<p>After months of speculations, the much-awaited announcement of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/kl-rahul-and-dinesh-karthik-in-rishabh-pant-out-as-indias-icc-world-cup-squad-announced-210575">Indian squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019</a> was finally announced.&nbsp;The named squad had many surprising inclusions, as players whom everyone thought will be inducted have actually been omitted.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Rishabh Pant and Ambati Rayadu were the players who were expecting a call-up for England but <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/vijay-shankar-is-three-dimensional-looking-him-at-no-4-msk-prasad-after-naming-indias-world-cup-squad-210607">they were replaced with Dinesh Kartik and Vijay Shankar.</a></p>

<p>Minutes after the announcement, Twitter exploded with hilarious Bollywood memes expressing Pant's mood after seeing the squad list.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/worldcupsquad?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#worldcupsquad</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldCup2019?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldCup2019</a><br />
*BCCI selects Dinesh Kartik Over Rishabh Pant*<br />
Rishabh Pant to BCCI- <a href="https://t.co/D9XVTArpmU">pic.twitter.com/D9XVTArpmU</a></p>
— N I T I N (@theNitinWalke) <a href="https://twitter.com/theNitinWalke/status/1117731775357177856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Reason why pant dropped from wc squad<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BoycottInsecureCaptain?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BoycottInsecureCaptain</a> <a href="https://t.co/K8TyD65aMa">pic.twitter.com/K8TyD65aMa</a></p>
— Troll Dhawan Haters (@Dhawanswarrior) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dhawanswarrior/status/1117741357819240448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Rishabh Pant waiting for selectors <a href="https://t.co/IhCz2mqOiq">pic.twitter.com/IhCz2mqOiq</a></p>
— Faking News (@fakingnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/fakingnews/status/1117727950671990785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Pant to Virat after <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WC2019Squad?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WC2019Squad</a> announcement <a href="https://t.co/wFMrj3KIOD">pic.twitter.com/wFMrj3KIOD</a></p>
— DJ 🎧 LM #LPPL (@djaywalebabu) <a href="https://twitter.com/djaywalebabu/status/1117735328150720512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Rishabh Pant looking at India’s <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CWC2019?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CWC2019</a> squad announcement <a href="https://t.co/Dk8WOTn0xV">pic.twitter.com/Dk8WOTn0xV</a></p>
— The-Lying-Lama 2.0 (@KyaUkhaadLega) <a href="https://twitter.com/KyaUkhaadLega/status/1117732831461986305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CWC19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CWC19</a><br />
This is how <a href="https://twitter.com/DineshKarthik?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DineshKarthik</a> and his fans making fun of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pant?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pant</a><br />
I m feeling bad for him<br />
Rishav pant👏👏<br />
Better luck next time <a href="https://t.co/Ew1qv64dmZ">pic.twitter.com/Ew1qv64dmZ</a></p>
— Waz kkr (@WasherSrkian1) <a href="https://twitter.com/WasherSrkian1/status/1117733172723118080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Raydu ane Pant's reaction after not getting selection in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ICCworldcup2019?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ICCworldcup2019</a> team.. <a href="https://t.co/11u3wMXCxO">pic.twitter.com/11u3wMXCxO</a></p>
— 20may (@mistervismy) <a href="https://twitter.com/mistervismy/status/1117744451093291008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<p>While Dinesh was preferred over Pant due to his superior 'keeping skills, Shankar had been included to take up the role of the number four position in the playing XI, which was earlier unofficially decided for Rayadu by many cricketing experts.&nbsp;</p>

<p>For the uninitiated, the team announced for the World Cup are provisional selections and can be changed till May 23rd without ICC permission.</p>

<p>The cricket tournament will from May 30 to July 14, with India's first game to be played against South Africa on June 5.&nbsp;</p>


After months of speculations, the much-awaited announcement of the Indian squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 was finally announced. The named squad had many surprising inclusions, as players whom everyone thought will be inducted have actually been omitted.

After months of speculations, the much-awaited announcement of the Indian squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 was finally announced. The named squad had many surprising inclusions, as players whom everyone thought will be inducted have actually been omitted. Rishabh Pant and Ambati Rayadu were the players who were expecting a call-up for England but they were replaced with Dinesh Kartik and Vijay Shankar. Minutes after the announcement, Twitter exploded with hilarious Bollywood memes expressing Pant's mood after seeing the squad list. #worldcupsquad #WorldCup2019 *BCCI selects Dinesh Kartik Over Rishabh Pant* Rishabh Pant to BCCI- pic.twitter.com/D9XVTArpmU — N I T I N (@theNitinWalke) April 15, 2019 × Reason why pant dropped from wc squad#BoycottInsecureCaptain pic.twitter.com/K8TyD65aMa — Troll Dhawan Haters (@Dhawanswarrior) April 15, 2019 × Rishabh Pant waiting for selectors pic.twitter.com/IhCz2mqOiq — Faking News (@fakingnews) April 15, 2019 × Pant to Virat after #WC2019Squad announcement pic.twitter.com/wFMrj3KIOD — DJ 🎧 LM #LPPL (@djaywalebabu) April 15, 2019 × Rishabh Pant looking at India’s #CWC2019 squad announcement pic.twitter.com/Dk8WOTn0xV — The-Lying-Lama 2.0 (@KyaUkhaadLega) April 15, 2019 × #CWC19 This is how @DineshKarthik and his fans making fun of #Pant I m feeling bad for him Rishav pant👏👏 Better luck next time pic.twitter.com/Ew1qv64dmZ — Waz kkr (@WasherSrkian1) April 15, 2019 × Raydu ane Pant's reaction after not getting selection in #ICCworldcup2019 team.. pic.twitter.com/11u3wMXCxO — 20may (@mistervismy) April 15, 2019 × While Dinesh was preferred over Pant due to his superior 'keeping skills, Shankar had been included to take up the role of the number four position in the playing XI, which was earlier unofficially decided for Rayadu by many cricketing experts. For the uninitiated, the team announced for the World Cup are provisional selections and can be changed till May 23rd without ICC permission. The cricket tournament will from May 30 to July 14, with India's first game to be played against South Africa on June 5.

Twitterati express Rishabh Pant's mood in Bollywood style after being excluded from ICC World Cup squad

<p>India's national cricket team selector MSK Prasad on Monday named <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/kl-rahul-and-dinesh-karthik-in-rishabh-pant-out-as-indias-icc-world-cup-squad-announced-210575">Vijay Shankar, Dinesh Karthik and KL Rahul in the squad for the upcoming 2019 ICC World Cup</a> in England and Wales.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The selection committee, however, left Ambati Rayudu while all-rounder Vijay Shankar made the cut as a batsman who can bowl.</p>

<p>Talking about choosing Shankar over Rayadu, Prasad was quick to answer saying Vijay is 'three dimensional'</p>

<p>"After the Champions Trophy (2017), we tried quite a few people in that position. We did give a few more chances to Rayudu. Vijay Shankar is three dimensional. We are looking at him at no. 4 to begin with."</p>

<p>"We also have Dinesh Karthik and Kedar Jadhav. It's not that anything that went against [Rayudu], it's that a few things went for [Shankar]," Prasad added.</p>

<p>To everyone's surprise, Rishabh Pant exclusion was also a shocking decision by the management.&nbsp;</p>

<p>When asked what made them take such a call, Prasad said Karthik was preferred over Pant due to his superior 'keeping skills.</p>

<p>"Definitely a case where we debated (at) length. We all (agreed) that either Rishabh Pant or Dinesh Karthik will come in only when [Dhoni] is injured. In an important game, wicket keeping is also important. That's the reason we went with Dinesh Karthik."</p>

<p>Ravindra Jadeja took up the third spinner's slot, alongside wrist spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The four pacers in the side picked themselves with Jasprit Bumrah leading an attack that also includes Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and all-rounder Hardik Pandya.</p>

<p>For the uninitiated, the team announced for the World Cup are provisional selections and can be changed till May 23rd without ICC permission.</p>

<p>The cricket tournament will from May 30 to July 14, with India's first game to be played against South Africa on June 5.&nbsp;</p>


India's national cricket team selector MSK Prasad on Monday named Vijay Shankar, Dinesh Karthik and KL Rahul in the squad for the upcoming 2019 ICC World Cup in England and Wales.

India's national cricket team selector MSK Prasad on Monday named Vijay Shankar, Dinesh Karthik and KL Rahul in the squad for the upcoming 2019 ICC World Cup in England and Wales. The selection committee, however, left Ambati Rayudu while all-rounder Vijay Shankar made the cut as a batsman who can bowl. Talking about choosing Shankar over Rayadu, Prasad was quick to answer saying Vijay is 'three dimensional' "After the Champions Trophy (2017), we tried quite a few people in that position. We did give a few more chances to Rayudu. Vijay Shankar is three dimensional. We are looking at him at no. 4 to begin with." "We also have Dinesh Karthik and Kedar Jadhav. It's not that anything that went against [Rayudu], it's that a few things went for [Shankar]," Prasad added. To everyone's surprise, Rishabh Pant exclusion was also a shocking decision by the management. When asked what made them take such a call, Prasad said Karthik was preferred over Pant due to his superior 'keeping skills. "Definitely a case where we debated (at) length. We all (agreed) that either Rishabh Pant or Dinesh Karthik will come in only when [Dhoni] is injured. In an important game, wicket keeping is also important. That's the reason we went with Dinesh Karthik." Ravindra Jadeja took up the third spinner's slot, alongside wrist spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. The four pacers in the side picked themselves with Jasprit Bumrah leading an attack that also includes Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and all-rounder Hardik Pandya. For the uninitiated, the team announced for the World Cup are provisional selections and can be changed till May 23rd without ICC permission. The cricket tournament will from May 30 to July 14, with India's first game to be played against South Africa on June 5.

Vijay Shankar is three dimensional, looking at him for no 4: MSK Prasad after naming India's World Cup squad

<p>The Indian cricket team wanted to show "solidarity" with the country's Army in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack, bowling coach Bharat Arun said Monday, defending the decision to wear camouflage military caps during the third ODI in Ranchi.</p>

<p>All the Indian players came out wearing the caps handed over to them by former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is also an honorary Lieutenant Colonel with the Territorial Army.</p>

<p>"We did what we really felt, we needed to do it for the country, in solidarity with what Army has done for the country. In some we wanted to show we appreciate the cause,"</p>

<p>Arun said on the eve of the fifth and final ODI.</p>

<p>The gesture was not well received by the Pakistani politicians, who demanded an ICC action, calling it politicisation of the game.</p>

<p>"It's beyond us what PCB is saying, beyond our control. The BCCI has done well to take permission from the ICC," Arun said.</p>

<p>A tinge of patriotism has been added to fifth and final ODI as well as the organisers have covered parts of the Wellingdon Pavilion with the tri-colour.&nbsp;</p>


The Indian cricket team wanted to show "solidarity" with the country's Army in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack, bowling coach Bharat Arun said Monday, defending the decision to wear camouflage military caps during the third ODI in Ranchi.

The Indian cricket team wanted to show "solidarity" with the country's Army in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack, bowling coach Bharat Arun said Monday, defending the decision to wear camouflage military caps during the third ODI in Ranchi. All the Indian players came out wearing the caps handed over to them by former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is also an honorary Lieutenant Colonel with the Territorial Army. "We did what we really felt, we needed to do it for the country, in solidarity with what Army has done for the country. In some we wanted to show we appreciate the cause," Arun said on the eve of the fifth and final ODI. The gesture was not well received by the Pakistani politicians, who demanded an ICC action, calling it politicisation of the game. "It's beyond us what PCB is saying, beyond our control. The BCCI has done well to take permission from the ICC," Arun said. A tinge of patriotism has been added to fifth and final ODI as well as the organisers have covered parts of the Wellingdon Pavilion with the tri-colour.

Team India wanted to show solidarity with Indian Army: Bowling coach Bharat Arun

<p>India snatched defeat from the jaws of victory as England beat the hosts by one run in the third and final women's Twenty20 International, completing a series whitewash here Saturday.</p>

<p>Chasing England's modest 119 for six, the Indians had only themselves to blame as they were on course to register a consolation win after having lost the first two matches.</p>

<p>India needed just three runs from the final over with veteran Mithali Raj well set at the crease on 30 off 32 balls, but the ODI skipper was left stranded at the other end and didn't get an opportunity to face a single delivery in the final over of Kate Cross (2/18).</p>

<p>Bharati Fulmali (5 off 13) was guilty of wasting the opening three deliveries of the final over before handing Cross her first wicket, a straight forward catch to Anya Shrubsole at mid-off while trying to clear the in-field.</p>

<p>It was an insensible display of batting from the Indian lower-order as new batswoman Anuja Patil too try to go for a big shot in the next delivery instead of giving the strike back to Mithali, in the process getting brilliantly stumped by Amy Jones.</p>

<p>From three off six balls, the equation became three off one for India and Shikha Pandey could only steal a single even as Mitahli helplessly watched the drama unfold from the other end.</p>

<p>Besides Mithali, skipper Smriti Mandhana smashed a quickfire 58 off 39 balls at the top to keep India one step ahead in the chase.</p>

<p>While Mandhana decorated her innings with eight boundaries and one six, Mithali's unbeaten knock was laced with four hits to the fence.</p>

<p>With the series already in their pocket, England women earlier posted a modest 119 for six from their 20 overs after electing to bat.</p>

<p>Tammy Beaumont (29) and Danielle Wyatt (24) got England off to a flying start, stitching 51 runs for the opening stand.</p>

<p>Besides the duo, wicket-keeper Amy Jones made a 21-ball 26.</p>

<p>The off-spin duo of Anuja Patil (2/13) and Harleen Deol (2/13) put the brakes in the middle-overs for India.</p>

<p>India lost the first T20 by 41 runs before suffering a five-wicket defeat in the second match to hand England the series.</p>

<p>India had earlier won the three-match ODI series 2-1.</p>


India snatched defeat from the jaws of victory as England beat the hosts by one run in the third and final women's Twenty20 International, completing a series whitewash here Saturday.

India snatched defeat from the jaws of victory as England beat the hosts by one run in the third and final women's Twenty20 International, completing a series whitewash here Saturday. Chasing England's modest 119 for six, the Indians had only themselves to blame as they were on course to register a consolation win after having lost the first two matches. India needed just three runs from the final over with veteran Mithali Raj well set at the crease on 30 off 32 balls, but the ODI skipper was left stranded at the other end and didn't get an opportunity to face a single delivery in the final over of Kate Cross (2/18). Bharati Fulmali (5 off 13) was guilty of wasting the opening three deliveries of the final over before handing Cross her first wicket, a straight forward catch to Anya Shrubsole at mid-off while trying to clear the in-field. It was an insensible display of batting from the Indian lower-order as new batswoman Anuja Patil too try to go for a big shot in the next delivery instead of giving the strike back to Mithali, in the process getting brilliantly stumped by Amy Jones. From three off six balls, the equation became three off one for India and Shikha Pandey could only steal a single even as Mitahli helplessly watched the drama unfold from the other end. Besides Mithali, skipper Smriti Mandhana smashed a quickfire 58 off 39 balls at the top to keep India one step ahead in the chase. While Mandhana decorated her innings with eight boundaries and one six, Mithali's unbeaten knock was laced with four hits to the fence. With the series already in their pocket, England women earlier posted a modest 119 for six from their 20 overs after electing to bat. Tammy Beaumont (29) and Danielle Wyatt (24) got England off to a flying start, stitching 51 runs for the opening stand. Besides the duo, wicket-keeper Amy Jones made a 21-ball 26. The off-spin duo of Anuja Patil (2/13) and Harleen Deol (2/13) put the brakes in the middle-overs for India. India lost the first T20 by 41 runs before suffering a five-wicket defeat in the second match to hand England the series. India had earlier won the three-match ODI series 2-1.

England beat India by 1 run in 3rd women's T20 match; win series 3-0

<p>Indian wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni's hometown Ranchi will be hosting the third One-day International (ODI) of the ongoing five-match series against Australia, on Friday.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
As the team landed in Ranchi, the former captain didn't wait for anyone and took over the driver duties for his teammates at the airport. &nbsp;</p>

<p>In a video posted on Instagram, Dhoni can be seen sitting on the driver's seat with other teammates in one of his car.&nbsp;Later in the day, Dhoni and his wife Sakshi hosted a lavish dinner for the team at their farmhouse. &nbsp;</p>

<p>Expressing gratitude towards Dhoni, Yuzvendra Chahal took to Twitter and posted a picture thanking the right-handed batsman for the dinner.&nbsp;</p>

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<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BuqatYHnER2/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">♥️♥️♥️</a></p>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/indiancricketteam7/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Team India🇮🇳</a> (@indiancricketteam7) on <time datetime="2019-03-06T10:02:14+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Mar 6, 2019 at 2:02am PST</time></p>
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<p>"Thank you for last night @msdhoni bhai and @SaakshiSRawat bhabhi," read the caption.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Thank you for last night <a href="https://twitter.com/msdhoni?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@msdhoni</a> bhai and <a href="https://twitter.com/SaakshiSRawat?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SaakshiSRawat</a> bhabhi ☺️🇮🇳 <a href="https://t.co/80BOroVvze">pic.twitter.com/80BOroVvze</a></p>
— Yuzvendra Chahal (@yuzi_chahal) <a href="https://twitter.com/yuzi_chahal/status/1103517391454195713?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<p>Recently, the 37-year-old became the leading six-hitter in ODIs for India toppling opener Rohit Sharma. Dhoni hit his 216th six in first ODI to achieve the milestone.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, India lead the five-match series 2-0 after defeating the visitors Australia in Hyderabad and Nagpur.&nbsp;</p>


Indian wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni's hometown Ranchi will be hosting the third One-day International (ODI) of the ongoing five-match series against Australia, on Friday.

Indian wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni's hometown Ranchi will be hosting the third One-day International (ODI) of the ongoing five-match series against Australia, on Friday. As the team landed in Ranchi, the former captain didn't wait for anyone and took over the driver duties for his teammates at the airport. In a video posted on Instagram, Dhoni can be seen sitting on the driver's seat with other teammates in one of his car. Later in the day, Dhoni and his wife Sakshi hosted a lavish dinner for the team at their farmhouse. Expressing gratitude towards Dhoni, Yuzvendra Chahal took to Twitter and posted a picture thanking the right-handed batsman for the dinner. View this post on Instagram ♥️♥️♥️ A post shared by Team India🇮🇳 (@indiancricketteam7) on Mar 6, 2019 at 2:02am PST × "Thank you for last night @msdhoni bhai and @SaakshiSRawat bhabhi," read the caption. Thank you for last night @msdhoni bhai and @SaakshiSRawat bhabhi ☺️🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/80BOroVvze — Yuzvendra Chahal (@yuzi_chahal) March 7, 2019 × Recently, the 37-year-old became the leading six-hitter in ODIs for India toppling opener Rohit Sharma. Dhoni hit his 216th six in first ODI to achieve the milestone. Meanwhile, India lead the five-match series 2-0 after defeating the visitors Australia in Hyderabad and Nagpur.

Watch: MS Dhoni turns driver and host for Team India, Chahal thanks the veteran on Twitter

<p>Indian skipper Manpreet Singh has been honoured with the 2018 Player of the Year award by the Asian Hockey Federation while women's team striker Lalremsiami bagged the Rising Player of The Year prize.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Manpreet led the Indian team to an unbeaten streak at the Asian Champions Trophy in Muscat where the team was declared joint winners with Pakistan.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He also contributed to the team's silver medal win at the FIH Champions Trophy in Breda and continues to remain instrumental in the Indian midfield.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The 18-year-old Lalremsiami, on the other hand, has shown remarkable progress in the women's team with her impressive performance as a striker at the 2018 World Cup, the Asian Games where the team won a historic silver.&nbsp;</p>

<p>She was also a part of the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires where the under-18 team won a silver.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Indian men's team was awarded the Best Performance of The Year for being the only Asian side to have reached the top eight at the World Cup in Bhubaneswar.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The team also came up with a historic silver medal feat at the FIH Champions Trophy in Breda, repeating its success from the 2016 edition.&nbsp;</p>


Indian skipper Manpreet Singh has been honoured with the 2018 Player of the Year award by the Asian Hockey Federation while women's team striker Lalremsiami bagged the Rising Player of The Year prize.

Indian skipper Manpreet Singh has been honoured with the 2018 Player of the Year award by the Asian Hockey Federation while women's team striker Lalremsiami bagged the Rising Player of The Year prize. Manpreet led the Indian team to an unbeaten streak at the Asian Champions Trophy in Muscat where the team was declared joint winners with Pakistan. He also contributed to the team's silver medal win at the FIH Champions Trophy in Breda and continues to remain instrumental in the Indian midfield. The 18-year-old Lalremsiami, on the other hand, has shown remarkable progress in the women's team with her impressive performance as a striker at the 2018 World Cup, the Asian Games where the team won a historic silver. She was also a part of the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires where the under-18 team won a silver. The Indian men's team was awarded the Best Performance of The Year for being the only Asian side to have reached the top eight at the World Cup in Bhubaneswar. The team also came up with a historic silver medal feat at the FIH Champions Trophy in Breda, repeating its success from the 2016 edition.

Manpreet Singh named 2018 Player of the Year by Asian hockey body

<p>Virat Kohli-led team has displayed diligent efforts at the nets on the eve of the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/virat-kohli-led-india-look-to-put-final-touches-to-world-cup-plans-199187#india-vs-australia-199174">opening T20 International series against Australia</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The seven-match series, comprising two T20I and five One-Day Internationals against an Australian side, will be India's last international assignment before the World Cup which will start from May 30 in England and Wales.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Bowler Vijay Shankar was the main focus as he bowled full steam alongside Umesh Yadav, indicating the all-rounder will have a lot to do in both the formats.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Shankar has been considered prominent for India's World Cup plans.&nbsp;</p>

<p>During the limited overs series against Australia, India will look to identify the batsman to fill a middle-order spot in an otherwise settled side.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Depart ✈<br />
Arrive 🛬<br />
Train &amp; sweat it out 💪🏻💪🏻<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamIndia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamIndia</a> gear up for the 1st T20I in Vizag <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvAUS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvAUS</a> <a href="https://t.co/Qv5tbFTQpw">pic.twitter.com/Qv5tbFTQpw</a></p>
— BCCI (@BCCI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/1098930117949210624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">MOOD in the camp before the 1st T20I against Australia in Vizag <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamIndia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamIndia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvAUS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvAUS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Paytm?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Paytm</a> <a href="https://t.co/eRuJSW9B8j">pic.twitter.com/eRuJSW9B8j</a></p>
— BCCI (@BCCI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/1099254742771949568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<p>While Shankar has shown that he is a capable batsman, having scored 45 off 64 deliveries in a match-winning 98-run stand with Ambati Rayudu after the top-order collapse in the final ODI in New Zealand. &nbsp;</p>

<p>India will enter the series with consistent bowling options and there is not much ambiguity in India's pace attack.&nbsp;</p>

<p>With Jasprit Bumrah back to take charge of the pace department along with Umesh, Shankar will look to play the role of the third seamer.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Head coach Ravi Shastri and bowling coach Bharat Arun also gave special attention to India's latest wrist spinner Mayank Markande, who has earned his maiden call-up in the national squad.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Earlier, India had a long fielding session with some unique, high-intensity drills under fielding coach R Sridhar.</p>


Virat Kohli-led team has displayed diligent efforts at the nets on the eve of the opening T20 International series against Australia. The seven-match series, comprising two T20I and five One-Day Internationals against an Australian side, will be India's last international assignment before the World Cup which will start from May 30 in England and Wales.

Virat Kohli-led team has displayed diligent efforts at the nets on the eve of the opening T20 International series against Australia. The seven-match series, comprising two T20I and five One-Day Internationals against an Australian side, will be India's last international assignment before the World Cup which will start from May 30 in England and Wales. Bowler Vijay Shankar was the main focus as he bowled full steam alongside Umesh Yadav, indicating the all-rounder will have a lot to do in both the formats. Shankar has been considered prominent for India's World Cup plans. During the limited overs series against Australia, India will look to identify the batsman to fill a middle-order spot in an otherwise settled side. Depart ✈ Arrive 🛬 Train & sweat it out 💪🏻💪🏻#TeamIndia gear up for the 1st T20I in Vizag #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/Qv5tbFTQpw — BCCI (@BCCI) February 22, 2019 × MOOD in the camp before the 1st T20I against Australia in Vizag #TeamIndia #INDvAUS @Paytm pic.twitter.com/eRuJSW9B8j — BCCI (@BCCI) February 23, 2019 × While Shankar has shown that he is a capable batsman, having scored 45 off 64 deliveries in a match-winning 98-run stand with Ambati Rayudu after the top-order collapse in the final ODI in New Zealand. India will enter the series with consistent bowling options and there is not much ambiguity in India's pace attack. With Jasprit Bumrah back to take charge of the pace department along with Umesh, Shankar will look to play the role of the third seamer. Head coach Ravi Shastri and bowling coach Bharat Arun also gave special attention to India's latest wrist spinner Mayank Markande, who has earned his maiden call-up in the national squad. Earlier, India had a long fielding session with some unique, high-intensity drills under fielding coach R Sridhar.

India vs Australia: Focus on Vijay Shankar at India nets

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/indvsnz-india-beat-new-zealand-by-90-runs-in-2nd-odi-at-bay-oval-192941">India defeated New Zealand</a> by 90 runs in the second One-Day International at Bay Oval on Saturday, taking a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.&nbsp;</p>

<p>However, focusing on the upcoming cricket World Cup, Indian skipper Virat Kohli said that scoring some quick runs in the middle overs is one area India need to work on ahead of the big tournament.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Clinical performance again. We were really balanced with the bat. 325 was par. Not something you feel comfortable considering New Zealand's batting. But it was good to put up a balanced performance," Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony.</p>

<p>He added, "I made a conscious effort after the second drinks break to take some risks. Once I got out, the new batsman had to take time. These are the things we need to look into with the World Cup nearby."</p>

<p>"We would like to score those 15-20 runs extra but at the same time, good to see us chip our way to a balanced total," said Virat.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also Read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/india-register-biggest-odi-victory-in-new-zealand-major-takeaways-from-2nd-indvsnz-odi-192966">India register biggest ODI victory in New Zealand, here are major takeaways from </a></strong><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/india-register-biggest-odi-victory-in-new-zealand-major-takeaways-from-2nd-indvsnz-odi-192966">match</a></strong></p>

<p>The entire top order of the team India clicked against the hosts to help India put a challenging total against the Kiwis.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Opener Rohit Sharma (87) and Shikhar Dhawan (66) were the top contributors while skipper Virat Kohli (43) and Ambati Rayudu (47) were then involved in a 64-run partnership for the third wicket.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In death overs, MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav's fireworks accelerated the run-rate.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The third match is also at Bay Oval on Monday (January 28).&nbsp;</p>


India defeated New Zealand by 90 runs in the second One-Day International at Bay Oval on Saturday, taking a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. However, focusing on the upcoming cricket World Cup, Indian skipper Virat Kohli said that scoring some quick runs in the middle overs is one area India need to work on ahead of the big tournament.

India defeated New Zealand by 90 runs in the second One-Day International at Bay Oval on Saturday, taking a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. However, focusing on the upcoming cricket World Cup, Indian skipper Virat Kohli said that scoring some quick runs in the middle overs is one area India need to work on ahead of the big tournament. "Clinical performance again. We were really balanced with the bat. 325 was par. Not something you feel comfortable considering New Zealand's batting. But it was good to put up a balanced performance," Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony. He added, "I made a conscious effort after the second drinks break to take some risks. Once I got out, the new batsman had to take time. These are the things we need to look into with the World Cup nearby." "We would like to score those 15-20 runs extra but at the same time, good to see us chip our way to a balanced total," said Virat. Also Read: India register biggest ODI victory in New Zealand, here are major takeaways from match The entire top order of the team India clicked against the hosts to help India put a challenging total against the Kiwis. Opener Rohit Sharma (87) and Shikhar Dhawan (66) were the top contributors while skipper Virat Kohli (43) and Ambati Rayudu (47) were then involved in a 64-run partnership for the third wicket. In death overs, MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav's fireworks accelerated the run-rate. The third match is also at Bay Oval on Monday (January 28).

Going into World Cup, Virat Kohli says Team India need to score extra runs in middle overs

<p>Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri has been honoured with Padma Shri award for his crucial contribution to Indian football. Chhetri led the Indian football team with distinction for over a decade.&nbsp;</p>

<p>After receiving the honour, Chhetri said that being in the elite list of former footballers to be honoured with the Padma award makes him a bit "nervous" and brings "extra pressure" to strive for excellence.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/list-of-sports-personalities-who-received-padma-awards-this-year-192864">Padma Shri</a> is the fourth-highest civilian honour after the Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"At the moment, it's just pure happiness. It hasn't sunk in as yet. I need some time to feel it. I need some time to understand what the recognition actually means," said Chhetri.</p>

<p>"Every person has flaws, so do I. I understand it and strive to be a better version of myself - a better human being. I feel I need to set a better example to others.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"I am loving that extra pressure which has come with this Padma Shri announcement."</p>

<p>He became only the sixth footballer after the Late Gostho Paul, the Late Sailen Manna, PK Banerjee, Chuni Goswami and Bhaichung Bhutia to be honoured with the prestigious award.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"I am aware of the aura all of them possess. It was my dad who had educated me about their exploits much before I became a professional player. Being in the same club as them is a feeling which I can't express, it can make you nervous," Chhetri said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Look at that list? the late Gostho Paul, the late Sailen Manna, PK Banerjee, Chuni Goswami and Bhaichung-bhai. They are all legends. To be in that same list is an honour for me. It gives me goosebumps.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Chhetri is the second highest goal-getter (among current players) in international football after Cristiano Ronaldo.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"It is also a reminder to me on what I need to do, all in my effort to improve every minute as a footballer."&nbsp;</p>

<p>"As a player, I need to keep working hard. There's no alternative to that. No award can make you a better player unless you strive to be one," he said.</p>

<p>"But yeah, this is an added motivation for me. This Award will surely spur me on, to maybe, be the hungrier, fittest and the sharpest among all in my team."&nbsp;</p>

<p>Other sportspersons to have received the Padma Shri this year included Gautam Gambhir (cricket), Bajrang Punia (wrestling), Dronavalli Harika (chess), Sharath Kamal (table tennis), Bombayla Devi Laishram (archery), Ajay Thakur (kabaddi) and Prashanti Singh (basketball).&nbsp;</p>


Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri has been honoured with Padma Shri award for his crucial contribution to Indian football. Chhetri led the Indian football team with distinction for over a decade.

Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri has been honoured with Padma Shri award for his crucial contribution to Indian football. Chhetri led the Indian football team with distinction for over a decade. After receiving the honour, Chhetri said that being in the elite list of former footballers to be honoured with the Padma award makes him a bit "nervous" and brings "extra pressure" to strive for excellence. The Padma Shri is the fourth-highest civilian honour after the Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan. "At the moment, it's just pure happiness. It hasn't sunk in as yet. I need some time to feel it. I need some time to understand what the recognition actually means," said Chhetri. "Every person has flaws, so do I. I understand it and strive to be a better version of myself - a better human being. I feel I need to set a better example to others. "I am loving that extra pressure which has come with this Padma Shri announcement." He became only the sixth footballer after the Late Gostho Paul, the Late Sailen Manna, PK Banerjee, Chuni Goswami and Bhaichung Bhutia to be honoured with the prestigious award. "I am aware of the aura all of them possess. It was my dad who had educated me about their exploits much before I became a professional player. Being in the same club as them is a feeling which I can't express, it can make you nervous," Chhetri said. "Look at that list? the late Gostho Paul, the late Sailen Manna, PK Banerjee, Chuni Goswami and Bhaichung-bhai. They are all legends. To be in that same list is an honour for me. It gives me goosebumps. Chhetri is the second highest goal-getter (among current players) in international football after Cristiano Ronaldo. "It is also a reminder to me on what I need to do, all in my effort to improve every minute as a footballer." "As a player, I need to keep working hard. There's no alternative to that. No award can make you a better player unless you strive to be one," he said. "But yeah, this is an added motivation for me. This Award will surely spur me on, to maybe, be the hungrier, fittest and the sharpest among all in my team." Other sportspersons to have received the Padma Shri this year included Gautam Gambhir (cricket), Bajrang Punia (wrestling), Dronavalli Harika (chess), Sharath Kamal (table tennis), Bombayla Devi Laishram (archery), Ajay Thakur (kabaddi) and Prashanti Singh (basketball).

Extra pressure comes with honour, it makes me nervous: Footballer Sunil Chhetri on Padma award

<p>Retired cricketers plying their trade in T20 leagues might be a global trend right now but India captain <a href="http://cms.wionews.com/search?q=virat+kohli">Virat Kohli</a> says he wouldn't even be "seen around the scene" the day he is "totally spent" to pick up the bat again.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Responding to a query on whether he would consider playing in the Australian Big Bash league after retiring or if the BCCI lifts the bar on its players, Kohli said he would certainly not be around for such a stint after retirement.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Look I don't know whether that stance is going to change in the future. As far as I am concerned, playing more cricket when I am done, I don't think I am in that zone to be honest," the 30-year-old said ahead of the opening ODI against Australia on Saturday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Retired cricketers such as AB de Villiers and Brendon McCullum are regularly seen playing in T20 leagues such as the IPL and Big Bash but Kohli says he isn't interested in joining the bandwagon.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">What's India Captain <a href="https://twitter.com/imVkohli?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@imVkohli</a>'s retirement plans? 😁😁😁 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamIndia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamIndia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AUSvIND</a> <a href="https://t.co/xGxBOxMSdE">pic.twitter.com/xGxBOxMSdE</a></p>
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<p>"I have played enough cricket in the last five years and I cannot comment on even the first thing I do when I retire because I don't feel like I am going to pick up the bat again," he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"I will be spent, the day I finish I will be totally spent and that's the reason I am going to stop playing cricket. So I don't see myself coming back and playing again. Once I am done, I will be done, and I won't be seen around the scene," Kohli said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The skipper was all praise for his team's batting line-up and said the line-up looks strong heading into the ODI World Cup starting May 30 in England.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"In the last 12 months, our ODI batting has been very strong and openers are a very big factor in that. There was a phase in the middle when we addressed the issue of middle overs and from 25-40 overs we tried to change our batting style," he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Where our batting is at the moment, the team management and I are very comfortable because we have results in ODI cricket and performances have been very good as well."</p>

<p>In fact, Kohli felt the Indian team is perfectly balanced in every aspect.</p>

<p>"The bowling has been balanced too. In one-day cricket, any team can beat you on any given day. But as a team you have to give your best and take your strongest eleven. And we feel as a one-day team we are on the right track, and are on our full strength," he said.&nbsp;</p>


Retired cricketers plying their trade in T20 leagues might be a global trend right now but India captain Virat Kohli says he wouldn't even be "seen around the scene" the day he is "totally spent" to pick up the bat again.

Retired cricketers plying their trade in T20 leagues might be a global trend right now but India captain Virat Kohli says he wouldn't even be "seen around the scene" the day he is "totally spent" to pick up the bat again. Responding to a query on whether he would consider playing in the Australian Big Bash league after retiring or if the BCCI lifts the bar on its players, Kohli said he would certainly not be around for such a stint after retirement. "Look I don't know whether that stance is going to change in the future. As far as I am concerned, playing more cricket when I am done, I don't think I am in that zone to be honest," the 30-year-old said ahead of the opening ODI against Australia on Saturday. Retired cricketers such as AB de Villiers and Brendon McCullum are regularly seen playing in T20 leagues such as the IPL and Big Bash but Kohli says he isn't interested in joining the bandwagon. What's India Captain @imVkohli's retirement plans? 😁😁😁 #TeamIndia #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/xGxBOxMSdE — BCCI (@BCCI) January 11, 2019 × "I have played enough cricket in the last five years and I cannot comment on even the first thing I do when I retire because I don't feel like I am going to pick up the bat again," he said. "I will be spent, the day I finish I will be totally spent and that's the reason I am going to stop playing cricket. So I don't see myself coming back and playing again. Once I am done, I will be done, and I won't be seen around the scene," Kohli said. The skipper was all praise for his team's batting line-up and said the line-up looks strong heading into the ODI World Cup starting May 30 in England. "In the last 12 months, our ODI batting has been very strong and openers are a very big factor in that. There was a phase in the middle when we addressed the issue of middle overs and from 25-40 overs we tried to change our batting style," he said. "Where our batting is at the moment, the team management and I are very comfortable because we have results in ODI cricket and performances have been very good as well." In fact, Kohli felt the Indian team is perfectly balanced in every aspect. "The bowling has been balanced too. In one-day cricket, any team can beat you on any given day. But as a team you have to give your best and take your strongest eleven. And we feel as a one-day team we are on the right track, and are on our full strength," he said.

Won't pick up bat again after retirement: Virat Kohli

<p>The BCCI on Tuesday announced cash awards of Rs 15 lakhs per match for each of the playing eleven that featured in India's maiden Test series win on Australian soil.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Virat Kohli and Co. defeated Australia 2-1 in the four-match Test series Down Under, ending India's 71-year-old wait for the rare achievement.</p>

<p>Congratulated the team, the BCCI also announced cash awards for all the reserve players, as well as the members of the support staff.</p>

<p>"The bonuses will be equivalent to the actual match-fee payable: which is INR 15 Lakhs per match for Playing XI and INR 7.5 Lakhs per match for the reserve players," the BCCI said in a release.</p>

<p>The coaches will be awarded with Rs 25 lakh each, while the non-coaching support staff will receive bonuses which will be equivalent to the pro-rata salary/professional fee.&nbsp;</p>

<p>India had won the first and third Test in Adelaide and Melbourne respectively, while the hosts emerged victorious in the second match in Perth. The fourth and final Test in Sydney ended in a draw due to inclement weather.&nbsp;</p>


The BCCI on Tuesday announced cash awards of Rs 15 lakhs per match for each of the playing eleven that featured in India's maiden Test series win on Australian soil.

The BCCI on Tuesday announced cash awards of Rs 15 lakhs per match for each of the playing eleven that featured in India's maiden Test series win on Australian soil. Virat Kohli and Co. defeated Australia 2-1 in the four-match Test series Down Under, ending India's 71-year-old wait for the rare achievement. Congratulated the team, the BCCI also announced cash awards for all the reserve players, as well as the members of the support staff. "The bonuses will be equivalent to the actual match-fee payable: which is INR 15 Lakhs per match for Playing XI and INR 7.5 Lakhs per match for the reserve players," the BCCI said in a release. The coaches will be awarded with Rs 25 lakh each, while the non-coaching support staff will receive bonuses which will be equivalent to the pro-rata salary/professional fee. India had won the first and third Test in Adelaide and Melbourne respectively, while the hosts emerged victorious in the second match in Perth. The fourth and final Test in Sydney ended in a draw due to inclement weather.

BCCI announces cash awards for triumphant Team India members

<p>Gautam Gambhir has always been a non-conformist but he has had no regrets even if it meant an "unfulfilled career", "lot of enemies" because he could "sleep peacefully at night".&nbsp;</p>

<p>One of the gutsiest cricketers that the country has ever produced, Gambhir feels that the Indian society in general does not warm up to people who are forthright in their views.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>"It's not only about cricketing system, in general our society doesn't like to be shown the mirror. We like to maintain the status quo and not look at the reality. I get suffocated by all this," Gambhir, who is set to retire from competitive cricket after Sunday told PTI in an exclusive interview.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Whether it's selectors or DDCA administration, Gambhir stood for whatever he felt right especially if those were cricketing issues.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"I can't tolerate wrong things and artificiality. A lot of people around me say that I could have been diplomatic but that is simply not me. Yes, I made many enemies but I slept in peace," said Gambhir on the penultimate day of his competitive career.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He had an ugly altercation with KP Bhaskar in 2017 when he alleged that the former coach was trying to destroy career of junior players, had arguments with Chetan Chauhan over a rookie bowler called Navdeep Saini, who he thought was cut out for higher level.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Not to forget when he was mad at a state selector, who wanted to get a below par club cricketer in the Delhi Ranji side after the team had won three straight Ranji games.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Did he never get scared that taking on establishment at every step could have affected his career?&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>For someone, who has always been high on emotional quotient, Gambhir did let his guard down for once.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"It did affect me. I am human after all but then like I said, I could not have let the unfair (practices) prevail.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Look, I am not being holier than thou but some of the things that go on in our system are absolutely ridiculous. I was vocal about them and I paid the price by having an unfulfilled career," Gambhir said with a tinge of emotion in his voice.&nbsp;</p>

<p>So is Gautam Gambhir a misunderstood man? He replied: "Misunderstood a lot of times. For example, if I said, a captain is as good as his team, media and critics thought I was taking a dig at MS Dhoni.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"These critics would conveniently ignore when I repeated the statement when I was leading KKR or Delhi Ranji team. All these misunderstandings played a negative part in my career," he admitted.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Son of a wealthy businessman, Gambhir said that the hunger to carve his own identity always urged him to push the limits.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"A lot of people would say that I didn't need to play the game as I came from an affluent background. But I wanted to have an identity of my own, I wanted my dad should be known through me rather than the other way round.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Besides, I didn't get anything on a platter, as I had to fight at each and every step. Therefore I am up for a scrap each time someone throws a challenge at me," the fighter in him comes out.&nbsp;</p>

<p>With 8.63 million followers on Twitter, Gambhir's strong and opinionated views on many political issues have got him mixed reactions.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He has recently criticised the Delhi government for not being able to curb the menace of air pollution in the national capital.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ask him what made him take on prominent politicians or a political party on social media, the highest scorer in two World Cup finals would tell you that he does nothing with any prior "planning".&nbsp;</p>

<p>"I am not taking anyone (on) or I am not doing it with any planning. It just comes naturally to me. I want to raise issues rather than get personal. I think it is my right to question if things are not falling in place. I would urge each Indian to do it, otherwise we will be steamrolled by the system," Gambhir replied.&nbsp;</p>

<p>There are talks that Gambhir will make for a tough no-nonsense BCCI administrator but the left-hander doesn't want to entertain those thoughts at the moment.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"It is too early to say. I want to bring about a change but at what platform it is still undecided. Lets see what happens."&nbsp;</p>

<p>He is retiring in the midst of the season despite scoring a hundred in his final appearance.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Well, there is never a right time or a wrong time for decisions such as retirement. I have been thinking about it for sometime but enthusiasm and eagerness to win got the better of retirement thoughts."&nbsp;</p>

<p>His shoulder niggle also hastened the retirement.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"I wanted to captain and play for the entire season but due to my shoulder niggles I thought I should re-look at that plan. I discussed with my family and they were also of the opinion that I should move on.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>"In fact, it is good as so many youngsters are also coming through. At least they will get a look in now to play for Delhi," said the 37-year-old.&nbsp;</p>

<p>By his own admission, he was never destiny's favourite child and could have played lot more (for India).&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Well, destiny has been mixed to me. I think I was good enough to play a lot more but variables were not in favour. But then I also had the honour of winning not one but two World Cup titles. So, the hundred in my last game is one more day when destiny has been kind to me."</p>


Gautam Gambhir has always been a non-conformist but he has had no regrets even if it meant an "unfulfilled career", "lot of enemies" because he could "sleep peacefully at night".

Gautam Gambhir has always been a non-conformist but he has had no regrets even if it meant an "unfulfilled career", "lot of enemies" because he could "sleep peacefully at night". One of the gutsiest cricketers that the country has ever produced, Gambhir feels that the Indian society in general does not warm up to people who are forthright in their views. "It's not only about cricketing system, in general our society doesn't like to be shown the mirror. We like to maintain the status quo and not look at the reality. I get suffocated by all this," Gambhir, who is set to retire from competitive cricket after Sunday told PTI in an exclusive interview. Whether it's selectors or DDCA administration, Gambhir stood for whatever he felt right especially if those were cricketing issues. "I can't tolerate wrong things and artificiality. A lot of people around me say that I could have been diplomatic but that is simply not me. Yes, I made many enemies but I slept in peace," said Gambhir on the penultimate day of his competitive career. He had an ugly altercation with KP Bhaskar in 2017 when he alleged that the former coach was trying to destroy career of junior players, had arguments with Chetan Chauhan over a rookie bowler called Navdeep Saini, who he thought was cut out for higher level. Not to forget when he was mad at a state selector, who wanted to get a below par club cricketer in the Delhi Ranji side after the team had won three straight Ranji games. Did he never get scared that taking on establishment at every step could have affected his career? For someone, who has always been high on emotional quotient, Gambhir did let his guard down for once. "It did affect me. I am human after all but then like I said, I could not have let the unfair (practices) prevail. "Look, I am not being holier than thou but some of the things that go on in our system are absolutely ridiculous. I was vocal about them and I paid the price by having an unfulfilled career," Gambhir said with a tinge of emotion in his voice. So is Gautam Gambhir a misunderstood man? He replied: "Misunderstood a lot of times. For example, if I said, a captain is as good as his team, media and critics thought I was taking a dig at MS Dhoni. "These critics would conveniently ignore when I repeated the statement when I was leading KKR or Delhi Ranji team. All these misunderstandings played a negative part in my career," he admitted. Son of a wealthy businessman, Gambhir said that the hunger to carve his own identity always urged him to push the limits. "A lot of people would say that I didn't need to play the game as I came from an affluent background. But I wanted to have an identity of my own, I wanted my dad should be known through me rather than the other way round. "Besides, I didn't get anything on a platter, as I had to fight at each and every step. Therefore I am up for a scrap each time someone throws a challenge at me," the fighter in him comes out. With 8.63 million followers on Twitter, Gambhir's strong and opinionated views on many political issues have got him mixed reactions. He has recently criticised the Delhi government for not being able to curb the menace of air pollution in the national capital. Ask him what made him take on prominent politicians or a political party on social media, the highest scorer in two World Cup finals would tell you that he does nothing with any prior "planning". "I am not taking anyone (on) or I am not doing it with any planning. It just comes naturally to me. I want to raise issues rather than get personal. I think it is my right to question if things are not falling in place. I would urge each Indian to do it, otherwise we will be steamrolled by the system," Gambhir replied. There are talks that Gambhir will make for a tough no-nonsense BCCI administrator but the left-hander doesn't want to entertain those thoughts at the moment. "It is too early to say. I want to bring about a change but at what platform it is still undecided. Lets see what happens." He is retiring in the midst of the season despite scoring a hundred in his final appearance. "Well, there is never a right time or a wrong time for decisions such as retirement. I have been thinking about it for sometime but enthusiasm and eagerness to win got the better of retirement thoughts." His shoulder niggle also hastened the retirement. "I wanted to captain and play for the entire season but due to my shoulder niggles I thought I should re-look at that plan. I discussed with my family and they were also of the opinion that I should move on. "In fact, it is good as so many youngsters are also coming through. At least they will get a look in now to play for Delhi," said the 37-year-old. By his own admission, he was never destiny's favourite child and could have played lot more (for India). "Well, destiny has been mixed to me. I think I was good enough to play a lot more but variables were not in favour. But then I also had the honour of winning not one but two World Cup titles. So, the hundred in my last game is one more day when destiny has been kind to me."

Yes I made enemies but I slept in peace: Gautam Gambhir

<p>Team India would look to seal a direct quarter-final berth with a win against Canada in their final Pool C match of the men's hockey World Cup on Saturday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>World number 5 India are currently leading Pool C with four points from two games ahead of Olympic silver medallist Belgium&nbsp;on account of a better goal difference.</p>

<p>India thrashed South Africa 5-0 and drew 2-2 against Belgium in their earlier matches, while Canada lost 1-2 against the Red Lions before eking out a hard-fought 1-1 draw against the Africans.</p>

<p>While India are placed at an advantageous position at present, the pool is still wide open. The hosts would not want to leave anything on chance and they would seek a comprehensive win on Saturday to cement their place atop the pool and directly qualify for the last eight round.</p>

<p>The second and third-placed teams from the pool will play cross-over matches against number 2 and 3 teams of other pools to decide the remaining last four quarterfinal places.</p>

<p>Going by records and form, India are hands down favourites to come out victorious against Canada.</p>

<p>But as we have witnessed on Thursday with world number 20 France upsetting Olympic champions Argentina in a Pool A encounter, anything can happen in modern world hockey.</p>

<p>Besides the better rankings, India enjoy a superior head-to-head record against Canada. Since 2013, India and Canada have played five matches against India with the hosts having won three, lost one and drawn one.</p>

<p>But it would be easier said than done as the Canadians have improved tremendously over the years, especially their defence, which was visible in their first game against Belgium.</p>

<p>The onus would be on India's lethal forward line comprising Mandeep Singh, Simranjeet Singh, Akashdeep Singh and Lalit Upadhyay to take responsibility.</p>

<p>The Indian midfield, led by skipper Manpreet Singh, has so far produced a decent show, while the defence need to be more agile and cautious, especially considering the fact that the backline is infamous for crumbling under pressure towards the end.</p>

<p>Conceding late goals has been India's perennial problem and it once again came to hurt the hosts when their defence, consisting of Birendra Lakra, Surender Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh, broke down under pressure to concede a goal four minutes from the final hooter and gift Belgium a draw in their last match.</p>

<p>Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh too does not look the same under the bar after returning to the side following an injury lay-off.</p>

<p>Canada have given India problems in the past, the most recent being in last year's Hockey World League semi-finals in London where they defeated India 3-2 to finish fifth.</p>

<p>If that was not enough, in the 2016 Rio Olympics too, India were held to a 2-2 draw by the Canadians.</p>

<p>But India's chief coach Harendra Singh was not in a mood to dwell in the past and said those experiences will only act as a catalyst to do better on Saturday.</p>

<p>"Past failures are experiences. These experiences we will try to make use the present. The present is the match against Canada. The match will decide the fate of our pool. I am not thinking about what happened in Hockey World League Semi-Final or Rio Olympics," Harendra said.</p>

<p>While insisting that Canada will rely on counter-attacks, the coach said India can't divert from its strength - that is attacking hockey.</p>

<p>"They will not give space. They wait, wait and wait to get opportunities and that will be their plan. But we have to play to our strength," Harendra said.</p>

<p>"You can't go and defend. You can't be on the backfoot. We have to play attacking hockey. The players have adopted attacking hockey when they were teenagers. It's in our culture. You can make minor adjustments, but not change the mindset," he added.</p>

<p>In the first match of Pool C on Saturday, Belgium will take on South Africa.</p>


Team India would look to seal a direct quarter-final berth with a win against Canada in their final Pool C match of the men's hockey World Cup on Saturday. World number 5 India are currently leading Pool C with four points from two games ahead of Olympic silver medallist Belgium on account of a better goal difference.

Team India would look to seal a direct quarter-final berth with a win against Canada in their final Pool C match of the men's hockey World Cup on Saturday. World number 5 India are currently leading Pool C with four points from two games ahead of Olympic silver medallist Belgium on account of a better goal difference. India thrashed South Africa 5-0 and drew 2-2 against Belgium in their earlier matches, while Canada lost 1-2 against the Red Lions before eking out a hard-fought 1-1 draw against the Africans. While India are placed at an advantageous position at present, the pool is still wide open. The hosts would not want to leave anything on chance and they would seek a comprehensive win on Saturday to cement their place atop the pool and directly qualify for the last eight round. The second and third-placed teams from the pool will play cross-over matches against number 2 and 3 teams of other pools to decide the remaining last four quarterfinal places. Going by records and form, India are hands down favourites to come out victorious against Canada. But as we have witnessed on Thursday with world number 20 France upsetting Olympic champions Argentina in a Pool A encounter, anything can happen in modern world hockey. Besides the better rankings, India enjoy a superior head-to-head record against Canada. Since 2013, India and Canada have played five matches against India with the hosts having won three, lost one and drawn one. But it would be easier said than done as the Canadians have improved tremendously over the years, especially their defence, which was visible in their first game against Belgium. The onus would be on India's lethal forward line comprising Mandeep Singh, Simranjeet Singh, Akashdeep Singh and Lalit Upadhyay to take responsibility. The Indian midfield, led by skipper Manpreet Singh, has so far produced a decent show, while the defence need to be more agile and cautious, especially considering the fact that the backline is infamous for crumbling under pressure towards the end. Conceding late goals has been India's perennial problem and it once again came to hurt the hosts when their defence, consisting of Birendra Lakra, Surender Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh, broke down under pressure to concede a goal four minutes from the final hooter and gift Belgium a draw in their last match. Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh too does not look the same under the bar after returning to the side following an injury lay-off. Canada have given India problems in the past, the most recent being in last year's Hockey World League semi-finals in London where they defeated India 3-2 to finish fifth. If that was not enough, in the 2016 Rio Olympics too, India were held to a 2-2 draw by the Canadians. But India's chief coach Harendra Singh was not in a mood to dwell in the past and said those experiences will only act as a catalyst to do better on Saturday. "Past failures are experiences. These experiences we will try to make use the present. The present is the match against Canada. The match will decide the fate of our pool. I am not thinking about what happened in Hockey World League Semi-Final or Rio Olympics," Harendra said. While insisting that Canada will rely on counter-attacks, the coach said India can't divert from its strength - that is attacking hockey. "They will not give space. They wait, wait and wait to get opportunities and that will be their plan. But we have to play to our strength," Harendra said. "You can't go and defend. You can't be on the backfoot. We have to play attacking hockey. The players have adopted attacking hockey when they were teenagers. It's in our culture. You can make minor adjustments, but not change the mindset," he added. In the first match of Pool C on Saturday, Belgium will take on South Africa.

India look for convincing win against Canada to book quarter-final berth

WION Exclusive: Team India stars look ahead to 2018 Men's Hockey World Cup

<p>Virat Kohli will look to solve the middle order problem ahead of ICC World Cup 2019 that team India has been facing from quite sometime.</p>

<p>Kohli said if batsman Ambati Rayudu cements his place at the crucial number four then the middle order problem will be solved.</p>

<p>"The only position we were trying to figure out was number four for a long time. We tried many players who unfortunately could not capitalise or cement their places in a way we wanted," Kohli said ahead of the first one-dayer against the West Indies.</p>

<p>"With Rayudu coming in and playing well in the Asia Cup, it's about giving him enough game time till the World Cup so that the particular slot will be sorted for us," he added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"The team felt there -&nbsp;and I also watched him - that he (Rayudu) is designed to play that middle order batsman's role. We feel that our middle-order is more or less balanced now," Kohli said.</p>

<p>Rayudu impressed the selectors during Indian Premier League 2018 where he scored a total of 602 runs at an average of 43.00 and a strike-rate of 149.75.</p>

<p>After his spectacular performance during the IPL, he had earned a national call-up for the ODI series for the England tour but was dropped after failing the 'Yo-Yo' test.</p>

<p>But in the absence of captain Kohli in the recently concluded Asia Cup, Rayudu amassed 175 runs, averaging 43.75 from six innings.</p>

<p>"We believe he is the right person to capitalise on that spot. He is experienced and has won many games for his state and also in the IPL. He has a great ODI record already for India. I think the batting order is sorted."&nbsp;</p>

<p>India will play around 18-odd ODIs before the World Cup, including the five-match series against the West Indies.</p>

<p>"Now these 18 games would be to find the perfect combination that we want to take into the World Cup," Kohli said.</p>

<p>&nbsp;"Barring injuries or niggles, we want one combination to play through and through. Apart from bowlers resting here and there in the ODIs, we only changed the No. 4 slot because we wanted someone to cement the place," Kohli reasoned.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Kohli talked about the importance of a depth in the batting order. He said, "Batting order is always ready, especially after four. The guys below four are always flexible in terms of the situation. You want the best thing for the team. Being flexible is very important."&nbsp;</p>

<p>"There's no rocket science to it. In T20 cricket, you do that all the time. You are flexible in what you want to do as a batting order.</p>


Virat Kohli will look to solve the middle order problem ahead of ICC World Cup 2019 that team India has been facing from quite sometime. Kohli said if batsman Ambati Rayudu cements his place at the crucial number four then the middle order problem will be solved.

Virat Kohli will look to solve the middle order problem ahead of ICC World Cup 2019 that team India has been facing from quite sometime. Kohli said if batsman Ambati Rayudu cements his place at the crucial number four then the middle order problem will be solved. "The only position we were trying to figure out was number four for a long time. We tried many players who unfortunately could not capitalise or cement their places in a way we wanted," Kohli said ahead of the first one-dayer against the West Indies. "With Rayudu coming in and playing well in the Asia Cup, it's about giving him enough game time till the World Cup so that the particular slot will be sorted for us," he added. "The team felt there - and I also watched him - that he (Rayudu) is designed to play that middle order batsman's role. We feel that our middle-order is more or less balanced now," Kohli said. Rayudu impressed the selectors during Indian Premier League 2018 where he scored a total of 602 runs at an average of 43.00 and a strike-rate of 149.75. After his spectacular performance during the IPL, he had earned a national call-up for the ODI series for the England tour but was dropped after failing the 'Yo-Yo' test. But in the absence of captain Kohli in the recently concluded Asia Cup, Rayudu amassed 175 runs, averaging 43.75 from six innings. "We believe he is the right person to capitalise on that spot. He is experienced and has won many games for his state and also in the IPL. He has a great ODI record already for India. I think the batting order is sorted." India will play around 18-odd ODIs before the World Cup, including the five-match series against the West Indies. "Now these 18 games would be to find the perfect combination that we want to take into the World Cup," Kohli said. "Barring injuries or niggles, we want one combination to play through and through. Apart from bowlers resting here and there in the ODIs, we only changed the No. 4 slot because we wanted someone to cement the place," Kohli reasoned. Kohli talked about the importance of a depth in the batting order. He said, "Batting order is always ready, especially after four. The guys below four are always flexible in terms of the situation. You want the best thing for the team. Being flexible is very important." "There's no rocket science to it. In T20 cricket, you do that all the time. You are flexible in what you want to do as a batting order.

Virat Kohli looking to solve India's middle order puzzle with Ambati Rayudu

<p>Reeva Jadeja, wife of cricketer Ravindra Jadeja, met with an accident when her car hit the bike of the cop in Gujarat's Jamnagar city.</p>

<p>One eyewitness reported to media that the accident was minor but policeman reacted aggressively and slapped Reeva.</p>

<p>The policeman, Sanjay Ahir, who reportedly assaulted Reeva, has been detained&nbsp;after the incident.</p>

<p>Soon after the incident was reported, Gujarat police&nbsp;initiated the procedure to book the respective policeman for attacking Indian cricket team player Ravindra Jadeja’s wife.</p>

<p>As per media reports, the policeman allegedly got down from the bike and physically assaulted Jadeja's wife.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Gujarat: Wife of cricketer Ravindra Jadeja, Riva Solanki, allegedly thrashed by a police personnel after the vehicle she was in, hit another police personnel's bike in Jamnagar. SP Jamnagar Pradip Shejul says 'Case registered. Departmental action will be taken against the cop.' <a href="https://t.co/KUvl2NRSmg">pic.twitter.com/KUvl2NRSmg</a></p>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/998608285132513280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>The reports of physical assault were confirmed by Jamnagar district Superintendent of Police Pradeep Sejul. While giving insight into the incident, he said, "The policeman physically assaulted Reeva Jadeja after her car hit his motorbike. We are providing all possible help to her and will take strict action against the policeman."</p>

<p>"The policeman mercilessly thrashed Reeva and even pulled her hair during an altercation. We saved her from his clutches," Vijaysinh Chavda told reporters.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Even celebrity women aren’t safe in Modi’s Gujarat. Cricketer Ravindra Jadeja’s wife Reva Ba attacked after her car’s accident. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WomenEmpowerment?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WomenEmpowerment</a> <a href="https://t.co/dYOdNsKjhu">pic.twitter.com/dYOdNsKjhu</a></p>
— TheAgeOfBananas (@iScrew) <a href="https://twitter.com/iScrew/status/998584200142958592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Jadeja is currently playing in the Indian Premier League&nbsp;as a Chennai's all-rounder and preparing to face Hyderabad team in the first play-off of the season.</p>

<p>So far, he has scored 86 runs and picked 9 wickets for his team.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


One eyewitness reported to media that the accident was minor but policeman reacted aggressively and slapped Indian cricket team player Ravindra Jadeja’s wife

Reeva Jadeja, wife of cricketer Ravindra Jadeja, met with an accident when her car hit the bike of the cop in Gujarat's Jamnagar city. One eyewitness reported to media that the accident was minor but policeman reacted aggressively and slapped Reeva. The policeman, Sanjay Ahir, who reportedly assaulted Reeva, has been detained after the incident. Soon after the incident was reported, Gujarat police initiated the procedure to book the respective policeman for attacking Indian cricket team player Ravindra Jadeja’s wife. As per media reports, the policeman allegedly got down from the bike and physically assaulted Jadeja's wife. Gujarat: Wife of cricketer Ravindra Jadeja, Riva Solanki, allegedly thrashed by a police personnel after the vehicle she was in, hit another police personnel's bike in Jamnagar. SP Jamnagar Pradip Shejul says 'Case registered. Departmental action will be taken against the cop.' pic.twitter.com/KUvl2NRSmg — ANI (@ANI) May 21, 2018 × The reports of physical assault were confirmed by Jamnagar district Superintendent of Police Pradeep Sejul. While giving insight into the incident, he said, "The policeman physically assaulted Reeva Jadeja after her car hit his motorbike. We are providing all possible help to her and will take strict action against the policeman." "The policeman mercilessly thrashed Reeva and even pulled her hair during an altercation. We saved her from his clutches," Vijaysinh Chavda told reporters. Even celebrity women aren’t safe in Modi’s Gujarat. Cricketer Ravindra Jadeja’s wife Reva Ba attacked after her car’s accident. #WomenEmpowerment pic.twitter.com/dYOdNsKjhu — TheAgeOfBananas (@iScrew) May 21, 2018 × Jadeja is currently playing in the Indian Premier League as a Chennai's all-rounder and preparing to face Hyderabad team in the first play-off of the season. So far, he has scored 86 runs and picked 9 wickets for his team.

Policeman assaults cricketer Ravindra Jadeja's wife after accident, detained

<p>As Virat Kohli and company is gearing up for the all-important tour to England for the Test series post IPL, Kohli is a relieved man for the time being. After all he was able to salvage some pride in recent Test series in South Africa.</p>

<p>Last month, when India lost the second Test match at the Centurion against South Africa, Kohli must have told himself &#39;come what may, the series scoreline will not be 3-0&#39;. After all, the last Test of the series was slated at Johannesburg, the place which has that special bonhomie with Team India for many years. The record remained intact; India not only avoided a defeat but won the Test.</p>

<p>India has never lost a Test here, not even in 1992-93 and 1996-97 when otherwise there was complete decimation. At this ground, Rahul Dravid scored an epic 148 in 1996-97. But above all it&#39;s here in 2007 that India won inaugural T-20 World Cup and MS Dhoni embarked upon a journey to superstardom.</p>

<p>But this is not new, in cricket special relationships between teams/players and grounds have been around since ages, albeit most of the time they are inexplicable.</p>

<p>Have a look at few of such unique relationships.</p>

<p>During Sunil Gavaskar&#39;s debut series in 1971-72, India played two Test matches at Port of Spain. In four innings, Gavaskar scored one double century, one century and two half-centuries. Five years later at the same venue, India played two Test matches and Gavaskar scored two more centuries. So whenever there used to a Test at Port of Spain, bowlers of West Indies knew that little master would come with something special.</p>

<p>But even more interesting is the camaraderie between Mohd Azharuddin and Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Azhar made his debut at Kolkata in 1984-75 and scored a century on debut and his special performance at Kolkata continued after that as well. Overall, Azhar played seven Test matches at this ground and scored five centuries. Eden Gardens played a role of saviour for him. In 1993, when Azhar was under heavy scrutiny, both for his batting and captaincy, he scored a massive run-a-ball 182 in opening Test of the series with England. India won the Test as well. In 1996, Azhar scored a Test century here against South Africa in just 74 balls. The crowd went berserk when Azhar struck five boundaries in a single over of Lance Klusener.</p>

<p>Little do we realise that Dilip Vengsarkar has a unique record under his belt. He was first non-English batsman to score three Test centuries at the iconic Lord&#39;s. During his first three Test matches at the &#39;Mecca of Cricket&#39;, Vengsarkar scored centuries in each of them. He played his fourth and last Test at this venue in 1990 and scored a half-century.</p>

<p>VVS Laxman&#39;s love affair with Sydney Cricket Ground started in 1999-2000 when he played a magnum knock of 167 in a series where Indian batsmen simply capitulated against Australian pace attack. He scored centuries on his next two Test outings at this ground in 2004 and 2008.</p>

<p>Like Johannesburg, Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in Australia has been very special for Team India. At SCG, India scored a mammoth 600 for 4 during 1985-86 and Australia somehow saved the innings defeat on last day. India was so dominating that after first day&#39;s play, India&#39;s score was 334 for 1 and first three batsmen scored centuries. In 1991-92 India lost five Test series in Australia by 4-0. The only Test they could save was the one played at Sydney. Ravi Shastri scored a double century and Sachin Tendulkar scored a century. At SCG only in 2003-04, India scored 700 plus, riding on a double century by Tendulkar and century by Laxman. It was last Test match of legendary Steve Waugh and India almost defeated Australia in this Test.</p>

<p>I wrap up this discussion with something very interesting. Some relationships thrive spontaneously and some don&#39;t click even after someone vies for them desperately.</p>

<p>Sunil Gavaskar&#39;s wife belongs to Kanpur. Gavaskar always wanted to score a Test century at Kanpur in front of his in-laws. Ironically he failed in his first eight Test outings there. It was in his ninth Test at Kanpur in 1986-87 during fag end of this career, Gavaskar could score a century there. He was a relieved man.</p>

<p>These tales of typical relationships are beyond explanation but they are immensely interesting. As interesting and alluring as the game of cricket itself is.</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the authors and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)</em></p>


In cricket, special relationships between teams/players and grounds have been around since ages, albeit most of the time they are inexplicable.

As Virat Kohli and company is gearing up for the all-important tour to England for the Test series post IPL, Kohli is a relieved man for the time being. After all he was able to salvage some pride in recent Test series in South Africa. Last month, when India lost the second Test match at the Centurion against South Africa, Kohli must have told himself 'come what may, the series scoreline will not be 3-0'. After all, the last Test of the series was slated at Johannesburg, the place which has that special bonhomie with Team India for many years. The record remained intact; India not only avoided a defeat but won the Test. India has never lost a Test here, not even in 1992-93 and 1996-97 when otherwise there was complete decimation. At this ground, Rahul Dravid scored an epic 148 in 1996-97. But above all it's here in 2007 that India won inaugural T-20 World Cup and MS Dhoni embarked upon a journey to superstardom. But this is not new, in cricket special relationships between teams/players and grounds have been around since ages, albeit most of the time they are inexplicable. Have a look at few of such unique relationships. During Sunil Gavaskar's debut series in 1971-72, India played two Test matches at Port of Spain. In four innings, Gavaskar scored one double century, one century and two half-centuries. Five years later at the same venue, India played two Test matches and Gavaskar scored two more centuries. So whenever there used to a Test at Port of Spain, bowlers of West Indies knew that little master would come with something special. But even more interesting is the camaraderie between Mohd Azharuddin and Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Azhar made his debut at Kolkata in 1984-75 and scored a century on debut and his special performance at Kolkata continued after that as well. Overall, Azhar played seven Test matches at this ground and scored five centuries. Eden Gardens played a role of saviour for him. In 1993, when Azhar was under heavy scrutiny, both for his batting and captaincy, he scored a massive run-a-ball 182 in opening Test of the series with England. India won the Test as well. In 1996, Azhar scored a Test century here against South Africa in just 74 balls. The crowd went berserk when Azhar struck five boundaries in a single over of Lance Klusener. Little do we realise that Dilip Vengsarkar has a unique record under his belt. He was first non-English batsman to score three Test centuries at the iconic Lord's. During his first three Test matches at the 'Mecca of Cricket', Vengsarkar scored centuries in each of them. He played his fourth and last Test at this venue in 1990 and scored a half-century. VVS Laxman's love affair with Sydney Cricket Ground started in 1999-2000 when he played a magnum knock of 167 in a series where Indian batsmen simply capitulated against Australian pace attack. He scored centuries on his next two Test outings at this ground in 2004 and 2008. Like Johannesburg, Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in Australia has been very special for Team India. At SCG, India scored a mammoth 600 for 4 during 1985-86 and Australia somehow saved the innings defeat on last day. India was so dominating that after first day's play, India's score was 334 for 1 and first three batsmen scored centuries. In 1991-92 India lost five Test series in Australia by 4-0. The only Test they could save was the one played at Sydney. Ravi Shastri scored a double century and Sachin Tendulkar scored a century. At SCG only in 2003-04, India scored 700 plus, riding on a double century by Tendulkar and century by Laxman. It was last Test match of legendary Steve Waugh and India almost defeated Australia in this Test. I wrap up this discussion with something very interesting. Some relationships thrive spontaneously and some don't click even after someone vies for them desperately. Sunil Gavaskar's wife belongs to Kanpur. Gavaskar always wanted to score a Test century at Kanpur in front of his in-laws. Ironically he failed in his first eight Test outings there. It was in his ninth Test at Kanpur in 1986-87 during fag end of this career, Gavaskar could score a century there. He was a relieved man. These tales of typical relationships are beyond explanation but they are immensely interesting. As interesting and alluring as the game of cricket itself is. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the authors and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: The special bonds between cricket players, grounds and teams

<p>He wasn&rsquo;t at his fluent best. But stand-in captain, Rohit Sharma, finally found some good form in India&rsquo;s Nidahas Trophy 2018 encounter against Bangladesh and led his team into the finals of the tournament. Rohit led from the front on a sticky wicket at Colombo and his 89 off 61 balls was instrumental in giving India a comprehensive 17-run victory.</p>

<p>After winning the toss, Bangladesh decided to put India in. Prior to last night&rsquo;s game, every team that had batted second in this tournament had won the match. But India put on a solid batting display on a tough wicket that thwarted the opposition. The pitch at Colombo was a little different from the ones used earlier and the ball wasn&rsquo;t coming off the bat. Stroke-making was difficult as the ball was gripping and it wasn&#39;t easy to hit on the up. But the Indian openers showed patience and formed a solid 70-run stand. After Shikhar Dhawan departed for 35, Suresh Raina (47 off 30 balls) came in and played an effortless knock that helped chug the Indian innings along.</p>

<p>Raina and Rohit formed a scintillating 102-run stand for the second wicket that gave India a solid foundation. Rohit&rsquo;s innings was especially laudable. He took his time to get in. Initially he wasn&rsquo;t getting the big hits but slowly, as he got used to the pace of the wicket, Rohit began striking the ball well and eventually struck some glorious strokes all over the park. Rohit got dismissed in the last ball of the innings for a fantastic 89 off 61 balls with 5 fours and 5 sixes. It was an excellent knock and helped India achieve an above-par total of 176-3.</p>

<p>Bangladesh began their chase well with Tamim Iqbal in good striking form. The left-handed opener took 18 runs of Shardul Thakur&#39;s first over and it looked like Bangladesh would give this target a real chase. However, young Washington Sundar yet again proved his worth in the Powerplay overs. The 18-year-old off-spinner bowled exceptionally well and grabbed three wickets inside the first six overs. He gave the ball a lot of loops, bowled tight channels and kept things simple. The batsmen found it hard to go against him and kept losing their wickets. In the end, Sundar&rsquo;s 22 runs for 3 wickets in four overs proved to be decisive. &nbsp;This youngster has proved his mettle regularly and it is time that the selectors begin thinking of Sundar as a future prospect as he clearly has the abilities for it.</p>

<p>The only blip in an otherwise complete performance by India was Mohammed Siraj&rsquo;s bowling. The young fast bowler went for 50 runs in his 4 overs and this is now his fourth international T20 game where he has conceded more than 40 runs. Perhaps it is time to start looking beyond him now.</p>

<p>For Bangladesh, save for Mushfiqur Rahim&rsquo;s 72 off 55 balls, none of the other batsmen showed any real gumption to stay at the wicket. Had someone played alongside Rahim, Bangladesh might have got to the target. With just one more game remaining in the tournament, Bangladesh&rsquo;s team management has to be a little more cautious in how they approach their game because another slip up would mean curtains for them. Their next match is against Sri Lanka on Friday and the winner of that game would progress to the finals. The Tigers would hope for a better show from their batsmen next time.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Meanwhile, things are looking good for this new-look Team India. Captain Rohit Sharma should be pretty pleased as things are falling place for the team pretty nicely. India would certainly be high on confidence for the finals and would be hoping for another clinical show from the players.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)</em></p>


Stand-in captain, Rohit Sharma, finally found some good form in India’s Nidahas Trophy against Bangladesh and led his team into the finals. However, it is time to start looking beyond bowler Mohammed Siraj as he has been failing to perform with giving 50 runs in 4 overs.

He wasn’t at his fluent best. But stand-in captain, Rohit Sharma, finally found some good form in India’s Nidahas Trophy 2018 encounter against Bangladesh and led his team into the finals of the tournament. Rohit led from the front on a sticky wicket at Colombo and his 89 off 61 balls was instrumental in giving India a comprehensive 17-run victory. After winning the toss, Bangladesh decided to put India in. Prior to last night’s game, every team that had batted second in this tournament had won the match. But India put on a solid batting display on a tough wicket that thwarted the opposition. The pitch at Colombo was a little different from the ones used earlier and the ball wasn’t coming off the bat. Stroke-making was difficult as the ball was gripping and it wasn't easy to hit on the up. But the Indian openers showed patience and formed a solid 70-run stand. After Shikhar Dhawan departed for 35, Suresh Raina (47 off 30 balls) came in and played an effortless knock that helped chug the Indian innings along. Raina and Rohit formed a scintillating 102-run stand for the second wicket that gave India a solid foundation. Rohit’s innings was especially laudable. He took his time to get in. Initially he wasn’t getting the big hits but slowly, as he got used to the pace of the wicket, Rohit began striking the ball well and eventually struck some glorious strokes all over the park. Rohit got dismissed in the last ball of the innings for a fantastic 89 off 61 balls with 5 fours and 5 sixes. It was an excellent knock and helped India achieve an above-par total of 176-3. Bangladesh began their chase well with Tamim Iqbal in good striking form. The left-handed opener took 18 runs of Shardul Thakur's first over and it looked like Bangladesh would give this target a real chase. However, young Washington Sundar yet again proved his worth in the Powerplay overs. The 18-year-old off-spinner bowled exceptionally well and grabbed three wickets inside the first six overs. He gave the ball a lot of loops, bowled tight channels and kept things simple. The batsmen found it hard to go against him and kept losing their wickets. In the end, Sundar’s 22 runs for 3 wickets in four overs proved to be decisive. This youngster has proved his mettle regularly and it is time that the selectors begin thinking of Sundar as a future prospect as he clearly has the abilities for it. The only blip in an otherwise complete performance by India was Mohammed Siraj’s bowling. The young fast bowler went for 50 runs in his 4 overs and this is now his fourth international T20 game where he has conceded more than 40 runs. Perhaps it is time to start looking beyond him now. For Bangladesh, save for Mushfiqur Rahim’s 72 off 55 balls, none of the other batsmen showed any real gumption to stay at the wicket. Had someone played alongside Rahim, Bangladesh might have got to the target. With just one more game remaining in the tournament, Bangladesh’s team management has to be a little more cautious in how they approach their game because another slip up would mean curtains for them. Their next match is against Sri Lanka on Friday and the winner of that game would progress to the finals. The Tigers would hope for a better show from their batsmen next time. Meanwhile, things are looking good for this new-look Team India. Captain Rohit Sharma should be pretty pleased as things are falling place for the team pretty nicely. India would certainly be high on confidence for the finals and would be hoping for another clinical show from the players. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: India should look beyond bowler Siraj to keep momentum going in Nidahas T20 finals

<p>26-year old, Shardul Thakur, who inspired India&#39;s win in the last T20 match against Sri Lanka said, &quot;I have been practising (knuckleball) it for a long time. It hasn&#39;t come easy.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;While I was playing domestic cricket...I used to try a knuckle-ball,&quot; he further added.</p>

<p>With such passion and dedication, the newcomers are stepping&nbsp;up for the team as the pillars.</p>

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<p>Shardul Thakur celebrates with teammates after dismissing Sri Lankan batsman Dushmantha Chameera. (AFP)</p>
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<p>India beat Sri Lanka in the fourth T20I of the Nidahas Trophy by six wickets on Monday in a Twenty20 series. India had entered the tournament as favourites but to win the title.</p>

<p>Though, some of the star players have been dropped for the series like Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav.</p>

<p>The way these young guns are performing, it seems they are set ready to replace some big names from the playing XI.</p>

<p>In a post-match presentation, Shardul Thakur talked about his performance&nbsp;in the&nbsp;yesterday&#39;s match against&nbsp;Sri Lanka&nbsp;on which he said, &quot;Probably the way they(Sri Lanka) were going, they would have scored 165 to 170 runs. But, we got Upul (Tharanga) out.&quot;</p>

<p>Young Mumbaikar, who prefers local train than extraordinary&nbsp;lifestyle, Shardul Thakur registered his best T20 bowling figures and finished with impressive figures of 4/27.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">People would often ask me when I&rsquo;ll play for Mumbai and India in the train. Some would taunt me as well saying &lsquo;why are you after cricket....Stop doing time pass&rsquo;. But I knew what I had to do. - <a href="https://twitter.com/imShard?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@imShard</a> Dhool Thakur. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WhistlePodu?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WhistlePodu</a> ???? <a href="https://t.co/1mhgfOP5PZ">https://t.co/1mhgfOP5PZ</a></p>
&mdash; Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChennaiIPL/status/969535585206480896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>He gave the necessary breakthrough when he dismissed Danushka Gunathilaka (17) in the third over with Suresh Raina taking a stunning catch at midwicket.</p>

<p>On being asked about his career-best bowling figure he said, &quot;I love challenges. So, I am taking it as a challenge. When other senior bowlers are missing from the team, it&#39;s me who (has) to step up.&quot;</p>

<p><em>See his training routine:</em></p>

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<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BWe1b2rh1MS/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Back squats (110kgs) VC: @pratik.kadam60</a></p>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/shardul_thakur/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Shardul Thakur</a> (@shardul_thakur) on <time datetime="2017-07-13T09:31:03+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Jul 13, 2017 at 2:31am PDT</time></p>
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<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BWPuSrXBTjp/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">From today&#39;s gym session ????????</a></p>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/shardul_thakur/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Shardul Thakur</a> (@shardul_thakur) on <time datetime="2017-07-07T12:40:02+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Jul 7, 2017 at 5:40am PDT</time></p>
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Shardul Thakur registered his best T20 bowling figures and finished with impressive figures of 4/27

26-year old, Shardul Thakur, who inspired India's win in the last T20 match against Sri Lanka said, "I have been practising (knuckleball) it for a long time. It hasn't come easy." "While I was playing domestic cricket...I used to try a knuckle-ball," he further added. With such passion and dedication, the newcomers are stepping up for the team as the pillars. Shardul Thakur celebrates with teammates after dismissing Sri Lankan batsman Dushmantha Chameera. (AFP) × India beat Sri Lanka in the fourth T20I of the Nidahas Trophy by six wickets on Monday in a Twenty20 series. India had entered the tournament as favourites but to win the title. Though, some of the star players have been dropped for the series like Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav. The way these young guns are performing, it seems they are set ready to replace some big names from the playing XI. In a post-match presentation, Shardul Thakur talked about his performance in the yesterday's match against Sri Lanka on which he said, "Probably the way they(Sri Lanka) were going, they would have scored 165 to 170 runs. But, we got Upul (Tharanga) out." Young Mumbaikar, who prefers local train than extraordinary lifestyle, Shardul Thakur registered his best T20 bowling figures and finished with impressive figures of 4/27. People would often ask me when I’ll play for Mumbai and India in the train. Some would taunt me as well saying ‘why are you after cricket....Stop doing time pass’. But I knew what I had to do. - @imShard Dhool Thakur. #WhistlePodu ???? https://t.co/1mhgfOP5PZ — Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) March 2, 2018 × He gave the necessary breakthrough when he dismissed Danushka Gunathilaka (17) in the third over with Suresh Raina taking a stunning catch at midwicket. On being asked about his career-best bowling figure he said, "I love challenges. So, I am taking it as a challenge. When other senior bowlers are missing from the team, it's me who (has) to step up." See his training routine: Back squats (110kgs) VC: @pratik.kadam60 A post shared by Shardul Thakur (@shardul_thakur) on Jul 13, 2017 at 2:31am PDT × From today's gym session ???????? A post shared by Shardul Thakur (@shardul_thakur) on Jul 7, 2017 at 5:40am PDT ×

Nidahas Trophy T20: How Shardul Thakur's 'knuckle-ball' floored Sri Lanka

<p>Cricket and Bollywood are two different industry but have stood together through&nbsp;thick and thins. Sridevi&#39;s tragic and untimely death has brought tears to her <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-remembering-sridevi-most-iconic-roles-that-made-her-bollywoods-first-female-superstar-33992">fans and followers</a>. Even the cricket fraternity mourns the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/legendary-actor-sridevi-dies-tributes-pour-in-from-all-over-the-world-33953">unfortunate death</a>. Padma Shri awardee Sridevi had an<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-remembering-sridevi-most-iconic-roles-that-made-her-bollywoods-first-female-superstar-33992"> illustrious career</a> spanning over four decades, passed away at 54. The actor, the wife of producer Boney Kapoor, died late in the night reportedly due to cardiac arrest in Dubai, where she had gone along with her family to attend her nephew Mohit Marwah&#39;s wedding.</p>

<p>Confirming the news, a source close to the family said, &quot;Yes it&#39;s true. She was in Dubai while some of the other family members came back to India. We hear it&#39;s cardiac arrest.&quot;</p>

<p>Many cricketers and Bollywood actresses have tied knots such as Zaheer Khan and Sagarika Ghatge, Yuvraj Singh and Hazel Keech, Harbhajan Singh and Geeta Basra, Mohammad Azharuddin and Sangeeta Bijlani, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and Sharmila Tagore also the current skipper Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma. Both the industries share a very strong bond.</p>

<p>See how cricketers react to the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/legendary-actor-sridevi-dies-tributes-pour-in-from-all-over-the-world-33953">demise of the legendary</a> actress:</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/sachin_rt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sachin_rt</a> About <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Sridevi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Sridevi</a> Garu<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIPSridevi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RIPSridevi</a><a href="https://twitter.com/SrideviBKapoor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SrideviBKapoor</a> ???? <a href="https://t.co/BZCkGi639s">pic.twitter.com/BZCkGi639s</a></p>
&mdash; Sach Boy (@LoyalSachiNist) <a href="https://twitter.com/LoyalSachiNist/status/967642841789825025?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Shocked to hear about the demise of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Sridevi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Sridevi</a> ji .Heartfelt Condolences to the family. Om Shanti !</p>
&mdash; Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) <a href="https://twitter.com/virendersehwag/status/967599612839317506?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Sridevi no more ? ????so difficult to fathom that she is no more, such is life I guess. Strong will to those near and dear to her. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIPSridevi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RIPSridevi</a> ????</p>
&mdash; Ashwin Ravichandran (@ashwinravi99) <a href="https://twitter.com/ashwinravi99/status/967563138592731136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">This can&#39;t be true.<br />
She is one of the best actress in his own time.<br />
Shocked .<a href="https://twitter.com/SrideviBKapoor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SrideviBKapoor</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIP?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RIP</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Sridevi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Sridevi</a> <a href="https://t.co/zne6bqnJ2p">pic.twitter.com/zne6bqnJ2p</a></p>
&mdash; Aakash chopra ⛑️ (@Sir_akashchopra) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sir_akashchopra/status/967578326406545408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Very shocked to hear about the passing away of iconic actress <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Sridevi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Sridevi</a> ji. Condolences to her family and loved ones. May her soul rest in peace.</p>
&mdash; VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) <a href="https://twitter.com/VVSLaxman281/status/967553683046023168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Absolutely shocked to hear about the passing away of our Bollywood queen <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Sridevi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Sridevi</a> . May her soul rest in peace, my deepest condolences to the family ????</p>
&mdash; yuvraj singh (@YUVSTRONG12) <a href="https://twitter.com/YUVSTRONG12/status/967678366731075584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">So shocked to hear the news of Sridevi ji... met her few months ago at my show ... just can&rsquo;t believe it ..</p>
&mdash; Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) <a href="https://twitter.com/SGanguly99/status/967630743655669760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
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'No words to express what I feel,' says Sachin Tendulkar on Sridevi's tragic death

Cricket and Bollywood are two different industry but have stood together through thick and thins. Sridevi's tragic and untimely death has brought tears to her fans and followers. Even the cricket fraternity mourns the unfortunate death. Padma Shri awardee Sridevi had an illustrious career spanning over four decades, passed away at 54. The actor, the wife of producer Boney Kapoor, died late in the night reportedly due to cardiac arrest in Dubai, where she had gone along with her family to attend her nephew Mohit Marwah's wedding. Confirming the news, a source close to the family said, "Yes it's true. She was in Dubai while some of the other family members came back to India. We hear it's cardiac arrest." Many cricketers and Bollywood actresses have tied knots such as Zaheer Khan and Sagarika Ghatge, Yuvraj Singh and Hazel Keech, Harbhajan Singh and Geeta Basra, Mohammad Azharuddin and Sangeeta Bijlani, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and Sharmila Tagore also the current skipper Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma. Both the industries share a very strong bond. See how cricketers react to the demise of the legendary actress: @sachin_rt About #Sridevi Garu#RIPSridevi@SrideviBKapoor ???? pic.twitter.com/BZCkGi639s — Sach Boy (@LoyalSachiNist) February 25, 2018 × Shocked to hear about the demise of #Sridevi ji .Heartfelt Condolences to the family. Om Shanti ! — Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) February 25, 2018 × Sridevi no more ? ????so difficult to fathom that she is no more, such is life I guess. Strong will to those near and dear to her. #RIPSridevi ???? — Ashwin Ravichandran (@ashwinravi99) February 25, 2018 × This can't be true. She is one of the best actress in his own time. Shocked .@SrideviBKapoor #RIP #Sridevi pic.twitter.com/zne6bqnJ2p — Aakash chopra ⛑️ (@Sir_akashchopra) February 25, 2018 × Very shocked to hear about the passing away of iconic actress #Sridevi ji. Condolences to her family and loved ones. May her soul rest in peace. — VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) February 25, 2018 × Absolutely shocked to hear about the passing away of our Bollywood queen #Sridevi . May her soul rest in peace, my deepest condolences to the family ???? — yuvraj singh (@YUVSTRONG12) February 25, 2018 × So shocked to hear the news of Sridevi ji... met her few months ago at my show ... just can’t believe it .. — Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) February 25, 2018 × ×

Indian cricketers mourn Bollywood's loss as Sridevi passes away

<p>Virat Kohli was seen giving head massage to Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan during the final T-20 match against South Africa. The incident occurred in the last over of the first innings when India was batting as South Africa won the toss and chose to bowl. India did not have the expected start as the innings was summarised with a modest total of 172 runs. Virat is not in the playing XI as he suffered an injury in the last match. Rohit Sharma is leading the squad.</p>

<p>Dhawan lost his wicket after scoring 47 runs and it is expected that Virat might be cooling him down in the decider match as both the teams are eyeing to win the final T-20 to claim the trophy.</p>

<p>The three-match series is level at 1-1 after the Men in Blue won the first T20 in Johannesburg by 28 runs. &nbsp;The Proteas bounced back in Centurion with a six-wicket win.</p>

<p>Let&#39;s hope that the &#39;magical massage&#39; could help Dhawan so that he can perform well in the second innings in terms of fielding.</p>


Injured, world's third fittest, captain Kohli never rests, as he was seen giving head massage to opener Shikhar Dhawan

Virat Kohli was seen giving head massage to Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan during the final T-20 match against South Africa. The incident occurred in the last over of the first innings when India was batting as South Africa won the toss and chose to bowl. India did not have the expected start as the innings was summarised with a modest total of 172 runs. Virat is not in the playing XI as he suffered an injury in the last match. Rohit Sharma is leading the squad. Dhawan lost his wicket after scoring 47 runs and it is expected that Virat might be cooling him down in the decider match as both the teams are eyeing to win the final T-20 to claim the trophy. The three-match series is level at 1-1 after the Men in Blue won the first T20 in Johannesburg by 28 runs. The Proteas bounced back in Centurion with a six-wicket win. Let's hope that the 'magical massage' could help Dhawan so that he can perform well in the second innings in terms of fielding.

Injured Virat Kohli gives head massage to Shikhar Dhawan during final T-20

<p>Team India is on a high at present. Having beaten South Africa 5-1 in the recently concluded ODI series and has also won the first T20I with comfort, they are on a wave of euphoria like very few visiting Indian teams have been in South Africa. One must bear in mind, however, that India&rsquo;s success in the recent ODI series against South Africa has been largely achieved through a combination of great bowling and outstanding batting by the top three.</p>

<p>The story of India&rsquo;s middle-order, however, is a cause for concern. Barring the second T20I, where Manish Pandey and MS Dhoni rescued India, the team&rsquo;s middle-order has struggled in the limited overs matches. Even coach Ravi Shastri has expressed his concerns over this and said that there is a lot of work to be done in this area. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s an area that requires work to be done. The top-order has batted beautifully and our bowlers were phenomenal but the fifth, sixth and the seventh slot in the batting order needs to be worked upon. Once we&rsquo;re done with this series, we&rsquo;ll have to sit down and weigh all options once again very carefully,&rdquo; he was quoted as saying recently.</p>

<p>Indeed, a lot of work has to be done to bolster India&rsquo;s middle-order, especially for ODIs. &nbsp;Of late, the numbers 4, 5, 6 and 7 have been moved around too much and hence the Indian middle-order gives off an unsettled look. Players like Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya and Kedar Jadhav have all been used around in the middle-order with mixed results. Time and time again the top three Indian batsmen have laid the foundation only to find the middle-order botch things up. They have failed to capitalize on the solid starts that the top order has been providing regularly and have been finishing poorly.</p>

<p>Perhaps the first thing the Indian management can do is assign specific positions to the batsmen in the middle-order and let them thrive in it for some time.</p>

<p>India also needs to find a proper finisher. Hardik Pandya, after flourishing for a little while, seems to have fizzled out. In the ODI series against South Africa, Pandya managed just 26 runs at a very poor strike-rate of 74.28. These are discouraging numbers and right now India is in dire need of a hard-hitting finisher who can close the games for the team.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Dhoni dilemma, too, needs to be addressed. India&rsquo;s veteran wicket-keeper batsman is not the batsman he once used to be and save for a few instances here and there, he generally struggles lower down the order. MS Dhoni flourishes the most in the No.4 or 5 positions and that is where he should be utilized now with the wealth of experience he has. At No.4 and 5, Dhoni averages above 50 and has 5 centuries along with 26 &nbsp;half centuries. Clearly, those are slots that he needs to be given more chances in.</p>

<p>Lastly, the team management should give more opportunities to talented young batsmen like KL Rahul who has been treated rather poorly by the team. He is a class player and has excelled for India in all the formats. He needs to be given more chances. Also, trying out youngsters like Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson, who have been knocking on the doors for a while, along with the 2018 U-19 World Cup stars, Prithvi Shaw and Shubhnam Gill, can be a good idea as well.</p>

<p>The 2019 World Cup is not very far now. India&rsquo;s top order and bowling unit looks pretty solid and settled. The only chink in their armour is their sagging middle-order. The time for team India to experiment and sort out their middle-order woes is now.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)</em></p>


India Needs to sort its middle order before the World Cup of 2019 arrives. Young players like K.L. Rahul and Prithvi Shaw should be given the chance.

Team India is on a high at present. Having beaten South Africa 5-1 in the recently concluded ODI series and has also won the first T20I with comfort, they are on a wave of euphoria like very few visiting Indian teams have been in South Africa. One must bear in mind, however, that India’s success in the recent ODI series against South Africa has been largely achieved through a combination of great bowling and outstanding batting by the top three. The story of India’s middle-order, however, is a cause for concern. Barring the second T20I, where Manish Pandey and MS Dhoni rescued India, the team’s middle-order has struggled in the limited overs matches. Even coach Ravi Shastri has expressed his concerns over this and said that there is a lot of work to be done in this area. “It’s an area that requires work to be done. The top-order has batted beautifully and our bowlers were phenomenal but the fifth, sixth and the seventh slot in the batting order needs to be worked upon. Once we’re done with this series, we’ll have to sit down and weigh all options once again very carefully,” he was quoted as saying recently. Indeed, a lot of work has to be done to bolster India’s middle-order, especially for ODIs. Of late, the numbers 4, 5, 6 and 7 have been moved around too much and hence the Indian middle-order gives off an unsettled look. Players like Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya and Kedar Jadhav have all been used around in the middle-order with mixed results. Time and time again the top three Indian batsmen have laid the foundation only to find the middle-order botch things up. They have failed to capitalize on the solid starts that the top order has been providing regularly and have been finishing poorly. Perhaps the first thing the Indian management can do is assign specific positions to the batsmen in the middle-order and let them thrive in it for some time. India also needs to find a proper finisher. Hardik Pandya, after flourishing for a little while, seems to have fizzled out. In the ODI series against South Africa, Pandya managed just 26 runs at a very poor strike-rate of 74.28. These are discouraging numbers and right now India is in dire need of a hard-hitting finisher who can close the games for the team. The Dhoni dilemma, too, needs to be addressed. India’s veteran wicket-keeper batsman is not the batsman he once used to be and save for a few instances here and there, he generally struggles lower down the order. MS Dhoni flourishes the most in the No.4 or 5 positions and that is where he should be utilized now with the wealth of experience he has. At No.4 and 5, Dhoni averages above 50 and has 5 centuries along with 26 half centuries. Clearly, those are slots that he needs to be given more chances in. Lastly, the team management should give more opportunities to talented young batsmen like KL Rahul who has been treated rather poorly by the team. He is a class player and has excelled for India in all the formats. He needs to be given more chances. Also, trying out youngsters like Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson, who have been knocking on the doors for a while, along with the 2018 U-19 World Cup stars, Prithvi Shaw and Shubhnam Gill, can be a good idea as well. The 2019 World Cup is not very far now. India’s top order and bowling unit looks pretty solid and settled. The only chink in their armour is their sagging middle-order. The time for team India to experiment and sort out their middle-order woes is now. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Dhoni and Indian middle order need revamping before World Cup 2019

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<p>This is a great time to be an Indian cricket fan. <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-virat-kohli-shardul-thakur-india-south-africa-6th-odi-team-india-indvssa-team-india-live-33105">After beating South Africa</a> in the sixth and final ODI at Centurion, India wrapped up a historic series victory by thumping the hosts 5-1. The manner of India&rsquo;s dominance and South Africa&rsquo;s abject capitulation has left countless cricket fans shocked.</p>

<p>Last night&rsquo;s ODI was a dead rubber. The series was already decided. And yet, people expected the home team to show fight in order to save some face. That was not to be as on a good batting surface, South Africa was bowled out for just 204 and then Team India brushed aside the target with eight wickets in hand and about 18 overs to spare.</p>

<p>Leading the charge was once again <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/best-batsman-in-the-world-now-says-ravi-shastri-for-virat-kohli-33154">captain Virat Kohli</a>, whose magnificent unbeaten 129 made a mockery of the small target. The Indian bowlers, too, were brilliant and young pacer Shradul Thakur&rsquo;s 4-52 helped to restrict the home side to a low score.</p>

<p>Prior to this series, South Africa was ranked the No.1 ODI side in the world. After having been thoroughly dismantled by India, they have slipped to the No.2 slot and given the way their team is looking at the present, things do not look very rosy for the Proteas.</p>

<p>India, meanwhile, will be thrilled. Their top order looks in great touch and their bowling, especially that of the spinners, has been regularly choking the opposition. Just to put things in perspective, the Indian bowlers have managed to clinch 51 wickets in the 6 ODIs as compared to just 23 by the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/virats-desperation-to-win-games-for-his-side-is-massive-33145">South African</a> bowlers.</p>

<p>The spinners, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, have captured 33 wickets among them and that speaks volumes of the control and dominance they had over the South African batsmen.</p>

<p>The hero of the series for India, apart from the bowlers, has been Virat Kohli. He has not just led from the front, he has been absolutely peerless in the way he has gone about scoring his runs and making a mockery of the South African bowling. In the 6 ODIs, Kohli has garnered a whopping 558 runs at an astounding average of 186 with 3 hundred and one fifty.</p>

<p>His sheer dominance has been phenomenal to witness and there is no denying that we are seeing a living legend blossom on the front of our eyes. In recent memory, no other batsman has single-handedly decimated an opposition so ruthlessly. Perhaps, Sachin&rsquo;s supremacy over Australia in the 1998 season comes close in mind.</p>

<p>Kohli now has 35 ODI hundreds and where exactly does he end up will be fascinating to watch.</p>

<p>While India will be celebrating this momentous series victory, they need to be wary of a few issues as well. Their middle-order needs some changes and flexibility and has clearly struggled to take the initiative when it mattered. They also need a capable finisher at the end stages as Hardik Pandya hasn&rsquo;t really excelled in that role as yet.</p>

<p>If India can sort this issue out then they can go on to dominate everywhere in the world, especially with the variety they now have in their bowling lineup.</p>

<p>For South Africa, it will be back to the drawing board. Clearly, their new set of young players has not been up to the mark and they are overly reliant on yesteryear stalwarts like AB de Villers, Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis to bail them out.</p>

<p>If South Africa hopes to regain their No.1 status and be a force in the 2019 World Cup, then the selectors and the team management need to take a long, hard look for the next generation of cricketers who can lead the team.</p>

<p>Cricket-wise, this ODI series was a dampener. The contest, save for the fourth ODI, was thoroughly one-sided and India cruised to victory in all their games. The fans surely would have expected a lot more fight and thrill as the No.1 and No.2 sides of the world went at loggerheads.</p>

<p>Regardless, team India has been really professional and clinical in their ways and can be proud of this historic achievement. Kudos to them for achieving this spectacular ODI series victory against South Africa on their own turf &ndash; it&rsquo;s a feat that no other visiting Indian team has achieved before.</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)</em></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The spinners, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, have captured 33 wickets among them and that speaks volumes of the control and dominance they had over the South African batsmen

This is a great time to be an Indian cricket fan. After beating South Africa in the sixth and final ODI at Centurion, India wrapped up a historic series victory by thumping the hosts 5-1. The manner of India’s dominance and South Africa’s abject capitulation has left countless cricket fans shocked. Last night’s ODI was a dead rubber. The series was already decided. And yet, people expected the home team to show fight in order to save some face. That was not to be as on a good batting surface, South Africa was bowled out for just 204 and then Team India brushed aside the target with eight wickets in hand and about 18 overs to spare. Leading the charge was once again captain Virat Kohli, whose magnificent unbeaten 129 made a mockery of the small target. The Indian bowlers, too, were brilliant and young pacer Shradul Thakur’s 4-52 helped to restrict the home side to a low score. Prior to this series, South Africa was ranked the No.1 ODI side in the world. After having been thoroughly dismantled by India, they have slipped to the No.2 slot and given the way their team is looking at the present, things do not look very rosy for the Proteas. India, meanwhile, will be thrilled. Their top order looks in great touch and their bowling, especially that of the spinners, has been regularly choking the opposition. Just to put things in perspective, the Indian bowlers have managed to clinch 51 wickets in the 6 ODIs as compared to just 23 by the South African bowlers. The spinners, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, have captured 33 wickets among them and that speaks volumes of the control and dominance they had over the South African batsmen. The hero of the series for India, apart from the bowlers, has been Virat Kohli. He has not just led from the front, he has been absolutely peerless in the way he has gone about scoring his runs and making a mockery of the South African bowling. In the 6 ODIs, Kohli has garnered a whopping 558 runs at an astounding average of 186 with 3 hundred and one fifty. His sheer dominance has been phenomenal to witness and there is no denying that we are seeing a living legend blossom on the front of our eyes. In recent memory, no other batsman has single-handedly decimated an opposition so ruthlessly. Perhaps, Sachin’s supremacy over Australia in the 1998 season comes close in mind. Kohli now has 35 ODI hundreds and where exactly does he end up will be fascinating to watch. While India will be celebrating this momentous series victory, they need to be wary of a few issues as well. Their middle-order needs some changes and flexibility and has clearly struggled to take the initiative when it mattered. They also need a capable finisher at the end stages as Hardik Pandya hasn’t really excelled in that role as yet. If India can sort this issue out then they can go on to dominate everywhere in the world, especially with the variety they now have in their bowling lineup. For South Africa, it will be back to the drawing board. Clearly, their new set of young players has not been up to the mark and they are overly reliant on yesteryear stalwarts like AB de Villers, Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis to bail them out. If South Africa hopes to regain their No.1 status and be a force in the 2019 World Cup, then the selectors and the team management need to take a long, hard look for the next generation of cricketers who can lead the team. Cricket-wise, this ODI series was a dampener. The contest, save for the fourth ODI, was thoroughly one-sided and India cruised to victory in all their games. The fans surely would have expected a lot more fight and thrill as the No.1 and No.2 sides of the world went at loggerheads. Regardless, team India has been really professional and clinical in their ways and can be proud of this historic achievement. Kudos to them for achieving this spectacular ODI series victory against South Africa on their own turf – it’s a feat that no other visiting Indian team has achieved before. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Magnificent Kohli was crucial in India's win over South Africa

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-virat-kohli-shardul-thakur-india-south-africa-6th-odi-team-india-indvssa-team-india-live-33105">India won the 6th ODI</a> as well as the series against South Africa at SuperSport Park, Centurion on Friday.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/virats-desperation-to-win-games-for-his-side-is-massive-33145">Indian team outplayed South African</a> side in all departments, fielding, batting and bowling.</p>

<p>Virat led team remained very calm and composed throughout the ODI series and perform brilliantly.</p>

<p>The credit goes to team management and support staff as well.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pics-the-reasons-behind-indias-historic-victory-692"><strong>In pics: Reasons behind India&#39;s historic victory against South Africa</strong></a></p>

<p>Recently, Indian head coach Ravi Shastri praised Virat Kohli after winning the sixth and final ODI match against the Proteas.</p>

<p>He described Kohli as the &quot;best batsman in the world&quot; in a post-match&nbsp;interview.</p>

<p>He said, &quot;Well, I&#39;m the head coach of the Indian team and I see him batting like this and I&#39;ve seen him bat across all conditions, in all formats and it&#39;s not just averages, it&#39;s the way you get runs, when you get it and the impact those runs have on what the team does. I would safely say he&#39;s the best batsman in the world now.&quot;</p>

<p>Team India will forward to keep the winning momentum in the upcoming T20I series as well which will start from February 18th.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Indian head coach Ravi Shastri praised Virat Kohli after winning the sixth and final ODI match against the Proteas and described Kohli as the best batsman in the world

India won the 6th ODI as well as the series against South Africa at SuperSport Park, Centurion on Friday. Indian team outplayed South African side in all departments, fielding, batting and bowling. Virat led team remained very calm and composed throughout the ODI series and perform brilliantly. The credit goes to team management and support staff as well. In pics: Reasons behind India's historic victory against South Africa Recently, Indian head coach Ravi Shastri praised Virat Kohli after winning the sixth and final ODI match against the Proteas. He described Kohli as the "best batsman in the world" in a post-match interview. He said, "Well, I'm the head coach of the Indian team and I see him batting like this and I've seen him bat across all conditions, in all formats and it's not just averages, it's the way you get runs, when you get it and the impact those runs have on what the team does. I would safely say he's the best batsman in the world now." Team India will forward to keep the winning momentum in the upcoming T20I series as well which will start from February 18th.

'Best batsman in the world now,' says Ravi Shastri for Virat Kohli

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pics-the-reasons-behind-indias-historic-victory-692">India won the 6th ODI</a> as well as the series against South Africa at SuperSport Park, Centurion on Friday.</p>

<p>Virat Kohli slammed 35th century to lead the team to a historic win on the South African soil.</p>

<p>For his splendid performance throughout the series captain, Kohli awarded Man of the series and also Man of the match for an amazing knock in the final ODI.</p>

<p>A quite brilliant unbeaten <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/best-batsman-in-the-world-now-says-ravi-shastri-for-virat-kohli-33154">129 from skipper Virat Kohli</a> helped India cruise to an eight-wicket win.</p>

<p>But for South Africa captain Aiden Markram, leading his side for the first time in a series, it was a chastening experience - and he admitted that his players have plenty of learning to do ahead of the World Cup next year in England.</p>

<p>After losing the sixth and final ODI match he said in the post-match&nbsp;interview that the experience has been &#39;eye-opening&#39; he further added, &quot;The confidence of the side has definitely taken a knock, yes. It&#39;s never nice to lose 5-1 but we have learned lessons.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;A lot of those lessons have been taught to us by how the Indians have constructed their games.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;And then their bowlers, they control that middle period really well, they&#39;ve got two quality spinners and they strike up front with the new ball,&quot; South African skipper said while praising Indian bowling side.</p>

<p>He amplified the performance of Indian skipper <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/virat-kohli-gives-credit-to-wife-anushka-for-his-performance-33118">Virat Kohli</a> and said, &quot;Virat&#39;s desperation to win games for his side is massive and that&#39;s why he condones (conducts) himself like he does and it&#39;s all from a competitive point of view, it&#39;s nothing malicious.</p>

<p>So there&#39;s a lot of things I can learn from him, there&#39;s a lot of things I can learn from their team as a whole and there&#39;s a lot of things I can learn from us as a whole, the Proteas as a whole. So taking&nbsp;little pieces here and there, from various players is helping.&quot;</p>


South Africa captain Aiden Markram admitted that his players have plenty of learning to do ahead of the World Cup next year in England

India won the 6th ODI as well as the series against South Africa at SuperSport Park, Centurion on Friday. Virat Kohli slammed 35th century to lead the team to a historic win on the South African soil. For his splendid performance throughout the series captain, Kohli awarded Man of the series and also Man of the match for an amazing knock in the final ODI. A quite brilliant unbeaten 129 from skipper Virat Kohli helped India cruise to an eight-wicket win. But for South Africa captain Aiden Markram, leading his side for the first time in a series, it was a chastening experience - and he admitted that his players have plenty of learning to do ahead of the World Cup next year in England. After losing the sixth and final ODI match he said in the post-match interview that the experience has been 'eye-opening' he further added, "The confidence of the side has definitely taken a knock, yes. It's never nice to lose 5-1 but we have learned lessons." "A lot of those lessons have been taught to us by how the Indians have constructed their games." "And then their bowlers, they control that middle period really well, they've got two quality spinners and they strike up front with the new ball," South African skipper said while praising Indian bowling side. He amplified the performance of Indian skipper Virat Kohli and said, "Virat's desperation to win games for his side is massive and that's why he condones (conducts) himself like he does and it's all from a competitive point of view, it's nothing malicious. So there's a lot of things I can learn from him, there's a lot of things I can learn from their team as a whole and there's a lot of things I can learn from us as a whole, the Proteas as a whole. So taking little pieces here and there, from various players is helping."

'Virat's desperation to win games for his side is massive,' says Aiden Markram

<p>India won the One Day International six-match series against South Africa by 5-1.</p>

<p>Virat Kohli slammed a magnificent century to lead the team to a historic win on&nbsp;the South African soil.</p>

<p>He also becomes first Indian captain to hit three centuries in the single ODI series&nbsp;and also becomes fastest batsman to score 17,000 international runs.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">India captain <a href="https://twitter.com/imVkohli?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@imVkohli</a> is the Player of the Series - the first player ever to score over 500 runs in a bilateral ODI series! ???? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvIND</a> <a href="https://t.co/UCIoL6gF39">pic.twitter.com/UCIoL6gF39</a></p>
&mdash; ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/964558077101006852?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>For his magical performance throughout the series captain, Kohli awarded Man of the series as he scored 558 runs in the series and also Man of the match for an amazing knock in the final ODI.</p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pics-the-reasons-behind-indias-historic-victory-692#photo-37950">In pics: Reasons behind India&#39;s historic victory against South Africa</a></strong></p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">A third century of the series for <a href="https://twitter.com/imVkohli?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@imVkohli</a> gets him his third Player of the Match award of the series!<br />
<br />
He&#39;s the first Indian to score three centuries in a bilateral ODI series! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvIND</a> <a href="https://t.co/2s8EHjQDMw">pic.twitter.com/2s8EHjQDMw</a></p>
&mdash; ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/964557531858259968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>In the post-match interview, he said that he gives credits to the wife (Anushka Sharma) as she always supported him.</p>

<p>He also mentioned that Anushka had been criticised in the past for his&nbsp;poor performance.</p>

<p>So he dedicated the victory and match-winning&nbsp;knock to her.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-virat-kohli-shardul-thakur-india-south-africa-6th-odi-team-india-indvssa-team-india-live-33105"><strong>Also read:&nbsp;Virat Kohli slams century, inspires team to historic victory</strong></a></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


In the post-match interview Virat said that he gives credit to his wife Anushka Sharma

India won the One Day International six-match series against South Africa by 5-1. Virat Kohli slammed a magnificent century to lead the team to a historic win on the South African soil. He also becomes first Indian captain to hit three centuries in the single ODI series and also becomes fastest batsman to score 17,000 international runs. India captain @imVkohli is the Player of the Series - the first player ever to score over 500 runs in a bilateral ODI series! ???? #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/UCIoL6gF39 — ICC (@ICC) February 16, 2018 × For his magical performance throughout the series captain, Kohli awarded Man of the series as he scored 558 runs in the series and also Man of the match for an amazing knock in the final ODI. In pics: Reasons behind India's historic victory against South Africa A third century of the series for @imVkohli gets him his third Player of the Match award of the series! He's the first Indian to score three centuries in a bilateral ODI series! #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/2s8EHjQDMw — ICC (@ICC) February 16, 2018 × In the post-match interview, he said that he gives credits to the wife (Anushka Sharma) as she always supported him. He also mentioned that Anushka had been criticised in the past for his poor performance. So he dedicated the victory and match-winning knock to her. Also read: Virat Kohli slams century, inspires team to historic victory

Virat Kohli gives credit to wife Anushka for his performance

<p>India won the 6th ODI as well as the series against South Africa&nbsp;at SuperSport Park, Centurion on Friday.</p>

<p>Virat Kohli slammed a magnificent century to lead the team to a historic win on the South African soil.</p>

<p>For his magical performace throughout&nbsp;the series captain Kohli awarded with Man of the series and also Man of the match for an amazing knock in the&nbsp;final ODI.</p>

<p>Earlier India won the toss and opted to bowl and South Africa again struggled to score runs as the batting order did not show any stability.</p>

<p>India kept taking quick wickets and continued to build up the pressure on the South African team.</p>

<p>Opener Aiden Markram scored 24 runs and Hashim Amla scored only 10 runs. The top batting order was thrashed by Shardul Thakur and Yuzi Chahal.</p>

<p>Chahal saw AB de Villiers off and celebrated the moment of taking the biggest wicket by doing a dab. AB scored 30 off 32 balls.</p>

<p>For South Africa, Khaya Zondo scored maximum (54) but could not handle the pressure and edged an easy catch&nbsp;of Chahal&#39;s ball in the safe hands of Hardik Pandya.</p>

<p><strong>Fall of wickets:</strong></p>

<p>23-1 (Hashim Amla, 6.3), 43-2 (Aiden Markram, 9.5), 105-3 (AB de Villiers, 20.5), 135-4 (Heinrich Klaasen, 30.3), 136-5 (Farhaan Behardien, 31.2), 142-6 (Chris Morris, 33.3), 151-7 (Khaya Zondo, 36.6), 187-8 (Morne Morkel, 43.4), 192-9 (Imran Tahir, 45.4), 204-10 (Andile Phehlukwayo, 46.5)</p>

<p>For India, Shardul Thakur came out as star and took four crucial wickets of Aiden Markram (24), Hashim Amla (10), Farhaan Behardien (1) and Andile Phehlukwayo (34) in his spell of 8.5 overs.</p>

<p>Jasprit Bumrah sends off Heinrich Klaasen (22) and Imran Tahir (2). Hardik Pandya (20) saw off Morne Morkel and Kuldeep Yadav took Chris Morris&#39;s (4) wicket. Yuzi out bowled AB de Villiers (30) and Khaya Zondo (54).</p>

<p>India has already created history by winning the One Day International series in the South African soil as they lead the series with an unassailable 4-1.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Shardul Thakur came out as star and took four crucial wickets of Aiden Markram (24), Hashim Amla (10), Farhaan Behardien (1) and Andile Phehlukwayo (34) in his spell of 8.5 overs

India won the 6th ODI as well as the series against South Africa at SuperSport Park, Centurion on Friday. Virat Kohli slammed a magnificent century to lead the team to a historic win on the South African soil. For his magical performace throughout the series captain Kohli awarded with Man of the series and also Man of the match for an amazing knock in the final ODI. Earlier India won the toss and opted to bowl and South Africa again struggled to score runs as the batting order did not show any stability. India kept taking quick wickets and continued to build up the pressure on the South African team. Opener Aiden Markram scored 24 runs and Hashim Amla scored only 10 runs. The top batting order was thrashed by Shardul Thakur and Yuzi Chahal. Chahal saw AB de Villiers off and celebrated the moment of taking the biggest wicket by doing a dab. AB scored 30 off 32 balls. For South Africa, Khaya Zondo scored maximum (54) but could not handle the pressure and edged an easy catch of Chahal's ball in the safe hands of Hardik Pandya. Fall of wickets: 23-1 (Hashim Amla, 6.3), 43-2 (Aiden Markram, 9.5), 105-3 (AB de Villiers, 20.5), 135-4 (Heinrich Klaasen, 30.3), 136-5 (Farhaan Behardien, 31.2), 142-6 (Chris Morris, 33.3), 151-7 (Khaya Zondo, 36.6), 187-8 (Morne Morkel, 43.4), 192-9 (Imran Tahir, 45.4), 204-10 (Andile Phehlukwayo, 46.5) For India, Shardul Thakur came out as star and took four crucial wickets of Aiden Markram (24), Hashim Amla (10), Farhaan Behardien (1) and Andile Phehlukwayo (34) in his spell of 8.5 overs. Jasprit Bumrah sends off Heinrich Klaasen (22) and Imran Tahir (2). Hardik Pandya (20) saw off Morne Morkel and Kuldeep Yadav took Chris Morris's (4) wicket. Yuzi out bowled AB de Villiers (30) and Khaya Zondo (54). India has already created history by winning the One Day International series in the South African soil as they lead the series with an unassailable 4-1.

Virat Kohli slams century, inspires team to historic victory

<p>Virat Kohli won the toss and opts to bowl in the sixth ODI match against South Africa at&nbsp;SuperSport Park, Centurion on Friday.</p>

<p>South Africa lost early wickets and struggles in the ongoing match. None of the batsmen were effective in front of the Indian bowling attack.</p>

<p>Shradul Thakur shines and took three crucial wickets of Aiden Markram (24), Hashim Amla (10) and Farhaan Behardien (1).</p>

<p>India has already created history by winning the One Day International series in the South African soil as they lead the series with an unassailable&nbsp;4-1.</p>

<p>Earlier the Proteas had won the Teat series of the same tour and Indian team faced a volcano of trolls and criticism for not performing&nbsp;up to the mark.</p>

<p>Unsurprisingly, men in blue shut the backbiters by beating the South African side in all departments, be it batting, bowling, fielding and decision making in the ODI series.</p>

<p>The Proteas were also overshadowed by a series of injuries as their stars players like AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock were ruled out amid ODI series.</p>

<p>AB marked his come back in the 4th ODI but remained ineffective as Indian team played brilliantly well throughout the series.</p>

<p>There were few loopholes&nbsp;in the Indian squad as well when opener Rohit Sharma remained&nbsp;out of form in the limited overs format until the last ODI when he slammed a magnificent century and regain&nbsp;the momentum.</p>

<p>The middle&nbsp;batting order is still bit weak and the issue of number four spot has to resolve as soon as possible because Virat is doing a lot of experimentation with spot number four it has to be resolved&nbsp;before World Cup 2019.</p>

<p>The bowlers are doing an amazing job and the highlights of India bowling side&nbsp;are Bhuvi unmatchable seam and the Spin Twins (Kuldeep-Chahal). They have delivered some mesmerizing spell and created records.</p>

<p>Where on one hand, the Indian team, world number one, will enter with a high to wrap up the series with a 5-1 score, on the other hand, the South African side will be looking to salvage the cricketing pride.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamIndia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamIndia</a> Playing XI for the 6th and final ODI. Shardul Thakur comes in place of Bhuvneshwar Kumar <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvIND</a> <a href="https://t.co/qJuA4HMEXu">pic.twitter.com/qJuA4HMEXu</a></p>
&mdash; BCCI (@BCCI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/964447823579131904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Both the teams have not made any changes in the squad only Markram has called back&nbsp;Khaya Zondo, Farhaan Behardien and Imran Tahir.</p>

<p><strong>Squad:</strong></p>

<p><strong>South Africa</strong>: Hashim Amla, Aiden Markram(c), AB de Villiers, Khaya Zondo, Farhaan Behardien, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, Imran Tahir, Morne Morkel, Lungisani Ngidi</p>

<p><strong>India:</strong> Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni(w), Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal</p>

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The Indian team, world number one, will enter with a high to wrap up the series with a 5-1 lead, on the other hand, the South African side will be looking to salvage the cricketing pride

Virat Kohli won the toss and opts to bowl in the sixth ODI match against South Africa at SuperSport Park, Centurion on Friday. South Africa lost early wickets and struggles in the ongoing match. None of the batsmen were effective in front of the Indian bowling attack. Shradul Thakur shines and took three crucial wickets of Aiden Markram (24), Hashim Amla (10) and Farhaan Behardien (1). India has already created history by winning the One Day International series in the South African soil as they lead the series with an unassailable 4-1. Earlier the Proteas had won the Teat series of the same tour and Indian team faced a volcano of trolls and criticism for not performing up to the mark. Unsurprisingly, men in blue shut the backbiters by beating the South African side in all departments, be it batting, bowling, fielding and decision making in the ODI series. The Proteas were also overshadowed by a series of injuries as their stars players like AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock were ruled out amid ODI series. AB marked his come back in the 4th ODI but remained ineffective as Indian team played brilliantly well throughout the series. There were few loopholes in the Indian squad as well when opener Rohit Sharma remained out of form in the limited overs format until the last ODI when he slammed a magnificent century and regain the momentum. The middle batting order is still bit weak and the issue of number four spot has to resolve as soon as possible because Virat is doing a lot of experimentation with spot number four it has to be resolved before World Cup 2019. The bowlers are doing an amazing job and the highlights of India bowling side are Bhuvi unmatchable seam and the Spin Twins (Kuldeep-Chahal). They have delivered some mesmerizing spell and created records. Where on one hand, the Indian team, world number one, will enter with a high to wrap up the series with a 5-1 score, on the other hand, the South African side will be looking to salvage the cricketing pride. #TeamIndia Playing XI for the 6th and final ODI. Shardul Thakur comes in place of Bhuvneshwar Kumar #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/qJuA4HMEXu — BCCI (@BCCI) February 16, 2018 × Both the teams have not made any changes in the squad only Markram has called back Khaya Zondo, Farhaan Behardien and Imran Tahir. Squad: South Africa: Hashim Amla, Aiden Markram(c), AB de Villiers, Khaya Zondo, Farhaan Behardien, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, Imran Tahir, Morne Morkel, Lungisani Ngidi India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni(w), Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal

6th ODI IND vs SA: Shardul Thakur strikes thrice, South Africa 148-6 after 36 overs

<p>South Africa defeated India in<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/4th-odi-men-in-blue-vs-men-in-pink-32408"> the 4th ODI match</a>&nbsp;by 5 wickets at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg. Earlier, India won the toss and opted to bat.</p>

<p>India batted first and gave a target of 289 runs. The game was halted twice due to lightning and rain eventually, the game was reduced to 28 overs and the revised target was 202 which South Africa achieved easily.</p>

<p>Aiden Markram marked his first win as a captain.</p>

<p>For India, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan opened the game but <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/opinion-rohit-sharma-is-rockstar-at-home-flop-star-abroad-28994">Rohit again failed to perform</a> as he lost his wicket after scoring 5 odd runs.</p>

<p>On the other hand, Shikhar Dhawan who was playing his 100th ODI was magnificent. He slammed a century and gave a&nbsp;resounding start for the team.</p>

<p>He also became the<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/shikhar-dhawan-first-indian-to-score-100-in-100th-odi-match-32432"> first Indian to score 100 in the 100th match</a>.</p>

<p>Virat Kohli also played some brilliant shots and scored 75 runs before pushing the ball in the safe hands of Chris Morris.</p>

<p>Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer and Hardik Pandya scored 8, 18 and 9 respectively.</p>

<p>MS Dhoni settled the middle batting order and scored 42 unbeaten runs for the team.</p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/opinion-can-the-return-of-ab-de-villiers-turn-the-tide-for-south-africa-32395">Also read:&nbsp;Opinion: Can the return of AB de Villiers turn the tide for South Africa?</a></strong></p>

<p>For South Africa, Heinrich Klaasen scored maximum runs, (43 runs) and received the man of the match award for playing brave cricket under pressure.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Give it up for our man of the match <a href="https://twitter.com/Heini22?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Heini22</a>. What a performance, take a bow ???????????????? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvIND</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PitchUpInPink?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PitchUpInPink</a> <a href="https://t.co/QsDmDniSVB">pic.twitter.com/QsDmDniSVB</a></p>
&mdash; Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficialCSA/status/962423640263479296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Other batsmen Aiden Markram (22), Hashim Amla (33), JP Duminy (10), AB de Villiers (26) and David Miller (39) played average, none of them&nbsp;was remarkable.</p>

<p>It would be an injustice to say India did not perform they were just unlucky.</p>

<p>South Africa, an arguably dominant unit at home strived hard to perform but the injuries had overshadowed the team as AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock were ruled out.</p>

<p>But&nbsp;AB de Villiers returned in the previous match.&nbsp;The Proteas <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/here-is-why-south-african-team-is-playing-in-pink-32422">played in the pink jersey</a> as they have pledged to create awareness for breast cancer and out of 6 ODI games, South Africa have not lost a single game yet.</p>

<p>Although India lost the game but still lead the six-match ODI series by 3-1.</p>

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India still leads the six-match ODI series by 3-1

South Africa defeated India in the 4th ODI match by 5 wickets at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg. Earlier, India won the toss and opted to bat. India batted first and gave a target of 289 runs. The game was halted twice due to lightning and rain eventually, the game was reduced to 28 overs and the revised target was 202 which South Africa achieved easily. Aiden Markram marked his first win as a captain. For India, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan opened the game but Rohit again failed to perform as he lost his wicket after scoring 5 odd runs. On the other hand, Shikhar Dhawan who was playing his 100th ODI was magnificent. He slammed a century and gave a resounding start for the team. He also became the first Indian to score 100 in the 100th match. Virat Kohli also played some brilliant shots and scored 75 runs before pushing the ball in the safe hands of Chris Morris. Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer and Hardik Pandya scored 8, 18 and 9 respectively. MS Dhoni settled the middle batting order and scored 42 unbeaten runs for the team. Also read: Opinion: Can the return of AB de Villiers turn the tide for South Africa? For South Africa, Heinrich Klaasen scored maximum runs, (43 runs) and received the man of the match award for playing brave cricket under pressure. Give it up for our man of the match @Heini22. What a performance, take a bow ???????????????? #SAvIND #PitchUpInPink pic.twitter.com/QsDmDniSVB — Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) February 10, 2018 × Other batsmen Aiden Markram (22), Hashim Amla (33), JP Duminy (10), AB de Villiers (26) and David Miller (39) played average, none of them was remarkable. It would be an injustice to say India did not perform they were just unlucky. South Africa, an arguably dominant unit at home strived hard to perform but the injuries had overshadowed the team as AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock were ruled out. But AB de Villiers returned in the previous match. The Proteas played in the pink jersey as they have pledged to create awareness for breast cancer and out of 6 ODI games, South Africa have not lost a single game yet. Although India lost the game but still lead the six-match ODI series by 3-1.

4th ODI IND vs SA: South Africa beats India by 5 wickets

<p>The fourth ODI between India and South Africa is set to start and &#39;Men in blue&#39; will face &#39;Men in pink&#39; at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg.</p>

<p>India is already leading the six-match series by 3-0 with and will enter the 4th ODI with a high.</p>

<p>The Spin-twins are doing exceptionally well for the team. Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have been a key element for India&#39;s comfortable victories.</p>

<p>The depth in the batting order has provided India with extra convincing support.</p>

<p>Though opener Rohit Sharma is struggling to regain his form as he failed to score in the previous games.</p>

<p>In-form skipper Virat Kohli has been magnificent. He slammed two centuries in the previous three games and had inspired the team to much-needed victories.</p>

<p>On the other hand, South Africa, arguably dominant unit at home strived hard to perform but the injuries had overshadowed the team as AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock were ruled out.</p>

<p>But now AB de Villiers is set to return in the 4th ODI that will definitely bolster South African prospects a bit.</p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/opinion-can-the-return-of-ab-de-villiers-turn-the-tide-for-south-africa-32395">Also read:&nbsp;Opinion: Can the return of AB de Villiers turn the tide for South Africa?</a></strong></p>

<p>The Proteas will play in the pink jersey as they have pledged to create awareness for breast cancer.</p>

<p>If we talk about the pink jersey, out of 5 ODI games South Africa&nbsp;have not lost a single game&nbsp;yet.</p>

<p>Especially AB de Villiers&rsquo;s record in pink ODIs is remarkable. In the five games, he has scored 450 runs at an average of 112.5.</p>

<p>If we talk about the weather, some showers are expected in the morning, but it won&#39;t hamper the game as the match is set to start at 4:30.</p>

<p><strong>Squad (TBC):</strong></p>

<p><strong>India:</strong></p>

<p>Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah.</p>

<p><strong>South Africa:</strong></p>

<p>Aiden Markram (capt), Hashim Amla, JP Duminy, AB de Villiers, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada/Lungi Ngidi, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir.</p>

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The fourth ODI between India and South Africa is set to start at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, AB de Villiers will return to the team

The fourth ODI between India and South Africa is set to start and 'Men in blue' will face 'Men in pink' at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg. India is already leading the six-match series by 3-0 with and will enter the 4th ODI with a high. The Spin-twins are doing exceptionally well for the team. Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have been a key element for India's comfortable victories. The depth in the batting order has provided India with extra convincing support. Though opener Rohit Sharma is struggling to regain his form as he failed to score in the previous games. In-form skipper Virat Kohli has been magnificent. He slammed two centuries in the previous three games and had inspired the team to much-needed victories. On the other hand, South Africa, arguably dominant unit at home strived hard to perform but the injuries had overshadowed the team as AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock were ruled out. But now AB de Villiers is set to return in the 4th ODI that will definitely bolster South African prospects a bit. Also read: Opinion: Can the return of AB de Villiers turn the tide for South Africa? The Proteas will play in the pink jersey as they have pledged to create awareness for breast cancer. If we talk about the pink jersey, out of 5 ODI games South Africa have not lost a single game yet. Especially AB de Villiers’s record in pink ODIs is remarkable. In the five games, he has scored 450 runs at an average of 112.5. If we talk about the weather, some showers are expected in the morning, but it won't hamper the game as the match is set to start at 4:30. Squad (TBC): India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah. South Africa: Aiden Markram (capt), Hashim Amla, JP Duminy, AB de Villiers, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada/Lungi Ngidi, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir.

4th ODI: 'Men in blue' vs 'men in pink'

<p>World U-19 champions received a warm welcome at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai by some senior officials of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA).</p>

<p>Besides MCA officials, a significant number of fans were also assembled at the airport to welcome the young heroes.</p>

<p>Shaw &amp; Co.&nbsp;have retired from Under-19 cricket in the best way possible.</p>

<p>Prithvi Shaw, the U-19 skipper shared his experiences exclusively with WION.</p>

<p>&quot;Really feeling proud in getting back the World Cup trophy home. The journey has been very interesting.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;Lots of memories have been created in Mumbai, Thank you to Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) for taking care of me like a child.&quot;</p>

<p>On being asked about joining the senior cricket team he said, &quot;Not really thinking about it, its a long way from here but I have to achieve some goals, I am a person who believes in the present. I will get opportunities I just need to grab it.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;The best memories will always be lifting the cup for the country, It is never easy, one has to face lots of challenges before that.&quot;</p>

<p>He specifically mentioned Rahul Dravid and support staff and said, &quot;Lot of efforts have been put in by the support staff. Rahul sir shared his experiences with us as he had played in New Zealand before.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;The credit goes to everyone,&quot; he added.</p>

<p>Now, the U-19 champs are definitely looking forward to having a promising future in cricket. Few of players like, skipper Prithvi Shaw, Manjot Kalra, Shubman Gill, Ishan Porel, Kamlesh Nagarkoti will appear in the upcoming IPL series.</p>

<p>They have booked a berth in the upcoming IPL series as they were bought by IPL franchises.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


'The best memories will always be lifting the cup for the country,' Shaw said in an exclusive interview with WION

World U-19 champions received a warm welcome at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai by some senior officials of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA). Besides MCA officials, a significant number of fans were also assembled at the airport to welcome the young heroes. Shaw & Co. have retired from Under-19 cricket in the best way possible. Prithvi Shaw, the U-19 skipper shared his experiences exclusively with WION. "Really feeling proud in getting back the World Cup trophy home. The journey has been very interesting." "Lots of memories have been created in Mumbai, Thank you to Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) for taking care of me like a child." On being asked about joining the senior cricket team he said, "Not really thinking about it, its a long way from here but I have to achieve some goals, I am a person who believes in the present. I will get opportunities I just need to grab it." "The best memories will always be lifting the cup for the country, It is never easy, one has to face lots of challenges before that." He specifically mentioned Rahul Dravid and support staff and said, "Lot of efforts have been put in by the support staff. Rahul sir shared his experiences with us as he had played in New Zealand before." "The credit goes to everyone," he added. Now, the U-19 champs are definitely looking forward to having a promising future in cricket. Few of players like, skipper Prithvi Shaw, Manjot Kalra, Shubman Gill, Ishan Porel, Kamlesh Nagarkoti will appear in the upcoming IPL series. They have booked a berth in the upcoming IPL series as they were bought by IPL franchises.

Will get opportunities, just need to grab them: U-19 captain Prithvi Shaw tells WION

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