Leaving out Yuvi in four bowler set-up is impossible: Dhoni

October 1, 2012
Yuvi_Solid_performence

Colombo, October 1: All praise for Yuvraj Singh's small but notable contributions in India's World Twenty20 campaign so far, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said the all-rounder, who returned to cricket after beating cancer, is an indispensable part of his T20 line-up.

Yuvraj, playing his first international event after recovering from a rare germ cell cancer, has been in decent form both with the bat and ball besides making his mark as an agile fielder.

The 30-year-old effected a run out, picked up two crucial wickets besides contributing 19 runs with the bat in the Super Eight win against Pakistan last night which kept India's chances of making the semifinals alive.


"If we look at our combination, we play seven batsmen and you can't leave out someone like Yuvraj Singh. We had never considered the option of leaving out Yuvraj," Dhoni said at the post-match press conference.

"Our bowling line-up is such that we need a left-arm bowler who can take the ball away from the batsman. Also he is a brilliant fielder as you saw with the run-out today," he added.

Yuvraj's fitness has been questioned by former India captain Ravi Shastri but Dhoni feels that the senior player is certainly fit for this format.

"I am not really concerned about his fitness as far as this format is concerned. He has worked really hard at the NCA for the past few months. He has also played some active T20 matches before coming into international cricket. More so the batting time in the middle will certainly help him as in domestic cricket, you don't get the kind of bowlers you get here."

The question of combination was asked and Dhoni's reply was the cliched "horses for courses".

"Our combination always depends on the kind of wicket we get. Like it will be very difficult for me to say what will be my strategy for the next match," Dhoni said.

"Also we have the liberty of watching how the wicket behaves during first match and that certainly has an impact on our team selection for the next game," he explained.

He praised Virat Kohli for his consistency and defended both Kohli and Yuvraj for not trying to finish it with 20 deliveries left as that would have bettered their run-rate.


"I think they have played in the way they should have. There are times when you go for shots and lose wickets which increase the pressure on the side. Here when they realised that even if they get out they are not going to lose the match, they did go for big shots."

The skipper also felt that Pakistan losing wickets at regular intervals made it difficult for the arch-rivals to put up a big score.

"When you lose wickets at regular intervals, around 10th or 12th over, there is a dilemma whether to go all out or to play for par-score. Normally, teams choose the second option."

After the hammering his bowlers received at the hands of Australia, Dhoni felt that they recovered well to have a "good day" in office.

"We don't have 145 kmph bowlers. We have bowlers who are slightly slower but do have the skill to get opposition batsmen out. But they need some help from the wicket in order to perform. During last match, the rain really made it difficult for them to grip the ball," Dhoni said.

Asked about the next game against South Africa, Dhoni was forthright.

"We can't make plans right away as a lot of things will depend on the result of the earlier (Australia vs Pakistan) match. May be we will have some plans but then we might not need that plan at all."

South Africa have already lost two matches and look like bowing out from Super Eights and Dhoni felt that not "clicking as a unit has been their problem."

"They have a complete side with two good fast bowlers, Jacques Kallis, two spinners. They have batsmen like AB (De Villiers), Hashim Amla and Duminy. But then in this format, you need to click as a team.

"You need one guy to score 50 and lot of other guys need to play those little 15, 20 run innings. Unless you have a Chris Gayle in your side who can alone make the difference that shifts the momentum in your favour."



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Agencies
August 1,2020

Bengaluru, Aug 1: Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are aiming to set up their preparatory camp for the 13th edition of the tournament from early August.

This year's IPL was slated to commence from March 29 but the tournament was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Recently, the IPL Governing Council chairman Brijesh Patel had confirmed that the 13th edition of the mega event will commence on September 19 in the UAE.

As per a report in ESPNcricinfo, CSK players have been asked to report to Chennai first, following which they will leave for Dubai via a charter flight only after approval from the Indian government.

The IPL Governing Council will meet on August 2 to finalise the schedule and other key arrangements for the tournament. Also, the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) around securing eight teams for 51 days across three venues will be formally established in that meeting.

CSK, who has the oldest squad in the IPL, are looking for a month's preparation before ahead of the tournament.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, the side was the first team to start their training camp in March. Senior players like Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu had begun training their training in December 2019.

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News Network
January 8,2020

Indore, Jan 8:  India skipper Virat Kohli has added yet another feather to his cap by becoming the fastest player to score 1,000 runs in T20I cricket as a captain. Kohli played an unbeaten knock of 30 during India''s seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the second T20I of the ongoing three-match series on Tuesday evening.

Kohli achieved the milestone of scoring 1,000 runs as captain in his 30th T20I inning. He is the second Indian and sixth overall after MS Dhoni to have achieved the feat. Dhoni had scored 1112 runs in 62 T20I games as captain.

Faf du Plessis (1273 runs from 40 games), Kane Williamson (1083 runs in 39 games), Eoin Morgan (1013 runs in 43 games) and Ireland''s William Porterfield (1002 runs in 56 games) are other captains on the list.

During India''s emphatic victory at the Holkar Stadium, Kohli also surpassed team-mate Rohit Sharma, who has been rested for the series, as the top run-getter in the T20Is. Kohli now has 2663 runs from 71 innings.

Both had finished 2019 as joint top-scorers in T20Is, with 2633 runs each.

India, already with an unassailable lead of 1-0 in the series, will now face Sri Lanka in the final T20I on Friday in Pune. The first match between the two teams was called off without a ball being bowled due to wet patches on the pitch in Guwahati last Sunday.

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Agencies
March 14,2020

Sydney, Mar 14: New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson has been placed under 24-hour isolation amid the fears of coronavirus after he reported a sore throat following the first ODI of the ongoing three-match series against Australia in Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) which the hosts won by 71 runs.

"In accordance with recommended health protocols, Lockie Ferguson has been placed in isolation at the team hotel for the next 24 hours after reporting a sore throat at the end of the first ODI," said New Zealand Cricket in a statement.

"Once the test results are received and diagnosed, his return to the team can be determined," it added.

The first ODI of the Chappell-Hadlee series was played in front of empty stands as the spectators were not allowed to be at SCG as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier, Australian fast bowler, Kane Richardson was also tested for the coronavirus, after suffering from a sore throat on Thursday. That saw him left out of the squad for Friday's game but the test was negative.

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