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Tag: Virat Kohli

  • Virat Kohli maintains number one, Hardik Pandya in top 50 for the first time

    India captain Virat Kohli, who scored two half-centuries in the recently concluded three-match ODI series against Australia, continues to hold on to the top position in the latest ODI batsmen rankings released by the International Cricket Council on Thursday. While Hardik Pandya has reached the top-50 for the first time with a long jump.

    Indian team opener Rohit Sharma, who did not play ODI series against Australia due to IPL injury, also retained the number two position and is five points ahead of Pakistan player Babar Azam who is third in ODI rankings. 

    Virat also performed well in the T20 series against Australia, due to which he has also occupied the eighth position in the recently released T20 rankings with 697 points. Virat scored 134 runs in three T20 matches at an average of 44.66, which benefited the team and him.

    Hardik, who has performed brilliantly in the ODI series, has also risen in the rankings and has reached 49th position with his career-high 553 points. Hardik played his first ODI against Australia after the World Cup in 2019, in which he scored a 90-run innings and in the third ODI, the match Jitau scored 92 not out. 

  • 11 most fit players in Test series: Virat Kohli

    Indian captain Virat Kohli has said that the gap found after the T20 series is necessary for the players and the 11 most fit players in the Test series will be fielded. India and Australia have had ODIs and T20s so far and the four-Test series between the two teams will start from December 17 with a pink ball day-night match in Adelaide. India lost the ODI series 1-2 but came back to win the T20 series 2-1. In the press conference held after the third T20 match, Virat said that in the Test series, we have to field our 11 best fit players and in this way, the gap found after the T20 series is necessary for the players.

    He said, “There is enough time for only the players who play Test matches and like me the work load management becomes very important for the players playing in all three formats as we have played six matches in a month. It becomes very important for fast bowlers like Jaspreet Bumrah and Mohammed Shami to manage their fitness in these conditions.

    The captain said, “All of us should play at a certain level before landing in the first Test match, but it is more important that you are physically fit because in five days of the game we will suffer from any kind of pain. Cannot afford to have a related complaint. ”

  • Double hit on Team India, ICC fined all players

    The last match of the three-match T20 series between India and Australia was played at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Kangaroo team won this match. On the other hand, India, captained by Virat Kohli, has been hit twice. One, the Indian team could not clean the Australian team after losing their match. Secondly, the Indian team has been found guilty of the minimum over rate in this match and the International Cricket Council (ICC) has fined all the players.

    The Indian team has been fined 20 per cent of the match fees for maintaining a slow over rate against Australia in the third T20 match held at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Tuesday. Match referee David Boon of Emirates ICC Elite Panel has imposed this penalty on India. India could not bowl overs in time, which was cleared by the match referee. This is the reason why the ICC has issued a decree to all the players of the Indian team, including captain Virat Kohli, to deduct 20–20 percent match fees as a punishment.

    Indian players have been convicted under Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which deals with minimum over-rate offenses. For this reason, players are fined 20 percent of their match fees, because the bowlers do not throw their overs in the allotted time. On-field umpire Rod Tucker, Gerard Abode, TV umpire Paul Wilson and fourth umpire Sam Nogazski accused the Indian team of slow over rate. Virat Kohli, the captain of the Indian cricket team, accepted the charge and accepted the punishment. Therefore, there is no need for a formal hearing. This is the second time on this tour that the Indian team has been fined due to the slow-over rate.

  • Match lost due to short runs in the middle overs: Virat

    Indian captain Virat Kohli said on Tuesday after the defeat of 12 runs in the third T20 match against Australia, that we lost the match due to short runs in the middle overs.

    Australia scored a challenging score of 186 for five, while India could score 174 runs despite Virat’s brilliant innings of 85 runs and lost the match by 12 runs. After the match, Virat said, “Once when Hardik was batting, the match was in our possession.

    But we did not play important partnerships in the middle overs, due to which we had to lose the match. During that time, a partnership of 30 or more runs would make Hardik’s work easier. We are trying to come back and it is pleasant for the team to win the series, so that we have completed the 2020 season better. ”

    He said, “I think the immense support of the audience has also given an inspiring dimension to the game. Players from both countries get energy from their spectators. We need to maintain the same rhythm in the Test as well and after playing for some time here, now we can score runs. Once we get into the rhythm, we need to refine it session by session. I am confident that the current team combination (test match) is stronger than the last time. “India has won the T20 series 2-1 and both teams now have a four-Test series starting on 17 December. Will land in

  • India win toss, opts to bowl first; team unchanged

     India skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and decided to field in the final T20I of the three-match series against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Tuesday.

    India did not make any change to their playing XI from the second T20I while Australia made one change to their line-up. Australia brought in skipper Aaron Finch in place of Marcus Stoinis after the former missed the last game. At the toss, Finch revealed that Stoinis pulled up a little bit as a result, the all-rounder was not risked in the final T20I.

    The Men in Blue have already sealed the T20I series by winning the second match by six wickets. Hardik Pandya played an unbeaten knock of 42 runs off just 22 balls to help Virat Kohli-led side chase down a total of 195 with six wickets in hand and two balls to spare at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday.

    India had won the first T20I of the three-match series by 11 runs. The Men in Blue defended a score of 161 runs as Yuzvendra Chahal and T Natarajan scalped five wickets among themselves.

    The Kohli-led side have won each of their last ten completed T20Is and now the side would be looking to extend their unbeaten run to 11 matches.

    India playing XI: Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, T Natarajan, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal.

  • Team India Create Unwanted Record After A 66-run Loss To Australia In The 1st ODI

    India were no match for Australia in the 1st ODI that was played at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday as they suffered a 66-run loss after being outplayed in all three departments of the game. The Men In Blue were back in action for the first time in almost nine months only to have a forgettable day on the field. 

    Kohli & Co. might have suffered a bitter defeat in the series-opener Down Under but they have also ended up creating an unwanted record after nearly two decades.

    At the same time, this was also India’s fourth consecutive defeat in One Day Internationals since January 2016. Prior to the Sydney ODI, the Virat Kohli-led side had suffered a 3-0 whitewash in New Zealand in February. Coming back to the 2015/16 tour of Australia, Team India lost the ODI series 4-1 despite seeking a consolation win in the dead-rubber 5th ODI.

    Meanwhile, the top-ranked ODI side are yet to register a win in the 50-overs format this year. 

    Chasing a mammoth target of 375 in order to draw first blood in the three-match ODI series, Hardik Pandya kept the visitors in the run chase when they were staring down the barrel at 101/4 in the 14th over as he added impetus to India’s middle-order along with opener Shikhar Dhawan with a 128-run stand for the fifth-wicket.

    Just when it appeared that he would do the unthinkable, he lost his wicket in the 39th over while trying to match up with the steep asking rate. Hardik fell for a superb 76-ball 90 at a strike rate of 118.42 that included seven boundaries and four maximums. 

  • India vs Australia: Shreyas Iyer may be reserve batsman for Tests

    With the availability of Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma for the first Test in Australia becoming uncertain by the day, the Indian team management is contemplating retaining a player from the white-ball squads currently in Australia.
    TOI has learnt that Shreyas Iyer may be asked to stay back as reserve batsman for the Test series.
    The selectors, while announcing the squad, didn’t specifically mention a replacement for Virat Kohli, who will be back home on paternity leave after the first Test in Adelaide which starts on Dec 17. It was assumed that Rohit would be an automatic replacement for Kohli. But with uncertainty growing over Rohit’s recovery from a hamstring injury, there could be a case of having another player as a reserve.
    “There won’t be any fresh player coming in after Rohit and Ishant’s arrival. The selectors picked a jumbo squad for this reason. If the need arises, Shreyas could be asked to stay back,” a BCCI source said.The Test team currently has eight batsmen which includes Kohli. If Rohit fails to recover in time or a batsman gets injured in the middle of the tour, then the team management will have very few options. The fast-bowling department, on the other hand, has five pacers. It will be interesting to see if the team management opts to retain a pacer from the white-ball squad for the Tests as a cover for Ishant.

  • These moments don’t come again’ – India head coach Ravi Shastri backs Virat Kohli’s decision to take paternity leave

    Virat Kohli’s absence in the last three Tests against Australia is currently the biggest talking point as Team India gears up for the series Down Under, which begins from November 27 in Sydney. India will first play a 3-match ODI series followed by as many T20Is. And then the 4-match Test series which will start from December 17 in Adelaide.

    Captain Kohli will fly back home after leading the side in the first Test which, is a day-night affair, for the birth of his first child. While many experts have opposed Kohli’s return amid the Test series, head-coach Ravi Shastri has backed the captain’s decision to return for the birth of his first child.

    “I think it’s the right decision he’s taking. These moments don’t come time and time again. He has the opportunity, he’s going back, and I think he’ll be happier for that,” Shastri told ABC Sport.

    Shastri agreed to the fact that the Indian captain has been the ‘driving force’ behind the team’s success over the years. However, he asserted that Kohli’s absence will generate opportunity the ‘young guys.

  • Australia must tire out Jasprit Bumrah, batsmen must deliver: Josh Hazlewood

    Josh Hazlewood was on the field when India achieved the near impossible two years ago – won a first Test series in Australia. Part of the pace attack that will again be tasked to make amends for the 2-1 loss in 2018-19, the 29-year-old feels familiarity with the Indian batting line-up will make the job a bit easier this time.

    Hazlewood took 13 wickets in that four-Test series, forming a strong bowling unit with Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and off-spinner Nathan Lyon. Virat Kohli’s team still hurt them. The return of Steve Smith and David Warner, and the rise of Marnus Labuschagne, makes Australia the favourites this time.

    “They won last time, and we don’t lose too many series in Australia,” Hazlewood said in an interview on Wednesday. “That certainly hurt at the time. We know the guys who were in that time. I will remember that. It gives motivation this time around.

    “Australia-India rivalry is up there with the Ashes. India have probably added to it, the last time when they came here and won. That was some tight series.”

    Cheteshwar Pujara was India’s standout batsman, scoring three centuries and grinding out the Australian attack. Kohli and Rishabh Pant scored centuries. Despite India’s batting depth, it is their bowling that the hosts will have to contend with, feels Hazlewood.

    Rivals in pace

    “They out-bowled us the last time they came. That went a long way for them in winning the series. They have most bases covered with their quicks. If Ishant Sharma gets here at some point it will add to their strength.

    “They are all a little bit different. For the last 10-15 years, Indian pacers have kept improving. Our batters will have to be on their toes to counter that.”

    Bumrah took 21 scalps to be joint-highest wicket-taker with Lyon. Mohammed Shami (16) and Ishant Sharma (11) too played vital roles with India fielding four fast bowlers in Perth, the one game they lost.

    Ishant, who left IPL midway due to a stomach muscle injury, is back to bowling almost full steam at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. Bumrah and Shami, with Test pacers Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini and Mohammed Siraj are training in Sydney ahead of the Test series, starting on December 17.

    “Bumrah is probably the standout. He is unique with his action. He maintains pace very well throughout the day, and the whole series. He is probably the key. He can take wickets upfront or with the old ball. I guess it’s about getting lot of overs into him, try to tire him out in the first couple of games. That will be the key,” Hazlewood said.

    Hazlewood made his Test debut against India in 2014, and his latest IPL season was with Chennai Super Kings. Thus he has an idea how Indian cricket has progressed. He had three interesting picks for those who could hurt Australia.

    “We have played a lot of pink-ball cricket in the last five-six years, and a lot of it has been at the Adelaide Oval. We know the conditions. The timing of the new ball, change of innings is very important. The two hours at night. It’s about setting your team up. Those things can have big swings in the match,” Hazlewood said.

    India’s fixtures start on November 27 with the ODI series followed by a T20 series. Though Hazlewood made his ODI debut in 2010 and T20I start in 2013, he hasn’t played much limited-overs cricket. He has played 51 Tests, 51 ODIs and eights T20Is. He wants to change that.

    “On some occasions, the T20 and Test teams played at the same time. That wasn’t ideal. It’s a lot different this year. There will be lot of opportunities. I put myself in the IPL auction. In the next 12 months, I hope to improve and get a few more games.”

  • Virat Kohli has Just Fulfilled Netflix’s ‘Dream’ and It Can’t Keep Calm

    Virat Kohli and his boys have arrived in Australia for the upcoming bilateral series, starting from November 27. All the players are currently serving a 14-day mandatory quarantine. The Indian skipper took to Twitter to share a selfie where he could be seen spending some leisure time in isolation. The selfie also gives fans a sneak-peek into Virat’s laptop screen which is displaying his Netflix profile as he gears up to binge-watch “a good series.” “Quarantine diaries. Un-ironed T-shirt, comfortable couch, and a good series to watch,” Virat posted alongside the photo.

    Meanwhile, after leading the Indian side in the limited-over series and the first Test in Adelaide, Virat Kohli will be returning home to be with his wife Anushka Sharma for the birth of their first child. Anushka and Virat had announced that they were expecting their first child in August. The baby is due in January.