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“Don’t Say A Word To Virat Kohli”: AB de Villiers’ Retort Amid Sunil Gavaskar’s Criticism

Danijones6 months ago05 mins

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) stalwart Virat Kohli was at the center of heavy criticism over his performances in the first half of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 campaign. As RCB lost 7 of their first 8 games of the tournament, Kohli was one of the players blamed for the team’s poor run, with his strike-rate becoming a constant talking point. Even the great Sunil Gavaskar lashed out at Virat for his lack of intent, prompting a reply from the RCB star too. Now, AB de Villiers has also joined the debate, saying it wasn’t pleasing for him to see Virat in the line of fire. De Villiers, in a chat on Jio Cinema, even recalled his own experience of playing against Kohli, saying his message to teammates would be “do not say anything to Virat” as criticism seems to get the best out of him. “I thought it was… really bad for someone like that for a hero and a role model of the country to get so much criticism around that. But the way I know him, I just knew and that’s exactly what I mentioned on my show. I said, guys, you have no idea what happens to this guy when he catches criticism. The many years I’ve played against him, I used to tell the players in the team room, you do not say one word to Virat on the pitch because he will come out and he will score a big 100 if you try and chirp him,” De Villiers was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times. “Maybe it was a blessing in disguise, getting a bit of criticism, because stuff like that motivates him so much,” he added. Speaking of Virat’s role at the T20 World Cup, De Villiers even went against the popular suggestion, saying the marquee batter shouldn’t open the innings alongside Rohit Sharma, and continue occupying the No. 3 spot. “I feel he’s a number three batsman and that’s where he’s most impactful. He’s almost like the captain of the batting team everywhere he goes. He keeps the calmness and the composure within the batting unit,” the former South Africa captain said. “I know Virat himself really enjoys opening, which is great. You’ve got to respect that from a man who’s played the game for many years. He understands his game really well and he understands what he wants out of the game as well. “But if I was playing a TV game, Xbox, he would come in at number three in my team. I feel there’s too much risk in those first couple of overs to go and ask Virat to take the game on, to hit the ball in the air. All I want him to do is to bat between overs 4 and 16-17, somewhere there. “I feel that’s where he’s best in the world by a country mile and that’s where he’s most impactful,” he asserted. Topics mentioned in this article

Did MS Dhoni’s 110m Six End Up Costing CSK A Spot In IPL Playoffs – Explained

Danijones6 months ago04 mins

Dinesh Karthik did admit that RCB got a bit lucky after MS Dhoni hit the ball outside the stadium.© BCCI Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) scripted one of the finest comeback stories ever in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Saturday, beating Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in a must-win game to qualify for the playoffs. The Faf du Plessis-led side were destined to finish at the bottom of the points table after losing seven of their first eight matches of the group phase. However, a run of six wins on the bounce sees them steal a playoffs spot from defending champions CSK. RCB had problems a plenty in the first half of the campaign but after six wins on trot, they head into the playoffs as the team to beat. On Saturday, Yash Dayal was the star of the show as he successfully defended 17 runs in the last over. Despite conceding a six off the very first ball, Dayal dismissed CSK icon MS Dhoni on the very next ball to switch the momentum back in RCB’s favour. He then conceded just one run off the next five balls, sparking massive celebrations inside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. RCB star Dinesh Karthik did admit that his side got a bit lucky after Dhoni hit Dayal for a six. For the unversed, Dhoni launched the ball outside the stadium and since it wasn’t retrieveable, the umpires had to get a replacement ball, which was much dryer and easier to grip. “The best thing to happened today was Dhoni hitting the six outside the ground. We got a new ball which was much better to bowl with,” Karthik during his dressing room speech. With their win over CSK, RCB joined Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the playoffs. While it was ecstasy for RCB, the legion of fans of Dhoni sank into despair as it could potentially be the last time they witnessed their ‘Thala’ perform on a cricket field. RCB head into the playoffs as the most in-form team with five wins on the bounce. No other team has managed to stitch as many wins on the bounce this season. They will either face RR or SRH in the Eliminator on Wednesday. Topics mentioned in this article

Ambati Rayudu Says “CSK Should Give One IPL Trophy To RCB”, Gets Brutal Reply. Watch

Danijones6 months ago04 mins

Ambati Rayudu and Varun Aaron discussing RCB’s win over CSK© Twitter Royal Challengers Bengaluru registered a massive victory over Chennai Super Kings to become the fourth team to book their spot in the IPL 2024 playoffs. RCB went into the match with a win needed to guarantee their Top 4 spot and the Faf Du Plessis-led side was able to clinch the game by 27 runs. Celebrations erupted in the stadium right after the victory with the players also taking part in them to the extent that MS Dhoni left without shaking hands after waiting for some time. Former India cricketer Ambati Rayudu trolled RCB’s celebrations and joked that CSK should give them one of their trophies. “RCB have already won the IPL. The way they celebrated last night. There are on their way and the whole streets of Bengaluru is filled with RCB fans,” Rayudu said on Star Sports. Rayudu’s former teammate Varun Aaron came up with a hilarious taunt. “Just pure CSK. Just not able to digest the fact that they have lost,” Aaron interjected. However, Rayudu continued to speak about RCB’s celebrations after the match. “CSK should give one of their trophies to RCB and they can parade it around Bengaluru,” he countered. “He’s just not able to digest the fact that RCB knocked out CSK,” Aaron replied. Ambati Rayudu – RCB should win the IPL. We saw what was the reaction in the streets of Bengaluru, in fact CSK should give one of their trophies to RCB He also wants RCB to lose against SRH in Eliminator Varun Aaron – he’s just not able to digest the fact that RCB knocked out CSK pic.twitter.com/lZdBePSzPf — Sachin (@Sachin_1_0) May 19, 2024 Meanwhile, RCB captain Faf Du Plessis dedicated his Man of the Match award to pacer Yash Dayal. “I dedicate this Man of the Match to Yash Dayal. The way he bowled was unbelievable. For a man who’s fairly new, he deserves it. [on what he told Dayal before the last over] Pace off is the best option on this pitch and trust your skills and enjoy, this is what you trained for. The yorker did not work the 1st ball and he went back to pace off and it worked unbelievably well,” Faf said after the match. Topics mentioned in this article

Abishek Porel, Tristan Stubbs And Bowlers Keep DC’s Playoff Hopes Alive With Win vs LSG

Danijones6 months ago06 mins

Commanding fifties from Abishek Porel and Tristan Stubbs was complemented by a clinical bowling effort as Delhi Capitals kept their slim IPL play-off hopes alive with a 19-run win over Lucknow Super Giants in their final league fixture on Tuesday. Porel (58 off 33 balls) and Shai Hope (38 off 27 balls) shared 92 runs off 49 balls to give the hosts an aggressive start. Tristan Stubbs (57 not out off 25) then hammered three fours and four maximums in his blitzkrieg and added 47 and 50 runs with Rishabh Pant (33) and Axar Patel (14 not out) to power DC to 208 for 4. The bowlers then joined the party to restrict the visitors to 189 for 9, despite a belligerent 27-ball 61 from Nicholas Pooran and a 33-ball 58 not out by Arshad Khan. After the loss in their penultimate league game, LSG are all but out of the play-off race. DC’s win paved the way for Rajasthan Royals qualification to the play-offs. Delhi moved to 14 points, same as Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad, and their playoff chances depends on a sequence of other results. Chasing 209, LSG couldn’t recover from a nightmarish start as Ishant (3/34), who replaced Porel as impact sub, removed both openers KL Rahul (5), Quinton de Kock (12) and Deepak Hooda (0) in his opening spell. Marcus Stoinis (5) was then bamboozled by Axar, while Stubbs had Ayush Badoni (6) caught at boundary line as LSG lost half their side for 71 in 8th over. Pooran hit six fours and four sixes to keep the runrate high as LSG reached 100 in 11th over. But once he was dismissed by Mukesh Kumar with Axar producing a special effort, Arshad Khan took centerstage slamming five sixes and three fours to keep them in the chase. Arshad added 33 runs each with Krunal Pandya (18) and Yudhvir Singh (14) to bring down the equation to 29 off last 12 balls. But Mukesh and Rasikh Salam bowled superbly to limit them in the end. Earlier, DC’s most dangerous batter Jake Fraser-McGurk fell to a trap at long-on but Porel took the onus, smashing six boundaries and four sixes during his stay. He cut the third ball of his innings over third man off Mohsin before picking up three fours and a six off Arshad Khan. Porel drove through the offside, cut and pulled anything short to race away to his second fifty of this IPL off 21 balls. Hope too stepped up with two fours and a six off Yudhvir Singh as DC crossed the 50-mark in a jiffy. Naveen was welcomed with a six by Porel, who sent him to the second tier next with another pull to take DC to 73 for one in powerplay. Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi (1/26) broke the partnership after having the West Indian caught as KL Rahul held on to the catch in his second attempt. Naveen then removed Porel, who was caught by Pooran at the boundary rope, leaving DC were 111 for 3 in 12th over. With Bishnoi keeping things tight, runs slowed down but Pant picked up two fours once Krunal Pandya was back in attack. Mohsin, however, gave just four in his third over as DC reached 136 for 3 in 15 overs. Stubbs then exploded with a six and two fours off Arshad in an 18-run over but Pant holed out to Hooda at long-on while going for a maximum off Naveen. Stubbs slammed Mohsin for a maximum before clobbering two more sixes off Naveen to reach his fifty in 22 balls. He added 50 off 22 balls with Axar Patel (14) as 72 came in last five overs. PTI ATK ATK BS BS Topics mentioned in this article

Injured Taskin Ahmed Receives Surprise Call-Up To Bangladesh T20 World Cup Squad

Danijones6 months ago03 mins

Despite nursing a side strain, pacer Taskin Ahmed was on Tuesday included in Bangladesh’s squad for the T20 World Cup to be held in the Americas next month. Ahmed, who has also been named the vice-captain, picked up the injury ahead of the fifth T20I against Zimbabwe last week. But before that the 29-year-old had a great outing in the series, bagging eight wickets in four games at an impressive economy rate of 4.56. The Tigers will be led by Najmul Hossain Shanto, as all the familiar and experienced players have been included in the squad of 15. Opener Litton Das too has been named in the squad despite his poor recent form. Star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is the senior-most player in the squad, having featured in every event since its inception in 2007. Bangladesh will start their campaign against Sri Lanka on June 7 in Dallas, Texas. They have been clubbed in Group D, which also has South Africa, Netherlands and Nepal. It will be their ninth straight appearance in the tournament, qualifying this time based on the T20I Team Rankings criteria set by the International Cricket Council. Bangladesh squad: Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Taskin Ahmed (vc), Litton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Tanvir Islam, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan. Travelling reserves: Hasan Mahmud, Afif Hossain. (This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Topics mentioned in this article

Rohit Sharma Repeats “Garden Mein” Taunt, Mumbai Indians Star Gives Priceless Response. Watch

Danijones6 months ago03 mins

Having crashed out of the IPL 2024 playoffs race, five-time champions Mumbai Indians are playing for pride as they take on the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens on Saturday. MI’s season has been overshadowed by the controversial decision to replace Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as the captain of the franchise. Rohit, who led MI to five IPL titles during his tenure, was removed as captain by the franchise after Hardik rejoined the side from Gujarat Titans (GT). However, the decision to remove Rohit sparked a huge uproar among the cricketing fraternity. Despite all of this, Rohit continues to give everything on and off the field. From helping Hardik in captaincy to grooming the young players, Rohit has managed to keep the dressing room together. Most importantly, Rohit’s camaraderie with the youngsters makes him stand out amongst his peers. In one such light hearted, Rohit was seen roasting MI and India youngster Tilak Varma. In a video uploaded by MI, Rohit poked fun at Tilak, who was wearing sliders on the eve of the match against KKR at Eden Gardens. During the Test series against England earlier this year, Rohit had caught the attention of the fans on social media with his “Garden me ghumega” one-liner. Rohit recreated the same moment with Tilak, who came up with a hilarious response to catch the MI icon off guard. “Aye hero, kya kar raha hai bhai? Chappal mein ghum raha hai, garden me aaya hai kya? (Aye hero, what are you doing? Wearing sliders, are you wandering in a garden?),” Rohit said in a video uploaded by MI. “Hai na bhaiya, Eden Gardens (Yes, it’s Eden Gardens!),” Tilak responded. Rohit Garden An iconic love story#MumbaiMeriJaan #MumbaiIndians #KKRvMI | @ImRo45 | @TilakV9 pic.twitter.com/KX2ttJAS5h — Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) May 10, 2024 Meanwhile, Rohit will lead India at the upcoming T20 World Cup. However, his recent form remains a concern. Topics mentioned in this article

For Meeting MS Dhoni Mid IPL-Match, College Student Arrested For ‘Criminal Trespassing’

Danijones6 months ago03 mins

A college student has been arrested for criminal trespassing and illegal entry after invading the field to meet legendary cricketer MS Dhoni during an Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad, police said on Saturday. The incident occurred during a match between Gujarat Titans (GT) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the stadium on Friday. According to police, the accused, identified as Jai Bharat, is a final-year BA student. Ahmedabad ACP Digvijay Singh Rana told reporters on Saturday that a case of trespassing and illegal entry has been registered against the accused student. “Yesterday, during the IPL match between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings, a college student jumped onto the field and started running towards the pitch. There was a break during the match and the accused thought of meeting Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Constables present at the spot apprehended him,” ACP Rana said. “In the preliminary investigation, we found that he had no other intentions. A case has been registered against him for trespassing and illegal entry during the match,” he added. Recapping the match, CSK elected to field first after winning the toss. Sudarshan (103 in 51 balls, with five fours and seven sixes) and Gill (104 in 55 balls, with nine fours and six sixes) put on a 210-run opening partnership, which powered GT to 231/3 in their 20 overs. Tushar Deshpande (2/33) was the pick of the bowlers for CSK. In the run-chase, CSK was reduced to 10/3. Half-centuries from Daryl Mitchell (63 in 34 balls, with seven fours and three sixes) and Moeen Ali (56 in 36 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes) temporarily posed a threat to GT with a 109-run partnership. But after that, CSK lost wickets regularly and was restricted to 196/8 in their 20 overs. Mohit Sharma (3/31) and Rashid Khan (2/38) were among the top bowlers for GT. Gill was given the ‘Player of the Match’ award. Topics mentioned in this article

Rohit Sharma “Won’t Be At Mumbai Indians…Imagine Him Open At…”: Pace Legend’s Massive Prediction

Danijones6 months ago6 months ago05 mins

With Rohit Sharma stay at Mumbai Indians next IPL season? That is one big question that is on everyone’s mind. Mumbai Indians are already out of the IPL 2024 play-off race there is little to look forward to this season. Ahead of the next season, there is the mega auction where teams will see massive change. Pakistan pace legend Wasim Akram, who was earlier associated with Kolkata Knight Riders, in coaching capacity feels that Rohit will not play for MI next year. Since the time Rohit Sharma was removed from MI captaincy, he and Hardik Pandya have been in the news. “I have a feeling, he won’t be at Mumbai Indians next season. I would love to see him at KKR. Imagine him open there, Gauti as a mentor, Iyer as a captain. They will have a very strong batting, at that wicket (Eden Gardens). He bats very well on any wicket, he is that great a player. But it will be good to see him at KKR,” Said Wasim Akram. Akram also praised KKR’s good show in the IPL 2024. The team currently leads the points table. “This was Gautam Gambhir’s KKR and will remain his KKR. He sits off the field and talks to the players. But once the game is on, it is under the captain. Their captain has also done well and also scored runs at different positions. He (Iyer) knows that Gautam is there to take care of things.” Rohit Sharma is a sensible captain who takes good decisions under pressure and his presence will be crucial for India, feels former all-rounder Yuvraj Singh who wishes to see his “close friend” win the elusive T20 World Cup next month. Besides reaching the final of the 50-over World Cup and the WTC Final last year, India made the semifinals of the 2022 T20 World Cup under Rohit’s captaincy. The opener is set to lead the ‘Men in Blue’ once again at the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and USA, starting on June 2. “(Rohit’s presence is going to be) very crucial. I think we need a really good captain, a sensible captain who takes decisions well under pressure. And he’s the one to take them,” Yuvraj, who is the T20 World Cup 2024 ambassador, told ICC. The World Cup 2023 final loss to Australia saw India’s quest for an ICC title stretch to 10 years with their last victory dating back to the Champions Trophy in 2013 under the leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Yuvraj feels India needs someone with Rohit’s expertise to lead the Indian team at the marquee event. “He was the captain when we lost in the (Cricket World Cup) 50-over final (in 2023). He has won five IPL trophies as a captain. I think we need somebody like him to captain India.”

Truth Behind MS Dhoni’s No. 9 Decision Out, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan Made To Eat Words

Danijones6 months ago04 mins

MS Dhoni batted at No. 9 spot against PBKS© BCCI/Sportzpics Chennai Super Kings (CSK) legend MS Dhoni surprised everyone as he came out to bat at the No. 9 spot in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match against Punjab Kings Seeing Shardul Thakur walk out to bat ahead of Dhoni in the match, many fans and experts were left baffled. Former India cricketers like Irfan Pathan and Harbhajan Singh also launched a stern attack at the wicket-keeper batter over the decision, suggesting he shouldn’t even be a part of the team if he wants to bat so low in the order. But, it has now been reported that the reason behind Dhoni’s delayed arrival is down to an injury. In a report by the Times of India, Dhoni is carrying a muscle tear in his leg which prevents him from running too long on the field. Hence, the veteran cricketer isn’t keen in coming out to bat too early for CSK, as running between the wickets is an issue for him. A couple of games ago, Dhoni was slammed for sending back non-striker Daryl Mitchell despite there being the possibility of a clear double. In the same game, Dhoni was later run-out, a form of dismissal that isn’t too synonymous with the legendary cricketer. “We are virtually playing with our ‘B’ team. Those who are criticizing Dhoni don’t know the sacrifice that he is doing for this team,” the report quoted a source as saying. The report further said that had Devon Conway, team’s second wicket-keeper batter, been available, Dhoni would’ve given him a rest from a few matches at the least. Dhoni is reportedly taking medicines before coming out on the pitch and trying to minise his running in order to not aggravate the injury. Though the doctors have suggested him rest, Dhoni doesn’t have any option but to play. Even last year, Dhoni had suffered plenty of injury troubles. He had to play many matches for CSK in IPL 2023 while carrying a knee injury. After the end of the season, Dhoni even went under the knife for the same trouble. CSK have been dealing with many injury problems this season. Devon Conway has already been ruled out while Matheesha Pathirana has also returned him because of an injury. Even marquee Indian pacer Deepak Chahar is unlikely to make a comeback in this campaign because of a leg injury. Topics mentioned in this article

“Don’t Talk To BCCI”: Kolkata Knight Riders Pacer’s Hilarious Dig After ‘Teasing’ Celebration

Danijones6 months ago6 months ago04 mins

Harshit Rana in action for KKR during IPL 2024© X (formerly Twitter) Kolkata Knight Riders fast bowler Harshit Rana took a hilarious dig at BCCI following their win over Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2024. Harshit was initially fined 50 percent of his match fee for giving a send-off to Mayank Agarwal during KKR’s match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. He was handed an one-match suspension and docked 100 percent of match fees after another incident against Delhi Capitals which IPL deemed as a “breach of Code Of Conduct”. Harshit found him in the headlines once again after KKR’s win over LSG on Sunday when he teased his infamous ‘flying kiss’ celebration but did not complete it. This was the celebration that led to his punishments but this time, he kept his head down and put his finger on his lips. Harshit Rana said “BCCI se toh baat karo hi mat (Don’t talk to BCCI)”.pic.twitter.com/bIVdX6zNoC — Tanuj Singh (@ImTanujSingh) May 6, 2024 Following the match, KKR’s charter flight from Lucknow to Kolkata had to be diverted to Guwahati due to bad weather. In a video going viral on social media, Harshit can be seen having a conversation with head coach Chandrakant Pandit regarding their remaining fixtures in the IPL 2024. Harshit suggested that since they are already in Guwahati, they should just play Rajasthan Royals in the next few days and complete that fixture. The two teams will face each other in the final game of the group stages in Guwahati on April 19. Chandrakant Pandit was left amused by the suggestion and he playfully replied that it is a good idea and he will talk to his connections in BCCI about the suggestion. “BCCI se toh baat karo hi matt (Please don’t talk to BCCI),” Harshit replied. Harshit ended up taking 3 wickets for KKR in their victory over LSG. “We don’t want to take anything lightly and this is the kind of approach we want to have to make it to the playoffs. The coaches told me to focus on hitting the hard lengths and I got rewards for doing the same. I keep working on the areas that I need to improve, it becomes very handy when he (Russell) comes in and picks those wickets during the middle overs and it helps in shifting the momentum as well,” Harshit said.