India thrash SL by 81 runs to enter the final of Tri-Series

July 10, 2013

Tri-SeriesPort of Spain, Jul 10: Seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar wreaked havoc with a brilliant opening spell as he powered India into the final of the Celkon Mobile Cup Tri Series tournament with a commanding 81-run victory over Sri Lanka via Duckworth Lewis method in another rain-affected match.

The 22-year-old Kumar had career-best figures of 4 for 8 runs in six overs as Sri Lanka were bundled out for a paltry 96 in 24.4 overs in pursuit of 178 in stipulated 26 overs as Virat Kohli, in his maiden stint as captain, guided the 'Men In Blue' into the title round. India will again meet Sri Lanka in the final at the same venue on Thursday.

India thus topped the table with 10 points including bonus points from the last two encounters having lost the first two matches and also eliminated hosts West Indies in the process.

Put into bat, Rohit Sharma contributed 48 as India reached 119 for three in 29 overs when rain halted proceedings. Courtesy Duckworth-Lewis method, Sri Lanka's target swelled upto 178 in 26 overs.

For India, the magic figure was 167 under which they had to restrict the islanders in order to make it to the summit clash.

Kumar's knack of picking up early wickets reaped dividends for India as he rocked the opposition removing Upul Tharanga (6) and Kumar Sangakkara (0) off successive deliveries. Tharanga got one that shaped away after pitching as he edged one to Suresh Raina stationed at wide second slip.

Sangakkara got a raw deal as the delivery from Kumar seemed to be going well above stumps as he was adjudged leg before.

If that wasn't enough, Mahela Jayawardene (11) was also dismissed cheaply to make it 27 for three. Jayawardene slashed hard at a rising delivery only to be holed at third man where Murali Vijay was stationed.

Kumar soon got his fourth wicket when Lahiru Thirimanne (4) offered a simple catch to Virat Kohli at cover as Lanka looked down and out at 31 for four.

The manner which the young UP lad swung the ball under overcast conditions was a treat to watch. He bowled those beautiful outswingers which Dinesh Chandimal (26, 54 balls) played and missed repeatedly with an occasional one coming into the right-hander. Once Kumar had done the initial damage, Ravindra Jadeja (2/16 in 5 overs) provided perfect exhibition of classical left-arm spin bowling as he removed Angelo Mathews (10) and Chandimal in quick succession.

Both deliveries spun away from the right-handers after pitching. While Mathews was caught by a fumbling Dinesh Karthik, a frustrated Chandimal was deceived by the flight and turn as he was stumped leaving Lanka reeling at 63 for six.

Jeevan Mendis (13) was castled by Ravichandran Ashwin as the match was as a contest was as good as over. Ishant Sharma (2/17 in 4.4 overs) put the final nail in the coffin by polishing off the tail.

Earlier, Rohit revelled again in an opener's role as his unbeaten 48 took India to 119 for three in 29 overs on a track which wasn't conducive for free-flowing strokeplay.

In-from opener Shikhar Dhawan (15), skipper Virat Kohli (31) and Dinesh Karthik (12) were three batsmen who were dismissed in the process.

Giving Rohit company was Suresh Raina who was batting on four. During his patient innings in which he faced 83 balls, the talented Mumbaikar hit a couple of boundaries and a big slog swept six off left-arm spinner Rangana Herath.

With Lankan bowlers sticking to a disciplined line, it wasn't easy to hit big strokes Rohit curbed his natural instincts to play a responsible knock so far.

Herath was the most successful among the Lankan bowlers grabbing two for 32 in six overs while his captain Angelo Mathews bowled a very econimical first spell in which he took the wicket of Dhawan giving away only five runs in five overs.

Dhawan tried to give rival captain Angelo Mathews the charge only to guide the ball to Mahela Jayawardene at the second slips. Jayawardene, thus became the first cricketer to complete 200 catches in limited overs cricket.Skipper Kohli started off by clipping Dilhara Lokuhettige to the boundary through mid-wicket region and then also cover drove Malinga for another four.

Along with Rohit, Kohli started building the innings in a slow and steady manner. Meaqnwhile Rohit was dropped by Jeevan Mendis when he was on 12 with Malinga being the unfortunate bowler.

After a 49-run partnership, it was the left-arm spin of Herath that saw the end of stand-in Indian captain. Herath pushed one quicker and it caught Kohli plumb on the back-foot. Kohli faced 52 balls to hit four boundaries.

Karthik started with a bang as he pulled Herath over mid-wicket boundary for a big six but the spinner had the last laugh. He bowled a delivery that pitched on the middle and turned enough to beat Karthik's bat and hit the off-stump.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
Agencies
January 6,2020

Washington D.C., Jan 6: 'The Irishman,' and 'Two Popes' were shut out from the winners list despite getting multiple nominations, the movies didn't win a single award at the Golden Globes Award held on Sunday (local time). Other movies in the list include 'Bombshell,' 'Dolemite Is My Name,' 'Harriet,' 'Jojo Rabbit,' 'Knives Out' and 'Little Women.'

According to The Hollywood Reporter, 'The Irishman' may have gone into the 2020 Golden Globes with the second-highest number of film nominations, tied with 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' with five nods, but Martin Scorsese's highly anticipated mob epic for Netflix was completely shut out at the award ceremony.

Netflix landed the most film nominations of any company with 17 mentions, but it won only one award which is the best-supporting actress for 'Marriage Story's' Laura Dern. Netflix's nominated films 'Dolemite Is My Name' and 'The Two Popes' was tied with 'Joker' with four mentions each and failed to grab any awards.

'Dolemite Is My Name' star Eddie Murphy was expected by a number of pundits to win for best actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy.

'Bombshell', 'Harriet',' Frozen 2', 'Jojo Rabbit', 'Knives Out', 'The Lion King', 'Little Women' and 'Pain and Glory' are among the other films that received multiple nominations but didn't win a single award.

On the TV side, Netflix's 'Unbelievable' tied in the race to most small-screen nominations with 'Chernobyl' and 'The Crown' with four nominations, and 'The Crown' won only one award, for star Olivia Colman.

The three-time nominees 'Barry', 'Big Little Lies', 'The Kominsky Method' and 'The Morning Show' also didn't grab any award. 'Catch-22', 'Killing Eve', 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' and 'The Politician' who were two-time nominees that were also iced out.

'Hustlers' star Jennifer Lopez failed to take home the best-supporting actress award as she was predicted to win the award by a number of pundits. Billy porter also failed to make history with the best drama actor win for his role on 'Pose,' if he would've won the award, he reportedly would have been the first openly gay African-American to win that award.

'Chernobyl' won two of its four nominations. Despite that, star Jared Harris didn't win the best actor in a limited series Globe which was predicted by many prognosticators. The award was bagged by Russell Crowe for his portrayal of Roger Ailes in 'The Loudest Voice.' But the star was absent from the ceremony.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
Agencies
January 16,2020

Rajkot, Jan 16: Skipper Virat Kohli is set to be back at his regular number three position after the strategy of coming two-down boomeranged in the lung-opener as India take on a resolute Australia in the must-win second ODI here on Friday.

India go into the game 0-1 down after Australia registered a 10-wicket win in the lung-opener at Mumbai, courtesy David Warner and Aaron Finch, who hit unbeaten hundreds.

In a bid to field all three in-form players -- Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul --, Kohli dropped himself down the order but the plan backfired spectacularly as he was unable to convert his start.

Opener Dhawan later said he was ready to bat at number three if asked to by the team management, but since Kohli has been successful at that position, the skipper would be more than willing to walk in one-down.

Kohli batting at three also provides stability to the middle-order.

With a concussed Rishabh Pant out of the second game, Rahul is a certainty as he will keep wickets.

So, like in the last game, Rohit and Dhawan, who made a dogged 74 off 91 balls in Wankhede, could open, and there could be a toss-up between Rahul and young Shreyas Iyer at number four. Iyer had a rare failure on Tuesday.

Pant's absence could pave the way for the inclusion of Karnataka batsman Manish Pandey, who made optimum use of the opportunity that he got in the third T20 against Sri Lanka in Pune.

It would also be interesting to see which among the experienced Kedar Jadhav and rookie Shivam Dube makes the squad.

Rohit, who had a phenomenal 2019, failed in the first game, but given the form he is in, the opener is expected to bounce back strongly here.

Ditto for Kohli, who is just one hundred short of equalling cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar's record of most hundreds on home soil for India.

The bowlers led by Jasprit Bumrah had a forgettable outing at the Wankhede and they would be more than eager to make a strong comeback and prove their mettle.

Bumrah, since his comeback, has not been as effective as earlier and he would like to change the perception.

It would be interesting to see whether India play Delhi speedster Navdeep Saini or persist with Shardul Thakur, who gave away 43 runs in Mumbai.

Ravindra Jadeja looks a certainty and so the choice would be between chinaman Kuldeep Yadav, who conceded 55 runs in the first ODI and Yuzvendra Chahal as the lead spinner.

On the other hand, a high on confidence Australia will be looking to seal the issue to register back to back series wins in India, a rare feat for any visiting team. The Finch-Warner combination will look forward to carry the momentum.

Their middle-order comprising the experienced Steve Smith, in-form Marnus Labuschange, Ashton Turner and Alex Carey looks more or less settled.

If all of them fire in unison, along with the openers, then it will hard for the opposition bowlers.

However, it will be quite a test of their middle-order at the Saurashtra Cricket Association stadium.

Australian bowlers also showed at the Wankhede, why they are considered among the best.

Led by pace spearhead Mitchell Starc, they bundled out India for a sub-par 255 and Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins would be raring to go once again.

Spinners Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar, not only contained the runs, but provided crucial breakthroughs and are expected to play a similar role again in the middle overs.

The track here is expected to be a belter and India can draw confidence from the home series against New Zealand in 2017, when they won 2-1 after losing the opener, co-incidentally in Mumbai.

Squads:

India: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, K L Rahul (wicketkeeper), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Shami.

Australia: Aaron Finch (Captain), Alex Carey (Wicket-keeper), Patrick Cummins, Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschange, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Turner, David Warner and Adam Zampa.

Match starts at 1.30.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
April 28,2020

Chennai, Apr 28: Former Karnataka batsman J Arun Kumar was on Tuesday appointed coach of the USA cricket team and listed earning a Test status, by his own admission a "far-fetched" thought at the moment, among his long-term goals.

Jak, as he is known in the cricketing circles, has worked with the Karnataka team for several years and as batting coach with IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab.

"... Following an exhaustive recruitment process, former first class Ranji Trophy and IPL player and coach, J Arun Kumar, had been identified as the preferred candidate for the next men's head coach," USA Cricket chief executive Iain Higgins said on its website.

The CEO added, "He travelled to the USA to meet support staff, selectors and players at a talent camp in Houston and to continue those discussions with us.

"I'm delighted to say that we have subsequently reached agreement with Jak that he will take up the role and be permanently based in the United States as and when his working visa has been obtained."

Arun Kumar was also in charge of a fledgling Puducherry team before quitting in February owing to differences with the association officials.

The COVID-19 pandemic has however prevented a prompt departure for the United States.

"Of course, the COVID-19 crisis has now presented some challenges around the scope of the role in the short/medium term, but we look forward to completing all of the arrangements and to welcoming him more formally in due course," Higgins said.

Arun kumar, who scored over 7,200 runs in first-class cricket and over 3,000 runs in List 'A' games, had guided Karnataka to a treble for two successive seasons -- Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy and Irani Cup -- in 2013-14 and 2014-15.

Delighted to get the role, the 45-year old said he has a vision for USA cricket, including making it a Test-playing nation.

"The first thing is based on my visa and when the coronavirus situation will end in the US, so it's all based on that. At what time my visa will be approved, that's when I will be heading there.

"There are long, mid and short-term goals and my vision obviously will be that the USA in the coming years will be one of the Test playing nations.

"It's a far-fledged goal, but yes, that's the vision and as of now the short term will be World Cup league.

"We will have to be the top side in that and then go to the next level," Arun Kumar told PTI in an interaction.

He further said the immediate aim is to get the team together after a bad run in Nepal.

"Priority is to get the team together, we had a bad run in Nepal, so obviously the team is on little down slide, so we will get up and the immediate short-term goal is to get in touch with players.

"This lockdown gives us time to actually know each other, although we are spread out in different parts of the country, and it is gives us time to connect better and work on certain mental and tactical aspects of the game," he added.

Arun Kumar had been in the US briefly some time ago and had met some officials, selectors and players at a camp in Houston.

"I met some officials, selectors and players at a talent camp in Houston and got an insight of what I can expect in the future and based on those we have designed a pathway for junior to senior cricket and women's cricket.

"It is a work in progress," he said.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.