Author: Kashish Chadha

Indian batter Mayank Agarwal has hailed Test and ODI captain Virat Kohli for his leadership qualities and influence on the side as skipper and player in his illustrious career at the top level. As Kohli relinquished his post as India’s T20I skipper with the end of his team’s campaign at the T20 World Cup in the UAE, Agarwal made a point to shower rich praise on the outgoing captain and lauded him for his impact.  Credit: BCCI Kohli’s team may have faced exit from the Super 12s after losing to Pakistan and New Zealand, but they won 30 and lost just 16 of the 50…

Before New Zealand take on neighbours Australia in a Trans-Tasman finale in Dubai, head coach Gary Stead took a note of his team’s ability to handle the pressure and their bouncebackability, saying it is something to “pride ourselves” on. The Kiwis entered their maiden T20 World Cup final on Thursday when they defeated England in Abu Dhabi in a high-pressure game. In an allround effort, the Black Caps restricted the Englishmen to 166/4 and chased down the 167-run target with five wickets intact. “I think the never-say-die attitude is that we pride ourselves on and take things, bigger teams right down to the wire and then it’s…

Speculations were rife around Hanuma Vihari on Friday as he wasn’t part of India’s Test squad announced for the two-match series at home against New Zealand. But it has emerged now that the middle-order bat is included in the India ‘A’ squad for their three-match four-day series in South Africa. Vihari will be preparing for India’s three-match Test series against the Proteas via the ‘A’ series, starting November 23, two days before the first Test at home against New Zealand. His initial axing from the Test squad came as a massive shock as his last innings for the country was a…

Marcus Stoinis took inspiration from the pain and angst of not being able to finish off the games for Australia in the past and felt determined to be there till the very end until he won his team the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2021. Stoinis played arguably the most important innings of his career on Thursday against Pakistan on Friday night, scoring a well-measured 40 not out off 31 balls. He stitched an excellent unbeaten partnership of 81 runs with Matthew Wade (41*) when Australia found themselves 96/5 in the chase of the stiff 177-run target.  https://twitter.com/ShaneWarne/status/1458855862999535631 The finish was made famous…

India’s outgoing head coach Ravi Shastri continues to stay firm with his stance that he didn’t contract the contagious Covid-19 virus at his book launch in London. Shastri instead feels he got it a week earlier in Leeds where India played the third Test of their five-match series against England. Shastri was one of the main support staff members who contracted the virus and had to be isolated from the rest of the Indian camp. The entire playing group then gave two successive negative tests. But since India were left with only one physio to look after the players and…

Longstanding rivals Australia and India will be taking on each other for the opening game of the much-anticipated women’s T20I event to be held at the next year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the ICC confirmed on November 12. Women’s cricket will be making its debut at the CWG games in an eight-team T20I competition, which will span just over a week and will be held at the Test ground in Edgbaston. The tournament kicks-off with the repeat of the 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup final on July 29 and runs till August 7 when the gold medal game is scheduled. Apart from India and Australia, Pakistan, Barbados, South Africa, England, New Zealand and an additional…

Ajinkya Rahane will be leading India in the first of the two Tests at home against New Zealand in the absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, stated a report by Times of India. While India are yet to formally announce their squad for the two WTC fixtures in Kanpur and Mumbai, TOI reported, regular skipper Kohli has asked for rest for the opening game and Rohit will be skipping the short two-match series entirely.  Both the senior men have been on the road for a long time now and are hoping to freshen up before the marquee tour of South…

Australian wicketkeeper-batter Matthew Wade said “confidence” in their own ability helped him and his end-overs partner Marcus Stoinis pull off a memorable finishing act against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2021 semi-final in Dubai on Thursday. With Australia precariously placed at 96/5 in a stiff run-chase of 177 with a place in the World Cup final at stake, Wade and Stoinis stitched an unbeaten partnership of 81 off 40 balls. Wade hit 41* off 17 deliveries, while Stoinis made 40* off 31.  https://twitter.com/cricketcomau/status/1458904192693649416 Wade had arguably his biggest cricketing triumph on the field for Australia, smashing Pakistan’s in-form left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi for…

Australia held their nerve under great pressure and came out on top in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2021 against Pakistan on Thursday. The Aussies chased down a mammoth 177 with an over to spare and five wickets still intact. In an impressive run-chase, David Warner at the top and the duo of Marcus Stoinis and Matthew Wade came to the party for their side and propelled it past the finish line when the game, for most parts, looked at a knife’s edge. Wade and Stoinis played the end-overs act to perfection, playing knocks of 41* off 17 and 40* off 31, respectively,…

Sanjay Bangar, the former India allrounder, will be the head coach of the popular IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore for the next two years. RCB on Tuesday confirmed Bangar’s appointment in the role for the 2022 and 2023 editions of the IPL. The 49-year-old was already part of the RCB support staff for the IPL 2021 as a batting consultant and is now elevated to the head coach’s job as Mike Hesson leaves his interim post. Hesson, the team’s Director of Cricket operations, had to perform the dual role for the UAE leg of the IPL 2021 as the then head coach Simon Katich resigned from…