Danijones

PSG Refused To Pay Kylian Mbappe Salary And Bonus Worth 80 million Euros: Report

Danijones5 months ago04 mins

Paris Saint-Germain have not paid Kylian Mbappe his wages for April as well as a mega-bucks bonus amid a financial dispute between the club and the player as he prepares to leave the French champions, sources close to the talks told AFP on Wednesday. PSG’s decision to withhold Mbappe’s salary is related to an agreement between the two parties made last year, at the start of the season, when the player accepted to waive part of a bonus due to him, the source said. However, the source stated the talks between the club and the France captain were “relaxed” and that there was hope of reaching “a positive conclusion”. “Everything is being sorted out,” the source said without confirming the amount of money due to Mbappe. However, another source contacted by AFP said PSG had also decided not to pay Mbappe a bonus owed, meaning the amount of money in question totalled some 80 million euros ($86.8m), confirming figures reported by sports daily L’Equipe. The same source said the club had decided not to make the payments without warning Mbappe and without an agreement being reached between the parties. Neither Mbappe’s entourage nor PSG immediately responded when contacted by AFP for comment. Mbappe’s contract expires on June 30 and he has already confirmed he will leave PSG after seven years, with Real Madrid expected to be his next destination. The two camps admitted at the beginning of this year Mbappe had agreed to waive part of a huge bonus that was due to him in order to be reinstated to the PSG squad after he was frozen out of the team at the beginning of the season. The total amount of these bonuses is between 60 and 70 million euros, according to a source close to the club. Waiving that sum was seen as a way of Mbappe helping PSG recoup some money given that they will not receive a transfer fee for the 25-year-old when he departs. However, another source said Mbappe did in fact receive that bonus in February. Mbappe signed his last contract with PSG in 2022, a two-year deal worth some 72 million euros before tax. On top of that there was a stratospheric signing-on fee of 150 million euros, to be paid in three instalments, and a loyalty bonus of 70 million euros for the first year and 80 million euros for the second year. In addition, he would have received a further 90 million euros had he agreed to take up the option of staying for a third year, according to the daily Le Parisien. (This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Topics mentioned in this article

‘Batters going all-out in IPL, I think, was just a one-season thing’: RR’s Riyan Parag

Danijones5 months ago012 mins

After five years in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he managed a total of 600 runs, it finally felt like Riyan Parag announced his arrival this time around. The 22-year-old scored 573 runs to finish as the third highest run-getter in IPL 2024, playing a key role in Rajasthan Royals’ run to the playoffs. Rajasthan Royals’ Riyan Parag plays a shot during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match(PTI) In an interview on the sidelines of the Red Bull Campus Cricket Finals, Parag spoke about how he has matured, batters being ultra-aggressive, his ambitions as an all-rounder, India’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, and more. Unlock exclusive access to the latest news on India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! Download Now! ALSO READ: ‘Rohit Sharma plays spin really well’: Wasim Jaffer picks Jaiswal’s opening partner for T20 World Cup Excerpts: Are there any changes you’ve made in terms of your game or mindset over the past year? I didn’t make much of a change. Domestically, I play at No.4 for Assam and it was just a matter of time before I got into similar situations in the IPL. In the IPL, no matter who says it’s just a game, it’s a much bigger stage for the players. So, it was just about implementing what I had been doing in domestic cricket. I didn’t really change my mindset or technique. It was just about a general upgrade, repeating what I had been doing, sticking to the basics, and not trying to do something extraordinary. When 50,000 people are watching you, every shot is being analysed and legends of the game are commentating, it’s very easy to try and please someone. I figured I didn’t have to do that. How did you sustain your form throughout the season? Everyone says maturity comes with age, but I believe it comes with pain. The things I’ve suffered over the past two-three years. This suffering comes from outside because I’m out here in the sun working as hard as I can. Suffering is when you have hateful stuff coming your way from people you don’t even know. These people don’t know me personally and have formed opinions based on my game. I started when I was around 17 and when you see stuff like this for years, it’s a big thing to digest. So, that’s matured me a lot. I’ve just figured out that it’s very important what I think of myself and not what others say. Everything else is just white noise then. Do you think this trend of batters going all guns blazing will continue? I think it was just a one-season thing. The Impact Player rule has, of course, changed things because now openers are just hands free and can smack from ball one. I feel the rule might change and the IPL might go down differently in the future. It’s never going to happen in international cricket, right, so everyone has to value their wicket. You know you can’t lose your wicket off the first ball. Do you like the Impact Player rule? As an all-rounder, I would say no. I like to bowl and the only way that will happen is if our three frontline bowlers get smacked, which is something I don’t want. So, once this rule goes away, I could be the fifth or sixth bowler and do a lot more. Of course, it isn’t my decision to make but yes, if it was up to me, I would remove this rule. Do you think the game these days is too favourable for batters? I have a completely different view. Batters can only make one mistake, whereas bowlers get five more balls (in an over) if they make a mistake. So, how is it a batter’s game? Batters are playing exceptionally well so you have to give them credit, not demean them. You can’t just say “oh no, it’s a batter’s game, rules this and that” and all that drama. You’ve got to understand that even if it’s a Test, a batter can bowl 20 overs while a batter is only allowed one mistake. They get more opportunities in a game regardless of how they play, and if I get out, I’ll get another game after four days. So, if you look at it that way, I believe it’s a bowler’s game only. The Indian team has struggled with a lack of bowling options in the batting order. Because the competition for batting slots is so fierce, do you think players have stopped paying attention to their secondary skill? I don’t even want to think about what other batters are doing. I know I want to bowl and that’s it. I want to take out the time to enhance my bowling and chip in with a couple of overs. I’ve never paid less attention to my bowling. If you do that, it just means you’re not working as hard. It’s very easy to say “okay, I’ve batted for four hours, it’s my main skill, and now I’m very tired”. That’s not how you get to the next level. If you’ve batted for four hours, rest up and come back to bowl for another hour. You have to figure out ways, else you’ll just be stuck. In the T20 World Cup, which areas do you think India need to improve to have a better chance this time? I can never watch cricket as a fan, I’ll always do it as a player. I hate when people watch cricket as fans. If you do that, please don’t speak to me because there are very different perspectives. People say a lot of things but they don’t understand all the intricacies. When I make it to the Indian team, I’ll play my brand of cricket. Right now, the ones who have made it are all professionals and know how to handle different situations. We’ve played good cricket each time. The benchmark set by fans,…

‘I Will Not Lie…’: Virat Kohli Recalls Feelings Before World Cup Debut Match In 2011

Danijones5 months ago04 mins

Virat Kohli the first and only Indian to score a century on his World Cup debut.© AFP Virat Kohli is the global face of Indian cricket and will be ready to take on the new challenge that the 2024 T20 World Cup will bring with it. As part of the build up to the upcoming competition, Kohli talked about how he felt before making his World Cup debut against Bangladesh in the 2011 World Cup. The star Indian batter certainly made his debut in style as he stitched on a 203-run partnership with Virender Sehwag on his way to becoming the first and only Indian to score a century on his World Cup debut. He scored an unbeaten 100 in 83 deliveries and took Team India’s score to 370 which ultimately led to a 87 run victory. “It was against Bangladesh in Dhaka, my first game and I was nervous. Yes, I will not lie. There is a different sense of excitement in the air when you come for a World Cup and I could obviously sense that. I was the youngest member of that team and I was getting to play with all these greats of Indian cricket in a World Cup game. “For me it was definitely a moment where I was a bit nervous heading into the game and definitely the night before I was quite nervous but that is a good sign as well because your body is preparing you to enter a situation where you’re alert, you’re not taking things for granted. I think that nervousness helped me to be aware, be alert and be absolutely precise in the execution of my plans,” said Kohli on Star Sports. The former Indian skipper has been one of the best batsmen in all formats but his T20 World Cup exploits are second to none. He is the leading run scorer in the history of the tournament having scored 1141 runs in 25 innings taking his average to be an unbelievable 81.50. India will face Bangladesh in a warm-up game on June 1 as a part of their preparation in the T20 World Cup set to be held in the USA and West Indies. (This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Topics mentioned in this article

IPL 2024: Data useful but captain is the on-field boss, says KKR head coach Chandrakant Pandit

Danijones5 months ago08 mins

One of the enduring debates in T20 cricket is on data – its understanding and how much to use. Between Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Chandrakant Pandit, mentor Gautam Gambhir and analyst Nathan Leamon, each belonged to a different school of thought. So, how did KKR marry their views during their victorious campaign? Kolkata Knight Riders captain Shreyas Iyer, coach Chandrakant Pandit and mentor Gautam Gambhir during a practice session(PTI) Gambhir recently said on R Ashwin’s talk show that he has “never believed in data”. Leamon has worked with the England cricket team for many years, and his coded signals from the dressing room balcony to provide tips to captains on using matchups had made headlines. KKR used this method actively when Brendon McCullum was the head coach, but it hasn’t been seen for the past two years. Unlock exclusive access to the latest news on India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! Download Now! ALSO READ: IPL 2024 moved many needles, changed cricket’s grammar Without going into details on the strategy shift, Pandit, who took over the KKR post ahead of the 2023 season, said he believed data had its value, but the captain should be the final authority during play. “Data is useful. You can look at bowling charts, study patterns of bowling. It gives you an idea if you need to correct strategy on which deliveries and lengths to bowl during which phase of the game and in which conditions,” Pandit said. “But on field, the captain has the right to back his instincts.” He was asked about pacer Vaibhav Arora being used for his third successive powerplay over in the final where he was taken for 17 runs by Aiden Markram. It did not open up the match for Sunrisers Hyderabad, but it could have. SRH were shot out for 113 and KKR won by eight wickets. “It’s the spontaneous decision of the captain. And all of us felt it was the right decision because the ball was moving. Vaibhav being a little inexperienced, he felt the pressure after one bad ball, but that can happen. It’s easy to say from the outside that you go with another plan. But even that can cost you runs.” Pandit said the take on data differed from player to player; how to use it was part of the challenges of coaching. “Data may be helpful for five guys in the team, but may not be for ten other guys. We don’t spend hours on it. It’s not rocket science. It’s still how you bowl on the 22 yards…the bowlers have known about the 6-metre and 10-metre lengths all the time. It’s about giving them more ideas to succeed,” he added. Calling Shreyas Iyer a quality captain, Pandit said he was receptive to ideas but knew how to make his own calls. “Not just because he won the trophy, but I liked him as a captain because he was never rattled in any situation. He looked confident about his decision making and backed his instincts.” PERSONAL LEARNINGS From coaching six Ranji Trophy winning teams across three states (Mumbai, Vidarbha, Madhya Pradesh) to winning the IPL crown on second attempt, the former India player calls IPL 2024 a tournament of many personal learnings. His old-school coaching style has been questioned sometimes. Pandit said one never stops learning. “What I have understood from IPL is that every player at this level prepares differently,” he said. “Some players do not like to bat or bowl before a match. Initially, Mitchell Starc told me that he does not like to bowl a day before the match in the nets. Later, he felt the need to bowl and he wanted to attend the nets. Sunil Narine may come for an hour in the nets and bowl to one stump. They are used to their own preparations. They know their bodies better than anyone else. You go with that. “In domestic cricket, it’s tough sometimes because you may have only two batters with international experience, while in IPL you have 7-8. But I will be a slightly changed man. I have learned how to manage players slightly differently and give them more freedom when one can. I have never said I know everything. In domestic cricket as well, I have taken suggestions from my video analyst and used it against Mumbai.” Pandit is hopeful his success can open avenues for other Indian coaches to take senior positions in IPL teams. “I am honoured that KKR had faith in me. Gautam brought his international and KKR experience. His directions worked not just for the players but the coaching group as well. Between all the coaches, respect and communication was the way to go.”

IPL-17 | No plans to rest Bumrah yet: MI batting coach Pollard

Only Bumrah is executing yorkers consistently: Lee

Danijones5 months ago07 mins

Legendary Australia speedster Brett Lee feels apart from Jasprit Bumrah, pacers are failing to nail yorkers effectively in the death overs and he wants them to master the pivotal delivery. Bumrah is one of the most complete bowlers in world cricket at the moment. He can bowl wicket-taking deliveries without leaking runs but the most lethal weapon in his armoury is his toe-crushing yorker, which he, more often that not, executes perfectly in the death overs. “On a general rule, other than Bumrah, we haven’t seen enough fast bowlers nailing their yorkers recently. “I want to see fast bowlers bowl more yorkers. I still don’t reckon they execute enough yorkers at the death,” Lee said at the launch of the Legends Intercontinental T20 league recently. With the recently concluded IPL featuring scores in excess of 200 regularly, Lee believes the fast bowlers would be more economical had they nailed yorkers. “If you look back at 17 years of Indian Premier League, on average a yorker goes for a strike rate of less than 100. Which tells me that one run or less per bowler that’s executed. “Now, when you bowl a yorker and you’ve got guys who can go down and scoop you over the head, well that puts pressure on you as a bowler. “You’ve got to set in the right field and put two men back, third man fine and back and then bowl,” Lee added. As T20 cricket progresses, the game is tilting more and more towards the batters. With the ‘Impact Player Rule’ and flat decks, bowlers struggled in the IPL. Lee, like several other former players, called for a balance between bat and ball. “I’m all for batters smoking the ball all over, but there has got to be something for the bowlers too. I’m not asking for a green top, where teams bowled out for 110, because that’s not good for cricket either. “You want a good total, I think. Anywhere around that 185 mark to 230 is a good score. We’ve seen scores now of 265, 270, 277. “It’s really hard because most bowlers now are going for 45 to 50 off their four overs.” he said. ‘Warner has earned the right to go on his own terms’ Australia’s charismatic young batter Jake Fraser-McGurk set the stage ablaze in his debut IPL season with many calling for his inclusion in Australia’s T20 World Cup squad. However, the selectors decided to go with veteran opener David Warner, who is set to retire after the tournament, Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh in the top-order. McGurk, who is a top order batter and Warner’s Delhi Capitals teammate, though has been named as a travelling reserve. “David Warner has earned that right to go out on his own terms. And if things don’t happen for whatever reason, then he’s (McGurk) definitely there to take part,” Lee said. Although Warner did not have a particularly great IPL as he missed several matches due to an injury, the Southpaw has scored 834 runs in T20 cricket since 2021 at a strike rate of around 150. He was woefully out of form ahead of the 2021 T20 World Cup but ended up being the player of the tournament, playing a vital role in Australia’s maiden World Cup win in the shortest format. On the other hand, 22-year-old McGurk, who was called in as a replacement for Lungi Ngidi at Delhi Capitals, gave an excellent display of explosive batsmanship, smashing four half-centuries in nine games at an astronomical strike rate exceeding 234. “I think if you go over there as a reserve batsman, you definitely have a chance to get an opportunity. “That happened this year with the Delhi Capitals, he wasn’t even picked in the squad. “Ricky Ponting rang him up late night and said come in and had a few injuries. So right time, right place. “But the advice to him, and he articulated it beautifully to say that he’s only 22 years of age (araam se araam se) . He’s got time. There’s no point rushing it,” Lee said.

India train in ‘Big Apple’: Getting used to cooler temperatures, playing white-ball games in morning

Danijones5 months ago06 mins

Team India during a training session ahead of their ICC T20 World Cup opening match against Ireland on June 5, in New York on May 29, 2024. | Photo Credit: ANI After two months of intense competitive cricket under night lights, the Indian cricket team, sans Virat Kohli, began its preparations for the T20 World Cup with a morning training session here, keeping in mind the 10.30am starts for all its preliminary games. Kohli took a break for personal work after RCB’s IPL ouster and in all likelihood, he will join the squad by Friday. But it is not clear if he would be able to take part in the only warm-up game against Bangladesh on Saturday after a long flight. Having played 90% of the matches under lights in the scorching Indian summer, the idea would be to adjust to pleasant mornings where temperatures will hover between 25 to 27 degree celsius with very less humidity. A white kookaburra in slightly windy mornings could be a challenge and to be prepared for that, the severely jet-lagged bodies need to get used to morning conditions. And this is why the support staff, before initiating the skills training (net sessions) on the practice pitches at a ground on the outskirts of the city, have decided to help the players acclimatise with the conditions. With 14 players checking in, there was light jogging, routine shuttle runs, and a bit of foot volley to get into the groove. “They have been away two and half months from us and getting to know where they stand and what needs to be done before the World Cup is the goal. The (first) goal is to spend 45 minutes in the heat to get going,” Strength and Conditioning coach Soham Desai told bcci.tv. “We came in the day before yesterday and we just eased into our routines here, the players are just getting used to the time zone. Today we are having our first ground session,” he added. As far as the players are concerned, there is an element of curiosity about playing cricket in New York. The Indian teams, over the years, have played primarily in Florida at the Fort Lauderhill ground during their tours of the West Indies. “First time we are going to play cricket in New York, it’s going be fun,” all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja said. “We have not yet played cricket, came here for a team activity today. Hopefully, it will be good. The weather is really good, so we are looking forward to it.” Skipper Rohit Sharma’s deputy Hardik Pandya seemed excited with the “bright sunshine” and “good vibes” while Suryakumar Yadav wanted to know more about the the diaspora’s cricket interests. “I heard cricket is growing here in the US. So we are really excited and the first day here was amazing, so very excited for the few days coming up,” Surya stated. India, the 2007 T20 World Cup champions, will start their campaign here on June 5 against Ireland, followed by the big game against arch-rivals Pakistan on June 9. They take on hosts USA on June 12 before the cricket caravan moves to familiar Lauderhill in Florida for the game against Canada on June 15. India are supposed to be clubbed A1 irrespective of where they finish in the group and will then proceed to the Caribbean islands for the Super 8 phase of the tournament where they would meet Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. None of the Indian main squad players featured in the IPL finals held on May 26 in Chennai.

Bayern Munich unveil Vincent Kompany as new head coach after horrid 2023-24 season – India TV

Danijones5 months ago03 mins

Image Source : GETTY Vincent Kompany during Burnley’s EPL 2023-24 game against Tottenham Hotspur in London on May 11, 2024 Bayern Munich ended their brief search for a new head coach by signing the Belgian legend Vincent Kompany as the manager on Wednesday, May 29. The German giants suffered one of their worst seasons in the Bundesliga in 2023-24 and are set to revive their form with a new coach for the 2024-25 season. Kompany’s appointment came as a shock as the Belgian suffered an embarrassing relegation with Burnley in the English Premier League. Burnley managed to win just five matches in 38 games this season to finish 19th in the points table. The former Manchester City and Belgium captain will replace Thomas Tuchel at Allianz Arena. According to an ESPN report, Kompany has penned a three-year contract with 33-time Bundesliga winners in a total deal of $12.7 million. “We’re delighted to have brought in Vincent Kompany to FC Bayern,” Max Eberl, Bayern’s sporting director said. “We were immediately on the same page in our discussions with him. He clearly showed us how much the job at FC Bayern appeals to him and that he is keen to take it on. Vincent Kompany is hungry and brings everything to the table: as a player, he was already a leading figure in top international football and is also leading the way as a coach.” The Bavarian club decided to part ways with Thomas Tuchel in February this year as they suffered a dreadful 2023-24 season. Bayern’s nine-season winning streak ended as they finished third in the Bundesliga points table with 23 wins in 34 matches, 18 points behind new champions Bayer Leverkusen who went unbeaten. Bayern Munich ended their 2023-24 season with a shock 4-2 away defeat against Hoffenheim and were knocked out by Real Madrid in the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League. Bayern were left embarrassed by the third-tier side FC Saarbrucken in the second round of the German Cup in November last year.

India Hold Top Spot In ICC Rankings Heading Into T20 World Cup 2024

Danijones5 months ago04 mins

Inaugural T20 World Cup winners India held the top spot in the men’s T20I team rankings ahead of the upcoming edition of the tournament, which the West Indies and USA are co-hosting from June 1-29. India have 264 rating points. Two-time champions West Indies have moved up to fourth position, their players showing some great form ahead of the T20 showpiece. The winners of the 2012 and 2016 editions of the tournament are ahead of New Zealand and South Africa after their 3-0 win over South Africa, who were pushed down to seventh position in the list led by India. 2021 champions Australia are second with 257 points, defending champions England third with 254 points and the West Indies two points behind them on 252. New Zealand are on 250 while Pakistan and South Africa are both on 244 points with Pakistan slightly ahead on decimal points. The West Indies players too have reaped the benefits of their superb performances in the home series not long before their tournament opener against Papua New Guinea in Guyana on June 2. Opening batter Brandon King is up five places to eighth position after topping the series aggregate with 159 runs and Johnson Charles, who hammered 69 off 26 balls to be named Player of the Match in the third T20I, is up 17 places to 20th. Kyle Mayers is another batter to move up, gaining 12 places to reach 31st position with an aggregate of 102 runs while left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie has advanced a whopping 84 places to 27th after finishing with eight wickets in the series. In the latest weekly update that also considers performances in the last two matches of the Bangladesh-USA series and the ongoing series between England and Pakistan, England captain Jos Buttler has inched up to seventh position, Jonny Bairstow is up eight places to 36th while Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman has advanced from 57th to 51st. In the bowling rankings, Shaheen Afridi is up three places to 11th while Imad Wasim is another Pakistan player to gain, up 14 places to 38th. For the USA, Steven Taylor has made big gains, progressing 28 places to 109 in the batting rankings while for Bangladesh, Rishad Hussain has moved up 38 places to 52nd in the bowling rankings. (This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Topics mentioned in this article

Riyan Parag’s strong belief, says ‘at some point, I’m going to play for India’ | Cricket News

Danijones5 months ago09 mins

NEW DELHI: To some, it might appear as extreme arrogance, but when Riyan Parag looks you in the eye and declares, “I am going to play for India no matter what,” it’s a testament to his immense self-belief in his own skill set and abilities.“At some point, you’ll have to take me, right? So that is my belief, I’m going to play for India. I don’t really care when,” Parag stated confidently during his exclusive interaction with PTI on Wednesday.No youngster has polarized opinions as quickly as the 22-year-old from Assam, who had a breakout IPL season, amassing 573 runs at a strike rate close to 150 while batting at No.4 for the Rajasthan Royals.In his previous five years in the IPL, Riyan, a 2018 U-19 World Cup winner, never even reached a 200-run season. He faced harsh criticism on social media as he transitioned from boyhood to manhood.“When I was not scoring runs – I said this in an earlier interview as well – that I am going to play for India,” Parag reiterated on the sidelines of a Red Bull Campus Cricket tournament in Mumbai on Wednesday, a tournament he praised for giving exposure to talented youngsters.“That is me believing in myself. That is not me being arrogant. That was my plan with my dad (former Railways and Assam player Parag Das) when I started playing cricket at around 10 years old. We (a joint project) were going to play for India regardless of anything.”Riyan, Abhishek Sharma, and Harshit Rana have a high likelihood of being selected for the upcoming cricket tour in Zimbabwe.“Whether it’s the next tour, whether it’s a tour in six months, whether it’s a tour in one year… I don’t really put my thought behind when I should play. That is the selector’s job, that is other people’s job,” Riyan said.Having learned the hard way about the downsides of social media, he has stopped taking things to heart.“You’ve got to be very quick and very sharp when reacting to things. Social media and all of that play a big part with mental pressure. Because once you start listening to those things… it always starts in a merry way, right?,” he asked.“Once you start performing, people really hype you up. Once you start reading that, you get that satisfaction of listening to other people or watching other things.”This year’s IPL served as a testament to his belonging at the elite level.“But what I’ve figured out in the last year or two is that I’ve got to have an undeniable stack of proof that I belong at this level. Which means (that) me practising a lot, me practising at that level, practicing those situations,” Parag said.What has been his biggest takeaway from the season.“The biggest thing that I’ve taken away from the last season is that believing in yourself actually works out, because a lot of people say a lot of different things, whether it’s negative, whether it’s positive. But at the end of the day, what matters is what you think about yourself and that is what I’ve been for,” he said.Since his debut season with the Rajasthan Royals in 2018, Riyan’s performance over the past five seasons has been disappointing, with his totals reading 160, 86, 93, 183, and 78.“I had a lot of rough seasons, more than (the) nice ones and I feel having that constant belief in yourself, that you actually belong in this level, that you can actually do things that you (had) dreamt of, has been a constant and that will stay throughout.”“What you saw this year in the IPL is how I play domestic cricket. I take the onus up to myself, I take the expectations, I take the burden upon myself to deliver and that is why I play the best,” he said.So what changed from previous years?“I was not doing that in the IPL. I was taking way too much pressure, keeping my expectations way too high and not doing the basic things right.”Additionally, playing at a crucial No. 4 slot for RR also worked.“That is what I figured (that) I had to do this year; of playing at my favourite position as well, No 4 . I was like, okay, “I do this at domestic cricket, this is the same thing I’m going to do in IPL and let’s see how it goes”. It worked out perfectly,” he said.During a substantial period in this IPL season, RR enjoyed a commendable streak, only to see their momentum wane as they reached the playoffs, ultimately securing the third position. Parag conceded that there’s still a tinge of disappointment hanging in the air.“”I’m still dealing with it. I got back home and I was super sad. The night after the game, it didn’t really sink in. But then the day after the match, and before the final, it was tough,” he said.“It’s tough, but then that’s how cricket goes. There are world-class sides that are playing the tournament, world-class players that are playing the tournament,” Parag added.(With PTI inputs)

India maintain top spot in ICC Rankings going into T20 World Cup | Cricket News

Danijones5 months ago04 mins

NEW DELHI: India, the winners of the inaugural T20 World Cup, currently hold the top spot in the men’s T20I team rankings ahead of the upcoming edition of the tournament, which will be co-hosted by the West Indies and the USA from June 1-29.India have accrued 264 rating points.The West Indies, two-time champions, have climbed to fourth position, with their players displaying excellent form ahead of the T20 showcase.Having secured victories in the 2012 and 2016 editions, the West Indies are now ahead of New Zealand and South Africa. Their recent 3-0 series win over South Africa pushed the latter down to seventh position in the rankings led by India.Australia, the 2021 champions, are second with 257 points, while defending champions England hold third place with 254 points. The West Indies trail closely behind with 252 points.New Zealand stand at 250 points, while Pakistan and South Africa each have 244 points, with Pakistan marginally ahead on decimal points.The West Indies players have benefitted from their excellent performances in a recent home series, boosting their confidence before their tournament opener against Papua New Guinea in Guyana on June 2.Opening batter Brandon King has climbed five places to eighth position after leading the series with a total of 159 runs. Johnson Charles, who was named Player of the Match in the third T20I for his explosive 69 off 26 balls, has surged 17 places to 20th.Kyle Mayers has also made significant strides, moving up 12 places to 31st position with an aggregate of 102 runs, while left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie has soared an impressive 84 places to 27th after taking eight wickets in the series.In the latest weekly update, which also includes performances from the final two matches of the Bangladesh-USA series and the ongoing series between England and Pakistan, several players have made notable gains. England captain Jos Buttler has moved up to seventh position, Jonny Bairstow has risen eight places to 36th, and Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman has advanced from 57th to 51st.In the bowling rankings, Shaheen Afridi has ascended three places to 11th, while fellow Pakistani Imad Wasim has climbed 14 places to 38th.For the USA, Steven Taylor has made significant progress, advancing 28 places to 109th in the batting rankings. Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s Rishad Hussain has moved up 38 places to 52nd in the bowling rankings.(With PTI inputs)