Category: Cricket

“To be rolled over for 36 and three days later to get up and be ready to punch back was outstanding. I think the boys showed real character,” Shastri said while speaking to the media after the end of the second Test match that ended in the second session on the fourth day…reports Asian Lite News

India coach Ravi Shastri termed the win over Australia in the second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Tuesday as one of the greatest comebacks ‘in the history of the game’.

Asked where he would place this week’s MCG win which has come in the absence of regular India skipper Virat Kohli and injury to key India fast bowlers Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma as well as Umesh Yadav (in the second innings), the India coach said this win deserves a place in the annals of cricket history.

“I think this will go down in the annals of Indian cricket, world cricket as one of the ‘Great Comebacks’ in the history of the game.

“To be rolled over for 36 and three days later to get up and be ready to punch back was outstanding.

“I think the boys showed real character,” Shastri said while speaking to the media after the end of the second Test match that ended in the second session on the fourth day.

“When we arrived in Melbourne…. we discussed what we had to do to get up and fight,” added Shastri.

“We had a lot of positives at Adelaide. But at the end of the day, it is the result that counts. We were blown away in the second innings in one hour. When you are blown away, you are blown away, there is nothing you can do about it. But to get up and fight, which we did in this second Test, to beat a team like Australia in Australia… there is no point having one good day in Australia, you got to have five good days if you have to beat them,” added Shastri.

Coach Ravi Shastri also added that captain Ajinkya Rahane is a very shrewd, calm leader and has a good understanding of the game.

Shastri also termed Rahane’s first-innings knock of 112 as the turning point of the match.

“He is a very shrewd leader, he has a good understanding of the game and is a good reader of the game. I thought his calm composure out there in the middle helped the debutants — Mohammed Siraj and Shubman Gill — in the middle and helped the bowlers as well.

“There was a calming influence and inspite of losing Umesh, I thought we did a great job,” said Shastri.

The 58-year-old former India all-rounder compared Rahane to Kohli, saying that though both are good readers of the game they are different in nature.

“Both are good readers of the game. Virat is very passionate while Ajinkya on the other hand is very calm and composed. It is their characters… Virat is more in your face while Rahane is prepared to sit back in a very calm and composed manner but deep inside he knows what he wants,” Shastri said.

Shastri called Rahane’s knock as the one that turned the match in India’s favour.

“I think it was the innings of Ajinkya Rahane,” said Shastri when asked about the turning point of the match.

“The discipline he showed on such a big stage in such a massive arena, to come as captain of the team, bat at No. 4.

“When he went to bat we were two down for 60-odd and then to bat six hours on probably the toughest day to bat… because it was overcast all day, the sun never came out and he batted for six hours, unbelievable concentration. I thought that was the turning point. His innings was the turning point,” added Shastri.

Australia skipper Tim Paine said that noot enough runs on the board and dropping a number of catches led to Australia’s eight-wicket defeat in the second Test match.

Paine also credited the India bowlers saying they have been extremely disciplined and are executing the plans better than the Aussie batsmen have been.

“India are bowling well. They have been extremely disciplined. We haven’t really been able to get partnerships together. But from what I have seen watching Marnus and Steve Smith, this is not the first time. teams have targetted their stumps. That happens every single Test match. Having said that these guys are executing it better. Someone like Steve in particular hasn’t been able to get in yet. Once he gets in, he will find a way as he always does, the rest will follow suit and need to,” said Paine while speaking to the media on Tuesday.

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India got a foot in the door of the second Test after they reduced Australia to 133 for six wickets in their second innings at the end of third day’s play in the second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Monday.

The Aussies are ahead of India by just two runs and have four wickets in hand. India are yet to bat in the second innings.

The Time Paine-led side, which had dismissed India for 326 and restricted the lead to 131 runs early on the third day, however, found the going tough in the second innings as it kept losing wickets at regular intervals.

The Aussies eventually found themselves at 99 for the loss of six wickets at one point and in danger of losing the game by an innings.

However, all-rounder Cameron Green and bowler Pat Cummins saw off the last 18 overs without any further casualty, adding 34 in the process.

Marnus Labuschagne was dismissed with the Aussie team total on 42, removed by off-spinner R Ashwin. Then Steve Smith was bowled down the leg, by a Jasprit Bumrah delivery. The Aussie batting mainstay had left his leg-stump exposed. A flurry of wickets followed with opener Matthew Wade, who had batted well for his 40, Travis Head and skipper Tim Paine getting dismissed within one run.

The Indian bowlers shared the wickets with Jadeja taking two and the others — Bumrah, Umesh, Mohammed Siraj and Ashwin, taking one each.

Earlier, India were all out for 326 in first innings. Both skipper Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja looked good on resumption. However, the run out of Rahane (112) led to a flurry of wickets. India lost the last five wickets for just 32 runs. Jadeja though managed to complete his half-century (57).

Pace bowler Umesh Yadav who removed Joe Burns had limped off the field following pain in the ankle. He has undergone scans and did not take field after limping off in his fourth over.

A statement from the Indian cricket board (BCCI) said, “Umesh Yadav complained of pain in his calf while bowling his 4th over and was assessed by the BCCI medical team. He is being taken for scans now.”

The right-arm pace bowler, who removed the Aus opener in just his second over, limped off the field after bowling the third delivery of his fourth over of Australia’s second innings.

The right-arm pace bowler had removed Burns early, having him caught behind with a delivery that swung away late to leave Australia at four for one.

A serious Umesh injury could be a disaster for India going ahead into the series. They are already missing Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami, both of whom are in India due to injuries.

Ishant did not make it to Australia as he could not fully recover from the abdominal muscle tear, suffered during the Indian Premier League, in time. Shami fractured his bowling arm after being hit by a Pat Cummins delivery during the third day’s play in the first Test at the Adelaide Oval on December 19. Shami returned home last week and has been advised a six-week rest.

Brief scores: Australia 195 and 133/6 (M Wade 40, M Labuschagne 28, R Jadeja 2/25) vs India 326 (A Rahane 112, R Jadeja 57, S Gill 45, M Starc 3/78, P Cummins 2/80, N Lyon 3/72).

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Australia batsman Steve Smith on Tuesday said he did not play Ravichandran Ashwin well in the first Test at the Adelaide Oval and is looking forward to counter the India off-spinner in the Boxing Day fixture at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Ashwin got Smith caught at slip for just one in the first innings with a delivery that did not turn. Smith said it was his mistake against what he thinks was decent bowling.

“He (Ashwin) is a good bowler, he has played a lot of cricket. He is a world class performer. Unfortunately, he got the better of me the other day, I will hopefully learn something from that and move forward and play him in the next game…I just nicked one that didn’t spin. Unfortunately, that happens sometimes and I thought it was pretty well bowled. The two balls prior to that spun a bit and got grip off the wicket. The next one was more of a sidespin and just skidded on. I didn’t play as well as I could. That was just decent bowling,” Smith told reporters in a virtual media interaction while recalling the dismissal on the second day of the first Test.

“Playing in Australia to playing in India is completely different. The ball probably doesn’t spin as regularly as it does in India…at times he got over the top of the ball and at other times, in my dismissal for instance, he came rounded and tried to skid it on. So, good piece of bowling,” added Smith.

The Aussie’s failure to get going in the first Test was a rare occasion he failed against India. Despite his failure, the Aussies managed to pull off a convincing win, thanks to their bowlers who shot India out for 36, the lowest Test total for the Indians.

The visitors go into the next Test, starting December 26, as a depleted side. Their skipper Virat Kohli will be missing as he returns to attend the birth of his first child.

Smith was asked by an Indian reporter about what India should do to make a comeback. He replied, “I think it is important to keep moving forward. Look at yourself individually at what you could have done better which I think is important enough after any game…whether you bat well or you don’t. You reflect what you can do in the next game or in the rest of the games for the series to have an impact…Again every individual is different. The way they take their dismissals, how they think about their game after it is finished.”

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Following Mohammed Amir’s retirement, Shoaib Akhtar has claimed that he too wasn’t treated well by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) management during the 2011 World Cup when he was about to bid adieu to the game.

Amir on Thursday announced his retirement from international cricket, alleging he was “mentally tortured” and that he cannot play under current PCB management.

Following Amir’s retirement, Akhtar posted a video on his YouTube channel and said the 28-year-old should have dealt with the PCB management by performing well in cricket and not by escaping.

“I openly say that I was not treated well during the 2011 World Cup, not by Shahid Afridi but by the rest of the management. I am saying it openly. I was harassed but I didn’t care as I had already announced my retirement,” Akhtar, who retired after the 2011 World Cup, said.

“Amir should have bowled well and improved his performance so that no one could remove him from the team. You have to face your fears and you must confront management but by performing,” he added.

The ‘Rawalpindi Express’ further said that if given a chance, he could train Amir to bowl again with the same intensity in just two months.

“If you hand Amir to me for two months, everyone will see him bowling over 150km/hr. I can teach him that I taught him three years ago. He can make a comeback,” said Akhtar.

Amir, who played 36 Tests, 61 ODIs, and 50 T20Is for Pakitan in which he scalped a total of 259 wickets, in a video announced his retirement owing to the unbearable mental torture from PCB.

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“Actually it is the other way around when you compare it [pink ball test] with the normal Test match something we have to analyse and monitor as we go into the Test match and as we encounter the situation changing and unfolding,” said Kohli…reports Asian Lite

India skipper Virat Kohli has said that the pink-ball Test, which will be the opening match of the four-game series against Australia beginning Thursday, is exactly the opposite of a normal Test match and is difficult to be pre-planned as it has many variables. Kohli on Wednesday added that they will have to react to situations as the game unfolds at the Adelaide Oval.

“I think you can get a fair idea about how you want to go about things. I don’t think you can concretely plan anything in Test cricket. Test cricket is always about encountering situations and reacting to the situations to the best of your abilities — understanding when to attack, to defend, when to bat through…the pink-ball Test brings a lot more variables like the twilight period, a tricky period to bat in, then bowling in the first session (is tough) and then at night you have more on offer for the bowlers,” said Kohli, who led India to a 2-1 Test series win last year.

“Actually it is the other way around when you compare it with the normal Test match something we have to analyse and monitor as we go into the Test match and as we encounter the situation changing and unfolding. We are actually ready to be able to come up with our plans into any situation we face. It is important to plan but you can’t pre-plan anything, especially in a Test which is the pink-ball Test with so many variables,” he added.

The right-handed batsman, who has six centuries in 12 Tests in Australia, hinted that KL Rahul, who has opened in the past, can play at any position and also confirmed that Rohit Sharma will open once he re-joins the team in the later part of the series.

“KL (Rahul) is obviously a quality player and hence he has been included in the Test squad. As I said we have a lot of quality players, someone like Hanuma Vihari. He has been absolutely solid. He is someone who has grit and character. KL (Rahul) was brought into the side understanding that we do have opening options already and when Rohit comes back into the team we have another opener who is already established and is going to start,” said the Indian skipper.

“So KL, where he fits and how he fits, is a conversation that we will have to monitor closely. We have to bring our best squad to Australia and then whatever combination you want to go in with which is the best suited for the team’s balance, according to the conditions you want to go forward with,” he added.

The 32-year-old is also looking forward to youngsters like Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw who he thinks won’t have a baggage from the past to carry and can play freely.

“Mayank (Agarwal) performed the last time we came here and he batted brilliantly without any baggage. That is what you expect from the young guys, just go out there — they have no baggage from the past — and express themselves and put the team in strong position and play the brand of fearless cricket along with being calculated and reading situations. It is exciting to have young guys as I said who can play more freely,” said Kohli.

According to Kohli, both Gill and Shaw are “very talented”.

“They are obviously very, very talented players, that is why they are here. Shubman obviously hasn’t got opportunities at this level yet in Test cricket. As and when he gets opportunity, it will be interesting to see because he is obviously a confident young man, Prithvi has performed at Test level but he will be playing in Australia for the first time. But it is exciting to see his progress,” the India captain said.

He also said that it important for senior players to take the load and responsibility.

“(With youngsters we) Just tell (them) to go there and enjoy their skill sets and when they have the opportunity to capitalise as much as possible for the team. And let the senior guys take more responsibility and load of what comes playing a Test match and a full Test series. It is pretty exciting. Looking forward to it and we are confident about them,” said Kohli who will return to India after the first Test to be with his wife Anushka Sharma who is expecting their first child.

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Wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock has been named South Africa’s Test captain for the 2020/2021 season, Cricket South Africa announced on Friday.

de Kock will lead the Proteas in series against Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Australia respectively.

CSA Convenor of Selectors Victor Mpitsang is confident of de Kock’s leadership capabilities and the leadership he has shown so far and will spend the next few months finalising the appointment of the player who will take on the permanent role.

“We are satisfied, as the national selection panel, with the decision that we have made to ensure continuity within the team, while we work towards making the best decision for its future without the pressure of time constraints. Quinton (de Kock) is happy to continue in the role for the next season and is comfortable with the balance of the workload and we back him fully as a captain,” said Mpitsang.

“We are also pleased with the leadership group in the team and are cultivating a strong individual leadership culture at the same time, so that the team produces a sustainable stream of potential captains for the future,” he added.

CSA has also named the squad that will take on Sri Lanka in the two-match Test Series to be played over the traditional Boxing Day and the New Year’s windows. The fixtures will form part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC).

Uncapped Sarel Erwee, Glenton Stuurman and Kyle Verreyne have been included in the squad to play two Tests against Sri Lanka, starting at Centurion on December 26, while Wiaan Mulder returns from injury. Kagiso Rabada and Dwaine Pretorius were not named, but could be added in the coming days as their recovery from injuries is monitored, said CSA.

South Africa Test squad: Quinton de Kock (captain), Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markram, Faf du Plessis, Beuran Hendricks, Dean Elgar, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Rassie van der Dussen, Sarel Erwee, Anrich Nortje, Glenton Stuurman, Wiaan Mulder, Keegan Petersen, Kyle Verreynne.

Schedule

1st Test: December 26-30, SuperSport Park, Centurion

2nd Test: January 3-7, Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg

Also Read: Kohli the Most Impactful ODI player of the Decade: Gavaskar

Legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar believes current skipper Virat Kohli has been the most impactful player for India in One-Day Internationals in this decade.

Kohli, who made his international debut in 2008, has so far played 251 ODIs for India in which he has scored 12,040 runs with the help of 43 hundreds.

“I think if you look as an individual then certainly it’s got to be Virat Kohli, because if you look at the number of matches he’s won for India when India has been chasing big scores,” Gavaskar said while speaking on Star Sports show Cricket Connected.

“I look at the impact a player has had, and not just the runs or wickets that he has taken, and in that aspect you have got to say that in this decade it really has been Virat Kohli who has had the most impact on the matches that India has won,” he added.

Kohli has been nominated for the International Cricket Councils (ICC) Men’s Player of the Decade award.

The 32-year-old, who leads Team India in all three formats, has been nominated for Male Cricketer of the Decade alongside Ravichandran Ashwin, Joe Root (England), Kane Williamson (New Zealand), Steve Smith (Australia), AB de Villiers (South Africa), and Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka).

Along with this, Kohli has been nominated for Men’s Test Player of the Decade Award, Men’s ODI Player of the Decade Award, Men’s T20I Player of the Decade Award and Spirit of Cricket Award of the Decade.

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