, in that line Pakistan player Shahid Afridi helps Pakistan peoples with basic needs.
Harbhajan took to social media and in a Twitter, post wrote: “Great work for humanity @SAfridiOfficial. May God bless us all. More power to you. Praying for the world’s well-being. Nanak Naam chardikala tere bhaane sarbat da bhala“.
To this, Afridi replied: “Humanity is bigger than anything. Thank you Bhajji for your king words. The world needs to unite. It is our collective responsibility to help the poor and needy in every way possible in the global fight against Covid-19.”
Humanity is bigger than anything! Thank you Bhajji for your kind words. The world needs to unite, it is our collective responsibility to help the poor and needy in every way possible in the global fight against #COVID2019https://t.co/QasLBJ9kXk
Glenn Maxwell began his professional cricketing career playing for Victoria in the Twenty20 Big Bash in 2010. He is known for his dramatic shot making and improvisation in the short form of the game. He also scored an unbeaten 145* from 65 balls against Sri Lanka in 2016, the fourth highest score in Twenty20 Internationals.
Maxwell continued to be impressive in the limited-overs format, and was finally handed the prized Baggy Green for the second Test against India at Hyderabad in 2013. He failed to impressed with the bat but took four in an innings with the ball. However, he was subsequently dropped for the third Test in Mohali, where Xavier Doherty was given a chance. After Australia lost the Mohali Test, Maxwell was given another opportunity in the final test in Delhi. Once again, he failed to make an impression with the bat and was subsequently dropped.
Maxwell’s mental illness
Australia’s team psychologist Dr. Michael Lloyd said Glenn Maxwell was proactive in identifying the issues with his mental health and engaging with the support staff.
“Glenn Maxwell has been experiencing some difficulties with regards to his mental health. As a result, he will spend a short time away from the game. Glenn was proactive in identifying these issues and engaging with support staff,” Michael Llyod said.
Battling depression is not easy and when Australian cricketer Glenn Maxwell went through it, many fans wanted to know what exactly went wrong. The 31-year-old player on Wednesday opened up on his struggles with mental health.
He said that he was hoping he had broken his arm during the 2019 World Cup so that he could get a break. Maxwell took an indefinite break in between the T20I series between Australia and Sri Lanka last year. The right-hander was suffering from depression and it turned out to be the main reason behind the sudden decision he took.
While talking on the Ordineroli Speaking podcast with Neroli Meadows, Maxwell said: “I knew he (Marsh) was in trouble when he came in, and immediately I felt bad for him. I just thought I hope he’s OK, and if anything, I wish we could swap our news (suspecting Marsh’s arm was broken).”
He added: “We went to the hospital together and we were both sitting there, I think both hoping for opposite news. When I got hit, I was angry and a part of me was hoping (my arm) was broken.
Maxwell on his return
“I was like ‘this is it, I just need a break’… I was thinking about things I could do on the way back to snap it. I had anger at other people and it didn’t make sense, but I was angry at myself for not being able to produce at all this World Cup. I thought it would’ve been an easy escape because I felt like I was going to get dropped at some stage and I thought maybe this is the way.”
Maxwell said, “I think the first time she [Raman] noticed I wasn’t myself was in the Marsh Cup at the start of the summer. I think I was up to about eight months away from home at that stage. I was just cooked, I was tired and I was about to go into another series. I was already thinking about how I was going to get better and where I was going to be at the end of the summer, my mind was just racing, I was thinking so far ahead.”
“I just completely forgot about what I was doing in the moment, and she [Raman] knew that straight away. I think when we got back to Melbourne, I was finally able to see some family, I still wasn’t my energetic, bubbly self. I wasn’t happy, basically, and it wasn’t something I noticed, I thought I was tired, it was just one of those things…I’ll push through it,” Glenn Maxwell said.
Maxwell eased his return to competitive cricket by participating in the Victoria premier club cricket in late November and then captained Melbourne Stars to the final of the Big Bash League, a tournament in which he hit 398 runs from 17 games at a strike-rate of 148.51. Maxwell was scheduled to return to the national team for the limited-overs tour of South Africa before an injury to the elbow, which was subsequently operated upon, delayed his international comeback
The former Australian player Brad Hogg belonged to one of the rare species of spinners. He was a slow left arm chinaman bowler with a broad smile, a difficult to read flipper and the occasional wrong ones which left even the best of the batsmen flummoxed.
His ODI career though was markedly different. He had 123 appearances for his country and ended up with 156 wickets with a best effort of 5/32 against the West Indies in MCG. He was also a part of two World Cup winning Australian sides in 2003 and 2007 thus becoming just one of the 15 players to have won a World Cup medal more than once.
He retired from International cricket on 4 March 2008 after the 2007–08 Commonwealth Bank Series.
Brad Hogg’s plot on All-Rounder
Brad Hogg, during one of his question and answer sessions on Twitter, faced a tough ask when one of his fans asked him to a pick better all-rounder between Hardik Pandya and Ben Stokes. Most of the cricket experts would have chosen a diplomatic approach to answer the question. However, Brad Hoggpicked Ben Stokes as the better of two – for the English man’s outstanding international record.
Brad Hogg tweeted, “ I have to go with the Englishman on this one. Hardik has huge potential, but hasn’t played enough international cricket to challenge Stokes as the all rounder of my world XI.”
However, Brad Hogg is not wrong in his assessment as the English all-rounder clearly has more experience than his Indian counter-part. While Hardik Pandya has played a total of 11 Tests, 54 ODIs and 40 T20Is for India. Stokes, on the other hand, has represented England in 63 test matches, 95 ODIs and 26 T20Is.
I have to go with the Englishman on this one. Hardik has huge potential, but hasn’t played enough international cricket to challenge Stokes as the all rounder of my world XI. https://t.co/8u0jpfc7Dv
Ben Stokes has been backbone of Indian middle order for quite some time now. The English all-rounder has garnered more than 7,000 international runs along with 241 prized slaps to his name. On the other hand, Hardik Pandya is still new to the international cricketand is yet to prove his metal in bowling and finishingskills at international level. The Indian all-rounder has close to 2000 International runs with just above 100 wickets in international arena.
The out break of corona virus made some serious effect in all departments. Many scheduled sports event has been cancelled due this deadly virus. For Indian cricket fans their worry is about the all time favourite Indian Premier League(IPL). Earlier BCCI announced to start the IPL from March 29. But due to the corona virus pandemic BCCI postponed the schedule to mid of April.
Former India captain and current BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) President Sourav Ganguly has readily agreed to lend the sports facility at the Eden Gardens to the government’s disposal to create a temporary medical facility in the wake of the outcome of the novel COVID-19.
“If government asks us, we will certainly hand over the [indoor] facility [and the players dormitory at the Eden Gardens]. Anything that is need of the hour, we will do it. There is absolutely no problem,” Ganguly was quoted as saying by PTI in an exclusive interaction.
It is worth mentioning that the Puducherry Cricket Association has offered its indoor facility to the government. Ganguly also opined in the affirmative on being asked if the government should announce lockdown of the whole country to tackle the crisis.
Never thought would see my city like this .. stay safe .. this will change soon for the better …love and affection to all .. pic.twitter.com/hrcW8CYxqn
“I think this [lockdown] is the best option at the current moment. Certain things are beyond anybody’s control. Whatever directives that the government and ministry of health gives us, we have to follow. That’s the case all over the world,” Ganguly said.
BCCI finally made up it’s decision to host the IPL at the end of April in order to avoid the huge loss. The 47-year old laid emphasis on the situation being the same in the last 10 days.
“I can’t say anything at the moment. We are at the same place where we were on the day we postponed. Nothing has changed in the last 10 days. So, I don’t have an answer to it. Status quo remains,” Ganguly added.
IPL use CSK skipper MS Dhoni's photo to create awareness
The corona virus spread created a panic situation globally. Due to the coronavirus outbreak across the globe, clubs, franchises and sports bodies are trying to keep fans entertained through the internet.
The corona threat made many scheduled events to postpone. Mainly the sports event has been called off due to this. The cash-rich Indian Premier League(IPL) has been postponed due to this threat.
Celebrities create awareness on social distancing
Many countries force peoples to stay inside and advice them to stay isolate to control the spread. Some made them self isolate in order to avoid social spreading. As the sports event has been called off players and franchises turn social media to entertain them. Previously Indian former player Sachin Tendulkar post his tweet regarding the social distancing.
To raise awareness, the Indian Premier League (IPL) official Twitter account on Tuesday (March 24) posted a photograph of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni, urging everyone to stay at home.
The 13th edition of IPL has been scheduled to start from March 29. But due to the corona virus out break BCCI postponed the tournament to mid of April and also hints that it would get cancelled if crosses the deadline(April 20).
Indian government advice BCCI
Indian government advice BCCI not to conduct tournament at this moment, where Karnataka state government denied to host the match. BCCI would lose huge money if the upcoming IPL cancelled thus seeks for all possible situation to host the match. BCCI states that it will truncate or would fly across to host the match as in IPL 2009.
On the other hand Cricket Australia, who cancelled all the in and out matches is in oscillation to host the upcoming Men’s T20 world cup. Regarding this ICC scheduled to have a teleconference with the board members in order to decide the possibilities.
