India vs Australia: Curator promises 'sporting wicket' for today's ODI

Agencies
October 1, 2017

New Delhi, Oct 1: The Virat Kohli-led Team India and Steve Smith's Australia will lock horns for the last time in the ongoing five-match ODI series in Nagpur on Sunday.

The pitch at the VCA Stadium does not have the best of track records but curator Pravin Hingnikar asserted that the newly laid surface is likely to produce a good contest tomorrow.

The last ODI played in Nagpur was also between India and Australia with the hosts chasing down 350 four years ago. Those were the days when the pitch produced high scoring games but of late it has become slower and lower.

In 2015, the ICC gave a poor rating to the surface after India beat South Africa inside three days with the home team's spinners wreaking havoc.

In the 2016 World T20, India were infamously bowled out for 79 to lose to New Zealand.

The last international match played here eight months ago was a T20 but that too did not see a lot of runs with India successfully defending a modest 144 against England.

"That is all in the past. We will reclaim our lost glory," said Hingnikar on the eve of the fifth and final ODI.

"The bounce will not be on the higher side but it will be consistent. It will be a good pitch as far as the spectators are concerned. It will surely have more runs compared to the recent international games played here," he said further.

The curator insisted that he is not under extra pressure with the surface receiving criticism recently.

"I don't have any pressure as far as the previous games are concerned," he said before talking about the newly laid square.

"It was a very good ground and good pitch till 2015 but after that there were certain games (the Test against South Africa) in which pitches were not up to the mark. But that is set to change after we changed the square in March," said Hingnikar.

"We have changed the soil completely, we have good local soil here as Vidarbha is a soil rich area. We have also done enough trials on the new square. It should be a good game tomorrow," he said before adding that dew won't play a major role.

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News Network
April 12,2020

New Delhi, Apr 12: As devotees across the world celebrate Easter today, former Sri Lanka skipper and current Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) president Kumar Sangakkara on Sunday condoled the demise of people who lost their lives during last year's Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka and said someone must seek answers to the questions which still remain unresolved.

"A year on we all share the pain of the families grieving lives lost, we stand with you and for you. We remember. So many questions still unanswered, but answer them someone must," Sangakkara tweeted.

On April 21, 2019, multiple blasts ripped through Sri Lanka when the Christian community was celebrating Easter Sunday.
The explosions rattled churches and high-end hotels across the country, killing 258 people and injuring over 500.

A local terror group called National Thowheeth Jama'ath had claimed responsibility for the devastating attacks.

The island nation was put under a state of emergency for a period of four months from April to August.

The Sri Lankan police had then said that 293 suspects were arrested in connection with the Easter Sunday bombings in the island country in April.

This year, most of the devotees would be offering the prayers from their homes as mass gatherings have been suspended in most countries due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Easter marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ following his crucifixion on Good Friday. It also marks the culmination of Lent, a 40-day period of fasting and penance.

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News Network
May 8,2020

New Delhi, May 8: India skipper Virat Kohli believes cricket in empty stadiums is a real possibility in post COVID-19 world and though it is unlikely to have a bearing on the intensity of players, he feels the magic would certainly go missing.

Cricket Boards across the globe are exploring the option of resuming the sport in empty stadiums. There is speculation that fans could be kept away from stadiums in a bid to salvage the T20 World Cup in Australia, which is currently under threat due to the global health crisis.

"It's quite a possible situation, it might happen, I honestly don't know how everyone is going to take that because we all are used to playing in front of so many passionate fans," Kohli said in Star Sports' show 'Cricket Connected'.

"I know it will be played at a very good intensity but that feeling of the crowd connecting with the players and the tension of the game where everyone goes through it in the stadium, those emotions are very difficult to recreate," he added.

Kohli said the many moments which are created because of the passion brought in by fans, would be missing.

"Things will still go on, but I doubt that one will feel that magic happening inside because of the atmosphere that was created.

"We will play sports how it is supposed to be played, but those magical moments will be difficult to come by," he said.

Cricketers such as Ben Stokes, Jason Roy, Jos Buttler and Pat Cummins have backed the idea of playing behind closed doors.

However, legendary Australian Allan Border has said it would defy belief to host a World Cup without spectators.

Another Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell and some other cricketers have also expressed similar sentiments.

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Agencies
May 9,2020

Tokyo, May 9: As the world continues to grapple with coronavirus pandemic, the organisers of Tokyo Game Show have cancelled 2020 showpiece event.

TGS 2020 was slated to be played from September 24 to September 27 at the Makuhari Messe convention center. However, there now talks going on for holding an online event instead.

According to the Verge, this is the first time that TGS has ever been cancelled since it started in 1996.

TGS 2020 gained more attention because of its status as the last major trade show before the launch of the upcoming next-gen consoles, the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.

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