Hardik played a sensational knock (63 off 33) to propel India to a decent 168/6 in 20 overs. England openers Jos Buttler (80 not out from 49 balls) and Alex Hales (86 not out from 47) made a chase look like a walk in the park, powering their team to the final with a convincing 10-wicket win over India.
"Devastated, gutted, hurt. Tough to take, for all of us. To my teammates, I've enjoyed the bond that we built - we fought for each other every step of the way. Thank you to our support staff for their endless dedication and hardwork for months on end," the star all-rounder said in a tweet.
"To our fans who backed us everywhere we went, we're forever grateful. It wasn't meant to be but we'll reflect and keep fighting," he added.
India's next assignment will be the limited overs tour of New Zealand where Hardik will lead the side in the three match T20I series, starting in Wellington on November 18.
(This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by OTV staff.)
When two batters of the calibre of Jos Buttler and Alex Hales get going it's hard for any team to stop and the two produced their best performances in the semi-final.
England openers Buttler (80 not out from 49 balls) and Hales (86 not out from 47) made a chase of 169 look like a walk in the park in the semifinal of the T20 World Cup , powering their team to the final with a convincing 10-wicket win over India.
However, it shouldn't prevent India from reflecting on how their own display contributed to the nature of the loss. A look at the few reasons for India's dismal show in the semifinal.
Leaving it too late with the bat with timid approach in powerplay
A total of 168/6 in a World Cup semi-final is a competitive score. But it's not a great one, particularly not on a decent batting surface like the Adelaide Oval and against a team with the firepower of England.
The fact that the total was a par score of 168 even with power-hitter Hardik Pandya producing fireworks with a brilliant 63 from 33 balls at the death, suggests that there was a problem of intent.
The stark contrast in the game came during the respective Power Plays, where the difference in intent couldn't have been clearer.
Losing KL Rahul for five early on was a setback, but even so, India went at only fractionally over a run-a-ball during that period of fielding restrictions, with neither Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma finding fluency as they reached 38/1 after six.
On the other hand, England's openers approached things completely differently, attacking from the off to get their side ahead of the game, scoring at more than ten-an-over throughout the Powerplay.
No penetration with the new ball
The struggles with the bat put India in difficulty. And yet the total was sufficiently high that some early breakthroughs would have placed England under big pressure. However, the breakthroughs didn't come for India and the captain pointed his finger primarily at a lack of execution from the bowlers.
"The way we started with the ball was not ideal. We were a little nervous. When Bhuvi bowled the first over it swung today, but not from the right areas,''' said Rohit.
"We wanted to keep it tight, not give room, because the square of the wicket was an area we were aware of - that's where the runs came today. If we keep it tight and the batsman still scores runs, we'll take it. But we didn't do that today,'' he added.
Lack of a strike bowler
Taking wickets in the powerplay through the movement of Arshdeep Singh and Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been India's Plan A during the tournament, using spin and bowling into the pitch to soak up the middle overs and then executing plans at the death.
It's a decent strategy and strikingly similar to that of semi-final opponents England. But when early wickets don't come, both attacks can look a little toothless at times.
That was certainly the case for India on Thursday, with the absence of the injured Jasprit Bumrah keenly felt. When India needed a cutting edge there didn't seem like a banker of an option that the captain could use.
Four of India's bowlers went at more than ten-an-over - Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin and Pandya - with Axar Patel being milked for 30 harmless runs from his four overs and Arshdeep also failing to keep it tight.
(This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by OTV staff.)
As seen in the pictures, Athiya and KL are sitting close to each other while dining with the Indian team at a restaurant in Adelaide. The lovebird duo is seen looking deep into each other’s eyes while interacting. Meanwhile, Kohli and Dravid are seen sitting on the opposite of the duo.
Apart from the above-mentioned celebrities, there were several others on the same dining table.
However, heartbroken netizens took a dig at the cricketers as they were enjoying their lavish dinner after a huge defeat.
One user wrote, “Bhai plz shadi karke Aram se honeymoon jao.....Aram Karo 3 months (Brother please marry and go for honeymoon peacefully. Take rest for 3 months).”
Another wrote, “Thoda khel bhi leta to sayad India Jeet jati (If you could have played, India would have won).”
“Don't post this now Pinkvilla, all of India is fuming at the pathetic bowling performance,” wrote a third user.
“Why is this guy even in squad. Such an overrated player,” another comment read.
Several others even went on to use abusive words targeting his poor performance on the field.
KL Rahul opened the innings by sending a short and wide delivery from Ben Stokes behind point for four. But Woakes found his outer edge along with some extra bounce in the second over to give a simple catch behind to the keeper.
Such outrage comes at a time when reports are abuzz that Athiya and KL are soon going to tie the knot. Amidst this news, the actress often makes sure to be there to support her beau in his matches. Earlier, Athiya flew to Australia to cheer for her beau during the match. Several pictures of the couple went viral in which they are seen spending quality time together.
After Rahul gave India a good start with his 35-ball 51, laced with three fours and as many sixes, including a 60-run stand off 48 balls for the second wicket with Virat Kohli, they fell into a mini wobble ahead of the last five overs stage coming in.
But Suryakumar changed the tempo of the match yet again with absolutely insane striking of the ball, smacking six fours and four sixes in a death overs batting masterclass at a strike-rate of 244 to end up with 61 not out off just 25 balls. His belligerent knock, laced with his trademark scoops and mesmerizing lofted shots, meant India got 79 runs in the last five overs.
Electing to bat first, Rohit Sharma got India's first boundary by presenting full face of bat for a gorgeous straight drive off Tendai Chatara in the second over. In the next over, KL Rahul swivelled Richard Ngarava for a six over deep square leg.
After Rohit placed a cut wide of backward point off Blessing Muzarabani in the fourth over, the tall pacer bowled a short ball to the Indian skipper, who pulled it straight to the fielder at deep square leg, departing for 15.
Kohli got off the mark off the very first delivery by clipping Muzarabani through fine leg for four and whipped Wellington Masakadza wide of mid-on later apart from finding the singles very quickly.
But Rahul, who played out a maiden opening over, was timing the deliveries well. When Muzarabani offered width, he stood tall to cut over backward point for four. When Ryan Burl flighted outside the off-stump, he came forward to smash a six down the ground.
On the very next ball, Rahul swiped against the turn from Burl just past deep mid-wicket for four. In the next over, on a slower short ball from Chatara, Rahul was quick to be on the backfoot and pull amazingly past mid-wicket for four.
But Zimbabwe made a comeback by picking a wicket each in overs 12, 13 and 14 while conceding 18 runs overall. Kohli holed out to long-off off Sean Williams. Rahul, after launching Sikandar Raza down the ground for a six to complete his fifty in 34 balls, holed out to long-off on the very next ball.
Rishabh Pant played a flat slog-sweep off Williams, but Burl ran full tilt to his left from long on and flung himself to take a superb diving catch. But Suryakumar got India moving by smacking Muzarabani for a brace of fours - scoop over fine leg was followed by lofting over mid-off.
Two balls later, Hardik Pandya flicked superbly through backward square leg for four as India ended 16th over with 18 runs. In the next over, Suryakumar stepped up the attack by placing a Ngarava full toss over third man for four and dispatched one over backward square leg for six to take 12 runs off the 17th over.
Suryakumar continued to toy with the field and bowlers' minds, scooping and lofting Chatara for four and six respectively in the 18th over. Against Muzarabani in the 19th over, he beautifully timed a straight drive which oozed elegance of the highest quality.
Though Pandya fell in the final over, Suryakumar continued to play jaw-dropping shots. He moved full stretch with his front leg way across the off-stump to whip off his wrists over backward square leg for six.
After reaching his fifty in 23 balls, he repeated the swipe wide of off-stump again to pick another four and ended the innings by scooping over fine leg for six to give a competitive total to India, enthralling a huge crowd.
Brief Scores: India 186/5 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 61 not out, KL Rahul 51; Sean Williams 2/9, Sikand
She is often spotted cheering for KL Rahul. Though, the opener batsman was out of his form, he played well against Bangladesh and scored a tremendous 50 out of just 32 balls. Now, the lovely couple seems to be spending some quality time with each other ahead of Athiya’s birthday.
Let this Special Day Bring you Years upon Years of Happiness,Health and Prosperity.
— KLRAHUL TRENDS™ (@KLRahulTrends_) November 4, 2022
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Athiya Shetty mam🥳🎂❤️
Tag: #HappyBirthdayAthiyaShetty @klrahul pic.twitter.com/qJ7i1af95X
The daughter of actor Suniel Shetty also shares her birthday with star batsman Virat Kohli. Both of them were born on November 5. Now that Athiya is in Australia to cheer for KL Rahul during the T20 World Cup, the couple is travelling and spending time together.
Recently, Athiya had shared a picture from Adelaide Stadium. In the pictures, she can be seen cheering for KL. Now, the couple is celebrating Athiya’s birthday in Australia.
Bye bye Adelaide,
— Juman Sarma (@cool_rahulfan) November 3, 2022
Touchdown Melbourne📍
K L Rahul with Athiya Shetty at Adelaide airport, today morning. ♥️ pic.twitter.com/lsoIHR7SHi
After his stupendous performance against Bangladesh, KL spend some time with Athiya Shetty and the couple can be seen walking on the streets of Australia.
KL Rahul posted a series of pictures and videos and wrote, “Been a while.” In one of the videos, he can be seen walking on the streets.
The main support,
— Juman Sarma (@cool_rahulfan) November 2, 2022
Athiya Shetty spotted at Adelaide Ovel, Australia in today's match to support K L Rahul. ♥️ pic.twitter.com/p1UNOjgeO3
Similarly, the Motichoor Chaknachoor actress took to her Instagram handle and shared a photo of a breakfast bowl. The bowl included a dollop of what seems to be yogurt, strawberries, raspberries, sunflower seeds, greens and more.
On the personal front, the couple made headlines when rumours of their wedding had surfaced. If reports are to be believed, they are planning to tie the knot soon. However, there has been no official confirmation from both KL Rahul and Athiya.
Earlier, speaking to media, actor Suniel Shetty said that he was proud of his daughter and would always support her decisions.
The star batsman, who was out of form in the initial games, found his mojo back. His quick-fire half-century in just 32 balls has set internet ablaze. The Lucknow Super Giants skipper came back in style to silence his critics with a wonderful 32-ball 50 innings, which included 3 fours and 4 sixes.
Now, netizens just can’t stop praising his well knitted knocks at the Adelaide Oval in the Super 12 match.
Fans have started praising for his KLassy Knocks. However, it was fellow cricketer Virat Kohli’s reaction after a massive six that took internet by storm.
Have a look at the video below:
The reaction of King #ViratKohli𓃵
— KL Siku Kumar (@KL_Siku_Kumar) November 2, 2022
After the #KLRahul six
Moment hai bhai moment pic.twitter.com/YOJRM0L57X
Earlier, KL Rahul faced immense flak for his poor show in three back to back games against Pakistan, Netherlands and South Africa. Many even raised question about his replacement.
However, the star batsman has silenced his critics with his super knocks.
Notably, Bangladesh won the toss and skipper Shakib Al Hasan elected to bowl first.
After winning the toss, Shakib said they have brought in an extra pacer in Shoriful Islam, who replaces Soumya Sarkar in the playing eleven.
#KLRahul𓃵 is the only player who doesn't have any godfather to back him fir selection , he is in the team just because of His performance. I love the way he introduces new shots. 🤩🤩❤️🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🚩@klrahul#T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/vuL25P7HpN
— 7G_Hotspot (@VImvinit0077) November 2, 2022
India captain Rohit Sharma said he would have loved to bat first and added that left-arm spin all-rounder Axar Patel replaces Deepak Hooda in the playing eleven.
"Runs on the board would matter. We would look to bat well. All games are important in this format. We didn't play well in the last game. Hopefully, we can play some good cricket and get those two points. Good ground and good atmosphere here. Good weather as well," he stated.
Comeback is always stronger than setback 💪
— Madhu DHFM 🔥 (@MadhuPeyyala4) November 2, 2022
Well played #KLRahul𓃵, deserving fifty 🔥🥳 @klrahul#INDvsBAN । #T20WorldCup2022#KLRahul𓃵 pic.twitter.com/8xwReOQjN7
Playing XIs
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh.
Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Das, Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Afif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Nurul Hasan (wicket-keeper), Yasir Ali, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam.
A win for India over Bangladesh in a chilly, cold Adelaide will strengthen their quest to seal a semifinal spot. India and Bangladesh are level on four points in the Group 2 points table, with the former ahead on net run rate.
Overall, India have a 10-1 record against Bangladesh in T20Is. The last meeting between the two teams in T20 World Cups resulted in a heart-stopping one-run win for India in Bengaluru in 2016.
After winning the toss, Shakib said they have brought in an extra pacer in Shoriful Islam, who replaces Soumya Sarkar in the playing eleven.
"Don't know what the best score is on this pitch. Know what's coming at us, we're well prepared. Boys gelling well together, everyone looking forward to this. Need to continue doing good things. Batting is one area we can improve. Our fast bowling is terrific," he expressed.
India captain Rohit Sharma said he would have loved to bat first and added that left-arm spin all-rounder Axar Patel replaces Deepak Hooda in the playing eleven.
"Runs on the board would matter. We would look to bat well. All games are important in this format. We didn't play well in the last game. Hopefully, we can play some good cricket and get those two points. Good ground and good atmosphere here. Good weather as well," he stated.
Playing XIs
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh.
Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Das, Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Afif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Nurul Hasan (wicket-keeper), Yasir Ali, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam.
In his time at the crease, Rahul's been overtly cautious in the middle, and hasn't shown much footwork, as seen from his dismissals so far: chopping on to his stumps against Pakistan, trapped lbw by an incoming delivery against Netherlands and nicked tamely to first slip against South Africa.
On the eve of India's match against Bangladesh at Adelaide Oval, head coach Rahul Dravid stated that they are completely backing Rahul to come good, and that the team think-tank has no concerns over the form of their first-choice opener.
"In these (tough) conditions, maybe we can afford him a little bit of time. As I said, we completely back him, we have no concerns about him. We know that when he gets going and I have seen it against a top-class Australia attack couple of weeks ago, I know the impact this guy can make. I know with him and Rohit in my mind, I have absolutely no doubt that who's going to open for us," said Dravid in the pre-match press conference.
Rahul had arrived into the showpiece event on the back of four successive half-centuries, against South Africa at Thiruvananthapuram and Guwahati and in the practice matches against Western Australia XI and Australia as well. Dravid was confident that the right-handed opener will rediscover his groove as the race for semifinals heats up.
"I think he is a fantastic player; he has a proven track record and done really well. I think he has been batting superbly. These things can happen in a 20-20 game. It has been tough, not been that easy for top-order batters. This tournament has been challenging. I think he was superb in the practice game against Australia, the likes of Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Starc and a brilliant bowling attack. He batted superbly that day and 60 or 70 (57 off 33 balls).
"Just hoping that it all clicks together in the next three-four games. We know his quality and ability, he is very well suited for these kinds of conditions and pitches. He has got a good all-round game and has a very good back-foot game which is very much required in these conditions. We are pretty confident and happy with the way he has been hitting it."
Though Rahul's poor form has been a huge talking point in India's campaign in the tournament, Dravid mentioned about clarity and support provided to him as well as other players, something which the current team management has emphasised a lot in recent times.
"We have a lot of conversations with our players, (a) lot of it is hard to reveal exact details of those conversations with players. Rest assured, both in words and in action, over the last year, he knows he has our support and knows that. There has been a lot of clarity on what our side or squad is going to be in this tournament and we have not wavered from that for a very long time.
"We play a lot of cricket, you might see different players playing in different situations and games. There have been injuries and including him, he has had phases where he has unfortunately been injured. In word and in action with all of our players, I think it has been great with Rohit that he has shown faith and belief in players."
With suggestions floating of India possibly opening with Rishabh Pant, a left-hand batter, instead of Rahul, Dravid reiterated it's not much difficult for the side to not be influenced by things being said outside and that they will stick with ideas and beliefs in the players within the team.
"Actually, it is not that much difficult as we don't get swayed by what's outside and what people are saying. We have confidence and belief in our players, especially in this 20-20 format, which is such a high-risk format in a sense that you ask people to play high-risk and positive brand of cricket.
"We had the belief that everyone has our backing and confidence, in the players we have picked in the 15, everyone can't play here as we only play eleven. But everyone has our backing and support.
"They have been here because we know their quality and we understand that there might be times they will not be able to deliver for us, that doesn't make them bad players. It's not difficult for us to support players and back them, not at all."
Rahul could score only four runs against Pakistan and managed only nine against Netherlands. Several cricket buffs are of the opinion to drop Rahul for the all-important clash against South Africa and replace him with explosive left-hander Rishabh Pant. However, as per many cricket experts, India should stick with Rahul at the top despite his successive failures. Here are the reasons…
Don’t tinker with a winning combination
Cricket is mostly a team game and the combined show from the players often wins you a match. One player backs the other with an effective partnership in batting or bowling in tandem. Moreover, in the middle of a mega event, chopping and changing big players can dent their confidence and seriously affect the balance of the team. Captain Cool Dhoni was also not in favour of tinkering with the winning combination in the middle of an ICC event. Skipper Rohit Sharma is most likely to follow the same template.
Form is temporary, class is permanent
KL Rahul is a class player and a proven customer. Dropping Rahul for failing in just two matches will not be a justice to the right-hander. He is a great batsman. He will certainly learn from his mistakes and come back strongly for the rest of the tournament. He has proved it many times in the past. Even the great Virat Kohli was criticized by fans for his poor form, but he came back strongly to prove his mettle. Kohli was able to come back to his form because of the team management’s confidence in him. Given the potential of Rahul, he should be given the same rope.
The concept of giving everyone a "fair go" resides at the heart of Australian culture. It makes them the opposite of what their ruling monarch was in the past. This is significantly reflected in how T20 cricket is played in the country; which is also how this World Cup will be won equally on the back of picking wickets rather than scoring big runs.
Also Read | T20 World Cup 2022: Sachin Tendulkar picks four semifinalists, dark horses
Mohammad Shami, after his electrifying show in the first warm-up game, is now the undisputed leader of India's bowling attack.
Although he didn't bowl at the start, he definitely will, because more wickets are possible to fall in the powerplay in this tournament. This coincides with a massive change in the manufacturing of the white leather balls. That seems to have reinforced the seam, and thus the ball deviates further after hitting the deck.
Also Read | T20 World Cup 2022: Middle order batting key for India’s chances
In this format where one of the lowest percentages of boundaries hit in Australia also includes one of the lowest proportions of sixes when compared to the rest of the world, running between the wickets is of incredible significance. Ones, twos, and even threes are most likely to come into play, as we have seen in the qualifying and the warm-up games so far.
No two ground sizes in Australia are identical. Some have shorter, straighter ropes with giant square and corner pockets in which if you time the ball, an easy two is guaranteed.
For example, the straighter hit at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) is much shorter than at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). While you can hit through the line in Perth, you are better off using the pace in Brisbane. India will be playing on these four grounds, and hence a specific set of skills are necessary to succeed in those conditions.
Team India will face Pakistan in their World Cup opener, which is believed to be heavily affected by the rains. They will then take on the Netherlands. Because of the collosal square boundaries, bowlers usually opt for a lot of changeups on this ground. One would like to believe that Harshal Patel might come in handy with the plethora of slower ones that he's got.
Also Read | T20 World Cup: A brief history of India vs Pakistan in the mega event
Virat Kohli will perhaps enjoy his batting the most here, considering it suits his style of play where he can knock the ball into these giant pockets square on both the sides and accumulate the runs.
These antics will change drastically when India travels to Sydney, which is considered a new ball surface. There is always enough juice on the pitch at the start of the game that poses a definite challenge for the opening batters. However, someone with a defensive game, such as KL Rahul, has the opportunity to get through the initial phase and then pile on the misery on the opposition by hitting to his preferred areas, which happen to be the shortest boundaries that go over extra cover and over mid-wicket.
Rohit Sharma's preferred XI might never feature all three of his spinning options. But there is a case for Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal to play when India faces Bangladesh at the Adelaide Oval. All of them have become proficient by bowling straight at the stumps, and because Adelaide has humongous straight boundaries, all of them could be effective. This is also a surface where a high percentage of bowled and LBWs are accounted for because spinners tend to bowl with the stumps.
Also Read | T20 World Cup 2022: Rohit Sharma reveals Team India’s approach ahead of Pakistan clash
When India faces South Africa in Perth, their batters will have their toughest test against pace and bounce on this whole trip. They are expected to use this pace to their advantage and try to score more towards the 'V' that is behind them and not necessarily in front. Suryakumar Yadav is in fine form and he should relish this set-up. This could also be Rohit's most preferred track to go big.
Hardik Pandya has shown in the recent past that he is capable of picking up wickets from the full length and that will be key on these pitches where there appears to be a green coating on top. If he can perfectly play the role of the third seamer, it will allow India to bring in an additional batter, seamer, or spinner depending on the match-up on that given day.
If it was the Indian bowling that was the weaker link, then they are blessed with cricketing conditions that will boost their bowlers, and now it is up to their strength, their batters, to out bat the teams if they want to win this World Cup.
(DISCLAIMER: This is an opinion piece. The views expressed are the author’s own and have nothing to do with OTV’s charter or views. OTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
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After the collective batting effort led by fifties from Suryakumar Yadav and K.L Rahul took India to 237/3, Miller hit an unbeaten, brilliant 106 off 47 balls, laced with eight fours and seven sixes, to also become the leading run-scorer for South Africa in T20Is.
He also shared a 174-run stand off 90 balls for the fourth wicket with Quinton de Kock (69 not out). But with de Kock struggling to break free early in the innings, South Africa fell short by 16 runs.
Arshdeep Singh had Temba Bavuma and Rilee Rossouw dismissed for successive ducks in his first over. While Bavuma was caught at mid-off, Rossouw's top-edge was taken by cover holding on to a juggling catch on the third attempt.
Aiden Markram stepped up to be the aggressor for South Africa, looking gorgeous in steering and punching through the off-side while pulling crisply through mid-wicket to take the visitors' to 45/2 in power-play.
His promising knock was cut short by Axar Patel, who got some dip to turn it away from Markram's attempted cover drive and hit the top of off-stump. From there, Axar and Ravichandran Ashwin continued to put a squeeze on the scoring and pushed the required run rate very high.
But Miller had other plans, taking successive boundaries off Harshal Patel. In the next over, he took two sixes off Ashwin before ending the over with a pulled four-through square leg. After lofting flat over long-off for six off Arshdeep Singh, Miller reached his fifty in 25 balls.
De Kock broke the shackles of finding the ideal timing by slamming Axar Patel for two sixes and a four on three successive deliveries. Miller continued to take a brace of fours off Harshal while de Kock's improved timing saw him get his fifty in 39 balls.
Miller then unleashed carnage on Arshdeep, hitting sixes over deep mid-wicket twice while nailing fours through backward point and bisecting long-on and deep mid-wicket to perfection to take 26 runs off the 19th over.
With India fielding with an extra fielder in the 30-yard circle in the final over, Miller hit back-to-back sixes over long-on and deep mid-wicket to get his century in 46 balls. De Kock finished the innings with a six over square leg, but it was not enough for South Africa to avoid conceding the series to India.
Brief scores: India 237/3 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 61, K.L Rahul 57; Keshav Maharaj 2/23) beat South Africa 221/3 in 20 overs (David Miller 106 not out, Quinton de Kock 69 not out; Arshdeep Sigh 2/62, Axar Patel 1/53) by 16 runs
The 30-year-old Rahul has been out of action for a while with a sports hernia, with Covid-19 extending his stint on the sidelines.
Shikhar Dhawan was initially named as the captain for this tour. But with Rahul being given the go-ahead, he has been appointed as the captain with Dhawan taking deputy duties.
''The BCCI Medical Team has assessed KL Rahul and cleared him to play in the upcoming three-match ODI series in Zimbabwe. The All-India Senior Selection Committee has appointed him the captain of the side and named Shikhar Dhawan as his deputy,'' the BCCI said in a statement.
After the conclusion of IPL 2022, Rahul was scheduled to captain India in the home T20Is against South Africa but missed out owing to a groin injury. The spell on the sidelines was extended after it was revealed that the 30-year-old would require surgery. Consequently, Rahul missed the tour of England and Ireland.
The opener was scheduled to return at the just-concluded tour of West Indies and USA but following a positive Covid-19 result, the BCCI medical team advised him to rest. He has already been named in India's squad for the Asia Cup at the end of this month.
All the three ODIs of India's tour of Zimbabwe will be held at the Harare Sports Club.
India's squad for 3 ODIs: KL Rahul (Captain) Shikhar Dhawan (vice-captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Mohd Siraj, Deepak Chahar.
Bumrah did not tour West Indies after the trip to England ended on July 17 and was rested from the upcoming ODI series in Zimbabwe.
"Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel were not available for selection owing to injuries. They are currently undergoing rehab at the NCA in Bengaluru," said the BCCI in a statement.
Young left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh has retained his place in the side after putting in impressive performances during the T20I series against the West Indies, where he was adjudged as 'Player of the Series'.
Kohli, who has been in a prolonged lean patch, returns to the side having last featured during India's tour of England in July and was rested for white-ball tour of West Indies and the upcoming ODIs against Zimbabwe.
Rahul also returns after a groin injury ruled him out of T20I series against South Africa at home. He then underwent a sports hernia surgery in Germany, ruling him out of England tour.
Rahul was set to return during India's T20I series against West Indies, but a positive Covid-19 test ahead of the tour meant he wasn't included in trip to the Caribbean.
Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal too returns to the squad after being rested for the five-match T20I series against the West Indies while there was no room for Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan.
The BCCI also announced that Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Chahar and Axar Patel will be backup players for Asia Cup 2022.
Asia Cup 2022 will be played in the UAE from August 27 to September 11. The 15th edition of the tournament will be played between six teams, including a qualifier team.
India enter the competition as defending champions and are also the most successful team, having won the trophy seven times. They opened their title defence against Pakistan on August 28.
While the last edition of the tournament was held in an ODI format, this edition will be played in T20 format due to 2022 being a T20 World Cup year.
India are in Group A alongside Pakistan and a qualifying team while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan form Group B.
Each team plays the other once in the group stage with the top two teams from each group advancing to the Super 4 round. The top two teams from Super 4 will qualify for the final.
India's squad for Asia Cup: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan
Stand-bys: Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel and Deepak Chahar
Recently, actor Athiya Shetty shared a mushy picture of herself with boyfriend and cricketer KL Rahul on her Instagram profile. Taking to her Instagram, Athiya wrote: "Favourite one."
The couple can be seen smiling with all their hearts in the picture. Athiya, adding a monkey emoji to her post. No sooner, she uploaded the picture, there has been thousands of likes and comments.
See Athiya Shetty's post here:
Earlier, there were reports that the two would get married soon. However, Athiya rubbished the rumours. She wrote in her Instagram story;
"I hope I'm invited to the wedding that's taking place in 3 months." She signed off the post with a "Lol." If reports are to be believed, the stars, who have been dating for over 3 years now, frequently feature on the list of trends for their rumoured wedding.
Earlier this year, Athiya Shetty wished KL Rahul on his birthday by sharing mushy greyscale pictures with him on her Instagram profile. "Anywhere with you, happy birthday," she captioned the post.
On the professional front, Athiya Shetty, daughter of Mana and Suniel Shetty, made her debut with 2015 film Hero, co-starring Sooraj Pancholi. She then went on to feature in the comedy film Mubarakan and was last seen in the movie Motichoor Chaknachoor with Nawazuddin Siddiqui.
In the clip, Jhulan can be found bowling a fuller length delivery to Rahul followed by a short ball outside off stump. Rahul played both the deliveries with elan as he hit a cover drive on the first ball, while the second ball was cut from the back foot on the off side.
K L Rahul is batting and Jhulan Goswami is bowling.
— Juman Sarma (@Juman_gunda) July 18, 2022
📍NCA, Bangalore@klrahul • @cool_rahulfan pic.twitter.com/xkuvvPZsHP
Rahul is currently training at the NCA after his successful surgery for hernia in Germany. The player had missed the five-match T20I series against the Proteas in June this year. He was supposed to lead the Indian team in the series in absence of regular skipper Rohit Shama. However, a groin injury forced him to pull out of the series.
Rahul was last seen playing competitive cricket in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. Under his leadership, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) reached Qualifier 2 of IPL 2022 where they lost to Rajasthan Royals comprehensively.
Rahul is expected to play in the forthcoming five-match series against West Indies. However, his inclusion in the squad is subject to fitness. India’s T20I series in the Caribbean starts on July 29.
Athiya, the daughter of Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty, responded for the first time to rumours that the couple is marrying in the next few of months.
On Wednesday, she took to her Instagram stories and wrote: "I hope I'm invited to this wedding that's taking place in 3 months lol."
Athiya and Rahul made their relationship official last year. The star cricketer wished the actor on her birthday with a social media post featuring the two. However, the two have never spoken about their wedding publicly.
The actress was last seen in 'Motichoor Chaknachoor' alongside Nawazuddin Siddiqui.
Wishing new skipper Rishabh Pant all the luck, Rahul admitted that he is gutted and the development is hard to accept. He also mentioned that he was looking forward to leading India for the first time at home.
“Hard to accept but I begin another challenge today. Gutted not to be leading the side for the first time at home, but the boys have all my support from the sidelines. Heartfelt thanks to all for your support. Wishing Rishabh and the boys all the luck for the series. See you soon,” Rahul tweeted.
Rahul’s exclusion will be a big setback for the hosts as the right-hander was in great form with the bat. With Rahul out, it is almost certain that Ruturaj Gaikwad would open with Ishan Kishan for the Men in Blue.
Rahul, who had scored a century against MI a few days back, smashed an unbeaten 103 off 62 balls with the help of 12 fours and four maximums but he didn't get enough help from the other batters.
Manish Pandey had a 58-run stand with Rahul but he lacked intent during his run-a-ball 22, while Marcus Stoinis (0), Krunal Pandya (1) and Deepak Hooda (10) paraded back to the hut in quick succession.
Later, Rahul added another 47 off 25 balls with young Ayush Badoni (14) to take LSG to a competitive score.
For MI, Australian Daniel Sams, who had snapped four wickets the other day against Chennai Super Kings, had a forgettable evening as he conceded 40 runs in his four overs.
Kieron Pollard pulled things back a bit as he snapped two wickets in two overs, while Riley Meredith accounted for two but conceded 40, with Jasprit Bumrah once again displaying his brilliance as an all-format great.
After deciding to bowl, the MI bowlers were on the money at the start with Bumrah dealing the first blow, removing Quinton de Kock (10) with Rohit Sharma taking a low dipping catch at short cover.
MI used four bowlers in the powerplay with LSG managing only 32 for one in the first six overs.
Rahul and Pandey struggled to up the ante as pressure was maintained from both ends.
Rahul then sprung into action with a maximum over deep mid-wicket off Unadkat, while Pandey deposited Meredith into the sightscreen.
The LSG skipper then pulled one across the deep mid-wicket, before cutting the next ball over point for successive boundaries as the Lucknow team racked up 17 runs to reach 72 for one at the half way stage.
Bumrah was brought back into the attack but Rahul send him across deep square leg and then picked up a single to complete another fifty.
Pandey's (22) struggle ended with a top-edge off a short ball from Pollard to Meredith.
Rahul clobbered Sams over long-on to leave the bowler shaken, who ended up bowling three successive wide balls.
The next legitimate delivery was sent over deep backward point by Rahul but the bowler somewhat redeemed himself in the fifth ball with Marcus Stoinis holing out to Tilak varma at deep mid-wicket.
After Pollard and Meredith removed Pandya and Hooda quickly, Ayush Badoni joined Rahul, who continued to get the boundaries for LSG.
Rahul slammed Bumrah for a couple of fours, before smashing Unadkat for three more in the next over.
He reached three figures with a six off Meredith.
On a hot Mumbai afternoon, Rahul put out a treat for fans with his free-flowing strokes as he carried his bat throughout the innings for registering his third IPL hundred, also his second ton in the mega event against Mumbai.
For the Rohit Sharma-led side, it was another poor day with the ball as Jaydev Unadkat took two wickets while Murugan Ashwin and Fabian Allen had one scalp each apart from multiple misfields on the field.
Rahul was cautious at the start when Quinton de Kock went after Mumbai's bowling in the powerplay when the duo were involved in a 50-run opening stand--the third time in this season. After de Kock fell to Fabian Allen in the sixth over, Rahul stepped up to attack the bowlers but was cautious against pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.
Brief Scores: Lucknow Super Giants (K.L Rahul 103 not out, Manish Pandey 38; Jaydev Unadkat 2/32, Murugan Ashwin 1/33) against Mumbai Indians
The swashbuckling batter has now won over the hearts of millions of fans by turning a savior for a young aspiring cricketer who is suffering from a rare blood disorder.
Rahul has donated Rs 31 Lakh for cricketer Varad, who needed urgent bone marrow transplantation. Thanks to Rahul’s benevolence, Varad is now recovering well.
“I am pretty much happy that with my little help, Varad’s condition developed. The surgery is successful and the lad is doing well. I am hopeful that he will soon stand on his feet and play cricket again to achieve his dream,” said Rahul.
“I hope my little contribution will inspire people to extend their helping hands to those who are in need,” he added.
Meanwhile, Varad’s family members have expressed their gratitude to the Team India cricketer who came to their son’s rescue as a Godsend.
“We express our deepest gratitude to Rahul. The transplant wouldn’t have been successful within such a short period of time without his help,” said Varad’s mother.
While Rahul’s act has been praised widely by his fans, Varad is keen to emulate him as his inspiration.
“I cherish a dream to play for the Indian team in future. Rahul bhai is certainly my inspiration,” he said.
Winning in elite sports is always special. Winning at home is even more so. The Indian Cricket Team was expected to win the series and they did so by convincingly beating a West Indies side that looked depleted both technically and tactically. Even after being such gifted and natural lofters of the cricket ball, the calypso batters once again lacked a sense of application in the middle. At this point, scoring runs isn’t their primary concern, but it is batting the full quota of overs.
At no point in the course of the series was India put under the pressure of a rising required run-rate. It is imperative that it be a likely scenario against better bowling and batting attacks. And when that happens, India’s only options are Deepak Hooda’s long leavers and Deepak Chahar’s audacity at the crease. For all his sound technique, Washington Sundar hasn’t yet developed a game that revolves around hitting boundaries at will.
Recently, India has been extremely cautious at the start of their 50-over innings. Having empowered technically sound batsmen in the top three positions, they are okay with slow starters who are capable of scoring big and making up for the sedate start. Rohit Sharma has a similar template to Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli. If Ishan Kishan doesn’t find a spot there, then the first half of the innings will hardly be a high scoring affair in the future.
This shouldn’t have been a problem if the men to follow had been serious strikers. Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, and Suryakumar Yadav are all quick scorers against spin. Iyer and Pant might still manage to take the attack on to the opposition but not exactly outmuscle them, not because they don’t have the firepower but because their roles demand them to be more stable than outright explosive.
Hitting the ball for a six is not exactly rocket science in modern day cricket. It is almost second nature for batsmen. But being a power hitting finisher is still one of the highest paid jobs in franchise cricket because it demands the entirety of MS Dhoni to fulfil the role. You can’t just put a palm groove hitter on the field and ask him to finish games. He will either launch too early and get out before scoring enough runs, or he might take it too deep and succumb to the pressure. You need someone brute enough to clear the fence but smart enough to calculate the risks.
By the time Hardik Pandya had cemented his place in the team, he had everything he needed to become the best power hitting resource in the world. Perhaps he still has it. But without him, there is a void that needs to be filled. Pandya’s technique revolves around a solid base. Tactically, he has evolved to pick the match-ups in his favour. Physically, he might not have the most muscle mass, but he thrives on a strong core. Beyond these superior skills, Pandya was immaculate in how he read a certain situation. While searching for quick runs, many mortal minds are clouded by a sudden rush of emotions, but not Pandya. After having faced a ball, irrespective of the result, he was quick to reflect on it. He had orchestrated a coping mechanism that made him recover and relax during the deliveries. And with years of training, he had mastered the art of refocusing on the next ball.
Deepak Chahar, along with Shardul Thakur, will be paired with Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja to form the first set of all-rounders in contention for the World Cup squad. If Hooda continued, he would be on that list too. Allow us to include Axar Patel in that set as well. All of them can hit the ball. Most of them can hit it for a six. A few of them can go on and on and hit multiple sixes. But none of them bring a sense of awe and fear to the opposition when it comes to six-hitting. In no other skill set in cricket does reputation win you more games than in late order hitting.
That reputation can be built over a period of time, and all of these players will try and do that in the next IPL, which is also India’s best case scenario.
(DISCLAIMER: This is an opinion piece. The views expressed are the author’s own and have nothing to do with OTV’s charter or views. OTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
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Winning the Test series in South Africa was perhaps an easier task than emerging victorious in the ODI format. Test matches are longer, and so the better team must make better decisions for a longer period of time and thus is more likely to win. And for most cricketing reasons, India’s test team looked like being technically and tactically superior when compared to the hosts. Beyond this point, there were way too many mysteries that cropped up as India won the first test but lost the series. They then played 3 ODI games and lost every single one of them.
Nobody knows how a champion-like red-ball unit suddenly looked like a bunch of survivors in the African wilderness. More so, It was difficult to digest how nobody in their top six batters in the ODI leg could reach the 3-figure mark!
Concern should always come with context. India are 5th on the points table of the World Test Championship and need to win most of their remaining tests to give themselves a chance to qualify for the finals. Thus, while hosting Sri Lanka later this February, they must be ruthless. Even that is just myopic dressing. The shift in leadership will be most felt in the five-day game.
If KL Rahul is to continue leading in the whites, he will have massive shoes to fill. Captaincy in Test cricket is often down to just picking the right men for the jobs. The on-field dynamics sooner or later take care of themselves. The fact that Rahul is an opener and that constitutes the toughest batting assignment in a Test match, means he is bound to register a few low scores. Hence, his greatest challenge will be to compartmentalise his batting and captaincy.
He will need all the support he can get from Rishabh Pant, who can no longer be just a maverick in the team. The management has shown enough trust in him for him to be just a player who occasionally changes the game. He needs to be more than that. His flamboyance must be shaped and raised within the team. If the wicket-keeper is aware and has a definite voice in the side, the on-field captain feels empowered.
The recurring issue in the middle-order needs to be looked at. There needs to be a change in personnel because it is established that we have already seen the best of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane.
As far as 50-over cricket is concerned, because the next World Cup is in their own backyard, one would think India are not too far from finding their best XI. Rohit Sharma has worked hard to improve his fitness, and he should be able to resume his leadership role in both limited-overs formats beginning next month against the West Indies.
The return of Shikhar Dhawan in ODIs is a massive positive. In the next few ODI games that India plays, three against West Indies at home and three away in England, they will have to decide if they want their top four to be Dhawan, Rahul, Rohit, and Kohli. Shreyas Iyer will and should get a longer rope.
But while doing so, they need to keep an eye out for the rest, like Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, and Ruturaj Gaikwad, and keep them ready if their services are required at some point in time. There needs to be a conversation about their individual roles. In South Africa, in all the three ODIs, it was only Dhawan who carried some form of intent out of the top three, and that cannot be the case in modern day ODI cricket.
In the absence of Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant is still India’s greatest X-factor. Pandya, though, might be looking at a longer road of revival with the evolution of Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar, both of whom have shown enough batting intelligence to be slotted as the designated bowling all-rounder. Then there is Venkatesh Iyer, who will only get better as he gets more game time.
If Yuzvendra Chahal is to be a part of the greater scheme of things, then he ought to be playing continuously for wrist-spin like most cricketing disciplines are about rhythm. With Ravichandran Ashwin already in the mix, when you add Ravindra Jadeja to that list, the spin bowling department looks settled in the ODIs.
At best, Jasprit Bumrah looks half as good when compared to his peak form. Even if he is out of form, that still isn’t India’s greatest concern. Bumrah must believe he has a bigger role to play in the ODI set-up. He is the undisputed veteran of that pace cartel. Going back to Bhuvneshwar Kumar should not be the only resort. Which is why Bumrah’s role is to help Indian cricket raise the canvas and see to it that the likes of Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Avesh Khan are given enough game time and learning to make them game ready.
The shortest format is perhaps the trickiest of them all. Not just because there is a World Cup in October, but because it is in Australia. To think that the upcoming, bigger and better Indian Premier League (IPL) will be a perfect platform to pick that team from will be too simple an idea to live with, but unfortunately, it will be. That is the kind of world we live in.
(DISCLAIMER: This is an opinion piece. The views expressed are the author’s own and have nothing to do with OTV’s charter or views. OTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
Rahul’s off-field persona has gone really well with the warrior-style tattoos that wear much of his skin while most of those arts have been a mystery.
The 29 year-old is fascinated with tattoos and gets himself inked wherever he wants. But among all his tattoos, Rahul picks ‘Deshi Basara’ meaning 'Rise Up' as his favourite one.
It is being said that after a woeful 2018 in England, Rahul was dropped from the Indian team in the following year and that is when the ‘Batman’ fan resorted back to his friend, David Mathias. It is Mathias who explained what is ‘Deshi Basara’ and Rahul got it inked on his body.
“Of all the tattoos in his body, Rahul is most excited and proud to show that Batman tattoo. He has inscribed a line from Batman Rises- ‘Deshi Basara’! It means ‘Rise’ and it was such a cool scene too,” he said.
Mathias has recently revealed how they watched ‘Batman Returns – The Dark Knight’ three times and got so hooked on the series that both of them watched all the earlier films of the same franchise.
Currently Rahul is on ominous touch and he would like to continue his good form in the New Year.
(Edited by Suryakant Jena)
The second session began with Agarwal reaching his half-century with a creamy drive through long-off off Marco Jansen. Jansen would come under further attack from Rahul, clipping through mid-wicket and outer edge flying through slip cordon as the Karnataka duo brought up the century of opening partnership, marking it the third hundred-plus opening stand for India in South Africa.
Rahul gained pace as he drove Wiaan Mulder twice through sweeper cover while Mayank tucked a short ball from Ngidi through fine leg. But on the next ball, Ngidi trapped Agarwal lbw with a delivery that came in from the back of a length and hit the pads after going past the inner edge. South Africa took the review and got to change the decision as ball-tracking showed hitting the top of leg-stump, ending I'dia's opening stand at 117.
One brought two for Ngidi as he bowled a fiery in-swinger which Cheteshwar Pujara inner-edged to his thigh and it lobbed to Keegan Petersen, running in from backward short leg. It was also the second time Pujara bagged a golden duck in his Test career. Coincidentally, both came at Centurion and had Ngidi involved (in 2018, he affected the run-out of Pujara).
Rahul brought up his 13th Test fifty with a nicely timed cover drive off Ngidi. Virat Kohli was off the mark by leaning into the cover drive off Jansen and followed it up with a clip through mid-on off left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj, looking in good touch. Rahul and Kohli kept the scoreboard ticking to ensure In'ia didn't lose a wicket till tea despite Mulder and Maharaj getting some assistance from the pitch.
Earlier, Rahul and Mayank Agarwal justified captain Kohli's decision to bat first with a careful yet solid opening stand as India reached 83/0 in 28 overs at lunch.
Brief scores: India 157/2 in 57 overs (KL Rahul 68 not out, Mayank Agarwal 60, Lungi Ngidi 2/35) against South Africa
There are two types of Indian Cricket fans during world events. 1) Beat Pakistan even if you lose the Cup. 2) Win the Cup, nothing else matters. Unfortunately, the Indian team had irked both types of fans in the first two games itself. There was trolling, name calling and abuse for team India. The fact that the team made some tactical changes in the game against NZ did not go down well with anybody and clinical dissection of the team began. Everything from the religion of Shami to the IPL was seen as a reason for failure. I have heard a lot of such discussions on various platforms and thus thought there was a need for a Devil’s Advocate here. So here, I will try to give my two cents to this entire scenario and try to make sense of things.
HOW FAIR IS THE CRITICISM?
If you have observed the World Cup keenly, you will realise that majority of the criticism is a knee-jerk reaction. Practically, India played just one bad game, the one against New Zealand. Pakistan were fantastic on the day and outdid India’s brilliant recovery. Babar Azam and Rizwan played chanceless knocks and gave India no chance. And in the remaining games, India absolutely demolished the opponents. Yes, they were supposedly smaller teams but whatever slim chance India had to make it through depended heavily on beating each team by a huge margin. To produce the kind of results India did, under the kind of pressure they were in, is absolutely commendable. Comparing this with the 2007 World Cup exit is also not fair as the reason behind India’s first round exit then was largely their defeat at the hands of a much inferior Bangladesh.
BLAMING EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN
I am not even going to the absurdity of Shami’s religion being blamed or India’s defeat being celebrated by so-called Indians after Kohli came out in Shami’s support. People went on to blame the IPL. The only thing about the IPL that can be blamed is the fact that it was staged just before the World Cup. However, even that is neutralized by the fact that it actually helped players get used to the conditions in the UAE. Players from other teams have benefitted from it and they have openly acknowledged that as well. So, blaming IPL 2021 makes no sense. Blaming IPL as a whole is even more stupid. IPL as a system has worked brilliantly. Most players playing for the country today are either products of the IPL or they have been polished by it. IPL keeps producing brilliant talent and people in good form in the IPL have been propelled to national selection as well.
SPLITTING ROHIT-RAHUL, A TACTICAL BLUNDER?
Almost everybody has criticized that move against the Kiwis. But I want to take a closer look at it. T20 cricket is a dynamic game where shuffling the batting order is not as big a deal. In fact, teams who have flexible batting orders tend to fare better. In my opinion, the move to open with Ishan Kishan was obvious and dropping Rohit Sharma down was tactically a brilliant move. Considering Rohit’s troubles against left arm pacers, shielding him from one of the best in the world in such an important game was pretty much a sensible thing to do. That it didn’t work out well is a different story altogether. Had the move worked, the same people who criticized it would have called it a brave and excellent thought. The only thing is I would have preferred Kohli to bat 3 and Rohit to bat 4 in the game.
SO, WHAT WENT WRONG?
Now that a lot of criticism has been discarded by me, it is also essential to point out what went wrong.
• Starting Eleven: To start with, Ravi Ashwin should have been in the starting eleven. Playing Hardik despite the fact that he wasn’t fit to bowl was not the right thing to do. Ishan Kishan should have played in his place.
• Too much hype around beating Pakistan: The chest thumping with the Mauka Mauka campaigns, statements like walkover match and the overall hype around the India-Pakistan match is one of the reasons. There was so much hype around it that even the broadcasters thought it was wise to discuss that match in the pre, post and mid innings shows of other matches in the qualifying stage, completely ignoring the match at hand. It was a kind of disrespect to the ongoing matches. So, with so much hype around the game, losing that match deflated the team and they were visibly on the backfoot in the next match which was the most important one for them in the tournament.
• A bit of luck: Yes, luck plays a part too. The fact that toss was so crucial in the night games shows how much luck plays a part. The toss in the first two matches was very crucial. Also, the fact that this was supposedly an easier group didn’t work well for India. The fact that it was a race between India, Pakistan and NZ for qualification resulted in one bad match being responsible for India’s ouster.
Yes, when the team accepts all the love of the fans, they are supposed to endure criticism as well is true. But the criticism has to be fair and the kind of hate that they suddenly were subjected to must be avoided. Things go wrong for the best of teams and this time around it was India who messed up what could have been a dream end to Kohli’s T20I captaincy. But it was not to be. So, fans of the Indian team, chin up and wait for them to bounce back. The next World Cup is not far away.
(DISCLAIMER: This is an opinion piece. The views expressed are the author’s own and have nothing to do with OTV’s charter or views. OTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
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Rahul captioned it - Happy birthday my heart (heart emoji) @athiyashetty.” But what caught attention of the fans was the fact that through the adorable post, the cricketer officially announced his relationship with Athiya even though they have been secretly dating each other for a couple of years now.
Rahul hit the fastest 50 of the tournament on Friday, in what was termed by his fans as his birthday gift to Athiya. Meanwhile, another very famous B-Town jodi had made their relationship Insta official this very week. Actors Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt have been rumored to be in a relationship for a while now.
But on Diwali eve, Alia took to Instagram to post a bunch of photos from the festivities. Then she shared a picture of herself hugging Ranbir with both of them smiling ear-to-ear. Taking the thread from her last pictures’ caption, she wrote, "& some love .. Happy Diwali".
Fans were overjoyed after the ‘Kalank’ actress posted the picture with Ranbir as they had never explicitly made their relationship official, even though Alia had been spotted with Ranbir multiple times at various family events. As per buzz in the national media, Alia and Ranbir will most likely tie the knot in December this year.
Video Editor: Surendra Pradhan
Producer: Diptyranjita Patra
After MSD's retirement from test matches, the Indian selectors have persisted with 33-year-old Wriddhiman Saha for the tests and at times tried out Naman Ojha and Parthiv Patel who are of the same age group, when Saha was injured.
India went with Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik in the recently concluded Nidahas Trophy where Dinesh kept wickets for the Indian side and impressed one and all with his big hitting skills to win the dramatic final game against Bangladesh.
Just after the tri-series, Indian wicketkeepers in various teams of Indian Premier League have scored runs quite easily. Rishabh Pant's batting heroics yesterday against Sunrisers Hyderabad is one such example and the Uttarakhand lad grabbed the Orange cap for being the top scorer of the tournament so far.
Five out of eight Indians in the top ten run scorers' list in this IPL are either wicketkeepers of their respective teams or have donned the keeping gloves before in their career. Let's take a look at the Indian wicket-keepers whose bats are doing the talking in the 11th edition of the cash-rich league.
1) Rishabh Pant (Delhi Daredevils)
[caption id="attachment_294935" align="aligncenter" width="806"] Photo: NDTV[/caption]
With 521 runs at an average of 52.10, Delhi's Rishabh Pant is the current Orange Cap-holder. His unbeaten 128 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the last game captivated one and all. He played quality cricketing shots and also improvised as and when needed. He has a fabulous strike rate of 179.65 which is very dangerous for any opposition bowling line up. His 85-run knock in Bengaluru was equally impressive as well where he played huge shots all around Chinnaswamy Stadium. Apart from that blistering ton, Pant has three fifties to his name as well.
2) KL Rahul (Kings XI Punjab)
Karnataka's KL Rahul is at number three in the list of top run-getters, The KXIP stumper has amassed 471 runs from 10 games with an average of 58.87 and a strike rate of 156. He has been providing good starts for KXIP from the very beginning of the tournament but his last two unbeaten knocks of 95 and 84 against Rajasthan Royals have been very special. He has not only played as a big striker of the cricket ball but in the last two knocks he played as a sheet anchor.
3) Ambati Rayudu (Chennai Super Kings)
[caption id="attachment_294939" align="aligncenter" width="725"] Photo: India Times[/caption]
Although unlike his previous stints with the Mumbai Indians, Chenai Super Kings' Ambati Rayudu is not being seen behind the stumps because of the presence of Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the team. But CSK has used him really well in the batting lineup. With two good scores of 82 and 79 and some very quick starts, Rayudu is at number five in the top batsmen list with 423 runs. CSK has used him as a floater in the batting order and he has ensured that he capitalizes every opportunity given to him.
4) Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings)
[caption id="attachment_294940" align="aligncenter" width="759"] Photo: Indian Express[/caption]
It has been "Maahi Maar Raha Hai" for Chennai fans so far in the IPL-2018. Captain Cool MSD has the highest average in the list and has played some magnificent knocks so far in the tourney. It has been vintage Dhoni in this IPL so far and his fans and supporters of the Super Kings are enjoying every bit of it. Dhoni is at number seven in the list with 360 runs from 10 games at an average of 90 and strike-rate of 166. Dhoni's unbeaten knock of 79 which came against KXIP in a losing cause this season is his personal best in T20 cricket. Since that game, Dhoni has fired in almost every game for Chennai and answered his critics in style. With his current form one can certainly say that he has a lot in him and his days are not numbered.
5) Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals)
[caption id="attachment_294941" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Photo: Hindustan Times[/caption]
23-year-old Kerala wicketkeeper Sanju Samson has also been impressive with the bat so far in the tournament. Although he is not being seen behind the stumps because of Englishman Jos Butler who is donning the keeper's gloves this season. Sanju has scored 332 runs in 10 games with an average of 36.88 and is at the ninth position of the batsmen's list in IPL 11. His knock of 92 off 45 balls earlier in the game against Bangalore got him Player of the Match Award and during the early stage of the competition he also had the Orange Cap on his head.
Apart from these five wicketkeepers in the top 10 list, Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Dinesh Karthik is at number 11 with 321 runs from 11 games and with three games remaining in the season for KKR, he has also got a good chance to enter the list of top 10 batsmen in the season.
Mumbai Indians' keeper and former India U19 captain Ishan Kishan is also not lagging behind and he has struck a couple of fifties so far in the tournament and was awarded Man of the Match for his brisk knock of 62 off 21 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders Wednesday evening. Senior wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel played his first game for Royal Challengers Bangalore after one-month of commencement of the tourney and went on to score a half-century in his first game.
Rahul opened up about his relationship status on chat show "Open House with Renil". The episode will air on Sunday on zoOm styled by Myntra, read a statement to IANS.
About his relationship with Nidhhi, he said: "We have known each other since our college days. We are just good friends and all the rumours are false."
Nidhhi had also earlier denied the news of dating the Indian cricketer that started making the rounds after she was spotted with Rahul, having dinner.
“Yes, I did go out on a dinner with Rahul. I and Rahul go back a long way. We have known each other since our teenage years before Rahul became a cricketer and I became an actress. Though we did not go to the same college in Bangalore, but we have known each other for long,” she told spotboye.
Besides, Rahul had also issued a clarification related to the matter and said, "Can't a guy and girl be friends, is it so hard? I have known her for a long time, we both come from the same city. It's great to see the progress she is making in her field,” NDTV him as saying.
Commissioner cum Secretary, State Sports and Youth Services department, Vishal Dev has extended full-fledged support to the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI), which is organizing the World Cup Cricket for the Blind.
Briefing media persons here today, Dev requested the people to watch the match in person and encourage the players. The first qualifying match of the event would be played between India and New Zealand at the KIIT University Grounds on February 7.
Announcing support towards the World Cup for the Blind, Dev, said it is vitally important to develop an ecosystem to foster sports for the differently abled as they evolve into a platform through which they can contribute equally to the society and the nation. It greatly helps to attain financial independence and an inclusive society. I am extremely happy to have rendered our responsibility of providing support towards the cause of cricket for the visually impaired in the country, on behalf of the Sports and Youth Services Department. I wish CABI and its affiliates all the very best. I urge one and all to show support by being present at the venue and cheering the players," he added.
Expressing his views on the state government supporting the noble Initiative, Strategist on Board of CABI, MJ Srikant said developing any initiative of public interest needs a pro-active support from government authorities, especially in the context of initiatives directed towards bettering the lives of the differently abled. “On behalf of CABI I sincerely thank the Odisha government for extending its support towards the 2nd T20 World Cup Cricket for the Blind. This comes in at the right time when we are garnering as much support as we can and ensure this World Cup will be a game changer for this format of the sport in the country," he pointed out.
"I thank the Sports and Youth Services Department for the support they have provided. It will certainty help the visually impaired community across the nation," said Sabyasachi Mishra, the recently chosen Brand Ambassador of Cricket for the Blind in Odisha.
Sanyasi Behera, secretary, Odisha Blind Association, talked about his experience of Blind Cricket and sought sincere cooperationand encouragement from the cricket lovers of Odisha.
Rahul Dravid is the official Brand Ambassador for the tournament while cricket stars Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, Umesh Yadav, Gautam Gambhir and Bollywood actor Anupam Kher have also come forward to support and promote Blind Cricket.
Former Indian cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar and many other cricketers have come forward to support this international event.
Ananta Kishore Jena, Director, Sports & Youth Services thanked the media and hoped that it will play a key role in highlighting this international event.
Chasing a paltry 72-run target, openers Prithvi Shaw (33 not out) and KL Rahul (33 not out) guided India home with ease in just 16.1 overs on the third day of the Test.
After scoring 367 runs in their first innings in reply to the West Indies' 311, India bowled out the visitors for 127 runs in the second innings, setting themselves a 72-run target.
Earlier, India had crushed the tourists by an innings and 272 runs in the first Test at Rajkot.
Kohli had sat out the final two ODIs and the three T20Is against New Zealand, but is back to lead the team in the entire series against the Kangaroos.
Keeping in mind the preparations for the upcoming ICC World Cup, the BCCI selectors named two different squads for the subsequent five-ODI series against the Australians.
The only difference between the squads is seasoned pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar returning to the 15-man squad for the final three matches, replacing Siddharth Kaul, who was included for the two T20Is and the first two 50-over games.
Wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik, who was part of the ODI squad in Australia and New Zealand, has not been included in the squad with Rishabh Pant getting a call-up.
The T20Is will be played on February 24 and February 27 in Visakhapatnam and Bengaluru, respectively, followed by the ODI series starting in Hyderabad on March 2.
Nagpur will host the second match on March 5, while Ranchi and Mohali will host the third and fourth games on March 8 and March 10, respectively. The final match will be played at the Ferozeshah Kotla here on March 13.
Squads:
For 1st and 2nd ODI: Virat Kohli (Capt), Rohit Sharma (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (WK), Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohamed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Vijay Shankar, Rishabh Pant, Siddharth Kaul, KL Rahul.
For remaining 3 ODIs: Virat Kohli (Capt), Rohit Sharma (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Vijay Shankar, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant.
For T20I series: Virat Kohli (Capt), Rohit Sharma (vc), KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (WK), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Vijay Shankar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Sidharth Kaul, Mayank Markande.
So far, both the teams have played two matches with one victory each.
Both the teams are likely to introduce some changes in the match to stay away from the previous controversies and exhibit their performance on field. Here is a list of the players of each team who hold the potential to lead their team to victory.
Chris Gayle-Kings XI Punjab
Chris Gayle, known for his run scoring techniques, is one of the celebrated players in the world. With his explosive innings, the West Indian player has the potential of turning the match in favour of his team.
KL Rahul- Kings XI Punjab
All eyes are on KL Rahul in the KXIP squad team as his previous strikes against Mumbai Indians are worth remembering. Even though Rahul is struggling to score runs, fans are hopeful of witnessing a good innings from him.
Andrew Tye- Kings XI Punjab
The all-rounder of KXIP team, Andrew Tye is the purple cap winner of last year. With his variations, the player brings something new every time. Tye holds the ability to restrict the batsmen of the opponent team from scoring runs freely.
Yuvraj Singh-Mumbai Indians
Veteran Yuvraj Singh had a decent opening match this season. Yuvraj could bring a turning point to the game with his experience and talent. The player brings stability to the middle order and can show his magic with his bat.
Krunal Pandya- Mumbai Indians
The all-rounder in MI team, Krunal Pandya, could turn out to be a major player in today's match. Mohali pitch is spinner friendly which will suit Pandya and he can reap the advantages.
Mitchell McClenaghan- Mumbai Indians
Mitchell McClenaghan is in a good form and it will be interesting to watch the fast bowler's performance in today's match. McClenaghan restricts the batsmen from scoring runs easily and the rest is to witness in today's match.
The duo had appeared before Jain separately. While Pandya met him on April 9, Rahul met him in Mumbai on April 10. The World Cup squad was announced on April 15.
Speaking to IANS, one of the three members of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) said that it was indeed surprising that the ombudsman was yet to hand over the report of the inquiry. The matter was handed to Jain by the CoA.
"We were hoping to get a report from the ombudsman, but haven't received anything as yet. The team for the World Cup has been picked and the fate of the players still hangs in balance.
"Yes, they have served a temporary suspension and were called back from Australia, but you cannot decide on behalf of the ombudsman. If the ombudsman feels that they have paid for their act, then also a clean chit does have to officially come from him," the member explained.
Another BCCI functionary said that if the two players are handed any form of suspension, the selectors will have to bring in players who are on the stand-by list.
"Well, the Indian board does have the provision to make changes to the squad till May 23 without needing the approval of the ICC's Event Technical Committee. If a scenario does arise wherein these players are ruled out, then the selectors will pick from the stand-by players. Hopefully such a situation won't come," the functionary told IANS.
Repeated attempts to get in touch with Jain failed as he didn't respond to calls or messages.
After speaking to the two cricketers, Jain had said that the players met him and explained themselves and that he would take a decision in due course.
(Story By: Baidurjo Bhose)
Rahul's run rampage made most Chennai bowlers look helpless. The opener, whose stunning knock was decorated with seven fours and five massive sixes, bought up his half-century off just 19 balls. It's now the third fastest half-century of the ongoing season.
Chasing the 171-run target, Rahul and his partner Chris Gayle (28 off 28) gave Punjab a flying start and the hosts were 33/0 in the first three overs, before the former clobbered Harbhajan Singh for 24 runs in the next over.
While Gayle, the self-proclaimed 'boss of universe', mostly remained silent, there was no stopping Rahul whose carnage of Chennai bowlers saw Punjab reaching 85/0 in just seven overs. At one stage it looked as if the hosts would cross the line in just 15 overs as their scorecard read 106/0 in 10 overs.
Harbhajan finally gave Chennai some respite with a much needed breakthrough, dismissing a dangerous Rahul in the 11th over. Rahul trying to go for the maximum sliced a delivery high in the air and Imran Tahir made no mistake at extra cover.
Just in the next ball, Harbhajan packed back Gayle to reduce the hosts to 108/2. The Caribbean had tried to clear the fence but ended up giving a catch to substitute Dhruv Shorey at long-on.
Just when the two new batsmen -- Pooran and Mayank Agarwal -- could add another 10 runs in Punjab's scorecard, Harbhajan showed his class to send Agarwal to the hut. Agarwal could contribute just seven runs.
It seemed the Yellow Brigade would make a comeback in the game. But Pooran seemed in a hurry to finish things off as his lusty blows saw Punjab crossing the 150-run mark in 14.5 overs. Pooran couldn't continue till the last as Ravindra Jadeja cut short his stay in the 17th over. However, it was too late for the visitors with Punjab comfortably placed at 163/4.
With just 8 more runs needed, Mandeep Singh (11 not out off 9) and Sam Curran (6 off 7) easily drove Punjab home with 12 balls to spare.
For Chennai, Harbhajan was the pick of bowlers as he scalped three wickets, but leaked 57 runs from his four overs. Jadeja bagged one for 16 runs.
Earlier, opener Faf du Plessis's 96 off 55 balls and Suresh Raina's 53 off 38 balls helped Chennai post 170/5 in the allotted 20 overs.
The duo were involved in a crucial 120-run second wicket partnership, building the platform for a fighting total as their lower middle-order failed to contribute.
While du Plessis' knock was laced with 10 boundaries and four sixes, Raina's innings contained five fours and two hits into the stands.
Put to bat, openers Shane Watson (7 off 11) and du Plessis started on a good note, adding 30 runs in the initial four overs. But in the next over Curran drew the first blood for Punjab as he castled Watson.
Raina and du Plessis then anchored the innings, helping Chennai reach the 50-run mark in 7.1 overs before they further developed the partnership to take their side to 79/1 at the half way stage.
They continued to play sensibly and kept the scorers busy as Chennai touched the three-digit mark in 12.5 overs. Meanwhile, du Plessis also notched up his second half-century of the season off 37 balls.
Just when it seemed that they would comfortably steer Chennai to an imposing total, Raina mistimed a slower delivery by Curran to give an easy catch to Mohammed Shami at short fine-leg.
Curran struck again in the 19th over to send back a well-settled du Plessis, who fell short of his century by just four runs with Chennai's scorecard reading 163/3.
Shami then dismissed Kedar Jadhav (0) and Ambati Rayudu (1) in the final over as Chennai skipper M.S. Dhoni (10) and Dwayne Bravo (1) remained unbeaten at the end of 20 overs.
Brief scores: Kings XI Punjab 173/4 in 18 overs (KL Rahul 71, Nicholas Pooran 36; Harbhajan Singh 3/57) beat Chennai Super Kings: 170/5 in 20 overs (Faf du Plessis 96, Suresh Raina 53; Sam Curran 3/35) by 6 wickets.
Rahul hit a brilliant 36-ball 71 as Kings XI defeated Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by six wickets in their final group stage encounter of the Indian Premier League (IPL) here on Sunday.
Chasing 171 for victory, the Punjab-based franchise rode on a blistering 108-run opening stand between Gayle and Rahul to cross the line comfortably with two overs to spare.
In a chat after the match, Gayle told Rahul, "You're one of the best opening partners I've had. Our communication between the wickets was fantastic."
In reply, Rahul said, "He (Gayle) saw me as a 21-year-old in RCB (Royal Challengers Bangalore). I've learned so much from him as an opening batsman. From then to now, he's not said anything different. I've learned so much from him, and we've enjoyed playing together."
Kings XI Punjab ended their 2019 IPL campaign at the sixth position with 12 points from 14 games. Rahul ended the season as their highest run-getter with 593 runs from 14 games, followed by Gayle who amassed 490 runs from 13 games. The duo shared two hundred-run partnerships.
Rohit looked in sublime touch from the word go and brought up his third century in World Cups in vintage fashion. He got to his 100 in 85 balls, hitting nine fours and three sixes.
K.L. Rahul gave him good company at the other end before being dismissed. The pair, opening together for the first time, broke a 23-year-old record set by Sachin Tendulkar and Navjot Singh Sidhu for the highest opening partnership in a World Cup match against Pakistan.
Tendulkar and Sidhu had shared a 90-run stand for the opening wicket in the 1996 World Cup in Bengaluru. India went on to post 287 before winning the match by 37 runs.
Rohit and Rahul broke the record in the 16th over with the latter getting out on 57, spooning a Wahab Riaz fullish delivery to Babar Azam at covers.
Rohit helped the duo get the landmark with a cut against leg-spinner Shadab Khan.
The duo shared a 100-plus stand for the opening wicket, becoming, in the process, the first Indian pair to do so against Pakistan in a World Cup tie.
Rohit led the charge as he brought up his 50 in just 34 deliveries with the help of six fours and two sixes.
In the absence of injured Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit allowed Rahul to settle down and played the aggressor's role from the get-go.
The 32-year old was lucky to survive a run out chance in the 11th over when a hesitation between him and Rahul saw Rohit way out of his crease, as Shadab Khan did superbly well to pick up the ball one-hand but got the direction of the throw wrong.
In the next over, Rohit rubbed salt into his wound by tonking the spinner for a four and a six off consecutive deliveries to bring up his half century.
Rahul, who got his fifty with a six off Shoaib Malik, looked in good touch once he saw off the initial phase.
At the other end, for the 27-year-old Karnataka batsman it was always going to be a daunting task to fill into Dhawan's shoes who is a pillar for Virat Kohli's side at the top.
Rahul's innings was laced with three fours and two sixes as the pair added 136 runs for the opening wicket.
At the other end, there was no stopping Rohit as he continued his rich vein of form in the competition. Rohit got to his hundred by milking Shadab for a single.
His wife, Ritika Sajdeh, was there in the stands to applaud him, a broad smile hugging her cheeks, as the dashing right-hander raised his bat.
Rohit also got past M.S. Dhoni for the most number of sixes by an Indian batsman in international cricket when he hit Hasan Ali over the deep fine-leg boundary in the sixth over.
This is also only the fourth time a hundred-run partnership has been forged by India batsmen against arch-rivals Pakistan in World Cups.
Mohammad Kaif and Sachin Tendulkar became the first pair in the 2003 World Cup while Shikhar Dhawan-Virat Kohli and Virat Kohli-Suresh Raina did so in the 2015 World Cup.
Rohit, in his superb form this World Cup, has now joined an elite list of cricketers, becoming only the fourth player to aggregate 2,000 runs in One-Day Internationals against Australia in India's last game after their tie against New Zealand was washed off.
Rohit, along with Sachin Tendulkar, Sir Viv Richards and Desmond Haynes complete the list.
The Mumbai batsman notched up the mark in his 37th innings against Australia -- the fastest to do so, and did so in style with a square drive to Glenn Maxwell for a four.
Tendulkar took 51 innings to reach the milestone while Haynes and Richards took 59 and 45 innings respectively.
Making his debut at the WC, all-rounder Vijay Shankar may not have proved his point in the batting department but rose to the occasion to create a record by getting a wicket in his very first delivery.
While opener Shikhar Dhawan has been ruled out of the WC due to thumb fracture, Bhuvi suffered a hamstring niggle and is likely to be rested for next 2-3 matches.
This was followed by Vijay Shankar who was hit on his toe by a Jasprit Bumrah yorker during a training session. However, there is nothing serious, claimed reports coming out of the Indian camp.
Coming back to the game where Vijay Shankar claims he is the best among other players, the BCCI released a video on what VJ does on his off day. "Wordscapes is my favourite game right now. Whenever we get time in the bus, we try to play this. We try to finish as many levels we can. That's how we spend most of our time in the bus."
When asked who else plays and who is the best in the game, VJ said, "Myself, KL and Dinesh Karthik try to finish as many levels we can. I think I am the best in this, for sure."
WATCH the video:
WATCH: What's @vijayshankar260 up to on his off day?
We find out about the game that VJ is hooked on to & the sport he is practicing when he is not playing cricket ??? - by @RajalArora #TeamIndia #CWC19
Watch the full video here ▶️▶️ https://t.co/XJvF7ZKU3E pic.twitter.com/Z6AlHDozdT
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 21, 2019
For the first time, Karan broke the rule last season by inviting the current Indian cricket heartthrobs KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya instead of a celebrity from the entertainment industry. Unfortunately, some of the statements made by these two budding cricketers triggered off controversy leading to their temporary suspension for a series. But did that cause a rift between Pandya and Rahul who are very good friends?
Post the controversy both the cricketers apologized and eventually everything was settled. But what lingered on was the bitterness that affected both Pandya and Rahul’s life. The unfolding of these events made them both very angry. But at that time Rahul turned to his close ones to get through the emotional crisis.
Recently in an interview, the opening batsman of India said, "I won’t lie. I was bitter for a bit; it affected and bothered me a lot. I was angry, but I came out of it all as a more accepting person. I understood that certain things are sensitive, and no matter what you do, certain people will find the bad in you. It was important that I spoke about it with those close to me, and I was happy to be in my little bubble — friends, and cricket."
While discussing whether the controversy made any difference to his friendship with Hardik Pandya, Rahul said that both of them shut themselves off from the world and were with their respective family and friends. Since both of them are literally 300 days together, either traveling or playing cricket there is no scope for animosity between the two. According to Rahul, they still are good friends and enjoy each other’s company.
By Sangati Jogwar
The cool and stylish actress Athiya Shetty recently posted a motivational message on her Insta handle. Designer Vikram Phandnis teased the actress pulling KL in, meaning KL Rahul. He however later explained KL is for Kuala Lumpur. Alongside, Vikram even brought cricket into his comment which was out of context. So it became obvious that he meant something to do with Athiya and Rahul.
Earlier reports on Rahul and Athiya going around with each other were on entertainment portals which also reported that the two started dating since a little before February this year.
After Vikram Phadnis's comment, it is clear that the designer is teasing the actress. But, Vikram could also be knowing something that is a secret till now.
In her Instagram Athiya wrote -- 'Trust the timing of your life.' Sharing it, she wrote: "always, always." The most interesting comments from among the hordes were by Phadnis who said "You seem to be v hyper and excited these days ??? Let's go to KL ??? ..... Kuala Lumpur ????" Immediately Athiya replied: "@vikramphadnis TIME to block you!"
Continuing the fun Phadnis again wrote, "I will complain to the UMPIRE !! @athiyashetty and once your WICKET is gone ... it's back to the pavilion !!! Am sure !!!! @athiyashetty !!! What about the timing btw !!!!!!!!" . That Phadnis meant something about her and cricket was evident.
Initially, Athiya didn't comment on Vikram's comment but later posted that it was time to block the designer from her Instagram account.
Rahul and Athiya were not seen together until Akansha Ranjan shared a picture on her Instagram ID. The picture of KL Rahul, Athiya Shetty and Akansha Ranjan got viral on social media and gave rise to the rumours.
Both Athiya and Rahul are silent on the issue. Rather Rahul told Bombay Times in an interview that he doesn’t read the papers, so doesn’t know what has been written about him. ‘’I have learnt to keep my personal life personal and not make it a thing to talk about. I am committed to cricket right now," he stated to the paper.
There could be nothing serious between them or there could be much serious things which both the actress or the cricketer don't want to reveal. Fans have to wait until one of them comes out with any statement.
Athiya Shetty, who made her debut in Bollywood with Hero in 2015 alongside Sooraj Pancholi. The actress is gearing up for her next project 'Motichoor Chaknachoor' opposite Nawazuddin Siddiqui.
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.
West Indies decision to bowl first backfired as Rahul (91 off 56 balls; 9x4, 4x6) and Rohit (71 off 34 balls; 6x4; 5x6) conjured 135 runs for first wicket in 11.4 overs.
They took a listless opposition attack to cleaners and smashed 72 runs in first six overs. While Rohit completed his 50 off 23 balls, Rahul did it in 29 deliveries.
And later in the innings, Kolhi (70 off 29 balls; 4x4; 7x6) showed his class as he and Rahul put up a 95-run-stand off 45 balls for third wicket to propel the hosts to the highest total at Wankhede Stadium.
Rohit began with a cover drive boundary off pacer Sheldon Cottrell. In second over off Jason Holder, Rahul hit back-to-back boundaries at the third man region, the first coming from a thick outside edge.
Rohit then stamped his class as he pulled Cottrell for a six and followed by a four towards mid-off region. It was Rohit's 400th six in international cricket to become the first Indian to achieve the feat.
Rahul then struck a four followed by a six over third man fence as India amassed 14 runs off 4th over by Jason Holder.
Left-arm spinner Khary Pierre was introduced into the attack, but Rohit welcomed him with a towering six over long-on. The next ball, Evin Lewis, almost pulled off a one-handed blinder, but could not complete the catch. Rahul inflicted more agony on Kesrick Williams as he hit two fours and a six in the sixth over.
Then Rohit hit two consecutive sixes and a four off Pierre as India raced to 102/0 after 8 overs.
This was third 100-run stand between the two in T20s. At the half-way mark, India were 116/0. However, West Indies pegged back India by removing Rohit and one-down Rishabh Pant (0) quickly.
Then Kohli joined Rahul as the two continued the onslaught. Kohli was brutal on Holder, as he hit two fours and a six in the 15th over, as India scored 22 runs off it.
The last five overs belonged to Kohli, who hammered fours and sixes at will as West Indies paid heavy price for indiscipline bowling. Fittingly Kohli finished the innings with a straight-six.
(PTI)
The 'Maximum City' witnessed the maximum entertainment as the trinity of Rahul (91 off 56 balls), Rohit (71 off 34 balls) and captain Kohli (70 not out off 29 balls) contributed in a total of 240 for 3 which completely took factors like, dew, flat track out of equation.
An asking rate of 12 from the start would be Herculean for any team and West Indies, in the end, managed only 173 for 8 with Mohammed Shami (2/25 in 4 overs) enjoying a good outing in his first game of the series.
With a cushion of runs on the board, Deepak Chahar (2/20 in 4 overs) was also steady while Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/41 in 4 overs) and Kuldeep Yadav (2/45) also got wickets even though they were a bit expensive.
West Indies were never in contention and 'local man' Keiron Pollard's (68 off 39 balls) five sixes in familiar surroundings was nothing more than consolation for the visitors.
While this is only a bilateral series but the manner of victory taking into context West Indies as a T20 opposition and the swagger with which the hosts defended a total will only help them gain confidence.
There were 16 sixes that lit up the Mumbai skyline with Rohit hitting five, Rahul four and surprising everyone, 'boundary man' Kohli had seven of them in all.
India needed a good start but Rohit and Rahul made it a brilliant one as they conjured 135 runs in 11.4 overs.
The true nature of the pitch with no lateral movement only made it easier as the batsmen could hit through the line. Rohit, in particular, pulled with disdain and also got one knee to hit the slog sweep into the cow corner.
Rahul was more classical in his approach with shots square off the wicket, using the pace of the spinners' deliveries to play it as late as possible.
But the man who made the difference between a good and winning score undoubtedly was skipper Kohli, who again looked charged up, enjoying his battle with Kesrick Williams.
After Rishabh Pant's duck stuck out like a sore thumb, Kohli took it upon himself during the 95-run stand with Rahul as he demonised the bowlers. There was another flicked six off Kesrick Williams, whom he intimidated after playing each shot.
Jason Holder was taken for 54 runs in his 4 overs and the fifth bowling combination of left-arm spinner Khary Pierre (0/35 in 2 overs) and Pollard (0/33 in 2 overs) gave away 68 in their four.
In fact, any hopes of a competitive game was over when Kohli smashed 27 off Pollard in the 19th over of the innings as it included three sixes and a four. A over before that, 17 were taken off Williams.
West Indies started their chase with a handicap as Evin Lewis was ruled out after sustaining an on-field knee injury. The only time there was some fight between bat and ball was when Pollard and Shimron Hetmyer (41 of 24 balls) added 74 runs in 6.2 overs.
(PTI)
In the latest rankings released on Thursday, Rahul has jumped by three spots to number six while Kohli has made a jump of five spots to enter the top 10.
Rahul slammed 91 off 56 deliveries and was adjudged Man of the Match in the third T20I which India won by 67 runs at the Wankhede. He scored 164 runs in the three matches against the West Indies.
Meanwhile, Kohli amassed 183 runs against the West Indies and was declared the Player of the Series.
However, Rohit has moved down by a spot and is now placed at the ninth spot in the ICC Rankings. The 32-year-old, who is the first Indian to hit 400 sixes in international cricket, scored 94 runs in the three T20Is against Kieron Pollard's men.
Both Rohit and Kohli are leading run-scorers in T20Is, currently tied at 2,633 runs each.
The Indian skipper has accumulated these runs in 75 matches (70 innings) at an average of 52.66. Rohit, on the other hand, needed 104 matches (96 innings) to score the same number of runs at an average of 32.10.
(IANS)
The West Indies were set a target of 389 by India with Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul scoring centuries as part of a 227-run opening stand. The visitors started the chase well with a 61-run stand between Shai Hope and Evin Lewis. Shardul Thakur got the breakthrough off the last ball of the 11th over with Lewis mistiming a pull right down the throat of Shreyas Iyer.
Shimron Hetmyer, who scored 139 in the previous match, replaced Lewis but his stay didn't last long primarily thanks to a brilliant fielding effort from Shreyas. He first stopped the ball from racing to the boundary in extraordinary fashion, tumbled over the ropes and recovered before gathering the ball and completing a gun throw to the non-striker's end. Jadeja, who was bowling the over, collected the throw and whipped away the bails promptly to complete the run out. Hetmyer could only make four runs off seven balls.
Jadeja then dismissed Roston Chase with a nearly unplayable delivery in his next over. However, Nicholas Pooran then played a counter-attacking innings to shift the balance in favour of the visitors. With a solid Hope holding up one end, Pooran went after the Indian bowlers.
The pair put up 106 runs for the fourth wicket, most of which were scored by Pooran. He went after India's wicket-taking bowlers and momentarily put West Indies on cruise mode. However, Mohammed Shami effected a turnaround in the 30th over with consecutive wickets.
He first managed to get a top edge off Pooran after which the ball ballooned up in the air. Kuldeep made no mistake with the catch and Pooran had to walk having made 75 runs off 47 balls. Shami then got West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard off the very next ball. Earlier, Pollard's counterpart Virat Kohli had been dismissed for a golden duck too, thus making this the first time in an ODI that the captains of both teams had been dismissed off the first ball they faced.
Shami did not get a hat-trick but that is exactly what Kuldeep ended up doing two overs later. The first man to fall was Hope, who went for a sweep off the third ball of the over hoping to get it over the boundary but Indian captain Virat Kohli caught it right at the edge of the boundary. He walked on 78 off 85 balls.
Kuldeep then deceived Jason Holder in flight with a googly. The all-rounder missed it altogether and dragged his feet out of the crease. Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant was alert to it and knocked off the bails while Holder's foot was still in the air.
Kuldeep then bowled a wrong'un from around the stumps towards new batsman Alzarri Joseph. The ball took a thick outside edge and Kedar Jadhav did well to hold on to it at second slip.
Keemo Paul anchored the tail and fell four runs short of his maiden ODI fifty to a Mohammed Shami yorker which marked the end of the West Indies innings. Paul shared a 50-run stand for the ninth wicket with Khary Pierre and added 20 for the last wicket.
Earlier, Rohit and Rahul's massive opening stand was backed up by an astonishing late assault from Pant and Shreyas. While Rahul (102) was dismissed in the same over that he raised his hundred, Rohit carried on and looked primed for a record extending fourth ODI double ton. However he fell on 159 to Sheldon Cottrell in the 44th over.
That was only the start of the pain for West Indies however as Pant came in and made his intentions clear with a six off the second ball he faced. He hit another six two balls later and then a single to take strike as Cottrell came back for the 46th over.
Pant hit two sixes and three fours in that over, thus taking 24 runs off it. Iyer gave Chase an even worse pasting in the next, smashing four sixes and a four. 31 runs were scored off the 47th.
Pant was dismissed in the next over and Iyer after that while Kedar Jadhav hit three fours off the last one as India just failed to cross the 400-run mark.
Brief scores: India 387/5 (Rohit Sharma 159, KL Rahul 102; Sheldon Cottrell 2/83) vs West Indies 280 (Shai Hope 78, Nicholas Pooran 75; Mohammed Shami 3/39)
(IANS)
The convincing win gave the hosts an unassailable 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
After reducing an inexperienced Sri Lanka to 142 for nine, Rahul (45 off 32) provided a perfect start, taking India to 54 for no loss in six overs.
Eventually, Virat Kohli (30 not out off 17) and Shreyas Iyer (34 off 26), who batted ahead of the skipper at number three, fired India home in 17.3 overs.
Iyer fell just before India crossed the finishing line as Kohli finished things with a spectacular six over deep fine leg.
The third and final game of the series will be played in Pune on Friday.
Dhawan (32 off 29), returning to action after missing the limited overs series against the West Indies due to injury, was not at his fluent best and could not keep up with Rahul at the other end.
The 27-year-old from Karnataka carried his sublime form against the West Indies into effectively what was the first game of the series, following the washout in Guwahati.
Rahul's off-side play was a treat to the eye, with five of his six boundaries coming between backward point and mid-off region. His cover drives seemed as effortless the backfoot punches.
Both Dhawan and Rahul are competing for the second opener's slot.
After the fall of the openers, Kohli and Iyer enthralled the Indore crowd with some clean hitting.
Earlier, a disciplined Indian bowling attack proved too good for the struggling Sri Lankans, reducing the visitors to a below-par total.
On a good batting surface, the inexperienced Sri Lanka batsmen squandered promising starts. Their job was made harder by Navdeep Saini (2/18), Shardul Thakur (3/23) and Kuldeep Yadav (2/38), who shared seven wickets among themselves.
Coming from a three-month injury lay-off, lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah did not look at his best, ending with figures of 32 for one in four overs, the most expensive after Kuldeep.
In a rare occurrence, death overs expert Bumrah conceded three back-to-back boundaries in the 20th over. Kusal Perera top-scored for Sri Lanka with an entertaining 34 off 28 balls.
Both teams went in with the same eleven that was picked for the abandoned series opener.
Sri Lanka made a decent start after Kohli opted to chase on a batting beauty, reaching 48 for one in six overs.
The brisk start was provided by Avishka Fernando (22 off 16), who got off the blocks with a delightful cover drive off a juicy half-volley from Bumrah. It was the first legitimate ball Bumrah bowled in his comeback game after starting with a wide.
Bumrah, playing his first game in more than three months, bowled his two overs in the Powerplay from different ends, giving away 16 runs. He removed Dasun Shanaka with a slower ball in his third over before conceding 12 runs in the 20th.
Opener Fernando looked all class in the middle until he threw it away.
Danushka Gunathilaka (20 off 21), too, looked good at the other end, but just like Fernando, he also departed after getting set.
Fernando was caught at mid-off in Washington Sundar's first over before Saini cleaned up left-hander Gunathilaka with a fast yorker, something the Delhi pacer has been doing really well.
Kuldeep, too, struck in his opening after Oshada Fernando (10 off 9) failed to pick his googly, leaving Sri Lanka at 82 for three in the 12th over.
Kuldee got rid of the dangerous Perera in his next over. After reverse sweeping the left-spinner for a six, Perera tried to clear the straight boundary but was caught by Dhawan at long-on.
Sri Lanka kept losing wickets at regular intervals which did not allow them to put up a competitive total.
(PTI)