Ind vs SL: Kohli, Raina lead India to series win against Sri Lanka

August 1, 2012

kohli-raina


Colombo, August 1: Young India was to the fore again. Two of India's most exciting batsmen, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina showed why they are regarded so as they helped their team register a comprehensive six-wicket win in the fourth ODI and hand Sri Lanka one of their rare series defeat at home.

Kohli and Raina set the Premadasa stadium alight with their superlative strokeplay under lights to post a series clinching 146-run partnership, rendering the last game in Pallekele academic. Kohli, who hammered his second century of the series, is fast emerging as the top ODI batsman in the world today. Ace finisher Raina is not far behind, getting his third half-century of the series.

The two had come together at a stage when the match could have gone either way but the way the two took control of the situation, injury-depleted Sri Lankans did not stand a chance. The performance of the two overshadowed the heroics of part-time bowler Manoj Tiwary who, with his four-wicket haul, had helped India restrict the home team to 251 for eight which the visitors overhauled with eight overs to spare.

Ostensibly, Manoj Tiwary was picked in the team to showcase his batting prowess. But even before he could lay his hands on the bat, he showed his skills with the ball, with his innocuous-looking leg-spin.

After the Sri Lankan top-order had given the home team a solid start, it was the part-time bowlers led by Tiwary, who helped India to restrict the opponents total to a manageable proportion. Such was the effectiveness of India's part-time bowlers, they bowled as many as 22 overs for 112 runs and five wickets. Tiwary's figures would have been even more impressive if he had not conceded 18 runs in the last over of the innings.

It was, however, surprising that skipper MS Dhoni continued to persist with non-regular bowlers when the pace trio of Zaheer Khan, Ashok Dinda and Irfan Pathan had four overs each left. Probably the slowness of the wicket prompted the Indian skipper to rely on the slower bowlers.

After Upal Tharanga and Dilshan had given a solid platform of 91 runs and Lahiru Thirimanne and Dinesh Chandimal continuing on with the good work, subsequent batsmen struggled to get a move-on. The slowness of the pitch may have played a part. The only batsmen, apart from the openers, who showed the ball could be hit were Chandimal and Thirimanne, during their half-century stand for the third wicket.

Sri Lanka seemed to be running away towards a big total but Tiwary's introduction in the 32nd over triggered a slide. Tiwary with his looping flight foxed the batsmen and ran thought the middle order, even getting rid of the experienced Mahela Jayawardene. Thirimanne was bowled by Ashwin for 47 after a patient innings to leave Sri Lanka at 219 for 8.

But the Sri Lanka tail bit back. Dhoni persisted with Tiwary, who was hammered by Malinga for a six and then went for 18 in the final over. That helped Sri Lanka touch the 250-mark to give their bowlers a target to put some pressure on the mighty Indian batting which was not to be.

Landmarks and milestones:

- Virat Kohli is the first Indian batsman to register 1,000 ODI runs in successive years - 1,381 (ave.47.62) in 34 matches in 2011 and 1,003 (ave.77.15) in 15 matches in 2012 so far.

- Kohli is the first batsman to manage five hundreds this year, which have come in his last eight innings - four against Sri Lanka and one against Pakistan.

- Of his 13 hundreds, eight resulted in successful chases for India. Only three batsmen have recorded more hundreds in successful chases - Sachin Tendulkar (14), Sanath Jayasuriya (9) and Saeed Anwar (9).

- Kohli is averaging 76.57 in successful chases - 1,991 runs in 34 matches. Only three batsmen have averaged better than Kohli - Mahendra Singh Dhoni (101.40), Michael Clarke (89.20) and Michael Bevan (86,25) (minimum 1000 runs).

- India became the third team to register 400 wins in one-dayers, joining Australia (490) and Pakistan (416).

- India's success rate in ODIs is 52.13 - 400 wins, 367 losses, 6 tied games and 35 no-results out of 808 played.



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Agencies
August 5,2020

New Delhi, Aug 5: Indian cricketers Suresh Raina and Harmanpreet Kaur were on Wednesday appointed as the global brand ambassadors of the WTF Sports.

Raina is also joining the brand as a Strategic Partner. WTF Sports, a fantasy sports gaming platform, was today formally launched in India and globally.

The announcement was made through a web conference with prominent cricket host, Vikram Sathaye moderating and hosting the webinar and Vinit Bhatia, Manit Parikh and Yash Kadakia Co-Founders - India and Global, WTF Sports introducing the cricketers as the Global Brand Ambassadors.

Kaur said it was a perfect fit for her and she can use her strategy and experience while playing.
"WTF Sports was the perfect fit with me, I can use strategy and my experience while playing, I've actually learnt to strategize better as I've played along. Additionally, when we were under lockdown and I couldn't really practice, it was fun to come on the platform and feel like I'm still playing," Kaur said in a statement.

On the other hand, Raina said, "It is exciting to be a part of a fantasy sports platform like WTF Sports not just as an ambassador but also as the strategic partner, it is everything that I embody and what I believe in, it's fierce, fun and competitive."

The app currently hosts three major sports, multiple playing modes, and exciting contests, ensuring that sports fans can get more skillful by letting them strategize and use their sports knowledge into rewarding behaviour.

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News Network
March 3,2020

Sydney, Mar 3: Former Australia pacer Brett Lee foresees a "different" looking India making their maiden T20 Women's World Cup final and attributed their rise to the emergence of star players like 16-year-old Shafali Verma.

Besides opener Shafali, experienced leg-spinner Poonam Yadav has been the other match-winner for India in the competition. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side topped the group stage with four wins in as many games and play their semifinal here on Thursday.

"They've never reached the final but this is a different India team from the one they’ve seen before. They've combined match-winners in Shafali Verma and Poonam Yadav with consistent players with both bat and ball," Lee was quoted as saying by ICC.

"We've always known they have some of the best players in the world but now Harmanpreet Kaur has a team around her that can support the big players, and fill in the gaps when they have an off day."

Only a special effort from their opponents can stop India from reaching their maiden final, feels Lee.

They'll go into the semi-finals full of confidence and it will take an excellent team to stop them from reaching the Final."

Talking more about Shafali, who has got 47, 46, 39, and 29 so far, Lee backed the teen sensation to make a bigger score in the semifinal.

"Shafali Verma has been excellent at the top of the order, she’s brought a fearless energy to India’s batting and been brilliant to watch.

"You feel she can go even bigger as well – she hasn't reached 50 yet, which is both exciting for those watching and worrying for the bowlers.

"We saw from the opener against Australia just how good India can be, and it’s no surprise they’ve continued that form to top Group A," he added.

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News Network
February 14,2020

Los Angeles, Feb 14: Tributes to the late Kobe Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers legend who died last month in a helicopter crash, will play a major role in Sunday's 69th NBA All-Star Game.

This year's annual showcase of league talent will be played in Chicago and feature numerous nods to Bryant, a five-time NBA champion who also matched a league record with four NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player awards.

Bryant, an 18-time NBA All-Star, died at age 41 on January 26 in a crash near Los Angeles that also took the life of his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others.

All-Star teams guided by LeBron James of the Lakers and Greek star Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks will compete to win each of the first three quarters, which will all start 0-0 and last 12 minutes.

At the start of the fourth quarter, the clock will be turned off and a final target score will be established by taking the leading club's cumulative score through the first three quarters and adding 24 points -- the number representing the jersey number worn by Bryant for the final 10 seasons of his NBA career.

The first team to reach the cumulative target score will win the NBA All-Star Game.

All-Star Game jerseys will also honor Bryant and his daughter.

Team Giannis players will wear jersey number 24 in tribute to Kobe while Team LeBron players will wear jersey number two, the number his daughter wore when playing youth basketball.

Both teams will wear jersey patches displaying nine stars, representing the nine people who were killed in the crash.

Academy Award-winning actress and Grammy Award-winning singer Jennifer Hudson, a Chicago native, will perform a special tribute to Bryant, his daughter and the others who were killed in the crash. Her performance will begin the night ahead of the player introductions.

James and Antetokounmpo each chose their squads from available starters and reserves voted and selected to the All-Star contest.

Team LeBron starters will include James, his Lakers teammate Anthony Davis, NBA scoring leader James Harden of Houston, Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers and Slovenian guard Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks.

Team Giannis starters include the Greek big man, Cameroon stars Joel Embiid of Philadelphia and Pascal Siakam of Toronto and guards Kemba Walker of Boston and Trae Young of Atlanta.

A record eight All-Star Game players from outside the United States also include Frenchman Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz on Team Giannis and Team LeBron reserves Ben Simmons of Australia and the Philadelphia 76ers, Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis of Indiana and Serbian Nikola Jokic of Denver.

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