India beat Bangladesh by 131 runs, enter U-19 World Cup semis

Agencies
January 26, 2018

Queenstown, Jan 26: Title contenders India justified their top billing as they clinically decimated Bangladesh by 131 runs in the quarter-final to set up a mouth-watering last four clash with arch-rivals Pakistan in the ICC U-19 World Cup, here today.

The Prithvi Shaw-led team outclassed their next-door neighbours with consummate ease scoring 265 and then bundling out the hosts for a paltry 134 in 42.1 overs.

"The boys really executed the plans well as we have practised in the net session. Really looking forward to the contest against Pakistan," skipper Shaw said after the match.

Abhishek Sharma, who missed out on the Man of the match award to his Punjab teammate Shubhman Gill (86 off 94 balls), was undoubtedly the star performer with his brilliant all- round show.

He first scored a quick 50 (off 49 balls) and then taking a couple of wickets (2/11) along with two catches.

Such was India's domination that despite a lower-order batting collapse, their bowlers scythed through Bangladesh middle-order with speedsters Kamlesh Nagarkoti (3/18 in 7.1 overs) and Shivam Mavi (2/27 in 8 overs) once again working up brisk pace.

Save opener Pinak Ghosh (43), none of the other Bangladeshi batsmen could cross the 20-run mark in what turned out to be a virtually one-sided contest.

Nagarkoti, who is expected to be sought after uncapped pick at the IPL auctions, once again regularly hit the 140 kmph mark beating the batsmen for pace.

Some of the Bangladesh's lower-order batsmen looked mortally scared as they were seen retreating towards the ;eg- stump trying to avoid getting hurt.

The Indian spinners -- left-arm trio of Shiva Singh (0/29 in 7 overs), Anukul Roy (1/14 in 5 overs) and Abhishek (2/11 in 5 overs) kept it really tight as the Bangladesh batsmen found it even difficult rotate the strike with singles and doubles.

Even Ishan Porel (0/8 in 5 overs) coming back after recuperating from ankle injury was fast and accurate during his only spell of the match.

While Rahul Dravid's boys will gear up for their semi- final against Pakistan, the only worrying factor will be lack of the contribution from the lower-order, who were exposed for the first time.

From a comfortable 215 for 4, India lost six wickets for 50 runs on a pitch that was slowish in nature with strokeplay being difficult.

Dravid will have to look into this issue as Pakistan are expected to be a far more accomplished team with better quality bowling attack during the semi-final scheduled on January 30.

However there was no stopping Shubhman, who hit nine boundaries in his 94 ball knock.

Someone who loves taking the aerial route, Shubhman was seen hitting a lot of balls down the ground as he shared 86- run second wicket stand with Shaw (40, 54 balls) and 74 for the third wicket with glovesman Desai (34).

"Rahul sir (Dravid) had told me to play along the ground more and I tried doing that," Gill said with a sheepish grin as Dravid standing among the players had a hearty laugh showing thumbs up to Gill.

"We had initially thought that we could get upto 280 to 300 but the wicket was on the slower side," said Gill.

Once Gill was gone, the cheeky Abhishek kept the scoreboard ticking despite losing out on partners as he hit six boundaries. It was courtesy Abhishek that India got-past the 200-run mark.

"He is a brilliant all-rounder and he contributed really well today," skipper Shaw said today.

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News Network
July 1,2020

New Delhi, Jul 1: After being named as India's 'Most Valuable Player' in Test cricket in the 21st century, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja on Wednesday said that he will always aim to give his best for the country.

His remark came as Jadeja achieved an MVP rating of 97.3 and as a result, he was also rated as the second most valuable player Test player worldwide, only second to Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan.

"Thank you Wisden India for naming me the 'Most Valuable Player'. I would like to thank all my teammates, coaches, fans, and well-wishers for your support as I aim to give my best for our country. Jai Hind," Jadeja tweeted.

Based on CricViz's market-leading analytics, each player in world cricket was awarded an 'MVP rating' by Wisden using a statistical model to rank their 'match impact' compared to their peers.

Jadeja has played in 49 Tests from 2012, managing to score 1,869 runs and has also picked up 213 wickets.

"It might come as a surprise to see Ravindra Jadeja, India's spin-bowling all-rounder, feature as India's number one. After all, he's not even always an automatic pick in their Test team. However, when he does play he is picked as a frontline bowler and has batted as high as No.6 - contributing to a very high match involvement," the official website of Wisden quoted CricViz's Freddie Wilde as saying.

"But Jadeja's position is based on more than simply volume: it's what he does when he's involved that really counts. The 31-year-old's bowling average of 24.62 is better than Shane Warne's and his batting average of 35.26 is better than Shane Watson's. His batting and bowling average differential of 10.62 runs is the second-best of any player this century to have scored more than 1,000 runs and taken 150 wickets. He is an all-rounder of the very highest quality," he added.

With the bat in hand, Jadeja has managed to score one century and 14 fifties in the longest format of the game.

He was last seen in action during India's two-Test series against New Zealand earlier this year.

He would have been in action for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL had the tournament commenced from March 29.

However, the IPL has been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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News Network
February 12,2020

Mount Maunganui, Feb 12: India captain Virat Kohli on Tuesday berated his bowlers for their mediocre performance as he tried to explain the team's first ODI series whitewash in over three decades, saying that the visitors lacked composure all through.

The five-wicket defeat here meant that India lost the series 0-3 to an injury-plagued New Zealand that had been deflated by a 0-5 whitewash of its own in the T20 format just last week. It was India's first whitewash in 31 years in an ODI series in which all matches have been played.

"The games were not as bad as the scoreline suggests. It boils down to those chances that we didn't grab. I don't think it was not enough to win games in international cricket," Kohli said in the post-match presentation.

"With the ball, we were not able to make breakthroughs, we were not at all good on the field. We haven't played so badly but when you don't grab those chances, you don't deserve to win," he added.

"Batsmen coming back from tough situations was a positive sign for us, but the way we fielded and bowled, the composure wasn't enough to win games," he asserted.

The ineffectiveness of Indian bowlers can be gauged from the fact that the team's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah finished the series without a wicket and the attack couldn't dismiss the complete rival line-up even once.

Kohli lauded New Zealand for bouncing back after the T20 hammering.

"New Zealand played with lot more intensity. We didn't deserve to win because we did not show enough composure," he said.

The batting mainstay is looking forward to the Test series, which begins on February 21, to make amends for the disappointment.

"I think because of the Test Championship, every match has that more importance. We have a really balanced Test team and we feel we can win the series here, but we need to step on to the park with the right kind of mindset," he said.

His opposite number Kane Williamson, who missed the first two games due to injury, was lavish in his praise for the home team's grit.

"An outstanding performance, very clinical. India put us under pressure, but the way the guys fought back with the ball and kept them to a par total. The cricket in the second half was outstanding to see," he said referring to the side's effortless chase of a 297-run target.

"We know how good they (India) are at all formats but for us the clarity about the roles the guys had was the most important thing. Outstanding effort against a brilliant India side," he added.

Player of the Match Henry Nicholls, who scored 80 on Tuesday, said his team benefitted from good batting starts during the series.

"To come back and win 3-0 after the T20Is is nice. The way (Martin) Guptill played today allowed us to get ahead. We got a 100-run stand, but we were fortunate enough to get good starts this series," he said.

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News Network
March 5,2020

New Delhi, Mar 5: Cricket's slow geographical expansion is turning out to be a blessing in disguise for the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) which looks set to beat the dreaded novel coronavirus threat and go ahead as scheduled.

At a time when the number of recorded deaths because of the deadly outbreak across the globe is touching 3500 with a plethora of international sporting events getting cancelled, the IPL seems to be in a parallel universe where "all is well".

And there are multiple practical reasons why the T20 extravaganza will be held as per schedule. A major reason is the small number of countries that play the game and an even smaller fraction of overseas players, who will compete in the world's richest cricket league starting March 29 in Mumbai.

Till Thursday, the reported number of positive COVID-19 cases in India stood at 29, including 16 Italian tourists. However, none of the overseas recruits of eight IPL franchises have expressed any apprehensions about travelling to India.

Just over 60 players from cricket nations such as Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa and the Caribbean islands comprise the elite foreign brigade and the reported positive cases of coronavirus in all these countries is next to none.

"The IOC is saying Olympics in Tokyo will be held as per schedule. In comparison, IPL is a minuscule tournament. If Olympics can be held, there's no reason why IPL can't be held," a BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

STAR SPORTS FACTOR

The second and perhaps the biggest reason is broadcasters. Star Sports has bought the rights for Rs 16,347 crore (USD 2.55 billion) for a period of five years and their advertising revenues will take a huge hit if the tournament doesnt go ahead as planned. Former Delhi Daredevils CEO Hemant Dua explained the economics. "Look Star as well as BCCI has got everything insured. I don't know if there is any specific insurance cover for cancellation due to coronavirus but there is no chance of that happening if I read the situation properly," Dua told PTI.

GOVERNMENT GUIDELINES

The BCCI is also depending on the guidelines given by the government with regards to dealing with the health crisis.  "Every person availing international flights will be screened for coronavirus at the port of entry. That is the biggest health security measure. Obviously the BCCI will strictly adhere to any health advisory that government will issue," a Board official said.

But since there is an advisory that social gatherings are inadvisable at this point, won't it affect the league? "You will only come to know once the ticket sales start. If the stadiums are packed, that means people are coming but if stands are largely empty, then you can presume that people are wary.

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