India vs West Indies 1st ODI at Kochi: West Indies likely XI

October 8, 2014

Oct 8: India will face West Indies in the opening encounter of the five-match One-Day International (ODI) series at Kochi on Wednesday.

The visitors are missing two of their biggest players in Chris Gayle and Sunil Narine, which lessens their chances of victory. However, the side still has plenty of firepower to beat any team on their day. Sameer Jhatakes a look at the likely combination that West Indies will field.

ODI KochiTop order: Lendl Simmons and Dwayne Smith will open the batting for West Indies. Both players are no strangers to Indian conditions having played the Indian Premier League (IPL). Smith has been a key player for MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings (CSK) this season, and it will be interesting to see if he can replicate that form for his national side too. Like Smith, Lendl Simmons too enjoys Indian pitches and would look to unsettle Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammad Shami in the early overs. Darren Bravo, who said that he would closely observe the Indian bowlers and have a plan before stepping out onto the field expected to come in at No three.

“In the last couple of years I have played quite a lot against India. The Indian bowling lineup has been changing time and again; there are some new bowlers on the scene now. It’s very important that I look at the clips of their bowlers and try and understand the way they go about things and have a very clear idea what exactly it is that I want to do when I step on the field.”, he was quoted as saying by bcci.tv.

Middle order:Captain Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard are the two all-rounders who will form the crux of the Windies middle-order. Both batsman are capable of hitting plenty of sixes, and MS Dhoni and his bowlers need to plan and execute well in order to get rid of them. In case any of them fails, the responsibility will lie with Denesh Ramdin and Darren Sammy to complete unfinished business. Ramdin scored 169 in the third ODI against Bangladesh, and even scored 102 in the warm up match against India A.

Lower order:Jason Holder who can hit a cricket ball a long way, is expected to come in at No 8. He had a good season for Barbados Tridents, and even scored a quickfire 52 in the warm up match against India A. His inclusion adds incredible depth to their batting line-up. The lanky Sulieman Benn is expected to fill the spinner’s slot in the absence of Narine. Benn did well against Bangladesh, but it remains to be seen whether he can replicate that performance against the talented Indian batting line-up. Kemar Roach and Ravi Rampaul would occupy the last two slots, and try and do justice to West Indies’ rich fast bowling legacy by picking up some wickets.

West Indies’ likely XI:Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith, Darren Bravo, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy, Dwayne Bravo (c), Jason Holder, Sulieman Benn, Kemar Roach, Ravi Rampaul

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News Network
June 20,2020

Dhaka, Jun 20: Former Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza on Saturday tested positive for coronavirus.

The skipper had gone for a coronavirus Test last week, and now his reports have come back as positive, ESPNCricinfo reported.

As per a report in ESPNCricinfo, it is not known how Mortaza contracted the virus.

Mashrafe, also a member of the parliament from Narail 2 constituency, had stepped down as the ODI captain of the country in March this year.

Covid-19 cases have crossed 1,00,000 mark in Bangladesh and the government is now planning area-wise lockdown.

Bangladesh was slated to face Sri Lanka in July in a three-Test series and the side would have later hosted New Zealand in August, but both series look unlikely now.

The Asia Cup, scheduled for September, is also uncertain due to the coronavirus.

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News Network
July 23,2020

New Delhi, Jul 23: With one year to go for the Olympic Games to begin in Tokyo on July 23, 2021, Indian women's hockey team skipper Rani Rampal on Thursday said the side has performed well against top teams in recent times and can do the same at the Olympics.

The Indian team has competed well against top teams in the recent past and has registered memorable victories at the FIH Series Finals and the FIH Olympic Qualifiers last year.

"We have competed against top teams in the recent past and we have shown that our team has the capability of winning a medal and making our country proud at the Olympics. We have a good group of experienced players, who are guiding the junior players very well. Our team has been getting better with each tournament we have played and we will definitely improve our game even further in the next one year," said the 25-year-old said in a statement.

Speaking about her participation at the Olympics, Rani said that the experience will help her make better decisions at the Tokyo Olympics.

"It was great to be a part of the Olympics in Rio. We made history by qualifying for the tournament after 36 years. It was a great feeling to be playing at the biggest of stages. Even though we didn't register the best of results, I have certainly learned a lot by playing the Olympic Games matches in 2016. I am sure all the players, who played in the 2016 Olympics, will make much better decisions on the pitch at the Tokyo Olympics, based on their experience in Rio," she said.

The Tokyo Olympics will be held from July 23 to August 8, 2021, while the Paralympics will take place from August 24 to September 5, 2021.  

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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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