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Clarke fit to face India in Adelaide

December 8, 2014

Michael ClarkeAdelaide, Dec 8: Australia captain Michael Clarke is fit to lead the side into the first test against India on Tuesday and his return is a "huge boost" for the hosts, fast bowler Mitchell Johnson said.

Clarke has been struggling physically with a hamstring injury and emotionally in the aftermath of friend and former team mate Phillip Hughes's death, which caused the opening test to be postponed and moved from Brisbane.

"It's a huge boost to have him back in and playing for us," Johnson told reporters at Adelaide Oval on Monday.

"He has been working really hard out there. I've got no worries (about him) at all. He's said he's 100 percent fit and you go by that. He's always been a hard worker. You've got to put trust in him," Johnson added.

Clarke had been in a race to be fit after suffering his third hamstring strain in three months during the one-day series against South Africa.

His rehabilitation was disrupted by the tragic death of Hughes as he devoted virtually all his time to be at the batsman's bedside during his two-day fight for life in a Sydney hospital.

Clarke also stayed in Hughes's hometown of Macksville, New South Wales, for a day after the funeral to be with his Hughes's family for the cremation.

Prior to Hughes's death, the struggling skipper was at loggerheads with team selectors over how to prove his fitness for the first test of the four-match series.

After the tragedy, Clarke drew huge public support as he swallowed his grief to take a lead role in supporting Hughes's family and stunned team mates.

"I think with his captaincy, he's shown how strong he's been over the last couple of weeks with the tragedy that we've had," Johnson said. "It has been an emotional roller-coaster and how strong he has been as a person to stand up and do what he's done. I've definitely seen a different side to him. He has just grown as a captain and as a person."

Johnson said uncapped paceman Josh Hazlewood and reserve batsman Shaun Marsh would not play, leaving Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle to join with the ICC Cricketer of the Year in the pace attack.

Team: Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Chris Rogers, Peter Siddle, Steve Smith, David Warner, Shane Watson.

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Agencies
August 2,2020

New Delhi, Aug 2: Batting great Rahul Dravid has attributed Chennai Super Kings' consistent run in the IPL to skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's instincts, game-smarts and the incredible amount of work that goes behind the scenes.

N Srinivasan, the former BCCI president and head of India Cements, which owns the CSK franchise, agreed that Dhoni is a man of instinct who doesn't believe in attending team meetings and going over data.

Both were speaking at a webinar organised by the Great Lakes Institute of Management.

"If you look at the success CSK has had, they've got really good access to data and they've got really good access to people behind the scenes and they've run cricket teams at the junior level," Dravid said at the webinar according to ESPNcricinfo.

The former India captain added, "They understand talent and they've obviously got a good scouting process in place. But, what they also have is a captain who really understands instincts.

"So, I mean, look, I know Dhoni quite well and I hope he hasn't changed, but I know Dhoni is probably not one to look at reams of data and statistics."

The Super Kings have won the lucrative tournament three times -- one less than Mumbai Indians -- and reached the knockouts in each of the 10 seasons they have been a part of.

Srinivasan also spoke about how Dhoni's instinct and judgement contributed to his team's success at a time when a lot of emphases is placed on data.

"We're awash with data just now. To give you an example, there are bowling coaches and in a T20 game, they play videos of every batsman whom they're going to come against and they see how he got out, what's his strength, what's his weakness etc.

"So, MS Dhoni doesn't attend this, he's a pure instinct man. The bowling coach, (head coach Stephen) Fleming will be there and everybody will be there, everyone is giving opinions, (but) he'll get up and go.

"In the context of instinct, he feels that okay he can assess a batsman or player on the field, that's his judgement. On the other hand, there is so much of data that is available to help a person also analyse. It's a very difficult line to draw (between data and instinct)."

Srinivasan also recalled how Dhoni once refused to take "one outstanding player" suggested by the franchise boss as that could have broken the team's cohesion.

"There was one outstanding player that we suggested to MS, he said: 'no sir, he will spoil the team'. The cohesion within the team is important and see in America, franchise-based sport has been there for such a long time," he said.

"In India, we're just starting and we're new to it. But we at India Cements have had a lot of experience running teams at junior levels."

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News Network
April 4,2020

New Delhi, April 4: India skipper Virat Kohli has said that the 2014 Test series against England was the lowest point of his career.

He made the revelation during a candid Instagram Live session with former England batsman Kevin Pietersen.

To date, the 2014 Test series in England remains one of the worst Test series for Kohli as he averaged just 13.40 from 10 ten innings with his highest score being 39.

"I felt like as a batsman, you know you are going to get out in the morning as soon as you wake up. That was the time I felt like that there is no chance I am getting runs. And still to get out of bed and just get dressed for the game and to go out there and go through that, knowing that you will fail, was something that ate me up," Kohli told Pietersen.

However, just four years later, Kohli made a triumphant return to England as he scored a century in the opening Test of the 2018 series and finished as the highest run-getter in the series.

Kohli told Pietersen that the performance in 2014 came because he was just thinking about his own batting.

"2014 series happened, for all the younger guys listening, because I was too focused on doing well from a personal point of view. I wanted to get runs. I could never think of what does the team want me to do in this situation," Kohli said.

"I just got too engulfed with England tour - if I perform here, Test cricket, in my mind I am going to feel established and all that crap on the outside, which is not important at all," he added.
During the chat, Kohli talked about his favourite format in cricket and he also revealed the main reason for turning into a vegan.

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News Network
July 5,2020

Colombo, Jul 5: Sri Lanka batsman Kusal Mendis was on Sunday arrested for knocking down a pedestrian while driving, police said.

Mendis hit a 74-year-old man, killing him in the wee hours, in the Colombo suburb of Panadura.

He is to be produced before a magistrate later today, police said.

The 25-year-old wicket-keeper batsman has represented Sri Lanka in 44 Tests and 76 ODIs. Mendis was part of the national squad which had resumed training after the Covid-19 lockdown.

Sri Lanka's international assignments, including a tour by India, have been cancelled due to the pandemic.

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