Batting maestros Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Virat Kohli have made a cut to former Australia batter Michael Hussey's "Best Enemies XI" in Test cricket.

Hussey picked Sehwag and former South African captain Graeme Smith as openers in the batting line-up which consists stalwarts like Brian Lara, Tendulkar, Kohli, Jacques Kallis and Kumar Sangakkara.

The bowling unit included South Africans Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, England's James Anderson and legendary Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.

The left-handed batsman, who played Test cricket for Australia from 2005 to 2013, however didn't included his former Chennai Super Kings teammate MS Dhoni.

"I wrestled with this one between Kumar Sangakkara, MS Dhoni and AB de Villiers. But I think the latter two have got more impact in the shorter formats T20s and ODI," Hussey said while picking the Best XI of opponents he has played against in Test cricket on "The Unplayable Podcast".

"Sangakkara had immense impact in Test cricket," he added.

Hussey played a total of 79 Tests, 185 ODIs and 38 T20Is in which he scored 6235, 5442 and 721 runs respectively.

Michael Hussey's 'Best of Enemies' XI: Virender Sehwag, Graeme Smith, Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Jacques Kallis, Kumar Sangakkara, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, James Anderson, Muttiah Muralitharan.

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Kumar Sangakkara and Brett Lee were the only overseas players that made it to veteran South African pacer Dale Steyn's best XI of players he has faced or played with.'

Interestingly, the team included his "school bowling partner", "best friend" and his "club captain," Cricket South Arica said in its tweet.

Steyn picked his former South African skipper Graeme Smith and former Sri Lankan captain Sangakkara as openers. Jacques Kallis, widely rated as one of the greatest all- rounders of all time, slots in at no.4 while Jhonty Rhodes comes in at no.5.

Wicketkeeper and current South African limited overs skipper Quinton de Kock came in at no.6.

Australia's Lee, former South African spinner Paul Harris and Proteas fast bowling great Allan Donald made up the bowling department.

A notable omission from Steyn's XI is AB de Villiers, with whom he played most of his international matches with and was considered among the batsmen in the world throughout his international career. Also, there was no India in the XI picked up by Steyn.

Steyn's Best XI he played with or against: Kumar Sangakkara, Graeme Smith, Dave Hawken, Jacques Kallis, Jonty Rhodes, Quinton de Kock, Bret Bargiachi, Peter Lombard, Brett Lee, Paul Harris, Allan Donald.

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Pakistan's discarded wicket-keeper batsman Kamran Akmal is keen for his disgraced younger brother Umar Akmal to learn from the conduct of India's three superstars -- Virat Kohli, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar. Umar was banned by Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) panel for three years from all forms of cricket for his failure to report a corrupt approach. Over the years, Umar has had a number of issues which has left many following Pakistan cricket upset. "It has been a difficult time for us as a family with not just COVID-19, but with the situation around Umar. He can never be what the media says he did. He may have reported late, but PCB should deal with him like anyone else.

Cricket is our bread and butter. He has been dealt a very raw deal by the previous management (led by former coach Mickey Arthur). He needs a bit more support," Karman said on the Cow Corner Chronicles. The elder brother is therefore keen for his younger brother to learn and improve by observing India's superstars. "My advice for Umar is that he has to learn. If he has made a mistake, he must learn from others. We play together and our focus is only on cricket. He is still young. There are many distractions in life. But he must learn from say Virat Kohli. In the early days of IPL Virat was different and then he changed his attitude and approach. Look how he has turned into world's number one batsman. Then there is our own Babar Azam who is now in the top three in the world. "Then there are other examples like Dhoni. Look at the way he led his team.

Then Sachin paaji who was always away from controversies. These are fantastic examples before us. We should observe and learn from them. They only looked at the sport. Off the ground their behaviour was impeccable with their fans and they are fine ambassadors for the sport. We can only benefit from their examples. All this benefits our country as well just from looking at these guys, especially the current lot of Kohli, Babar Azam and Abid Ali," Kamran said. Kamran has played 53 Tests, 157 ODIs and 58 T20Is in his career that started in 2002. He last played for Pakistan in 2017 in the white ball format. During his career he has had a number of controversies both on and off the field. Most famously he had skirmishes with India's Gautam Gambhir and Ishant Sharma. He clashed with Gambhir during the 2010 Asia Cup in Dambulla and later with Ishant during a Twenty20 International in Bengaluru in 2012-13. But Kamran says he has left all that behind and forgotten about it, as he referred to the Delhi pair as good friends. "It was all due to misunderstanding and happened due to the heat of the moment then. Gautam and I are good friends because we have played a lot in 'A' cricket. We meet regularly, have food together. It was all due to me not understanding what he said.

The same with Ishant in Bangalore. You know me I don't say much on the field. Both Gautam and Ishant are very good boys. We respect them and they respect us. What happens on the field, stays there," remarked Kamran. In recent times, Gambhir and Pakistan's retired former captain Shahid Afridi have had a number of social media tussles. Akmal believes Gambhir should forget all about the past. "Gautam should make a statement that brings the two teams and the two countries closer. I will never forget the warmth we got in 2005, 2007 and 2012 trips to India and vice versa. We should end this hostility and bring ourselves closer. We are drifting away from each other as teams and nations despite being similar in many ways. "We should be prepared to play in bilateral series. Either you come here or we come there. That is the only way to end this misunderstanding. Bringing up old topics will not solve any problems. Playing each other only in ICC events and Asia Cup is just not enough. We can build memories for a lifetime which everyon

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e can talk about for a long time to come and get the two countries closer," Kamran said.

As the ace cricketer Rohit Sharma turns 33 today, let us go down the memory lane and relive the three double tons scored by the right-handed batsman in the ODI format.

Rohit, popularly known as the 'Hitman' made his ODI debut on June 23, 2007, but the batsman came into his known once he became the full-fledged opener in the limited formats.

Opening the batting, Rohit played his natural game and dominated the bowling attacks from the very start of his innings.

It is a testament to Rohit's aggressive batting abilities that the batsman has three double tons to his name in the ODI format.

Now, let's relive Rohit's three double tons in the 50-over format.

209 vs Australia, Bengaluru, 2013

Batting first, Rohit was slow off the mark and he took his time in building the innings. However, as soon as he got the scheme of things, Rohit started to go after the spin bowlers and in no time went past the 100-run mark. After reaching his century, he shifted gears and went on to bring up his first double century in ODIs. He went on to play a knock of 209 off just 158 balls. This innings helped India post 383 runs on the board, and the effort helped the side win the match by 57 runs.

264 vs Sri Lanka, Kolkata, 2014

Rohit went on to score 264 runs off just 173 balls against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata and this knock remains the highest score by any batsman in the 50-over format to date. The 32-year-old was given a reprieve when he was just on a score of four runs, and the batsman went on to make the most of it as he scored 260 more runs to make the Sri Lankan bowlers toil on the field.

208 vs Sri Lanka, Mohali, 2017

Batting first, Rohit Sharma went on play a knock of 208 runs off just 153 balls to take the Men in Blue's score to 392/4. The right-handed batsman's innings was studded with 13 fours and 12 sixes. This effort helped India win the match by 141 runs.

In the 2019 Cricket World Cup, Rohit Sharma finished the tournament as the highest run-scorer after registering 648 runs from just nine matches at an average of 81.00.

During the tournament, he had also become the first batsman to score five centuries in a single edition of the World Cup.

Rohit, who is now the vice-captain of the ODI team, has played 224 ODIs, 108 T20Is and 32 Tests so far.

The limited-overs vice-captain has so far scored 14,029 runs across all formats.

In the longest format, he has also reinvented himself as the batsman started opening the batting in Test cricket last year.

Rohit would have been in action for the Mumbai Indians had the Indian Premier League (IPL) commenced from March 29.

However, the tournament has been suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president and former skipper Sourav Ganguly on Thursday expressed grief over the demise of the two Bollywood legendary actors Rishi Kapoor and Irrfan Khan and said that he will miss them.

Taking to Twitter Ganguly wrote, "One life .. live to the fullest and happiest .. nothing else matters .. just a reminder. Will miss u both."

One life .. live to the fullest and happiest .. nothing else matters .. just a reminder . Will miss u both pic.twitter.com/BgpruQOy02

— Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) April 30, 2020

India Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane also extended condolences over the passing away of the two great actors of the cinema industry.

"First Irrfan Khan ji and now Rishi Kapoor ji. Feel really sad about this huge loss for all of us. May their soul rest in peace," Rahane tweeted.

Actor Rishi Kapoor's family on Thursday issued a statement on his demise detailing how the veteran remained jovial and determined to live to the fullest right through two years of cancer treatment. He passed away at 8:45 am IST, the Kapoor family said.

In September 2019, Rishi and wife Neetu returned to India after almost a year in New York for his cancer treatment. During this time, the couple was visited by scores of celebrities from Deepika Padukone to Priyanka Chopra and many others.

Rishi Kapoor was admitted to the Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in Mumbai on Wednesday. In September 2019, the veteran actor returned to Mumbai after staying in New York for almost a year for cancer treatment. He was last seen in the 2019 film 'The Body' alongside Emraan Hashmi and Shobita Sobhita Dhulipala.

This has been a terrible week for the Indian film industry. On Wednesday, ace actor Irrfan Khan had also passed away, aged 53. The internationally renowned actor passed away at Mumbai's Kokilaben Hospital while battling rare cancer.

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Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor, 67, who succumbed to cancer on Thursday, was an avid cricket fan with a feel for the history of the game.

Balvinder Singh Sandhu, the man who claimed the first West Indies wicket (Gordon Greenidge) in the fabled 1983 World Cup final at Lord's, remembered how Kapoor was happy to hear about past matches while a lot of his conversations with the departed film stalwart centered around India's 1983 triumph.

Sandhu was present on the sets of the 2011 film, Patiala House for which he had trained star actor Akshay Kumar, who played the role of a cricketer called Parghat Singh Kahlon.

Sandhu's special evening

"I was tucking into an early dinner one evening at Nottingham and Rishi comes to me and says that no one has dinner so early. He urged me to accompany him to a Trent Bridge bar and that's where we were for a few hours, sipping whiskey and talking cricket. I told him I was a big fan of his father, Raj Kapoor and we enjoyed a lovely, memorable evening," Sandhu told mid-day on Thursday.

The former swing bowler was amazed how Kapoor got immersed in his character, Gurtej Singh Kahlon (aka Bauji), who initially did not approve of his son Parghat (aka Gattu) playing cricket for England. "It was tremendous to see him display his skills before the camera. I told him that his performance was going to fetch him an award. He did it so well," remarked Sandhu.

Balvinder Singh Sandhu

Meanwhile, across the border, Pakistan's former wicketkeeper Wasim Bari said he cherished Kapoor's friendship ever since they met on his first Test tour to India in 1979-80. Kapoor met Pakistan cricket journalist Qamar Ahmed at a party during the series and expressed a desire to speak to Bari. Qamar arranged that and Rishi became good friends with Bari, then arguably, the No. 1 wicketkeeper in world cricket.

"I am very sad to hear the news of Rishi's death. I tried reaching out to him while he was undergoing his cancer treatment but couldn't. I remember being invited for a meal at his home and him even giving me a gift for my wife. My condolences to the Kapoor family, including Neetu," Bari, 72 told mid-day.

Those Sharjah trips

Meanwhile, Bari's former teammate and captain Zaheer Abbas recalled a great bond with Kapoor which got stronger during the departed actor's visits to Sharjah and Zaheer's trips to India.

Wasim Bari

"Rishi would always offer me a cigar and would cut and shape it for me," Zaheer told Qamar during a lunch meeting on Thursday.

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India head coach Ravi Shastri and his counterparts with the A and junior teams discussed future plans for their respective sides in an online interaction, making use of their time at home amid a national lockdown. National Cricket Academy (NCA) head Rahul Dravid was the man behind the initiative and senior team support staff comprising Shastri, bowling Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar were a part of this interaction last week.

"It wasn't an online coaching class. You can say it was an interaction where you give ideas and listen to the mindset and plans of other coaches. There has only been one such session but it is likely to be a regular affair," an NCA official told PTI. The online session was also attended by junior and NCA coaches including Paras Mhambrey, Narendra Hirwani, Abhay Sharma and Sitanshu Kotak.

"If senior coaches like Shastri, Arun and Sridhar are also part of the interaction, you are bound to learn something from their rich international experience," the official said. "At the moment, it is a lockdown so it was easier to organise this. It remains to be seen how often it can be done when things are normal and the Indian team is on duty," the official added.

The aim was to bring in more synergy in the work of national teams (senior, India A and under-19). All global sporting activity has come to a standstill due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There is no clarity when the Indian team will take the field next, having played last in New Zealand in the first week of March.

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Looking to suck out every dollar available, cricket was suffering from an overkill and the Coronavirus-forced break should be used to introspect whether the game is heading in the right direction, says West Indies fast bowling great Michael Holding. The cricketer-turned-commentator personally believes hitting the pause button for a while was necessary amid excessive commercialisation of the sport. "Just use the pause to look within the game, to look at what has been happening with the administrators, with the players, and think: Are we heading in the right direction? Is everything okay with our game? Personally, I don't think so," Holding told ESPNcricinfo.

"Everybody has just been head-over-heels charging down the hill, looking for every dollar available. But can we just pause a bit, hit a plateau for a bit and sit down and look and see if everything is fine? There is too much cricket being played, for one." The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the world to a standstill with sporting events around the globe have been postponed or cancelled. The hugely-popular IPL has been postponed indefinitely and the T20 World Cup, to be held later this year in Australia, is also under doubt.

The deadly disease has so far claimed around 2,18,000 lives with India accounting for more than 1000 deaths. Holding, nicknamed 'whispering death' for his quiet approach, said sooner or later the administrators will have to resume cricketing action and if needed, behind the closed doors.

"A lot of administrations figure that they have to play some form of the game to satisfy their broadcasters. Because if the broadcasters don't get what they pay for, they are going to demand their money back," said the Jamaican, who is an avid fan of horse racing and is currently locked down at Cayman Island. "So they have to try and play cricket behind closed doors, or whatever form they can get to play. I can't fault them for trying to do that."

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Australia opener David Warner is making most of the time he is getting to spend with his family due to the coronavirus pandemic which has brought the entire cricketing calendar to a grinding halt. On Thursday, Warner posted yet another Tik Tok video in which he and his wife Candice are dancing on a popular song 'Butta Bomma'. The couple can be seen swaying to the hook steps of the song. "It's tiktok time buttabomma get out of your comfort zone people lol Candice Warner," the Australian opener captioned the video on Instagram.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

It’s tiktok time #buttabomma get out of your comfort zone people lol @candywarner1

A post shared by David Warner (@davidwarner31) onApr 29, 2020 at 11:58pm PDT

The song is a popular number from Telegu movie Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo and featured Allu Arjun along with Pooja Hegde. Earlier this week, Warner had upload a hilarious video featuring Candice in which they are seen switching 'jobs'. The video started with Warner in full kit and his wife virtually kayaking just beside him. Then they switch characters and Warner is seen wearing his wife's swimsuit and she, on the other hand, is in full Australian ODI kit.

Before that, Warner had shared a TikTok video in which he was dancing with his daughter on popular Bollywood track 'Sheila Ki Jawani'.

In normal circumstances, Warner would have been currently leading Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League but due to COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament stands indefinitely postponed.

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Star Australian opener David Warner does not see the need to abolish the use of saliva to shine the ball when cricket resumes in the post COVID-19 world as he feels it is no more or no less risky than sharing the change room with fellow players. There is speculation that use of saliva to shine the ball will be stopped to cut down the risk of the highly contagious infection when international cricket restarts. "You're sharing change rooms and you're sharing everything else, I don't see why you have to change that," Warner told 'cricket.com.au'.

"It's been going around for hundreds of years now, I can't recall anyone that's got sick by doing that. If you're going to contract a bug, I don't think it'd necessarily be just from that. "I'm not too sure but it's not my place to comment on whether or not we should or shouldn't (use saliva to shine the ball). It's up to the ICC and the governing bodies to decide."

However, former fast bowler Shaun Tait believes it is important to be open about changes and the use of saliva could become a thing of the past. "I've never been a huge fan of the saliva on the ball, it's not very nice really," Tait said. "We have to open to some possible changes there." The subject of legalisation of ball tampering has led to divided opinions with West Indies pace great Michael Holding saying it is a bit "self contradictory", while South Africa legend Allan Donald being open to the idea.

Among others, batting great Sachin Tendulkar said players will be wary of using saliva to shine the ball, while Pakistan legend Waqar Younis, former India pacer Ashish Nehra and spinner Harbhajan Singh have supported the use of spit.

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Australia have moved to the top of the Test and T20I rankings for men while England continue to lead the men's ODI rankings after the annual update carried out on Friday, which eliminates results from 2016-17. In the latest update, that rates all matches played since May 2019 at 100 per cent and those of the previous two years at 50 per cent, Australia (116) have taken over from India as the top-ranked side in the ICC men's Test team rankings with New Zealand (115) remaining in second place. India are now third with 114 points.

With only two points separating them, this is the second closest the top three teams have been since the Test rankings were launched in 2003. The closest for the top three teams were in January 2016, when India had led Australia and South Africa by a single point. India have yielded the top spot for the first time since October 2016. This is largely because India had won 12 Tests and lost just one Test in 2016-17, the records of which were removed in the latest update. They had won all five series during this period including against Australia and England.

On the other hand, Australia had lost to South Africa as well as to India in the same period. South Africa have suffered the biggest rating fall of eight points, which sees them drop below Sri Lanka into sixth place. They had won three series in the period culled, while they have lost eight of their nine Tests since February 2019, playing against Sri Lanka, India and England. India still lead the ICC World Test Championship, a league comprising six series played by each of the top nine Test sides.

In the ICC men's ODI team rankings, reigning World champions England (127) have increased their lead over India from six to eight points. New Zealand remain in third place, three points behind India, The top ten rankings remain unchanged. By contrast, the updated ICC Men's T20I team rankings see plenty of changes. Australia (278) top the list for the first time since the T20I rankings were introduced in 2011. Pakistan, who had overtaken New Zealand to reach top position in January 2018 and then spent 27 months there, are now fourth with 260 points.

England have moved into second position with 268 points while India are up one place to third, just two points behind. Afghanistan are down from seventh to tenth while Bulgaria are the biggest gainers, up 12 places to 51st in the 84-country list of teams that played the requisite six matches in the past three years.

When the global T20I rankings were launched 12 months ago, there were 80 ranked teams. Since then seven teams have joined the table (Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Romania and Turkey), while three countries (France, Isle of Man and France) have lost their rankings having played insufficient matches.

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On this day in 1995, former Australian batsman Steve Waugh played his highest Test innings as he scored 200 against West Indies at Sabina Park in Kingston. the final Test of the four-match series, playing against a fearsome West Indies attack spearheaded by Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose, Waugh stood firmly at one end and guided the side to post 531 runs in the first innings after bundling the hosts for 265. Waugh's double ton was studded with 17 fours and one six.

In the second innings, Paul Reiffel and Shane Warne scalped four wickets each to bundle Windies at 213. The visitors won the match by an innings and 53 runs under the leadership of Mark Taylor, Waugh was awarded as the Player of the Match for his spectacular batting performance. Australia also won the series by 2-1 after one match ended as a draw and became the first side to defeat the invincible Caribbean team in 15 years.

Waugh played 168 Tests and scored 10,927 runs at an average of 51.06. He is at the eleventh spot in the all-time run-scorer list of the longest format. In 325 ODIs, the middle-order batsman amassed 7569 runs. He hammered 35 centuries and 95 fifties across all formats.

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Veteran Kiwi batsman Ross Taylor on Friday claimed the top honour on the final day of the 2020 New Zealand Cricket Awards, winning the prestigious Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for the third time while Tim Southee was named Test Player of the Year. The virtual ceremony also saw Canterbury umpire Kim Cotton's meteoric rise through the officiating ranks recognised with the GJ Gardner Homes New Zealand Cricket Umpire of the Year award. Taylor had a great season, he helped guide the Blackcaps to a second successive ICC Cricket World Cup Final. He surpassed Stephen Fleming's all-time Test runs scoring record for New Zealand and became the first cricketer to play 100 international games in each of the three formats.

The 36-year-old was once again the glue in the top-order, amassing 1,389 runs across the three formats in a season in which he played in all but one of the Blackcaps' 32 internationals, from England to Sri Lanka, Australia and at home. Taylor reflected on the influence of the late Martin Crowe who was instrumental in developing the right hander's Test technique and helping him to set his goals. "I'm sure he would be proud of this. Marty was able to pass on a lot of his experience and wisdom which has played a massive part in my career," Taylor said.

"It was always something that he always pushed me to do (break records). I think he would probably be surprised at how well I have done. But I've been fortunate to be helped by a lot of people over the years and I guess when you win awards like this it's nice to be able to thank them," he added. On the other hand, Southee claimed 40 wickets from eight Tests, including 14 in the two-Test wins against India, in Wellington and Christchurch.

In the four Tests, the Kiwis won during the judging period, he took 25 wickets at an average of 16.40.

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New Zealand batsman Henry Nicholls has donated his ICC 2019 World Cup shirt to UNICEF to help raise funds for the battle against COVID-19. The 28-year-old has offered his half-sleeve shirt signed by his teammates to facilitate meals for Kiwi families. The official Twitter handle of UNICEF New Zealand wrote, "NZ Cricketer @HenryNicholls27 has offered up one of his prized 2019 Cricket World Cup jerseys, signed by the whole team! One lucky donor who has supported our #FoodForKiwiFamilies appeal will receive it. You've got to be in it, to win it so donate now!"

Anyone who donates by Monday, irrespective of the amount, will enter a draw and one lucky person will get the shirt. The Blackcaps played their second consecutive final but failed to bring the trophy home as they lost to England on the basis of the boundary-countback rule. As a result, the Three Lions went on to lift their first-ever 50-over title.

The normal 50-over match action and super over had ended as a tie, and in the end, England was announced as the winners after scoring more boundaries in the match. As all the sporting activities including cricket have been suspended due to the global surge of the coronavirus pandemic, the left-handed batsman was last seen in action against Australia in an ODI on March 13.

He has played 33 Tests, 49 ODIs, and 5 shortest format games for Kiwis. The player has scored 3,095 runs across all formats including six centuries.

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India cricketer Rohit Sharma turned 33 yesterday and wife Ritika wrote him a sweet message accompanying this picture she Instagrammed to her 1.8 million followers:

Ritika Sajdeh wrote, “Happiest birthday to the one that makes me laugh till I can’t breathe, to my favourite travel companion, to my best friend, to the best dad, to the one that can’t sing even if his life depended on it. To the best I could ever wish for, happy birthday, Love you, Ro.” The post received a whopping 250,000-plus ‘likes’ within a few hours.  

 

 

 

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Happiest birthday to the one that makes me laugh till I can’t breathe, to my favourite travel companion, to my best friend, to the best dad, to the one that can’t sing even if his life depended on it. To the best I could ever wish for, happy birthday ❤️ love you Ro

A post shared by Ritika Sajdeh (@ritssajdeh) onApr 29, 2020 at 11:02pm PDT

Ritika Sajdeh and Rohit Sharma were dating for a few years after they met via a mutual friend in none other than Yuvraj Singh. Rohit and Ritika got married on December 13, 2015. Three years later, in 2018, they welcomed their child Samaira into the world.

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When Vikrant Keni, who led the Indian team to its maiden Physical Disability T20 World Series in England last year, and teammate Gurudas Raut were invited by BCCI president Sourav Ganguly & Co to the Cricket Centre on March 4 to receive the token cheque of R65 lakh as prize money for their flawless performance, their achhe din may have begun to look like coming true.

A few weeks later, India went into lockdown to fight against the dreadful Coronavirus and the 18-player team have not received their share of R3 lakh each. The Indian cricket board has yet to release the payment but say the players will receive their dues soon.

The Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) had approved the prize money for the Indian physically challenged team before their term ended last October. With most of the players from the T20 World Series-winning squad living a hand-to-mouth existence, they feel the BCCI prize money would make a huge difference to them especially in these COVID-19 pandemic-caused testing times.

All-rounder Ramesh Naidu, 24, whose father M Ramu earns R15,000 from driving cars at Vijaya Medical Centre in Visakhapatnam, is finding it difficult to cope with the lockdown. "My family is completely dependent on my father's income. It's difficult to manage during this period," said Naidu, who is in his last year of M Tech (Master of Technology) in Electrical Engineering at IIT Chennai. Naidu had taken an education loan of Rs 4.5 lakh.

Wasim Khan, who hails from the turbulent Kashmir region, was banking on the prize money to cope with the lockdown.

"With no job, it's quite tough to exist. My elder brother is a lawyer but he is without any work at the moment. We have some groceries at home but I don't know how long they will last. We have got no help from anyone. It will be a big relief if BCCI releases our prize money soon," said Wasim, who had scored a match-winning 40-ball 79 in the semi-final against Pakistan.

Hard-hitting batsman Sudanese Mahendaran, 29, who changed the complexion of the game in the final against England with his 11-ball 33, said the lockdown has rendered his family income-less. "There has been no income for the last month as my father has not been able to ride his auto rickshaw due to the lockdown. My close friends are helping us out," said the Tamil Nadu lad.

Bengal-based wicketkeeper batsman Debabrata Roy, 31, is confident BCCI president Ganguly will rescue the players. "I was earning R8,000 till last month as a salesman at a cloth store. I am sure Dada [Ganguly] will look into our problems," said Roy.

Left-arm spinner Anish Rajan, who was India's highest wicket-taker (11) in the tournament, has had his share of suffering in the lockdown.

Skipper Vikrant Keni (right) and teammate Gurudas Raut with the R65 lakh cheque they received from the BCCI in March. Pic/ Suresh Karkera

A mechanical engineer by profession, Rajan quit his job in 2015 to pursue a career in cricket.

"My dream was to play for India. I play as a professional for Tripunithura Cricket Club in Kochi and I also officiate in matches as umpire or scorer. However, due to the lockdown, there has been no source of income," he said.

Skipper Keni, who is lucky to have a steady source of income, sympathised with the financial condition of some of his teammates. "Most of the players from my team are struggling as they have no jobs. I think the BCCI prize money is taking time due to the lockdown," said Palghar-based Keni.

BCCI's General Manager Cricket Operations, Syed Saba Karim told mid-day on Friday that the prize money will be remitted in a couple of days. "It has been approved and in a day or two, it will be processed. The amount will be deposited in their [players'] bank account. It has been cleared from our side," Karim said.

I will talk to BCCI: AICAPC prez Ghavri

AICAPC prez Karsan Ghavri

The president of the All India Cricket Association for Physically Challenged (AICAPC), Karsan Ghavri said he would talk to the BCCI officials to release the prize money of the Physical Disability T20 World Series-winning team once the lockdown ends. "It [the prize money] was supposed to go into the players' account, but it has not happened. This is not the right time to talk. Let everything settle down. We will definitely speak to the authorities," the former India all-rounder told mid-day.
Ghavri is also hopeful of sorting out the employment problems of the physically challenged cricketers. "We are definitely trying to help them out. In fact, Nitin Gadkari, a senior minister in the central government, is helping us a lot in this regard," he added.

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Australia will not allow the use of saliva or sweat to shine the ball once cricket training resumes in the post COVID-19 world, says a framework released by the federal government regarding the staged return of sports amid the pandemic. There is speculation that use of saliva to shine the ball will be stopped to cut down the risk of the highly contagious infection with reports suggesting that the ICC is considering the possibility of allowing the use of artificial substances to polish the red ball under the supervision of umpires.

According to ESPNcricinfo, Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in consultation with medical experts, sporting bodies and federal and state governments, has come up with guidelines, restricting the use of saliva and sweat to shine the ball. The framework, which outlines a staged return to play, has three stages—Level A, Level B and Level C.

Currently, restrictions on sport are outlined as being at "Level A", which restricts all training except that of the individual kind. But in little more than a week from now, restrictions will be moved to "Level B" which will allow the following: "Nets—batters facing bowlers. Limit bowlers per net. Fielding sessions—unrestricted. No warm up drills involving unnecessary person-person contact. No shining cricket ball with sweat/saliva during training."

The third and final "Level C", to be permitted later in the year, is outlined as: "Full training and competition. No ball shining with sweat/saliva in training."

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Former West Indies cricketer Ramnaresh Sarwan has broken his silence after his former teammate Chris Gayle took to social media to hit out at him. Gayle had earlier accused Sarwan for engineering his ouster from Caribbean Premier League side Jamaica Tallawahs. "I categorically deny any involvement in the decision, or the decision-making process, which led to Gayle's non-selection to represent the Jamaica Tallawahs in the 2020 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Tournament," Sarwan was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo on his Facebook page. "In that video, he has levelled false allegations and tarnished the good name and reputation of a series of persons.

"I was the focus of most of the onslaughts. I reply, not because I feel that Gayle's rantings are worthy of it, but because I feel that the public's record must be set straight and also, to protect the character and careers of so many people, whose image he sought to besmirch," he added. Gayle had earlier referred to Sarwan as a 'snake' and he even went on to the extent of saying that he was 'worse than coronavirus'.

"Let me make this abundantly clear that I played with Gayle since the inception of my career. I have always respect him as an extraordinary talent, a colleague and most importantly as a close friend. Hence, my utter shock at these allegations," said Sarwan. Tallawahs have also said that Sarwan had nothing to do with Gayle not being retained by the franchise.

"Gayle gave several reasons for the decision that was made not to retain him in the Tallawahs. However, the truth is that this decision was made collectively by the Ownership and Management team which did not include Ramnaresh Sarwan and based purely on business and cricketing reasoning," Tallawahs said in a statement on their official website.

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With so much of disarray caused in cricket scheduling by the Coronavirus, it's a time to expect the unexpected. And that includes some plans which appear far-fetched yet do-able. Probably, the cricket establishment worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic-caused chaos is Cricket Australia, who is scheduled to host October's T20 World Cup and a Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in the Australian summer of 2020-21. Not only has the India-Australia rivalry become the only second to the Ashes in terms of significance, but it is also a major money-spinner. It is safe to assume that no more virus-related threats to this summer's Border-Gavaskar Trophy will give the rulers of Australian cricket much hope to regain lost ground on the financial front.

Five-match Test series likely

A source in the know of cricket administration in Australia says that there could well be a five-Test match India v Australia series and an equal amount of ODI and T20 matches between the two nations. "The administrators here have it all planned. An Australian airline giant will step in to fly the Indian cricketers on a special flight. Social distancing norms will be maintained on board, ruling out all health threats to the players. Matches could be held in no more than two venues with no spectators in the stands of course," said a source. What happens to the Indian Premier League and the T20 World Cup dates? "From what I hear, the T20 World Cup will be held in February-March and India's tour of Australia for the five Tests and limited overs series will be staged from November to early January. The IPL will hopefully take place in the months of October to November," said the source.

Adelaide to host most games

It is learnt that the Australian authorities will propose to hold most matches at the Adelaide Oval, where a hotel is situated at the ground's premises. The Indian players will be extremely busy considering England are to tour India for a series which will be held on the Indian team's return from Australia.

India and Australia have not engaged in a five-Test battle on Australian soil since 1991-92 when the hosts won 4-0. Post the 1999-2000 Border-Gavaskar series which comprised three Tests, both countries have always engaged in a four-Test series Down Under.

India won their first Test series in Australia in January 2019 while Australia have not won a Test series in India since 2004-05.

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The two-month wait endured by India's Physical Disability T20 World Series-winning team for their prize money from the BCCI finally ended on Saturday after the Indian cricket board ensured that the Rs 3 lakh [to each player and support staff member] was remitted in their respective bank accounts.

mid-day on Friday had highlighted the hopes players had from the BCCI after the cash reward was announced on March 4. The BCCI deposited Rs 2.70 lakh [after tax] to all 18 players and five support staff members of the winning team.

It was a huge relief for Suganesh Mahendaran, son of an auto rickshaw driver. "I didn't expect the money to come so soon. When my teammate Ramesh Naidu informed me, I just couldn't believe it. This money is quite precious and we will use it very carefully," said the hard-hitting Tamil Nadu all-rounder, who changed the complexion of the final v England with his 11-ball 33 to help clinch the title in August 2019 at Worcestershire.

Naidu was thrilled too. "It is a huge amount for jobless cricketers like me. I will give this money to my father as he knows how best to utilise it," said Naidu, who is doing his M Tech from IIT Chennai.

Coach Sulakshan Kulkarni thanked mid-day for highlighting the players' cause. "We all received the money from BCCI. mid-day's article has made a lot of difference. So, a big thank you," said the former Mumbai wicketkeeper and Ranji Trophy-winning coach.

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India cricket captain Virat Kohli had a low-key birthday celebration for his actor wife Anushka Sharma, who turned 32 on Friday.

Virat, who has been vocal about how his wife inspires him to fight it out during tough times, shared a picture with his 56.1 million followers on Instagram and wrote: "You my love bring light into this world. And you light up my world everyday. I love you." The post received 4,840,33 'likes' as of Sunday morning.

 

 

 

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You my love bring light into this world. And you light up my world everyday. I love you ❤️

A post shared by Virat Kohli (@virat.kohli) onMay 1, 2020 at 7:01am PDT

Meanwhile, the couple has shared some of their cute moments with fans on social media like Anushka giving a haircut to Virat, urging people to stay at home during lockdown or enjoying a game of Monopoly with family members.

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Calling MS Dhoni his mentor, wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant said the World Cup-winning skipper has his own way of helping the younger crop as he never provides a full solution to a problem, encouraging them to look for answers. Pant, was heir apparent to Dhoni until KL Rahul emerged as a wicketkeeper-batsman in the limited overs format, making the southpaw no more a certainty in the playing XI.

Mentor MSD

"He [Dhoni] has been like a mentor to me, on and off the field. I can approach him freely with any problem I may be facing, and he will never give me the entire solution for it," Pant said in an Instagram live session with his IPL team Delhi Capitals. "This is so that I don't become entirely dependent on him, he gives me hints only that helps me solve the issue myself. He's also one of my favourite batting partners, though we don't bat together often.

Perfect planning

"If Mahi bhai is at the crease, you know things are sorted. He's got a plan in his head, and all you need to do is follow it!" Dhoni, who has not played competitive cricket since July, was supposed to make a much awaited comeback with the IPL, which has now been postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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In a startling revelation, India speedster Mohammed Shami has claimed that he thought of committing suicide thrice while battling personal issues a few years ago, forcing his family to keep a watch over him at all times. He said his family members feared he "might jump" from their 24th floor apartment. Shami, one of India's leading bowlers in recent years, opened up on his personal and professional life during an Instagram chat with teammate and limited overs squads' vice-captain Rohit Sharma.

"I think if my family had not supported me back then I would have lost my cricket. I thought of committing suicide three times during that period due to severe stress and personal problems," Shami revealed during the session on Saturday. Now one of the mainstays of Indian bowling attack across formats, the 29-year-old was struggling to focus on his cricket, then. "I was not thinking about cricket at all. We were living on the 24th floor. They (family) were scared I might jump from the balcony. My brother supported me a lot.

"My 2-3 friends used to stay with me for 24 hours. My parents asked me to focus on cricket to recover from that phase and not think about anything else. I started training then and sweated it out a lot at an academy in Dehradun," Shami said. In March 2018, Shami's wife Hasin Jahan had accused him of domestic violence and lodged a complaint with the police, following which the India player and his brother were booked under relevant sections. The upheaval in his personal life forced his employer BCCI to withheld the player's central contracts for a while.

"Rehab was stressful as the same exercises are repeated every day. Then family problems started and I also suffered an accident. The accident happened 10-12 days ahead of the IPL and my personal problems were running high in the media," Shami told Rohit. Shami said his family stood like a rock with him and the support helped him get back on his feet.

"Then my family explained that every problem has a solution no matter how big the problem. My brother supported me a lot." Speaking about another painful period in his life after his injury in the 2015 World Cup, Shami said it took him almost 18 months to get back on the field. "When I got injured in the 2015 World Cup, after that it took me 18 months to fully recover, that was the most painful moment in my life, it was a very stressful period."

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BCCI president Sourav Ganguly is deeply saddened and intimidated by the devastation caused because of the COVID-19 pandemic and has equated the unprecedented crisis to playing a Test match on a dangerous wicket. The decorated former player opened up on life under lockdown due to the novel coronavirus pandemic that has claimed over 2.40 lakh lives across the world while infecting more than 34 lakh people. "This situation is a Test match on a very dangerous wicket. The ball is seaming and spinning as well - the batsman has very little margin of error," Ganguly said while speaking on '100 Hours 100 Stars', an initiative started by Fever Network.

"So, the batsman has to score runs and keep his wicket safe with this little margin of error, and win this Test match," he added. A winner of innumerable fierce battles during his playing days when there was no dearth of fearsome fast bowlers and quality spinners, Ganguly was tempted to draw a parallel between the tough moments in the sport and the health crisis. "This is very difficult, but we hope that we will win this match together," he added. Ganguly expressed his sadness at the number of lives lost in the pandemic and the irreparable damage that it has caused. "I am really upset seeing the current situation, because so many people are suffering outside. We are still struggling to understand how to stop this pandemic," he said. "This atmosphere all over the world has really bothered me. We don't know how, when and where it came from - we all were unprepared for this," he added. Not just upset, Ganguly conceded he cannot help feeling a big scared of what's unfolding because of the disease. "People are being affected by this so much. There have been so many deaths. This situation upsets me, and I also feel scared," he said.

"People come to my house to deliver groceries, food, so I feel a little scared as well. So it's a mixed feeling. I just want this to end as quickly as possible," he added, He said cricket has taught him to face tough situations in life and the importance of staying alert at all times. Asked how he keeps himself positive, the former captain said: "Cricket has taught me a lot. I faced real life, high-pressure situations. You have to make runs and there is just one ball left. "If you make one wrong move, one wrong footwork, you will not get another chance. These kind of situations make you alert and aware about real life situations," he said. The BCCI chief, though, also added that he is getting to spend a lot of time with his family after a long time. "It's been a month into the lockdown. I didn't mind it earlier. Earlier, I wouldn't get time at home like this. My lifestyle involved travelling for work everyday. "For the past 30-32 days, I have been at home with my family, spending time with my wife, daughter, my mother and my brother. "I have got a time like this after long, so I am enjoying myself," he said.

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Greats likes Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev have pledged their support to Indian Cricketers Association's (ICA) initiative to financially help around 30 needy players amid the nationwide lockdown, said its president Ashok Malhotra. The ICA has so far raised Rs 39 lakh to help former cricketers who are in dire need of funds.

"Big names like Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Gautam Gambhir and Gundappa Viswanath have joined us and that is a major boost to our initiative. A corporate from Gujarat has also offered its support," Malhotra said.

It has been learnt that likes of Gavaskar, Dev and Gambhir have also made financial contributions to the cause. Mohammed Azharuddin had pledged his financial support earlier this week. The ICA will continue to accept donations till May 15, following which it will shortlist 5-6 cricketers from each zone (north, east, west, south and central).

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Former India chief selector MSK Prasad listed out the differences between Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as captains. Speaking during an online live video session, Prasad states the three have altogether different styles of captaincy that has brought so much success over the last few years.

"If you look at fundamental styles, leadership has got so many different styles. These three (Dhoni, Kohli, Rohit) are three different guys and I am sure all three are equally good," Prasad said in an interview uploaded on Fancode app.

"They are three guys who have three different styles. Mahi is absolutely cool, you never know what is there in his mind until it is executed, he's very very cool, and very very accommodative whereas Virat is pretty clear. He's at you all the time, he's very clear in his mind what he wants. If you are talking about Rohit, he's more of an accommodative sort of a guy. He definitely has that empathy towards other players and he thinks from their hats," he said.

Prasad also spoke about the Dhoni's future with Team India. He revealed they had a discussion regarding Dhoni taking some time off from the game and that is why they backed youngster Rishabh Pant in that position.

"We had a discussion and Mahi (Dhoni) didn't want to play for some time. So we moved on and picked Rishabh Pant and we have been backing him. Now KL (Rahul) has also done extremely well in the matches that he played in New Zealand," Prasad said.

"So it would have been nice if the IPL was being played and we would have seen old glimpses of Mahi but now it's a very tricky situation."

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The thought of standing up to Brett Lee's thunderbolts had taken Rohit Sharma's "sleep away" when he first started out but among the current lot, Josh Hazlewood is one speedster the India swashbuckler "doesn't want to face" in Tests.

Rohit said he will have to be mentally prepared to face Hazlewood when India tour Australia for a Test series later this year, provided the COVID-19 pandemic subsides. Asked to name the toughest pacers he has faced so far, Rohit said, "One bowler is Brett Lee because he didn't let me sleep the previous night on my first tour to Australia in 2007, as I was thinking how to play this bowler who bowls in excess of 150 kmph."

"In 2007, Brett Lee was at his peak. I used to watch him closely and noticed that he was consistently bowling at the speed of around 150-155 kmph. The thought of a youngster like me facing that kind of speed took away my sleep," Rohit said of the former Australian speed merchant on Star Sports' 'Cricket Connected'. Since making his debut in 2007 as a precocious talent, Rohit has gone on to become one of the world's most prolific batsmen, and his exploits in limited overs cricket are second to none.

Rohit has racked up 29 ODI hundreds and six centuries in Test cricket, besides four three-figure mark in the T20 Internationals. "Currently, someone whom I don't want to face in Test cricket would be Josh Hazlewood because he's disciplined and does not move away from that length. He does not give you loose balls," he said. Among the retired lot, Rohit said South African pace great Dale Steyn has also given him nightmares because of his ability to swing the ball at great speed.

"I have two retired favourite bowlers who I never wanted to face, one was Brett Lee and the other was Dale Steyn. I never wanted to face Steyn because playing pace and swing at the same time was a nightmare, it was just unreal." Rohit said he continues to face quality bowlers in the present day with Hazlewood being among the best . "I have watched him enough to understand that. I know for a fact that if I have to go to Australia to play a Test, then I have to be mentally prepared to be disciplined while facing Josh," said the scorer of three double hundreds in ODIs.

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Former India opener Gautam Gambhir feels that Rohit Sharma has made of an impact in white ball cricket as compared to Virat Kohli despite the Indian skipper's staggering statistics in shorter formats. Gambhir however, believes that Kohli will end up scoring more runs than Rohit. "For me, white ball cricket is all about impact. Kohli will end up getting many more runs than Rohit, and Kohli is among the greatest right now but Rohit has an edge over Kohli because of the impact he has," Gambhir said on Sports Tak, according to the India Today website.

Record-breaking stuff
"I think Rohit is the best white ball cricketer in the world right now. He is not the greatest overall but at the moment he is the best. He is the only player to have hit three ODI double hundreds, five World Cup hundreds [in one edition] and he is also the only player, who if he gets past the 100-run mark, makes people feel that he missed a double century [if he gets out]." Comparing Kohli and Rohit further, the 2011 World Cup winner said, "It is very difficult to compare them. Virat is unbelievable. His stats prove that. But when your reputation is such that when you get out after a hundred, people say he has missed out on a double hundred, that speaks volumes about you."

Virat Kohli. Pics/AFP

Rohit, 33, has 9115 runs from 224 ODIs at an average of 49.27 at a strike rate of 88.92. He has 29 hundreds and 43 fifties. In T20Is, Rohit has 2273 runs from 108 matches at an average of 32.62 and a strike rate of 138.78. Kohli, 31, meanwhile, has 11,867 runs from 248 ODIs at 59.33 and a strike rate of 93.25. He has scored 43 centuries and 58 half centuries. Kohli has 2794 runs from 82 T20Is at an average of 50.80 and a strike rate of 138.24.Gambhir felt that former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni had a key role to play in supporting Rohit and now it was time for Kohli and Rohit should groom youngsters in the current Indiah team in the same way.

'Groom youngsters now'
"Rohit is the prime example of how a player's fortunes can turn around if he is nurtured by the seniors. I hope the young cricketers in the current generation, be it Shubman Gill or Sanju Samson, they also get the similar kind of support. And now when Rohit is a senior, I expect him to back youngsters."

Gautam Gambhir

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Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma recently had a candid chat with former Australian pacer Brett Lee about what he’s doing in order to keep himself busy during the lockdown on Star Sports’ show Cricket Connected. Rohit Sharma went on to address the issue of space in Mumbai on streets as well as houses. Rohit said, "I wish I had enough place to play indoor cricket, but unfortunately in Mumbai, the place is very secluded, and you have to stick to your apartment. We are not as lucky as you guys where you have your own backyard to play."

"In Mumbai, it’s very expensive to get your own house where you have your own backyard. I live in an apartment and I am lucky to have a little balcony where I can run around and do some activities that my trainer has given me. I am trying to follow whatever little I can. Hopefully, the gyms will open soon, and I can go there," Rohit added.

"But I am missing hitting the ball, that’s for sure. As you know, I like to hit big, so space is not enough. I just can’t wait to go out there and start hitting the ball."

Born and brought up in Mumbai, Rohit Sharma is also the captain for the IPL franchise Mumbai Indians and has won a record 4 IPL titles with the team.

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Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir believes the credit for Rohit Sharma's meteoric rise in white-ball cricket must be given to former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Since making his debut in 2007, Rohit was languishing in the middle-order with consistency being his main issue.

Dhoni seemingly took note of Rohit's hidden talent and gave him a long rope. He then promoted Rohit as opener in 2013 and that move worked wonders for him as the right-hander has gone on to become one of the most lethal top-order batsmen in white-ball cricket.

"Where Rohit Sharma is today, it is because of M.S. Dhoni," Gambhir told Sports Tak as per India Today.

"You can talk about the selection committee and team management, but if you do not have the backing from your captain then it is all useless. Everything is in the hands of the captain.

"How Dhoni backed Rohit Sharma over a period of time, I don't think any other player has been given such support," he added.

Earlier, Gambhir had described Rohit as the best white-ball cricketer in the world. In his birthday wish for Rohit, Gambhir wrote: "Happy Birthday to the best white-ball cricketer in the world Rohit Sharma! Have a great year ahead!!"

"Don't know about that Gauti bhai. But loving your work," Rohit responded to the high praise from his former teammate.

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India cricketer Shreyas Iyer has been entertaining his fans both on and off the field. In order to make things a bit positive during the COVID-19 pandemic, Shreyas Iyer shared a fun video on Instagram.

On Sunday, Iyer posted a video for his 2.3 million Instagram followers and captioned it: "Fielding practice is everywhere you look."

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Fielding practice is everywhere you look 😏

A post shared by Shreyas Iyer (@shreyas41) onMay 3, 2020 at 12:30am PDT

In the video, Shreyas Iyer is seen diving to save an egg, catching the remote control of his TV, arranging chairs quickly and even collecting clothes thrown out of the washing machine.

One could hear American rapper Tyga's song, Bored, playing in the background. Shreyas Iyer, born in Mumbai, made his debut for India in 2017. He has since played 18 ODIs and 22 T20Is. Shreyas Iyer is also the captain of the IPL franchise Delhi Capitals.

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In the latest episode of ESPNcricinfo Videocast that airs on May 2, 2020, R Ashwin talks about his future, his accuracy as a bowler, what makes him clicks in short-format cricket, future of spinners and how can they stay relevant in the ever-evolving game of Cricket.

“I am good at T20 cricket. If my body holds up, I see a purple patch coming up for me in test Cricket”, says Ravichandran Ashwin, an all-rounder who bats right-handed and bowls right-arm off break when Sanjay Manjarekar, host of ESPNcricinfo asks him about his future plans. R Ashwin does not favour 4-day Cricket. He says, “I am a spinner and you’re taking the fifth day out of the game, you’re taking out a very fascinating aspect of the game.”

ICC has been considering 4-day test as part of the World Test Championship from 2023. However, the world's cricketers stand as the most likely source of opposition to the change, with many viewing the step up from four-day first-class games to five-day Tests as a critical point of difference at the top end of the long-form game (source: ESPNcricinfo article dated Dec 30, 2019)

R Ashwin shares the secret of his ability to produce variations in finger spin with so much accuracy and the influence Woorkeri Raman, former Indian cricketer and current coach of the India women's national cricket team’s coaching technique had on him. “WV Raman who is known to be a straight forward and extremely disciplined man trained us to throw the ball accurately that should land above the stumps. He also maintained that I stand no chance as a spinner if I cannot hit the top of the bat of a batsman every time I bowled.”

R Ashwin further adds, “Infact, WV Raman helped me master my rhythm. He was the first person who with or without his knowledge, inculcated this self-conscious training inside me. He would keep telling me, you’re running 10% slower or you’re running 15% faster. And this put me in a great place when I started playing first class Cricket. And these are the things that I will never forget in my career. But because he was straight forward, a bit dismissive and he could put pressure on people, they started moving away from him.”

R Ashwin shares more such anecdotes on WV Raman’s training that shaped him as a spinner that he is today.

R Ashwin has one of the best record of bowling with a new ball. “I like a new ball because of the fizz that I get on it. One of my strengths is to be able to put revs on the hard ball as it responds better to the pitch. But I generally like to use the arm ball in first 2 or 3 overs. Because when you use the arm ball, it challenges both the edges of the batsman and forces him to go across the line which is rendered risky The others that I use are the floaters that swing, the one that pitches in and goes out or the other one that lands on the seam and gets to go the other way. So these balls become very effective.”

“With a new ball I use my middle finger more than the index finger but when I bowl with an older ball, I try and get over the top. Sometimes, I don’t use index finger to go over the top, It is behind and I still put the revs and that’s when the ball actually goes the other way”, adds R Ashwin.

Commenting on future of finger spin and success of Mohammad Nabi, Afghan all-rounder and off-break bowler, R Ashwin says, “I am really surprised that at the last IPL people could not pick up what I was bowling. They thought I was bowling the carrom ball but actually I was bowling reverse carrom because when I would bowl that I would get a lot out of the pitch. Sometimes it can spin, sometimes I could get it to skid.”

R Ashwin points, “In a T-20 cricket, you need to call yourself a bowler. At times you should be able to bowl a bouncer or a spinner. Wrist spin is successful not because it is challenging both edges of the bat but because of its unpredictable nature when bowling length. And this makes wrist spin extremely relevant. Now imagine if someone can dish out unpredictable stuff in a very aware manner. That’s the journey I have taken, and that’s why I found myself amongst the wickets and in extreme control last year when I was bowling in Mohali which can be very challenging.” He adds, “In any white ball cricket, you can only hunt wickets down unless people are not picking it, but that is at a very novel stage of your career. Post that you should be able to dish out things at will that can surprise the batsman. Once you can keep the batsman guessing, chances of them bossing over you is very little.”

“Mohammad Nabi is a great spinner in T-20 format. He is able to change his line and length at will and that’s because he has done these repetitions in the longest format i.e. Test cricket. If you wake Nabi up at 3 in the night, he’ll be able to bowl at the sticker of the bat, he will then be able to change his line to wider, to closer or Yorker”, says R Ashwin. He adds, “But what is happening with wrist and finger spinner is complete eradication of logic. So, if you want finger spinner as an attacking option, he should be able to do everything that a wrist spinner does in terms of length and line for which he needs to develop the awareness of his own bowling.”

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England fast bowler Stuart Broad said that the UK government will have a big role to play in dictating the return of cricket in the country post the coronavirus pandemic. Broad however said that he personally does not feel nervous about playing whenever he is needed to.

"Cricket will literally be governed by the government. It's not as though the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) are going to have to be lone wolves and decide when we get back out there," Broad is quoted as saying by Daily Mail.

"The government will give the go-ahead and then us players will have to make sure we are in the physical capability to get match fit. I know how I feel about not seeing live sport and I know how much joy live sports brings me. So the players' responsibility is to make sure we are ready to go at the drop of a hat," he said.

Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero had said that many footballers were nervous to get back to playing because of the threat of the virus. Broad however said that he trusts medical staff fully and is not nervous because of that.

"I know everyone feels very differently about this. Sergio Aguero has been talking about how nervous the players would be. Personally, I wouldn't be," said Broad.

"I have huge faith in our medical team at the ECB. I have known Nick Peirce, the chief medical officer, for a long, long time and I have full faith in what he and his team believe is right for cricket.

"Yes, we all want to see cricket being played whether it is behind closed doors and just on TV or in front of spectators. And I know that the England doctors I've worked with over a long period of time would not cut corners to make it happen.

"So if one of Nick or Gurjit Bhogal, our current England team doctor, rings and tells me 'I think this is a good way to do it,' I will 100 per cent trust what they are saying."

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Remembering the loss at the hands of South Africa in Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games in 1998, former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting on Sunday shared a picture of his jacket that he used in the event.

Taking to Twitter Ponting posted a picture and captioned the post, "Found my jacket from the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games in 1998. One of the few occasions we weren't good enough in a big tournament, South Africa outplayed us in the gold medal game."

Found my jacket from the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games in 1998. One of the few occasions we weren't good enough in a big tournament, South Africa outplayed us in the gold medal game. pic.twitter.com/8Mh6jJ1XP3

— Ricky Ponting AO (@RickyPonting) May 3, 2020

In the gold medal match, Shaun Pollock led side outclassed Australia by four wickets with 24 balls remaining.

Proteas won the toss and asked Aussies to bat first. The team from Down Under was only able to post a total of 183, thanks to skipper Steve Waugh's unbeaten knock of 90 runs. Ponting failed to leave his impression on the scoreboard and was sent back to the pavilion after scoring just two runs.

Chasing 184, Mike Rindel and Jacques Kallis guided South Africa to a comfortable victory in 46th over. Rindel amassed 67 runs while Kallis scored 44 runs. Australia settled with a silver medal in the competition while New Zealand bagged the bronze medal.

For the first time, cricket was included in the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Malaysia. Matches were played over 50 overs and had List A status rather than full One Day Internationals.

However, now in Birmingham CWG 2022 women's T20 cricket has been included and eight teams will compete for the coveted gold medal.

The ICC will be responsible for the competition terms and the conduct of cricket, by way of providing match officials and ensuring matches are played as per the laws of the game.

The Birmingham 2022 Games will take place in England from July 27 to August 7, 2022, and will see 4,500 athletes competing at across 18 sports.

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Feeling like a kid again, England batsman Jason Roy can't wait to get back on the cricket field but says it would make sense to postpone the T20 World Cup in October-November if teams don't get enough time to prepare for the mega event. All cricketing activities have come to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the future of T20 World Cup in Australia is also in doubt.

"If players aren't able to prepare in the right way and are not able to get over to Australia, then it makes sense to postpone it," Roy was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. "But if it goes ahead, it's our job to play cricket - and if we're told we have three weeks to prepare to go and play in the World T20, all the boys will be putting the yards in to make sure we're ready for that.

"I think all the boys are on edge, waiting for the call saying, 'Right, we have a month turnaround or a six-week turnaround. Get in the nets and go hit some balls.' I think the boys will be as ready as they can be," said the 29-year-old opener. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) too has suspended activities until July 1. While Roy is eager to be playing again, he said safety is paramount.

"I've got a huge amount of trust in the ECB. I think they will look into every single avenue of all the positives, all the negatives. So, I guess I would trust in what they say, probably have a chat with Morgs (Morgan) and see where his head's at and go with that. "I don't think I'll have too many questions, especially when it got to the stage of 'Right, we're going to play', because there'll be a lot of people in those meetings discussing whether it's the right thing to do or not."

Roy also has no issues in playing in front of empty stadiums. "I just want to play some cricket to be honest. I think for us to be able to go out there and play some cricket would be an incredible feeling. I feel like a kid again. "I guess we're governed by the government here, we don't really know what is going on or what the safety measures are. There's way bigger things out there. I'm more than happy to play behind closed doors, it would just be nice to get out there," he added.

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India ODI skipper Mithali Raj wants to add that elusive World Cup trophy to her cabinet before calling time on her illustrious career.

Raj helped India reach final of the tournament on two occasions -- 2005 and 2017 -- but the 'Women in Blue' suffered heartbreaks against Australia and England respectively.

Raj has stated that constantly churning out good results against top sides has helped the team gain a solid reputation in recent times. According to her, teams don't take India lightly anymore.

"Teams don't take us lightly anymore and come prepared for us," Raj was quoted as saying by Sportstar.

"Consistently beating the best sides in the world – be it Australia in the ODIs or England in the T20Is – has given us the confidence that we too are a side to beat."

Raj took retirement from the shortest format after the T20 World Cup last year in a bid to prolong her ODI career. She revealed how this is motivating her to keep herself fit during this enforced break put forward by the coronavirus pandemic.

"Fitness, at my age, is something I need to consciously and constantly keep up. I know I can't forget my skill. I still have some batting in me. I might need a few sessions to get my rhythm going," she said.

"Some of us have running space while others like me have to manage within the restricted spaces indoors, so our trainers are adapting routines for us. (Coach) WV Raman is trying to be creative with our skill training regimen.

"It is difficult because irrespective of how much we train indoors, we need to get out onto the ground to be fully prepared," she added.

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Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad has recalled how he and Zaheer Abbas went after the Indian spin attack -- comprising of Bishan Singh Bedi, Bhagwath Chandrasekhar and Erapalli Prasanna -- and scored bulk of runs in the three-match Test series in 1978-79.

Both Miandad and Abbas took the famous Indian spin troika to cleaners in the series which Pakistan won 2-0.

"Chandrasekhar, Bedi, Prasanna... India's strength was this, their spinners. And they did well around the world but when they came here (Pakistan), they were taken to the cleaners. Our players robbed them for so many runs," said Miandad in his Youtube channel.

Miandad recounted the first Test of the series played in Faisalabad and said how he and Abbas went after the Indian spinners.

"I remember that Chandrasekhar was giving some troubles to Zaheer bhai. Then he told me 'Javed please tackle him for me'. I obviously said yes. Meanwhile from the other end, Zaheer bhai was taking a lot of runs off Bedi sahib and Prasanna," said Miandad.

"Then I said, 'Zaheer bhai please allow me to take some runs too, I will also use my feet against them. I'm stuck here. I won't take a single off the last ball'," he added.

Both Miandad (154) and Abbas (176) scored big hundreds in that match which ended in a draw.

In the second Test in Lahore, there was still no respite for the Indian spinners as Abbas scored a brilliant double hundred as Pakistan won the match by eight wickets.

In the final Test in Karachi, it was the turn of Miandad to score a century as India lost the Test and ultimately lost the series 0-2.

Chandrasekhar took eight wickets in that series at an average of 48.12 while Bedi scalped six wickets at an average of 74.83. Prasanna managed to pick just two wickets in the two matches he played in the series at an average of 125.50.

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India skipper Virat Kohli, limited overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma and tennis star Sania Mirza were among sports personalities, who took part in an online concert to raise funds to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed over 2 lakh people globally.

As part of the initiative by 'iFor India', actors, musicians, singers, sportspersons and business leaders came together to entertain people from their homes in a bid to help the COVID-19 pandemic cause.

The proceeds from the concert will go to the India COVID Response Fund set up by GiveIndia, a donation platform. "Two weeks ago, we started work on India''s biggest concert. To entertain people who are locked-down at home. To pay tribute to those who work on the frontlines while we work from home. And to raise funds for those who have no work and no home," a message from #IForIndia, the concert for our times, said.

Among others to attend the concert include, Kohli's actress wife Anushka, Shah Rukh Khan, AR Rahman, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Aamir Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Alia Bhatt, Ayushmann Khurrana, Bryan Adams, Gulzar, Nick Jonas, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Ranveer Singh, Shreya Ghoshal, Sonu Nigam, Sophie Turner, Zoya Akhtar and Vidya Balan.

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As the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic intensifies especially in Maharashtra, India's worst-hit state, every penny contributed can make a huge difference.

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) was among the first state associations to pledge (on March 26) a Rs 50 lakh contribution to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.

However, it is understood that the money has not been transferred yet due to a lack of direction regarding which fund the amount has to be deposited in.

Treasurer Achrekar's email
In an email on April 9, MCA treasurer Jagdish Achrekar had sought direction from MCA president Dr Vijay Patil and the Apex Council members to decide on whether to donate instead towards the COVID-19 relief fund set up especially for the pandemic. This dedicated relief fund was initiated a few days after the MCA decided to donate to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. "I refer to the virtual meeting dated March 26 in which the Apex Council members decided to contribute Rs 50 lakh to [the] Chief Minister relief fund. I gather that a special account for COVID-19 relief fund has been opened by the CM's office. May we transfer Rs 50 lakh to the account designated by CM office? I hereby seek your permission for the same," Achrekar wrote in his email, a copy of which is with mid-day.

When asked what difference it made if the amount was transferred to either of the relief fund accounts, an MCA source said: "It is important to have clear direction as it [donation] involves technical points like tax benefits."

Meanwhile, MCA's joint secretary Sanjay Naik said they are awaiting a response from the Chief Minister's office: "We have the approval of our committee. We are waiting for the CM's office to provide direction. I think it should happen in a few days."

On March 28, MCA had contributed R50 lakh to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund.

Selectors yet to be paid
Meanwhile, it is understood that the MCA has yet to make payments to their senior and junior selectors though the season ended in March. Only senior team selector Sridhar Mandale has received his payment due to a medical emergency in his family. The chairman of the senior selection committee [Milind Rege] is supposed to receive Rs 3.5 lakh while his other colleagues in the committee are to get Rs 3 lakh each.

Naik said the payments to selectors will be cleared shortly. "It will be done soon. The delay might be due to the lockdown," he said.

Rajput, Kuruvilla in fray for Mumbai coach job

FORMER India Test cricketers Lalchand Rajput and Abey Kuruvilla are being touted as the top contenders for the Mumbai coach's job. Rajput is currently with the Zimbabwe team while Kurvuvilla, the former junior national chief selector, is associated with IPL side Mumbai Indians and the DY Patil Sports Academy. It is learnt that former India pacer Aavishkar Salvi is also among the candidates.

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Top Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne on Monday said that he and his team would be "pretty devastated" if India don't make the trip Down Under for a Test and limited-overs series later this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

India's tour of Australia will begin with a T20 tri-series in October and is scheduled to end with a four-match Test series in December. The speculation about the tour is due to the travel restrictions currently in place and the uncertainty surrounding how long it would take to control the pandemic.

Replying to a query on the tour in an online press conference, Labuschagne said: "Well, it would mean that we are not playing cricket which is pretty devastating for myself, the rest of the team and for the country."

In between, there is the T20 World Cup, scheduled for an October 18 start, but the mega event's future is also shrouded in uncertainty due to the global crisis.

Australia has reported significant drop in positive cases with parts of the country relaxing lockdown rules. Just over 6,800 people have tested positive for the virus with less than 100 deaths in the country so far. Labuschagne lauded Australia's healthcare system and its response to the crisis so far.

"Australia has done very well with the quarantine and isolation, so we've been able to get our number down relatively quickly. With a limited amount of deaths and our healthcare system has been so good during this time," he said.

Labuschagne, currently placed at No.3 in ICC Test rankings after a brilliant year, hoped that Australia's control over the pandemic would be enough to ensure that India tour without any hassles.

"Hopefully, because of all that good work we can actually get India over here in 3-4 months or 4-5 months," he said. "Everything is changing so quickly, so it's really hard to put my finger on how everything's going to pan out. Hopefully, it pans out well but if it doesn't it will be very disappointing."

In the meantime, Labuschagne, who has enjoyed a breakout year in Tests and ODIs, is working on sharpening his skills during this forced break. "The way things have unfolded has been awesome. For me it's been about, one, taking it all in and being really happy and proud of that," Labuschagne said.

"But also then looking at, 'righto, how I can get better?' and looking at different parts of your game on and off the field that you can work on to make sure you're continually getting better," he added.

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With the world coming to a standstill due to the coronavirus pandemic, former and current sportspersons have been interacting on social media to keep fans engaged and former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has said that he would love to take up an offer to coach the Indian fast bowlers.

In an interview on social networking app Helo, Akhtar said that he has never stepped back from sharing his knowledge and he would be more than happy to do the same with Indian bowlers.

Asked if he was open to coach the Indian team if such an offer came, he said: "I will definitely. My job is to spread knowledge. What I have learned is (ilm) knowledge and I will spread it. I will produce more aggressive, fast and more talkative bowlers than the current ones who will tell-off the batsmen in a way that you will enjoy a lot."

Earlier, Akhtar had proposed a series between India and Pakistan to help raise funds to fight the pandemic. While former India skipper Kapil Dev was against the idea, Akhtar found the support of former captain Shahid Afridi.

"The entire world is fighting against coronavirus and we need unity in our region to defeat this common enemy. Such negative comments don't help at all. I don't see anything wrong with Shoaib Akhtar's suggestion for Pakistan and India to play cricket.

"Kapil's reaction has surprised me. I expected better from him and feel one should not talk like this in these crisis times. Sport is supposed to bring people together and build bridges. It is pretty disappointing," he said.

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Australia can deal with the challenge of getting teams into the country for the T20 World Cup but whether it is worth having the tournament in empty stadiums is the main point for consideration, feels sports minister Richard Colbeck. Travel restrictions and question marks over how long it would take to contain the COVID-19 pandemic has put the future of T20 World Cup and India's tour of Australia in doubt. Cricket Australia is staring at a staggering loss of 300 million Australian dollars if things don't go ahead as planned.

"I'd love to see an Australia-India Test series this summer and I'd really like to be able to see the World Cup go ahead "... the issue is not so much the teams as the crowds and that's probably one of the hurdles we really have to consider and probably one that world cricket will look at pretty closely as well," Colbeck told SEN Radio on Monday. He said logistics of hosting the event in the post COVID-19 world can be dealt with. "We all know the difference in atmosphere ... but in a team sense I'd like to think that we can build some protocols with the cooperation of the sport and the players, that's going to be extremely important, with appropriate quarantine and bio-security protocols to see if we can make the competition go ahead."

While T20 World Cup is scheduled for an October 18 start, India's tour of Australia will begin with a T20 tri-series in October and end with a four-match Test series in December. The legendary Allan Border has said it would defy belief to host a World Cup without spectators, while Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell and some other cricketers have also expressed similar sentiments. The International Cricket Council recenly said that preparations were still on for the 16-team tournament and a final decision will be taken by August.

Australia is considering making travel exemptions for the Indian team's tour Down Under to save the cricket board for the financial loss but Colbeck said they need to be careful in expanding exemptions to other nations for the T20 World Cup. "Those conversations are being had, discussions about what the protocols might look like," Colbeck said. "They will be difficult because one of the things that has been a key part of our success is that we limited access to Australia from areas where there were significant outbreaks of Covid-19 and that's contributed to the low rate of spread we have now. "But we would have to be prepared to consider appropriate plans put forward by the various codes."

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Former cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir has become quite an active personality on social media. Gambhir, who is quite famous for his straightforward opinions and practical views, has a much lighter side on social media.

Gautam Gambhir recently took to photo sharing website Instagram to share a photo of his two little daughters Anaiza and Aazeen as they 'bring the house down' as the country faces a lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Gautam Gambhir captioned the photo saying, "That’s the look of two of the naughtiest girls on the planet after they have brought down the house with their partying!!" Take a look at the post below.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

That’s the look of two of the naughtiest girls on the planet after they have brought down the house with their partying!! 🥳🤣

A post shared by Gautam Gambhir (@gautamgambhir55) onMay 4, 2020 at 12:15am PDT

Gautam Gambhir, who is member of the Lok Sabha, got married to Natasha Jain in 2011. Their first daughter Aazeen was born in June 2014. Gambhir and Natasha welcomed their second daughter Anaiza, born in June 2017.

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Amidst the break from cricketing events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, legendary Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Yousuf picked his favourite Indian batsman of the current era.

During a recent Question and Answer session on social media with fans, Yousuf was asked to name his favourite Men In Blue cricketer.

The legendary middle-order batsman then picked Indian skipper Virat Kohli and swashbuckling batsman, Rohit Sharma, as his favorite cricketer.

Rohit, who is now the vice-captain of the ODI team, has played 224 ODIs, 108 T20Is, and 32 Tests so far. The limited-overs vice-captain has so far scored 14,029 runs across all formats.

In the longest format, he has also reinvented himself as the batsman started opening the batting in Test cricket last year. Rohit is the only player in the world to have three double tons to his name in ODI cricket.

He also holds the record for the highest individual score in the 50-over format as he played a knock of 264 runs against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens.

On the other hand, Kohli is widely hailed as the run-machine and has many records under his belt.

In 86 Test matches, he had 7,240 runs studded with 27 centuries and 22 half-centuries. In 248 ODIs, he has amassed 11,867 runs with an average of 59.33.

In the shortest format of the game, he has played 82 games in which he slammed 2,794 runs at an average of 50.80 with the help of 24 fifties.

Both Rohit and Kohli would have been in action for their respective franchise had the Indian Premier League (IPL) commenced from March 29.

However, the tournament has been suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Yuzvendra Chahal is among the best leg-spinners in international cricket right now but he can be more effective with better use of the crease, says former Pakistan spinner Mushtaq Ahmed. Ahmed picked Chahal, Australia's Adam Zampa and Pakistan's Shadab Khan among the top leg-spinners in white-ball cricket. "Chahal as been impressive. He is definitely among the top leg-spinners of the world. And I feel he would be more effective if he uses the crease a lot more," Ahmed told PTI.

Ahmed, who has coached all around the world and is currently a consultant for his native team, said India's ability to take wickets in the middle-overs in the limited overs format through Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav has been a game-changer for them. Both the wrist-spinners were brought into India's limited overs set-up following the 2017 Champions Trophy. Though, of late, both Chahal and Kuldeep havn't been playing together. "He (Chahal) can go wide of the crease at times. You got to be smart enough to understand pitches. If it is a flat pitch, you can bowl stump to stump," said Ahmed, one of the best leg-spinners Pakistan has produced. "If the ball is gripping, you can go wide of the crease because you can trouble even the best of batsmen with that angle. That way your googly also doesn't turn as much as the batsman expects and you end up taking a wicket." Chahal has taken 91 wickets in 52 ODIs at 25.83 and 55 wickets in 42 T20s at 24.34. He is not a huge turner of the ball but uses his variations very effectively. Ahmed also feels the likes of Chahal and Kuldeep have benefitted immensely from former captain M S Dhoni's advice from behind the stumps.

"You have got to be one step ahead of the batsman. You should know your field position as per the batsman's strength. I always say attack with fielders not with the ball. If you understand that theory, you will always be successful," the 49-year-old, who played 52 Tests and 144 ODIs, said. "India has become a force to reckon with in all three formats as it uses its bowlers really well. Dhoni was a master at getting the best out of his bowlers in limited overs cricket and now you have Virat Kohli." He also said the art of leg-spin remains relevant more than ever. "You need leg-spinners and mystery spinners in your team as they have the ability to take wickets at any stage of the game. I see a lot of them coming through in the next 10-15 years. "Most batsmen now like playing express pace but with a good leg-spinner in the team, you are always in the game," added member of the 1992 World Cup-winning squad.

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Indian spinner Yuzvendra Chahal on Sunday shared a throwback picture with 'legend' MS Dhoni saying that he misses 'being called tilli from behind the stumps'.

Chahal took to Twitter to share a picture with Dhoni and captioned the post: "Miss being called tilli from behind the stumps by the legend..!!"

Miss being called tilli from behind the stumps by the legend..!! ðŸ¤ÂðŸ‡®ðŸ‡³ pic.twitter.com/iWGz6E11Pw

— Yuzvendra Chahal (@yuzi_chahal) May 3, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has taken a huge toll on sports across the globe as all the sporting events have either been cancelled or postponed.

The COVID-19 crisis in the country also put an indefinite halt to the Indian Premier League (IPL) in which Dhoni was to slated to make his return to the field. The former captain has not played any international match after India's exit from the 2019 World Cup.

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Former India pacer Ashish Nehra went down the memory lane with ex-teammate Aakash Chropra during a chat on Chopra's show Aakashvani. Nehra said how he had only one pair of shoes which he used for Ranji Trophy games as well as his Test debut against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 1999.

"I wore them for the first time in Ranji Trophy and had only one pair which I took them with me to play in my first Test match in 1999. I still remember I used to get the shoe stitched after each innings and that is how it survived the entire Test," Nehra said.

Talking about practicing bowling action at the Delhi Cantonment Railway station with the club's bowling coach, Nehra said: "I wasn't alone. There used to be a bunch of us who would go to drop sir at the railway station. He would ask us to show him different bowling actions. I remember we would pick up the stones at the station and bowl with them."

The pair also discussed a game they had played at the Race Course ground in Delhi for their club team. "You remember we had to bowl into the wind and against the wind? The coach asked me why I didn't bowl you from that end. I told him that you wanted to bowl from the other end," said Chopra as the two had a good laugh going down memory lane. Left-arm pacer Nehra played 17 Tests, 120 ODIs and 27 T20Is for India.

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Australian spin legend Shane Warne has offered a unique answer to the question of how to swing the ball without using saliva or resorting to tampering in a post COVID-19 world -- make one side of it heavier to ensure that it doesn't need any shining. Warne feels it can help fast bowlers generate swing even on flat wickets and permanently eradicate ball-tampering. "Why can't the ball be weighted on one side so it always swings? It would be like a taped tennis ball or like with the lawn bowls," Warne told the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast.

There is speculation that the use of saliva to shine the ball will be stopped to cut down the risk of the highly contagious. Responding to the extraordinary situation, Australian manufacturer Kookaburra has started developing a wax applicator -- which could be ready in a month -- as an alternative to saliva and sweat to help bowlers shine cricket balls in the post COVID-19 world.

"I'm not sure you'd want it to hoop around corners like Wasim (Akram) and Waqar (Younis) but it could swing and give the seamer something on flat wickets when it's hot and the pitch is at its flattest on day two, day three," Warne said. "It would actually be a really good way to move forward, as you know no one needs to do anything to the ball.

"You wouldn't have to worry about anyone tampering with it with bottle tops, sandpaper, or whatever. It would be a good competition between bat and ball," he added. The iconic spinner said while bats have become bigger and lighter, the ball has not evolved over the years and his suggestion can bring about a balance. "Have a look at how the bats have evolved. If you pick up one of the bats you started with in the 80s, and then one you used at the end of your career, it's like four of your old ones stuck together - but the thing is lighter!

"So why has the ball not evolved? If anything, it has got worse," added Warne, who is currently in the middle of shooting a documentary on his life for Amazon.

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Veteran India spinner Harbhajan Singh on Tuesday rejected the perception that he is jealous of Ravinchandran Ashwin, saying the Tamil Nadu bowler is a "legend in making". Ashwin, who had replaced Harbhajan in the Indian team, is among the leading off-spinners in the world alongside Australia's Nathan Lyon.

Harbhajan is not yet retired but last played for India in 2016. Harbhajan, 39, has played 103 Tests with his final game coming in 2015. Ashwin, on the other hand, has played 71 Tests since making his debut in 2011. "A lot of people think I am jealous, this and that. They can think whatever they want to. I just want to say that you are the best off-spinner presently playing the game," said Harbhajan during an Instagram live chat with Ashwin.

Harbhajan Singh

"Of course I like Nathan Lyon as well. I always put him right up there because he plays in Australia and it is a tough place to bowl [for spinners]. You [Ashwin] are one of those legends in the making. I wish you the very best and lots and lots of wickets."

The chat was focused on India's remarkable comeback in the 2001 home Test series against Australia. Trailing 0-1 in the three-match series, India went on to win the next two including the second one in Kolkata, where the hosts won after following-on, thanks to an iconic stand between VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid.

365
No. of wickets off-spinner R Ashwin has taken in 71 Tests

27
No. of five-wicket hauls by Ashwin, the most by an Indian off-spinner in a Test innings

72
No. of wickets claimed by Ashwin in 2016, the best by an Indian off-spinner in a calendar year in Test cricket

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Ravi Shastri is convinced that the class of India's 1985 team, of which he was a vital cog, was such it could trouble even the current team led by Virat Kohli. Shastri was the key man back in 1985 when the team under Sunil Gavaskar won the World Championship of Cricket. He was hero of India's triumph in Australia and had won the famous Audi car for being 'player of the tournament'. He is still influential in India's cricket set up, sitting in head coach chair, having played a significant role in team's ascendancy in world cricket across formats.

"No question about that. They (team of 85) will give any team that India puts up in white ball cricket, a run for their money. That team of 85 will give this team a run for money," Shastri said during 'Sony Ten Pit Stop' show on channel's FB page. Shastri also has a firm belief that that the team of 1985 was qualitatively better than the side that won the 1983 World Cup because it was a perfect blend of youth and experience. "I go one step ahead and say the team of 1985 was a stronger team compared to 1983.

"You know, I was part of both teams, I played in the 1983 World Cup and 1985, when you look man to man, 80 per cent of that 83 team was still there, but then some of the youngsters that you got in there like a Sivaramakrishnan, Sadanand Vishwanath, Azharuddin, those kind of guys came in to add to the experience you already had of 83 (and it) was fantastic." Shastri said that winning Test series in Australia in 2018-19 for the first time in 71 years was special but when it came to white ball cricket, 85 was special.

"It is great to be part of those two teams, as a coach that series in Australia, is going to be very very special and hard to beat, because that team wasn't beaten in 71 years by any Asian team. "There have been plenty who have gone there, tried their best and everyone knows how tough it is to beat Australia in Australia in Test match cricket, but in white ball cricket you can't beat 1985 as a player. To win both is fantastic."

Shastri then shared a hilarious anecdote about a team meeting before the final against Pakistan. Shastri imitated what Kapil Dev said in his typical English. "Kapil said, 'if I win car, I keep 25 percent (by selling) and rest share. Jimmy came and (said) "Yaar jisko mila mila' (whoever gets it, gets it). When my turn came, I said, if I win it, I am keeping the car and I can only share the stepney," Shastri said in typical tongue-in-cheek manner.

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