Who will succeed Rahul Dravid?

August 10, 2012

rahul

Indian cricket has very big shoes to fill.

When the selection committee sits down to pick a 15-member squad on Friday for the two-Test series against New Zealand at home, they will, for the first time in 16 years, be considering a replacement for someone irreplaceable.

Rahul Dravid, to the utter dismay of the game's wisest men, won't be around.

With that, the most coveted batting position he held throughout his career - the number three slot - will remain vacant, vulnerable against oppositions who will now look to breathe easy.

Not that there isn't a talent pool to pick from and nurture but those who've followed Indian cricket through the last decade have somehow always feared this day. K Srikkanth, even as chief selector, and his team -- with Mohinder Amarnath figuring in it -- will feel no different.

Despite a string of poor scores in England and Australia, on reputation alone, VVS Laxman may remain, even perhaps going on to claim Dravid's No. 3 batting slot which he yearned all through his career. A temporary fix though, till he too bows out sooner or later.

Then who among the fresh lot?

The name that instantly comes to mind is Cheteshwar Pujara, the number three batsman from Saurashtra, a prolific scorer in the domestic circuit and already with a Test cap to his credit.


He will certainly be back in the squad after missing out most of 2011, including the tour of Australia - Dravid's last series - because of injury.

Delhi boy Virat Kohli, the most successful of Indian batters Down Under and right now in raging form, will get in too.

Also getting the nod more easily than ever earlier could be Mumbai batsman Ajinkya Rahane who toured Australia but is yet to get a game.

However, among the three, it is Pujara alone -- by way of reputation to have an appetite for big scores -- heading the list to claim the No 3 slot.

The selection headache will worsen only when the names of Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina come up in the list of contenders and get endlessly discussed.

Raina did not tour Australia for the Test series and for some time now, his significance as a player for shorter formats in more friendly conditions has gained credibility over the likelihood of being recognised as a Test batsman, a format he debuted in 2010. It'll be a tough call for selectors and a litmus test of sorts for the batsman, if he's included.

The other bet is Rohit Sharma, who continues to flatter to deceive in one-day cricket despite having played at the highest level for five years now.

It is not easy for selectors to persist with a batsman whose scores in last 15 one-dayers read: 27, 21, 21, 10, 33, 15, 0, 4, 68, 5, 0, 0, 4 & 4. Test cricket is a different ballgame but for selection at any level, the figures have to somewhere show.

A Test debut can make things worse for the beleaguered Sharma, who is low on confidence and whose immediate priority now should be to return to domestic cricket and get some runs.

As for Raina, he alone can better his chances if he can do in tougher conditions and bigger formats what he's managed in inconsequential, batsman-friendly one-dayers and Twenty20s.

The rest of the squad automatically falls in place if the middle-order does. And in Dravid's absence, that's where the focus will have to be as things move forward. Big shoes to fill indeed and the time starts now.



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News Network
January 28,2020

Columbo, Jan 28: The Sri Lanka Cricket Board on Monday announced the 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Women`s T20 World Cup, slated to commence from February 21. The board also announced five standby players for the ensuing tournament.

The squad members are -- Chamari Atapattu (captain), Harshitha Madavi (vice captain), Anushka Sanjeewani, Hansima Karunaratne, Shashikala Siriwardene, Nilakshi De Silva, Ama Kanchana, Kavisha Dilhari, Udeshika Probodhani, Achini Kulasuriya, Hasini Perera, Sathya Sandeepani, Umesha Thimashini, Sugandika Kumari, Dilani Manodara.

The standby players are -- Sachini Nisansala, Prasadani Weerakkody, Oshadi Ranasinghe, Tharika Sewwandi, Inoka Ranaweera.

Sri Lanka will take on New Zealand in their opening encounter on February 22.

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Agencies
February 12,2020

Mumbai, Feb 12: Former Indian greats Kapil Dev and Mohammad Azharuddin have been left disappointed by the behaviour of the Under-19 team after the World Cup final where they were involved in an altercation with their Bangladeshi counterparts.

After Bangladesh won the final beating India by three wickets (via DLS) at the Senwes Park on Sunday, the players of the two teams were seen engaging in an exchange of words and even some pushing and shoving on the field.

"I would like to see the board (BCCI) take some strict action against the players to set an example. Cricket is not about abusing the opponent. I am sure there is enough reason for these youngsters to be dealt with firmly by BCCI," Kapil was quoted as saying by The Hindu.

"I welcome aggression, nothing wrong in it. But it has to be controlled aggression. You can't cross the line of decency in the name of being competitive. I would say it was unacceptable that youngsters put up such an obnoxious display on the cricket field," he added.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has sanctioned five players, including three from Bangladesh -- Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain and Rakibul Hasan --and two from India --Akash Singh and Ravi Bishnoi for the scuffle.

Azharuddin also reiterated what Kapil said, insisting that players need to be disciplined.

"I would take action against the errant Under 19 players, but I also want to know what role has the support staff played in educating these youngsters. Act now before it is too late. The players have to be disciplined," Azharuddin said.

Earlier, Bishan Singh Bedi has lashed out at the Priyam Garg-led team, saying their behaviour was disgusting and disgraceful.

"You bat, bowl and field badly�happens, but there's no excuse for behaving badly. The behaviour was disgusting and most disgraceful. The innocence of that age was not visible at all," Bedi told Mid Day.

Bedi, who represented India in 67 Tests and 10 ODIs, said the behaviour of the Bangladesh cricketers is not our problem.

"Look, what Bangladesh do is their problem, what our boys do is our problem. You could see that there was abusive language used," he said.

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News Network
March 6,2020

Melbourne, Mar 6: Experienced middle-order batter Veda Krishnamurthy believes that "destiny" is in favour of first-time finalist India to win their maiden ICC Women's T20 World Cup title provided they get a grip on their nerves in the summit clash against Australia on Sunday.

India will have a psychological advantage going into the final as they had stunned the defending champions by 17 runs in the tournament opener.

The Harmanpreet Kaur-led India reached the final on the basis of their unbeaten record in the tournament after their semifinal against England was washed out on Thursday.

Krishnamurthy, who was a part of the Indian team that finished runner-up to England in the 2017 Women's ODI World Cup, knows the pain of missing out on a world title.

"It's all about destiny, and I'm a big believer in destiny. I feel like this is the way it was meant to be. There is a joke going around that this World Cup is made in such a way that it's helping us, starting from the wickets to everything else," she was quoted as saying by the tournament's official website.

"Being in the final is just reward for the way we played in the group stages. There was an advantage to having won all our games with the weather not in our hands."

The team's first target of reaching the final having achieved, the 27-year-old player said the Indians now need to hold their nerves and remain focussed leading up to the big day on Sunday.

"We said the first aim was to get to the final and take it from there. We've crossed the first stage. We need to make sure we hold our nerves and we do what we need to do on the final day," she said.

India's recent rivalry with Australia has taken fascinating twists and turns, with Kaur's outfit chasing down 173 in their recent tri-series, then getting home by 17 runs in the T20 World Cup opener.

But all is not hunky-dory for Krishnamurthy on the personal front. Considered a great finisher, she has recovered from a series of single-digit scores in the tri-series to score 20 from 11 balls in a finishing role against Bangladesh.

Having amassed just 35 runs from four matches in the tournament so far, the Karnataka batter knows her role in the team.

"As an individual, the role given to me is very consistent in the last year. They've put the effort in the last year to keep me there and I've been supported by every individual, not just one or two. The entire team, with all the support staff, have shown faith in me," she said.

"I know coming into the World Cup, I would play a crucial role to finish the innings well, which I felt I was unable to do in the last World Cup in the West Indies," she added.

Krishnamurthy said specific roles have been set for every player of the squad and they all are trying to contribute as much as they can to help the team achieve its goal.

"I was very motivated to do my role and I've been working on that. It's not just me, all 15 players involved know what their role is," she said.

"I'm happy we're all putting in efforts and executing our role properly. Even if it's a smallish contribution of saving a couple of runs, it's all panned out really well."

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