Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli combine to frustrate Australia on Boxing Day

Agencies
December 26, 2018

Dec 26: Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli combined to frustrate Australia for an entire session as India controlled proceedings at 215 for two at the close of a grinding opening day of the third Test on Wednesday.

Pujara raised his 21st Test half-century to be 68 not out at stumps, with Kohli on 47 as the Australian bowlers endured a day of toil on a toothless Melbourne Cricket Ground wicket after the Indian captain won the toss and elected to bat.

Opener Mayank Agarwal enjoyed a stellar introduction to Test cricket, scoring 76 to record the highest ever innings by an India debutant on Australian soil before being dismissed on the last ball before tea.

The Karnataka batsman eclipsed the 51 scored by Dattu Phadkar against Australia in Sydney in 1947, raising his hand for a permanent role in the top order after replacing the out-of-form Murali Vijay.

The Boxing Day crowd of 73,516 was a record attendance for a match featuring India in Australia and travelling fans from the subcontinent roared their applause as Kohli and Pujara combined for a 92-run stand and strode off unbeaten at stumps.

A day after Christmas festivities, local supporters were left flat, however, and the Australian bowlers frustrated by the drop-in pitch that offered very little movement.

With the four-match series poised at 1-1, India`s disciplined performance left them well-placed to build a big total and tire the Australian bowlers in the baking heat forecast for day two.

Only Pat Cummins was rewarded for Australia, the paceman claiming the wicket of opener Hanuma Vihari and ending Agarwal`s 161-ball knock by having him glove a catch down the legside.

Vihari, promoted to replace the out-of-sorts Lokesh Rahul, had a less successful debut as a test opener, and was dismissed for eight off 66 balls by a short delivery that reared up and pinged off his gloves before being caught by slip fielder Aaron Finch.

That was the sole highlight until the brink of tea for Tim Paine`s side, with Agarwal and Pujara holding firm in an 83-run stand.

With the pitch doing little for the seamers, spinner Nathan Lyon was introduced in the eighth over of the morning but he was also unable to conjure a breakthrough.

Agarwal smashed two fours past the bowler after lunch, the second a glorious straight drive to raise his fifty off 95 balls.He slogswept Lyon for six after the drinks break before eventually falling to Cummins at 123 for two.

Kohli joined Pujara in the middle and feasted on the ageing ball, punching the ball to the fence with a trio of exquisite, wristy on-drives among his six fours.

Desperate for a wicket, Australia threw away a review for lbw when Lyon rapped Kohli`s pads with the captain on 32.

The appeal was turned down and the review squandered, with the replay showing the ball pitching a long way wide of off-stump.

After the second new ball was taken, a more realistic chance went begging when Kohli, on 47, nicked a Mitchell Starc delivery only for wicketkeeper Paine to grass a low, one-handed chance.

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News Network
March 27,2020

New Delhi, Mar 27: India skipper Virat Kohli on Friday made a heartfelt appeal to the citizens of the country, asking them to follow social distancing as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus pandemic.
He also went on to say that over the past few days, he has seen some people still taking to the streets, and added that if people still continue to venture out, then they are not being honest with the country.
Kohli released a small video clip on Twitter, making the public appeal and captioned the post as: "Please wake up to the reality and seriousness of the situation and take responsibility. The nation needs our support and honesty"
"Today, I am talking to you as a citizen of the country. Whatever I have seen over the past few days, I have seen people not following the lockdown, it has made me feel that some people are taking the battle against COVID-19 very lightly. I request you all to please follow social distancing, whatever the government is asking you to do, please follow it," Kohli said in the video released on Twitter.
"Think about what can happen to your family members because of your negligence. Our medical experts are fighting this battle day in and day out. If you are still going out to the streets, then I don't think you are being honest to your country," he added.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to impose a 21-day lockdown in the country as a precautionary measure against coronavirus.
According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of COVID-19 positive cases have risen to 724 in India (including 640 active cases, 66 cured or discharged people) and 17 deaths.
The World Health Organisation had termed the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic on March 11. 

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Agencies
January 19,2020

Bengaluru, Jan 19: Opening batsman Rohit Sharma on Sunday became the third-fastest batsman to register 9,000 runs in the 50-over format.

He achieved the feat in the ongoing third ODI against Australia here at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Only Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers have achieved the feat faster than Rohit.

Sharma brought up the milestone in the first over of the Indian innings as he clipped Mitchell Starc away for a single.

With this, the right-handed batsman has become just the sixth Indian to achieve the milestone.

Apart from Sharma, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, and Sachin Tendulkar have more than 9,000 runs in the 50-over format.

Overall, 20 batsmen have more than 9,000 ODI runs to their name.

In the match between India and Australia, the former won the toss and elected to bat first.

Steve Smith played a knock of 131 runs to propel Australia to 286/9 in the allotted fifty overs.

 

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News Network
June 27,2020

Jun 27: India's Test batting mainstay Cheteshwar Pujara cannot describe in words the influence that Rahul Dravid has had on his life but says he will always remain grateful to him for teaching the importance of switching off from cricket.

Often compared to Dravid, who was considered the 'wall' of Indian cricket, Pujara said he is thankful to Dravid for teaching him how to keep personal and professional lives separate.

"He helped me understand the importance of switching off from cricket. I had the same thought, more or less, but when I spoke to him, it gave me a lot of clarity about it and I was sure of what I needed to do," he told ESPNcricinfo.

"I also saw in county cricket how they keep personal and professional lives separate. I value that advice a lot. Many people consider me to be focused. Yes, I am focused, But I also know when to switch off. There is life beyond cricket."

In his illustrious international career, Dravid amassed 13288 runs in 164 Tests and 10889 runs in 344 ODIs. He also captained India in 79 ODIs, winning 42 of them, which includes the world record of 14 successive wins while chasing.

"I cannot say in one line what Rahul bhai means to me. He has always been an inspiration, and will remain one," Pujara said.

His mental fortitude and batting technique is often compared to Dravid but Pujara said "despite my enchantment with him" he never tried to "copy him."

"There is a similarity in our games, but that's not because of my fascination with him. That came mainly through my experiences with Saurashtra, where I learned that scoring a hundred alone isn't enough, you have to carry your team," he said.

"That is how I learned responsibility - it is about helping my team to raise a big total, and for that I ought to attach importance to my wicket. I learned that from my junior cricket days with Saurashtra, which was a weaker team in domestic cricket."

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