Now we have the result to back our belief: Kohli

Agencies
January 28, 2018

Johannesburg, Jan 28: India skipper Virat Kohli has said his team's belief stayed intact when others doubted them and the favourable outcome in the third Test was a result of that unflinching belief.

Kohli and Co had received a lot of flak after losing the opening two Tests.

"A lot of people didn't have belief in us but as a team, we knew that we were very close in the first two Tests too. We knew that if we played better in pressure-situations than them, then we would win," he said after the 63-run win at the Wanderers yesterday.

"And we did that in this Test match. This win was very important from our and the Indian team's point of view, and we were determined to win this match," he added.

Despite the losses, Kohli said his team never lost faith and always backed themselves.

"We don't think like people on the outside. When things don't go well, we as a team don't say 'oh we should have done this' or 'we should have done that'. That's the easiest thing to do. I can say or write anything about anyone," he said.

"But when you're in there, facing their bowling attack on that sort of a wicket, and then when you decide to bat first, you need to be sure. You need to have belief in yourself.

"So, we certainly back ourselves as a team and that's something we have done throughout this tour. Yes, we were disappointed things did not come together in the first two games but we are really proud of this effort," he said.

Kohli today termed the win in the third Test as a massive milestone for his team and said it could help the side win more matches in alien conditions in the upcoming series.

India maintained their unbeaten record at the Wanderers today after dismissing South Africa for 177 to pull one back in the three-Test series.

"It could be a massive milestone for us. We already had the belief but now we have the result to back it up. We certainly believe that under any conditions, we have the ability to think about winning Tests," he said.

"Yes, we will lose some but we will end up winning a lot as well. This day will be remembered for a long time as a team. I believe that and the whole team believes that. The mood in the change room is amazing right now and the guys are looking forward to repeating this much more in conditions that are not ours."

On a green top wicket, India played only five full-time batsmen and a five-pacer attack as well. Then they opted to bat first after winning the toss and yet managed to etch out a win.

"The decision to play all five seamers was because of the fact that someone like Hardik (Pandya) can do the job of the fifth bowler here and to play four seamers here is something that really worked in our favour," Kohli explained.

"It's just that we batted better than them in this game and bowled better. That's why we won."

Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla put on 119 runs for the second wicket and South Africa was placed at 124/1 at one stage. The Proteas though collapsed afterwards and succumbed to the pressure of the fourth-innings' chase.

Kohli said: "We got stuck into them in the second innings at Cape Town as well. Then they had a collapse in Centurion in the first innings. So we knew that if we get a couple of wickets the same thing could be repeated.

"Because as a batsman you are certainly reminded of the collapses that you have had and you don't want to repeat that. We knew that the kind of bowling attack we had and the way we are bowling right now, even if get a couple of wickets it will only be a matter of time," Kohli said.

The India skipper further explained: "I don't think like people on the outside (and worry about wickets not falling). It's very important for me to have belief in the team. At all stages, I was thinking if we were in this position, and if we lose wickets, that suddenly makes things difficult for the next batsmen to coming in to bat.

"We knew that when they lose a couple of wickets, guys coming in are going to be nervous because this is Johannesburg. They need to play well and do the job. We had nothing to lose, we were playing expressive cricket, and we got stuck into them. This is probably one of our sweetest wins and I am really proud of the whole team," he added.

South Africa won the series 2-1 and now the two teams look forward to the six-match ODI series starting in Durban on February 1.

"There is a lot of mutual respect. The rivalry stays on the pitch. We don't see anyone talking ill about the other team. They give credit to us when we do well and we give credit to them when they do well.

"Lot of these guys play with us in the IPL as well so we know them really well also. But when you step out as a team there are no friendships there, there is only competition.

"And it is exciting for world cricket and that's why this win was important for us also. Because we are the no.1 side of the world and we played like that today," Kohli signed off.

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News Network
July 16,2020

Kolkata, Jul 16: BCCI president Sourav Ganguly on Wednesday went into home quarantine after his elder brother and Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) joint secretary Snehasish Ganguly tested positive for Covid-19.

Snehasish, a former Bengal first-class player, has been admitted to the Belle Vue hospital in Kolkata after his COVID report came positive.

"He was suffering from fever for the last few days and his test report came positive today. He's been admitted to Belle Vue Hospital," a CAB official said.

"The reports arrived late in the evening. As per health protocols, even Sourav will have to be in home quarantine for a stipulated period," a source close to the BCCI President added.

Snehasish had shifted to their ancestral house, where Sourav is based, in Behala after his wife and in-laws at his Mominpur residence tested positive for the dreaded virus.

The former India captain was, however, unavailable for a comment on the development.

Recently, during an interview to India Today, Sourav had spoken about how life around him has changed, making people more vulnerable.

"My brother visits our factories everyday and he is more at risk," the former batting star had said

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Agencies
April 14,2020

Tokyo, Apr 14: Tokyo organizers said Tuesday they have no B Plan in the event the Olympics need to be postponed again because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Masa Takaya, the spokesman for the Tokyo Olympics, said organizers are proceeding under the assumption the Olympics will open on July 23, 2021. The Paralympics follow on Aug. 24.

Those dates were set last month by the International Olympic Committee and Japanese officials after the coronavirus pandemic made it clear the Olympics could not be held as scheduled this summer.

We are working toward the new goal, Takaya said, speaking in English on a teleconference call with journalists.

We don't have a B Plan. The severity of the pandemic and the death toll has raised questions if it will even be feasible to hold the Olympics in just over 15 months. Several Japanese journalists raised the question on the call.

All I can tell you today is that the new games' dates for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games have been just set up, Takaya said.

In that respect, Tokyo 2020 and all concerned parties now are doing their very best effort to deliver the games next year." IOC President Thomas Bach was asked about the possibility of a postponement in an interview published in the German newspaper Die Welt on Sunday.

He did not answer the question directly, but said later that Japanese organizers and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe indicated they could not manage a postponement beyond next summer at the lastest.

The Olympics draw 11,000 athletes and 4,400 Paralympic athletes and large support staffs from 206 national Olympic committees.

There are also questions about frozen travel, rebooking hotels, cramming fans into stadiums and arenas, securing venues, and the massive costs of rescheduling, which is estimated in Japan at 2 billion- 6 billion.

Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto addressed the issue in a news conference on Friday. He is likely to be asked about it again on Thursday when local organizers and the IOC hold a teleconferene with media in Japan.

The other major question is the cost of the delay; how much will it be, and who pays? Bach said in the Sunday interview that the IOC would incur several hundred million dollars in added costs. Under the so-called Host City Agreement, Japan is liable for the vast majority of the expenses.

This is impossible to say for now, Takaya, the spokesman said.

It is not very easy to estimate the exact amount of the games' additional costs, which have been impacted by the postponement."

Tokyo says it's spending 12.6 billion to organize the Olympics. But a Japanese government audit published last year says the costs are twice that much. Of the total spending, 5.6 billion in private money. The rest is from Japanese governments.

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News Network
January 8,2020

Indore, Jan 8:  India skipper Virat Kohli has added yet another feather to his cap by becoming the fastest player to score 1,000 runs in T20I cricket as a captain. Kohli played an unbeaten knock of 30 during India''s seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the second T20I of the ongoing three-match series on Tuesday evening.

Kohli achieved the milestone of scoring 1,000 runs as captain in his 30th T20I inning. He is the second Indian and sixth overall after MS Dhoni to have achieved the feat. Dhoni had scored 1112 runs in 62 T20I games as captain.

Faf du Plessis (1273 runs from 40 games), Kane Williamson (1083 runs in 39 games), Eoin Morgan (1013 runs in 43 games) and Ireland''s William Porterfield (1002 runs in 56 games) are other captains on the list.

During India''s emphatic victory at the Holkar Stadium, Kohli also surpassed team-mate Rohit Sharma, who has been rested for the series, as the top run-getter in the T20Is. Kohli now has 2663 runs from 71 innings.

Both had finished 2019 as joint top-scorers in T20Is, with 2633 runs each.

India, already with an unassailable lead of 1-0 in the series, will now face Sri Lanka in the final T20I on Friday in Pune. The first match between the two teams was called off without a ball being bowled due to wet patches on the pitch in Guwahati last Sunday.

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