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Ind vs Eng: Sehwag punishes England with fiery fify in 1st Test

November 15, 2012

sehw

Ahmedabad, November 15: Playing his 99th Test, Virender Sehwag reached his 33rd fifty off 45 deliveries on the first day of the first Test against England at Sardar Patel Stadium at Motera in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

And after reaching his fifty, Sehwag opened his arms further hitting three successive deliveries from Tim Bresnan for two fours and a six over long-on.

Gautam Gambhir and Sehwag brought up their first century stand since Centurion 2010 on the first ball of the 20th over.

Gambhir and Sehwag mixed caution well with aggression to bring up the Indian fifty in the 12th over.

Sehwag was more aggressive of the two and hit three boundaries through the off-side in the seventh over of the Test bowled by James Anderson.

This was after Indian captain MS Dhoni won the toss and chose to bat.

India are playing two spinners in Ravichandran Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha. Ajinkya Rahane, Murali Vijay, Ishant Sharma and Harbhajan Singh miss out.

For England, Steven Finn and Monty Panesar miss out. Tim Bresnan and Samit Patel make it to the starting eleven. Nick Compton makes his Test debut.

The surface of the pitch is light in colour, not that hard and has a powdery look to it. It will start turning pretty early. As the day progresses, the bounce will get uneven.

After the 4-0 defeat to Australia, away, the Indians have already started their resurrection process with a series victory over New Zealand. They would be looking to continue the winning momentum and start off with a victory at the Motera.

England, on the other hand, will go into the series on the back of a 2-0 series defeat against South Africa at home. They would be looking to regain their lost form and gain an upper hand with a solid start.

The last time these two met in a Test series was in July-August 2011 in England where the English hammered the Indians 4-0. The Indians would be aiming for a revenge this time around.

India have the big advantage of playing at home but they still need to be at their best if they want to exact 'revenge' for the humiliation they suffered on their last trip to England.

The hosts have kept England guessing by not letting them play the best spinners, barring Amit Mishra, in the first two warm-up games.

However, the tactic will bear fruit only if the Indian batsman step up and perform.

It's also going to be a challenge for middle-order batsmen like Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh who would like to settle down in the line-up after the retirements of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman.

Teams:

India: MS Dhoni (Capt.), Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Cheteshwar Pujara, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, R Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, Umesh Yadav, Pragyan Ojha.

England: Alastair Cook (Capt.), Nick Compton, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Samit Patel, Matt Prior, Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann, James Anderson.

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News Network
May 5,2020

May 5: Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar says he is interested in becoming India's bowling coach if there is an offer, asserting that he is capable of grooming "more aggressive, fast and talkative" pacers.

Akhtar expressed his willingness in an interview on social networking app 'Helo'.

Asked if he would like to be associated with the Indian bowling unit in future, he responded in the positive. India's current bowling is Bharat Arun.

"I will definitely. My job is to spread knowledge. What I have learned is knowledge and I will spread it," Akhtar said.

One of the fastest bowlers to have played the game, he added, "I will produce more aggressive, fast and more talkative bowlers than the current ones who will tell-off the batsmen in a way that you will enjoy a lot."

He said he has always wanted to share his knowledge among budding cricketers and that he is looking to produce more aggressive bowlers.

He also added that he would like to "coach" IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, for whom he has played in the cash-rich T20 league's inaugural edition.

The former pacer also spoke about his early interactions with Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar in the 1998 series.

"I had seen him but didn't know how big a name he was in India. In Chennai, I got to know that he was known as a god in India.

"Mind you, he is a very good friend of mine. In 1998, when I bowled as fast as I could, Indian public celebrated with me. I have a big fan following in India," Akhtar said.

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Agencies
August 6,2020

New Delhi, Aug 6: The BCCI on Thursday suspended the IPL title sponsorship deal with Chinese mobile phone company Vivo for the event's upcoming edition amid heightened tensions in Sino-India diplomatic ties.

The BCCI sent out a one-line statement, without giving details, saying that Vivo would not be associated with the IPL this year. "The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and vivo Mobile India Pvt Ltd have decided to suspend their partnership for Indian Premier League in 2020," the statement said.

Meanwhile, Vivo released its own statement saying that the two entities "have mutually decided to pause their partnership for the 2020 season".

Vivo won the IPL title sponsorship rights for five years from 2018 to 2022 for a reported sum of Rs 2,190 crore, approximately Rs 440 crore per annum.

The two parties are now working out a plan in which Vivo might come back for a fresh three-year period starting 2021 on revised terms.

However, a top BCCI official offered a different view. "Here we are talking about diplomatic tensions and you expect that after November, when IPL ends and before the next IPL starts in April 2021, there would be no anti-China sentiment? Are we serious?" a veteran BCCI official said on conditions of anonymity.

The anti-China sentiment in the country peaked after the violent face-off between the Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh. India lost 20 soldiers in the clash, while China also acknowledged unspecified casualties.

The stand-off at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) caused outrage across India with several calls for boycotts of Chinese companies and products.

The BCCI is now likely to float a tender for new IPL title sponsors as mandated by its constitution. The glitzy T20 league starts on Sept. 19 in the UAE, forced out of India due to the rising COVID-19 cases.

The new development is in stark contrast to what came out of Sunday's IPL's Governing Council meeting, where it was decided that Vivo, along with all the other sponsors, will remain on board.

This was after the BCCI had announced in June that all sponsorship deals pertaining to IPL will be reviewed in the aftermath of the clash in the Galwan Valley.

However, after Sunday's meeting, there was a huge backlash on social media about the BCCI holding on to Vivo.

Both parties then began thrashing out an amicable separation plan, at least for this season.

However, the end of this deal could spell losses for the franchises as they get a substantial share from the sponsorship pool. Half of the annual Vivo sponsorship money is distributed equally among eight franchises, which comes to Rs 27.5 crore.

"As of now, it will be very difficult for the BCCI to match the sponsorship amount at such short notice. Therefore, both BCCI and the franchises should be prepared to lose out on some money -- BCCI more but each franchise from Vivo's exit will potentially lose 15 crore," the official said.

"This year will be difficult for everyone but the show must go on," the official said.

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News Network
April 30,2020

New Delhi, Apr 30: India and Delhi Capitals batsman Ajinkya Rahane won't mind playing the IPL in empty stadiums if it ensures the safety of the fans.

Speaking in an Instagram Live session arranged by Delhi Capitals, Rahane said: "COVID-19 pandemic has taught everyone that unexpected things can happen, therefore we need to be happy about what we are doing, and should value what we have.

"As for IPL or any other sport, I feel it could be played without spectators. All of us have played domestic cricket in almost empty stadiums, so that’s an experience all cricketers are used to."

"Of course we are nothing without our fans, and that’s why their safety is of utmost importance. Even if they get to watch some Live action from home, I am sure that will be an enjoyable experience as well. The safety of fans is key, and if we need to play in empty stadiums for that, we are open to do it,” Rahane said. IPL 2020 has been indefinitely postponed due the COVID-19 pandemic but there is a possibility that it is played behind closed doors in September.

Speaking on how he has been spending time during the nationwide lockdown, India's Test specialist said he is enjoying bonding with his wife and daughter.

"I'm trying to be as positive as possible during this lockdown, and staying at home with my wife and daughter. It's given me an opportunity to bond with them, and I am also able to help my wife in cooking and cleaning.

"I'm also trying to revive my karate skills, something that I pursued as a child. It definitely helps me in maintaining my agility and fitness, and I am enjoying it a lot," said the 31-year-old.

The experienced middle-order batsman was bought by Delhi Capitals last year before the IPL Auction, and says he is really excited about playing for the franchise.

"It is something I've really been eager about, and it has stemmed in because of the things I've heard about the team from the likes of Ishant, Shikhar, and Shreyas. They’ve told me that it's like a huge family where everyone is always backing each other, and enjoying each other's successes," he said.

Talking about his excitement on playing under head coach Ricky Ponting, Rahane said he has always admired the Australian legend.

"My idols growing up were definitely Rahul Sir and Sachin Sir, but I've always admired Ricky Sir also. I used to try to copy his batting and fielding styles. And therefore, I'm really looking forward to working under him. I'm sure he will help me immensely in my batting as well as overall leadership,” said the former captain of Rajasthan Royals.

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