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Sreesanth announces retirement from domestic cricket

Fast bowler S Sreesanth on Wednesday announced his retirement from all forms in India’s domestic cricket, bringing down the curtains on his unsettled career…reports Asian Lite News

The 39-year-old, who played his last first-class game for Kerala against Meghalaya in the 2021-22 edition of the Ranji Trophy, finishing with 2 for 40 and 0 for 57 in the two innings, took to Twitter to announce his retirement.

“During my 25 years career as a cricket player, I’ve always pursued success and winning cricket games, while preparing and training with the highest standards of competition, passion and perseverance,” tweeted Sreesanth.

“It has been an honor to represent my family, my teammates and the people of India. And everyone who loves the game. With much sadness but without regret, I say this with a heavy heart: I am retiring from the Indian domestic (first class and all formats) cricket.

“For the next generation of cricketers..I have chosen to end my first class cricket career. This decision is mine alone, and although I know this will not bring me happiness, it is the right and honorable action to take at this time in my life. I’ve cherished every moment,” he added.

Sreesanth has finished his career with 213 wickets in 74 first-class games while he picked up 124 wickets in 92 appearances in List-A cricket. Sreesanth also played 65 T20 matches in which he bagged 54 wickets.

The pacer made his India debut in October 2005 in an ODI against Sri Lanka. He represented the country in 53 ODIs matches and picked 75 wickets. He also played 27 Test matches and 10 T20Is for India, bagging 87 and seven wickets respectively.

Sreesanth’s last international appearance was in 2011 in the Oval Test against England. He also played for Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, picking wickets in 44 IPL games.

The cricketer’s last IPL match was for the Royals against Punjab on May 9, 2013, the season in which he was accused of being involved in spot-fixing which led to his arrest. Though Sreesanth always maintained his innocence throughout the damaging controversy, he was handed a life ban along with Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila.

The flamboyant fast bowler then challenged the decision in the Supreme Court, which set aside the life-ban and asked the BCCI to consider a fresh punishment. The sentence was reduced to a seven-year suspension which ended in September 2020. Thereafter, Sreesanth played for Kerala in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2021. He also made his Ranji Trophy comeback in the ongoing edition of the Ranji Trophy.

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Cricketer V R Vanitha announces retirement at 31

Vanitha was a part of India’s squad during the 2016 Women’s T20 World Cup at home, where the hosts’ failed to reach the semi-finals…reports Asian Lite News

India cricketer V.R. Vanitha on Monday announced her retirement from all forms of cricket at the age of 31. Vanitha informed about the decision to retire from cricket in a post through her Twitter and Instagram accounts.

“19 years ago, when I started playing cricket, I was just a little girl who loved sport. Even to this day, my love for cricket remains the same. What’s changing is direction. My heart says continue playing, my body says stop and I’ve decided to listen to the latter. Time is ripe to hang my boots. I hereby announce my retirement from all forms of cricket. It’s been a journey of struggles, joy, heartbreak, learning and personal milestones,” wrote Vanitha.

“While there are a few regrets, I’m grateful for the opportunities I got, especially to represent India. Along the way, there have been many people I want to thank, each and everyone who has supported me through these years -My parents and siblings who have been a rock by my side, Irian sir who guided me, honed my skills in my early years, Naz bhai who spent several hours at nets watching over me,” added Vanitha.

Vanitha made her international debut in an ODI against Sri Lanka in January 2014. She went on to represent India in six ODIs and 16 T20Is, scoring 85 and 216 runs, averaging 17 and 14.40 respectively. Vanitha was a part of India’s squad during the 2016 Women’s T20 World Cup at home, where the hosts’ failed to reach the semi-finals.

“Murli Sir my now coach and the man who has always made me look at the bright side of things, Varun my mentor, brother, he inculcated in me to view fitness holistically. Anand date trainer at NCA, Rohan my trainer at Invictus. Shantha Ma’am and Kalpana Ma’am for giving me a platform and opportunities to perform.”

Vanitha went on to thank ODI captain Mithali Raj and pacer Jhulan Goswami for their guidance. “Dilip Anna who is more my brother than my own helping with cricket and life. Gargi Maam for opening new horizons to me, Jhulan for encouraging me from time to time and Mithali, she will always be my skipper! I look up to her, both on and off the field. Her humility, grace and respect for everyone are life lessons.”

In domestic cricket, Vanitha represented her home state Karnataka before making a switch to Bengal ahead of the current domestic season. Vanitha was last seen captaining Aryan Club in the inaugural edition of Bengal Women’s T20 Blast, a league organised by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB). She had played a crucial role in Bengal reaching the semi-finals of the Senior Women’s One-day Trophy, scoring 225 runs in six innings at an average of 37.50.

“I would also like to thank my State associations — Karnataka State Cricket Association and Cricket Association of Bengal, its office bearers, state captains, coaches, S&Cs, physiotherapists, ground-staff and people who believe in women’s cricket. Lastly, I want to thank my Karnataka teammates with whom I have memories of a lifetime.”

“Cricket has given me everything, friendships, joys, identity and memories that I will cherish forever. The next chapter of my life I would like to dedicate to grooming young talents in Cricket This is not the end but a beginning of a new challenge. Au revoir!” concluded Vanitha.

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India beat Windies in third T20I, complete 3-0 clean sweep

Harshal Patel (3/22), Deepak Chahar (2/15), Venkatesh Iyer (2/23), Shardul Thakur (2/33) were the wicket-takers for India…reports Asian Lite News

India produced a clinical all-round performance to beat West Indies by 17 runs in the third and final T20I, to complete a 3-0 clean sweep at the Eden Gardens, here on Sunday.

Put into bat, India lost wickets at regular wickets and were in trouble at 93-4 but a classy fifty from Suryakumar Yadav (65 off 31) and an aggressive knock by Venkatesh Iyer (35 off 19) came to the rescue.

The pair stitched a big partnership of 91 runs for the fifth wicket and propelled India to 184-5 in 20 overs. Apart from Suryakumar and Venkatesh, Ishan Kishan also played a vital knock of 34 off 31 balls but once again he was not at his fluent best.

In reply, Nicholas Pooran (61 off 47) smashed a fine fifty and Rovman Powell (25 off 14) and Romario Shepherd (29 off 21) also tried hard but the efforts were not enough as West Indies were restricted to 167-9 in 20 overs, losing the match by 17 runs.

Harshal Patel (3/22), Deepak Chahar (2/15), Venkatesh Iyer (2/23), Shardul Thakur (2/33) were the wicket-takers for India.

Brief scores: India 184-5 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 65, Venkatesh Iyer 35; Roston Chase 1/23) beat West Indies 167-9 in 20 Overs (Nicholas Pooran 61; Harshal Patel 3/22, Deepak Chahar 2/15 ) by 17 runs

Captain happy with series win

After an impressive 3-0 clean sweep over West Indies in the T20Is, India skipper Rohit Sharma on Sunday said that he is very happy with the result and it was pleasing to see new guys bailing the team out of tough situations in the absence of regular players.

A classy fifty from Suryakumar Yadav (65 off 31) and an aggressive knock by Venkatesh Iyer (35 off 19) followed by a clinical bowling effort helped India beat West Indies by 17 runs in the 3rd T20I and complete a 3-0 clean sweep of the three-match series, at the Eden Gardens.

“Happy with the series. Pretty much got everything that we wanted. We do understand we are very young as a team. We are still a good chasing side, but a lot of the players are missing. So we wanted the guys to understand how to bat in pressure situations. It was pleasing to see guys bailing the team out from tough situations. Good sign moving forward as a group and something to be proud of,” said Sharma in the post-match presentation.

The skipper also praised the bowlers for their impressive performances in both ODI and T20I series.

“I was very impressed with our seam bowling in ODIs. And even here. Harshal is new. Avesh is on debut. Shardul is in and out. So the challenge for us was to give them game time and see how they respond. When you play against a team like the West Indies, you can test your batting and bowling. They bat very deep. It was a good challenge to defend in both games,” he said.

Sharma also highlighted the importance of work-load management, keeping in mind the T20 World Cup in Australia.

“A few guys miss out on the Sri Lanka series because we want to keep them fresh. But we have the World Cup in mind and we are trying to give game time for individuals. Sri Lanka will be a different challenge. But I am not someone who looks at the opposition, I would like to see what we can do as a team,” he said.

Talking about the few areas of improvement, Sharma said, “Ground fielding, catching is something we can correct. Hopefully, we can tick that box as well.”

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Rohit Sharma named India’s full-time test captain

With Rohit’s coronation as the full-time captain, Chetan is also keeping an eye on the future when he expressed his willingness over skippers to be groomed under Rohit’s watch in the coming times for India…reports Asian Lite News

What started as a circle from handling T20I captaincy responsibilities in November was completed on Saturday. As chief selector Chetan Sharma called out Rohit Sharma’s name as the Test captain for the series against Sri Lanka, the circle of Sharma’s coronation as the all-format captain of India, replacing Virat Kohli, was complete.

For Rohit, a regular in all formats, especially after his successful run as an opener in Test cricket began in 2019, the addition of leadership now makes him the ‘number one cricketer in the country’, if one goes by Chetan Sharma’s words in the virtual press conference.

“As far as Rohit Sharma is concerned, he is the number one cricketer of our country. The most important thing is that he is playing all three formats. For us, it becomes very important how we manage Rohit. Nowadays, cricketers are professionals, play all three formats and know how to manage their bodies well,” said Chetan Sharma.

He further threw light on what is the advantage of a player as senior as Rohit taking the leadership full-time across all formats. “There is absolutely no problem at all with Rohit and we will be in conversation with him from time to time. When we spoke to him, he’s absolutely okay. When such a big player with lots of experience becomes the captain, then as a selection committee, we can speak about grooming captains under Rohit Sharma, which will be a tremendous thing for us.”

With hamstring injuries ahead of crucial overseas tours, now a thing of the past, Rohit being fit and playing in the series against the West Indies bodes well for India. But managing his workload becomes all the more crucial too.

“As far as we know, with regards to the conversations we had, he is absolutely fine. He is absolutely fit and fine and ready to go. That is very good news for the selection committee too,” stated Chetan Sharma.

“Rohit is absolutely fine, there’s no problem at all. We will give rest to every cricketer because we have to handle the cricketers. We gave rest to Virat and Rishabh and will give rest to all cricketers slowly as everyone’s body demands rest. We will see how the things pan out and will let you know.”

The chief selector further stated that making Rohit the Test captain was a unanimous choice when the five selectors in the committee discussed within themselves. “No discussion. It was absolutely a clear choice for us and we are very happy to make Rohit the captain. Under him, we will also prepare our leadership. When a cricketer as huge as him is available for all formats, then the selectors are very happy. Let’s hope everything goes right and if things go the way we think, it will be very good.”

For now, Chetan Sharma hopes that Rohit, a five-time IPL winning-captain apart from winning the 2018 Asia Cup as a skipper, is fit and available to lead India across all formats in a busy period of next 15-18 months where a Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia, a potential appearance in the second World Test Championship final and above all, Men’s 50-over Cricket World Cup in India are lined up.

“We will be extremely happy as long as Rohit is fit and available to lead. I can’t give time-bound to anyone as injuries can happen at any moment. So far, the selection committee knows that as long as Rohit is fit and available, he will be the Test captain unless he, the team management, medical staff, or selectors think he will be given rest whenever it has to happen.”

With Rohit’s coronation as the full-time captain, Chetan is also keeping an eye on the future when he expressed his willingness over skippers to be groomed under Rohit’s watch in the coming times for India.

“KL (Rahul) was made captain in South Africa. Before this, he was the vice-captain and Bumrah was then given the duty. In the series against the West Indies, we made Rishabh Pant vice-captain. As I said before, we are planning to keep some players in leadership positions. At the end of the day, it is about the selection committee on who they trust and move forward with. We are definitely hoping and thinking that the talk of grooming under Rohit will happen in front of us.”

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India beat West Indies by 6 wickets to win first T20

It was then a crucial partnership between Suryakumar Yadav (34 off 18) and Venkatesh Iyer (24 off 13), which helped India chase down the target in 18.5 overs…reports Asian Lite News

India produced a clinical all-round performance to beat West Indies by six wickets in the first T20I, to take a 1-0 lead in three-match series at the Eden Gardens, here on Wednesday.

A solid bowling performance on his debut by young leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi (2/17) helped India restrict West Indies to 157/7 in 20 overs despite an attacking fifty by Nicholas Pooran (61 off 43). Apart from Bishnoi, Harshal Patel (2/37) also bowled well to keep things in control of India.

In reply, Rohit Sharma (40 off 19) and Ishan Kishan (35 off 42) gave India a flying start. But once the duo got out, things changed drastically for India and the wickets of Virat Kohli (17) and Rishabh Pant in quick succession put hosts in more trouble.

It was then a crucial partnership between Suryakumar Yadav (34 off 18) and Venkatesh Iyer (24 off 13), which helped India chase down the target in 18.5 overs.

Brief scores:
West Indies 157/7 in 20 overs (Nicholas Pooran 61, Kyle Mayers 31; Ravi Bishnoi 2/17, Harshal Patel 2/37) lost to India 162-4 in 18.5 overs (Rohit Sharma 40, Ishan Kishan 35; Roston Chase 2/14) by six wickets.

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BCCI thanks India’s most successful Test captain

The 33-year-old Kohli, who took over as full-time Test captain in early 2015 when MS Dhoni had announced retirement in Australia, steps down as India’s most successful captain in the format, with 40 wins in 68 Tests, reports Asian Lite News

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday thanked Virat Kohli for his admirable leadership qualities after the star batter stepped down as the Test skipper of India with immediate effect.

The 33-year-old Kohli, who took over as full-time Test captain in early 2015 when MS Dhoni had announced retirement in Australia, steps down as India’s most successful captain in the format, with 40 wins in 68 Tests.

He helped the side to a historic Test series win in Australia, and took them to the top of the ICC Test rankings. Under him, India also reached the final of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship.

The BCCI took to Twitter to thank Kohli for his contribution.

“BCCI congratulates #TeamIndia captain @imVkohli for his admirable leadership qualities that took the Test team to unprecedented heights. He led India in 68 matches and has been the most successful captain with 40 wins,” said BCCI in a tweet.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah also congratulated Kohli on a tremendous tenure as Team India captain.

“Congratulations to @imVkohli on a tremendous tenure as #TeamIndia captain. Virat turned the team into a ruthless fit unit that performed admirably both in India and away. The Test wins in Australia & England have been special,” Shah tweeted.

BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal also termed Virat as a phenomenal leader.

Congrats @imVkohli for a great tenure as captain. You have been a phenomenal leader and beyond doubt the most successful Indian captain be it home or overseas.I wish you great success in future and I’m sure you’ll keep contributing with your top class batting for team India @bcci .

Kohli had earlier given up T20I captaincy after the 2021 T20 World Cup, and was succeeded as skipper in ODIs by Rohit Sharma.

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Gavaskar in love with T20 cricket

The T20 format game has attracted lot of criticism from some past cricketers who have blamed it for Test cricket losing relevance and players spoiling technique….reports Asian Lite News

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar says he is fond of T20 format unlike most other cricketers of his era since the shortest format involves more action than others.

The T20 format game has attracted lot of criticism from some past cricketers who have blamed it for Test cricket losing relevance and players spoiling technique.

The demise of West Indies Test team due to players from the Caribbean preferring T20 franchise leagues has especially led to criticism of the format.

“I know a lot of people who played around my time, they’re not happy with the T20 format, but I actually love it. I love it for the simple reason that you know it’s a three-hour game, and you get a result, and you get to see so much action,” said Gavaskar on The Analyst Inside podcast.

Gavaskar, who was the first batsman to score 10,000 runs in Test matches, said that innovative strokes attracted him.

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VIDEO: CRICKET PREVIEW: Ashis Ray in Conversation with Grover & Doshi

Ashis Ray in conversation with David Gower and Dilip Doshi, previewing India and England cricket series –

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‘Follow Rules Or Don’t Come’: Queensland Govt To Indian Team

Indian coach Ravi Shastri

With reports emerging about Team India’s reluctance to play the fourth and final Test of the ongoing series against Australia in Brisbane due to harsher bio-security protocols, members of the Queensland government have stated that the visiting team should not enter the state if they are unwilling to coordinate with the protocols that have been laid out.

Reports have emerged that the Indian team isn’t keen on travelling to Brisbane if the players are forced to undergo quarantine.

However, members of the Queensland government have stated that not abiding by the rules is not an option for the visitors. “If the Indians don’t want to play by the rules, don’t come,” Queensland’s Health Shadow Minister Ros Bates was quoted as saying by Fox Sports.

Tim Mander, Queensland’s Shadow Sports Minister, said there’s no room for ignoring the protocols and that every individual would have to go through the same drill.

“If the Indian cricket team wants to spit the dummy and disregard quarantine guidelines in Brisbane for the fourth Test, then they shouldn’t come. The same rules must apply for everyone. Simple,” Mander said.

Australia batsman Matthew Wade has also said that the hosts are looking forward to the Gabba Test and willing to make sacrifices to follow the schedule.

“We’d love to be running outside in Australia like everybody is doing right now…but we understand that we need to make some sacrifices to get this tour done,” Wade told the media before adding none of the players are aware of any threat of India pulling out.

Asked if he would like to play back-to-back Tests in Sydney due to harsher quarantine in Brisbane, Wade said, “No. Obviously we would prefer not to. The schedule has been rolled out, we stick to that. There was speculation about staying in Melbourne. Cricket Australia was firm that we will stick to the schedule that we rolled out at the start of the summer.”

“So I expect us to go to Gabba regardless of the fact that it is a quarantine-based hotel and we only go to the ground, play and come back to hotel. We fully expect to go to Brisbane to play the Gabba Test,” he added.

The left-handed batsman further said that there is going to be no uncertainty from Australia’s side.

“(There’s) No uncertainty from our side…we understand that us as a group we will go to SCG (Sydney Cricket Ground) and then we’ll go to Brisbane and play at the Gabba until powers that be knock on our doors and tell us that it is going to change. We will roll into the next game expecting if that’s what is going to be. It is out of our control,” Wade said before adding that they have already been told about stricter protocols in Brisbane to which they are willing to adhere.

“Brisbane will be a harder quarantine and bio-security bubble than what we have had here, that is for sure. That has been relayed to us. No one knows the finer details of it yet. But yes, it would be strict protocol than here.”

The ongoing four-match series is currently tied at 1-1 with Australia winning the first Test in Adelaide while India registering a win in the second in Melbourne. The third Test of the series will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground from Thursday.

Also Read: One Of The Biggest Comebacks In Test History: Ravi Shastri

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Ganguly Hospitalised After Chest Pain

Sourav Ganguly
BCCI President Sourav Ganguly.jpg

Sourav Ganguly, the president of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), was admitted to hospital in Kolkata on Saturday after he suffered a blackout at his home and complained of chest pain.

The 48-year-old former India captain complained of dizziness and then suffered the blackout just after he had returned from gym.

He was immediately rushed to city’s Woodlands Multispeciality Hospital.

It has been learnt that Saroj Mondal, a doctor at the city’s SSKM hospital, has also reached the Woodlands Hospital to attend to Ganguly.