Virat Kohli’s Indian cricket team extends lead at top of ICC Test rankings

Agencies
May 1, 2018

Dubai, May 1: The Virat Kohli-led India continued to sit at the top of the latest ICC Test Team Rankings, ahead of South Africa and Australia.

Not only that, with the results from 2014-15 being removed from the equation and those from 2015-16 and 2016-17 being weighted at 50 per cent, India have actually stretched their lead over South Africa from four to 13 points.

For India, who played four Tests in the 2014-15 season - losing 2-0 in Australia - and had earlier lost the five-Test tour of England 3-1 in the summer of 2014, the move up was expected following an excellent run since, highlighted by 10 wins in 13 Tests in the 2016-17 season.

India have reached an aggregate of 125 while South Africa have lost five points and slipped to 112. South Africa, are however, still comfortably ahead of the remaining sides.

Australia are placed third with 106 points after gaining four points following the update, taking back the position from New Zealand, who had overtaken them at the last cut-off date of April 3.

England have gained one point and sit fifth on the rankings table.

That change saw New Zealand assure themselves of USD 200,000 for finishing third. India and South Africa had won USD 1 million and USD 500,000, respectively for finishing first and second at the cut-off date. After the update, New Zealand remain on 102 points while England have inched closer, reaching 98 after gaining one point.

In another interesting movement, Bangladesh have moved ahead of the West Indies, who are in ninth position for the first time ever.

The Windies have lost five points and are now on 67 points while Bangladesh have gained four points to reach 75, eight points clear of the Caribbeans.

Sri Lanka remain in sixth position after losing one point while Zimbabwe have gained one point to reach two. The table will see new additions in the form of Afghanistan and Ireland after they play their first Tests following their Full Membership status.

Ireland are due to play their first Test against Pakistan in Malahide, Dublin, from May 11 to 15 while Afghanistan’s first Test will be against India in Bengaluru from June 14 to 18.

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Agencies
January 16,2020

New Delhi, Jan 16: Mahendra Singh Dhoni was on Thursday dropped from the BCCI's list of centrally contracted players, raising fresh doubts on the future of the former India captain who has not played since the World Cup semifinal loss to New Zealand last year.

The BCCI announced the central contracts for the period of October 2019 to September 2020. Dhoni was in the A category, which fetches a player Rs 5 crore, until last year.

Skipper Virat Kohli, his deputy Rohit Sharma and top pacer Jasprit Bumrah were retained in the highest A+ bracket of Rs 7 crore.

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Agencies
August 3,2020

New Delhi, Aug 2: The finals of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 will be played on November 20, the sources within the BCCI confirmed on Sunday.

The IPL's governing council met earlier today, and it has also been decided that the evening matches will start at 7:30 pm, half an hour earlier than usual.

Jay Shah, the secretary of BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) and Arun Dhumal, treasurer of BCCI did not attend the IPL's governing council meeting.

"The tournament will run for 51 days, usually the IPL should go on for 49 days as per the constitution, however in the meeting it has been decided that we will go to Supreme Court for conducting the IPL in 51 days," sources within the BCCI said.

"As the tournament is running for 51 days, we will get the chance to play fewer doubleheaders, there would be just 10 double headers, evening matches will start at 7:30 and the afternoon matches will start at 3:30. 

The matches will be played across three venues at Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah as travelling here by road is easier and bio-secure environment can be maintained," he added.

The IPL's governing council also confirmed that Women's IPL will also go on and four teams would be participating in it.

"When it comes to women's IPL, there would be four teams and the matches would be played at the time of playoffs for men's IPL," the source said.

The source within the BCCI also said that the governing council would be meeting again to discuss the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for all the franchises that need to be followed in the IPL.

The governing council meeting discussed the quarantine measures along with the standard operating procedures (SOP), bio bubble training facilities, stay and travel of the players.

Issues related to the broadcaster, shifting, and scheduling of the tournament, and DXB app to be downloaded for players and other officials were also discussed as well.

A few days earlier, the IPL Governing Council chairman Brijesh Patel had confirmed that the 13th edition of the mega event will commence on September 19 in the UAE.

This year's IPL was slated to commence from March 29 but the tournament was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) had also confirmed receiving the official Letter of Intent from the BCCI to host the 2020 edition of the IPL.

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News Network
January 18,2020

Hobart, Jan 18: In a dream start to her second innings after a two-year break, Sania Mirza lifted the WTA Hobart International trophy with partner Nadiia Kichenok after edging out Shaui Peng and Shuai Zhang in the final, here on Saturday.

The unseeded Indo-Ukrainian pair pipped the second seed Chinese team 6-4, 6-4 in one hour 21 minutes.

Playing her first tournament after giving birth to son Izhaan, the 33-year-old Sania has begun well in the Olympic year as she warmed up for the Australian Open in style.

It is Sania's 42nd WTA doubles title and first since Brisbane International trophy in 2007 with American partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

Sania did not compete on the WTA circuit in the entire 2018 and 2019 seasons to start a family with Pakistani cricketer husband Shoaib Malik.

Sania and Nadiia began by breaking the Chinese players in the very first game of the match but only to drop serve in the next.

The two pairs played close games towards the end and at 4-4, 40-all, Sania and Nadiia got the crucial break, earning the opportunity to serve out the set.

There was no twist in 10th game with Sania and Nadiia comfortably pocketing the first set.

The second set could not have started better for them as they broke the Chinese rivals to take early lead and consolidated the break with an easy hold.

The game of the Chinese was falling apart as they dropped serve again in the third but broke back immediately to repair some damage.

Sania and Nadiia were now feeling the heat at 0-30 in the sixth game but Peng and Zhang let them hold serve for a 4-2 lead. The Chinese though kept fighting and made it 4-4 with another break in the eighth game.

The Indo-Ukraine team raised its game when it mattered as it broke Peng and Zhang for one final time in the ninth and served out the match in the next game.

Sania and Nadiia split USD 13580 as prize money and eared 280 ranking points each for their winning effort.

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