Friday, August 31, 2018

Rohit Sharma calls his wife Ritika Sajdeh ‘shorty’

The Indian star batsman, Rohit Sharma, is not a part of the squad for the ongoing Test series against England after the conclusion of the T20Is and ODIs.

Rohit has had an impressive tour of England this year with a series-deciding 100 not-out in the third T20I and a match-winning 137 in the first ODI to silence his critics on his form away from home. Apparently, he was dropped against England after his below-par performances in South Africa.

Meanwhile, the Mumbaikar is busy living it up with his lady love Ritika and often shares photos of the two of them on social media.

On Thursday, Hitman took to Instagram and shared a photo with his wife. He wrote: “Heels + a fairly high step = picture perfect #MyShorty @ritssajdeh.” The duo looks dazzling together and the picture has received praises from fans all over the nation. Though Ritika is wearing heels and standing a step up, she has just managed to match Rohit’s height!

Here is Rohit Sharma’s post with his wife:

Instagram Photo



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Pakistan name 18-man squad for Asia Cup 2018 camp

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced an 18-man squad for a training camp ahead of Asia Cup 2018, scheduled to be played in the UAE from September 15-28.

The national selection committee head coach Inzamamul Haq-led made the announcement on Thursday after consultations with head coach Mickey Arthur and captain Sarfraz Ahmed.

According to PCB, a week-long camp will take place from September 3 to September 10 at Gaddafi Stadium. Former skipper Azhar Ali, Shan Masood, and Imad Wasim have also been recalled to the camp.

Pakistan have been placed in Pool A in the six-nation Asia Cup along with arch-rivals India. The two teams will clash in an eagerly-awaited pool match on September 19 in Dubai. This year, the Asia Cup reverts to its traditional 50-over format after opting in 2016 for a T20I competition which was won by India.

Pakistan’s 18-man squad:

Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Mohammad Hafeez, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Haris Sohail, Sarfraz Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Imad Wasim, Hassan Ali, Usman Khan Shinwari, Mohammed Amir, Junaid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Faheem Ashraf.



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Twitter Reactions: Indian pacers dismiss England for 246 on day 1 at Southampton

India dominated the opening day of the fourth Test as the visitors first bowled out England just a few overs before stumps and then scored 19/0 at the The Ageas Bowl on Thursday.

With India trailing by 227 runs, openers Lokesh Rahul (11) and Shikhar Dhawan (3) remained unbeaten. The day started with Indian pacers wrecking England’s top order, taking four quick wickets to reduce the hosts to 57/4 at lunch.

Electing to bat first on a track with a tinge of live grass, England’s opening woes continued to haunt them as Keaton Jennings was trapped plumb in front by an excellent inswinging delivery from Jasprit Bumrah, for a duck in the third over of the innings.

One over later, Bumrah almost sent packing English skipper Joe Root when he was on two, before the DRS came to the latter’s rescue. Root was trapped plumb in front but television replays showed the bowler had overstepped.

The England captain, however, failed to take advantage of the reprieve as Ishant Sharma swung it big into the England captain to trap him lbw.

Reduced to 15/2, England’s hopes were pinned on former skipper Alastair Cook (17) and Jonny Bairstow (6), playing as a specialist batsman after injuring his finger.

But Bumrah scuttled such ambitions by scalping Bairstow, caught behind by Rishabh Pant in the 13th over before first-change bowler Hardik Pandya ended Cook’s 55-ball resistance, thanks to a brilliant catch at the third slip by Virat Kohli.

Resuming the post-lunch session at 57/4, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler played out the initial few overs cautiously before Buttler started opening up only to bring his downfall, caught by Virat Kohli off Mohammad Shami.

Reduced to 86/6, the left-handed pair of Moeen Ali and Sam Curran steered the ship to safety, as they played the Indian pacers with extreme caution and did not allow premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to dominate.

The final session saw Moeen and Curran stabilising the hosts innings, forging a crucial 81-run partnership. After Ali’s wicket no other batter supported Curran, and as a result, the hosts were bundled out for 246 just before the end of play.

For India, Jasprit Bumrah took three wickets while Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami and Ravichandran Ashwin took two wickets each.

Here are some of the Twitter reactions:



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Thursday, August 30, 2018

IPL: RCB appoint Gary Kirsten as coach and mentor

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Thursday appointed former South African cricketer Gary Kirsten as their new coach and mentor. Kirsten, who led India to the ICC World Cup 2011 title, had joined the franchise as the batting coach ahead of IPL 2018.

RCB in an official release stated, “Gary Kirsten who joined RCB in 2018 as batting coach brings to the team a wealth of experience having played close to 700 matches (ODI, Tests and First Class) scoring close to 40,000 runs across all formats. Since taking over as the Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team in 2008 and leading them to the World Cup win in 2011, Gary has for the past 10 years coached at the highest levels with 2 years as South African cricket team head coach, Head Coach in the T20 for 3 seasons and 1 season at Hobart Hurricanes before joining RCB last season.”

The franchise recently sacked Daniel Vettori as coach of the team. The former Kiwi spinner was the head coach of the franchise from 2013 to 2018.

RCB has never won the IPL, despite reaching the final on three occasions. Virat Kohli has been a part of the franchise from the first season and has been the captain of the team since 2013.

Commenting on his appointment, Gary Kirsten said, “I had the privilege of coaching with the RCB team last season under head coach Daniel Vettori and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I look forward to continuing the journey with RCB and doing my best to help the franchise reach its potential. I want to thank the team management for considering me in a leadership position with the franchise and I look forward to a successful few years.”

Moving on from Royal Challengers Bangalore, Daniel Vettori, the former head coach said, “I am extremely grateful for the eight years I have spent with RCB, as a player and a coach and I wish the franchise all the best moving forward.”

Virat-Kohli-Gary-Kirsten

Kirsten has worked in close capacity with Kohli during the former’s tenure as the head coach of the India team until 2011. After taking up a similar role with the South Africa team, he ventured into the T20 landscape with Delhi Daredevils in 2013. But his three-year contract with the Delhi franchise was terminated after two sub-par seasons during which the Daredevils, another trophy-less team, managed only seven wins and finished bottom of the table each time. He also enjoyed a stint with the Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League.



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Twitter Reactions: Jasprit Bumrah loses a wicket due to a no ball, once again

As India took on England on the opening ay of the 4th Test match at Southampton, pacer Jasprit Bumrah was all over social media for two reasons within the first few overs of the match.

The first reason being his incredible delivery to dismiss England opening batsman Keaton Jennings for a duck in the third over of the match. In his very next over, Bumrah produced another ripper which hit Joe Root’s pads in front of the wickets. The moment umpire turned down the appeal, a confident Bumrah asked Kohli to go for DRS.

But much to the dismay of Indian camp, Bumrah had bowled another front foot no-ball. It wasn’t for the first time that Bumrah had bowled a front foot no-ball. In fact, he has now earned a reputation of bowling no balls at crucial moments of a match. Indian cricket fans were disappointed after yet another no-ball from Bumrah.

Here are some of the Twitter reactions:

Much to Bumrah’s relief, Ishant Sharma soon removed Root by trapping him in front of the wicket. Even though the English skipper went for the DRS, he couldn’t get another reprieve as the replays suggested the ball was hitting the stumps.



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West Indies squad for two-match Test series against India announced

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has announced a 15 member squad for a two-Test match series against India starting from October 4. 36-year-old Devon Smith has been left out of the side with Sunil Ambris getting a recall into the Test side after 3 years.

Smith scored two fifties in the nine innings he played on return, but in five of the other seven appearances, he could manage single-digit scores only. This means that the Windies side will field an opening combination of Kieran Powell and Kraigg Brathwaite.

Ambris, who usually bats in the lower middle-order, will look to continue his good form from the ‘A’ series where he scored a hundred against the Indian outfit.

Courtney Browne, the chairman of selectors, has congratulated the team on their recent success in the Test series against Bangladesh. “The panel congratulates Jason Holder and his team on the excellent performance against Bangladesh. As the team embarks on a tough tour of India the successes against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh should hold them in good stead during the India series,” Browne said.

“The panel welcomes back Sunil Ambris who missed the last couple of series due to injury, along with Jomel Warrican who adds a second spin bowling option to the attack.”

Jason Holder & Co. will travel to India on the back of a comprehensive 2-0 series win against Bangladesh.

Windies squad for Test series against India:

Jason Holder (c), Sunil Ambris, Devendra Bishoo, Kraigg Brathwaite, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Jahmar Hamilton, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Keemo Paul, Kieran Powell, Kemar Roach, Jomel Warrican.



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Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Complete schedule of West Indies tour of India 2018

The West Indies will tour India for two Tests, five ODIs and three T20I, starting October 2 with the first Test at Rajkot.

“Windies Men will be in India for almost seven weeks starting September 26. They will compete against India in 2 Tests, 5 ODIs and 3 T20s,” a press release from West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) stated.

“As the team embarks on a tough tour of India the successes against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh should hold them in good stead during the India series. The panel welcomes back Sunil Ambris who missed the last couple of series due to injury, along with Jomel Warrican who adds a second spin bowling option to the attack,” said Chairman of Selectors, Courtney Browne.

Meanwhile, Team India will roughly have a week to prepare for the tour with the Asia Cup 2018, starting on September 15, scheduled to end on September 28.

The tour begins with the first Test at Rajkot on October 4 followed by the second Test at Hyderabad starting October 12. The ODI leg will begin at Guwahati with matches scheduled for Indore, Pune, Mumbai and Trivandrum.

The three T20Is will be played in Kolkata, Kanpur/Lucknow and Chennai.

Complete schedule of Windies tour:

  • 1st Test: October 4 – 8 Rajkot
  • 2nd Test October 12 – 16 Hyderabad
  • 1st ODI October 21 Guwahati
  • 2nd ODI October 24 Indore
  • 3rd ODI October 27 Pune
  • 4th ODI October 29 Mumbai
  • 5th ODI November 1 Trivanthapuram
  • 1st T20I November 4 Kolkata
  • 2nd T20I November 6 Kanpur/Lucknow
  • 3rd T20I November 11 Chennai


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England announces their playing XI for the fourth Test against India

England and India will lock horns in the ongoing Pataudi Trophy with the fourth Test of the series to be played at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton from Thursday (August 30). England lead the series 2-1 with wins at Edgbaston and Lord’s.

Joe Root and Co. were riding on a high of a crushing win at Lord’s when they bowled out Team India for 107 and 130 in the two innings and winning the match by an innings and 159 runs.

The England team, however, failed to recreate the same performance at Nottingham, as India scored over 300 runs in both innings and bowled England out for 161 in the first innings. Though the English team made a comeback in the second innings, with Jos Buttler’s maiden century and Ben Stokes’ fifty, the target of 521 was too much of an ask for them.

Moeen Ali

For the 4th Test, Root has brought in Moeen Ali in the playing XI above Chris Woakes, who was the player of the match at Lord’s. Ali has been picked in the team, given his past success against India.

Woakes is also currently battling against injury. Sam Curran, who was dropped from the 3rd Test has been included in the final XI to accommodate Ben Stokes.

Here is England’s squad for the fourth Test against India:

Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wk), Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Stuart Broad, James Anderson.



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Shahid Afridi reveals who nicknamed him ‘Boom Boom’

Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi, who announced himself on the international stage with a record-breaking 37-ball century, was popularly known as ‘Boom Boom’ for his explosive style of play.

The 38-year-old records a massive 351 sixes in 398 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and 73 sixes in 99 T20 Internationals (T20Is).

Afridi, in an interactive session with his fans on Twitter, revealed that former Indian cricketer and current India team coach Ravi Shastri nicknamed him ‘Boom Boom.’

Shahid Afridi last played an ODI match on March 20, 2015 against Australia at Adelaide. His last T20I, on the other hand, came against West Indies, where he was a part of the ICC World XI, in an exhibition match that was played on May 31, 2018.

He has notched up 11,196 runs in International cricket.



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VVS Laxman picks India’s best Test XI of the last 25 years

Former Indian cricketer turned commentator VVS Laxman has announced his dream Indian Test XI of the last 25 years. And unsurprisingly there were some obvious choices with Sourav Ganguly taking the captain’s spot.

Laxman revealed his best XI while speaking on a chat show where he went on to pick Virender Sehwag and Murali Vijay as the two openers. A perfect combination as one could go all-out on the bowlers with the other pacing the innings steadily.

Then comes the famous middle-order that he played in. Rahul Dravid, rightfully, like he would do in most dream XI’s, bats at no.3. The Master Blaster and one of the greatest batsman of all-time Sachin Tendulkar bats at no.4.

Sachin, dravid

Nobody would’ve mind if Hyderabad lad had put himself in at no.5 but the ever modest and understated VVS chose the current Indian Captain Virat Kohli for that position.

Ganguly, one of India’s best captains ever, bats at number 6 and Mahendra Singh Dhoni is deservingly, the wicketkeeper-batsman at no. 7.

The star-studded bowling line up includes Anil Kumble as the lone spinner and Javagal Srinath, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Zaheer Khan as the three potent and crucially, varyingly skilled fast bowlers.

VVS Laxman’s Indian Test XI of the last 25 years:

Virender Sehwag, Murali Vijay, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Sourav Ganguly (c), MS Dhoni (wk), Anil Kumble, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan



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Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Brendon McCullum surpasses Chris Gayle’s record of most fours in T20 cricket

Former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum has surpassed Windies opener Chris Gayle’s tally of fours in T20 cricket during the recent Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2018 clash.

McCullum smashed 8 fours in his innings for Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) taking his total to 879 fours in 341 matches. The self-proclaimed Universe Boss held the throne before him with 875 fours from 340 matches.

Brendon McCullum CPL 2018

Baz went past Gayle in style with a math-winning knock for the Knight Riders against Barbados Tridents (BT). Chasing a target of 129, the wicketkeeper-batsman single-handedly led his team to victory by scoring 66 runs off 42 balls.

However, Gayle can catch up McCullum as St Kitts and Nevis Patriots’ still have five games left in the tournament (excluding the qualifiers and finals). It might be a head to head battle between the two most destructive T20 batsmen in the world.

Australian opener David Warner is the third batsman in the list with 780 fours from 251 matches. He is a part of team St Lucia Stars in CPL 2018.



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Arsenal fan KL Rahul visits Emirates stadium with Umesh Yadav, flaunts his football skills

Team India is in England these days playing a five-match Test series against the hosts. After the third Test at Trent Bridge, Virat Kohli & Co. are now enjoying a long break before the fourth Test begins on August 30.

Opening batsman KL Rahul, who is an Arsenal football club fan, used this off-time to visit the iconic Emirates Stadium- the home of Arsenal.

Rahul visited the stadium with his teammate Umesh Yadav. They were there to watch Arsenal lock horns with West Ham United.

Instagram Photo

Umesh and Rahul took to Instagram to share the memorable visit with their fans. Rahul shared a picture with strike Danny Welbeck and goalkeeper Bernd Leno, and also posted a video where he and Umesh can be seen showing off their footballing skills in the stadium.

Instagram Photo



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Monday, August 27, 2018

Jonny Bairstow picks his all-time XI

English wicket-keeper batsman Jonny Bairstow has picked his all-time XI and joined a big list of current and former cricketers who have done the same.

According to the prevailing rules and regulations, ‘the criteria for selection is players they have played with, against or have been influenced by’.

Bairstow named former England captain and their highest run-getter ever Alastair Cook to open the batting alongside South Africa’s Hashim Amla.

At no.3, Bairstow decided to go with the West Indian batting great Brian Lara. Lara holds the record of being the only batsman to have scored 400 in a Test match and is the highest run getter for his country.

Sachin Tendulkar Test

Just like many other cricketers, Bairstow too decided to pick Sachin Tendulkar at no. 4 in his batting line-up. The Master Blaster is the all-time leading run scorer in both the Test and the ODI format and is the only cricketer to have scored 100 international centuries.

The Englishman went on to pick two South Africans in the form of AB de Villiers and Jacques Kallis to make up the 5th and 6th position in his team.

The only surprise in Bairstow’s team is the picking of current England Test skipper Joe Root at number 7. The wicketkeeper felt that Root deserves to be in his team but due to the firepower at the top of the order, he would have to settle at the 7th position.

The bowling department consists of two Australians in the form of the legendary Shane Warne and the fearsome Mitchell Johnson. To complement them and to complete the side are South African speedster Dale Steyn and England’s all-time leading wicket-taker James Anderson.

Jonny Bairstow’s XI:

Alastair Cook (captain), Hashim Amla, Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, AB de Villiers (wk), Jacques Kallis, Joe Root, Shane Warne, Mitchell Johnson, Dale Steyn, James Anderson.



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Sunday, August 26, 2018

Indian cricketers share their adorable Raksha Bandhan moments on Twitter

Raksha Bandhan is one of the most popular festivals in India. It signifies the bond between a brother and a sister. This year, the festival of love and affection was celebrated across the country on Sunday (August 26).

During the festival, a sister ties a rakhi on her brother’s hand and pray for his healthy and wealthy life. In return, the brother also wishes for his sister’s pleasant life, and gifts her goodies like dresses, chocolates, teddies and other gift items.

Indian cricketers also celebrated the auspicious occasion with their beloved sisters’ and posted special messages for them on the micro-blogging site Twitter.

Here are some of the tweets:



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Twitterati hilariously trolls Ravi Shastri after Virat Kohli handed him the Champagne bottle

The gesture of Indian skipper Virat Kohli to hand over his Champagne bottle to head coach Ravi Shastri took everyone by a surprise as never in the history of Indian cricket a captain has done it.

Kohli took his favourite coach by surprise but his act did not go down well with Twitterati. The duo was trolled after Kohli handed the champagne bottle to Shastri.

The Indian skipper was gifted the bottle in the presentation ceremony for his superb batting performance in the Trent Bridge Test. Kohli scored 200 runs in the third Test, notching scores of 97 and 103 in two respective innings.

Here is how fans mocked Shastri and Kohli on Twitter:



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