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Author: cbtfhome

It’s hard to put a finger on him as a player or character’ : Ricky Ponting on Rishabh Pant

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Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting says Pant is a fun-loving and energetic player. He spoke about the importance of letting Rishabh Pant  be himself to get the most out of him. Ponting, having seen Gilchrist and Pant from close quarters, revealed the similarities and differences between the two figures.

“Yeah, little bit the same,” said Ponting. “I know Rishabh’s really burst onto the scene, but let’s just let him play his 50-60 Test matches first before we start making comparisons to one of the all-time great wicket-keeper batters. But if you think about their personalities – Rishabh is a lot more outward, a lot louder, a lot noisier and ultra-competitive. Gilly was ultra-competitive as well, but a lot quieter and reserved, until he got his bat in his hand and then he became exactly the same as Rishabh” ,speaking on The ICC Review, Ponting said.

Ponting has worked closely with Pant during his time as coach of the Delhi Capitals, Pant captained to the playoffs in his first season in the role in 2021. “It’s a bit hard to put a finger on him as a player or a character. What you see with his cricket is exactly what he is off the field. He is fun-loving and energetic. He is not much of a risk-taking guy off the field; he is always a fun guy to be around. He is always laughing loud, and you always know when he is in the room. You know when he is playing cards or you know when he is about to walk into the team meeting.” Ponting added.

Ponting feels that with Pant having a lot of scores of 90 in Test cricket, he must have followed the same approach. “Rishabh will be exactly the same. If you look at Rishabh – I am not sure how many Test hundreds he’s got – but he has a few 90s in there. And he’s actually got out trying to bring up his hundred with a six. That’s the good and the bad, right?”
Ponting further added.

IPL 2022: Harbhajan Singh feels Kohli still remains the best man to lead RCB

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Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh believes Virat Kohli is the best man to lead Royal Challengers Bangalore in the upcoming season. Notably, Kohli stepped down as RCB captain after IPL 2021, bringing an end to his 8-year-tenure as skipper without winning a title in the premier T20 competition.

Ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction, Harbhajan Singh feels Kohli still remains the best man to lead RCB. “Despite having many big names, RCB is a team who is yet to lift the title. AB de Villiers won’t play this season and Kohli has stepped down from captaincy… so they need to find a captain now. Among Indians, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan are the two names who can efficiently lead the team,” Harbhajan said while speaking on his YouTube channel.

“Shreyas has already shown his captaincy prowess while leading the Delhi franchise. But I think Kohli will have to don the captaincy hat again. RCB won’t get a better leader than him. RCB is making a new team and they will search for a good leader. But does Kohli want to take up the role? It will be a big challenge but I won’t be surprised if he agrees to be the captain for the next 1-2 years,” Harbhajan added.

Harbhajan also mentioned David Warner and Aaron Finch’s name for the leadership role. “Talking about overseas options, David Warner is the best pick. He will captain the side and score runs as well. Aaron Finch is also a player who can lead the team. He may have not performed exceptionally well with the bat but RCB can rope him as a captain. RCB can also look for Eoin Morgan. I’ve played under Morgan in Kolkata Knight Riders and he’s got a composed attitude. But according to me, Kohli’s return to captaincy is the best option for Bangalore,” Harbhajan further said.

IPL 2022: Wasim Jaffer steps down as Punjab Kings batting coach, shares a hilarious meme to announce his exit

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Wasim Jaffer has resigned his role as Punjab Kings’ batting coach a couple of days ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction. He joined the then Kings XI Punjab in the year 2019 and worked closely with the support staff till the 2021 season.

Just a day away from the auction and former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer announced that he won’t be part of the Punjab Kings anymore. In Jaffer’s time as the batting coach, skipper KL Rahul had two memorable seasons with the bat scoring 670 and 626 runs in 2020 and 2021 respectively. 

Jaffer announced his exit from the Punjab-based franchise with a hilarious Twitter post by sharing a meme featuring popular Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor from the movie ‘Ae Dil hei Mushkil’. Jaffer captioned the post, “Adios, and thank you  @PunjabKingsIPL, it’s been a pleasure. Wishing @anilkumble1074 and the team very best for #IPL2022.”

However, this is the second major departure from Anil Kumble’s coaching staff ahead of the new season. Earlier assistant coach Andy Flower had left PBKS and joined the Lucknow Super Giants, who have been appointed him as the head coach ahead of their inaugural season in the league. Notably, with Rs. 72 Crore in the bank, PBKS has the highest auction purse among all 10 teams going into the mega auction. 

‘Last seen In Chahal’s pocket’: Dwayne Bravo shares ‘missing’ report of Kieron Pollard

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West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard was ruled out of the 2nd ODI due to a niggle and Nicholas Pooran took over the captaincy duties. But they suffered a 44-run defeat, losing the three-match series 2-0. Many believe Pollard’s presence might have made a difference in the result of the game.

Pollard had only featured in the first ODI against India and incurred a golden duck at the hands of spinner Yuzvendra Chahal  on the very first delivery he faced. Soon after, he couldn’t even feature for West Indies in the second ODI after suffering an injury. The team from the Caribbean Island largely missed their captain in 2nd ODI. However Bravo, who is a close friend of Kieron Pollard shared a missing post for the veteran all-rounder.

Bravo turned to his official Instagram handle to share the ‘missing’ picture of Pollard amid doubts over his return for the third ODI. After being clean bowled by Yuzvendra Chahal on in the first ODI, Pollard was forced to sit out of the second ODI due to fitness concerns. “Age: 34, Height: 1.85m, Last Seen: In Chahal’s pocket, If Found Please Contact WEST INDIES,” read the details on the poster. Meanwhile, Bravo himself wrote: “This is really a Sad day @kieron.pollard55 my best friend is missing guys pls if u have any info pls inbox me or report to the police”. Bravo posted on social media.

Meanwhile, the West Indies alrounder Kieron Pollard is all set to return to captaining West Indies in the final ODI against India. With valuable ICC Cricket World Cup Super League points available, the visiting side will be keen at least end the series with a win before the caravan shifts to the T20Is.

ICC ODI rankings: India captain Rohit Sharma retains 3rd spot

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On Wednesday, The International Cricket Council shared the updated ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings. Rohit Sharma has retained his third spot. However, he has closed in with second-placed Virat Kohli.

India’s new white-ball captain Rohit Sharma remained at third place after gained some valuable points from his fifty in the first ODI of the three-match series against the West Indies .Babar Azam and Virat Kohli continued to hold onto the top two spot. However former skipper Virat Kohli lost some ratings at the second spot, closing in with Rohit by 21 ratings.

Rohit and Kohli happen to be the only Indians in the top ten, while senior opener Shikhar Dhawan has dropped a spot to 14th. Pakistan skipper Babar Azam dominates the principal place with 873 points. In the meantime, KL Rahul remains in the 25th spot, while Rishabh Pant is down to 77th.

In the all-rounders’ list, Ravindra Jadeja was placed eighth, while West Indies’ Jason Holder, following his half-century in the first ODI in Ahmedabad, went up four places to get into the top 20. And here was no movement in the top 10 of the bowling rankings, as India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah remained unchanged on seventh. Notably in the ODI Bowling Rankings, Jasprit Bumrah is the only player in the Top-10 list. Outside the top ten, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is up to 17th, while seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar remains at 20th and fellow seamer Mohammed Shami at 25th. Pacer Shardul Thakur loses a couple of spots to go down at 80th.

‘Someone else took credit of what I did in Australia series’: Ajinkya Rahane

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Former Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane has revealed that someone else took the credit for what he achieved during the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In a chat on Backstage with Boria, Rahane broke silence on a number of matters pertaining to his career.

Rahane opened up about how his contributions to India’s glorious Border-Gavaskar Trophy victory in 2021 always went unnoticed.  The Indian batsman who led the team during the India tour of Australia in 2021 spoke elaborately about how others walked away with the credit for his decision during the series. Rahane said that there were few decisions that he had taken but someone else took the credit, adding that the important thing for him was to win the series. 

“I know what I’ve done in Australia series and that’s not my nature to go out there and take credits. Yes, there were few decisions that I had taken, but someone else took the credit. Important was for me to win the series,” Rahane said. However, since his match-winning 112 at MCG in December of 2020, runs have dried up for Rahane. Since January of 2021, Rahane has featured in 15 Tests and has scored only three half-centuries.

Many experts said that Rahane is in the twilight of his career. In fact, many feel that Rahane has already played his final Test for India. However, the man himself doesn’t feel that those who thoroughly understand the game would make such comments. “I just smile when people says my career is finished, people who know the sport don’t talk like that – everyone knows what happened in Australia/even before it, my contribution in red ball – people who love the sport will talk sensibly,” said Rahane.

“It was kind of a childhood dream for me “: Deepak Hooda expressed his happiness over getting ODI cap from Virat Kohli,

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All-rounder Deepak Hooda said that it was a dream come true moment for him when he received his ODI debut cap from former skipper Virat Kohli ahead of the first ODI against West Indies. 

Hooda has always dreamed of playing for India and receiving the debut cap from either Kohli or the legendary MS Dhoni .He also stated that he has worked hard for representing the Indian side and stated that he feels blessed to be a part of the Indian cricket team. “I made my debut in the first ODI, it was an amazing feeling. You always work hard for that, before the match I spoke to you. I feel blessed to be a part of the side. It was my childhood dream to get cap from either MS Dhoni or Virat Kohli. Getting the cap from Kohli was an amazing feeling. I worked on side lining the distraction and work on my process,” said Hooda in a video released on BCCI.tv.

“After getting once into the Indian team, I had a bad domestic season. But at the same time, I had it in me that I had to keep the distraction on the sidelines and work on my process. This is the thing I was doing. The thing which was driving me was that I had to go every day, keep the process right and be a better player. Good things take time but keep yourself ready. Obviously, it is a blessed feeling to share the dressing room with Virat bhai, Rohit bhai and Rahul Dravid bhai. They all have been legends of the game and you always get to learn a lot. Seeing their processes, being a youngster, there is learning everywhere which I felt personally.” Hooda added

Notably in both matches, the 26-year-old scored 26 not out and 29. With his part-time off-spin, Hooda took out Shamarh Brooks in the second match as India clinched the series, ensuring the third ODI on Friday would become a dead rubber. India lead the series 2-0 ahead of the final game.

Fans come up with hilarious reactions after Sunrisers Hyderabad launch new orange jersey

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Sunrisers Hyderabad on Wednesday, February 9, unveiled its new jersey for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League. The announcement comes just three days ahead of the IPL 2022 auction to be held in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13.

The SRH took to social media on Wednesday to share a glimpse of their redesigned jersey. They have retained their trademark orange and back colour, giving the outfit a sharper look. The black stripes on the jersey have been removed from the new kit. The black colour will only be limited to the sleeves while the rest of the kit will be fully orange. “Presenting our new jersey. The #OrangeArmour for the #OrangeArmy,” SRH tweeted.

After seeing the colour of the jersey, the fans couldn’t help themselves but notice the resemblance with the kit of the Big Bash League (BBL) side Perth Scorchers from the last year. Some users also found similarities between the kit of Big Bash League side Perth Scorchers and the new jersey of SRH. Here’s how netizens reacted to SRH’s new jersey design on social media.

https://twitter.com/slogsweep_/status/1491382046417362949?s=20&t=5s3J8xgWtVzf8N4mxN-_nA

Sunrisers Hyderabad is one of the consistent teams in the Indian Premier League. However, things didn’t go too well for them last year. They lacked application with both bat and ball. SRH skipper David Warner was sacked mid-season due to his team’s poor performance. Coming into IPL 2022, SRH made some big changes to the squad. SRH have retained Kane Williamson and two more young Indians, namely Abdul Samad and Umran Malik. Ahead of the mega-auctions, developing a potent bowling attack will be one of their biggest challenges. Dale Steyn has been appointed as the new fast bowling coach.

India beat West Indies by 44 runs in the second ODI in Ahmedabad.

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India beat West Indies by 44 runs in the second ODI at Narendra Modi Stadium .India gain unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. 

India managed to score a below par 237/9 in 50 overs after being put in to bat by West Indies‘ stand-in captain Nicholas Pooran in the 2nd ODI. India’s opening stand didn’t last long as Kemar Roach dismissed Rohit on 5. Virat Kohli on 18 and Rishabh Pant on 18. After that, KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav notched up a 50-run stand in 83 balls. They added a total of 91 runs. While, Rahul was dismissed for 49. Suryakumar went on to score a half century but his dismissal for 64 too the wind out of India’s sails. A cameo from Deepak Hooda helped India post 237 eventually.

When Windies came out to chase, they were looking set for a win since both the openers Brendan King and Shai Hope did very well to negotiate the new ball. However, West Indies lost opener Brandon King (18) and Darren Bravo (1). Prasidh Krishna produced a power-packed performance with the ball . Prasidh Krishna was the standout bowler for India as he picked a classy four-fer while conceding just 12 runs in nine overs including three maiden overs.

Shardul Thakur picked two wickets while Yuzvendra Chahal Mohammed Siraj, Deepak Hooda, and Washington Sundar got one each to their credit. The Indian bowlers bundled out the opposition for 193. India had won the first ODI by six wickets and now the third game will be played on February 11.

‘Grip Is Too Wide Jam’: Harbhajan Singh gives bowling advice to Rahul Dravid

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Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh has reacted to his ex-teammate and India’s current head coach Rahul Dravid’s bowling pictures.  Rahul Dravid bowled spin in the nets ahead of the second ODI at Ahmedabad.

The BCCI on Monday shared two photos of head coach Rahul Dravid bowling spin in the Team India nets ahead of the second one-day international against West Indies. BCCI  shared the images and captioned the post: “Celebrating the 23rd anniversary of @anilkumble1074’s 10-74.” Harbhajan retweeted the BCCI post.

Replying to BCCI’s tweet, the former India off-spinner pointed out that Dravid’s grip with the ball is too much wide and also mentioned that he won’t be able to get much spin from the ball. ‘Grip is too wide jam .. won’t be able to spin as much you like,’ said Harbhajan.

Rahul Dravid was bowling at the nets to mark the 23rd anniversary of Anil Kumble’s 10-wicket haul, which he claimed in an India-Pakistan Test match at New Delhi, India in 1999. Only three cricketers have been able to achieve this ridiculous feat in cricket history; Jim Laker, Kumble and Ajaz Patel. England’s Laker was the first to take wickets in an innings, by doing so against Australia in 1956. After Kumble, Ajaz did the same last year, when he took all 10 wickets in an innings vs India in Mumbai. Also, all three bowlers who have achieved this feat are spinners.