The BCCI in its budget for the 2019 edition of the tournament calculated the expense on advertisement and promotion at Rs 50 crore as per documents accessed by IANS. Interestingly, the 2018 edition had also seen them invest the same amount in promoting the T20 league.
Speaking on the planning behind the promotional activities, a BCCI functionary said that the maximum awareness is created before the start of the tournament and then towards the start of the knockout stages.
"It is basically done in two phases. While 80 per cent of it is done in the months leading to the tournament, the next major part is done ahead of the playoffs. The various advertisements that you see in the newspapers as well as the hoardings on the sides of the streets are a part of the whole process," the functionary explained.
Asked if there was a basic thought process since the host broadcasters also advertise about the IPL before and during the tournament, the functionary said: "What you see on the television is their prerogative. We are mostly looking at reaching the fans not through the television. Also, an attempt is made to reach the Tier-II cities because while people in the metropolitan cities are already aware, those in the other cities also need to be reached and told as to when the tournament starts and other things on those lines."
Star India too have been high on promoting the league with regular advertisements with the top Indian cricketers like M.S. Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant among others.
(Story By: BAIDURJO BHOSE)
The pair have always shared a great rapport even when Yuvraj has not been able to get a foothold in the national squad led by Virat. On Friday, Virat put up an Instagram post, and immediately was trolled by his senior.
"#FlashbackFriday Hey guys can you guess this city?," Kohli said with a selfie. The city was not in India but Yuvraj commented, "Looks like kotkapura? @harbhajan3 what do u think?"
Kot Kapura is a historic city in Punjab.
Kohli has had a mostly successful 2018/19 season as Indian captain, but his Royal Challengers Bangalore side continued to underperform and ended the season as woodenspooners with just five wins in 14 games.
He will now lead the Indian team in the 2019 World Cup. It is is his first World Cup as captain and the third he will be playing in. The tournament, which will be hosted by England, starts on May 30 and India's first match will be against South Africa at the Rose Bowl in Southampton.
So when the 42-year-old former pacer says that the current Indian bowling line up can help the team dominate world cricket, it is high praise. "India have got a good pace line up," Lee told IANS.
"This is the first time we are seeing some real pace throughout India. They have a lot of youngsters coming through and obviously there are the likes of (Mohammed) Shami and (Jasprit) Bumrah; the Indian bowling stocks right now are very healthy. So as a foreigner coming to your country it is great to see. There is no reason why India can't dominate world cricket because of their bowling," he said.
Lee's own former team Australia, who have had a torrid time in ODI cricket over the past two years, seem to have found form at the right time and he feels they can go "as far as they want" in the World Cup beginning Thursday in England and Wales.
The five-time World Cup champions went on a winless run in ODI series between 2016 and 2019, even losing to India in a bilateral rubber at home for the first time ever. But they have beaten India and Pakistan away from home this year and managed to beat tournament favourites England in the first of their two pre-World Cup warm-up games.
Australia's batsmen seem to be peaking at the right time with captain Aaron Finch, Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith all looking impressive in recent games. Lee is of the opinion that it might just come down to how the defending champions adapt to the English conditions, like any other team in the tournament.
"They (Australia) are a good team. There has been an injury for one of the fast bowlers -- Jhye Richardson is out of the World Cup, but Kane Richardson has been brought in. Look, any side that goes to the World Cup will be very well prepared. It's all about who adapts well to the English wickets," he said.
India bore the full force of pacer friendly conditions when they took on New Zealand under the clouds at The Oval in their first warm up game on May 25. Trent Boult tore through the Indian top order, picking the wickets of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and K.L. Rahul before dismissing Kuldeep Yadav at the end of the innings. The latter had put up a 62-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja for the ninth wicket to drag India past the 150-run mark.
But Lee feels such conditions will be few and far between during the World Cup.
"We've got to keep in mind what time the tournament will be played. It is in June and July and the wickets over there aren't really conducive to fast bowling at that time of the year," he said. "So a lot of people think it will be a bowler's wicket, but it's not necessarily the case. I think they will be okay with the brand new ball, but once the shine goes from the ball it's going to be hard work for the fast bowlers.
By Rohit Mundayur
Playing their first match in the ongoing World Cup, India on Wednesday came out with a brilliant bowling performance as they restricted the Proteas to 227 and then chased down the target with six wickets in hand.
After the match, Kohli admitted the conditions were challenging throughout the course of the game and that's when his boys stood up to the competition.
"The wait was very long and then you get a game like this where it was challenging throughout. From our point of view it was important to start on the right note," said Kohli at the post-match presentation ceremony.
"We might not have had the run rate, but if you look at how the game went and how the pitch behaved, it was challenging. Hats off to Rohit, his innings was special and also the guys who batted around him. I would say it was a professional win," he added.
The Indian skipper also heaped praise on Jasprit Bumrah and Yuzvendra Chahal, who bowled brilliantly to restrict South Africa to a below-par total. Chahal was the chief tormentor as he picked four wickets for 51 while Bumrah was lethal as usual and returned with figures of 2/35.
"Jasprit is operating at a different level to be honest. The way he's bowling, the batsmen feel the pressure all the time. Not the other way round," he said.
"With the new ball he was absolutely outstanding. I haven't seen Amla get out like that in one-day cricket. Even Quinny (Quinton de Kock), he rushed him for pace.
"Chahal was outstanding as well," he added.
While batting, it was Rohit Sharma who anchored the chase, scoring an unbeaten 122 on a track which was not at all easy to bat. His 144-ball knock was studded with 13 fours and 2 sixes.
Kohli labelled Rohit's century as the "best ODI innings".
"In my opinion this is by far his best ODI innings because of the kind of pressure the first game brings from a World Cup point of view," ESPNcricinfo quoted Kohli as saying at the post-match media briefing.
During the course of the inning, Rohit surpassed Sourav Ganguly tally of 22 ODI centuries.
He is also now joint fourth among ODI centurions in chases. Kohli, who tops that list, said Rohit played the "perfect" innings. "In my opinion, of all the brilliant innings I have seen him play, I think this, for me, was the top of the pile because of the way he compiled his innings, and at no stage did we feel like, or he felt like he is going to throw it away."
"I think controlling the game so beautifully from one end and allowing the others to display themselves and string in small little partnerships, looking at the fact that they were only chasing 228, he played the perfect innings for that kind of a situation, on that kind of a wicket, against a bowling attack that was threatening to pick up wickets at any stage. So, yeah, in my opinion, by far his best knock," he added.
Amul, a famous Indian dairy brand, known for its creative and witty take on different trending topics, also joined the fans and dedicated a special cartoon to Yuvraj. In its tribute, Amul took note of the cricketer's historic six sixes off Stuart Broad over during 2007 T20 World Cup, and wrote: "Sabke chhakke chhudaa diye!"
"Yu (you) Love it! Vi (we) love it!," it added.
The Chandigarh lad is known for his significant contribution to India's success in the 2007 T20I World Cup and the 2011 World Cup. As soon as he announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, praise and tributes flooded social media.
In his career, Yuvraj amassed 8,701 runs in 304 ODIs, 1,900 runs in 40 Tests and 1,177 runs in 58 T20Is.
Jhulaniya, who met BCCI CEO Rahul Johri here on Friday, said the Board has given in writing that it would adhere to the anti-doping policy of NADA.
"All cricketers will now be tested by NADA," Jhulaniya told PTI.
"The BCCI raised three issues before us about the quality of the dope testing kits, competence of pathologists and sample collection.
"We assured them that whatever facilities they want, we will provide but there will be some charge for it. BCCI is no different from others," he added.
The BCCI had been vehemently opposed to signing up with NADA, claiming that it is an autonomous body, not a National Sports Federation and does not rely on government funding.
However, the sports ministry has also been steadfast in maintaining that it had to come under the NADA ambit.
It recently held back clearances for the tours by South Africa A and women's teams and it was speculated that this was done to pressurise BCCI into accepting anti-doping norms.
"Mahatma Gandhi spent his life spreading the message of love, harmony, and peace. Imran Khan from UN podium issued despicable threats and spoke of hatred. Pakistan needs a leader who talks development, jobs and economic growth, not war and harbouring terrorism," Shami tweeted on the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
Singh said: "At UNGA speech, there were indications for India of potential nuclear war. As a prominent sportsperson, Imran Khan's choice of words 'bloodbath' 'fight to the end' will only increase hatred between the two nations. As a fellow sportsperson, I expect him to promote peace."
Speaking at the UNGA on September 27, the Pakistan Prime Minister had held out threats of a conventional war between the two nuclear-armed neighbours spinning out of control. He also spoke about the radicalisation of Muslims in India and around the world.
"If a conventional war starts between the two countries, anything could happen. A country seven times smaller than its neighbour what will it do -- either surrender or fight for its freedom," he had said.
Relations between the two Asian neighbours have been on a downhill ever since Indian government's decision to abrogate provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution which provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
The pacemen, led by Jasprit Bumrah who is now recovering from an injury, have been excellent in the last year or so for Kohli and Co. taking a lot of wickets and firing in tandem to take the pressure off the spinners.
Besides Bumrah, the likes of Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma have also excelled with Umesh Yadav rediscovering himself and joining the party in their previous home series against South Africa.
"Well, if you ask we are right at the top. I won't even count ourselves among the top 3. These guys deserve it. When we started off, that was the conversation. When I took over as captain, I really wanted to see our fast bowlers dominate world cricket," Kohli said on the eve of their first Test against Bangladesh here.
"Spin was never an issue, batting was never an issue. After Zak (Zaheer Khan) and all these stalwarts went away, we were thinking how can we get back to the top and have the ability and the firepower to pick up 20 wickets," he said.
"Just see the way they have bowled. It's their belief that stands out. Any kind of pitch, any kind of opposition. They believe they can get more out of any pitch than the opposition. That belief matters a lot.
"I couldn't be more happy for them. The best thing is they are still not done yet. They are getting hungrier every time they go out. And they love bowling together. I think that's their biggest strength. The trust, the camaraderie and the belief they have is pushing this team forward," said the captain.
When asked what could be the make-up of the pace attack for the first rubber before they head off to Kolkata for the first-ever Day-Night Test, Kohli hinted at fielding three seamers.
"Well, that (3 pacers) seems pretty likely after looking at the pitch. Also, because of the way Umesh (Yadav) has bowled. (Mohammed) Shami has been brilliant. (Jasprit) Bumrah is not fit yet. Ishant (Sharma) has probably been our most consistent bowler in the last years.
"A big reason for success in Test cricket is his ability to keep bowling in the same areas and others come in and pick up wickets. Also, he has picked up 4,5 wickets on many occasions.
"I think his experience will always be handy for the team. The communication is pretty clear. We have played cricket since the time we were 17. He understands that when I go and tell something to him, it's purely based on team requirements. He took it really well. Ishant's strengths are different when the conditions are swinging and seaming," said Kohli.
On having permanent Test venues, Kohli reiterated that having fixed set of venues could revive the fortunes of the longest format.
"I said that because if you look at the ratio, a stadium like Indore attracted a decent crowd but a lot of others didn't. And it can't be that one stadium gets games and the others don't.
"Indore is the kind of place where if you play a T20, you won't find a single empty seat. And in One-dayers it won't be empty at all. It's not about taking away matches from them. Just a vision about how we can get together and raise Test cricket," he said.
On the opposition, Kohli termed Mustafizur Rahaman as the man to watch out for.
"He is a very good bowler so he's going be a threat, a key player for Bangladesh. He's an experienced bowler. He knows the Indian batsmen as well, having played the IPL. So, it's a challenge but we must look forward to those challenges," Kohli said.
All-rounder Shivam Dube earned his maiden ODI call-up weeks after making his T20 debut against Bangladesh. Ace seamer
Mohammed Shami was also back in the T20 squad in place of left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed, while Kuldeep Yadav came back in place of Krunal Pandya.
Pacer Bhuvneshwar has been nursing a hamstring and sides train since the team's tour of the West Indies in August.
The Indian team is scheduled to play three Twenty 20 Internationals against the West Indies with the series-opener in Mumbai on December 6 followed by matches in Thiruvananthapuram (December 8) and Hyderabad (December 11).
The three ODIs will be played in Chennai (December 15), Visakhapatnam (December 18) and Cuttack (December 22).
India vs West Indies, ODI Squad: Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
India vs West Indies, T20I Squad: Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Washington Sundar.
The study revealed that how optimistic Indian sports fans are, and how sports influences their travel behaviour.
The research also found that 44 per cent Indian sports fans felt they will see their national team or player win an international tournament within the next year, compared to the global average of 34 per cent.
Cricket fans are the most optimistic, followed by football fans when asked when they felt their team or player would win a major international tournament.
Moreover, 88 per cent cricket fans believed that they will see their team or player win a major international tournament in the next four years, while 79 per cent football fans shared the sentiment.
"With major international cricket and athletics tournaments coming up in Asia in 2020 and the excitement of the UEFA EURO 2020, next year will definitely be an unforgettable year for sports," said Ritu Mehrotra, Country Manager, India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives at Booking.com.
"With a mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world, we want to ensure that one gets the most out of their trip by helping them find their perfect accommodation, no matter what the occasion," Mehrotra said.
"With this partnership with UEFA, we're excited to help bring fans the best experience with booking their ideal accommodation as well as great things to do in each host city," Mehrotra added.
The survey added that 41 per cent of Indians would rather lose their jobs than not be able to attend a historic sporting final.
According to the study, 42 per cent of Indian sports fans (highest globally) would cancel their honeymoon if it clashed with their team or athlete playing a big game, as against the global average of 19 per cent
Travelling to see their team live in action is a clear priority for many Indian sports fans, the research found.
The survey showed 82 per cent Indians have completed between one to five trips in the last year alone - with six in ten declaring they plan to travel both domestically and internationally to watch their team or player in the future.
Despite affordability being important for the Indian sports fans, 37 per cent Indian sports fans happily admit that they would be willing to pay more for sports travel than their family vacation.
The research also found Indian sports fans travel for Cricket (86 per cent), Football/Soccer (51 per cent), Tennis (31 per cent), Hockey (23 per cent) and Motorsports (18 per cent).
The research was conducted among a sample size of 22,603 sports fans aged 18 or over in 29 international markets.
On Friday evening, Kohli brought the Hyderabad crowd to its feet as he bettered his personal best and scored an unbeaten 94 off just 50 deliveries to help India chase down 208-run target - their highest ever run-chase in the shortest format of the game.
"Amazing. Just amazing," tweeted Richards as he saw Kohli orchestrate a historic chase for India at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
One of the great aspects about Kohli's inning on Friday was he was not in his elements for most part of his knock. Top edges, inside edges, misjudgment of shots, nearly dragging the ball back on, or arguing with the umpires for no-balls (for height) and wides -- the 31-year-old appeared all over the place and was just trying too hard without achieving the desired result.
However, he still kept hanging on and played what can be described as one of the best innings played while chasing a target.
"India's highest chase in T20 Internationals. A masterclass from Virat Kohli , made to look so easy and finishing the job," said VVS Laxman about Kohli's knock.
"The Virat story again. Interesting to see the aggression today, reminded of a younger Kohli," tweeted Mohammad Kaif.
"The kind of show Virat Kohli put on last night was extraterrestrial," said ace off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin while praising his skipper.
On way to his unbeaten 94, the Indian skipper hit six fours and as many sixes. After hitting Kesrick Williams for a six in the 16th over, Kohli even used his bat as an imaginary notebook to "tick" the bowler's name off.
Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan was also in awe after watching the knock from the Indian skipper and said that one should not mess with Kohli. "Yaar, how many times I have told you this, don't tease Virat, but you did not listen to me, now see he gave you a perfect response, look at West Indies' face, how much he rattled them (with due respects to Anthony Bhai)," Bachchan tweeted in Hindi.
West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard also praised Kohli and said: "He is an animated character, a great batsman and he continues to show the world that he is a world class batsman.
"His theatrics or whatever, it comes as part and parcel of the game. Sometimes you have to be like that to pump yourself to score runs and so I am fine with it," he added.
(IANS)
Rahul, the highest-ranked India batsman, has gained 26 points is now on 760 rating points, just six behind Australia's Glenn Maxwell after scores of 45 and 54 in his two innings against Sri Lanka.
Kohli, top-ranked in Tests and ODIs, is in ninth position while Dhawan, who scored 32 and 52 in the two games, is at the 15th spot. Manish Pandey has advanced four places and is ranked 70th. The list is topped by Pakistan's Babar Azam.
India's fast bowlers have also made notable gains in the first T20I update of the year.
Player of the Series Navdeep Saini has rocketed 146 places to 98th while Shardul Thakur has re-entered in 92nd position after both finished with five wickets in the series. Jasprit Bumrah has gained eight places to reach 39th position in the list topped by Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan.
In the team rankings, India have gained two points but remain in fifth position with 260 points, while Sri Lanka have lost two points and now have 236, the same as Afghanistan.
India will now be taking part in the three-match ODI series against Australia before playing five T20Is in New Zealand.
(IANS)
He is the third-fastest Indian bowler overall to get to the mark with Jasprit Bumrah (57) and Mohammed Shami (56) ahead of him.
Kuldeep took the wicket of Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey during the second ODI between India and Australia in Rajkot to reach the milestone. He then took the big wicket of Steve Smith, who was on 98, two balls later.
Afghanistan's Rashid Khan tops the list having taken just 44 matches to reach the 100-wicket mark in ODI cricket while Australia's Mitchell Starc got there in 52 matches to be second. Pakistan spin legend Saqlain Mushtaq got to the mark in 53 matches and is the third fastest.
(IANS)
"It was a bit green and the wicket was damp on the first day compared to the second day. Yesterday (First Day) morning, it was challenging and we wanted to take up that challenge. Today it was drier compared to yesterday, with cloud cover, the conditions became helpful.
"There was good bounce and carry, so felt good bowling on a track. These kind of tracks are a rarity and since we have pacers of that calibre, we reaped its benefits," he said.
An important aspect of his game in recent times has been his seam position and the pacer says it is the effect of the hard work he has put in during training.
"When you start working on something, you develop a passion that you have to achieve. I never thought that I will start developing a great seam position but when I realised that a good seam position can help, I just worked on it.
"By God's grace, now I can do whatever I want with the seam. If you want to achieve something, passion is pre-requisite. You have to chase that," he pointed.
He was also quick to defend teammate Jasprit Bumrah who has been under the scanner post his return from a stress fracture.
"How can people forget Jasprit Bumrah's numerous match-winning performances just after a couple of indifferent ODI games? I can understand we are discussing on a topic (after a certain length of time) not just after 2-4 games. Just because he hasn't performed in two games, you can't just ignore his ability to win matches," he explained.
"What Bumrah has achieved for India, how can you even forget that or for that matter ignore it? So if you think positively, then it's good for the player and his confidence also."
Shami also pointed at how people seem to change their perception quickly when the going gets tough for a player. "People tend to think very differently and when you do not do well for a few games, their viewpoint about your changes. So on our part, we shouldn't over-think," he said.
From defending Bumrah to praising newcomer Navdeep Saini, Shami said that the youngster has it in him to rise to great heights.
"He is young, he has got talent, pace and height. So there are benefits. But yes, someone has to guide him and take him along the way. He needs support. He is bowling well but no one possesses experience straightaway. It comes with passage of time. Hopefully, it will come soon and we seniors are there to help him," he said.
Asked if experience is the most important factor at the international level, Shami said: "Experience matters as you then don't panic easily. You have faced different situations and know what to do. That is valuable. So when an experienced player is around and you bring a youngster, he matures quickly. So in our team, we guide our youngsters, joke and laugh with them, make them feel comfortable so that they don't feel that there is a distance between seniors and juniors."
(IANS)
Jamieson (4/49 in 16 overs) and Southee (4/49 in 20.1 overs) took four of the five wickets that fell on the second morning with India adding only 43 runs to their overnight score of 122 for 5.
Rishabh Pant (19) started with a six but then a horrible mix-up with senior partner Ajinkya Rahane (46) resulted in a run-out and the little chances of recovery was gone for good.
Ravichandran Ashwin got a beauty from Southee, pretty similar to what Prithvi Shaw got, while Rahane inside-edged one while trying to leave it alone.
It was Mohammed Shami (21), who chanced his arms a bit hitting a few blows that got India above 150-run mark.
He added 22 runs with Ishant Sharma for the ninth wicket. They were both out in quick succession as the innings folded in only 68.1 overs.
Brief scores:
India 1st Innings: 165 all out in 68.1 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 46, Mayank Agarwal 34, Mohammed Shami 21, Tim Southee 4/49, Kyle Jamieson 4/39).
(PTI)
Captain Virat Kohli said, "Let's stay strong and fight the #COVID19 outbreak by taking all precautionary measures. Stay safe, be vigilant and most importantly remember, prevention is better than cure. Please take care everyone."
Let's stay strong and fight the #COVID19 outbreak by taking all precautionary measures. Stay safe, be vigilant and most importantly remember, prevention is better than cure. Please take care everyone.
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) March 14, 2020
His limited overs deputy Rohit Sharma posted a video of himself in which he asked people to be "a little smart, a little proactive" and inform the nearest medical authorities as soon as they get any symptoms. He also lauded the efforts of medical professionals who have been in the frontline of the battle against the virus.
Stay safe everyone. pic.twitter.com/2ABy1XUeTP
— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) March 16, 2020
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar also urged fellow countrymen to act responsibly and follow the guidelines issued by the health authorities in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
"As citizens, we have to act responsibly. We could follow simple steps to keep the coronavirus at bay. It is my request to everyone to follow basic guidelines to try our best to ensure we all stay safe," Tendulkar tweeted.
एक नागरिक के तौर पर हमारी कुछ जिम्मेदारियां हैं।
हम कुछ आसान से कदमों का पालन कर कोरोना वायरस (COVID-19) को दूर रख सकते हैं। मैं आपसे अनुरोध करता हूँ कि बुनियादी बातों का ख्याल रखें ताकि हम सभी सुरक्षित रहें। #IndiaFightsCorona@MoHFW_INDIA pic.twitter.com/vBYnEbYZ4C— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) March 18, 2020
Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane has posted a series of tweets. He first said, "Sad to see everything coming to a standstill due to the #coronavirus. A big salute to the doctors, nurses & the police who are working round the clock to help people" He then posted a photo of him reading a book with the caption, "Stay positive and Read!" Rahane later posted a video of himself in which he asked people to stay safe in the wake of the pandemic outbreak.
Let’s all stay strong and take precautions to avoid the spread of #Covid_19. #IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/YvwD5uKE5a
— Ajinkya Rahane (@ajinkyarahane88) March 18, 2020
Ace Test spinner Ravichandran Ashwin urged the people of Chennai to understand the importance of social distancing. "Let me rephrase it, social distancing doesn't seem to have caught the attention of the people in Chennai yet. The only reason could be their belief in the summer to curtail it or just faith that nothing will happen. #Coronaindia," he tweeted.
Let me rephrase it, social distancing doesn’t seem to have caught the attention of the people in Chennai yet. The only reason could be their belief in the summer to curtail it or just faith that nothing will happen. #Coronaindia
— Ashwin Ravichandran (@ashwinravi99) March 15, 2020
All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja said, "Urging everyone to stay safe, follow the precautionary measures suggested by the health authorities and in this difficult moment let's support each other. #coronavirus #COVID19"
Urging everyone to stay safe, follow the precautionary measures suggested by the health authorities and in this difficult moment let's support each other. #coronavirus #COVID19
— Ravindrasinh jadeja (@imjadeja) March 14, 2020
Wrist spinner Yuzvendra Chahal posted a photo on his Instagram stories in which he is having a night out with a few friends while chinaman Kuldeep Yadav posted a statement in which he said: "The world today is going through a global crisis and my thoughts go out to those suffering in these difficult times. In this tough moment we all must come together, be united and be there for each other. A massive thank you to all the health professionals working tirelessly to make the planet a safer place."
Opening batsman KL Rahul said: "In these testing times let's stay strong and care for each other. Urging everyone to follow the instructions given by health experts and stay safe #coronavirus."
Also Read: Coronavirus Hits Cricket Events: IPL Postponed, SA Vs IND ODIs Cancelled
His fellow opener Mayank Agarwal said: "Wash your hands. Avoid crowded places whenever possible. Stay at home if you feel unwell. Don't believe every WhatsApp forward. Check @WHO for updates. Don't panic. Wash your hands. (Did I already say that?) Namaste."
Similarly, Suresh Raina also warned against spreading misinformation related to coronavirus and to follow health advisories.
"It's very important that we understand the need of social isolation to break the chain, don't spread information from unreliable sources, don't ignore the health advisories & for sure follow the hygiene measures," he had tweeted.
Read More: Coronavirus Impact On Indian Sports & Sportsmen
As of now, 147 confirmed cases of coronavirus have been reported in India and three lives have been lost. While a 64-year-old coronavirus patient died at Mumbai’s Kasturba hospital on Tuesday, a 76-year-old patient from Karnataka’s Kalburgi died while being transported from one hospital to another.
Similarly, a 68-year-old woman from Janakpuri, admitted to Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, succumbed to the virus. She was the mother of a confirmed case of Covid-19.
(IANS)
Speaking to IANS on the eve of his 47th birthday, Sachin Tendulkar spoke about his message to the fans in these tough times, the way he is spending time with family amidst the lockdown and most importantly what he feels about the fate of the Indian Premier League as well as the World T20 to be held later in the year in Australia.
For someone who is considered a legend due to his achievements on the cricketing field, Tendulkar wants every person to stay indoors and follow the guidelines of the government as they fight the pandemic.
"My message to my loved ones is that for so many years they have wished well for me and my way of wishing well for them would be to give them a message that they should stay at home and be safe. Whenever I went out to bat, they wanted me to score runs and not get out. So here, I want them to stay safe and secure and stay healthy and not get out. Like they wanted me to stay in the crease, I want them to stay in the crease," he smiled.
Also Read: Sachin Tendulkar Throws Weight Behind Women’s T20 WC To Break Record
"I don't like to speak about these things. I want to continue doing my work. One of my agendas is to see what we have been able to do in the past and help uplift the life of the underprivileged ones. We have planned a few things which will go on and the idea is to give back to the needy ones. It is not just about this time and during the coronavirus. We want to do this for as long as I am alive," he explained.
Coming to the gentleman's game, this is an unforeseen situation wherein not just the IPL has been postponed, but also the future of the World T20 in Australia later in the year looks under cloud. While various solutions have been spoken about by pundits with former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar even calling for a swap with India hosting this year's WT20 and Australia hosting the next edition, Tendulkar says for him cricket should be the winner.
"I don't know about the number of days available or when it was likely to happen (the exact dates). As long as there is cricket, I am happy. I am sure ICC would look into it and so will BCCI and the Australian cricket board and see which is the best way forward and then decide for world cricket, Indian cricket as well as Australian cricket. I feel they just need to identify the windows and if it fits into those windows, then why not?" he said.
This Indian team is known to have one of the best bowling line-ups in the world and even skipper Virat Kohli keeps talking about how he is privileged to lead this attack. Asked if Tendulkar would want to have such an attack when the Fab Four — Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, V.V.S. Laxman and him — was going strong, the Little Master says he doesn't like comparisons.
"I don't like comparing generations because I feel it is wrong. Not to forget the likes of Srinath, Anil, Agarkar, Nehra, Zaheer, Harbhajan were all bowling against different batters. If I go into details, somewhere down the line I would be comparing. I don't want to take away anything from the team that performed well and also, I don't want to take away anything from the guys I played with some time ago. If I have to answer whether our team has been doing well, I will say yes.
"And if I have to say about my colleagues Ashish, Zaheer, Agarkar, Bhajji, Anil and Srinath among others, they had also done very well. It is just that the opposition also one needs to look into. There are a number of elements there like opposition, the rules have changed and all those kind of elements add when you are comparing. You cannot do bits and pieces comparison," he explained.
Finally, is it a little frustrating to stay indoors for someone who has spent most of his life on a cricket field, Tendulkar says he is making the most of the time he is getting with his family.
"Not really (frustrated) to be honest. I am enjoying everyone's company at home. We friends are in touch with each other, just that we cannot meet and sit together which we normally do. We do make phone calls and have chats. At home, I am spending time with the children, my wife and also with my mother.
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"Normally the children (Arjun and Sara) are now 20 and 22 and they have their own bit to do. Also, for someone like my mother who if I am travelling it is hard to meet her, so for her also, the way I am feeling as a parent, she is also getting my time as a mother," he signed off.
(IANS)