Pandya's cameo guides Mumbai to 5-wicket win over Bangalore

Agencies
April 16, 2019

Mumbai, Apr 16: Hardik Pandya`s (37 unbeaten off 16) quickfire cameo down the order handed Royal Challengers Bangalore their seventh defeat this season as Mumbai Indians won their Indian Premier League (IPL) tie at the Wankhede Stadium here on Monday by five wickets.

Despite a great start, Mumbai faltered during the slog overs but Pandya rescued his side as they clinched the contest with an over to spare.

Chasing a competitive 172 for victory, Rohit Sharma (28 off 19) and Quinton de Kock gave a perfect start to Mumbai`s innings, taking them to 52 for no loss in the initial five overs.

Moeen Ali was the first to strike as his off-break delivery clattered Sharma`s stumps, leaving Mumbai at 70/1 in the eighth over.

Just three balls later, Ali once again jolted the hosts as he picked de Kock (40 off 26) in front of the wickets.

Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav then forged a 33-run partnership as they repaired the major damage but Yuzvendra Chahal packed both of them back in short time to leave Mumbai reeling at 129/3 in the 16th over.

It seemed Mumbai would suffer a batting collapse but it was Pandya who made sure to help his team cross the line as the all-rounder and his brother Krunal Pandya (11 off 21) took Mumbai to 148 before the latter became a victim of Mohammed Siraj.

With 22 needed off the last couple of overs, Pandya showed his cameo with the bat as he smashed Pawan Negi for the required runs in just an over to help Mumbai register their fifth win this season.

For Bangalore, Chahal and Ali picked couple of wickets each.

Earlier, AB de Villiers` scintillating knock (75 off 51) with Ali`s 50 off 32 propelled Bangalore to 171/7.

Despite some early blows, de Villiers and Ali anchored Bangalore`s innings with a valiant 105-run partnership for the third wicket before Lasith Malinga (4/31) rattled the middle order.

The visitors lost their skipper Virat Kohli (8) with just 12 runs on board. Kohli was trying to force a Jason Behrendorff delivery through the off-side, got cramped, and ended up giving an inside edge to de Kock behind the wickets.

Parthiv Patel (28) showed some resistance, taking his side near the 50-run mark before he was sent back by Hardik Pandya in the seventh over. De Villiers was then joined by Ali and the duo denied the hosts any further wicket, anchored the innings and took the team past the 100 run mark.

Enroute, they also notched up their respective half-centuries with the team looking comfortable at 144/2 in 17 overs.

Malinga finally shattered the partnership by packing Ali back in the 18th over. The Sri Lankan pacer went on to rock the lower middle order, sending back Marcus Stoinis (0), Akshdeep Nath (2) and Negi (0) to the hut in quick succession.

De Villers finally departed trying to convert a single as he fell short of the crease. The South African superstar`s knock was laced with six boundaries and four maximums.

Behrendorff and Pandya also picked a wicket each.

Brief scores:

Mumbai Indians: 172/5 in 19 overs (Quinton de Kock 40, Hardik Pandya 37 not out; Moeen Ali 2/18) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore: 171/7 in 20 overs (AB de Villiers 75, Moeen Ali 50; Lasith Maling 4/31) by 5 wickets.

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News Network
April 28,2020

New Delhi, Apr 28: IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore's Director of Cricket Operations Mike Hesson returned to New Zealand on Tuesday after being stranded in India for over a month amid the nationwide lockdown to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ex-New Zealand player and coach had arrived in India on March 5 for the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League but was stuck in the country after the lockdown was imposed and all flights were suspended.

"What a wonderful sight after spending over a day on a bus to get to Mumbai airport. The staff on @FlyAirNZ were simply outstanding on our return to New Zealand," Hesson tweeted.

He also thanked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the New Zealand Embassy in India, New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

"Special thanks to Down pointing backhand index @NZinIndia @MFATNZ @narendramodi @jacindaardern #repatriationflight #india #NZ" he added.

To stem the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, India and New Zealand had announced lockdowns in their respective countries last month, alongside travel restrictions, forcing the 45-year-old to stay in Bengaluru.

While India remains in lockdown till May 3, New Zealand eased its stringent measures on Tuesday.

The IPL, which was originally scheduled to get underway on March 29, has been suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.

The cornavirus outbreak, that originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has infected over 30 lakh people across the world while killing more than two lakh.

All sporting events, including the Tokyo Olympics, have either been cancelled or postponed.

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News Network
February 12,2020

Mount Maunganui, Feb 12: India captain Virat Kohli on Tuesday berated his bowlers for their mediocre performance as he tried to explain the team's first ODI series whitewash in over three decades, saying that the visitors lacked composure all through.

The five-wicket defeat here meant that India lost the series 0-3 to an injury-plagued New Zealand that had been deflated by a 0-5 whitewash of its own in the T20 format just last week. It was India's first whitewash in 31 years in an ODI series in which all matches have been played.

"The games were not as bad as the scoreline suggests. It boils down to those chances that we didn't grab. I don't think it was not enough to win games in international cricket," Kohli said in the post-match presentation.

"With the ball, we were not able to make breakthroughs, we were not at all good on the field. We haven't played so badly but when you don't grab those chances, you don't deserve to win," he added.

"Batsmen coming back from tough situations was a positive sign for us, but the way we fielded and bowled, the composure wasn't enough to win games," he asserted.

The ineffectiveness of Indian bowlers can be gauged from the fact that the team's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah finished the series without a wicket and the attack couldn't dismiss the complete rival line-up even once.

Kohli lauded New Zealand for bouncing back after the T20 hammering.

"New Zealand played with lot more intensity. We didn't deserve to win because we did not show enough composure," he said.

The batting mainstay is looking forward to the Test series, which begins on February 21, to make amends for the disappointment.

"I think because of the Test Championship, every match has that more importance. We have a really balanced Test team and we feel we can win the series here, but we need to step on to the park with the right kind of mindset," he said.

His opposite number Kane Williamson, who missed the first two games due to injury, was lavish in his praise for the home team's grit.

"An outstanding performance, very clinical. India put us under pressure, but the way the guys fought back with the ball and kept them to a par total. The cricket in the second half was outstanding to see," he said referring to the side's effortless chase of a 297-run target.

"We know how good they (India) are at all formats but for us the clarity about the roles the guys had was the most important thing. Outstanding effort against a brilliant India side," he added.

Player of the Match Henry Nicholls, who scored 80 on Tuesday, said his team benefitted from good batting starts during the series.

"To come back and win 3-0 after the T20Is is nice. The way (Martin) Guptill played today allowed us to get ahead. We got a 100-run stand, but we were fortunate enough to get good starts this series," he said.

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Agencies
July 8,2020

Kolkata, Jul 8: Legendary Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar led the wishes for former India captain and current President of the Board of Control for Cricket India (BCCI) Sourav Ganguly who turned 48 on Wednesday.

Touted to be one of the best captains the country has ever produced, Ganguly is widely credited for making India an aggressive side and instilling belief in the team that they could win overseas conditions as well.

Happy birthday Dadi!
Hope our off-field partnership keeps going strong like our on-field ones. Wish you a blessed year ahead. pic.twitter.com/jOmq9XN07w

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) July 8, 2020
Tendulkar was among the first ones to extend birthday wishes to his former opening partner. "Happy birthday Dadi! Hope our off-field partnership keeps going strong like our on-field ones. Wish you a blessed year ahead," Tendulkar said on Twitter.

"Many more happy returns of the day Sourav Ganguly. May you taste ever more success and receive more and more love. Have a great day and year ahead #HappyBirthdayDada," said renowned Indian batsman VVS Laxman.

Many more happy returns of the day @SGanguly99 . May you taste ever more success and receive more and more love. Have a great day and year ahead #HappyBirthdayDada pic.twitter.com/j53UUDerJE

— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) July 8, 2020
Former cricketer Mohammad Kaif wrote: "From a fine batsman to an outstanding captain & now leading Indian cricket on the whole—here's wishing my favourite captain & mentor Sourav Ganguly a very happy birthday. But FAULADI SEENA dikha ke aise kaun chadhta hai (who climbs up like this after showing a chest of steel), Dada #HappyBirthdayDada."

From a fine batsman to an outstanding captain & now leading Indian cricket on the whole—here’s wishing my favourite captain & mentor @SGanguly99 a very happy birthday. But FAULADI SEENA dikha ke aise kaun chadhta hai, Dada #HappyBirthdayDada pic.twitter.com/8PKZ3RwwtB

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) July 8, 2020
"Wishing a very happy birthday to the most dynamic and visionary captain of his time. It's a matter of immense pleasure to work with the man who took Indian cricket to new heights. Subho Janmodin Sourav Ganguly," tweeted BCCI Secretary Jay Shah.

"Leader of Men. God of off-side. Fighter. Happy Birthday, Dada. #HappyBirthdayDada," said commentator and former cricketer Aakash Chopra.

Leader of Men.
God of off-side.
Fighter.
Happy Birthday, Dada. #HappyBirthdayDada pic.twitter.com/PJcy0xwgyb

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) July 8, 2020
"Happy birthday dada! From a great captain to a brilliant administrator, you have donned them magnificently. Hope you continue your good work for the betterment of Indian cricket... Godspeed. Sourav Ganguly #HappyBirthdayDada," tweeted another former cricketer Pragyan Ojha.

Putting out various important achievements of Ganguly, the International Cricket Council (ICC) on their official Twitter handle wrote: "Third-fastest to 10,000 ODI runs. Holds the record for the highest individual score in CWC for India. 2003 ICC World Cup runner-up. Captained India to 11 wins in 28 overseas Tests. Happy birthday to one of India's most successful captains, Sourav Ganguly."

Ganguly played 113 Tests and 311 One Day Internationals in which he scored 7,212 and 11,363 runs respectively.

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