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Test century against Australia boosted my confidence: Virat Kohli

July 22, 2012

kohli_copy Hambantota, July 22: Virat Kohli scored yet another hundred in international cricket on Saturday and the young Indian batsman said the Test century he scored against formidable Australia in their own backyard in the last season, gave him the confidence to do well in all formats.

Kohli on Saturday scored his 12th ODI hundred, his fourth in last five innings, to contribute in India's tense 21-run win over Sri Lanka in the first one-day match.

"Doing well in Australia, a strong side, really boosted my confidence, and that Test hundred really helped. You get maximum satisfaction when you score runs in Test cricket. I got confident about my game," Kohli said.

"God's been kind, I've been working hard. Hopefully I can be consistent for the team this season. Performing for my country is the biggest thing for me, and I try to give my best out there for the team," he added.

Sri Lanka gave India some scary moments while chasing 315 to win but fell short by 21 runs.

Host skipper Mahela Jayawardene rued that they left too much work for the lower-order big hitters.

"We've got some big-hitters at the end, but we left too much for them to do. Too many mistakes, against a quality side like India. It was important for us to set up a platform, Sanga was trying to build an innings. We never had momentum going into the last 10 overs," Jayawardene said.

"We'll try to refocus and come back strong. Kulasekara and Lasith are two big guys I rely on during the Powerplays, but we need to improve our standards in the field," Jayawardene added.

India skipper was not happy with the way they conceded runs in the last 10 overs but praised Irfan Pathan.

"The death bowling for us needs to improve. Zak was good, one good positive was Irfan Pathan doing well. Without Jadeja or Yuvraj, it is difficult to make a side balanced in both departments so this was important. It's a good learning experience for the younger bowlers," he said.

Dhoni thanked heavens for letting him win the toss. "This was one game where I felt the toss would be crucial. In the second innings, there was variable bounce and it was a little difficult to bat on," he said.

India put up a big total but Dhoni said his batting line up need to do better.

"Gautam was unfortunate to get out in that fashion. Sehwag and Kohli batted very well, we are lacking a bit of firepower down the line. Once the batsmen who are set carry on, then me, and the likes of Raina can go and express ourselves," he said.


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July 19,2020

Manchester, Jul 19: Former England pacer Dominic Cork reckons star all-rounder Ben Stokes will go on to become one of his country's greatest cricketers ever.

Stokes, the hero of England's World Cup triumph last year, sparkled with a fine 176 and powered his side to a strong first-inning total of 469/9 declared in the ongoing second Test against the West Indies here.

"I genuinely think he can get better because of his work ethic. He wants to bat, he wants to bowl, he wants to work on his game, wants to get better," Cork said on Sky Sports show The Cricket Debate.

"I know he works a hell of a lot on his bowling as well. I just see this man not becoming only the best in the world but one of the best we have had ever. That's how highly I rate him."

The former seamer thought things changed for better for the World Cup hero after the Bristol bar brawl three years ago.

Last year, Stokes himself had said that the unsavoury incident and the ensuing chain of events, which dogged his career for 15 months, may be the best thing that could have happened to him.

Following the incident in September 2017, Stokes was acquitted of affray by a Bristol court in August 2018, before the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) ended his 15-month exile after a hearing in December 2018.

Former England batsman Ravi Bopara also spoke about the remarkable change in Stokes' approach.

"I think there has definitely been a change with Ben. He has made his mistakes and learnt from them. He looks a formidable cricketer," he said.

"He is a fiery character and always has been - even if you are playing PlayStation in hotel rooms.

"But as he has had a more important role in the side as an all-rounder, making an impact with bat and ball, winning games for England, and since England have started looking at him as the main guy, his attitude has changed with it."

West Indies lead the three-match series 1-0 after their win in the opener at Southamton.

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Agencies
May 9,2020

Tokyo, May 9: As the world continues to grapple with coronavirus pandemic, the organisers of Tokyo Game Show have cancelled 2020 showpiece event.

TGS 2020 was slated to be played from September 24 to September 27 at the Makuhari Messe convention center. However, there now talks going on for holding an online event instead.

According to the Verge, this is the first time that TGS has ever been cancelled since it started in 1996.

TGS 2020 gained more attention because of its status as the last major trade show before the launch of the upcoming next-gen consoles, the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.

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July 28,2020

New Delhi, Jul 28: 'Your character stood out for me than the number of runs you scored," said India skipper Virat Kohli while explaining his decision to give opening Mayank Agarwal a Test debut in the 2018-19 Australia series.

Mayank Agarwal had made his Test debut against Australia in the third Test of the four-match series.

Playing the third Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Agarwal managed to register a half-century in his very first innings in the longest format.

"I had seen you play for RCB, even then you played international bowlers with conviction and you would take them on. You were performing in first-class matches in a dominating way. That is something always stood out with you, I would say your character stood out for me than the number of runs. I knew you would be fearless without having any baggage," Kohli told Mayank Agarwal in a video posted on the official website of BCCI.

In the longest format of the game, Agarwal has managed to score 974 runs from 11 matches at an average of 57.29 with three centuries as an opening batsman.

The Indian skipper also explained as to what makes him notice in a player and added that it is important that guys in the team look to face new challenges and emerge triumphantly.

"For me, the biggest marker is how a person approaches the game, so for example when you opened and we made Vihari open with you. The first opportunity we presented Vihari to open the batting, he said yes to it and that matters me to the most," Kohli said.

"I opened in my first series for India, I said yes to this opportunity and things worked out fine for me. So, a guy who wants to get into tough situations will come out either holding his head high or learning from his mistakes," he added.

Kohli and Mayank would soon be seen in action for Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab respectively in the Indian Premier League (IPL) starting from September 19 in the UAE.

The comparisons between Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar keep on 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 currently has 70 centuries across all formats.

At present, Kohli is ranked at the top spot in the ICC ODI rankings while he is in the second place in Tests rankings. Kohli has so far played 86 Tests, scoring 7,240 runs with 27 centuries at an average of 53.62.

His knock of 254 against South Africa at Pune in 2019 remains his highest Test score to date. When it comes to ODIs, the current Indian skipper has played 248 matches and has 43 centuries.

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