June 8, 2025
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Virender Sehwag Schools 'Lucky' Shubman Gill, Triggers Another 'Strike-Rate Debate'

Virender Sehwag Schools ‘Lucky’ Shubman Gill, Triggers Another ‘Strike-Rate Debate’

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Former India batter Virender Sehwag has suggested that Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper Shubman Gill is lucky to have his name in the travelling reserves for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the Americas. Gill did not find a place in the 15-man squad, with the selectors preferring another youngster in Yashasvi Jaiswal for the openers slot. Gil, however, is one of the four travelling reserves. Gill, who was the Orange Cap winner last season, has only scored 322 runs in 11 matches during the ongoing season of IPL. Sehwag feels Gill should focus on scoring more runs so that he doesn’t get dropped from the team in the future. “I think he’s lucky that his name is in the T20 World Cup reserves. KL Rahul and Ruturaj Gaikwad are not even in that. That’s a good point and he should be motivated by that. Next time, he should not let his place go once he gets a chance. He should focus on scoring runs at a good strike-rate so he doesn’t get replaced,” Sehwag said during a discussion on Cricbuzz. Recalling his playing days, Sehwag recalled how the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, and VVS Laxman hardly gave the selectors any solid reason to drop them. “In my days, we had Ganguly, Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman. It doesn’t matter how many runs the other guys scored, these guys didn’t go out because they never stopped scoring runs. How will you drop them if they keep scoring runs? They never gave a reason to get dropped. This is what Shubman Gill has to learn. Once he returns to Indian team and plays regularly post the World Cup, he shouldn’t let such an opportunity arise again. Improve your skills and score big, because big scores will eventually save you,” he added. Gill is having a torrid season in IPL 2024, with his team also languishing in the bottom half of the points table. He had taken over captaincy from Hardik Pandya, who returned to Mumbai Indians ahead of the season to fill in the same role. With back-to-back defeats against RCB, Gill’s GT have slumped to ninth in the points table with eights points from 11 matches. Topics mentioned in this article

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Why Didn't Harshal Patel Celebrate MS Dhoni's Golden Duck? His Reply Wins Internet

Why Didn’t Harshal Patel Celebrate MS Dhoni’s Golden Duck? His Reply Wins Internet

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Harshal Patel dismissed MS Dhoni on a golden duck© X (Twitter) After dismissing former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni for a golden duck in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 on Sunday, Punjab Kings (PBKS) bowler Harshal Patel said he has too much respect for the 42-year-old legend and hence did not celebrate his wicket. Harshal picked up three wickets and gave 24 runs in his four-over spell at an economy rate of 6.00. He removed Dhoni for a golden duck in the fifth ball of the 19th over. While speaking after the first inning, Harshal commented on the pitch at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium and said the wicket was dry. The PBKS bowler added that during his first over the ball was reversing. “Wicket was on drier side. I have too much respect for him to celebrate when I get him out (on Dhoni). One of the advantages of playing a day game is that the square is quite rough. So the ball starts reversing. In my first over it was reversing. It’s all about the feel of that delivery (slower one). More you bowl the better you get. Most batters don’t pick it. Have been practicing in the nets, and when it comes out it gives you great results,” Harshal said. Ms Dhoni 0(1) vs Pbks Ball by ball Highlightpic.twitter.com/so8XWGi8W5 — ANSH. (@KohliPeak) May 5, 2024 Recapping the first inning of the match, Punjab won the toss and decided to bowl. Ravindra Jadeja (43), Ruturaj Gaikwad (32), and Daryl Mitchell (30) were the standout batters for Chennai and powered the visitors to 167/9. Rest no other batter could stand still in front of the PBKS bowling attack. Punjab displayed a stupendous performance while bowling and stopped CSK from making partnerships. Harshal Patel and Rahul Chahar led the PBKS bowling attack and bagged three wickets in their respective spells. The target of 168 proved too much for PBKS to chase, with the franchise suffering a 28-run defeat. Topics mentioned in this article

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"There's Terror Threat To T20 World Cup": Trinidad And Tobago PM Reveals; ICC Reacts

“There’s Terror Threat To T20 World Cup”: Trinidad And Tobago PM Reveals; ICC Reacts

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The International Cricket Council (ICC) has said it is working closely with Men’s T20 World Cup host countries – the West Indies and the USA – to ensure appropriate plans are in place amidst a terror threat to the showpiece event. The men’s T20 World Cup is scheduled to take place in the West Indies and the USA from June 1-29. Reports emerged from various sections in the Caribbean media that the World Cup hosting islands in the region received terror threats from an organisation in North Pakistan. “ICC is working closely with the host countries to ensure appropriate plans are in place. We immediately spoke to the authorities as the reports emerged, and the Cricket West Indies has assured everyone that a comprehensive security plan is in place to address any risk,” an ICC official told IANS when asked about the terror threat to the Men’s T20 World Cup. Dr Keith Rowley, the Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago, said to Daily Express that the security agencies are working to combat terror threats to the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean. “Unfortunately, the threat of terrorism in its many and varied expressions is an ever-present danger in the world of the 21st century. It is against this backdrop that all nations, like our region, when hosting large or vulnerable gatherings, make an extra effort in national security preparations and response readiness to take seriously, all threats, expressed or implied. “Given the fact that bad actors can choose to misbehave in any way possible it makes it virtually impossible to completely seal off all opportunities. However, in order to ameliorate these dangers, we at the local and regional levels have remained alert to many threats and singularly or together have our intelligence and other security agencies working to protect the population in countries and at venues throughout the tournament,” said Rowley. In the Caribbean, Kensington Oval in Barbados, Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad, Providence Stadium in Guyana, Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua, Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia and Arnos Vale Stadium, St Vincent will be the hosts for matches of T20 World Cup. In the USA, Eisenhower Park in New York; Broward County in Lauderhill, Florida and Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas, will be the venues. 20 teams will be divided into four groups of five each for the first round. Top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super eight stage. In Super Eight, teams will be split into two groups of four each. Teams seeded first and second in their groups in the first round will retain that seeding in the Super Eight, provided they qualify. A1, B2, C1 and D2 finishers will be in one group, while A2, B1, C2 and D1 will be slotted in the other group. Top two sides from two groups of the Super eight will advance for the semi-finals. The semi-finals will be held in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago on June 26 and 27 respectively. The final will be held in Barbados on June 29. Reserve days are in place for both semi-finals and the final. (This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Topics mentioned in this article

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IPL 2024 Playoffs: Exact Results Mumbai Indians Need For Top 4 Finish

IPL 2024 Playoffs: Exact Results Mumbai Indians Need For Top 4 Finish

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Hardik Pandya’s MI have 3 wins in 11 matches to their name© BCCI/Sportzpics The Mumbai Indians stare at an early elimination from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, with a solitary defeat keeping them from becoming the first team to exit the playoffs race this campaign. Under Hardik Pandya’s captaincy, the Mumbai Indians have barely clicked as a unit, with below-par performances from established stars, as well as poor leadership costing the team crucial moments in the season so far. With just three more games to go in the league stage of the campaign for MI, all hope is not entirely lost. Mumbai Indians are still within the shout to qualify for the playoffs, though the chances of them finishing as one of the top 4 teams are minuscule. How Can Mumbai Indians Qualify For IPL 2024 Playoffs? Condition 1:First and foremost, the Hardik Pandy-led side has to win all of its remaining three matches in the IPL 2024 league campaign. MI are scheduled to take on the mighty Sunrisers Hyderabad next, with matches against Kolkata Knight Rider and Lucknow Super Giants to follow. All eyes on @KKRiders and the Points Table At the end of Match of #TATAIPL 2024, this is how all teams stand! Predict the final standings after matches of your team pic.twitter.com/LfIvptd6u3 — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 5, 2024 Condition 2: Hope that no other team crosses the 12-point mark in IPL 2024 standings. At present, SRH, LSG and CSK already have 12 points to their name. Hence, at least two of these franchises would need to lose their remaining matches in the league campaign. With KKR and RR already sitting at the No. 1 and No. 2 spots with 16 points each, it is impossible for Mumbai to topple them. In fact, big wins against other teams for KKR and RR would only benefit MI. Condition 3: Mumbai Indians have a Net Run Rate of -0.356 at present. Even if MI win all of their remaining matches, they would need to do that by big margins in order to get into a positive NRR. But, that might not be enough if the NRR of other teams at 12 points is better than MI. Though you never say never in a sport like cricket, it’s fair to assert that Mumbai Indians’ chances of IPL 2024 playoffs qualification don’t instill much hope in the hearts of their fans. Topics mentioned in this article

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"Better To Include A Fast Bowler Than Playing MS Dhoni": Harbhajan Singh

“Better To Include A Fast Bowler Than Playing MS Dhoni”: Harbhajan Singh

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Harbhajan Singh slammed MS Dhoni’s decision to bat at No. 9 spot© BCCI/Sportzpics MS Dhoni batted at No. 9 for the first time in his T20 career but his decision ultimately backfired as he was dismissed for a golden duck during the IPL 2024 match against Punjab Kings on Sunday. Dhoni has assumed the role as a finisher for CSK this season and he mostly comes to bat with 1-2 overs to go in the matches. Against PBKS, he allowed both Mitchell Santner and Shardul Thakur to bat ahead of him before coming out in the 19th over. Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh was not impressed by the decision and he said that if Dhoni is going to bat at No. 9, CSK should add another pacer in their ranks instead. “MS Dhoni shouldn’t play if he wants to bat at the number 9 slot. It is better to include a fast bowler than him in the playing XI. He is the decision-maker and has let down his team by not coming out to bat.” “Shardul Thakur came ahead of him. Thakur can never hit shots like Dhoni and I don’t understand why Dhoni made this mistake. Nothing happens without his permission and I am not ready to accept that this decision to demote him was taken by someone else.” “CSK were in a need of quick runs and Dhoni has done that in the previous games. It was shocking that he stayed back in the important contest against Punjab Kings. Even if CSK win today, I will still call out Dhoni. Let people say anything. I will say what is right,” Harbhajan Singh said on Star Sports. Coming to the match, Chennai Super Kings rode an all-round show from Ravindra Jadeja to register a crucial victory over Punjab Kings. They are third in the IPL 2024 points table thanks to this win. “Everyone believed the wicket was slow. Even low bounce. Just that the start we got, we were thinking of pushing till 180-200. After losing wickets, thought 160-170 was a good score. Don’t know what he’s doing, but even in preseason he was clicking 150kph (on Simarjeet). He didn’t get too much chances, but it’s never too late. Were thinking of going with impact batter, but then we thought the batter will give 10-15 runs, but he could give 2-3 wickets. Some of the guys were struggling with flu. Weren’t even sure till the morning who’s playing or not. To get the win, really happy with that,” Ruturaj said after the match. Topics mentioned in this article

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"Couldn't Handle Pressure": After Defeat Against KKR, LSG Captain KL Rahul's Direct Blame

“Couldn’t Handle Pressure”: After Defeat Against KKR, LSG Captain KL Rahul’s Direct Blame

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Lucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul didn’t hold back while talking about their shortcomings following their biggest defeat by runs in the Indian Premier League against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday. LSG were outplayed by the Knights in all facets of the game which led to a 98-run defeat and possibly putting their hopes of a spot in playoffs in jeopardy. Rahul’s decision to bowl after winning the toss backfired quickly as Sunil Narine went all guns blazing against the LSG bowling unit. The inexperienced ones succumbed to the pressure, leaked runs at a staggering rate and allowed KKR to set the platform for a mammoth total of 235/6. Mohsin Khan, Yash Thakur and Yudhvir Singh combined for 98 runs in just eight overs. “It was a lot of runs to be scored in the second innings. When you are chasing a big total, you are trying to go too hard and you end up losing wickets. Just a poor performance overall. We didn’t (hit our lengths consistently), just had a poor performance overall with bat, ball and in the field. Sunil Narine and Phil Salt, in the powerplay, we’ve seen how they bat and they do put a lot of pressure on the opposition. Our young bowlers couldn’t handle that kind of pressure and he hit some really good shots,” Rahul said after the game. While LSG looked clueless against hard-hitting Narine, Rahul stated that they had plans to deal with KKR batters but got the execution part wrong. “We prepare well in advance and talk about the opposition batters, we know our conditions here and we do spend a little bit of time talking to the bowlers and talking to the batters trying to see what kind of plans we need to come up with. Once we come here, it’s about execution and we went wrong in that part. Bowlers tried their best but the young group really … the sooner you learn, the better it for the team,” Rahul added. Coming to the game, LSG opted to field first after winning the toss. Narine’s 81, combined with solid knocks from Phil Salt (32 in 14 balls, with five fours and a six), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (32 in 26 balls, with three fours and a six) and Ramandeep Singh (25* in six balls, with a four and three sixes) took KKR to 235/6 in their 20 overs. Naveen-ul-Haq (3/49) was the pick of the bowlers for LSG. Yash Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi and Yudhvir Singh got a wicket each. In a run chase of 236, Lucknow lost wickets at regular intervals. Marcus Stoinis (36 in 21 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) and skipper KL Rahul (25 in 21 balls, with three fours) were the top scorers as LSG bundled out for 137 in 16.1 overs. Harshit Rana (3/24) and Varun Chakravarthy (3/30) were the top wicket-takers for KKR. Sunil Narine took home the ‘Player of the Match’ for his one wicket and 81-run knock. After the defeat, LSG dropped out from the Top-4 spot with a negative net run rate of 0.371. While KKR dethroned Rajasthan Royals to take the top spot with 16 points. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) Topics mentioned in this article

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Amid Sunil Gavaskar Criticism, Wasim Akram's Striking Verdict On Virat Kohli's Scoring Rate

Amid Sunil Gavaskar Criticism, Wasim Akram’s Striking Verdict On Virat Kohli’s Scoring Rate

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Already selected for India’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad, Virat Kohli continues to remain a big subject of chatter among fans and pundits over his strike-rate in T20 cricket. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter has been crucial to his team’s victories this campaign on multiple occasions, but analysts have also blamed his poor strike-rate behind certain defeats. Sunil Gavaskar was one of those critics who questioned Kohli’s intent but Pakistan legend Wasim Akram doesn’t feel there’s anything wrong that the RCB star has done. Kohli, a few days ago, himself responded to the critics, hitting them back over the criticism of his strike-rate and struggles against spinners, prompting a fiery rant from Gavaskar on Saturday. Akram, however, isn’t in agreement with Gavaskar. “What criticism is he getting? That his team is losing. If the guy is scoring 100 at 150 strike rate, isn’t it fine? If the team had won, there wouldn’t have been criticism. Kohli was under pressure when he was captain, and he is under pressure even now. He is scoring, but one player cannot win the match. Criticising him unnecessarily… it’s not fair. In the long run, Kohli has a lot of cricket left, RCB will have to think why their performances were so inconsistent even after 16 years. Their batting is still fine, but their bowlers are weak,” Akram told Sportskeeda. “Some people say that the ground is short. But you know that already. Pick players according to that only. It is the same ground where I played a Test in 1987. It’s the same ground now,” he added. Akram also shared his opinion on the role of an ‘anchor’ in T20 cricket, saying going by the way this IPL has gone, that profile seems to be done and dusted. “If you look at this IPL, it feels like it’s over. The way teams are scoring 270s, it looks like it. People are calling an anchor slow even when the strike rate is 150. When you look at the pitches and the performances, it looks like it. You got to hit from the first ball, you can’t stop,” said Akram.

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IPL 2024 Points Table: Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings Take Massive Steps Towards Playoffs

IPL 2024 Points Table: Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings Take Massive Steps Towards Playoffs

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Kolkata Knight Riders grabbed the top spot in the IPL 2024 points table with a huge 98-run win over Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday. The victory took the Shreyas Iyer-led side to 16 points and they are one win away from booking their playoff berth. Lucknow Super Giants went down to the fifth spot with 12 points – the same as Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad – but an inferior Net Run Rate (NRR). In the other match of the day, Chennai Super Kings remained third with a win over Punjab Kings that took them to 12 points. PBKS are eighth with 8 points from 11 matches. Sunil Narine’s sparkling fifty and a collective effort by the bowlers fashioned Kolkata Knight Riders’ 98-run win over Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL 2024 on Sunday. Deciding to bowl first didn’t go as per plan for LSG as KKR became the first team to cross the 200-run mark at the Ekana stadium. Proving his worth with the willow once again, Narine (81 off 38 balls) went on a six-hitting spree, blasting seven maximums and six fours to take the visitors to 235/6. Chasing an imposing total, LSG batters had to go from the word go but the hosts found it hard to get the big shots and were eventually bundled out for 137 in 16.1 overs. Within the first 10 overs, LSG had lost half the side including skipper KL Rahul (25), Arshin Kulkarni (9), Deepak Hooda (5) and big hitters Marcus Stoinis (36) and Nicholas Pooran (10). Ashton Turner hit some lusty blows and looked in mood to showcase his batting prowess but the Australian was supremely unlucky as an inside edge deflected off his boot with Varun Chakravarthy completing a caught and bowled. With the win KKR moved to the top of the table. They have 16 points, the same as Rajasthan Royals but have played one game more. LSG, on the other hand, dropped out of the top four to the fifth spot with 12 points from 11 games. Their Net Run Rate also took a massive hit going down from 0.094 to -0.371. Ravindra Jadeja produced an all-round effort to help Chennai Super Kings beat Punjab Kings by 28 runs. Sent into bat, Jadeja made 43 runs off 26 balls and then picked up 3 for 20 to ensure a win for CSK. Chasing a modest 168, PBKS faltered from the word go with only Prabhsimran Singh (30) and Shashank Singh (27) making significant contributions with the bat before being restricted to 139 for 9 in 20 overs. Besides Jadeja, Simarjeet Singh (2/16) and Tushar Deshpande (2/35) picked up two wickets each for CSK. Earlier, leg-spinner Rahul Chahar and pacer Harshal Patel picked up three wickets apiece as PBKS dished out a disciplined bowling effort to restrict CSK to 167 for nine. Jadeja, skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad (32) and Daryl Mitchell (30) got starts for CSK but failed to transform their knocks into big scores. Chahar (3/23) and Harshal (4/24) stood out with the ball for PBKS, while stand-in captain Sam Curran (1/34) and Arshdeep Singh (2/42) also registered their names in the wicket-takers list.

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Faf du Plessis' "Nervous" Remark Despite Dominant Win Over GT Sums Up RCB's Current State

Faf du Plessis’ “Nervous” Remark Despite Dominant Win Over GT Sums Up RCB’s Current State

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Following a four-wicket win over Gujarat Titans (GT), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper Faf du Plessis said that he was nervous when his team lost six quick wickets. Faf and Virat Kohli delivered an exceptional start with a 92-run stand but lost their next six wickets within 25 runs. However, Swapnil Singh and Dinesh Karthik held nerves to guide the team to a tense win with 38 balls left.  Following the game, Faf said at the post match presentation, “We have been really good in the last few games, with both bat and ball. We’ve been unbelievable in the field as well. The wicket was a bit different, there was a bit more bounce. Wanted to make sure we take that information from the pitch and give it to the bowlers. Yes there was a dropped catch but it is the effort that we look for and that was there throughout.” “The games we’ve played here have all been high-scoring, anything around 180-190 would have been par. Was important we did not look at the scoreboard when we went out to bat and try and play the way we play. Was a bit nervous (during loss of wickets). Probably not the best assessment from us there. Yes we wanted to go out there and get the total quickly to boost the net run rate (NRR) but probably when we were 4 down, we had to calm down a little bit,” he added. Coming to the match, RCB elected to field first after winning the toss. GT was 19/3 at one point. Then, a 61-run partnership between Shahrukh Khan (37 in 24 balls, with five fours and a six) and David Miller (30 in 20 balls, with two fours and two sixes) helped GT make a brief comeback. RCB kept taking regular wickets and once again reduced GT to 87/5. Then, a 44-run partnership between Rahul Tewatia (35 in 21 balls, with five fours and a six) and Rashid Khan (18 in 14 balls, with two fours and a six) took GT beyond the 100-run mark. RCB bundled out GT for 147 runs in 19.3 overs. Yash Dayal (2/21), Vijaykumar Vyshak (2/23) and Mohammed Siraj (2/29) were among the top bowlers for RCB. Cameron Green and Karn Sharma took a wicket each. Coming to the run chase, RCB started off brilliantly with Faf Du Plessis (64 in 23 balls, with 10 fours and three sixes) and Virat Kohli (42 in 27 balls, with two fours and four sixes) putting up a 92 run stand. After that RCB lost its way due to a fantastic spell from Joshua Little (4/45) and Noor Ahmed (2/23). However, Dinesh Karthik (21*) and Swapnil Singh (15*) guided the team to a four wicket win with 38 balls left.

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Virat Kohli Gets Massage From Faf Du Plessis, Fan's 'Backbenchers' Reference Breaks Internet. Watch

Virat Kohli Gets Massage From Faf Du Plessis, Fan’s ‘Backbenchers’ Reference Breaks Internet. Watch

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A video of Virat Kohli dancing while entering a room has taken the internet by storm.© X (Twitter) All eyes will be on Virat Kohli as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) take on Gujarat Titans (GT) in a do or die match in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Saturday. Both teams had also met last weekend with Kohli’s RCB beating Shubman Gill’s GT in a one-sided encounter in Ahmedabad. Kohli, who has been under the scanner for his strike-rate, hit an unbeaten 70 off 44 balls, but it was Will Jacks who stole the show with his unbeaten 100 off just 41 balls. Jacks had scored his first 50 in 31 balls, but took just 10 balls to breach triple figures. Ahead of their return leg against GT, Kohli and some of the RCB players attended an event. However, a video of Kohli dancing while entering the room has taken the internet by storm. In the viral video, Kohli was seen dancing with RCB skipper Faf du Plessis giving him a shoulder massage. When backbenchers are entering in class but teacher is already there pic.twitter.com/gDpM3LGKXe — Ayush Singh (@imabhinashS) May 3, 2024 Kohli has been in red-hot form in the ongoing IPL. He is currently the second highest run-getter in the tournament with 500 runs in 10 matches. He only trails CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad by nine runs in the Orange Cap list. Kohli’s form in remainder of the tournament will not be crucial for RCB, but also Team India as he has been selected in the 15-man squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. BCCI chief selectors Ajit Agarkar recently opened up on the debate surrounding Kohli’s strike-rate. “We haven’t been discussing Kohli’s strike-rate. There is a difference between IPL and international cricket. You need experience. We have got enough balance and power in the team. You look and try take positives from what is happening in IPL. Pressure of a World Cup game is different,” Ajit Agarkar played down Virat Kohli strike-rate criticism. There have been a debate whether Kohli should open the batting during the T20 World Cup. Addressing the talks, India captain Rohit neither confirmed or denied the same. “All the options are open. We haven’t decided yet, there is no guarantee and we will go there to the West Indies and depending on the conditions we will decide the playing XI,” Rohit said during a press conference.

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