Kohli, Unadkat guide RCB to thrilling 4-run win over Delhi

May 11, 2013

RCB_to_thrillingNew Delhi, May 11: One just got the feeling that it was going to be Virat Kohli's night on Friday. There is a familiar swagger to the Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper's footsteps when he comes out to bat at the Feroz Shah Kotla. And why shouldn't it be like that? After all, Kohli has learnt most of his trade at this very ground.

Kohli was almost 'Gaylesque' as he smashed his way to 99 off 58 deliveries (4x6, 10x4) to help RCB post 183 for 4 after being invited to bat first by the new Delhi Daredevils skipper David Warner.

After taking 44 balls to reach his fifty, Kohli blasted his next 49 runs off just 14 balls courtesy four sixes and four boundaries and was unlucky to be run-out going for a second off the last ball of the innings which would have given him a well deserved century.

The Daredevils tried their best to make a match of it but fell short by a mere four runs. Thus, RCB's hopes of qualifying for the Playoffs got a big boost.

The home side made a fight of it through Unmukt Chand (41, 35b, 4x4, 1x6) and Ben Rohrer (32, 27b, 4x4) but it was the late assault by Irfan Pathan and Morne Morkel which sent shivers down RCB's spine

In the end, it was Jaydev Unadkat (5/25) - drafted into the side in place of RP Singh - who held his nerve in the final over (with 19 needed) after picking up the big scalps of Virender Sehwag (18) and Mahela Jayawardene (19) earlier.

As regular skipper Jayawardene will be forced to sit out Daredevils' next outing in Chennai, Warner was given the reigns to get used to the job but that had no effect on Delhi's fortunes. It was their 10th loss of the tournament.

Even luck was on Kohli's side. The very first ball he faced could have been his last as he edged Morne Morkel to the 'keeper only for the bowler to overstep the line marginally.

A change of willow was required the very next ball when is bat cracked but the third ball went screaming off the middle of the bat to the midwicket boundary.

If that wasn't all, the RCB skipper was offered another lifeline by Delhi teammate Sehwag, who spilled a relatively easy offering at short mid-wicket when Kohli was just 14 with Siddharth Kaul being the unfortunate bowler.

Delhiites had come out in droves in spite of the fact that Daredevils are already out of the race. That was to watch one man - Chris Gayle. The West Indian opener though lasted just six balls before dragging an Irfan Pathan delivery back on to the stumps.

The fireworks were provided by Kohli and the 'super-innovator' AB de Villiers (32 n.o., 17b, 2x4, 2x6). The shot of the innings was De Villiers paddle-sweeping his South African counterpart Morkel over fine-leg for six.

Kohli, taking AB's cue, exploded in the 18th over bowled by Umesh Yadav - smashing the speedster for two sixes and a four in an over which cost 24 runs. Yadav, in fact, went for a staggering 65 in his four overs.

Daredevils had some control over the match till the 15th over as RCB reached 99/3 but there was carnage after that. Kohli and AB were on fire and added 94 runs off just 40 balls. The last five overs of the innings yielded 84 runs and the Daredevils had their backs to the walls yet again.

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News Network
May 6,2020

May 6: They have similar impact on their teams but Virat Kohli is driven by sheer passion to subdue the rivals while Steve Smith just enjoys batting, says Australia opener David Warner.

India skipper Kohli and top Australian batsman Smith are arguably the top two cricketers of the current era. They achieve new milestones consistently, invoking debates, who is better between them.

"Virat's passion and drive to score runs is different to what Steve's would be," Warner said while speaking to Harsha Bhogle on 'Cricbuzz in Conversation'.

"Steve is going out there for a hit in the middle, that's how he sees things. He's hitting them out in the middle, he's having fun, he's enjoying himself, just does not want to get out."

Warner feels, while Kohli is batting he is aware that if he sticks around the middle his team will be on top of the proceedings.

"Virat obviously doesn't want to get out but he knows if he spends a certain amount of time out there, he's going to score plenty of runs at a rapid rate. He's going to get on top of you. That allows the guys coming in, especially in the Indian team you've got a lot of players who can be flamboyant as well."

The Australian opener added that both men are mentally strong and a good knock by them boosts the morale of the entire team.

"When it comes to cricket, they both have got the mental strength, the mental capacity to score runs. They both love spending time in the middle.

"They stabilise, they boost morale - if they score runs, everyone else's moral is up. If they are out cheaply you almost sense that on the field that everyone is (down on morale and thinking) 'now we all have to step up'. It's a very bizarre situation," he added.

Asked about the similarities between himself and Kohli, who are both live wires on the field, Warner said the passion to do better than the opponent keeps him going.

"I can't speak for Virat, obviously, but it's almost like we got this thing in us when we go (out to the middle) we need to prove people wrong, prove someone wrong."

"If you're in that contest, and if I'm going at him for example, you're thinking, 'Alright, I'm going to score more runs than him, I'm going to take a quick single on him'. You are trying to better that person in that game. That's where the passion comes from."

Warner also explained how he breaks down a match into smaller competitions.

"Obviously you want to win the game but you almost break it down to: If I can score more runs than Virat, or if Pujara scores more runs than Steve Smith, you have these little contests and that's how you try to narrow the game in the sense that if we do these little things, we can be ahead of the game or we can be behind the game.

"The passion is driven by...I know my sense - one, the will to win and two, wanting to do better than that person in the opposition," said Warner.

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News Network
May 11,2020

Karachi, May 11: Pakistan might play more Test matches during their tour of England if it goes ahead as scheduled in July after the West Indies pulled out of an assignment there in June owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Pakistan Cricket Board and the England and Wales Cricket Board officials are due to have a video conference on May 18 to discuss how they should proceed with the tour given the situation because of the pandemic.

"At present we have to play three Tests and three T20 internationals but the number of Tests could be increased and the tour could start a bit early in July," a PCB source said.

The source said that the ECB could offer to organise a four or five Test series against Pakistan if the West Indies tour didn’t go ahead.

Issues that are likely to be discussed in the May 18 meet are a quarantine period for Pakistani players when they arrive in England in July and limiting the venues for the matches and playing before empty stadiums.

PCB CEO Wasim Khan confirmed the video conference but said so far, the ECB has not spoken to them on increasing the number of matches on the tour which is scheduled between July and September.

"Things will be clear after the meeting but whatever decision we take we will consult our captains and head coaches before giving any confirmation," Khan said.

The PCB has so far kept mum on the chances of the series taking place in England because of the COVID-19 situation.

But with the British government due to announce measures to ease the lockdown in the country, it appears Pakistan could be touring on schedule.

Some former players have, however, asked the PCB to tread on the side of caution.

"If the West Indies have decided to postpone their series in June because of safety reasons and because of the situation then the PCB should also be very careful before taking up any offer from the ECB," a former captain said.

The West Indies Cricket Board said its players have to be convinced of their safety for it to commit to the assignment, which "is not possible in June."

"...we will continue our discussions with the ECB and other Internationals Boards on trying to find new dates," it said in a recent press release.

"We will only travel to England to play the series if our players can be assured that it is safe to do so," it added.

Pakistan is also scheduled to play an ODI series against Ireland while in UK but that series could be rescheduled and also be held in England.

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April 26,2020

New Delhi, Apr 26: The idea of having a full-fledged women's IPL is in a "progression stage" and a World Cup title for India can actually help in turning that into a reality sooner than later, says former captain Anjum Chopra.

Under the leadership of Harmanpreet Kaur, the Indian team sailed into the final of the last women's T20 World Cup, but was thrashed by home favourites and defending champions Australia when it mattered the most.

Chopra, one of the country's most decorated women cricketers, said a World Cup title triumph would have brought about a generational shift to the women's game in cricket-mad India.

"Women's IPL in the progression stages. From one game at the start we had four last year in the Women's T20 Challenge, and this time it was supposed to be seven. It has progressed," Chopra said.

"If the women's team had won the World Cup this year, the number of matches would have been more. There is a big difference between winners and runners up."

Chopra had a successful career spanning over 17 years during which she represented India in six World Cups while becoming the first woman cricket to appear in 100 One-day Internationals.

She added, "A victory (in final of last T20 World Cup) would have been a complete generational shift in a much more progressional manner."

Referring to the rapid strides the women's game has made the world over, she praised the International Cricket Council (ICC) for "consciously building it up".

"ICC has bifurcated viewership numbers also very well for Indian audience."

The icing on the cake was a near-packed Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) for the World Cup final between India and Australia, and that was not lost on Chopra, who is now a respected analyst and sportscaster.

"To have 80,000 people watching the final that's commendable. That definitely a boost," said Chopra, who holds the distinction of leading India to their first ever Test series win.

A World Cup triumph and the "mind set would have gone to different level altogether", she believed.

Asked about the chatter around pay disparity in Indian cricket, her simple message was win more to earn more.

"There is already pay parity in Australia. Because both teams have won the World Cups more than any other nations.

"If you start winning, then I am sure things will be different. It's also about how much you are able to generate as a team.

"I would say sky is the limit for them."

With the COVID-19 pandemic bringing sporting activities to a standstill, a cloud of uncertainty hangs over the fate of many big events lined up in the near future.

While the IPL has been put on hold indefinitely, the pandemic has thrown the men's T20 World Cup, scheduled for October-November in Australia, into doubt.

"There has been a suggestion that if we are hosting the World Cup in October, then play the IPL as preparation ground for World Cup."

That is only if the situation improves in the coming times.

"It's difficult to see, to gauge where sport will be after this. For sure it is not going to be where it was before. Even if it opens up tomorrow it couldn't be the same.

"Can sports people can get back to work without worry? We don't know when this is going to be under control."

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