AB de Villiers wanted to retire from Tests much earlier, says Jonty Rhodes

Agencies
August 10, 2017

New Delhi, Aug 10: Jonty Rhodes, a well known figure in India has never been shy about his love for the country that has only grown on him with every visit. He is currently in the country for a stint with Tamil Nadu Premier League franchise Ruby Trichy Warriors as mentor.

Jonty has always been candid about his views on South African cricket and the game in general. He now has said that AB de Villiers wanted to retire from Test cricket long back but was persuaded by Cricket South Africa (CSA) to stay on till 2016. It is well known that Jonty shares a cordial relation with de Villiers.

Jonty said, “I think he wanted to retire a while back from Test cricket, but Cricket South Africa persuaded him to stay on. Before 2016, he was talking to people about his Test future. In South Africa, people are critical because they don’t see the IPL mechanism.” De Villiers last played a Test for South Africa in 2016 and since then has had issues with injuries.

Jonty also felt that South Africa cricket fans do not understand the concept of Indian Premier League (IPL). “They think cricketers are trying to make as much money as possible and it’s often at the expense of national call-ups.” he quipped.

If would be a shame if Jonty did not speak on fielding standards, in particularly India. “When we used to play against India, Mohammed Kaif and Yuvraj Singh were outstanding and Harbhajan Singh was probably the third best. Dhoni and Virat Kohli are physically strong. Fitness has certainly improved and so is the athletic ability,” he explained.

When asked to compare Virat Kohli with the likes of De Villiers and Rohit Sharma he stated, “I have only seen skipper Kohli as part of Mumbai Indians’ coach on a couple of occasions. Rohit looks like a laidback guy.  But he is like a duck on the water. All you see is the duck above.”

He further added, “From a captaincy perspective, de Villiers is just another nice guy. He hasn’t done anything different.”

Jonty finished off by recalling his inspiration behind his great fielding abilities. “Peter Kirsten. We didn’t have any televised international cricket when I was at school during apartheid era,” Jonty concluded.

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News Network
April 28,2020

New Delhi, Apr 28: West Indies flamboyant batsman Chris Gayle has lashed out at former teammate Ramnaresh Sarwan calling him 'worse than coronavirus'.

Gayle, the colossal figure in the shortest format of the game blamed Sarwan for his departure from Caribbean Premier League (CPL) franchise Jamaica Tallawahs.

The left-handed batsman joined St Lucia Zouks as their marquee player for the 2020 CPL season after Tallawahs chose not to retain him.

Gayle has played for Tallawahs and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the past. He has won the CPL title twice with the Tallawahs and played in the final with the Patriots in 2017.

"The owner of the franchise is a very nice man, I have no problem with him. I think he was actually persuaded to get rid of Chris Gayle," Gayle said in three parts on his YouTube channel.

"So someone has to be in his years telling him to get rid of Gayle. Sarwan, you are worse than the coronavirus right now. What transpired with the Tallahwahs, you had a big part to play.

Sarwan, you are a snake. You know, you are not the most loved person in the Caribbean. You are still stabbing people in the back," he added.

Gayle is the leading T20 run-scorer of all time as well as the man with the most centuries in the format. He is also the leading CPL run-scorer of all time, having amassed 2,344 runs in the tournament.

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News Network
July 5,2020

Colombo, Jul 5: Sri Lanka batsman Kusal Mendis was on Sunday arrested for knocking down a pedestrian while driving, police said.

Mendis hit a 74-year-old man, killing him in the wee hours, in the Colombo suburb of Panadura.

He is to be produced before a magistrate later today, police said.

The 25-year-old wicket-keeper batsman has represented Sri Lanka in 44 Tests and 76 ODIs. Mendis was part of the national squad which had resumed training after the Covid-19 lockdown.

Sri Lanka's international assignments, including a tour by India, have been cancelled due to the pandemic.

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News Network
July 23,2020

New Delhi, Jul 23: With one year to go for the Olympic Games to begin in Tokyo on July 23, 2021, Indian women's hockey team skipper Rani Rampal on Thursday said the side has performed well against top teams in recent times and can do the same at the Olympics.

The Indian team has competed well against top teams in the recent past and has registered memorable victories at the FIH Series Finals and the FIH Olympic Qualifiers last year.

"We have competed against top teams in the recent past and we have shown that our team has the capability of winning a medal and making our country proud at the Olympics. We have a good group of experienced players, who are guiding the junior players very well. Our team has been getting better with each tournament we have played and we will definitely improve our game even further in the next one year," said the 25-year-old said in a statement.

Speaking about her participation at the Olympics, Rani said that the experience will help her make better decisions at the Tokyo Olympics.

"It was great to be a part of the Olympics in Rio. We made history by qualifying for the tournament after 36 years. It was a great feeling to be playing at the biggest of stages. Even though we didn't register the best of results, I have certainly learned a lot by playing the Olympic Games matches in 2016. I am sure all the players, who played in the 2016 Olympics, will make much better decisions on the pitch at the Tokyo Olympics, based on their experience in Rio," she said.

The Tokyo Olympics will be held from July 23 to August 8, 2021, while the Paralympics will take place from August 24 to September 5, 2021.  

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