ICC Champions Trophy 2017: Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami shine as India beat New Zealand by 45 runs in rain-curtailed warm-up game

May 29, 2017

London, May 29: Defending champions India hit all the right chords during their resounding 45-run victory against New Zealand via Duckworth-Lewis method in a rain-curtailed warm-up game where skipper Virat Kohli came good after an impressive show from the bowlers.

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Comeback man Mohammed Shami (3/47 in 8 overs) along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3/28 in 6.4 overs) shared bulk of the spoils to dismiss New Zealand for a meagre 189 in 38.4 overs.

In reply, India were 129 for 3 in 26 overs, when rain stopped play but they were comfortably ahead of the Black Caps as per Duckworth-Lewis par score of 84 after 26 overs.

Kohli started his English summer on a bright note hitting an unbeaten 52 off 55 balls while Mahendra Singh Dhoni also played some delightful strokes square off the wicket.

Shikhar Dhawan on his comeback got some quality time out there in the middle hitting 40 off 59 balls with the help of five boundaries, mostly square off the wicket.

Ajinkya Rahane (7), who is unlikely to find a place in the starting XI against Pakistan on June 4, did not do his case a world of good trying to hook a short-pitched delivery Tim Southee.

Dinesh Karthik (0) was given a chance as Kedar Jadhav is a certainty but he was all at sea against the swing.

But it was skipper Kohli, who did play a few uppsih shots but controlled an easy run-chase adding 68 runs for the second wicket with Dhawan.

More importantly, Kohli got a fair amount of game time which will keep in good stead.

There was a straight drive off Sdam Milne, a couple of cover drives off Tim Southee, an elegant pull-shot. There were a couple of uppish drives which could have gone into the hands of the fielder but Kohli looked positive.

Even Mahendra Singh Dhoni looked good during the brief stint at the crease. The two boundaries and a six were all square cuts. The six could have gone into Colin de Grandhomme's hands but he was a few yards inside the rope and missed the flight. The two boundaries were pure timing which generated a lot of power.

It was one such day where everything went in favour of India. Even though it's practice game but Kohli will gain a lot of confidence from the victory after a string of demoralizing defeats in the recently concluded Indian Premier League.

Opting to bat after the coin landed in his favour, Kane Williamson's side struggled to counter India's disciplined bowling effort led by the pace duo of Shami and Bhuvneshwar.

Former champions New Zealand's innings lasted 38.4 overs.

Playing in his first 50-over game for India since the 2015 World Cup semifinal, the 27-year-old Shami quickly got into the act and removed Martin Guptill in the third over, the extra bounce catching the batsman by surprise.

A 43-run partnership ensued between Luke Ronchi and Williamson, before Shami had the skipper caught at wide slip by a diving Ajinkya Rahane.

Shami struck again when he induced an edge from Neil Broom, reaping the benefits of some tight bowling, as the ball moved away slightly.

Bhuvneshwar bowled Corey Anderson, while Ravindra Jadeja sent back Ronchi, at a good time from the Indian perspective as the Kiwi looked set for more.

Bhuvneshwar wrapped up the Kiwi innings by taking the wickets of Tim Southee and Trent Boult.

Ronchi top-scored for New Zealand with a brisk 66 off 63 balls, an innings that was studded with six boundaries and two sixes.

However, the rest in the New Zealand top-half failed to get going as they found themselves at the receiving end of the Indian bowlers' swing and seam coupled with the right line and length.

Down the order, James Neesham contributed a handy, unbeaten 46 off 47 balls, hitting six boundaries in the process.

There were two wickets for Jadeja (2/8) while Umesh Yadav, who was introduce late into the attack, bowled four overs for 11 runs.

India are without Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma in this game. While Yuvraj is recovering from a viral fever, Rohit has been granted permission to attend a family wedding by the team management.

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News Network
July 24,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 24: Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who was earlier banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for breaching the Anti-Corruption Code, on Friday, said that people are bound to make mistakes and the important thing is that how well they make a comeback.

Shakib was banned from all forms of cricket on October 29 last year after he accepted the charges of breaching the ICC's Anti-Corruption Code. He will be able to resume international cricket from October 29, 2020.

"You have to be honest. You just can't lie to the people and pretend different things. Whatever happened has happened. People are bound to make mistakes. You are not 100%. The important thing is how well you can comeback from those mistakes. You can tell other people not to make those mistakes. Tell them the path so that they never take those paths," Shakib told Deep Dasgupta in a videocast hosted by ESPNcricinfo.

The 33-year-old all-rounder said he has seen many controversies ever since he was first made captain in 2009. He had trouble with the board chief, selectors and the media, mainly about selectorial decisions and not being made permanent captain between 2009 and 2010.
He believes those experiences have changed him as a person over time.

"I think [it's] combination of both [controversy following him, and vice versa]. I got the responsibility so early in my career, I was bound to make mistakes. I was captain when I was 21. I made a lot of mistakes, and there are so many things that people think about me. Now I realise that it was my fault in some areas, and in some I was misunderstood. But I get it completely. It is part and parcel in the subcontinent," Hasan said.

"Of course I will try to minimise [my mistakes] as much as I can, but by the time I got married, and now I have two kids, I understand the game and life better. It has made me a calmer person than I was in my twenties. I have changed quite a lot. People won't see me doing a lot of mistakes now. My two daughters changed my life completely," he added.

Shakib is likely return to international cricket during Bangladesh's proposed Test series against Sri Lanka in October. 

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News Network
February 24,2020

Wellington, Feb 24: Indian batsmen's inadequacies in adverse conditions were laid bare as they crashed to an embarrassing 10-wicket defeat against a ruthless New Zealand side that wrapped up the opening Test in just over three days here on Monday.

Starting the day on 144 for four, India were all out for 191 in their second innings. This was only a shade better than their dismal 165 in the first innings, which eventually proved to be decisive.

Trent Boult (4/39 in 22 overs) and Tim Southee (5/61 in 21 overs), the most under-rated new ball pairs in world cricket, showed that when it boils down to playing incisive seam and swing bowling, this batting line-up is still a work in progress.

The required target of nine runs was knocked off by New Zealand without much ado for their 100th Test win.

India's last defeat was against Australia at Perth during the 2018-19 series but the loss at the Basin Reserve would hurt them more because the visitors have not surrendered in such a fashion of late.

There was no resistance from a star-studded line-up and more than intent, the failure was due to poor technique on a track that had something on the third and fourth day as well.

This is a team that plays fast bowling much better than their predecessors, the reason for their success on the bouncy Australian tracks.

But when it comes to facing conventional seam and swing bowling in testing conditions, they are yet to learn the art of saving a Test match.

India had lost the mental battle on the first day itself when they saw the moisture on the wicket.

The toss became a factor and not for one session did they look comfortable. Mayank Agarwal was the only batsman, who felt at home in patches, as New Zealand showed what a Test match strategy is all about.

If the first innings was about mixing back of length deliveries with fuller length balls, the second innings saw the pacers coming from round the wicket and targeting the rib-cage. The line was disconcerting and it stifled them for good.

It affected their mindset and once Ajinkya Rahane and Hanuma Vihari stepped out on the fourth morning, defeat was written all over as both looked ill-equipped to handle such high quality seam bowling.

Rahane (29 off 75 balls) and Vihari (15 off 79 balls) are players who only play long-form cricket at the international level and both are known for their patience.

But little would have the Indian vice-captain apprehended that he would get a delivery from Boult, which he thought would move away after pitching but it held its line and he had no option but to jab at it, and all he got was an edge.

Southee, who bowls a lovely classical outswinger, then bowled an off-cutter from the other end and before Vihari could comprehend, it came back sharply to peg the stumps back.

Within first 20 minutes, the two seasoned practitioners of swing had knocked the stuffing out of India's resistance.

Rishabh Pant (25 off 41 balls) batted only in the manner he can and played one breathtaking shot off Southee, a slog sweep off a 130 kmph-plus delivery to the deep mid-wicket boundary.

But there was too much left to do with too little support from the other end. Bending on one knee, he tried another audacious slog scoop but couldn't clear.

Southee, who had a terrific match, deservingly completed his 10th five-wicket haul and all it took was 16 overs to end the innings and the match.

New Zealand now have 120 points in the World Test championship and India stayed on top with 36 points.

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News Network
April 24,2020

New Delhi, Apr 24: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday extended wishes to the "most prolific batsman of all time" Sachin Tendulkar on his 47th birthday.

ICC took to Twitter and wrote: "Happy birthday to Sachin Tendulkar, the most prolific batsman of all time! To celebrate, we will give you the opportunity to vote for his top ODI innings in a bracket challenge! Stay tuned to join the celebrations."

The Maharashtra-born player had an illustrious career in the game, creating several records.
Tendulkar made his debut in Test cricket on November 15, 1989. In the same year on December 18, he played his first ODI match.

The legendary cricketer has the most number of runs in the longest format of the game, amassing 15,921 runs. Along the way, Tendulkar scored 51 Test centuries, most by any player.

Things are no different in ODI cricket as Tendulkar atop the list of most runs in this format as well. He has accumulated 18,426 runs in ODI which includes 49 tons.

Tendulkar represented the country in six World Cups during his career that lasted for 24 years. He was the part of the 2011 World Cup-winning squad.

This year, Master Blaster decided not to celebrate his birthday due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis in the country.

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