Took calculated risks for the team: Hardik Pandya

Agencies
August 14, 2017

Pallekele, Aug 14: Before Sunday’s hundred, Hardik Pandya’s highest score in first-class cricket was 90 and he doesn’t even remember the last time he managed a three-figure score. 

“I scored in Under-19… I am 24 now, no (I am) 23,” he said when asked if had scored a hundred before. “So some four-five years back, I scored my hundred. Actually I don’t remember when I scored the hundred,” he laughed.

This confusion was hardly there when he was out there in the middle, sending one ball after the other soaring over the boundary rope and into the stands. Playing only his third Test innings after making his debut in the first Test at Galle, where he struck a half-century, Pandya brought up his maiden ton against all expectations. India were down 421 for nine with only Umesh Yadav as company for Pandya who was exactly on a 61-ball 50.

Shami was dismissed in the 115th over and the next over by Malinda Pushpakumara changed the course of the innings. Pandya looted 26 runs (4, 4, 6, 6, 6, 0) off that over and before he knew, he was on the cusp of a hundred. 

“It just happened, honestly I didn’t want to go all out in that over but I don’t know what happened,” Pandya said, reflecting on the over. “Maybe I was connecting pretty well, (so I told myself) ‘let me try this over’ and I scored 26 runs. It feels obviously good. From there, I saw the score board and I was batting on 80 and I was like, wow! Then I noticed I was in the zone, I don’t usually look at the score board, I don’t want to know what’s happening around. I just focus on how I can help the innings progress.”

With Lanka having stationed most of their fielders on the fence, Pandya had to clear the long boundary and he did so on seven occasions. Did he take that (field spread) as a challenge?

“Could there have been a bigger opportunity than that,” Pandya replied. “Nine wickets were already down and I knew, if stay in the crease and connect the ball well, it would go for six. Even if I were to mishit, I had to. I had no choice. It was an ideal opportunity and obviously there was a team’s goal and which was to give them (Lanka) a 400-run target and we scored close to 490. I was taking calculated risk,” he analysed.

Though it was his first century, Pandya said he wasn’t nervous in the 90s. “First time in my life I have not had the 90s’ butterfly,” he emphasised. “Otherwise – I don’t remember previous centuries – but I used to have butterflies from what I can remember. In today’s game – I have said earlier as well -- when I bat, I am in a different zone. When I bat, I don’t think about my personal scores and achievements. It has helped me enough. One thing I learned from Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni) is that you always put your team ahead, see the scoreboard and play accordingly. That has helped me throughout,” he offered.

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Agencies
January 19,2020

Bengaluru, Jan 19: Opening batsman Rohit Sharma on Sunday became the third-fastest batsman to register 9,000 runs in the 50-over format.

He achieved the feat in the ongoing third ODI against Australia here at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Only Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers have achieved the feat faster than Rohit.

Sharma brought up the milestone in the first over of the Indian innings as he clipped Mitchell Starc away for a single.

With this, the right-handed batsman has become just the sixth Indian to achieve the milestone.

Apart from Sharma, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, and Sachin Tendulkar have more than 9,000 runs in the 50-over format.

Overall, 20 batsmen have more than 9,000 ODI runs to their name.

In the match between India and Australia, the former won the toss and elected to bat first.

Steve Smith played a knock of 131 runs to propel Australia to 286/9 in the allotted fifty overs.

 

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News Network
June 10,2020

New Delhi, Jun 10: Former India skipper Rahul Dravid has praised the batting of MS Dhoni during the backend of a match, saying that the wicket-keeper often played during the period as if the result did not really matter to him.

Dravid also said that in pressure-cooker situations, not worrying about consequences can help players bring out the best in themselves.

"You watch MS Dhoni play during the backend of a match when he was at his best, you always felt like that he is doing something really important to him but he is playing it like the result does not really matter to him," Dravid told Sanjay Manjrekar during a videocast hosted by ESPNCricinfo.

"I think you need to have that or you need to train for it. It is a skill that I never had. The consequences of any decision mattered to me. It would be interesting to ask MS Dhoni that is this something that has come naturally to him or did he work on this during his career," he added.

Dhoni made his ODI debut against Bangladesh in 2004, but he truly arrived in the series against Pakistan in 2005 when he scored 148 runs in the second ODI of the six-match series at Vishakapatnam.

He is the only captain to win all major ICC trophies (50-over World Cup, T20 World Cup, and Champions Trophy). Under his leadership, India also managed to attain the number one ranking in Test cricket.

He first led an inexperienced Indian side to the T20 World Cup triumph in 2007. He then took over ODI captaincy, but he had to wait for leading the Test side as Anil Kumble was doing the duties in the longest format.

Over his career, Dhoni has been reowned for his finishing skills and he is often viewed as the best finisher that the game has ever seen.

In December 2014, Dhoni announced his retirement from the longest format of the game.

Then in 2017, Dhoni handed over the captaincy reins to Virat Kohli in the 50-over format.

Dhoni was slated to return to the cricket field on March 29 in the IPL's opening match between CSK and Mumbai Indians. However, the tournament has been suspended indefinitely as a precautionary measure against coronavirus.

Thirty-eight-year-old Dhoni has been currently enjoying some time away from the game. He last played competitive cricket during the 2019 World Cup.

Dhoni recently had to face criticism for his slow batting approach during India's matches.

Earlier this year, Dhoni did not find a place in the list of BCCI's centrally contracted players from October 2019 to September 2020.

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News Network
April 30,2020

New Delhi, Apr 30: Indian skipper Virat Kohli on Thursday mourned the demise of veteran Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor, called his death 'unreal and unbelievable' loss.

"This is unreal and unbelievable. Yesterday Irrfan Khan and today Rishi Kapoor ji. It's hard to accept this as a legend passes away today. My condolences to the family and may his soul rest in peace," Kohli tweeted.

Opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan also expressed his heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.
"It's shocking to hear about the sudden demise of #RishiKapoor ji. My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. May his soul rest in peace," Dhawan tweeted.

Earlier today, actor Amitabh Bachchan confirmed the news of the demise of the 67-year-old Rishi Kapoor. Rishi Kapoor was admitted to the Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in Mumbai on Wednesday.

In September 2019, the veteran actor returned to Mumbai after staying in New York for almost a year for cancer treatment.

He was last seen in the 2019 film 'The Body' alongside Emraan Hashmi and Shobita Sobhita Dhulipala.

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