Kohli will bring aggressive approach to Indian cricket: Johnson

January 2, 2015

Kohli approachSydney, Jan 2: Australia fast bowler Mitchell Johnson feels new India Test skipper Virat Kohli’s “in your face” attitude will spill over to his captaincy and will bring an aggressive approach to the way the Indians play cricket.

Kohli and Johnson have had frequent run-ins during the first three matches of the four-Test series, which Australia have already sealed in their favour after winning the first two Tests and the third being a draw.

“It could be quite interesting because they’re not known for that aggressive type of play. But ever since I’ve seen him play cricket, I’ve always seen him pretty fiery,” said Johnson.

“So he’ll definitely be an aggressive type of captain I think in the way he sets fields, and I think you’ll see a lot different to what M S did. He is a fierce competitor and he really does like to get involved in it all,” he added.

Johnson said Kohli’s approach hardly changes irrespective of who the opponents are.

“It doesn’t matter who he plays against, he plays in your face and that is how he likes to play the game. Virat’s just been telling us how many runs he’s scored and we’ve just been saying we’re two-nil up in the series so that’s pretty much it. It’s always been part of the game and always will be,” said Johnson.

Johnson, meanwhile, said he was forced to cut down on his pace due to longer stints he was asked to bowl against India but is now keen to go back to his shorter spells, similar to those he fired down at England last summer.

Except for an influential spell on the final morning of the Gabba Test, Johnson has not been up to the mark so far in the ongoing series against India, and also had to reduce his pace by around 10km/h than what England and South Africa were subjected to. Key to his high speed were the short bursts of around three overs that Michael Clarke kept Johnson fresh for.

“I’ve been bowling longer spells. That’s been at the back of my mind where I know I’m going to be bowling four, five, six over spells that I can’t be flat out every ball. It has dropped off a little bit,” Johnson insisted.

There have been a number of longer spells this season for Johnson, who had to reduce his pace in an effort to maintain his energy levels. But now he is adamant to take it up with skipper Steven Smith and coach Darren Lehmann.

“It’s been a big 15 months as well so it’s tough cricket. We go out there day in and day out and we work really hard and to be able to bowl 150 every game. I’d be dreaming if I could do that. But I’d like to be going back to bowling shorter spells again. Hopefully I can do that in this (Sydney) Test. At the moment I’m just doing what the team needs me to do and that’s bowling those longer spells,” Johnson explained.

“I’ll speak to Steve Smith and Darren Lehmann and see if we can go back to those three over sharp spells because I think that worked really well for us in the past. But that’s just me speaking. They might want me to bowl those longer spells again. Be happier with me bowling an average of me bowling 140 again, and occasionally get it up there as well.”

The pitches for the India Tests have been by and large more amenable to batsmen than they were for England, lacking the sort of pace and bounce that promotes batting collapses, and that’s probably the reason why Smith and Lehmann chose to use Johnson differently.

Besides this, dropping of Peter Siddle and Ryan Harris’ creaking body have been other reasons behind Johnson being asked to do more draining shifts at the bowling crease.

“You like a wicket to break up, that’s what you expect from a five-day wicket. And it looked like a three-day wicket by the end of it,” Johnson said of Melbourne’s seemingly indestructible surface.

“And it happened in Adelaide as well, obviously just had the footmarks there which was helpful for Nathan Lyon, but the middle of the wicket, it’s a little bit disappointing. We played over there (in India) and lost four-nil on some pretty ordinary wickets, I thought, and we were hoping for them to come over here and play on some good, bouncy wickets.

“I even thought the Gabba wasn’t the normal Gabba. A bit of bounce there but it just wasn’t the same. Wickets have been suited for the batters more than anything I think,” he said.

Johnson, who is likely to be given an extended break during the early part of the triangular ODI series before he comes back for the World Cup, said all fast bowlers, not just him, need some time away.

“Definitely, all us bowlers feel like we need to have a bit of a freshen up. So we’ll just see what happens after this match here. And then we’ve got some tri-series one-dayers, so hopefully I can get a bit of a break at some stage there. If not, I’ve just got to go out there and keep trying to do the best I can,” the fast bowler said.

Johnson, meanwhile, said his team had come a long way since the last time they sat together in the SCG dressing room, discussing how it would be possible to play at the same venue where Phil Hughes’ was hit and eventually passed away.

“We all didn’t know how we were going to go out there and play, and we weren’t sure if we had enough time and all that stuff and too close to go out there and play again. But everyone is sticking together.

“(The SCG is) going to be difficult for a lot of guys, but the guys who were out there (when Hughes was hit) it’s going to be very tough for them, but everyone has handled it very well and in their own ways, they’ve done it very well. So we’ve been really happy to get a result that we have against India after the passing of Phil and we haven’t been at the SCG yet so we don’t know how everyone’s going to feel,” said Johnson.

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Agencies
July 8,2020

Kolkata, Jul 8: Legendary Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar led the wishes for former India captain and current President of the Board of Control for Cricket India (BCCI) Sourav Ganguly who turned 48 on Wednesday.

Touted to be one of the best captains the country has ever produced, Ganguly is widely credited for making India an aggressive side and instilling belief in the team that they could win overseas conditions as well.

Happy birthday Dadi!
Hope our off-field partnership keeps going strong like our on-field ones. Wish you a blessed year ahead. pic.twitter.com/jOmq9XN07w

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) July 8, 2020
Tendulkar was among the first ones to extend birthday wishes to his former opening partner. "Happy birthday Dadi! Hope our off-field partnership keeps going strong like our on-field ones. Wish you a blessed year ahead," Tendulkar said on Twitter.

"Many more happy returns of the day Sourav Ganguly. May you taste ever more success and receive more and more love. Have a great day and year ahead #HappyBirthdayDada," said renowned Indian batsman VVS Laxman.

Many more happy returns of the day @SGanguly99 . May you taste ever more success and receive more and more love. Have a great day and year ahead #HappyBirthdayDada pic.twitter.com/j53UUDerJE

— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) July 8, 2020
Former cricketer Mohammad Kaif wrote: "From a fine batsman to an outstanding captain & now leading Indian cricket on the whole—here's wishing my favourite captain & mentor Sourav Ganguly a very happy birthday. But FAULADI SEENA dikha ke aise kaun chadhta hai (who climbs up like this after showing a chest of steel), Dada #HappyBirthdayDada."

From a fine batsman to an outstanding captain & now leading Indian cricket on the whole—here’s wishing my favourite captain & mentor @SGanguly99 a very happy birthday. But FAULADI SEENA dikha ke aise kaun chadhta hai, Dada #HappyBirthdayDada pic.twitter.com/8PKZ3RwwtB

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) July 8, 2020
"Wishing a very happy birthday to the most dynamic and visionary captain of his time. It's a matter of immense pleasure to work with the man who took Indian cricket to new heights. Subho Janmodin Sourav Ganguly," tweeted BCCI Secretary Jay Shah.

"Leader of Men. God of off-side. Fighter. Happy Birthday, Dada. #HappyBirthdayDada," said commentator and former cricketer Aakash Chopra.

Leader of Men.
God of off-side.
Fighter.
Happy Birthday, Dada. #HappyBirthdayDada pic.twitter.com/PJcy0xwgyb

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) July 8, 2020
"Happy birthday dada! From a great captain to a brilliant administrator, you have donned them magnificently. Hope you continue your good work for the betterment of Indian cricket... Godspeed. Sourav Ganguly #HappyBirthdayDada," tweeted another former cricketer Pragyan Ojha.

Putting out various important achievements of Ganguly, the International Cricket Council (ICC) on their official Twitter handle wrote: "Third-fastest to 10,000 ODI runs. Holds the record for the highest individual score in CWC for India. 2003 ICC World Cup runner-up. Captained India to 11 wins in 28 overseas Tests. Happy birthday to one of India's most successful captains, Sourav Ganguly."

Ganguly played 113 Tests and 311 One Day Internationals in which he scored 7,212 and 11,363 runs respectively.

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News Network
January 6,2020

Jan 6: Former India opener Kris Srikkanth on Sunday said he would prefer K L Rahul over Shikhar Dhawan in the T20 World Cup later this year.

Former India opener Kris Srikkanth on Sunday said he would prefer K L Rahul over Shikhar Dhawan in the T20 World Cup later this year.

Dhawan is returning to international cricket after a long gap. During the senior left-handed batsman's absence, Rahul has emerged as one of the top contenders for the opener's slot in limited-overs cricket.

"Runs against SL (Sri Lanka) don't count. If I was chairman of selectors, I won't pick Dhawan in the T20 WC squad. There is no competition between him and Rahul. Only one winner," Srikkanth said on Star Sports.

Before the series, the 34-year-old Dhawan said that he is looking forward to a "new start" in a new year and wants to win the World Cup for India.

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News Network
February 13,2020

Feb 13: Veteran India batsman Suresh Raina feels Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the best captain India ever had.

Raina and Dhoni play for the same IPL franchise -- the Chennai Super Kings --, which is also led by the latter.

"I think we have the best captain who has changed the Indian team like anything. Now we have that same aura in our dressing room," Raina said on 'The Super Kings show' on Star Sports Tamil.

The 38-year-old Dhoni has retired from Test cricket but his future in the limited overs formats is a subject of intense speculation.

The two-time World Cup-winning former captain took a break from cricket after India's exit from the 2019 World Cup in England. He is set to be back in action at the IPL, where he will captain the CSK, starting March 23.

With three restricted stands at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai finally being reopened, Raina urged the fans to fill the venue in every CSK home game.

"We have all the seats available. Hopefully, we'll have more fans now so that there is it will be more energy on the field," the 33-year-old Raina, a former India batsman, said.

Raina, who last played for India in 2018, also expressed his excitement about the prospect of playing with CSK's latest acquisitions.

"This year we have a lot of new talent in our team. Piyush (Chawla) is there, then we have Hazelwood, Sam Curran, Sai Kishore from Tamil Nadu, he has been bowling really well for them. So, I think we have a lot of mixture of youngsters and seniors."

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