Virat should play in the Test against Afghanistan

Afghanistan cricket team is playing in his first Test match with India. This is a test match starts on June 14 in Bangalore. The Indian cricket team will tour in England from July to three and play in three 20 ODIs, 3 ODI and 5 Tests. Some players, including Virat Kohli and Pujara, Ishant Sharma, and Ashwin, are willing to play in the England county county match. It is doubtful that Virat Kohli played in the Test match against Afghanistan in the county tournament. Some of the Indian cricket board administrators have opposed this. They have urged Virat Kohli to play in the Test against Afghanistan. An Indian cricket board official said, “If the captain of the Indian cricket team is away from the international tournament and at the same time, it will be a false precedent. It will also be a bad news for the Afghanistan team. Even if the Afghanistan team is much tougher than the Indian team, the team should be respected. If at that time the Virat Kohli County tournament would play, it would be a disgrace for Afghanistan. This will also cause loss to the company that airs the competition. If Virat Kohli played in the county match, he would have to play in the Test match with Afghanistan. The teams. Will he go to the County Tournament without competition? said. “If 6 to 7 players are ready to go to England to prepare for the match against England, then the strong Indian team will play in the Test series against Afghanistan,” said Vinodrai, chairman of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Asked by Shafiq Stonijay, the Chief Executive Officer of the Afghan Cricket Board, “we are eagerly looking to play in the first Test against India. If Virat Kohli stamped up in the world cricket, it would be a big disappointment for our players if they could not play in the match against us. “

 

Tamil News – Australia cricket team needs aggressive approach for 2019 World Cup: Darren Lehmann – Maalaimalar.com

Australia have won only two out of their last 15 ODIs in 2017 and 2018 and coach Darren Lehmann has stressed on the side to fix a core group of players to lead the charge for the 2019 World Cup. Ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup in England and Wales next year, Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann has admitted that his team needs to adapt to a more aggressive approach if they are to retain the global crown. Lehmann said the team was not able to settle upon a fixed core group that will lead the Aussies charge in ODIs for the 2019 World Cup because of the national team’s rotation of players depending on the various formats

“The results are more about execution for us. We had to chop and change a lot of the side depending on what’s happening with the Test arena and going from Test to non-Test and obviously Tests are a focus for us,” Lehmann was quoted as saying by ESPN Cricinfo. “So we haven’t been able to have a settled one day side. I’d like to see us play with a settled side over six months and see what the result is then, see how we play. Lehmann also suggested that skipper Steve Smith and selectors have to be cautious with their selection of players in the buildup to the event. However, the sides improved performance in the ongoing Twenty20 Tri-series gives him hope for a turnaround in the limited-overs format.

“The improved T20 performance gives you food for thought after a long, tough Test series… fresh guys coming in. We’ll sit down at the end of the South African series, but we’ve always got to look forward. World Cup’s coming along pretty quickly, I think there’s about 22 games to go before we play our first game. So we’ll have to settle on a group of players, we think we’ve got a really good group,” Lehmann revealed. Australia, who has qualified for the final, will travel to New Zealand to play their fourth game of the tri-series against the hosts. The Test squad will head west for their four-Test tour of South Africa.

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Tamil News – Early Arrival in South Africa Would Have Made a Lot of Difference: Ravi Shastri – Maalaimalar.com

India coach Ravi Shastri said that his team will not complain about the pitch and the conditions which they have been offered but said that in hindsight, another 10 days of practice would have made a lot of difference. “We are not here to moan about the tracks because like I said at the start of the game both teams play on the same surface. The good thing though is people won’t crib and moan when matches in India get over in two and a half days. Neither will they ask me what kind of track are you playing on. In hindsight, I would say another ten days of practice here would have made a difference. But that’s no excuse. The pitch we play on, it’s the same for both sides and I would rather focus on the 20 wickets we have tae, it will be a good test match.” said Shastri, addressing the media on Monday.

Shastri added that it is something which will be taken care of in the future tours, “Unfortunately, the schedule was such that you had matches. But am sure henceforth in the future when itineraries are made that will be taken into account, there is absolutely no doubt about that. You get there couple of weeks earlier and prepare.” he added.The Indian coach rued his team’s missed opportunities where they let the chance to put South Africa under pressure slip but was hopeful of a good showing in the final Test. “They have had chances in both test matches but they didn’t make the most of it, so when you believe you have a chance to win then you look forward to a test match. when you don’t believe you can win you don’t look forward to a test match, as simple as that.”

Shastri defended the decisions made by the team management, saying the team sticks by the decision it makes. “Chopping and changing overseas is easier. In India, you don’t need to chop and change because you know what the conditions are. Overseas, you go on current form and you go on conditions and you see which player can adapt to certain conditions quicker than the other. What are the overhead conditions for which bowler to play as opposed to what kind of track you will get, where you need a bowler with bounce or you need a bowler with swing. So that’s where the chopping and changing starts”

“That will always be the case. If Ajinkya had played first, and not done well, you would have asked me the same question, why Rohit hasn’t played. Rohit played, he didn’t do well, you are asking me Ajinkya didn’t play. the same would have happened with the fast bowlers. So when you have choices, the team management has discussed what is the best option and they stick by it they go by it.” Shastri added, when asked about the decision to drop Rahane and pick Rohit in the middle order.

He heaped praise on the performance of the bowlers and said that they were many times when his team looked like the no.1 team, “Our bowlers did a great job. I mean no one expected our bowlers to fire the way they did and take 20 wickets so I rather harp on that because for me that’s the biggest positive that has come out of this tour. We are here to live and learn from our mistakes and like I said that is the most positive. Even our top order, we go in with six batsmen, five batsmen and an all-rounder, so it means that responsibility on both sides on the top order is that much more. so you have to gust it out, it wont be easy.” Shastri said.

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Tamil News – Virat Kohli Extremely Good, Not Great Yet:Michael Holding – Maalaimalar.com

Virat Kohli was crowned cricketer of the year by the International Cricket Council, capping off a strong innings for the 29-year-old across all three formats of the game. Former West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding feels India captain Virat Kohli is an extremely good batsman, but for him to enter the category of cricket greats he will have to score runs in England. Holding described Kohli as one of the top three batsmen in the world at the moment along with England’s Joe Root and Australia’s Steve Smith. According to Holding, however, great batsmen score runs everywhere and Kohli is yet to do so.

“Virat Kohli is a fantastic batsman. I was asked to name three top cricketers and I included Kohli in that list. He is a very very good player. When I see him score runs in England, I would call him a great player. I like people who score runs everywhere. He is an extremely good player,” Holding told Mumbai Mirror.Holding believes Kohli is emotional about is cricket and needs to further improve his captaincy.

“But as a captain, he has some work to do. I don’t want to condemn him too much because I like to have my own way as a captain. I like to be given the team I want all the time. But it is still not the right way to go. There got to be discussions with the wiser heads from time to time, come to conclusions and flesh out different arguments. I get an impression that he is getting what he wants. “He is very emotional about his cricket. He means everything he wants to do. In time he will learn. Because he has been so successful since he took over, it is hard for him to change. He has to see other viewpoints and arrive at consensus,” Holding further added.

Kohli is just the fourth Indian to win the prestigious Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, following in the footsteps of batting greats Sachin Tendulkar (2010), Rahul Dravid (2004) and teammate Ravichandran Ashwin (2016). “It’s the first time winning the Garfield Sobers Trophy, and it’s a huge honour for me,” Kohli said in a statement. “It’s probably the biggest of all in world cricket and two Indians getting it back-to-back makes it more special.” Kohli was also crowned the world’s best one-day batsman, winning that title for the second time since 2012.

During the voting period from 21 September 2016 to end-2017, Kohli scored 2,203 Test runs at an average of 77.80 including eight centuries. He accumulated 1,818 runs in the one-day format including seven centuries. The 29-year-old was also bestowed a rare honour — selected to captain the ICC’s Test and ODI sides, a team in name only that comprises the best players from around the globe.India emerged as the world’s best Test side in 2017 under Kohli, with an unbroken series winning streak at home. He also leads the ODI and Twenty20 teams for the subcontinent.But it has not always been smooth sailing for Kohli, whose men were defeated 2-0 in a Test series against South Africa, prompting criticism about his team selection and India’s poor Test record away from home.

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Tamil News – MS Dhoni Says proud for Return to the CSK – Maalaimalar.com

Expressing happiness about the return of Chennai Super Kings IPL team, its captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni described Chennai as his Second home. Speaking to the media at the launch of ‘Veedu Kattu Whistle Podu‘, an initiative by The India Cements Limited here, the former captain of Indian cricket team said, “I feel proud about returning to CSK“. He said fans are the real strength of Chennai Super Kings and the IPL team has supporters not just in Tamil Nadu, but across the country. “Though the team did not play for the past two years, the support has only increased,” he said and added that as wicket keeper and captain, he would guide the team towards victory.

Stating that there are plans to include 18-20 members to the team, he said they would try to include Ravichandran Ashwin, who hails from Chennai, in CSK. Rupa Gurunath, whole time director, The India Cements Limited, and others were present.Recently, Australian batting great Michael Hussey was appointed as CSK batting coach. “I am really excited about returning to the Chennai Super Kings in a coaching capacity and working with the players to help them get the best out of themselves and also help to bring success to this great franchise,” he was quoted as saying by CSK website.

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Tamil News -Innings win helps Australia to 4-0 Ashes triumph – Maalaimalar.com

Australia romped to an innings and 123-run victory over England after dismissing the tourists for 180 on the final day of the fifth Test on Monday to complete a 4-0 Ashes triumph that fell short of a whitewash but was little less emphatic. England captain Joe Root raced from his hospital bed, where he had been treated overnight for gastroenteritis, to try to rescue a face-saving draw but when he failed to reappear after lunch the die was cast for the tourists.
Australia’s bowling attack – the potency of which has been one of the main points of difference between the two sides – mopped up the last four batsmen at the cost of just 36 runs after the break at Sydney Cricket Ground. “It has been a great couple of months. The cricket we have played has been outstanding,” said Australia captain Steve Smith. “We have been able to take 80 wickets in four Test matches. We have just been able to get on top and win those key moments and not let them back in the game, which is crucial.”
Pat Cummins removed Jonny Bairstow (38), Stuart Broad (4) and Mason Crane (2) to finish with figures of 4-39, while Nathan Lyon (3-54) had taken the only wicket of the opening session as he continued his dominance of Moeen Ali. Cummins was named man of the match while Josh Hazlewood performed the coup de grace when he had James Anderson caught behind for two. Australia’s batsmen also played a full part in the return of the coveted urn, with Mitchell Marsh, his brother Shaun and Usman Khawaja all getting into three figures as the hosts made 649 declared in their reply to England’s first innings 346.
England managed only three centuries to Australia‘s nine over the series, with Smith alone matching their tally. Anderson, who stood in for the ailing Root in the presentation ceremony, agreed that England’s failure to come out on top at key points during games had proved decisive. “We were outplayed in the key moments. We have been in the games but just haven’t capitalised on the opportunities we have had,” he added.“They have a fantastic bowling attack and all the batsmen have come to the party and they have scored runs when the team needed them.”
Smith was named Player of the Series after scoring 687 runs at an average of 137.4, backing up his ranking as the world’s top batsman.“I am really proud of the way that I have played in the series and led from the front,” he said. “My mind is probably in as good a space as it has been with my batting.”
The tourists will, however, take pride from refusing to buckle despite being outclassed in four of the five Tests and Root’s determination to bat on Monday while clearly unwell typified their fighting spirit. The 27-year-old was 42 not out with England 93 for four – still 210 runs from forcing Australia to bat again – at close of play on day four but experienced diarrhoea and vomiting overnight and was taken to hospital for treatment.
England initially said he was treated for severe dehydration but later revised the diagnosis to viral gastroenteritis that had nothing to do with Sunday’s high temperatures at the ground. The skipper reached the ground in time for the start of play but out-of-form Moeen went out to bat in his stead, making 13 before almost inevitably falling lbw to Lyon. Off spinner Lyon dismissed the all-rounder seven times in nine innings over the series with four of those leg before decisions.
Root received an ovation when he came out to resume his innings and had soon secured his 37th Test half century with three runs to fine leg. He suffered a recurrence of the symptoms during the lunch break, though, and Tom Curran, who finished the day 23 not out, came out to bat in his place for the second session, leaving Root retired hurt for 58.

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Tamil News – IPL 2018 retained players list of all teams – Maalaimalar.com

Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli and his predecessor Mahendra Singh Dhoni are among the top players who are retained by their respective IPL franchises, Royal Challengers Bangalore and comeback outfit Chennai Super Kings respectively. The Indian Premier League (IPL) will be entering its 11th season this year and the deadline to submit the list of retained players was January 4. As per the latest guidelines issued by the IPL governing council, each team was allowed to opt for up to five players by virtue of a combination of Player Retention (Pre Player Auction) and Right to Match (RTM) (during the Player Auction).
Among these players, there can be a maximum of either three retentions or three RTMs at the discretion of the franchises and if there is no retention before the player auction, then franchises can have up to three RTMs, as per the norms put in place by the IPL GC.The break-up is: Maximum number of 3 capped Indian players, 2 overseas players and 2 uncapped Indian players each. The player retention price guideline for salary cap charged has also been set as Rs 33 crore (for 3 players pre auction), Rs 21 crore (for 2 players pre auction) and Rs 12.5 crore (for 1 player retained pre-auction).The council also revealed that each team can consist of a maximum number of 25 players (up to 8 overseas players) and a minimum of 18. The player pool available for CSK and RR for retention/RTM will be the players who played for them respectively in IPL 2015 and who were part of Rising Pune Supergiant and GL squads in IPL 2017, as per the norms.
This year, the salary cap has also been increased from Rs 60 crore to Rs 80 crore and will increase to Rs 82 and 85 crore respectively in 2019 and 2020. However, the minimum spend has been fixed at 75 percent of the salary cap for each season.Among the top Indian players, MS Dhoni returned to Chennai Super Kings with Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli stays with Royal Challengers Bangalore while Rohit Sharma will once again lead the Mumbai Indians. Hardik Pandya was retained by Mumbai Indians while young Shreyas Iyer will once again represent the Delhi Daredevils. However, some veterans like Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh were released by their respective franchises.The surprise packages of the retention were Punjab’s Axar Patel, Bangalore’s Sarfraz Ahmed and Delhi’s Chris Morris.

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Tamil Newspaper – IPL 2018 Auction – Maalaimalar.com

The mega auction for the IPL 2018 Auction is scheduled to be held in Bengaluru on January 27 and 28, the Press Trust of India reported on Tuesday (December 19). The dates for the auction coincide with the South Africa-India Test at the Wanderers in Johannesburg as well as the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali domestic T20 tournament. The dates for the two-day auction process were ratified at the IPL Governing Council meeting held in New Delhi on December 6. It was in that meeting that BCCI apprised the franchise representatives about the retention process. The auction ahead of the 11th season of IPL will be a bigger affair than usual, given that each franchise can retain a maximum of five players from their existing rosters through a combination of pre-auction retention and Right To Match (RTM) cards. According to a report on ESPNCricinfo, teams have until January 4 to submit their retention lists while the BCCI itself will make public their full list of to-be-auctioned players on January 18. Franchises will each begin with an auction purse of INR 80 crores to build a 25-member (max) squad. This increase in purse value (up from INR 66 crores in 2017) is a direct consequence of the increased revenue for the league through title rights sale. Each team will have to spend at least 75 percent of the salary cap (INR 60 crore) by the end of the two-day procedure. Retained players will have a more dynamic effect on the team’s salary purse depending on the number of players retained by the franchise.

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Tamil News – Yuvraj Singh: I see myself playing cricket till 2019- Maalaimalar.com

It has been quite a while since we saw Yuvraj Singh playing for India, as his inconsistent form, followed by repeated failure in the Yo-Yo Test has led to him being in and out of the national side. Nevertheless, Yuvraj feels that despite his recent failures, he continues to draw inspiration and works even harder in order to make a comeback to the national side. Yuvraj is also confident of playing cricket until 2019. He also said that the decisions regarding his career would also be solely decided by him, and no one would have any influence on it. Yuvraj Singh awarded with Ph.D

“I would like to tell that I am failing. I still fail. I failed the last three fitness tests but yesterday I passed my fitness test. After 17 years I am still failing. I am not afraid of failure. I have gone through ups and downs. I have seen defeat and that’s what’s the pillar of success. To be a successful man, to be a successful person in your life, you need failure and you’ve got to be defeated. That will make you a stronger person and it will take you to the next level,” said Yuvraj during the UNICEF campaign of ‘The Power of Sports to Shape the Future of Adolescents’ in Colombo. Yuvraj Singh’s exclusive fitness training in NCA irks senior BCCI officals

“I am still playing. I don’t know what format I am going to play. But I am pushing everyday as hard as I used to, may be harder than before because I am getting older. And I see myself playing cricket till 2019 and obviously take a call after that. So I still believe in myself. As I said I don’t know how many people believe in me but I do believe in myself.”

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Tamil Newspaper – Sri Lanka Coach Says Lakmal Spell the Finest In a Long Time – Maalaimalar.com

Leaving India gasping for breath on the opening day of the first Test, Sri Lanka bowling coach Rumesh Ratnayake on Thursday said it is just the beginning and their job is far from over.
Sri Lanka pacer Suranga Lakmal wrecked the high-profile Indian top-order in overcast conditions to leave the hosts reeling at 17/3 on a rain-affected day one of the first Test at Eden Gardens. “We had nothing to lose when we came here so our boys were ready for the challenge,” Ratnayake told at the post- match news conference.

“It was one of the finest I’ve seen for a long time. The wicket was receptive and very helpful. We knew that it would seam but the job is not finished, it only started.” Asked what would be a par score for them, Ratnayake said: “They might say 250, we might say 200. It may differ depending on the teams.”

Lakmal’s sensational spell, in which he struck thrice without conceding a run in six overs, saw him remove opener Lokesh Rahul on the first ball of the match after play began three and a half hours late due to wet conditions. His other two victims were Shikhar Dhawan (8), who dragged one onto his stumps after playing a loose shot in testing conditions, and India captain Virat Kohli (0), who was trapped in front after the ball came in sharply.

“I had a simple advice to keep the ball up to push batsmen back as much as possible. As we pitched up the vulnerability was more. Our tactics in normal wicket would be different and on this wicket it was totally different,” he said referring to the overcast conditions that made the task easier for their seamers. Ratnayake further said Sri Lanka were surprised to see the Eden greentop.”Certainly it was a good toss to win. Hope it might last about one and half days or more. I would think it would last for two days at least. The surface is grassy. It is in recent times a surprise.”

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