Karthik blames dropped chances for T20 loss against Windies

Agencies
July 10, 2017

Kingston, Jul 10: India's top-scorer Dinesh Karthik rued the dropped catches that proved decisive in his team's nine-wicket loss to the West Indies in a one-off Twenty20 match, acknowledging a chance that he himself spilt.

In the sixth over, Lewis went for a lofted straight drive off Bhuvneshwar Kumar but a mix-up between skipper Virat Kohli and Mohammad Shami saw the opportunity go waste.

Four balls later, Lewis gave another chance when he heaved at a Kuldeep Yadav delivery but got a reprieve when an onrushing Karthik, at long-off, couldn't get into the position.

"If mis-hits go for sixes then you know it is his day but he gave us two chances, we couldn't hold on to them. Those were costly opportunities and in T20 games every opportunity would cost you a lot. We could see the result went their way mostly because of dropped chances," Karthik said at the post- match press conference.

Explaining why he couldn't hold on to the catch, Karthik said: "I am pretty confident of taking high catches in fielding. It is just that I came running in and the breeze took it away slightly more than I thought and from the corner of my eyes I saw Virat running in as well.

"I didn't want to bump into him and that took a fraction of a second for me which made me run more than I should and that kind of didn't get me in a good position and that's is the reason I dropped the catch," he said.

India posted 190-6 on a belter but opener Lewis slammed an unbeaten 125 off 62 balls to take West Indies home in just 18.3 overs.

Karthik, who top-scored for his team with a 29-ball 48, said 190 was a good score but it was not India's day as Lewis seemed unstoppable.

"All said and done, 190 is a good score. On any given day most teams will take 190. But the way the guy played, he hit more sixes than fours. It doesn't happen too many times that you end up hitting twice the number of sixes than boundaries," he said.

"It goes to show he was hitting the ball really well. He was targetting areas that we were confident about. A lot of good balls, he was hitting for boundaries, so it is not easy to bowl. It was one of those days when not much was done by us as a bowling unit but those kind of days happens in T20," he added.

Not a regular in the playing XI, the 32-year-old from Tamil Nadu said he is just trying to score as many runs as possible when he gets an opportunity.

"Given the opportunities are given to me, I am trying to do my best. It is a highly competitive team, we have got to put our best foot forward and keep performing and I am trying to do that consistently. My aim is to pile on the runs whenever I get an opportunity, that's what I am trying to focus on," he said.

All-rounder Hardik Pandya couldn't feature in the T20 match after suffering an injury during the warm-up and Karthik said he was missed by the team.

"Players like Hardik Pandya will always be missed because he is a power player, he can hit the big ball and at the same time, he has the knack of picking up wickets as well. Obviously, it is not great to miss him but freak injuries do happen. These kind of things are not controllable," he said.

Karthik said overall, the team has done well this year.

"Credit to us as well. We are coming from a big tournament in Champions Trophy and come back and put same intensity and performance through the West Indies tour has been good.

"Overall, it has been a good year for most players and a great opportunity for all to learn and I'm sure we will keep going forward," he said.

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News Network
January 12,2020

New Delhi, Jan 12: Flamboyant India all-rounder Hardik Pandya was on Saturday pulled out of the India A team's tour of New Zealand after he failed mandatory fitness tests in Mumbai.

The selectors had picked him in the squad without testing him in the Ranji games.

Tamil Nadu captain Vijay Shankar has been drafted into the India A team and he has already boarded the flight to New Zealand where they will play two 50-over warm-up games, three List A games and two four-day 'Tests' against the home A team.

It has been learnt that Pandya failed a couple of mandatory fitness tests and his scores were well below the permissible range suggesting that he is far from being fit for international cricket. In this situation, pulling him out of the India A squad was expected.

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News Network
February 29,2020

Feb 29: India were all out for 242 in their first innings following a stunning battling collapse, triggered by paceman Kyle Jamieson on the opening day of the second cricket Test against New Zealand at the Hagley Oval, here on Saturday.

India were steady at 194 for five at tea but lost wickets in quick succession after the play resumed. Jamieson returned figures of 14-3-45-5.

Hanuma Vihari top-scored for India with his combative 55 while Prithvi Shaw (54) and Cheteshwar Pujara (54) hit contrasting half-centuries.

Virat Kohli's (3) poor run continued while his deputy Ajikya Rahane (7) also fell cheaply.

India lost last five wickets for 48 runs, of which 26 were contributed by last-wicket pair of Mohammed Shami (16) and Jasprit Bumrah (10).

Brief Scores:

India 1st innings: 242 all out in 63 overs. (H Vihari 55, P Shaw 54, C Pujara 54 batting; Kyle Jamieson 5/45, Tim Southee 2/38, ).

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News Network
January 23,2020

Jan 23: Quinton de Kock has been named as the new captain of the South Africa One-Day International side, taking over from Faf du Plessis, who is dropped altogether from the three-match series against England next month.

Du Plessis led South Africa in their disastrous 2019 World Cup campaign and has hinted at international retirement from all formats following the Twenty20 global finals in Australia later this year.

"We all know the quality of the player that Quinton de Kock has grown to become," CSA director of cricket Graeme Smith said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Over the years we have watched him grow in confidence and become one of the top ODI wicket-keeper batsmen in the world. He has a unique outlook and manner in which he goes about his business and is tactically very street smart."

De Kock leads a 15-man squad with five uncapped players in seamers Lutho Sipamla and Sisanda Magala, left-arm orthodox spinner all-rounder Bjorn Fortuin, opening batsman Janneman Malan and wicketkeeper-batsman Kyle Verreynne.

Magala, leg-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi, seamer Lungi Ngidi and hard-hitting opening batsman Jon Jon Smuts must pass fitness tests before they can join the squad.

Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada will be rested for the series, while allrounders Chris Morris and Dwaine Pretorius have also not been able to force their way in.

"The road towards the 2023 Cricket World Cup starts now and we want players doing well in our domestic structures to see the rewards of the hard work that they have put in," CSA Independent Selector Linda Zondi added.

The first ODI will be staged in Cape Town on Feb.4th, with the second in Durban three days later and the final match of the series to be held in Johannesburg on Feb.9th.

Squad: Quinton de Kock (captain), Reeza Hendricks, Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Jon Jon Smuts, Andile Phehlukwayo, Lutho Sipamla, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi, Sisanda Magala, Bjorn Fortuin, Beuran Hendricks, Janneman Malan, Kyle Verreynne.

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