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

Danijones6 months ago4 months ago03 mins

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.

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

Danijones6 months ago4 months ago05 mins

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.

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

Danijones6 months ago4 months ago04 mins

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.

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

Danijones6 months ago4 months ago04 mins

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.

PCB Announces Massive Reward To Each Player If Pakistan Win T20 World Cup 2024 Trophy

Danijones6 months ago02 mins

Representative image© AFP Each member of Pakistan’s T20 World Cup squad will get USD 100,000 if the team wins the ICC event in June in Americas, the country’s cricket board announced on Sunday. The announcement was made by the PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi after spending nearly two hours with the players here before their departure for the away T20 series against Ireland and England on Monday night. Naqvi also said that the prize money held no importance compared to lifting the trophy, expressing the hope that the team would raise the Pakistan flag. “Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi announced to give 100,000 dollars prize to every player for winning the T20 World Cup,” the PCB posted on social media. He also told the players “not to care about anyone” but to just play for Pakistan and demonstrate teamwork, and, “God willing”, victory will be gained by the team. Naqvi further said that all the players were united while also expressing the hope that fast-bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi would deliver a great performance in the tournament. “The country has a lot of expectations from you. You have to fulfil them,” he told the players. During his visit, the PCB chairman also handed out special shirts to players for achieving milestones. Wicketkeeper-batter Mohamad Rizwan was awarded a shirt for completing 3,000 T20 runs while pacer Naseem Shah was awarded a shirt for taking 100 T20 wickets. Topics mentioned in this article

“Had Immense Pain In My Stomach”: Mohammed Siraj’s Big Revelation After RCB’s Win Over GT

Danijones6 months ago07 mins

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pacer Mohammed Siraj revealed that he was suffering from severe stomach ache ahead of his side’s Indian Premier League (IPL) game against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Saturday, but still played the game with ICC T20 World Cup tournament in his mind and with the “power of the almighty”. Siraj played a crucial role in RCB’s four-wicket win over GT in Bengaluru on Saturday. His spell of 2/29 played a crucial role in bundling GT out for 148 runs, which was chased down by RCB with 38 balls to spare. Speaking in a video by the IPL featuring teammate Yash Dayal, Siraj said, “I felt I would not be able to play the game today. I had immense pain in my stomach and also loose motions so I thought there was no chance I would be playing. But I thought that since there is a T20 World Cup around (from June 1 onwards in the West Indies and the USA), getting game time will be very important and good for me. I did not have the energy to bowl with this intensity but maybe the almighty gave me the power.” In 10 matches of IPL 2024, Siraj has taken eight wickets at an average of 44.00, with the best bowling figures of 2/26. The pacer also talked about his bond with star batter Virat Kohli and how it helps him with his bowling. He said that good communication with a legend like Virat reduces half the difficulty for the bowlers. “Virat has known me for eight years now and he always gives handy advice on what to do in a particular situation. He also asks me as a bowler what I am thinking can be done and accordingly let us me execute my plans as well. When you have good communication with such a legend of the game then half the difficulty gets reduced straightaway as a bowler,” he said. Siraj lauded Yash for his bowling with the new ball and said that his performance will do his confidence a “world of good”. “Yash was very good for Gujarat as well and he has come here and continued to do well. He bowls well with the new ball and it will do his confidence a world of good. When you perform in tough situations, it gives you more confidence as a bowler,” he said. In 10 matches of IPL 2024, Dayal has taken 10 wickets at an average of 33.80, with the best bowling figures of 2/21. Dayal also said that he carried the confidence he got from domestic cricket. “I was observing while fielding that where they were hitting their shots. So setting a field against that, I just backed myself to execute my plans and they came off well,” he concluded. 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. (This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Topics mentioned in this article

“It Was Not Meant To Be”: PBKS Skipper Sam Curran’s Emotional Admission After Loss vs CSK

Danijones6 months ago04 mins

Following his side’s 28-run loss to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain Sam Curran said that the pitch turned out to be slower, rather than a quick, bouncy surface that they expected. Fiery spells from Ravindra Jadeja, Tushar Deshpande and Simarjeet Singh triggered a massive batting collapse and helped Chennai Super Kings (CSK) beat Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 28 runs at Dharamsala on Sunday. “I thought we bowled really well as a group. Rahul Chahar bowled really well, and the way Harshal Patel finished off. We were happy as a group at the halfway stage but unfortunately, it was not meant to be. We thought it (the pitch) was going to be slightly quicker, and have more bounce,” said Curran during the post-match presentation. “It was a bit slower but it was similar throughout the game. We have a couple of days off and then we play against RCB. We have to move on and keep fighting hard,” he added. Coming to the match, PBKS won the toss and elected to field first. CSK lost their wickets at regular intervals. It was knocks from Ravindra Jadeja (43 in 26 balls, with three fours and two sixes), Ruturaj Gaikwad (32 in 21 balls, with four boundaries and a six) and Daryl Mitchell (30 in 19 balls, with two fours and a six) that took CSK to a respectable 167/9 in their 20 overs. Rahul Chahar (3/23) and Harshal Patel (3/24) were the pick of the bowlers for PBKS. Arshdeep Singh got two wickets while Sam Curran got a wicket too. In the run-chase, PBKS lost two wickets early, with Tushar Deshpande (2/35) striking for Men in Yellow, but Prabhsimran Singh (30 in 23 balls, with two fours and two sixes) and Shashank Singh (27 in 20 balls, with four boundaries) helped them recover with a 53-run partnership. However, Ravindra Jadeja (3/20), Mitchell Santner (1/10) and Simarjeet Singh (2/16) helped CSK make a stunning comeback and restrict Punjab to 139/9 in their 20 overs. Jadeja received the ‘Player of the Match’ performance for his three wickets and a knock of 43. CSK has gone up to third place in the points table with six wins and five losses, giving them 12 points. PBKS is in the eighth spot with four wins, seven losses and just eight 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

MS Dhoni Registers Bizarre First After 18 Years Of T20 Debut During IPL Clash

Danijones6 months ago03 mins

MS Dhoni in action for CSK during IPL 2024© X (formerly Twitter) MS Dhoni came out to bat at No. 9 for the first time ever in his T20 career during the IPL 2024 match between Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings on Sunday. Since making debut way back in 2004, Dhoni has always batted between No. 3 and No, 7 with his move to No. 8 coming fairly recently during IPL 2023. However, despite being slotted to bat at No. 8, he came to bat after Shardul Thakur and his stay at the crease was extremely short as Harshal Patel dismissed the veteran star for a golden duck. During his career, Dhoni has batted the most at No. 5 followed by No. 4 and No. 6. He has also scored the most runs (2602) in his career while batting at No. 5 in T20 cricket. Deceived Reactions says it all as MS Dhoni departs to a brilliant slower one from Harshal Patel Watch the match LIVE on @JioCinema and @StarSportsIndia#TATAIPL | #PBKSvCSK | @PunjabKingsIPL pic.twitter.com/gYE5TqnqaY — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 5, 2024 During the 19th over of the CSK innings, Dhoni was completely foxed by a slower delivery from Harshal Patel that dipped rapidly and left him completely flabbergasted. The ball went right through his defense and crashed into the off-stump to leave CSK and Dhoni fans shell-shocked. This was the first time that Dhoni was dismissed by any bowler in IPL 2024 with his previous dismissal in the last match against PBKS being a run-out. “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 when asked about his wicket celebration. Topics mentioned in this article

“Let’s Not Get Into…”: R Ashwin’s Surprising Remark On Sunil Narine Has People ‘Reading Between Lines’

Danijones6 months ago04 mins

The ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has seen the batters dominating their counterparts. The 250-run mark has been breached as many as eight times this season already. Amid the run-fest, only two bowlers — Jasprit Bumrah and Sunil Narine — have managed to contain the flow of runs while also bagging crucial wickets for their team. Bumrah and Narine are the only bowlers with an economy rate of less than 7, while also claiming more than 10 wickets each. Bumrah leads the Purple Cap charts with 17 wickets in 11 matches at an economy rate of 6.25. Narine, on the other hand, has an economy of 6.72 this season with 13 wickets in the bag as well. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Rajasthan Royals and India spinner Ravindra Ashwin lavished high praise on Bumrah and Narine for their prowess this season. However, Ashwin took a sly dig at Narine’s bowling action, which has been questioned in the past, but refused to delve deep into the topic. “Bumrah has a really good unique point – He has got a distinct advantage compared to other pacers due to his release point. I won’t talk about Sunil Narine. It’s wrong according to my policy. Narine was also getting hit 2-3 seasons ago. This season he’s been outstanding. But let’s not get into that topic,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. On the contorary, Ashwin has been a tad bit expensive so far this season, leaking runs at nine per over. However, the biggest concern regarding his form has been the lack of wickets. In nine matches, he has picked up just two wickets. Despite his struggles, Ashwin recently claimed that taking wickets in T20s is irrelevant. Reacting to his remark, former India batter Virender Sehwag, however, slammed Ashwin and said that the veteran might go unsold in the auction next season. “This is the same as when KL Rahul had said that the strike rate doesn’t matter. Same thing. He said it for batting, Ashwin has said it for bowling that it doesn’t matter if you get the wickets. If his stats aren’t good, then he may not even get picked in the auction next year. When you pick a bowler, do you expect him to give away 25-30 runs or do you expect him to give you wickets and become man of the match twice or thrice?” Sehwag said on Cricbuzz. Topics mentioned in this article

LSG vs KKR LIVE Score, IPL 2024: Sunil Narine-Phil Salt Script History, One-Down KKR In Control vs LSG

Danijones6 months ago01 mins

LSG vs KKR Live: Squads – Lucknow Super Giants: Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul (c & wk), Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, Shamar Joseph, Yash Thakur, Manimaran Siddharth, Prerak Mankad, Arshad Khan, Krishnappa Gowtham, Amit Mishra, Kyle Mayers, Ashton Turner, Matt Henry, Naveen-ul-Haq, Devdutt Padikkal, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Mayank Yadav, Arshin Kulkarni. Kolkata Knight Riders: Shreyas Iyer (c), KS Bharat (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Sherfane Rutherford, Manish Pandey, Andre Russell, Nitish Rana, Venkatesh Iyer, Anukul Roy, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Chetan Sakariya, Harshit Rana, Suyash Sharma, Mitchell Starc, Dushmantha Chameera, Sakib Hussain, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Gus Atkinson, Allah Ghazanfar, Phil Salt.