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Visit To Pak Purely For Cricket: Rajeev Shukla

By LokMarg 4th September 2023

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Roger Binny and Vice-President Rajeev Shukla arrived at Punjab’s Amritsar airport as they embark on a visit to Pakistan for Asia Cup 2023 on Monday. They are likely to be present in the Gadaffi stadium for Tuesday’s match.

Binny and Shukla are travelling to Pakistan after an invitation was extended to the members of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and other cricket boards by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to attend the mega event.

Shukla made it clear that their two-day visit is not for political reasons but purely cricket.

“This two-day visit is purely from the point of view of cricket, nothing political, a dinner has been hosted and three teams will be there – Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.”

While Binny, who is making his first visit to Pakistan since 2006 is looking forward to it and said, “I am looking forward to my visit since we’ve been to Colombo to see matches in Sri Lanka.”

When asked about why the Indian team did not tour Pakistan for the tournament and the future possibility of such a tour, Rajeev Shukla said ” We will go by the advice of the government, whatever the government will decide we will do that.”

The 2023 Asia Cup is being held in Pakistan and Sri Lanka between August 30 and September 17.

Pakistan are in Group A alongside Nepal and India. Meanwhile, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka are in Group B.

Pakistan cricket team will play the tournament’s opener against Nepal, who will be playing their first Asia Cup, on August 30 in Multan.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president, Jay Shah, on July 19 announced the schedule for the Asia Cup 2023.

The tournament kicked off on August 30, the arch-rivals India and Pakistan have already faced each other once on September 2, with India posting a total of 266 on the board in the first innings. However, the game was washed out completely due to rain in Kandy and both teams walked out with a point each.

India will play their final group match on Monday against Nepal in the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. (ANI)

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Asia Cup: Bumrah Flies Back To Mumbai Due To Personal Reasons

By LokMarg 3rd September 2023

Star India pacer Jasprit Bumrah has left for Mumbai amid the ongoing Asia Cup due to personal reasons, as per sources.

The sources also said that the bowler is expected to be back in time for the Super Stage of the tournament, starting from September 6 onwards. Pace veteran Mohammed Shami, who did not play in the first clash against Pakistan at Kandy, could replace him during the match against Nepal.

Bumrah had just made his international cricket return after over 10 months from injury during India’s T20I series against Ireland as a captain. Not only he led a young Indian team to a series win, but also displayed amazing fitness and rhythm, taking four wickets in two matches, with the best figures of 2/15.

India will take on Nepal in their Asia Cup clash at Kandy. In Group A, Pakistan qualified for the Super Four stage with three points following a win over Nepal and a washout against arch-rivals India, which caused them to share a point each. Now India (1 point) and Nepal (0 points) have to win this match to qualify for the Super Four stage.

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumraj, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Sanju Samson (travelling reserve).

Nepal: Rohit Paudel (c), Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Bhim Sharki, Kushal Malla, Aarif Sheikh, Dipendra Singh Airee, Gulshan Jha, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi, Pratish GC, Mousom Dhakal, Sundeep Jora, Kishore Mahato, Arjun Saud. (ANI)

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Chetan Sharma Resigns From Of National Selection Committee Chairman

By LokMarg 17th February 2023

The chairman of the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) National Selection Committee, Chetan Sharma, has tendered his resignation, the Board’s Treasurer Ashish Shelar informed on Friday.

He sent his resignation to the BCCI Secretary Jay Shah and it was accepted.
This resignation comes after Sharma disclosed behind-the-scenes talks regarding team selection and also made startling allegations on star batter skipper Virat Kohli’s alleged feud with former Board president Sourav Ganguly, to Zee News during a sting operation aired Tuesday.

He also alleged players in the Indian men’s national cricket team use injections to speed up their return to international cricket and often call up doctors on their own to get injected. (ANI)

Women’s T20 World Cup: India Clinches 6-Wicket Win Over West Indies

By LokMarg 15th February 2023

Captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh showed grit and determination with the bat to help India clinch 6 wicket win over West Indies in the ongoing ICC Womens T20 World Cup 2023 here at Newlands in Cape Town on Wednesday.

Harmanpreet played a gritty knock of 33 while Richa scored an unbeaten 44. For West Indies, Karishma Ramharack bagged two wickets while captain Hayley Matthews and Chinelle Henry claimed one each.
Chasing 119, India got off to a lightning start, inspired by the aggression of Shafali Verma, which saw the opener hammering West Indies bowlers all around the ground. The duo of Shafali and Smriti Mandhana racked up 31 runs in just 3 overs of the play.

However, Smriti Mandhana was the first wicket to fall, stumped off the bowling of Karishma Ramharack, and Jemimah Rodrigues joined her back in the pavilion after being sharply caught and bowled by Hayley Matthews

Despite losing two wickets India looked in a solid position with captain Harmanpreet Kaur slamming boundaries at regular intervals.

Shafali’s onslaught came to an abrupt end when she was caught for 28 from 23 balls, leaving captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh out in the middle with work still to do.

But the game was paused for lengthy and concerning treatment for West Indies veteran Stafanie Taylor, who appeared to suffer a recurrence of a back injury in the field.

Harmanpreet continued the onslaught as she slammed Afy Fletcher for back-to-back two fours in the 9th over of the game.

With needing just 4 runs to win in 14 balls India lost the wicket of Harmanpreet. India captain played a gritty knock of 33 off 42 deliveries. Richa slammed a stunning winning four of Shamilia Connell’s delivery to take India home with 6 wicket victory over West Indies.

Earlier, India’s bowling attack, inspired by the record-making Deepti Sharma, curtailed West Indies after a strong second-wicket partnership threatened to set up a big first-innings score at Newlands.

West Indies suffered a big setback when they lost Hayley Matthews at the start of the second over, with the key opening batter dismissed for the fourth time in four meetings by Pooka Vastrakar.

The key wicket of Matthews was a big fillip for India’s attack, but experienced West Indies star Taylor led the recovery, back in the side at this tournament after a lengthy injury absence.

Taylor and Shemaine Campbelle built a solid 50-run partnership by the mid-point of the innings, laying a platform for a potentially big score.

But Sharma struck twice in an over to first remove Campbelle (30) and then trap Taylor (42) lbw on review.

And when Chinelle Henry was run out for 2 in the 15th over, West Indies were in serious danger of wasting the start by Taylor and Campbelle.

Chedean Nation and Shabika Gajnabi combined to ensure that the total was at least competitive, adding 35 runs before the latter was cleaned up by Renuka Thakur for 15 as she went for a big heave off the final ball of the penultimate over.

And Sharma struck for the third time in her fourth over and the last of the innings, picking up the 100th T20I wicket of her career, becoming the first Indian international to do so in the format.

Brief score: West Indies 118/6 (Stafanie Taylor 42, Shemaine Campbelle 30; Deepti Sharma 3-15) vs India 119/4 (Richa Ghosh 44*, Harmanpreet Kaur 33; Karishma Ramharack 2-14). (ANI)

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He Wanted To Teach Ganguly A Lesson: Ego Clash Between Kohli And Ex-BCCI Chief

By LokMarg 15th February 2023

The chairman of the BCCI’s national selection committee Chetan Sharma landed in a major soup after he disclosed behind-the-scenes talks regarding team selection and also made startling revelations on star batter skipper Viral Kohli’s alleged feud with former Board president Sourav Ganguly, to a television channel, during a sting operation aired Tuesday.

Sharma claimed that alleged straned relationship between Ganguly and Kohli involved ‘ego issues’.
The chief selector claimed that Kohli had started considering himself “bigger than the Board” and had tried to “hit back” at the former BCCI president as he felt that Ganguly had removed him from ODI captaincy.

“When the player becomes popular, he considers himself to be bigger than the Board and thinks that nobody can touch him. He feels that cricket in India would stop without him. But has that ever happened? Some of our biggest cricketing stars came and went but cricket remained the same. So he (Kohli) tried to hit back at the (former) president at that time. It was a damaging controversy. It was a classic case of a player going against the BCCI. The president represents the BCCI, isn’t it? As to whose fault it was will be judged in time but it was an attack on the BCCI. All our players are discouraged from doing this because the loss will be theirs as everyone will go against them even if the president is at the fault. There has to be some respect for the chair,” said Sharma during the sting operation.

He further claimed that ahead of the 2022 India tour of South Africa in January, Kohli brought up the matter of being removed from ODI captaincy on purpose in front of reporters because he felt that Ganguly had played a role in removing him from leadership in the 50-over format. He also accused Kohli of lying in front of the media about being removed from ODI captaincy without any communication, in order to defame Ganguly.

“Virat was going to South Africa as captain (of the Test side). Press conferences should be about team matters and not selections. There was no need to bring up this topic (Virat being removed from ODI captaincy) during the press conference. But he did so intentionally. He felt that he had lost his ODI captaincy because of Ganguly. Ganguly hold told reporters that he had asked him not to step down (as ODI captain) but Virat claimed before the media that the president never said this to him. This created a major controversy,” Chetan said.

“Ganguly had told him once during a video conference to think it (stepping down as ODI skipper) over. But Virat did pay heed. There were nine people at the conference, including all the selectors. I am not sure if Virat heard Ganguly correctly. Ganguly later claimed that Virat lied to the media about him. As to why he did so, nobidy knows. It is his personal matter. It sparked off a controversy and matters escalated to the extent where it became an issue of a player against the Board,” Sharma said.

“Rohit Sharma had volunteered (to take over ODI captaincy). It was an ego clash. Virat felt he was removed from captaincy by Ganguly and wanted to teach him a lesson. So he made the statements to the media to defame him. But it backfired on him,” added the national selector.

He said the reason why Kohli was removed from ODI captaincy was that the Board did not want two skippers for two-white ball formats, but rather one for red-ball cricket and another for white-ball cricket.

“Removing someone from captaincy is the job of selectors. We removed him the ODI captaincy as we wanted to have one white-ball captain. This is normal procedure and even he (Kohli) knows it. After Virat announced that he was giving up the T20I captaincy, the selectors made up their minds to remove him from the ODI captaincy as well,” said Sharma.

“The Board and the selectors sits with the captain before removing him from the job. Virat knows this and this is why he felt that Ganguly had a big role in his removal from ODI captaincy. But the thinking of selectors was different. We wanted separate captains for red-ball and white-ball formats,” the chief selector added.

Chetan also shed new light inon the relationship between Kohli and current all-format skipper Rohit Sharma, who had earlier been allegfed to share a strained relationship.

“There is no rift. It’s just media speculation. When there are two big leaders in a team, there could be an ego clash every now and then. It is like Amitabh Bachchan ji and Dharmendra ji. It is just ego. The media made up stories that weren’t true,” Sharma said.

The chairman of selectors further revealed that both players have supported each other in their bad times.

“Rohit had supported Virat the most when he was going through a lean run. When Rohit fell into a similar crisis of confidence with the bat, Virat supported him,” said Sharma.

Both players will be seen in action during the second Test against Australia in Delhi, which starts on February 17. (ANI)

Pant Would Have Made Huge Impact: Hardik

By LokMarg 3rd January 2023

India’s T20 captain Hardik Pandya feels that Rishabh Pant’s presence would have made a huge impact on the Indian team and noted that he was very much a part of plans for the ICC World Cup 2023.

India wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant escaped a near-fatal accident on Friday with burn injuries among others that will require plastic surgery and he could be airlifted to Delhi if required. He met with a serious accident while returning from Delhi to Roorkee as his car collided with the divider on the Narsan border of Roorkee near Hammadpur Jhal on Friday.
“Coming to the point, obviously he was a very important part of (Team India’s plans in the world Cup year). But, now everyone knows the situation,” said India’s T20 captain Hardik Pandya about Rishabh Pant.

ICC Under-19 World Cup 2016 captain Ishan Kishan, who recently scored a double ton against Bangladesh in the third ODI in Chattogram, could be considered a replacement. During his knock in Bangladesh, Ishan Kishan broke the record of Chris Gayle for the fastest double ton in ODIs.

Sanju Samson is also in the fray to fill in the shoes of Pant while KL Rahul also contributes as a wicket-keeper.

“There are a lot of people who can get opportunities. I am seeing that if Rishabh also would have been there, he could have made a huge impact. But now, let’s wait and see what the future holds for us,” said Hardik Pandya.

The mishap took place while the cricketer was on his way to Roorkee from Delhi, and his car collided with the divider on the Narsan border of Roorkee near Hammadpur Jhal.

According to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) statement, Rishabh has two cuts on his forehead, a ligament tear in his right knee and has also hurt his right wrist, ankle, and toe and has suffered abrasion injuries on his back. Rishabh’s condition remains stable, and he has now been shifted to Max Hospital, Dehradun, where he will undergo MRI scans to ascertain the extent of his injuries and formulate his further course of treatment.

Wicket-keeper and batter Pant has represented India in 33 Test matches scoring 2271 runs at an average of 43.67 with five Test tons to his name with his highest score being 159 not out. Pant has 119 catches and 14 stumpings to his name.

In ODIs, he has 865 runs to his name in 30 matches at an average of 34.60 with five half-centuries and one ton with a strike rate of 106.65. With the gloves, Pant has 26 catches and one stumping to his name.

In 66 T20I the wicket-keeper batter has scored 987 runs with three half-centuries to his name at an average of 22.43 with a strike rate of 126.37. (ANI)

Hardik Pandya’s Resolution Is To Win World Cup For India

By LokMarg 2nd January 2023

India’s wait for an ICC title has been continuing and the last time India won an ICC tournament was Champions Trophy in 2013 under Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s captaincy.

Hardik Pandya, who is leading the Indian team in the three-match T20I series against Asia Cup Champions Sri Lanka starting on Tuesday at the Wankhede Stadium, has one resolution in 2023 and that is to win the World Cup.

“To win the World Cup for my country. Unfortunately, we couldn’t make it in 2022 but we want to do it in a better way this year,” Pandya said responding to a query at a press conference.

India lost to England by 10 wickets in ICC T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final dashing hopes of millions of supporters.

India also performed poorly in Asia Cup held from August to September last year and failed to reach the final. The team lost ODI series to Bangladesh 2-1.

“I know the only language that is hard work. Injuries are not in my hand but I believe in the process. 2022 was individually my best year. We missed World Cup but that’s part and parcel of the game. My goal is to help the team win multi-nation tournaments, ” said Hardik Pandya.

Indian limited overs teams over the years have done well in bilaterals but have failed to replicate that performance in multi-nation tournaments.

India also does not have too many matches to play ahead of the IPL 2023 which means Hardik Pandya does not have too many games to give a chance to youngsters which makes things difficult for team management to get the right combination.

“Obviously the plans are set. We are looking forward to play the certain way which we did. Before IPL only six games are there. So, we don’t have much time to do a lot of things but going forward we will keep creating new plan and see which are the plans we will be sticking, which is working for us and going forward just make sure that we give ample opportunity, ” Pandya said.

Dasun Shanaka will lead Sri Lanka’s T20I and ODI squads against India, while Kusal Mendis will play the role of his deputy in ODIs.

The Sri Lanka’s tour comprises of three T20Is and as many ODIs. Sri Lanka will be touring India from January 3 to January 15 for three T20Is and three ODIs.

The first match of the series will be held on January 3, 2023, in Mumbai while the second and third will take place on January 5 and 7 in Pune and Rajkot respectively.

The ODIs will be held in Guwahati, Kolkata and Trivandrum on January 10, 12 and 15 respectively. Earlier on Tuesday BCCI announced India’s squads for the upcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka’s squad for India tour: Dasun Shanaka (C), Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kusal Mendis (v-c for ODIs), Bhanuka Rajapaksa (only for T20Is), Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga (v-c for T20Is), Ashen Bandara, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay (only for ODIs), Chamika Karunaratne, Dilshan Madushanka, Kasun Rajitha, Nuwanidu Fernando (only for ODIs), Dunith Wellalage, Pramod Madushan, Lahiru Kumara and Nuwan Thushara (only for T20I).

India’s squad for Sri Lanka T20Is: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (VC), Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi and Mukesh Kumar. (ANI)

Rishabh Pant Shifted From ICU To Suite Amid Infection Scare

By LokMarg 2nd January 2023

By Vipul Kashyap

India’s star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant “is doing well and has been shifted to a private suite due to fear of infection”, revealed Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) Director Shyam Sharma on Monday.

“Due to fear of infection, we have told his family and hospital administration to shift him to a private suite. He is doing better and will recover soon,” said Sharma to ANI.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday announced that the state government will provide all help for the 25-year-old’s treatment, who was seriously injured in a road accident near Roorkee on December 30 while on his way to surprise his mother.

Pant was alone in the car and reportedly fell asleep at the wheel when the accident happened. According to a statement by the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) in coordination with the Max Hospital Dehradun where he has been admitted, the cricketer has suffered two cuts on his forehead, a ligament tear in his right knee along with injuries on his right wrist, ankle, toe, and back.

Sharma on Saturday flagged concerns over visitors flocking to the hospital to catch a glimpse of the cricketer, Rishabh Pant, who is under treatment.

“Those who are going to meet Pant should avoid, as there are chances of infection. There should be no VIP movement to meet Pant, and people visiting him should avoid it as there are chances of infection for Pant,” Sharma told ANI over the phone.

Shyam Sharma on Saturday arrived at Max Hospital in Dehradun to meet Pant. Sharma said: “He is stable and recovering well. Our BCCI doctors are in touch with the doctors here. Jay Shah is monitoring it. As of now, he’ll remain admitted here. He told me that he tried to save (his car) from a pothole (when the accident occurred).”

Pant escaped the near-fatal accident on Friday with burn injuries among others that will require plastic surgeries and he could be airlifted to Delhi if required. He met with the accident while returning from Delhi to Roorkee as his car collided with the divider on the Narsan border of Roorkee near Hammadpur Jhal.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India also issued a statement on Friday saying, “Pant has two cuts on his forehead, a ligament tear in his right knee and has also hurt his right wrist, ankle, and toe and has suffered abrasion injuries on his back. Rishabh’s condition remains stable, and he has now been shifted to Max Hospital, Dehradun, where he will undergo MRI scans to ascertain the extent of his injuries and formulate his further course of treatment, as per the BCCI statement shared with the media.” (ANI)

Anushka All Heart As Kohli Hits His 72nd International Hundred

By LokMarg 10th December 2022

Actor Anushka Sharma is a happy and proud wife as her husband Virat Kohli hit his 72nd century in international cricket against Bangladesh on Saturday.

Taking to Instagram Story, Anushka shared a smiling picture of Virat during the match. She added a heart 100 and heart emojis while posting it.

Virat etched out his 72nd century in international cricket to surpass Ricky Ponting’s record of 71 international centuries. This was the right-hander’s 44th ODI century which came after a gap of three years in the 50-over format.

India posted a mammoth score of 409 runs, propelled by Ishan Kishan and Virat Kohli’s superb knocks at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram in the final ODI of the three-match series against Bangladesh.

It seemed like India’s batting will once again falter as has been the case in the series but the duo of Virat and Kishan forged a partnership for the ages to scare the Bangladeshi bowlers, plundering them for runs all over the park.

The batting pair put on a run-fest for the Indian fans who had been deprived of a scintillating performance throughout the series.

Kishan and Virat piled on the misery for the Bangladeshi bowlers as they amassed runs at will to share a massive 290-run partnership for the second wicket while reaching individual milestones in the process. The duo helped India breach the 400-run mark for the sixth time in ODI cricket.

Coming back to Anushka, recently surprised everyone with her cameo in ‘Qala’. Her presence in the film was kept a closely guarded secret and it seems like it’s become a huge talking point after the release.

Backed by Anushka’s brother, Karnesh Sharma’s production house Clean Slate Filmz, the film stars Tripti Dimri, Swastika Mukherjee, and Babil Khan. It marks Babil’s official acting debut in films.

In the upcoming months, Anushka will be seen essaying the role of the iconic Indian pace bowler Jhulan Goswami in the much-talked-about film Chakda Xpress. (ANI)

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Ishan Kishan Becomes Fastest Double Centurion In ODIs

By LokMarg 10th December 2022

India’s star opener Ishan Kishan smashed the fastest double hundred in ODIs, becoming only the fourth Indian batter to achieve the milestone against Bangladesh in the third ODI here at Zahur Ahmed Chaudhary Stadium, Chattogram on Saturday.

With this inning, the opener threw in his hat for the openers slot with the ODI World Cup in sight.
The southpaw grabbed his opportunity to open the innings and came out all guns blazing to become only the seventh batter to smash a double century in ODIs. Kishan played a breathtaking knock of 210 runs off 131 balls that was studded with 24 fours and 10 huge sixes.

Rohit Sharma was ruled out of the third ODI after he injured his left thumb in the previous match while fielding in slip.

Youngster Kishan made the most of the opportunity and played a historic inning surpassing Chris Gayle’s 138-ball record.

He also bettered Virender Sehwag’s record of the fastest 150 in ODI cricket for India. The veteran batter had reached the landmark in 112 balls while Kishan reached the figure in 103 balls.

Kishan, who is 24 years and 145 days old also became the youngest batter in the history of ODIs to smash a double hundred.

The left-hander also stitched a huge 290-run partnership with Virat Kohli for the second wicket, helping India dominate the Bangladeshi bowlers. (ANI)

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