Getting Babar out was 'dream' delivery, says Yadav

Agencies
June 17, 2019

Manchester (United Kingdom), Jun 17: India's Kuldeep Yadav admitted bowling Pakistan batsman Babar Azam in the World Cup with a magical delivery that tossed and turned was a "dream" for any spinner.

Yadav returned figures of 2-32 with his left-arm wrist spin to play a key role in India's 89-run victory via DLS over arch rivals Pakistan in Manchester on Sunday.

Yadav got Azam bowled through the gate -- the ball nipping between bat and pad -- for 48 to end a 104-run second wicket stand involving Fakhar Zaman, who top scored with 62.

"Getting Babar Azam out was the best delivery for me in this tournament. I got him out in the Asia Cup as well," Yadav told reporters.

"After the rain break I went back and watched that delivery. It had drift and turn, so any spinner will love that delivery.

"It's a proper dream delivery and a proper Test delivery. Deceiving the batsman in the air and making him commit the mistake. A perfect delivery," he said with a smile.

He struck again in his next over to send the left-handed Fakhar packing after the batsman played against the spin to give away a catch at short fine leg.

Vijay Shankar and Hardik Pandya also took two wickets each to restrict Pakistan to 212 for six in a failed chase for their revised target of 302 in 40 overs.

"Both Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman play spin well. They were rotating the strike and were attacking, so it was important to break that partnership," said Yadav.

"Getting Babar out and then another wicket put them under pressure and according to DLS they needed a very high run-rate and that was a plus point for us."

Pundits had raised doubts about Yadav's performance in the World Cup after coming off an ordinary show in the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament.

But the 24-year-old spinner has held his own with 1-46 against South Africa and a breakthrough performance against Pakistan.

"Everyone is talking about my rhythm. I don't think I lost my rhythm. It happens when you don't pick wickets but the last three games I have bowled really well," he said.

"In the game against Australia they were struggling to hit me and that's important for any spinner."

India vice-captain Rohit Sharma stood out with his 140 off 113 deliveries during India's 336 for five in 50 overs.

But Sharma was quick to praise Yadav for his key strikes in the Pakistan innings.

"He's our match-winning bowler in that middle over phase, and today also you saw how important those crucial wickets were," said Sharma.

"Both the batsmen were set. Of course, he didn't start the tournament the way he would like to, but for us as a group around him, our job is to just make sure that he gets that confidence, he gets that backing from the team."

Yadav has claimed 90 wickets from 47 ODI matches since his debut in 2017.

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News Network
January 29,2020

Hamilton, Jan 29: India defeated New Zealand in the third T20 International via Super Over to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series here on Wednesday.

India posted a competitive 179 for five at Seddon Park after being sent into bat. Opener Rohit Sharma top scored for India with a 65-run knock while skipper Virat Kohli contributed 38 runs in team's total.

Later, skipper Kane Williamson smashed a 48-ball 95 but New Zealand faltered in the final over to take the match into the Super Over.

Needing nine runs of the last over, New Zealand lost Williamson and Ross Taylor to finish at 179 for six and tie the match.

In the Super Over, New Zealand scored 17, a target which India overwhelmed in the final ball with Rohit smashing Tim Southee for two consecutive sixes.

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News Network
June 2,2020

New Delhi, Jun 2: Manchester United's Paul Pogba on Monday paid tribute to George Floyd, stressing that violent acts of racism can no longer be tolerated and they have to stop.

Pogba took to Instagram to write: "During the past few days I have thought a lot about how to express my feelings about what happened in Minneapolis. I felt anger, pity, hatred, indignation, pain, sadness."

"Sadness for George and for all black people who suffer from racism Every day! Whether in football, at work, at school, Anywhere! This has to stop, once and for all! Not tomorrow or the next day, it has to end today! Violent acts of racism can no longer be tolerated," he added.

Protests erupted in Minneapolis and other US cities on Tuesday after Floyd, an African-American man, died following his arrest by the four officers.

A viral video showed a police officer, Derek Chauvin, pinning 46-year-old Floyd to the ground with his knee on his neck for nearly eight minutes. Floyd died at a local hospital shortly thereafter.

The four police officers were fired. Chauvin was also charged with murder and manslaughter, according to Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman.

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zaki ahmed
 - 
Wednesday, 3 Jun 2020

This photograph in the above mentioned article is of Floyd Mayweather Jr , the world welterweight & super heavy weight champion & wrongly menitoned as Pogba .

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News Network
May 26,2020

Mumbai, May 26: Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar said that if he was playing currently he and Virat Kohli would have been the best of friends off the field, but real enemies whenever they stepped on the field.

Akhtar also said that he would have liked to challenge Kohli to drive the ball.

"Virat Kohli and I would have been the best of friends as both of us are Punjabi, but on the field, we would have been the best of the enemies. I would have loved to get inside the head of Kohli. I would have told him that you cannot play a cut or pull shot against me," Akhtar told Sanjay Manjrekar in a videocast hosted by ESPNCricinfo.

"I would have gone wide of the crease and bowled a ball that would go away from him, I would have forced him to drive the ball as it is his favourite shot. So I would keep forcing him to play the drive shot at my pace," he added.

Akhtar also said that he wishes that Kohli could have played against some of the top bowlers in the game.

The Rawalpindi Express said that Kohli would have enjoyed the challenge of facing bowlers like Wasim Akram, Shane Warne, and Waqar Younis.

"I would also keep talking to him, because if I get him to lose his focus then that would have been great. The great thing about Kohli is that he gets more focused when he is challenged. But I believe Virat Kohli would have still scored the same amount of runs if I was playing," Akhtar said.

"I really wish that he had played against Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shane Warne, and then Virat would have also enjoyed the challenge," he added.

Akhtar played 224 matches for Pakistan in international cricket and took 444 wickets across all formats.

Over the years, comparisons between Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar have been growing and many have picked the current Indian skipper to break the records set by Tendulkar.

Tendulkar called time on his career after registering 100 international centuries, while Kohli has 70 centuries across all formats.

Currently, Kohli is ranked at the top spot in the ICC ODI rankings while he is in second place in the Tests rankings.

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