Tag: Team India

India announces T20 World Cup squad: MS Dhoni roped in as mentor; Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan make the cut

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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India has announced its 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup to be held in October-November later this year. Virat Kolhi will lead the men in blue and Rohit Sharma will be his deputy.

ICC T20 World Cup 2021: Here is the full squad:

Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma (vc), KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Md Shami, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Ishan Kishan, Rahul Chahar, Varun Chakaravarthy

BCCI has also selected three reserves for the tournament. They are Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur.

In a surprise decision, the BCCI has decided to rope in ex-Indian captain and India’s most successful ICC tournament captain, MS Dhoni as a mentor for the team.

Apart from the usual suspects in the selection, leg-spinner Rahul Chahar has been selected ahead of Kuldeep Yadav and more surprisingly Yuzvendra Chahal as a spinner. Ravichandran Ashwin has also made a comeback to the T20 team.

India’s pace attack will be led by Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Md Shami. In the batting lineup, the selection of Rohit and Rahul as first-choice openers means that Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan have missed out.

MS Dhoni is back:

The most surprising selection of the evening is not a player though. MS Dhoni has been selected as a mentor for the upcoming World Cup. The ex-Indian captain is considered a brilliant strategist in the format by cricket pandits and is also experienced in guiding his teams to trophies, something that has eluded Virat Kholi till now.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah in a press conference said, “(I) spoke to him in Dubai. He agreed to be mentor for WT20 only and I discussed with my colleagues and all are on same page. I spoke to captain (Virat Kohli) and vice captain (Rohit Shamra) and everyone agreed,” he added. (edited)

“Former India Captain @msdhoni to mentor the team for the T20 World Cup” – Honorary Secretary @JayShah #TeamIndia

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 8, 2021

In the squad, Kishan and Chakaravarthy have been rewarded for their consistent performance in the IPL and the few opportunities they got with the Indian team.

The tournament will have a total of 45 matches with the final set to be played on November 14.

The Indian team, which is playing a sensational test series in England currently, will next use the second half of the IPL to prepare for the upcoming World Cup.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Ton-up Root brings England back in game but India still hold aces in 209-run chase

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Skipper Joe Root led from the front with a superb counter-attacking hundred but Jasprit Bumrah’s five-wicket haul on the fourth day made India favourites to chase down a tricky victory target of 209 against England in the first Test. In the time left during the penultimate hour, India scored 52 for one with Stuart Broad dismissing KL Rahul (26 off 38 balls) with a beauty. Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara were unbeaten on 12 each.

It was Root’s 21st Test hundred — a masterful 109 off 172 balls, that saw England put up a much-improved batting show, scoring 303 in 85.5 overs and secure a lead of 208 runs. Bumrah (5/64 in 19 overs) polished the tail in a jiffy with the second now ball en route to his sixth five-wicket haul. However, the Indian bowlers were taken to task by the England captain, whose mode of survival for the better part of the innings was swift counter-attack that fetched him as many as 14 boundaries before Bumrah got one to rear up ensuring Rishabh Pant had the easiest of catches.

The difference between an easy target of 150 and a “neither here nor there” kind of target was primarily Root. On the final day, if weather permits, India will need another 157 runs but in these conditions, it could prove to be more than a handful with James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson making the ball talk. Sam Curran is also expected to play a decent supporting role. However, the day belonged to Root, who once again bossed the Indian bowling having scored a half-century in the first essay.

Fully aware about the potency of the four-pronged Indian pace and seam attack, Root, who came out at 46 for 2, never for once batted for survival. He left that for Dom Sibley (28 off 133 balls) during their 89 run stand in which he was the primary scorer. Whether opening the bat face to use Bumrah’s pace to glide it past gully or crunching Mohammed Siraj (2/84 in 25 overs) and Mohammed Shami’s (1/72 in 15.5 overs) half-volleys through the cover, Root was a delight to watch. Shardul Thakur (2/37 in 13 overs) did trouble him a couple of times but not consistently enough.

There were a few unsuccessful appeals but Root was head and shoulders above the other English batsmen as second-highest score of 30 by Jonny Bairstow would indicate. All the Indian bowlers save the normally dependable Shami bowled wicket-taking deliveries.

The Indian bowlers were not as sharp as the first innings with too many boundaries being scored, 37 in all. Even if one considers that two to three of them were streaky but 30 plus hits to the fence in a relatively low scoring game in conducive bowling conditions may just play a larger role in the final context of the game. As far as Bumrah is concerned, a match-haul of nine wickets will certainly make him feel much better as his decision to bowl fuller rather than hitting the hard lengths paid dividends. His ability to make the ball rear awkwardly and straighten from length did play its part in this game and certainly augurs well for India in the coming games.

He got Zak Crawley with one that was shaping in but straightened while Sibley tried to go for a loose cover drive when the ball seamed back to take an inside edge. While Root’s kicked up from length, Curran was the only one who got a bouncer and Stuart Broad had to counter a mean yorker, which he failed.

As far Shardul Thakur is concerned, he has justified his selection as the fourth seamer with four wickets in two innings and getting the ball to move both ways.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Shikhar Dhawan to lead India on Sri Lanka tour, Bhuvneshwar to be his deputy

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Opener Shikhar Dhawan was on Thursday named as captain of the Indian team that will travel to Sri Lanka for a limited-overs tour next month while pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be his deputy. India is scheduled to clash with Sri Lanka in three One-day Internationals and as many Twenty20 matches on the tour that will begin on July 13 and conclude on July 25 at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, Colombo.

The Indian cricket Board named a 20-member squad that has all-rounder Hardik Pandya and spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. Young guns like Devdutt Padikkal and Prithvi Shaw expectedly feature in the squad that also has two wicket-keeper batsmen in young Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson.

India’s squad: Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Prithvi Shaw, Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suryakumar Yadav, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Rana, Ishan Kishan (Wicket-keeper), Sanju Samson (Wicket-keeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, K Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Vice-captain), Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini, Chetan Sakariya Net Bowlers: Ishan Porel, Sandeep Warrier, Arshdeep Singh, Sai Kishore, Simarjeet Singh.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Anand Mahindra offers to sponsor tickets for team India’s 87-year-old fan Charulata

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

When it comes to cricket, India’s enthusiasm has always been unmatchable, with not only the players but also the fans making headlines. Lately, a number of team India fans have grabbed the limelight, becoming overnight sensations.

This time it is 87-year-old Charulata Patel, who won several hearts with her love and passion for cricket, as she cheered for her favourite team at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground on Tuesday during the India vs Bangladesh match.

India won the match, but the cameras only followed the elderly lady, who would later go on to become a sensation over the internet.

Patel now has thousands of admirers including skipper Virat Kohli and deputy Rohit Sharma. Among her admirers is also business tycoon and Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra, who has, in fact, agreed to reimburse her future match tickets as he believes Patel is the lucky charm for the team.

“As per my tradition, I wasn’t watching the match. But I’m going to switch it on now just to see this lady… She looks like a match winner…,” he said in a tweet.

As per my tradition, I wasn’t watching the match 😊 But I’m going to switch it on now just to see this lady…She looks like a match winner…. https://t.co/cn9BLpwfyj

— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) July 2, 2019

When a follower asked the business tycoon to sponsor her match tickets, Mahindra gladly said he would do so, if one finds out who she is.

Find out who she is & I promise I will reimburse her ticket costs for the rest of the India matches!😊 https://t.co/dvRHLwtX2b

— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) July 2, 2019

Kohli and Sharma met the lady after a thrilling 28-run win against Bangladesh and sought her blessings.

Kohli took to Twitter to say:

Also would like to thank all our fans for all the love & support & especially Charulata Patel ji. She’s 87 and probably one of the most passionate & dedicated fans I’ve ever seen. Age is just a number, passion takes you leaps & bounds. With her blessings, on to the next one. 🙏🏼😇 pic.twitter.com/XHII8zw1F2

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) July 2, 2019

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow