Gambhir and Sehwag's dip in form is a concern: Kapil

October 20, 2012

kapil

New Delhi, October 20: Former India cricket captain Kapil Dev today conceded that the form slump of senior openers Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag is a big worry for the team ahead of the twin Test series against England and Australia.

"Of course, it is a cause of worry if players of that calibre don't get runs. They have big reputations and when you have such big reputations then there is a case for you to defend that," Kapil said on the sidelines of the Junior National tennis Championships where he was chief guest for the finals.

"They are big players and it is important for them to score runs not only for the team but also for themselves otherwise there will be worrying signs," he added.

Both Gambhir and Sehwag struggled at the recent World Twenty20 Championships but remain India's best opening option ahead of the upcoming home series against England next month and Australia which will come here in February-March.

Kapil sidestepped queries on the issue of whether Sachin Tendulkar should retire from international cricket.

"Bade player ke baare mein na hi baat karein to accha hai (It is better not to talk about the decisions of big players)," he said.

"He had recently given an interview and he has said what he had to say," he added referring to Tendulkar's statement that he would reassess his plans next month.

On to other issues and Kapil said the general expectations from Mahendra Singh Dhoni the captain are much more than what one should have.

"You can't expect him to win all the time. He has given you World Cup, World T20, won Test matches, been number one in ICC rankings, so you can't expect him to win everytime," Kapil said.

Kapil tried to put things in perspective when asked about the concept of multiple captains being tried out in India. "If you have someone who is good enough to lead in all three formats, why do you need separate captains. But is there anyone who can do it? Do we have options for three formats?" he asked.

"There are certain things that Australia does and we tend to follow that but when we do certain things, we are criticised," he added.

The legendary all-rounder said that no selection committee can ever make everyone happy with its decisions. "Selectors can't please everyone but I am ok if they are working for the benefit of Indian cricket. It's an administrative decision to appoint a selection committee and I would like to let them do their job," he said.

Asked about speculation of him coming back as the Director of the National Cricket Academy, Kapil said, "It's time for me to leave."

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News Network
July 14,2020

New Delhi, Jul 14: Indian bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who features in the list of A category players released by BCCI, has revealed his first-ever paycheck.

Bhuvneshwar was participating in a question and answer session on Twitter where he gave his take on fans' queries.

The 30-year-old bowler was asked about his first paycheck by a fan and Bhuvneshwar responded by saying, "It was for Rs 3000. I shopped and still managed to saved some."

During the question and answer session Bhuvneshwar picked Barcelona striker Lionel Messi over Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo.

The right-arm bowler also revealed that football and badminton are his favourite sports other than cricket.

Earlier this year, Bhuvneshwar was named in the list A category of players. BCCI had released the list of centrally contracted players for the period from October 2019 to September 2020. Annually, A category players get Rs 5 crore.

The right-arm bowler would have been in action for Sunrisers Hyderabad if the Indian Premier League (IPL) had commenced from March 29. However, the tournament was postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Agencies
February 13,2020

New Delhi, Feb 13: Sanjiv Chawla, a key accused in the match-fixing scandal involving former South African cricket team captain Hansie Cronje in 2000, was extradited from the UK on Thursday, Delhi Police said.

The 50-year-old British national, accompanied by a crime branch team from London, reached IGI Airport this morning, a senior officer said.

He is likely to be taken to the crime branch office for questioning, he added.

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News Network
January 20,2020

Jan 20: Both Steve Smith and Rohit Sharma made sparkling centuries in Bengaluru, but it was the Indian who finished on the winning side, leading his team to a 2-1 series win.

Smith, having run out his captain Aaron Finch early on, dug in to bring up his ninth ODI century, his 131 off 132 balls setting India a target of 287 on Sunday, 19 January. Continuing the dazzling display of batting at the M Chinnaswamy stadium, Rohit struck 119 in 128 balls, and skipper Virat Kohli chipped in with 89, as the hosts chased down the target with seven wickets to spare in 47.3 overs.

With Shikhar Dhawan hurting his shoulder in the fifth over of the day and sidelined for the rest of the match, Rohit was reunited with KL Rahul – who had a chance to open the innings after coming in at No.3 and No.5 in the first two matches, while also standing in as wicket-keeper. The vice-captain was on the ball right away, dominating the scoring as India raced to 61/0 in the first 10 overs.

The introduction of spin gave Australia a vital breakthrough: Ashton Agar trapped Rahul in front on review, and although the new pair of Rohit and Kohli weren't unduly troubled, the run-rate slowed down. Josh Hazlewood, playing his first ODI in India and his first match in the format in 14 months, was especially miserly, conceding just 10 runs in his first five overs.

But, having settled in, the duo built a useful partnership of 137 and gave themselves the chance to hit out with wickets in hand. The part-time bowling of Finch and Marnus Labuschagne was punished, Rohit lapping up the short balls and sending them soaring into the stands. His century, his eighth against Australia, came with a single to third man.

Zampa finally got the breakthrough, having him caught in the deep going for another big one. But with Kohli having loosened his arms with a couple of beautiful fours off Pat Cummins to go past his half-century, India remained on course.

The skipper missed out on a hundred, but with Shreyas Iyer too clearing the ropes, there were no hurdles as India wrapped up an entertaining series win.

Earlier, the Indian bowlers struggled to find their lines after Australia chose to bat, but Australia weren't able to fully capitalise. David Warner was thrown by the movement to nick Mohammed Shami to the wicket-keeper, while Finch was caught short after Smith pulled out of a run, to leave the hosts at 46/2.

Labuschagne and Smith, though, combined for another special partnership, going at a brisk rate and showing delectable timing against spin. They had guided their side to 173 in the 32nd over when the a sharp piece of fielding from the home captain and strong bowling pulled things back.

Kohli, at cover, plucked a drive from Labuschagne soon after the batsman had reached his maiden fifty. Ravindra Jadeja had his second of the over when the experiment to send Mitchell Starc at No.5 lasted just three balls.

Alex Carey gave Smith company as he brought up a well-earned century, having fallen just short the previous game. The former skipper stepped up the scoring once he crossed three figures, a wristy helicopter six over deep square leg the highlight of his innings. But, excellent death bowling by Shami, who finished with four wickets, ensured the tourists were kept to under 300 – a total that proved below par.

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