India will take 10 years to rebuild: Intikhab Alam

January 4, 2013

afthabKolkata, Jan 4: Intikhab Alam was overcome by nostalgia when he stepped on to the Eden Gardens on Thursday. "I vividly remember the time when I played here as a member of the touring Pakistan team in 1960. That was a very interesting Test match. We had lost six quick wickets for 120-odd runs before Mushtaq Mohammad and myself put on a 100-run partnership. It all seems like yesterday," said the former Pakistan captain, who was among 19 former Indian and Pakistani greats to have been felicitated at the halfway stage of the second ODI on Thursday.

The leg-spinning allrounder, who also took four wickets in that Test, still relishes the way he had castled star Indian batsman Abbas Ali Baig in the drawn match. 'Inty,' as he is fondly called, was all praise for young opener Nasir Jamshed, who on Thursday scored his second straight century of the ongoing ODI series against India.

"Jamshed is an exceptional talent. He was injury-prone earlier, but I am really very pleased with the way he has come on. It is good to see him fulfill expectations," Alam said.

Pakistan's first ODI captain felt India would take some time to rebuild the side after the retirement of greats like Sachin Tendulkar (ODI), Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. "If you lose three-four top class players, it takes time to rebuild the team. You just can't take a magic wand and get things right. It will take about 10 years to find good players," he stated. "The selectors need to be patient and have the vision to get the right replacements in place. I think India will bounce back soon," he added.

The former Pakistan coach described Sachin Tendulkar as one of India's finest ambassadors. "Sachin is a player who has done wonderfully well. The way he has carried himself all through his career makes him one of the finest ambassadors of Indian sport," Intikhab said.

"When I saw him bat for the first time, in Peshawar, I knew right then that he would become a great cricketer," Intikhab recalled about the 16-year-old Sachin, who made his international debut during that 1989 tour of Pakistan.

What actually surprised Intikhab the most about Tendulkar was his level of fitness. "Sachin has stayed very fit. That's the reason he could be at his best. A cricketer knows best when to retire and he has done that (from ODIs) at the right time," Intikhab said.

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News Network
January 8,2020

Indore, Jan 8: Skipper Virat Kohli struck an unbeaten 30 as India beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the second Twenty20 international in Indore on Tuesday.

The hosts rode a 71-run opening stand between KL Rahul, who hit 45, and Shikhar Dhawan, who made 32, to chase down their target of 143 in 17.3 overs and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series after the first match was rained off.

Leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga took the wickets of the Indian openers but Shreyas Iyer, who scored 34 before falling to paceman Lahiru Kumara, and Kohli, who hit the winning six, got the team home.

The third match is on Friday in Pune.

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Agencies
January 25,2020

Headingley, Jan 25: England have become the first team in the world to score 500,000 runs in Test cricket. They achieved the feat during the ongoing fourth and final Test against South Africa being played at The Wanderers.

On Friday - the opening day of the Test match -- England captain Joe Root's single through the covers took the Three Lions to a landmark 500,000 run-mark in the longest format of the game. They achieved the feat in their 1022nd Test match.

Australia comes second in the list, with 432,706 runs in 830 Tests. India, meanwhile, are third, with 273,518 runs in 540 Tests, followed by West Indies (270,441 runs in 545 Tests).

In the third Test played at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth, England had become the first team to play 500 Test matches on foreign soil. Australia are the second team to play the most away Test with 404 matches they have played so far.

India have played 268 Tests on foreign soil in which they have won 51, lost 113 and 104 have ended in a draw.

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News Network
February 10,2020

Potchefstroom, Feb 9: Bangladesh clinched their maiden ICC U-19 World Cup title after beating favourites India by three wickets in the summit clash here on Sunday.

Set a revised target of 170 after a brief rain interruption, Bangladesh won the match with 23 balls to spare.

Sent in to bat, India's batting wilted under pressure as a superb Bangladesh bowling attack shot the defending champions out for a paltry 177 in 47.2 overs.

Yasashvi Jaiswal (88 off 121 balls) was once again a standout performer but not for once did he look like dominating the Bangladesh bowling unit whose new ball bowlers Shoriful Islam (2/31 in 10 overs) and Tanzim Hasan Shakib (2/28 in 8.2 overs) literally stifled the Indians for runs.

The third seamer Avishek Das (3/40 in 9 overs) was the most successful bowler in terms of figures but it was Shoriful's first spell with channelised aggression that put the Indians on the back-foot from the onset.

After a short rain break towards the end, the target was revised to 170 from 46 runs but Bangladesh reached 170 for 7 in 42.1 overs to win the match.

Opener Parvez Hossain Emon top-scored for Bangladesh with a 79-ball 47 while captain and wicketkeeper Akbar Ali was not out on 43 from 77 deliveries.

For the India U-19 side, Ravi Bishnoi was the most successful bowler with figures of 4/30 while Sushant Mishra had 2/25.

India thus missed out on a record fifth title in their seventh final appearance.

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