Suresh Raina replaces Ambati Rayudu in India's ODI squad for England tour

Agencies
June 17, 2018

Bengaluru, Jun 17: With 2019 World Cup in mind, the Indian selection committee on Saturday brought back veteran left-hander Suresh Raina in the one-day squad for the England tour, replacing Ambati Rayudu, who failed his fitness test.

The 31-year-old Raina, a seasoned campaigner of 223 ODIs with 5568 runs under his belt, is a part of the current T20 squad. He beat an in-form Rishabh Pant due to his vast experience.

Raina last played 50-over format in October 2015 and is making a comeback after two years and 8 months.

Former India players Aakash Chopra and Deep Dasgupta both felt that Raina is a good choice.

Former India opener and cricket analyst Aakash Chopra also said that Raina won't be a bad choice.

If the team management is looking at a short term goal that is the World Cup in England next year, Raina is a good choice. Also if Hardik Pandya is your fifth bowler, then one among the top six would need to roll his arm over. Raina's handy off-breaks would help the team. Rishabh is a contender but then you already have MS and DK in the side,? Chopra opined.

Former India stumper Deep Dasgupta thinks that a left-hander is a must in the middle-order and it could have been Raina or Krunal Pandya but the UP left-hander scored because of his experience.

I think apart from Shikhar, I would love to see another left-hander. It could either be Krunal or Suresh but Suresh has more experience. My logic is that each and every team would have a leg-spinner in their side. So a left-hander for me in middle order is a must.

It is an added advantage that Suresh is a handy bowler. But had Kedar been fit, the selectors wouldn't have possibly looked anywhere else, Dasgupta added.

Rayudu's YoYo Test failure has come as a shock for many, especially after a successful IPL campaign (602 runs) with Chennai Super Kings. Rayudu scored a dismal 14 in the test with qualifying mark being 16.1.

It has been reliably learnt that team management and selection committee were "not on the same page" with regards to Rayudu's possible replacement.

With MS Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik already in the squad, Pant despite his brilliant IPL form was overlooked.

There is a section in BCCI which even feels that Ajinkya Rahane's limited overs case has not been handled well by the selectors and the current team management (skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri), a senior BCCI official said  on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma, who had taken permission from the BCCI to skip the June 15th YoYo test on that particular day, will appear for the same at the NCA on Sunday.

Rohit had taken permission from the BCCI for his personal engagements (he is in Russia as a brand ambassador of a watch company). There's no rule that all tests have to be conducted on the same day. He will be appearing for the YoYo Test tomorrow, GM (cricket Operations) Saba Karim said.

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Agencies
January 23,2020

Aurangabad, Jan 23: An FIR has been registered against three people including former cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin for allegedly duping a travel agent, Mohammad Shadab, of more than Rs 20 lakh.

However, Mohammad Azharuddin has refuted allegations and said: "I strongly rubbish the false FIR filed against me in Aurangabad. I am consulting my legal team and would be taking action as necessary."

Azharuddin's personal assistant Mujeeb lives in Augurangabad and has good relations with the travel agency of Shadab.

The travel agent alleged that Mujeeb asked him to book some flight tickets but did not pay the amount.

The police have booked the three under Section 406, 420 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code.

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News Network
March 19,2020

Geneva, Mar 19: Regional Olympic officials are rallying around the IOC and have backed its stance on opening the Tokyo Games as scheduled, as direct criticism from gold medalist athletes built amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Leaders of continental Olympic groups praised the IOC after a conference call Wednesday to update them on coronavirus issues four months before the opening ceremony in Tokyo on July 24.

"We are living through an unpredictable crisis and as such, it is important that we have one policy, expressed by the IOC, and we follow that policy in unison," the Italy-based European Olympic Committees said.

However, when the International Olympic Committee published an interview with its president, Thomas Bach, after a separate call with athlete representatives, it prompted a four-time Olympic champion to urge postponing the games.

Bach acknowledged that many athletes were concerned about qualifying events being canceled, but noted that there were still four months to go until the games are set to be opened.

"We will keep acting in a responsible way in the interests of the athletes," Bach said.

British rowing great Matthew Pinsent wrote on Twitter that the comments from Bach, his former IOC colleague, were "tone deaf."

"The instinct to keep safe (not to mention obey govt instructions to lock down) is not compatible with athlete training, travel and focus that a looming Olympics demands of athletes, spectators organisers," Pinsent wrote.

Responding to the criticism from Hayley Wickenheiser, a four-time Olympic hockey gold medalist, the IOC said it was "counting on the responsibility and solidarity of the athletes."

Members reinforce faith in IOC

The IOC repeated its steadfast stance after a conference call with sports governing bodies, many of which have not completed qualification events for Tokyo.

"There is no need for any drastic decisions at this stage; and any speculation at this moment would be counter-productive," the IOC said.

That message was repeated after Wednesday's conference call by IOC executive board member Robin Mitchell, the interim leader of the group of national Olympic bodies known as ANOC.

"We share the view that we must be realistic, but not panic," Mitchell said in a statement released by the IOC on behalf of the Oceania Olympic group.

Offering unanimous support for the IOC's efforts to resolve qualification issues, the 41-nation Pan-American group noted challenges facing potential Olympians.

Australian Olympic Committee chief executive Matt Carroll said his organized recognized there was a global health crisis, but equally was assured by the IOC that the games would go ahead.

"We recognize people are suffering -- people are sick, people are losing jobs, businesses are struggling amid enormous community uncertainty. Things are changing everyday and we all must adapt," Carroll said.

"We owe it to our Australian athletes to do everything we can to ensure they will participate with the best opportunity in those Games."

Australia's team delegation leader said the focus now was "moving to the planning of our pre-Games preparation to ensure we get our athletes to the Games healthy, prepared and virus free."

"Clearly that is a major challenge for all National Olympic Committees," he said.

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Agencies
February 7,2020

New Delhi, Feb 7: It was on February 7, 1999, that Anil Kumble became just the second bowler in the history of cricket to take all ten wickets in an innings of a Test match.

He achieved the feat against Pakistan at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, now known as Arun Jaitley cricket stadium in Delhi during the second Test of the two-match series.

India had set Pakistan a target of 420 runs in the match and the visitors got off to a steady start as openers Shahid Afridi and Saeed Anwar put on 101 runs for the first wicket.

It was then Kumble who came into the attack and wreaked havoc on the Pakistani batting line-up.

The spinner, also known as 'Jumbo' first dismissed Afridi (41) in the 25th over. After the right-handed batter's dismissal, India kept on taking wickets through Kumble and Pakistan was reduced to 128/6 in no time.

Kumble then kept on taking wickets at regular intervals and he got his tenth scalp in the 61st over after dismissing Wasim Akram.

This effort enabled India to register a win by 212 runs, and Kumble became the second bowler after England's Jim Laker to take all ten wickets in a single Test inning.

Kumble finished with the bowling figures of 10-74 from 26.3 overs.

Kumble announced his retirement from international cricket in 2008 and finished with 619 wickets in the longest format of the game.

He has the third-highest number of wickets in Tests, only behind Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Australia's Shane Warne (708).

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