Great to see Pandya getting full backing from Kohli: Irfan Pathan

Agencies
September 30, 2017

New Delhi, Sept 30: A talented cricketer can only realise his full potential when he has the full backing of the team management and that's why Irfan Pathan has lauded India captain Virat Kohli for believing in Hardik Pandya's all-round abilities.

Pandya, who started playing for India last year, has raised expectations just like his senior Baroda teammate Pathan did nearly 14 years ago, when he made his debut against Australia in December 2003. "It is great to see players being backed. Sometimes, you always wonder, players, who were not backed enough and could have otherwise had a longer career," 32-year-old Pathan told PTI during an interaction.

"For any player's rise, not just Hardik's, the backing of captain plays a huge role. Kedar (Jadhav) for example was doing fantastically well in domestic cricket for so many years but he got the backing only under Virat," said Pathan, who last played for India in 2012. "Virat is backing all the youngsters, not only one or two. If you have the backing of captain and team management, the player will perform eventually. Rohit (Sharma) got the backing of Mahi bhai (Dhoni) consistently and now look at him, he is now one of the best batsmen in the world," he said.

Some of the experts including chairman of selectors MSK Prasad feel that Pandya has the potential to become the next Kapil Dev.

However, Pathan, who has seen Pandya since the latter's junior cricket days, feels that comparisons at best should be avoided.

"I think he will be the first Hardik Pandya! Let's not compare him with anyone. Let's give him some time. Let's not push too much pressure on him. Let him play freely because that way growth is bound to happen," said Pathan.

As the discussion veered towards his own career and the upcoming Ranji Trophy beginning next week, Pathan sounded optimistic than ever.

"This is a very important season for me. I want to give my all. At the same time, the focus is on doing well for Baroda and take the team forward. That's my aim," he said. Pathan did not have a great time captaining Baroda last Ranji season where the team managed to win just two out of its eight games. His own performance wasn't great either as he averaged 22.44 with the bat and picked 11 wickets in six games at 41.54.

Pathan insisted he will be a different player this time as he goes into the season with a much better frame of mind than last year. "I am in a much better space than last year. The pre- season training has been satisfying and I don't remember the last time I felt fitter. Baroda trainer took my YoYo test recently and I scored 16, which is pretty satisfying."

Pathan also will not repeat the mistake of thinking too much ahead of time and is only focussed on doing the job for Baroda, who have not qualified for the Ranji knock-outs since 2012-13. "Because everytime you think too far ahead (of playing for India again), that is where the problem lies. If you stay in the present, other things take care of themselves. Your own expectations sometimes put you down. If something is going to happen in the future, it will happen no matter what," he said.

"I am really happy with the way things are going, fitness wise as well as bowling and batting wise. I have also put a lot of effort on my fielding while preparing for the coming season. Most importantly, my mindset is very very clear. I want to do well for Baroda and other things will follow." Pathan has not played any competitive cricket in the last six months and featured in just one game in the IPL. With BCCI not allowing its cricketers to play in overseas leagues, Pathan spent a lot of time at home and trained even during the holy month of Ramzan. "What I did during Ramzan was train in the night at home, Just to keep my strength and muscles going. And after Eid, I started training outdoors," he said. "I always believe if you have smaller goals then you can actually work towards it, by staying focused. If you don't have any goal and you are playing for sake of playing then there is no point playing."

But isn't it better if you are playing overseas when there is no cricket in India?

"If you keep playing through out the year, it is good for players obviously. There is nothing wrong in it and it will be great if the BCCI allows its players to take part in foreign leagues," concluded Pathan.

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Agencies
August 2,2020

New Delhi, Aug 2: BCCI president Sourav Ganguly on Sunday said the Women's IPL or the Challenger series, as it is better known, is "very much on", ending speculation about the parent body not having a plan for Harmanpreet Kaur and her team.

The men's IPL will be held between September 19 and November 8 or 10 (final date yet to be locked in) in the UAE due to the surge in Covid-19 cases in India. The women's IPL will also be fit in to the schedule, according to the BCCI chief.

"I can confirm to you that the women's IPL is very much on and we do have a plan in place for the national team also," Ganguly told PTI ahead of the IPL Governing Council meeting later on Sunday.

The BCCI president, who is awaiting a Supreme Court verdict on waiver of the cooling-off period to continue in the position, did not divulge details but another senior official privy to the development said that women's Challenger will be held during the last phase of IPL like last year.

"The women's Challenger series is likely to be held between November 1-10 and there could be a camp before that," the source said.

The former India captain also said that the centrally contracted women players will have a camp which has been delayed due to the prevailing situation in the country.

"We couldn't have exposed any of our cricketers -- be it male or female to health risk. It would have been dangerous," Ganguly said.

"The NCA also remained shut because of Covid-19. But we have a plan in place and we will have a camp for women, I can tell you that," he added.

The BCCI's cricket operations team is chalking up a schedule where Indian women are likely to have two full-fledged white-ball series against South Africa and the West Indies before playing the ODI World Cup in New Zealand. 

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Agencies
February 7,2020

New Delhi, Feb 7: It was on February 7, 1999, that Anil Kumble became just the second bowler in the history of cricket to take all ten wickets in an innings of a Test match.

He achieved the feat against Pakistan at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, now known as Arun Jaitley cricket stadium in Delhi during the second Test of the two-match series.

India had set Pakistan a target of 420 runs in the match and the visitors got off to a steady start as openers Shahid Afridi and Saeed Anwar put on 101 runs for the first wicket.

It was then Kumble who came into the attack and wreaked havoc on the Pakistani batting line-up.

The spinner, also known as 'Jumbo' first dismissed Afridi (41) in the 25th over. After the right-handed batter's dismissal, India kept on taking wickets through Kumble and Pakistan was reduced to 128/6 in no time.

Kumble then kept on taking wickets at regular intervals and he got his tenth scalp in the 61st over after dismissing Wasim Akram.

This effort enabled India to register a win by 212 runs, and Kumble became the second bowler after England's Jim Laker to take all ten wickets in a single Test inning.

Kumble finished with the bowling figures of 10-74 from 26.3 overs.

Kumble announced his retirement from international cricket in 2008 and finished with 619 wickets in the longest format of the game.

He has the third-highest number of wickets in Tests, only behind Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Australia's Shane Warne (708).

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News Network
February 24,2020

Wellington, Feb 24: Indian batsmen's inadequacies in adverse conditions were laid bare as they crashed to an embarrassing 10-wicket defeat against a ruthless New Zealand side that wrapped up the opening Test in just over three days here on Monday.

Starting the day on 144 for four, India were all out for 191 in their second innings. This was only a shade better than their dismal 165 in the first innings, which eventually proved to be decisive.

Trent Boult (4/39 in 22 overs) and Tim Southee (5/61 in 21 overs), the most under-rated new ball pairs in world cricket, showed that when it boils down to playing incisive seam and swing bowling, this batting line-up is still a work in progress.

The required target of nine runs was knocked off by New Zealand without much ado for their 100th Test win.

India's last defeat was against Australia at Perth during the 2018-19 series but the loss at the Basin Reserve would hurt them more because the visitors have not surrendered in such a fashion of late.

There was no resistance from a star-studded line-up and more than intent, the failure was due to poor technique on a track that had something on the third and fourth day as well.

This is a team that plays fast bowling much better than their predecessors, the reason for their success on the bouncy Australian tracks.

But when it comes to facing conventional seam and swing bowling in testing conditions, they are yet to learn the art of saving a Test match.

India had lost the mental battle on the first day itself when they saw the moisture on the wicket.

The toss became a factor and not for one session did they look comfortable. Mayank Agarwal was the only batsman, who felt at home in patches, as New Zealand showed what a Test match strategy is all about.

If the first innings was about mixing back of length deliveries with fuller length balls, the second innings saw the pacers coming from round the wicket and targeting the rib-cage. The line was disconcerting and it stifled them for good.

It affected their mindset and once Ajinkya Rahane and Hanuma Vihari stepped out on the fourth morning, defeat was written all over as both looked ill-equipped to handle such high quality seam bowling.

Rahane (29 off 75 balls) and Vihari (15 off 79 balls) are players who only play long-form cricket at the international level and both are known for their patience.

But little would have the Indian vice-captain apprehended that he would get a delivery from Boult, which he thought would move away after pitching but it held its line and he had no option but to jab at it, and all he got was an edge.

Southee, who bowls a lovely classical outswinger, then bowled an off-cutter from the other end and before Vihari could comprehend, it came back sharply to peg the stumps back.

Within first 20 minutes, the two seasoned practitioners of swing had knocked the stuffing out of India's resistance.

Rishabh Pant (25 off 41 balls) batted only in the manner he can and played one breathtaking shot off Southee, a slog sweep off a 130 kmph-plus delivery to the deep mid-wicket boundary.

But there was too much left to do with too little support from the other end. Bending on one knee, he tried another audacious slog scoop but couldn't clear.

Southee, who had a terrific match, deservingly completed his 10th five-wicket haul and all it took was 16 overs to end the innings and the match.

New Zealand now have 120 points in the World Test championship and India stayed on top with 36 points.

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