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India captain says their three allrounders gives them a lot of options

Andrew Fidel Fernando19-Feb-20251:12

Harshit or Arshdeep in India’s XI?

So what if it’s overcast in Dubai? And so what if there’s dew, or a little spice in the deck, or some movement in the air? Whatever this venue throws at India, they have the bowling options to deal with it.So said captain Rohit Sharma, ahead of India’s first match of the Champions Trophy against Bangladesh. This is a venue to which India are well-accustomed, having played nine T20Is here since October 2021. They haven’t played an ODI in Dubai since 2018, but the versatility in their likely XI will put them in a good position to adjust on the fly, according to Rohit.”If it’s going to be overcast, we have the bowling arsenal to combat that,” he said. “If there are overhead conditions helping the bowlers, we have the bowlers to exploit that. And if we bat in those overhead conditions, the batters know exactly what to do.”Among the strengths in this India squad, are the presence of “multi-skilled” cricketers, Rohit said. Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Ravindra Jadeja could potentially all play in the same XI. Without spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who was ruled out through injury, these are bowlers Rohit may lean on through the course of the tournament.Related

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“Those three guys – Jadeja, Axar, and Washy – give us a different dimension to the game, our combination, and our squad, and add a lot of depth. That is why we tried to get players who have two skills rather than one.”One of India’s pure bowling options, however, is wristspinner Varun Chakravarthy. He’s played only one ODI so far, but has an impressive List A record, having claimed 60 wickets from 24 matches at a spectacular average of 14.80. He is a player who deals in subterfuge, Rohit said.”He doesn’t bowl too many variations to us in the nets. He bowls just one type of delivery. Maybe, he doesn’t want to show his variations even to us. But that is a good thing. He has got certain weapons which he wants to just put it out there, when it actually matters. I am more than happy if he wants to do that.”But, he has got something different which is why he is here with us. He has been impressive in the last eight to nine months. That is why we wanted to bring him here and see what he has and what he can do for India on the big stage.”Another player who Rohit will look to, is Mohammad Shami, who only returned to international cricket late last month, after undergoing ankle surgery in early 2024. He only bowled 15.5 overs across the two ODIs he played against England, claiming a wicket in each outing. With Bumrah out, Shami’s form may be especially important to India’s chances.”All we wanted with Shami was to get back to wearing India colours more than anything else. Whether he gets wickets or not was completely immaterial to us [in the England series].”When you talk about a bowler like Shami, who has done the job over the years so many times for us – for them it’s just about getting back into rhythm. Hopefully he can find some rhythm early on in this tournament.”

Sri Lanka were restricted to a sub-par total and a trio of fifties from Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai then powered an ice-cool chase

Madushka Balasuriya30-Oct-20232:55

Maharoof: SL lost the game between the 11th and 40th overs

For the second game running Afghanistan showcased exemplary calm in the chase, whittling down a sub-par target of 242 with ice-cold composure. A trio of fifties from Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai led the way, as Afghanistan leapfrogged Sri Lanka into fifth place on the points table with six points now on the board.Sri Lanka meanwhile are virtually out of the running for a semi-final berth, needing to essentially win all of their next three games – against India, Bangladesh and New Zealand – to stand any chance.For Afghanistan this was a win set up by their bowlers, who had stifled Sri Lanka’s batters on a deck that was for all intents and purposes tailor-made for batting, before their batters ran down the target with minimal fuss.Related

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Fazalhaq Farooqi was the pick of the bunch ending with figures of 4 for 34, but the most intriguing quirk of this game was that despite being afforded a true surface with a lack of lateral movement and minimal turn, both sides rarely scored at more than five an over.Their reasons however differed. While Sri Lanka could be criticised for a criminal lack of intent, Afghanistan were simply following the breakdown devised for them by head coach Jonathan Trott. Several times over the course of the innings the broadcast camera would pan over his giant whiteboard with 10-over markers clearly laid out – “50 after 10”, “100 after 20”, etc. But despite it being offered up in as easy-to-digest a manner as possible, such was the efficiency with which Afghanistan went about their work, Sri Lanka were powerless to do anything about it.Sure Dilshan Madushanka tailed one in on Rahmanullah Gurbaz off just the fourth ball of the chase to dislodge middle stump, but Afghanistan had their playbook and they followed it to a tee. Even when the wickets did fall, Afghanistan were quick to snuff out any momentum Sri Lanka might have been looking to derive.Partnerships of 73, 58 and 111 – between Ibrahim Zadran and Shah, Shah and Shahidi, and then Shahidi and Omarzai – formed the spine of their chase. Throughout that effort, boundaries were never sought after but only accepted when offered, as they were content to wait for loose balls, rarely willing – or needing – to take a risk.Sri Lanka for their part began to look more and more broken as the innings wore on, running out of ideas and steam on a surface that offered them nothing and against a team that were equally unforgiving.Fazalhaq Farooqi finished with a four-wicket haul•Associated Press

But the tone for this game had been set from the very beginning, as having been asked to bat first – a decision Kusal Mendis said he would have taken even had he won the toss – Sri Lanka would proceed with an uncertainty conspicuously absent in their first five matches.Perhaps this was borne by this being Sri Lanka’s first real game of the tournament where a chance of a semi-final spot – however unlikely – was tangibly within grasp. Inhibitions had been shed in an improbable chase against South Africa, and that aggressive intent had cascaded through to their next game against Pakistan. Then against Australia, the confidence continued to flow before an unprecedented collapse stopped them dead.Maybe it was this that pushed Sri Lanka into a more conservative approach, but evidence of any shift didn’t prove forthcoming in games against Netherlands and England, where their intent, or lack thereof, wasn’t scrutinised to any great degree with a pair of middling chases calling more for caution than aggression.Against Afghanistan though, on a surface which had been described as a “batter’s paradise” during the pitch report, the inclusion of Dimuth Karunaratne betrayed the fear that had been driving Sri Lanka’s thinking.Rashid Khan leads Afghanistan’s lap of honour in what was his 100th ODI•ICC/Getty Images

Yes, Kusal Perera hadn’t made an impact aside from his 78 against Australia, but a surface such as this might have proved precisely the panacea for his batting troubles. Instead Sri Lanka were left frustrated as his replacement Karunaratne would play and miss a handful of shortish, wide deliveries on either side of the wicket – rare loose balls in otherwise tight opening spells from Fazalhaq Farooqi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Sri Lanka would end up striking just four boundaries in the first 10 overs.That powerplay would also see Sri Lanka end on 41 for 1, their lowest score after 10 overs in the entirety of the tournament. This pronounced lack of ambition would afflict them throughout an innings that only sporadically scratched the five an over mark, let alone the sixes and sevens that have been more prevalent across this tournament.The deference showed to the Afghanistan bowlers through the middle overs was incongruous to say the least when compared to how Sri Lanka had approached those first two games against South Africa and Pakistan.What this meant was that when the quality deliveries that Afghanistan’s bowlers are capable of inevitably arrived, Sri Lanka’s batters would fall having failed to effectively capitalise on the opportunities afforded elsewhere.Karunaratne would be the first to go, trapped lbw by one darting in from Farooqi, the on-field not out call overturned on review. A 62-run stand between Nissanka and Mendis would follow, before Omarzai would jag one in from a back of a length outside off and coax Nissanka to feather an edge through to Gurbaz behind the stumps – thus ending his streak of fifty-plus scores at four. Gurbaz was deputising for Ikram Alikhil, who was off the field receiving treatment after having dislocated a finger on his right hand while keeping.Dhananjaya de Silva was mostly clueless against Rashid Khan•ICC via Getty Images

Kusal Mendis was next to fall while going for his favoured slog sweep for a fourth time in four games. He would have been disappointed to find the man stationed for just such a stroke, but what was more jarring for onlookers might have been the reticent version of Mendis that had knocked around 49 deliveries prior to that for a modest 39; despite the lack of demons in the wicket, much like the rest of his team-mates, Mendis was shackled by a demure approach in an innings that saw just the three boundaries.Mendis’ dismissal, which followed a 50-run stand with Sadeera Samarawickrama, would prove the catalyst for a mini collapse that would see Sri Lanka tumble from 134 for 2 to 185 for 7.Samarawickrama, who had looked his usual industrious self in his 40-ball 36, was caught in the crease by a quicker one from Mujeeb that tailed in. Dhananjaya de Silva, who had put on 28 with Charith Asalanka, was then worked over beautifully by a Rashid googly through the gate, one that had been setup over the course of a nagging over in what was Rashid’s 100th ODI. Asalanka would miscue a pull to mid-off shortly after off Farooqi, while a chaotic and unnecessary run-out – Angelo Mathews calling for a run that would have kept him off strike for the start of the next over – would send Dushmantha Chameera packing.Only a rearguard stand of 45 from 42 between Mathews and Maheesh Theekshana, where the latter showed off his batting chops with some expansive stroke-play through the offside, took Sri Lanka to a total of any respectability. But on a true surface, and against a commanding Afghanistan side, it was never going to be enough.

“I can proudly say I can bowl four overs now as a third seamer or a fourth seamer”

Deivarayan Muthu03-Aug-20223:18

Hardik Pandya – ‘When I bowl it gives a lot of balance to the side’

After having started his international career as a back-up bowling option, Hardik Pandya now believes that he can do the job as a frontline seamer. Apart from Arshdeep Singh, Hardik is the only India seamer to have bowled his full quota of four overs in each of the three T20Is so far in the Caribbean. On Tuesday, on a used Basettere pitch, Hardik handcuffed West Indies’ big hitters with a mixture of slower offcutters and on-pace deliveries.”Obviously, I’ve enjoyed bowling,” Hardik said after India secured a 2-1 series lead. “Again I’ve mentioned multiple times, that was the reason I felt I should take some time off to make sure my bowling comes off because I’ve realised when I bowl, it gives a lot of balance to the side; it gives a lot of confidence to the captain.Related

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“Yes, I used to bowl before. I used to be a filler in between when someone is not bowling well. I can proudly say I can bowl four overs now as a third seamer or a fourth seamer where I can contribute equally as I do with the bat.”When Hardik was introduced into the attack in the third T20I, West Indies were 32 for 0 in four overs, with Kyle Mayers dominating the early exchanges. After seeing Mayers swat his on-pace short ball over midwicket with the strong wind, Hardik shifted his lines wider, varied his pace more regularly, and challenged the batters to hit against the wind.Hardik sent Brandon King’s leg stump cartwheeling with a slower offcutter into the pitch and then beat Mayers three times in a row in the tenth over by taking his cutters away from the left-hander’s reach with his sharp angle from over the wicket. He finished with figures of 1 for 19, and after India wrapped up a seven-wicket victory, even Mayers conceded that Hardik and India had used the conditions better than West Indies.”For me, it’s the approach that I’m following,” Hardik said. “I understood that if you enjoy life and be in a frame of mind where you are positive, eventually a lot of the time the result goes your way. So, for me, it’s not about the result. It’s about how I take the game on, how smart I’m thinking and how I can make sure I use the situation and condition[s] which is offering me something with the bat or the ball.”1:04

Hardik on T20I vice-captaincy: ‘I enjoy responsibility, it adds flair to my game’

India captain Rohit Sharma was impressed with how Hardik and R Ashwin operated in the middle overs to keep Nicholas Pooran and the other middle-order hitters in check.”How we bowled in the middle overs [was pleasing],” Rohit said. “I think that was very, very crucial because they were about to get that big [opening] partnership and with few of their experienced players batting in the middle and I thought we used the conditions really well. We used our variations pretty well and then how we chased the runs, I thought it was quite clinical.”‘Responsibility adds more flair to my game’
Being appointed T20I vice-captain for the West Indies tour has raised his game to a new level, Hardik has said. Earlier this year, he captained Gujarat Titans to IPL glory in their first season and then oversaw India’s 2-0 sweep of a spirited Ireland side in Malahide.”I’ve always enjoyed responsibility and it has added more and more to my game,” Hardik said. “Whenever I’ve taken the responsibility, it has added some more flair to my game because it makes me think more and when I think more it just adds more value to my cricket.”Hardik also lauded Rohit for building a team environment that gave players – even those on the bench – security, echoing Dinesh Karthik’s comments from the T20I series opener in Tarouba.”Obviously, very privileged to get the opportunity to be vice-captain,” Hardik said. “When the captain gives you a lot of flexibility and lot of freedom, which is his strength throughout his captaincy stint, whenever I’ve played with him… and here as well a lot of credit goes to him on how they’ve got the team together and making sure that a lot of positive mindset comes in and at the same point of time players are feeling secure. They’re not looking over their shoulder, making sure they’re getting ample chances, and they are being told as well if they’re not playing.”

Cricket Ireland’s new strategic plan launches with focus on qualification for World Cups

Matt Roller09-Apr-2021Cricket Ireland has stressed the need for greater central funding from the ICC and more context for their Test cricket, while launching its strategic plan for 2021-23.Ireland have not played a Test since July 2019, when they bowled England out for 85 at Lord’s, and they will not play another until 2022 at the earliest, following a further postponement to their fixture away in Sri Lanka. They have prioritised white-ball cricket ahead of the three upcoming World Cups – two T20I, one ODI – and the inter-provincial system will not feature any first-class fixtures this summer.Ahead of the publication of the new strategic plan – which aims to “strengthen our sport so that we are in a position to benefit and grow when the new ICC funding cycle begins” – Richard Holdsworth, CI performance director, emphasised the significant costs involved in staging Test cricket and the lack of context outside of the World Test Championship as the main reasons for Ireland’s limited fixture list in the format.Related

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“There’s no doubt that we aspire to be a regular Test-playing nation – the board agrees, the coaches agree, and the players are desperate to play more Test cricket,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “But we’re prioritising white-ball cricket in this strategy because what is most important to the business is that we qualify for World Cups. In terms of funding, sponsorship, and commercial stakeholders, it’s important that we’re at the top table when it comes to World Cups.”We don’t want to neglect the red-ball game but the reality is that with the budget we’ll have for the next three years, we have to prioritise in the right areas and we firmly believe that prioritising qualification for those three World Cups over the next three years is paramount, and we are continually challenged by the cost of hosting home Tests.”Ireland’s inaugural – and so far only – home Test, against Pakistan in 2018, cost the board nearly €1m (US$ 1.18 million approx.) to stage, with the ground in Malahide requiring expensive temporary infrastructure to turn it into a major venue. The strategic plan includes a commitment to putting processes in place for the stadium at the National Sports Campus in Abbotstown, three years after the board voted for its development, to be ready.CI is also encouraging the ICC to reduce the minimum broadcast standards required to stage Tests, and is discussing the possibility of a second tier of the World Test Championship to guarantee them more regular fixtures 2023 onwards.”Before we became full members, we were playing our part in putting the Future Tours Programme together and everything that was being discussed was “context, context, context”,” Holdsworth said. “But coming back to Test cricket, we were talking about context in everything – but Ireland, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe are playing Test cricket without any context at all.”We firmly believe that prioritising qualification for those three World Cups over the next three years is paramount”•Abu Dhabi Cricket

“We’ve been communicating with the ICC and we believe that whatever that first division looks like, there needs to be some context for the next division down. I don’t think it helps any of the three of us to promote Test cricket without that context. It’s just one-off Tests here and there.”It’s good to see the ICC’s board taking that seriously. If we don’t promote the three of us playing Test cricket then we’re down to nine teams, and where does that go? If there are only four or five Test teams in ten years’ time, that’d be disastrous for the sport. We can’t let that happen. We have to make sure there is competitive Test cricket out there. Let’s hope we get some context in the next cycle and we can allow for two divisions.”The strategic plan highlights five priorities: qualification for all ICC tournaments, increasing participation at grassroots levels, establishing infrastructure and facilities required of a full member, growing the women’s game, and supporting the continuing development of the provincial unions.Warren Deutrom, CI chief executive, said: “How certain of success can we be with this plan? Just consider the journey and achievements over the last decade – consider that we are now one of only 12 countries seated at the top table of the world’s second largest sport. Consider, too, the immense strength and depth of Irish cricketing heritage and structures within our sport.”We have an innate belief in the ability of the Irish cricket community to endure, to adapt and to grow. We want Ireland to become a cricket island once more. And I hope the Irish cricket community can work with us on creating an increasingly vibrant, engaging and welcoming sport for all.”

Star of 2016 tournament is paying price for lack of opportunities as power-game grows

Matt Roller13-Dec-2019″Oh yes, oh goodness” purred Pommie Mbangwa as Joe Root reverse-paddled an attempted yorker from Chris Morris over third man for six. “You’ve just got to appreciate the batsmanship these days. Who thinks to do that?”It was perhaps the best T20I innings ever played by an Englishman: in the cauldron of Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, amid the pressure of a gargantuan 230 target in a do-or-die encounter with South Africa at the 2016 World T20, Root took only 44 balls to make a showpiece 83, exemplifying the combination of orthodoxy and innovation that secured him his place among the vanguard of modern batting talents.But since the final of that tournament (in which he scored another key half-century and also claimed two first-over wickets), Root has played only 23 T20s – approximately one every two months. There is little complicated about the diagnosis: as England’s Test captain and one of their few all-format players, Root simply hasn’t had time to keep up with a format that continues to evolve at startling pace.ALSO READ: Buttler, Stokes, Archer back for SA T20Is, no room for RootSince that tournament, Root has played 136 games of international cricket, more than anyone in the world except Virat Kohli. He has regularly reiterated his desire to play more and to improve, turning down the opportunity to be rested for the Trans-Tasman tri-series after the 2017-18 Ashes and even spending last winter eking out 99 runs in seven innings for Sydney Thunder.