Dravid, Vishwanath in Kirmani's greatest ever Karnataka team

August 12, 2013
VishwanathBangalore, Aug 12: Rahul Dravid and G R Vishwanath are among the 12 Karnataka players picked by former Indian wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani in his personal list of the state's greatest ever in Test cricket.

In his team, fast bowlers Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad would not find themselves playing in tandem in a match, but both have been included in the 12-member list.

"I wouldn't dream of not playing two legends Pras (EAS Prasanna) and Chandra (Bhagwat Chandrashekhar) in tandem in a match and hence will have no other option but to play either of the two fast bowlers (Sri or Venky) in a match," he told PTI on the occasion of Platinum Jubilee Celebrations of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) here today.

Kirmani's Greatest Test XI hailing from Karnataka has Venkataraman Subramanya as captain while he picked himself as the wicket-keeper. On Subramanya, Kirmani who played 88 Tests and claimed 160 catches and 38 stumpings, said, "If he wouldn't have migrated overseas, I have no doubts he would have captained the Indian Test side."

Subramanya, a tall aggressive middle-order batsman and more than a useful legspin bowler, played Tests between 1965 and 1968.

Against West Indies at Madras in 1966-67, Subramanya hit a breezy 61, treating Wesly Hall and Charlie Griffith with disdain. In all, he played nine Tests and scored 263 runs in fifteen innings with 75 as his career highest.

On G R Vishwanath, Kirmani said he was a legend in the making right from his early days when he played for his state and the country.

"He has a rare distinction of scoring debut centuries in Test and Ranji. He was brilliant, a legend in the making," he said.

In fact Vishwanath, who scored 14 Test centuries, considers his second innings knock of 137 on his Test debut at Kanpur in 1969-70 against Bill Lawry's Australia as his best.

On picking up Prasanna and Chandrashekhar, Kirmani said "There is nobody who has come anywhere near their dust. Only a wicketkeeper will know what keeping is all about when he stands up to these two legends."

Prasanna is famous for achieving the fastest 100 wickets in Tests for an Indian Bowler in 20 Tests, which is still a record. He picked up 189 wickets in 49 Tests in his career.

Chandrashekhar was given the Wisden's "Best bowling performance of the century" award in 2002, for his six wickets for 38 runs against England at the Oval in 1971.

Kirmani's Greatest 12-member Test XI hailing from Karnataka: Venkataraman Subramanya (Captain), Roger Binny, Rahul Dravid, G R Vishwanath, Brijesh Patel, Syed Kirmani (Wicketkeeper), Sunil Joshi, Anil Kumble, EAS Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrashekhar, Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad.

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News Network
June 23,2020

Karachi, Jun 23: Pakistan cricketers Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf and rookie Haider Ali on Monday tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

"The Pakistan Cricket Board has confirmed three players - Haider Ali, Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan - have tested positive for Covid-19," said the PCB in a statement.

"The players had shown no symptoms until they were tested in Rawalpindi on Sunday ahead of the Pakistan men's national cricket team's tour to England."

The infected players will go into self-isolation.

"The PCB medical panel is in contact with the three who have been advised to immediately go into self-isolation," the statement said.

Earlier this month, former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi was tested positive for the deadly virus.

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News Network
February 17,2020

Hamilton, Feb 17: Mayank Agarwal found form on his birthday and Rishabh Pant mixed caution with his customary aggression as India’s warm-up fixture against New Zealand XI ended in a draw here on Sunday.

The match was called off an hour after lunch with India reaching 252 for four just 48 overs into their second innings.

Agarwal, who had gone through a wretched period since the second Test against Bangladesh, retired on 81 off 99 balls with 10 fours and three sixes to his name.

To the relief of the Indian team management, Pant played in his customary manner to reach 70 off 65 balls, but also showed discretion when the opposition bowlers were in the midst of a good spell. There were four sixes -- two each off leg-spinner Ish Sodhi and off-spinner Henry Cooper.

While Sodhi was hit down the ground, Cooper was dispatched over extra cover on a couple of occasions. He didn’t curb his aggression, though, there were times when he was ready defend the spinners and also leave some of the deliveries.

Even though Pant is considered a better batsman than Wriddhiman Saha, the innings might have come too late in the day considering that the latter is a better keeper and possibly a more responsible batsman in pressure situations.

The biggest positive to have emerged from the New Zealand second innings is Agarwal’s poor run coming to an end. The Seddon Park track easing out was definitely a factor but Agarwal’s footwork was more assured as he played some glorious on-drives and pull-shots off fast bowlers.

Before this game, Agarwal had played 10 competitive games including first-class, ODIs and List A matches and couldn’t cross the 40-run mark in 11 completed innings. He even bagged a pair against New Zealand A in an unofficial Test match.

Once he had got his form back, he didn’t come out to bat after lunch giving Saha an opportunity to score an unbeaten 30, his runs coming mostly against non-regular bowlers.

The Agarwal-Pant pair added 100 runs in 14.3 overs and it also helped that part-timers like Cooper was introduced into the action.

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News Network
February 16,2020

Feb 16: Mayank Agarwal finally found some form going his way and Rishabh Pant mixed caution with his customary aggression as India's warm-up fixture against New Zealand XI ended in a draw in Hamilton on Sunday. The match was called off an hour after lunch with India reaching 252 for four just 48 overs into their second innings. Agarwal, who had gone through a wretched period since the second Test against Bangladesh, retired on 81 off 99 balls with 10 fours and three sixes to his name. To the relief of the Indian team management, Pant played in his customary manner to reach 70 off 65 balls, but also showed discretion when the opposition bowlers were in the midst of a good spell.

There were four sixes -- two each off leg-spinner Ish Sodhi and off-spinner Henry Cooper. While Sodhi was hit down the ground, Cooper was dispatched over extra cover on a couple of occasions.

He didn't curb his aggression though; there were times when he was ready defend against the spinners and also leave some of the deliveries that the Kiwi pacers bowled.

Even though Pant is easily the better batsman compared to his senior Wriddhiman Saha, the innings might have come too late in the day considering that the latter is a better keeper and possibly a more responsible batsman in pressure situations.

The biggest positive to have emerged from the second innings is Agarwal's poor run coming to an end.

The Seddon Park track easing out was definitely a factor but Agarwal's footwork was more assured as he played some glorious on-drives and pull-shots off fast bowlers.

Before this game, Agarwal had played 10 competitive games including first-class, ODIs and List A matches and couldn't cross the 40-run mark in 11 completed innings.

He even bagged a pair against New Zealand A in an unofficial Test match. Once he had got his form back, he didn't come out to bat after lunch giving Saha an opportunity to score an unbeaten 30, his runs coming mostly against non-regular bowlers.

The Agarwal-Pant pair added 100 runs in 14.3 overs and it also helped that part-timers like Cooper was introduced into the action. In the morning, Prithvi Shaw (39 off 31 balls) was bowled through the gate by Daryl Mitchell as the batsman left a gaping hole between his bat and pad.

Shaw, though, seemed to have done enough during his brisk 72-run stand with Agarwal, which could put an end to the debate around the opening slot even though the tracks in Wellington and Christchurch could be a test of technique for the flamboyant Mumbaikar.

It was a match that Shubman Gill would perhaps like to forget in a hurry as he was dismissed cheaply for the second time in a row. He scored 8 before Daryl Mitchell trapped him leg before.

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