India vs Sri Lanka: Meet Vijay Shankar, the latest entry to India's Test squad

Agencies
November 21, 2017

Chennai, Nov 21: Vijay Shankar had been hoping for a national call-up for a while but his elevation in the India Test team came as a surprise to the Tamil Nadu allrounder.

Shankar, who was seen as a backup seam bowling allrounder to Hardik Pandya, was drafted into the Indian Test team in the ongoing series against Sri Lanka as a replacement for Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

"I am really excited (about the call-up). It has been a long-time dream of mine to be part of the Indian team. Now it has come true. My hard work has paid off. I was not expecting it but it feels great," he told PTI on Tuesday from Indore.

"I am looking forward to being part of the Indian dressing room for the first time," he added.

The 26-year-old cricketer, who has played for India A, said it has helped him grow as an allrounder.

"Being part of the India A team has helped me grow as an allrounder. I have matured as a player and learnt to perform under different situations," he said.

Shankar has been in good form with the bat in the ongoing Ranji Trophy and slammed a hundred against Odisha while also bowling long spells, which he said was good.

"I am happy with my batting form. I have been bowling well too and have bowled long spells. Getting four wickets against Mumbai has given me confidence," he said.

Having overcome a series of injuries, which forced him to miss matches and A tours in the past, Shankar is now looking forward to better times.

The allrounder, who led Tamil Nadu to triumphs in the Deodhar Trophy and Syed Musthaq Ali Trophy last season, said he had worked hard on his fitness.

"I was frustrated to miss matches but worked hard on my fitness. I did rehab at the NCA (National Cricket Academy) with the physios and trainers there. It has made me stronger," he said.

Shankar, who plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL), said working with Tamil Nadu bowling coach L Balaji, a former India cricketer, had helped him improve his bowling.

"Working with Balaji has helped me improve my bowling and increase my speed," he said.

His family members were delighted to see him earn a call to the Test team and his brother Ajay, who plays in the TNCA League, said Vijay's hard work and perseverance has paid off.

"We are excited to see him representing the country. Making a debut is a big and a very special time for us. He worked hard a lot for this," Ajay, a mentor of sorts for his brother, said.

He also said Shankar's determination helped during the tough times when he was injured and missed matches. "Vijay put in a lot of hard work and his efforts made him return stronger and earn a spot in the A team," Ajay said.

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News Network
February 4,2020

Feb 4: India captain Virat Kohli on Tuesday said the death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash has impacted his outlook towards life, which he feels, is sometimes taken for granted in pursuit of control over the future.

Bryant, a two-time Olympic gold-medallist and one of the most decorated basketball players of all time, died in a helicopter crash last month along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, who was also a budding hoopster.

"Firstly, it was a shock to everyone. I grew up watching those NBA games in the morning and watching what he did on court. But when someone that you have looked up to in some ways, passes away like that, it does put things in perspective," Kohli said on the eve of the first ODI against New Zealand here.

"...at the end of the day, life can be so fickle. It's so unpredictable. I think a lot of the times we get too caught up in the pressures of what we have to do tomorrow...we really forget living life and enjoying life and just appreciating and being grateful for the life we have," he added.

Kohli said a tragedy like this makes one realise that nothing can be more important than enjoying every moment of existence.

"...it did put things in perspective for me massively. It just makes you feel like not wanting to have control of things in front of you all the time, and just embracing life and appreciating it.

"You start looking at things from a different point of view suddenly and you want to enjoy every moment you're going through. You realise that what you're doing at the end of the day is not the most important thing. The most important thing is life itself," Kohli signed off.

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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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Agencies
August 3,2020

Silverstone, Aug 2: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton on Sunday won his seventh British Grand Prix title after a dramatic last-lap at the Silverstone Circuit.

Hamilton and teammate Valtteri Bottas were at the first and second spot respectively until tyre drama struck.

Second-placed man Bottas was the first to suffer as his tyre deflated on lap 50, resulting in 11th place finish. Hamilton also suffered a similar issue before the final few seconds of the race.

However, with Max Verstappen having opted to pit a few laps from the end to try and claim the fastest lap, Hamilton had enough time in hand to just cross the line first, five seconds ahead of Verstappen and the third-placed Ferrari of Charles Leclerc.

McLaren's Carlos Sainz had been set to finish fourth, but his own last lap tyre issue saw him eventually come home P13, allowing Renault's Daniel Ricciardo to claim fourth, following a late pass on the sister McLaren of Lando Norris.

Renault's Esteban Ocon finished sixth, having enjoyed a race-long battle with Lance Stroll's Racing Point, with Pierre Gasly having enjoyed a fine race to finish seventh for AlphaTauri.

Alex Albon finished eighth for Red Bull, having recovered from a lap 1 tussle with the Haas of Kevin Magnussen that saw him fall to last, while Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel rounded out the top 10, Vettel holding off a late charge form the recovering Mercedes of Bottas.

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