Dhoni is a calm and extraordinary character: Adam Gilchrist

November 1, 2014

Bengaluru, Nov 1: Former Australia wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist today said he did not agree with his countryman Ian Chappell’s demand for Mahendra Singh Dhoni relinquishing Test captaincy and hand over the reins to Virat Kohli.

Adam Gilchrist

“I have said it number of times before that I am very impressed with Dhoni right from the moment he arrived into the scene. He is an amazing captain and has won India T20 and ODI World Cups and also India reached the pinnacle by reaching the number one spot in Test cricket,” he told reporters.

Former Australia captain Chappell had said earlier this month that he did not find Dhoni good enough to be India’s Test captain anymore and said it was time to hand over the reins of the team to Kohli.

Dhoni clearly is a strong leader and a quality all-round cricketer, Gilchrist said adding that he is calm and is an extraordinary character.

Gilchrist said Australia will be one of the favourites to win the 2015 World Cup but there could be three or four other contenders.

“I think Australia will be one of the favourites in the start of the World Cup tournament. Don’t know there is one favourite. Any number of three or four teams could win the World Cup,” he added.

Asked about India’s chances in the upcoming Test series in Australia, Gilchrist said all the teams hold the home ground advantage at the moment and that is reflected in the performances of India, England and Australia.

“As of now the teams are maintaining home ground advantage at the moment. You can see Australia, India and England – they have not done well abroad,” he said.

Regarding India he said, “I am sure India and Virat Kohli would have addressed themselves and checked their mistakes, and are ready for the Australian heat,” he said.

Gilchrist further said he did not find any problems with the Indian batting line-up.

“I don’t see any reason why the (Indian) batting line-up shouldn’t be successful. I don’t know the wicket will have steep bounce and do something sideways.” he said.

“However, everything depends on the mental set-up of a team,” he added.

Will the absence of players like Sunil Naraine, if he is not cleared for his dubious bowling action, affect competitiveness in the World Cup to be played in Australia, Gilchrist said the game is bigger than individuals.

“There was a time when Sir Donald Bradman left the scene. Even we have seen Sachin Tendulkar leave the game, but the cricket goes on,” he said.

Earlier, Gilchrist introduced the second recipient of the annual Bradman Scholarship for a talented Indian cricketer to study at the University.

This year’s winner is Alankrit Jangid of Jaipur. Alankrit was a talented junior cricketer who represented his school and Rajasthan state at national schools level as a wicketkeeper and opening batsman.

Gilchrist launched the university’s Bradman Scholarship in his role as the varsity’s Brand Ambassador to India.

The scholarship, named in honour of the world’s greatest-ever cricketer, Sir Donald Bradman, helps Indian students to study in the Australia university.

The scholarship was established to reward Indian students – male or female – who have completed secondary school and who demonstrate a combination of academic, sporting, personal and social skills, as well as strong participation in cricket.

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News Network
June 29,2020

Jun 29: The West Indies cricketers will sport a 'Black Lives Matter' logo on the collars of their shirts during the upcoming three-Test series against England to protest against racism in sports.

Skipper Jason Holder, who has voiced his support to the cause that has once again come to the forefront after the killing of American George Floyd, said in a statement on Sunday: "We believe we have a duty to show solidarity and also to help raise awareness."

The ICC-approved logo, designed by Alisha Hosannah, will be the one which featured in the shirts of all 20 Premier League football clubs since the sport's resumption earlier this month.

"This is a pivotal moment in history for sports, for the game of cricket and for the West Indies cricket team," Holder was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

"We have come to England to retain the Wisden Trophy but we are very conscious of happenings around the world and the fight for justice and equality. "As a group of young men, we know of the rich and diverse history of West Indies cricket and we know we are guardians of the great game for a generation to come."

Holder, who wants racism to be treated at par with doping and corruption, said they arrived at the decision to wear the logo after much thought.

"We did not take our decision lightly. We know what it is for people to make judgments because of the colour of our skin, so we know what it feels like, this goes beyond the boundary. There must be equality and there must be unity. Until we get that as people, we cannot stop," he said.

"We have to find some way to have equal rights and people must not be viewed differently because of the colour of their skin or ethnic background."

The West Indies players are likely to wear the shirts for the first time in this week's four-day warm-up match at Emirates Old Trafford, starting on Monday.

The opening Test of the series, which will mark the resumption of international cricket after the coronavirus-forced hiatus, will get underway at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton on July 8.

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News Network
February 10,2020

Potchefstroom, Feb 9: Bangladesh clinched their maiden ICC U-19 World Cup title after beating favourites India by three wickets in the summit clash here on Sunday.

Set a revised target of 170 after a brief rain interruption, Bangladesh won the match with 23 balls to spare.

Sent in to bat, India's batting wilted under pressure as a superb Bangladesh bowling attack shot the defending champions out for a paltry 177 in 47.2 overs.

Yasashvi Jaiswal (88 off 121 balls) was once again a standout performer but not for once did he look like dominating the Bangladesh bowling unit whose new ball bowlers Shoriful Islam (2/31 in 10 overs) and Tanzim Hasan Shakib (2/28 in 8.2 overs) literally stifled the Indians for runs.

The third seamer Avishek Das (3/40 in 9 overs) was the most successful bowler in terms of figures but it was Shoriful's first spell with channelised aggression that put the Indians on the back-foot from the onset.

After a short rain break towards the end, the target was revised to 170 from 46 runs but Bangladesh reached 170 for 7 in 42.1 overs to win the match.

Opener Parvez Hossain Emon top-scored for Bangladesh with a 79-ball 47 while captain and wicketkeeper Akbar Ali was not out on 43 from 77 deliveries.

For the India U-19 side, Ravi Bishnoi was the most successful bowler with figures of 4/30 while Sushant Mishra had 2/25.

India thus missed out on a record fifth title in their seventh final appearance.

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March 2,2020

Christchurch, Mar 2: India captain Virat Kohli on Monday said the under-fire Rishabh Pant has got a "lot of chances" but the team is not looking to try someone else in the youngster's place just yet as one player can't be singled out in a collective failure.

Pant has been under the scanner for the past one year because of his inconsistent run. His tally of 60 runs across four innings in the 0-2 Test series loss to New Zealand, which concluded here on Monday, has only amplified the debate whether it was prudent to leave out a keeper of Wriddhiman Saha's calibre and back Pant.

"...we have given him (Pant) a lot of chances in the home season as well starting from Australia. Then he was not playing for a bit. In turn he really worked hard on himself," Kohli came to Pant's defence after the series here.

"You need to figure out when is the right time to give someone else a chance. If you push people too early, they can lose confidence," he added.

"...collectively, we didn't perform. I don't believe in singling him out. We take the hit together as a group whether it's the batting group or as a team."

When asked if he believes Pant has taken his place in the side for granted, Kohli made it clear that the culture of this team doesn't encourage anyone to think along those lines.

"I don't see anyone taking his place for granted in this team. That's the culture we have set. People are told to take responsibilities and work hard. Whether it happens or not is a different thing. Then you can have a conversation with the players," he said.

"But no one has come here thinking I am going to play every game or I am indispensable," he added in no uncertain terms.

Kohli, just like head coach Ravi Shastri, made it clear that Pant can make a difference in overseas conditions and he won't like to deviate during future tours.

"The time that he didn't play, he really worked hard on his game. So we thought this is the right time because of his game and the way he plays because he can make a difference lower down the order.

"That was our planning behind it. We can't really fluctuate when it comes to what we planned," he added.

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