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Anirudh Singh

Anirudh Singh has 6250 articles published.

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Anirudh is die hard cricket fan, loves playing, watching and talking about cricket. His motto in life is Eat, Sleep, Cricket, REPEAT!! You can write to him at [email protected] or get in touch with him on facebook.

Chris Gayle describes himself as the ‘greatest player in the world’

Published on in Blog/Chris Gayle/Featured/Players/Teams/West Indies
Chris Gayle

West Indies swashbuckling opening batsman Chris Gayle, who recently announced that he would bid adieu to ODIs after the 2019 World Cup 2019 in England and Wales, has described himself as the ‘greatest player in the world’.

When asked if he is satisfied with his career, the 39-year-old said that he is a great man and would take the tag of the ‘Universe Boss’ to his grave.

“You’re looking at a great man.I’m the greatest player in the world. Of course, I’m still the Universe Boss. That will never change. I’ll take that to the grave,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Gayle as saying.

Looking forward to a fairy-tale swansong by winning the ICC tournament, Gayle said that it’s time to give youngsters anopportunity to come forward and show their talent.

“Yes, I’m looking to draw the line after the World Cup. Or should I say cut the string? Definitely, in 50-over cricket, the World Cup is the end for me. I’ll let the youngsters have some fun and I can sit back in the party stand and watch them have some fun,” Gayle said.

“Winning the World Cup would be a fairy-tale finish. The youngsters owe it to me to win. They have to do that for me and try and get me the trophy. I’ll be looking to put my input in as well,” he added.

However, it will not be an end of Gayle’s international career as he has not ruled himself out of playing for the Windies in the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia in late 2020.

Gayle is also ready to feature in ECB’s inaugural hundred-ball competition in 2020.

“If I don’t start it, it won’t be a tournament. I guess England should invite me over. Then I’ll explode the tournament and say ‘thank you guys; bring in a youngster now.’ I’ll set the trend like I did in all tournaments around the world,” the Jamaican star said.

“I’m in good condition. The body is feeling good and I’m pleased with that. I’ve lost a bit of weight and I don’t want to get too big. I’m still working on my six pack. I’m trying to keep up with the youngsters in the field who are like cats the way they chase the ball. I still have it in me and I’m still enjoying it,” he continued.

Meanwhile, Gayle is just 273 runs short of becoming the 14th man and second West Indies player to score 10,000 runs in ODIs.

The part-time off-spinner, who has a total of 255 scalps to his name in the three formats, will look to reach the 10,000-run mark when he will lock horns with England in the five-match ODI series starting on February 20.

Gayle will also be seen in action during the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) beginning March 23, where he will open for Kings XI Punjab along with KL Rahul.

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IPL 2019 schedule for first two weeks announced

Published on in Blog/Chennai Super Kings/Delhi Capitals/India/IPL/Kings XI Punjab/Kolkata Knight Riders/Mumbai Indians/Rajasthan Royals/Royal Challengers Bangalore/Sunrisers Hyderabad/T20/Teams
IPL 2019 schedule

The Indian Premier League (IPL) schedule for the first two weeks of the 12th edition has been announced but it will be further assessed when the Lok Sabha polling schedule is released.

As per the schedule released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the IPL begins on March 23 with defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) hosting Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Chennai.

“IPL released the schedule of the first two weeks (17 matches) of the 2019 Season. These are still subject to the announcement of the Lok Sabha 2019 election dates. Once these have been released BCCI will address any issues with the first two weeks and will also prepare a schedule for the remainder of the season working with the local authorities around the polling dates,” an IPL media release read.

The current schedule sees 17 matches across the fortnight period with 8 venues of the eight franchises.

Delhi Capitals (DC) and RCB will play five matches during this period with the rest playing four matches each. All teams will play a minimum of two home and away games while DC and RCB will be at home at Feroz Shah Kotla and M Chinnaswamy thrice respectively.

“A total of 17 matches will be played during this 2 weeks period across the 8 home venues of the respective franchises. All teams will play minimum of 4 matches with DC and RCB playing 5 matches. Every team will play minimum of 2 home and 2 away matches with DC playing 3 home matches, while RCB will play 3 away matches,” added the release.

In the two-week schedule, March 24 and March 31 will be the only days featuring double-headers. On March 24, Kolkata Knight Riders will host Sunrisers Hyderabad at 4 pm in Kolkata while Mumbai Indians will face-off against Delhi Capitals at 8 pm in Mumbai.

While on March 31, Sunrisers Hyderabad will face RCB in the afternoon fixture in Hyderabad while CSK will host Rajasthan Royals in the 8 pm fixture in Chennai.

Here’s the schedule:

(Photo Source: iplt20.com)

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Sri Lanka squad for ODI series against South Africa announced

Published on in Akila Dananjaya/Blog/Featured/Lasith Malinga/ODI/Players/Sri Lanka/Teams
Sri Lanka ODI

Sri Lanka Cricket, on Monday, announced their squad for the upcoming five-match ODI series against South Africa, including three uncapped players to the 17-member squad.

Off-break bowler Akila Dhananjaya, who hasn’t played since the home series against England last year, has made a return to the squad.

Right-handed batsman Oshada Fernando is among the fresh names in the squad, for the series which begins on March 3. The other two newcomers include 20-year-old ambidextrous bowler Kamindu Mendis and all-rounder Priyamal Perera.

Dinesh Chandimal, who was also dropped for the Test series against the Proteas continued to be excluded from the team for the ODIs. Danushka Gunathilaka, Asela Gunaratne, Dasun Shanaka, and Sekkuge Prasanna are also among those excluded.

The squad will be led by veteran fast-bowler Lasith Malinga, with wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella his deputy.

Sri Lanka is currently leading the two-match Test series against South Africa 1-0 after notching up a miraculous one-wicket victory in the first game at Kingsmead Cricket Ground in Durban.

Sri Lanka squad:

Lasith Malinga (captain), Niroshan Dikwella (wicketkeeper), Upul Tharanga, Kusal Janith Perera, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Thisara Perera, Akila Dananjaya, Angelo Perera, Oshada Fernando, Kamindu Mendis, Priyamal Perera, Isuru Udana, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lakshan Sandakan.

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No place for Steve Smith in Rohit Sharma’s all-time Australian Test XI

Published on in Australia/Blog/Featured/India/Players/Rohit Sharma/Steve Smith/Teams/Test Match
Rohit Sharma

Indian opener and vice-captain in limited overs cricket Rohit Sharma picked the all-time Australian Test XI from the players that he had seen and played with. Surprisingly, he did not pick Steve Smith.

Ahead of the upcoming T20I series against Australia starting on February 24, Rohit did some fun stuff and picked his favourite Australian Test XI on PlayersVoice Facebook page. It’s a pretty difficult choice to make considering the number of legendary names who have donned the Baggy Green and Rohit has left some huge names out.

The 30-year-old Mumbai Indians captain picked Matthew Hayden and David Warner for the opening slots, followed by former Australian captain Ricky Ponting at number three, who has great records at this position.

Rohit has picked Michael Clarke for number four position while veteran Michael Hussey comes at number five. Adam Gilchrist was named as the wicketkeeper for the side, who would bat at number seven.

Interestingly, the Indian opener put all-rounder Shane Watson at number six, someone who hasn’t played much in this position, to bring balance to the Aussie side. He picked three fast bowlers namely Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson. Shane Warne is the only spinner in the team named by Rohit.

Steve Smith has been showing consistency in this format which was only seen from one man, Sir Don Bradman and to not include him in the final XI is really surprising.

Rohit Sharma’s all-time Australian Test XI:

Matthew Hayden, David Warner, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Shane Watson, Adam Gilchrist (wk), Shane Warne, Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Glenn McGrath.

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MSK Prasad reveals the main reason why KL Rahul has been picked for Australia series

Published on in Blog/Featured/India/KL Rahul/ODI/Players/T20/Teams
kl-rahul

The All India Selection Committee has picked KL Rahul in the 15-man squad for the upcoming limited overs series against Australia at home that is scheduled to start on February 24.

Rahul, who was in horrendous form in Australia, came back into his groove in the recent matches against England Lions.

Now, Chairman of selectors MSK Prasad has revealed the main reason behind Rahul’s inclusion.

“At such a major tournament [World Cup], we can’t afford to go in without a third opener. That’s why we have included KL Rahul for the T20Is and the ODIs against Australia. We have to see how he performs because his form is also very important,” Prasad was quoted as saying in an interview on Hotstar.

The third opener’s spot has been a hot topic of discussion in recent days. Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has backed Dinesh Karthik for the role, while Shane Warne believes India can try Rishabh Pant as the opener in the upcoming series against Australia and in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.

“We have included him (Rishabh Pant) considering the fact he is a left-hander. We will try and figure the best possible batting position for him. With a left-hander in the side, there is an advantage of left-right combination,” Prasad had said after picking Rishabh Pant in the limited-overs squads.

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Mohammed Shami donates a whopping amount to the wives of martyred soldiers in Pulwama attack

Published on in Blog/Featured/India/Mohammed Shami/Players/Teams
mohammed_shami

Ever since the ‘cowardly’ Pulwama attack has left the entire nation in shock and anguish, the celebrities and the cricketers are giving a helping hand to the families of the martyred soldiers. More than 40 CRPF soldiers were killed in the terrorist attack and the Indian cricket fraternity isn’t shying away from standing behind them financially after the loss.

Mohammed Shami became the latest India cricketer after Virender Sehwag, Shikhar Dhawan and Faiz Fazal to pledge a donation to families of the soldiers who lost their lives in the Pulwama terror attack.

Shami has donated a whopping amount of ₹5 lakhs as a help to the wives of the martyred soldiers and also expressed his sadness over their martyrdom. He also assured that their families should feel secured as people like him will always be there to help them.

“When we play for our country they stand at the borders protecting it. We stand with the families of our jawans, we will always be there for them,” Shami said.

Earlier, Dhawan said that he will be donating money to the families of the CRPF paramilitary troopers who were killed in a terror attack and asked the others to do the same.

Sehwag also offered to bear the educational expenses of children of all the CRPF personnel killed in the dastardly terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama.

“Nothing we can do will be enough, but the least I can do is offer to take complete care of the education of the children of our brave CRPF jawans martyred in #Pulwama in my Sehwag International School @SehwagSchool, Jhajjar. Saubhagya hoga,” Sehwag wrote on his Twitter handle.

Vidarbha captain Faiz Fazal also announced that the entire prize money that the team won after clinching the Irani Cup will be donated to the families of the CRPF personnel.

“We as a team have decided to donate the prize money to the family of the martyrs who lost their lives in Pulwama. This is a small gesture from our team and VCA,” Fazal said.

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WATCH: Aaron Finch destroys chair after horror run-out in Big Bash League final

Published on in Aaron Finch/Australia/Players/T20/Teams/Video
Aaron Finch

The skipper of team Melbourne Renegades, Aaron Finch, took out his frustrations on a plastic chair after falling victim to a horror run-out against Melbourne Stars in the final of the Big Bash League (BBL) season 8, played at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.

In the all-Melbourne final, the Renegades opener was sensationally sent on his way in the sixth over when a straight-drive from Cameron White was flicked onto the stumps off of Jackson Bird’s foot.

Finch looked relatively composed while walking off the ground until he got to the players’ race where he gave a chair an almighty whack with his bat.

Here’s the video:

Meanwhile, the incredible grand final clash went down to the wire with the Melbourne Stars seemingly strolling towards victory after reaching 90 for none while chasing the Renegades’ 145 first innings total.

But in the blink of an eye, it all fell apart for the Stars as they lost a stunning seven-wickets for just 19 runs to watch the game slip through their hands.

Finch’s moment of madness was pushed to the Renegades side as he celebrated the sensational win with his team.

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Chris Gayle to retire from ODIs after the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

Published on in Blog/Chris Gayle/Featured/ODI/Players/Teams/West Indies
Chris Gayle

West Indies opening batsman Chris Gayle has confirmed that he will retire from One-day Internationals (ODIs) after the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 to be held in England and Wales.

The 39-year-old, who is second on the list of Windies’ leading ODI run-scorers behind Brian Lara, has been recalled to the ODI side for the first two matches of the five-game series against England, starting on February 20.

Gayle has played 284 ODIs since his debut in 1999 and is now just 677 runs away from becoming the Windies’ all-time highest ODI scorer, with Lara’s total standing at 10,405.

“In 50-over cricket, definitely the World Cup (is the end),” Gayle said ahead of the first ODI at Kensington Oval.

“I’m looking to draw the line there – or should I say cut the string – let the youngsters have some fun and I can sit back in the party stand and watch them.

“It is a big year for me, to be honest. I hope 2019 can finish for me on a great note.”

When asked if he was confident of marking his ODI swansong as a World Cup winner, Gayle said: “Absolutely, the youngsters owe it to me.

“They have to do that for me and try and get me the trophy. But I’ll be looking to put my input in as well.”

The ‘Universe Boss’ also expressed his interest in playing in the ECB’s Hundred tournament, which will start in 2020.

“Well, if I don’t start it, it won’t be a tournament,” he said. “I guess England should invite me over. Then I’ll explode the tournament and say ‘thank you guys; bring in a youngster now’.

“I’ll set the trend for you like I did in all tournaments around the world. Fingers crossed, we’ll see what happens.”

Gayle was part of the Windies’ T20 World Cup winning side in 2012 and 2016.

Windies will feature in an ODI tri-series with Ireland and Bangladesh in May before they face Pakistan in their opening World Cup match on May 31.

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Mohammad Azharuddin picks his Indian playing XI for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

Published on in Blog/Featured/India/Mohammad Azharuddin/ODI/Players/Teams
Indian-team

Former Indian skipper Mohammed Azharuddin has joined the bandwagon of cricket experts who are picking their Indian playing XI for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 which is scheduled to begin on May 30 in England.

Azhar feels that Rishabh Pant should be picked ahead of Ambati Rayudu for the long-debated no. 4 batting slot. Several players have been tried for that particular batting position, and in the recent past, former captain MS Dhoni also performed well batting at no. 4. But according to Azhar, Pant’s attacking approach is what gives him an extra edge over the others.

As far as the rest of the Indian line-up is concerned, Azhar didn’t do much shuffling. He said that he would open with Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma at the top, followed by Indian skipper Virat Kohli at number three. His middle-order options are Rishabh Pant at number 4, MS Dhoni at number 5, Kedar Jadhav at number 6 and Hardik Pandya at number 7.

Azhar has his bowling options sorted as well. Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav or Yuzvendra Chahal will form his four bowlers. He further said that Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will not find a place in the Indian playing XI.

Mohammed Azharuddin’s Indian playing XI for the 2019 World Cup:

Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (c), Rishabh Pant, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav / Yuzvendra Chahal.

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WATCH: India veteran Yuvraj Singh hits an audacious reverse-sweep six against Maldives

Published on in India/Players/T20/Teams/Video/Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh

India veteran Yuvraj Singh is 37 years old and at this age, his international career is all, but over. However, the all-rounder hasn’t given up on his favourite sport by any stretch of the imagination.

Yuvraj won the T20 World Cup 2007 and the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 for India and will always hold a special place in the hearts of fans for his contribution to Indian cricket. Even cancer could not affect his dedication and commitment for the game and he continues to remain an inspiration for millions all over the world.

Recently, Yuvi showed glimpses of his vintage self scoring a quickfire 17 runs off just 6 balls in a friendly match played between Air India and the Maldives Cricket Team at the Ekuveni sports grounds in Malé. The match also marked the beginning of an annual India-Maldives Friendship Cricket Series, organized jointly by the sports ministry, the Indian embassy and the Maldives Cricket Board.

Yuvraj’s 17 run innings included a boundary and two glorious sixes, one of which came off an audacious reverse sweep in the 9th over of first innings. The southpaw got down on his knee looking to play the reverse sweep even before the ball was delivered.

The off-break bowler bowled the delivery right into the batsman’s arc and he dispatched it over the third man boundary with ease.

Here’s the video:

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WATCH: Epic Kusal Perera knock seals Sri Lankan triumph

Published on in Kusal Perera/Players/Sri Lanka/Teams/Test Match/Video
Kusal Perera

Kusal Perera produced a swashbuckling innings for the ages to almost single-handedly lift Sri Lanka to a remarkable one-wicket win over South Africa in a nail-biting finish to the first Test at Kingsmead.

The visitors were close to defeat when they subsided to 226 for 9 while chasing 304, but Perera held his nerve with an astonishing 153 not-out to get them cross the line.

Perera’s knock consisted of 12 fours and five sixes and he provided the bulk of the runs in an unbeaten partnership of 78 with Vishwa Fernando – the highest partnership for the last wicket in a successful chase in Test cricket.

Fernando scored just six runs but kept the Proteas bowlers at bay in the 27 balls he faced, allowing his batting partner to guide the Islanders to victory.

Here’s the video:

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Virender Sehwag offers to take care of education of CRPF martyrs’ children

Published on in Blog/Featured/India/Players/Teams/Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag

Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag offered to take care of the educational expenses of children of all the CRPF personnel martyred in the dastardly terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Thursday.

At least 40 CRPF paramilitary troopers were killed in the terror attack while several others are battling for their lives following what is being termed as the deadliest terrorist strike in three decades.

“Nothing we can do will be enough, but the least I can do is offer to take complete care of the education of the children of our brave CRPF jawans martyred in #Pulwama in my Sehwag International School @SehwagSchool , Jhajjar. Saubhagya hoga,” Sehwag wrote in his tweet.

Also, the Indian Sports Honours which was supposed to be held on Saturday night has been postponed by Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli. The event rewards the sportspersons and emerging athletes for their contribution to Indian sports through the foundation.

“The RP-SG Indian Sports Honours has been postponed. At this heavy moment of loss that we all find ourselves in, we would like to cancel this event that was scheduled to take place tomorrow,” Kohli wrote on his Twitter handle.

A statement was also issued by the foundation to aware the same to their followers.

“The who’s who of entertainment and sports industry were expected to attend the award ceremony. Every partner and all the sportstars and delegates associated with this award have been informed and communicated with stating that hosting an event was unacceptable at this moment when India is mourning the death of its jawans,” the press release stated.

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Twitter Reactions: Sensational Kusal Perera guides Sri Lanka to one-wicket win over South Africa

Published on in Blog/Featured/Kusal Perera/Players/Sri Lanka/Teams/Test Match/Twitter Reactions
Kusal Perera

Kusal Perera guided Sri Lanka to a sensational one-wicket win on the fourth day of the first Test against South Africa at Kingsmead on Saturday.

Perera hit a career-best 153 not-out as he and Vishwa Fernando add on an unbeaten 78 for the last-wicket partnership that enabled Sri Lanka to secure their second win in Test cricket in South Africa.

Victory once seemed unlikely for the visitors as their ninth wicket went down at a score of 226 while chasing a target of 304.

But the 28-year-old Perera successfully farmed the strike, with South African captain Faf du Plessis persisting with defensive fields for the in-form left-handed batsman, while Fernando faced only 27 balls during the 96-ball partnership.

The Proteas side took the second new ball with the Sri Lankan total at 263 but still kept most of their fielders were on the boundary for Perera, who hit sixes off both Dale Steyn and Kagiso Rabada before slashing the latter to third man for a winning boundary.

Here’s how Twitter reacted:

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Sachin Tendulkar, KL Rahul and others condemn the dastardly terror attack in Pulwama

Published on in Blog/Featured/India/Players/Sachin Tendulkar/Teams
Pulwama-Attack

Indian cricket fraternity is furious and vented their anger out on social media after 40 Jawans of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were martyred in the terrorist attack that took place in Jammu Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Thursday.

Many of the stars conveyed their condolences to the families, prayers for the injured and the need to hit back at the perpetrators.

Reacting to the horrific incident, former Indian cricketer and Bharat Ratna awardee, Sachin Tendulkar sent out a strong message thus condemning the dastardly terror attack in Pulwama.

Taking to Twitter, he wrote: ‘Cowardly, dastardly, meaningless…… my heart goes out to the families of those who lost their loved ones and prayers for the recovery of those brave hearts in hospital. Salute to your commitment to “Service and Loyalty”

Other than Tendulkar, members of the current Indian cricket team in the likes of KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, Ajinkya Rahane, Hardik and Krunal Pandya have taken to social media in order to express their concern and anger over the incident.

Here are their tweets:

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BCCI shortlists 18 players for the ICC World Cup 2019

Published on in Blog/India/ODI/Teams
India ODI squad

After announcing the Indian squad for the upcoming limited overs series against Australia, chairman of the national selection committee, MSK Prasad revealed that 18 players have been shortlisted for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is in talks with player’s respective Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises to manage the workload ahead of the mega-event in England and Wales.

The likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, MS Dhoni, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav etc are considered sure picks for the ICC tournament which is scheduled to take place from May 30 to July 14.

“We have shortlisted 18 players and we will rotate them during the World Cup. As far as workload management is concerned, it is yet to be worked out. There are discussions happening on that front and we will let you know,” Prasad told reporters after selecting various squads for the home series against Australia which starts from February 24.

Whether the IPL franchises will agree to rest top India players on their roster after paying millions to have them has been a subject of debate.

When acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary was asked this question, he admitted that the franchises have diverse views on the matter.

“If your question suggests that the franchises will be wary of resting players, it is an issue we will deal with considering it’s a World Cup year. There have been views from franchises and I am not going into specifics,” he said.

He also urged the franchises to keep the national interest in mind.

“And also considering the fact that all the franchises are Indian franchises, the interest of the country, of doing well at the highest international level, is paramount,” Choudhary added.

Meanwhile, Prasad also spoke about the wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant. He indirectly gave a hint to populous about Pant’s inclusion in the forthcoming World Cup.

While addressing to the media he said, “Prior to this [Australia series], we had two series – in New Zealand and Australia where Karthik was chosen. Since Rishabh played four Test matches, so we wanted him to get a good break. Then he played against England Lions where he did extremely well. We then sent him to play 3 T20Is. So, we want to give him a few ODIs to play before taking the final call,” said Prasad.

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