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Anirudh Singh

Anirudh Singh has 5782 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.

Jasprit Bumrah gets nostalgic after a 5-year-old Pakistan kid copies his bowling action

Published on in Blog/Featured/Jasprit Bumrah/Players
Jasprit Bumrah fan

The uncanny action of India pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been the talking point ever since he first gained consciousness in the minds of experts and fans alike in IPL 2013 playing for Mumbai Indians. He quickly elevated himself as an international bowler outfoxing batsmen aplenty across all formats of the game.

Currently the No.1 ranked bowler on the ICC rankings in ODIs, Bumrah, who made made his international debut on 26th January 2016 has earned plenty of fans not just in India but world wide.

One such fan includes a five-year-old boy from Pakistan who in a video posted on Twitter is seen imitating Bumrah’s action. As per the tweet the kid became an ardent fan of the pacer after the recently concluded Asia Cup which India won by defeating Bangladesh in the final.

“5 Years Old kid from pak is a big fan of You.. after watching you in the recently concluded Asia cup every time he tries to bowl like him,” the tweet read along with the video.

Bumrah too was quick to notice the video recalling how he used to copy the actions of his cricketing heroes. “As a kid, I remember how I used to copy the actions of my cricketing heroes. It’s a wonderful feeling to see kids copying my action today,” the 24-year-old commented on the post.

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Virat Kohli will play till the age of 40 says his childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma

Published on in Blog/Featured/India/Players/Teams/Virat Kohli
Virat-Kohli-Coach-Rajkumar-Sharma

Virat Kohli is very vocal about the pride he takes in representing his country. Though the Indian skipper often takes a break from cricket to ensure his body is well rested; the 29-year-old believes in giving it his 100 per cent every time he walks to the ground.

On Sunday, India registered a thumping eight-wicket victory over West Indies in the first ODI of the five-match series, powered by Kohli’s 140-run knock.

Needless to say, Kohli’s statement on late Sunday night, that he has “a few years left” in his career, did not go down well with his fans. The Delhi batsman’s post-match comment has left his fans wondering if he is planning an early retirement.

His statement made it sound as if he is has begun his retirement plans, with many fearing that the batsman could call it quits as early as after the 2019 World Cup. Kohli is in top form and has been dominating international cricket regardless of opposition, venue and format. He has been rolling past milestones and records, and it would indeed be a pity to see him retire at an early age.

Virat Kohli

Nevertheless, these conjectures were put to rest as Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma on Tuesday said that Virat would do no such thing. He assured that talks of the batting maestro retiring early should not be taken seriously.

Sharma made it crystal clear that Virat would not call it a day until he turns 40, adding that fitness is not going to be an issue for the aggressive batsman. He also added that Virat has the hunger for runs and is good to carry on for at least another decade.

Kohli to play for next 10 years for India: childhood coach

“I don’t think he wanted to say a few years. You be assured. You will see him playing for India for the next 10 years. He will not retire before the age of 40 as his appetite to make runs will not satiate before that,” Sharma said.

“He(Virat) did not want to say that. He wanted to say that he has 5-7 years left to play the game. He is not going anywhere for the next 10 years. There is no injury concern to him,” Kohli’s childhood coach added.

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MS Dhoni relives fond memories at Vizag where he had scored his 1st international century

Published on in Blog/Featured/India/M.S. Dhoni/ODI/Players/Teams
MS-Dhoni

It’s no secret that Vizag is a favourite haunt for Team India as it has won most of its matches. The ACA-VDCA ground has been the favourite of Mahendra Singh Dhoni as it was the match here that changed his career. He scored his first international century against arch-rival Pakistan in 2005 when he was promoted up the order by the then skipper Sourav Ganguly.

After 13 years, on Wednesday, Dhoni will face history once again when India take on the Windies at the same cricket stadium for the second match of the ongoing ODI series. Incidentally, the game in which Dhoni had belted 148 was also the second in the series against Pakistan.

On the eve of the match, Dhoni inspected the pitch at the venue along with teammate Ambati Rayudu. He spent some time on the ground and spoke with the curator and ground staff for a long time.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has posted pictures of the 37-year-old inspecting the pitch in Vizag and described him as “the KING”.

Dhoni inspecting the pitch before a match and speaking with the ground staff is not something new for those who have covered Indian cricket over the past decade. His ability to stay calm and positive ahead of the biggest of matches is what has made him one of the greatest cricketers of modern times.

The former India captain would now hope that this pitch has a lot of runs stored in it and he gets an opportunity get some of those runs under his belt on Wednesday to silence his critics again.

Dhoni has so far scored 240 runs from 4 innings at the venue with an average of 80 and has maintained healthy strike-rate of 107.62. He has a century and half-century to his name at Vizag.

BCCI announce 12-member squad for 2nd ODI against West Indies

Published on in Blog/Featured/India/ODI/Teams
India 12-man squad

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced an unchanged 12-member squad for the second ODI against Windies at Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam on Wednesday.

The team management has decided against making any changes to the shortlist after Men in Blue won the 1st ODI in Guwahati by eight wickets. The final XI will be announced by captain Virat Kohli at the toss.

Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav was the only player from the shortlist to miss out on the first ODI as India opted for a three seamers including Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Khaleel Ahmed. In the second ODI, however, Kuldeep could make a return to the playing XI in place of a seamer to restrict the flow of runs and also considering the fact that the pitch in Vizag is on the slower side.

India’s 12-member squad:

Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (c), Ambati Rayudu, Rishabh Pant, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Khaleel Ahmed.

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IPL 2019: Two Hyderabad players attend Mumbai Indians trials

Published on in Blog/Featured/IPL/Mumbai Indians/T20
Mumbai Indians

Year after year, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been credited with bringing scores of talented young cricketers to the fore. Mumbai Indians (MI), in particular, have always seemed to hold the lucky cards when it comes to unearthing future superstars, including the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya.

This time around, Bavanaka Sandeep and Chama Milind are the latest cricketers to be called up by the franchise for appearing at the trials. The duo attended the trials on Monday.

As per a report in ESPNcricinfo, the auction for IPL 2019 is likely to be held on December 16. Considering that in mind, probably, Mumbai Indians would have decided to hold the trials soon and ink on the players they are looking forward to signing up for the upcoming season.

Sandeep is a left-handed batsman from Hyderabad who has played 45 first-class, 41 List A and 24 T20 matches. He made his Ranji debut way back in 2010 with a century against Jharkhand but never got the right opportunities to showcase his talent.

Bavanaka Sandeep
Bavanaka Sandeep

On the other hand, Milind, a former U-19 player, is a renowned face. He was a part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad for 2014 and 2015 and later he was with the Delhi Daredevils for the 2018 season but never made his IPL debut.

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WATCH: Rohit Sharma hits a six on one leg to Windies debutant Oshane Thomas

Published on in India/ODI/Players/Rohit Sharma/Teams/Video
Rohit Sharma SIX

India skipper Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma hit sparkling centuries in Guwahati to demolish West Indies in the first ODI on Sunday.

Kohli scored quick 140 while Rohit remained unbeaten on record 152 to flay the West Indies bowling attack during their team’s 323-run chase.

Rohit Sharma

The hosts, who earlier swept the two-match Test series against the visitors, romped home with 47 balls to spare.

However, there was one shot hit by Rohit which stole the show.

In the last ball of the sixth over, debutant Oshane Thomas bowled a short delivery which came in the right area for ‘Hitman’. The pull-shot specialist swivelled and helped it on its way on one leg over the long leg area for a maximum.

Here’s the video:

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Eight Indian players including Zaheer Khan to feature in T10 League

Published on in Blog/Featured/India/Players/T10/Teams/Zaheer Khan
Zaheer Khan

Former India internationals Zaheer Khan, RP Singh, Praveen Kumar, Subramaniam Badrinath and Reetinder Singh Sodhi are among eight star Indian cricketers who will take part in the second season of the T10 League, starting from November 23 in Sharjah.

“I am happy to announce that we have signed up eight Indian players to play in the second season of the tournament,” Shaji Ul Mulk, chairman of league, said in a statement.

“This will encourage players from all over the world to join the T10 League movement and help popularise the 10-over format cricket worldwide in the coming years.”

Earlier, Virender Sehwag was named as the T10 Cricket League brand icon along with Pakistan veteran Shahid Afridi and former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum.

The inaugural season of the tournament was won by Kerala Kings. This edition two new teams have been added in form of Karachians and Northern Warriors.

Since Sony grabbed the broadcasting rights for the next 3 years, the matches will be telecast live on Sony ESPN in India.

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Rohit Sharma creates new record for most 150 plus scores in ODIs

Published on in Blog/Featured/India/ODI/Players/Rohit Sharma/Teams
Rohit Sharma ODI

If Virat Kohli has some special connection with chasing, then Rohit Sharma has a special connection with big scores.

The ‘Hitman’ of Indian cricket has at times been criticised for losing his wicket cheaply. But whenever he gets going, he tends to get ‘Daddy hundreds’.

In the first ODI against Windies at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, India’s vice-captain did exactly that. With the Men in Blue chasing 323, he scored an unbeaten 152 to help his side register a comprehensive win by 8 wickets. And in doing so, Rohit also achieved became a record holder.

After his recent knock, Rohit has become the first and only player to have scored 150 or more runs six times in an ODI innings, overtaking Sachin Tendulkar and David Warner, who have achieved the feat on five occasions.

The 30-year-old also went past Sourav Ganguly’s tally of sixes in ODIs. Ganguly has hit 189 sixes while Rohit now has slammed 194 maximums which puts him third in the list amongst Indians. Only Tendulkar (195) and MS Dhoni (210) are ahead of him.

Rohit hit eight sixes in the match and this was the sixth time he has achieved the feat of hitting six or more sixes in a game.

Here are the times Rohit Sharma reached past the 150-run mark:

  • 209 against Australia in 2013 in Bangalore
  • 264 against Sri Lanka in 2014 in Kolkata
  • 150 against South Africa in 2015 in Kanpur
  • 171 against Australia in 2016 in Perth
  • 208 against Sri Lanka in 2017 in Mohali
  • 152 against West Indies in 2018 in Guwahati

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“Kohli’s Ronaldo, me Messi” : AB de Villiers on his relationship with Virat Kohli

Published on in AB de Villiers/Blog/Featured/India/ODI/Players/South Africa/Teams/Virat Kohli
AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo

Former Proteas international AB de Villiers has heaped huge praise on Indian skipper Virat Kohli while stating that his Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) teammate is “Cristiano Ronaldo”, while he is “Lionel Messi”.

The two have been playing together for RCB in Indian Premier League (IPL) since 2011, and are considered to be the best duo in the game. Many have termed them as telepathic, given how easily they play around each other, and ABD too believes that there is some sort of chemistry between them.

“There is definitely some chemistry about us batting together. We have a similar mindset about the game which we enjoy. It’s nice to bat with someone who understands the way you play and also the mutual understanding. He likes Ronaldo so let him be that and I’ll be Messi, will take that gladly,” he said.

‘Mr 360°’ also revealed that he is scared watching the constant improvement of the Indian skipper. “Kohli has learnt from his mistakes, he is a really good captain and getting better. That is the scary part. As a batsman he has got areas where he can improve and that is also scary, so all in all, he is in a great place in his career,” he added.

De Villiers, who retired from international cricket earlier this year, also believes that Virat Kohli & Co. can defeat Australia on their own turf later this year, though they failed to beat England and South Africa earlier this year.

“India have a very good chance. They came to South Africa and probably played better cricket in the three-Test series. They lost in England but once again that first Test was on a knife’s edge and could have gone either way which would have changed the complexion of the series. It (the Australia tour) will be challenging but they have the ability to win over there. Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar weren’t ready in England so India can get all the fast bowlers ready. They have, if not the best, one of the best bowling attacks in the world and we know what the batting unit is capable of. They have got to take the opportunities against Australia,” the former South Africa skipper concluded.

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Among the top three, I mostly take the anchor role because both Rohit and Shikhar are good stroke-makers: Virat Kohli

Published on in Blog/Featured/India/ODI/Players/Teams/Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma

For India’s win over Windies in the first ODI of the five-match series at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati on Sunday, the credit goes to captain Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

The prolific pair’s masterful centuries helped India secure a comfortable eight-wicket win over the visitors. While Kohli scored 140 runs, Rohit notched up an unbeaten 152, and together stitched a record-hauling partnership of 246 runs.

While chasing 323, India lost opener Shikhar Dhawan for just four runs in the second over. Debutant Oshane Thomas dismissed Dhawan to pick his first international wicket.

Rohit and Kohli then took off cautiously, before the Indian skipper took an aggressive turn and rallied up with a flurry of boundaries. Rohit, on the other hand, played a touch slower innings, standing second fiddle to Kohli. But with Kohli nearing his 36th ODI century, Rohit toned up his aggression lining up a couple of sixes and fours. Both notched up their respective tons en route to a record-hauling 246-run stand to take India close to a massive victory. After the dismissal of the 29-year-old, Rohit was assisted by India’s new no.4 batsman Ambati Rayudu as the hosts wrapped up the match with still 47 balls remaining.

When asked about the match-winning partnership and his time at the crease with Rohit and of course their strategy involving the knock, India captain and the Man of the Match, Virat Kohli said:

“Among the top three, I mostly take the anchor role because both Rohit and Shikhar are good stroke-makers. It was one of those days where I felt good and I told Rohit I will continue to bat this way positively and maybe you can play the anchor role.

When Rayudu came he took that role and Rohit took over from me. I think that’s what ODI batting is all about. It’s about communication and batting in partnerships. It’s our 5th or 6th double-century partnership, it’s a pleasure to bat with him.”

When we are batting like that, it’s good fun out there and we know the team will benefit form it as well. I have few years left in my career to enjoy this sport. Playing for country is a matter of pride and a huge honour. You can’t afford to take any game lightly.

You got to be honest to the sport and that is when the sport gives you back. I try to do that. That’s my basic thinking, because you are playing for India and not everyone gets to do that. It’s difficult to contain when a side like Windies bats like that.

I don’t want to be too harsh on the bowlers, but yes, we could have applied a bit better and bowled better in the last few overs. That is something to learn for us.”

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Twitter Reactions: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma toy with the Windies bowlers, make a big chase look easy in Guwahati

Published on in Blog/Featured/India/ODI/Players/Rohit Sharma/Teams/Twitter Reactions/Virat Kohli
Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli

A batting masterclass from captain Virat Kohli and a typical century from Rohit Sharma helped India chase down 323 with ridiculous ease against Windies in the first ODI of the five-match series in Guwahati.

Kohli scored 140 while Rohit remained unbeaten on 152 as India took a 1-0 lead at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

Chasing 323, India made 326/2 in 42.1 overs.

The Windies batsmen did well to post a challenging total of 323/8, thanks to a sensational knock from Shimron Hetmyer (106 off 78 balls) but Kohli, Rohit made a mockery of the Windies bowlers to make a big chase look easy in home conditions.

Here’s how Twitter reacted to the Kohli-Rohit show:

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IPL 2019: Mumbai Indians in the race to sign Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Shikhar Dhawan

Published on in Blog/Featured/India/IPL/Players/Shikhar Dhawan/Sunrisers Hyderabad/T20/Teams
shikhar-dhawan-srh

The 12th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is good five months away but the teams have already started getting into the business of revamping their squads.

And if ongoing negotiations between the respective franchises succeed, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan could open for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2019.

According to a report in Mumbai Mirror, Dhawan is unhappy being part of his current franchise, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), and has expressed his desire to leave.

Dhawan, who is bound by a three-year contract, had an argument with head coach Tom Moody and the fact that his price tag last season went below expectations during the IPL players’ auction did not go down well with the Indian opening batsman.

The report further states that Dhawan wanted to be retained as SRH’s no. 1 or no. 2 player in the side which could have seen Dhawan walking with a handsome pay cheque of around Rs 10-12 crore. However, the team management decided that they will not spend that sum for Dhawan and instead released him from the pool and bought him back using the ‘right to match’ (RTM) card. The southpaw was bought at a price Rs 5.2 crore.

Compare Dhawan’s price tag to his India’s colleagues and the gap is evident. Virat Kohli (Rs 17 crore), Rohit Sharma (Rs 15 crore), MS Dhoni (Rs 15 crore) were retained by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) respectively. Other retained players including Hardik Pandya (Rs 11 crore, MI), Suresh Raina (Rs 11 crore, CSK) and Rishabh Pant (Rs 8 crore, DD) also have very high salaries.

In his own SRH team, David Warner was retained for Rs 12 crore and Bhuvneshwar Kumar for Rs 8.5 crore. Even B-listers like Jaydev Unadkat (Rs 11.5 crore), KL Rahul (11 crore), Manish Pandey (11 crore), Glenn Maxwell (Rs 9 crore) and Krunal Pandya (Rs 8.8 crore) earn more than Dhawan.

What could also make the deal come to fruition is Dhawan’s growing friendship with MI captain Rohit Sharma. The duo share a good rapport, both on and off the field, which might help expedite negotiation process.

A top Sunrisers official has admitted to being in discussions with Mumbai Indians to trade Dhawan. “That’s right. If we get a couple of good players as a trade-off, we’re open to it,” he said, adding that the management is also in negotiations with Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab.

The IPL trading window is currently open and will remain so till a week before the auction, expected to be held on December 16.

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Cricket fraternity wishes Virender Sehwag on his 40th birthday

Published on in Blog/Featured/India/Players/Teams/Twitter Reactions/Virat Kohli
Virender Sehwag

Former India opening batsman Virender Sehwag celebrated his 40th birthday on Saturday (October 20).

In a career that spanned 14 years, Sehwag scored 8586 runs in 104 Tests at an average of 49.34 with 23 hundreds and 32 half-centuries. In 251 ODIs, he amassed 8273 runs at 35.05 with 15 centuries and 38 fifties while in 19 T20 internationals he made 394 runs with two fifties.

Even after hanging his boots in October 2015, Sehwag has kept himself busy on the social media and often leaves his fans in splits with his witty posts.

On the occasion of his birthday, Sehwag’s former teammates, current players and friends took to their respective Twitter handles and wished him a happier and healthier life ahead.

Here’s how Twitter wished Viru:

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IPL 2019: Players auction to be held at a brand new location

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

The players auction for the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is scheduled to take place later this year at a brand new location. All these years, the mega-event has been held in Bengaluru. However, as per the reports in ESPN Cricinfo, the 2019 IPL players auction will be taking place in Goa this year.

Since the inception of the IPL in 2008, the auction is slated for the month of January or February. However, this time the edition will see an early auction. It will not be a mega auction where the teams are completely reshuffled, as each franchise already has a set of players on the roster. They will only look to fill the slots for the players who will be released.

According to the recent reports, the auction will be a one-day affair and will take place on December 16. The 2018 IPL auction was a mega-affair which took place for two days. Ben Stokes, for the second running year, emerged out to be the costliest player as he was bought by Rajasthan Royals for a whopping amount of Rs 12.5 crores.

ben-stokes IPL 2018

The last date to release players for IPL 2019 auction has been reported to be November 15, 2018 with each franchise to be given a purse of INR 3 crores which will add onto their leftover balance from the last season.

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BCCI announce 12-member team for 1st ODI against West Indies

Published on in Blog/Featured/India/ODI/Players/Rishabh Pant/Teams
Team India ODI

Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant is in line to make his ODI debut for India as he has been included in the 12-member shortlist team announced by the BCCI for the first ODI against West Indies in Guwahati on October 21.

The 21-year-old, who impressed with his batting in the two-match Test series against Windies, has been rewarded for his performance and included in the team along with the regular wicketkeeper MS Dhoni.

Pant scored 184 runs in his last two innings at an average of 92 in the longest format of the game. The two half-centuries came just after he scored his maiden hundred in the 5th Test against England at the Oval.

MS Dhoni, Rishabh Pant

Apart from Pant, Umesh Yadav has also been included in the 12-member team, as he looks to play his first ODI since July, 2018. The right-armer was not included in the original squad for the first 2 ODIs but made his way due to Shardul Thakur’s injury. Besides Umesh, Mohammed Shami and Khaleel Ahmed are the two other seam options named by the team management.

In spin department, Ravindra Jadeja, who impressed with his comeback in the Asia Cup 2018, has been named in the team, along with Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal.

India’s 12-member team for 1st ODI against West Indies:

Virat Kohli (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu, Rishabh Pant, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Khaleel Ahmed

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