Kohli will grow into captaincy role: Sourav Ganguly

January 11, 2015

Sourav Ganguly

Sydney, Jan 11: The comparisons will be inevitable but former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly today said it is unfair to equate the leadership skills of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and newly-appointed Test captain Virat Kohli, who will only become better with experience.

"There will be a strong urge compare Kohli and Dhoni. I don't think the two can be compared and it would be unfair to do so as well," Ganguly said.

"Kohli has got the job now and it is his for the near foreseeable future. He has got has got all the attributes for leadership and I think he will do well because he is aggressive and wants to win all the time. He will lead with passion and it will show on the field. And he will get better with experience and grow into this role."

Kohli took over the Test captaincy after Dhoni retired midway through the series against Australia which India eventually lost 0-2

Ganguly said Kohli was impressive in his short captaincy stint. Kohli led India in the first Test in Adelaide as Dhoni was out injured and then again in the fourth Test in Sydney after the latter took a shock retirement after the third Test in Melbourne.

India lost the series but they competed aggressively in three out of the four Tests and could have registered wins in at least two of them if they had latched on to pivotal moments.

Kohli himself shrugged off his failure in England and scored four hundreds during this series, accumulating 692 runs, a record for an Indian batsman against Australia in any one encounter.

The problem for India throughout the series was the simple fact that their bowling was too inconsistent.

"Length and line bowling is a basic at this international level and is very important. Look at what Josh Hazlewood did on the fifth day. He bowled 8 overs for just 3 runs. He kept bowling one line and length and that's just basic bowling," said Ganguly.

"Indian bowlers simply have to find a way to do it. The talent is there. They are consistently bowling at 140-plus and you cannot be ordinary bowlers if you keep bowling at that speed. But discipline in Test cricket is always important and a key factor. Hopefully someone will be around to tell them that and they will learn it from this tour," he added.

When asked if the Indian team is lacking in proper coaching staff, Ganguly replied, "It is important to have the right people around in terms of helping out these young boys because they are young and raw. They will have to work with them and it will not happen overnight. But it is not rocket science either so they will have to keep working on getting the consistency part right."

Perhaps R Ashwin was the only stand-out bowler during the last two Tests, bowling with control and discipline in both Melbourne and Sydney.

He picked up 12 wickets in three Tests played this series -- 10 of those in the last two Tests -- but missed support from the other end. Even so, Ganguly seemed unimpressed by the spinner's showing.

"Ashwin has got to bowl a lot better especially when it matters later in the Tests. He has been around for a while and now he is an experienced bowler. His lines have to get a lot better especially in overseas conditions. He has to keep bowling a lot outside the off stump and reduce variations even more," said the cricketer-turned-commentator.

With the Test series done, focus now turns towards the ODI leg of the tour with the Indian team playing a tri-series against Australia and England starting in Melbourne on January 16. Thereafter India will be defending their champions' crown in the World Cup starting February 14.

"It has been a long tour already. The players need to keep themselves fresh. The selectors have done a good job with the World Cup squad and it is quite balanced. Not to mention, Dhoni will be back and he is a terrific one-day player. I am sure he will prove to be a huge force in the coming months," Ganguly signed off.

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News Network
July 1,2020

New Delhi, Jul 1: After being named as India's 'Most Valuable Player' in Test cricket in the 21st century, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja on Wednesday said that he will always aim to give his best for the country.

His remark came as Jadeja achieved an MVP rating of 97.3 and as a result, he was also rated as the second most valuable player Test player worldwide, only second to Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan.

"Thank you Wisden India for naming me the 'Most Valuable Player'. I would like to thank all my teammates, coaches, fans, and well-wishers for your support as I aim to give my best for our country. Jai Hind," Jadeja tweeted.

Based on CricViz's market-leading analytics, each player in world cricket was awarded an 'MVP rating' by Wisden using a statistical model to rank their 'match impact' compared to their peers.

Jadeja has played in 49 Tests from 2012, managing to score 1,869 runs and has also picked up 213 wickets.

"It might come as a surprise to see Ravindra Jadeja, India's spin-bowling all-rounder, feature as India's number one. After all, he's not even always an automatic pick in their Test team. However, when he does play he is picked as a frontline bowler and has batted as high as No.6 - contributing to a very high match involvement," the official website of Wisden quoted CricViz's Freddie Wilde as saying.

"But Jadeja's position is based on more than simply volume: it's what he does when he's involved that really counts. The 31-year-old's bowling average of 24.62 is better than Shane Warne's and his batting average of 35.26 is better than Shane Watson's. His batting and bowling average differential of 10.62 runs is the second-best of any player this century to have scored more than 1,000 runs and taken 150 wickets. He is an all-rounder of the very highest quality," he added.

With the bat in hand, Jadeja has managed to score one century and 14 fifties in the longest format of the game.

He was last seen in action during India's two-Test series against New Zealand earlier this year.

He would have been in action for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL had the tournament commenced from March 29.

However, the IPL has been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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News Network
July 5,2020

Colombo, Jul 5: Sri Lanka batsman Kusal Mendis was on Sunday arrested for knocking down a pedestrian while driving, police said.

Mendis hit a 74-year-old man, killing him in the wee hours, in the Colombo suburb of Panadura.

He is to be produced before a magistrate later today, police said.

The 25-year-old wicket-keeper batsman has represented Sri Lanka in 44 Tests and 76 ODIs. Mendis was part of the national squad which had resumed training after the Covid-19 lockdown.

Sri Lanka's international assignments, including a tour by India, have been cancelled due to the pandemic.

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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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