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No Country Can Overlook India: Thakur On Ramiz’s World Cup Remarks

By LokMarg 26th November 2022

Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur has said India is a major power in the world of sports and no country can overlook the country.

He was responding to a query about remarks of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja that if India does not come for Asia Cup, Pakistan won’t go for the 2023 World Cup to be hosted by India.
“Wait for the right time. India is a major power in the world of sports & no country can overlook India,” Thakur said.

Earlier in October, BCCI secretary Jay Shah had indicated that Asia Cup could be held at a neutral venue.

After Shah’s remarks about holding Asia Cup at a neutral venue, PCB issued a statement it can impact Pakistan’s visit to India for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023

“The overall impact of such statements has the potential to split the Asian and international cricketing communities and can impact Pakistan’s visit to India for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 and future ICC Events in India in the 2024-2031 cycle,” PCB said,

Following PCB’s statement, Thakur had said that India will host the 2023 WC with all teams.

“It is an internal matter of BCCI and it will handle the issue smartly. We have not done anything wrong yet while hosting international tournaments before. We have hosted World Cup successfully before and all teams participated happily. We will host the tournament next year and all teams will play in it,” Thakur had said in October.

BCCI President Roger Binny also said that touring Pakistan for Asia Cup 2023 is not the board’s call, but they will rely on the government’s decision.

“That is not our call. We cannot say where our team has to go. We need to take clearance from the government if we leave the country, or other countries come here. We cannot take that decision on our own, we have to rely on the government,” Binny had said.

2023 will mark the first time ever that India will host the marquee cricketing event by itself. It co-hosted the 1987 World Cup with Pakistan and the 1996 World Cup with Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The tournament made its return to India in 2011 when it co-hosted it along with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. India also emerged victorious in the 2011 edition of the tournament. (ANI)

India Wins Series Against NZ As Third T20I In Napier Ends In A Tie

By LokMarg 22nd November 2022

Heavy rain interrupted play with Team India scoring just enough for a tie in the final T20 against New Zealand here and walking away with a series win in the three-match series.

The Duckworth-Lewis method was employed as the rain did not allow play after India had scored 75/4 in 9 overs chasing a target of 161 runs.
With the first match having been washed away due to rain and India having won the second match, the Hardik Pandya led-team clinched the series 1-0. This is the second time India has won a T20 series under the leadership of Pandya. India had earlier won a series against West Indies under his leadership earlier this year.

Chasing 161, the visitors did not get the best of starts losing opener Ishan Kishan dismissed by Adam Milne for 10 in the second over as they lost the first wicket with only 13 runs on the board.

Rishabh Pant looked dangerous in his short stay but was dismissed in the very next over by Tim Southee for 11 of 5 balls. In the very next ball, Shreyas Iyer was sent packing to leave India tottering at 21/3.

India desperately needed a partnership and skipper Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav did just that by taking India’s total beyond the 50-run mark in 4.4 overs.

India went on to score 58 runs with the loss of three wickets in six overs of powerplay. Ish Sodhi was introduced into the attack and he broke the 39-run partnership.

Deepak Hooda walked out to join his skipper Hardik Pandya and the duo took India’s total to 75/4 in 9 overs. Rain then interrupted the play and it started pouring heavily forcing the umpires to call off the match.

India’s score of 75/4 in 9 overs was on par with the Kiwis as per the Duckworth-Lewis method.

Mohammed Siraj was declared as ‘Player of the Match’ while Suryakumar Yadav was named ‘Player of the Series.

Earlier in the day, New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat first. New Zealand faced a jolt in the second over as pacer Arshdeep Singh trapped Finn Allen leg-before-wicket for just three runs off four balls. NZ was 9/1 in 1.3 overs.

Mark Chapman joined Devon Conway, the other opener. Both started to hit Indian bowlers with some clean strikes. Conway in general looked aggressive, smashing Arshdeep for two fours and a six in the fourth over.

The duo was slowly building a good partnership but Chapman found Arshdeep at mid-on on Mohammed Siraj’s second delivery of the spell. Chapman was back for 12 off 12 balls. Kiwis were reduced to 44/2 in 5.2 overs.

Glenn Phillips joined Conway. At the end of six overs, NZ was at 46/2, with Phillips (1) and Conway (23) unbeaten.

Phillips and Conway brought up their fifty-run stand in 43 balls. In the second half of the innings, Phillips upped his run rate, smashing Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Harshal Patel for fours and sixes. Conway brought up his half-century in 39 balls, while Phillips brought up his eighth T20I fifty in just 31 balls.

At the end of 15 overs, the Kiwi’s scorecard was much healthier at 129/2, with Phillips (53) and Conway (54) still on the crease.

The 86-run partnership between the duo came to an end as Siraj dismissed Phillips for 54 off 33 balls. New Zealand was at 130/3 in 15.5 overs.

Arshdeep also took another wicket quickly, sending back Conway for 59 off 49 balls. Kiwis were at 146/4 in 16.4 overs.

India continued to make a comeback in the match. As the pair of Siraj and Pant dismissed a dangerous James Neesham for a duck. In 17.1 overs, NZ had lost five wickets for 147 runs.

Mitchell Santner was Siraj’s fourth wicket, he was back in the pavilion for just one.

Kiwis’ collapse continued as all-rounder Daryl Mitchell was dismissed for 10 off five balls and Ish Sodhi was also dismissed. Arshdeep got both wickets, taking his wicket tally to four. NZ was at 149/8.

Adam Milne was run out by Siraj for zero. Kiwis finished their innings 160 all out, with Harshal Patel taking the last wicket, dismissing Tim Southee for six.

Mohammad Siraj was the pick of the bowlers, taking four wickets for 17 runs in four overs. Arshdeep also took 4/37. Harshal took a wicket.

Brief Scores: New Zealand: 160 in 19.4 overs (Devon Conway 59, Glenn Phillips 54, Mohammad Siraj 4/17, Arshdeep Singh 4/37) vs India 75/4 in 9 overs (Hardik Pandya 30*, Suryakumar Yadav 13; Tim Southee 2/27). (ANI)

T20I: IND-NZ Match Abandoned Due To Rain

By LokMarg 18th November 2022

The first game of the three-match T20I series between India and New Zealand officially has been abandoned due to heavy rain at Sky Stadium in Wellington without a single ball being bowled on Friday.

India’s tour of New Zealand starts with a washout, with both teams eager to move on from their World Cup exits. Both teams will move to Mount Maunganui for Sunday’s second T20I of the three-match series.
The play was eventually called off just after 20:51 (Local Time). Following the three-match T20I series, New Zealand and India will be squaring off against each other for a three-match ODI series, starting from November 25. The 2nd T20I between New Zealand and India will be held at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui on Sunday while the 3rd T20I will take place on Tuesday at Mclean Park, Napier.

There was approx a 90 per cent of chance at 7 PM Wellington Time that the match was scheduled to begin at 12:00 PM IST. The rain gets significantly increased as the day progressed and left no option for the umpires to call off the match.

Team India were hoping to put the disappointment of their departure from the T20 World Cup behind them against New Zealand in the first of three T20 Internationals on Friday. Like India, New Zealand too were eliminated in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup after bagging the top spot in their group.

New Zealand’s transition into a new era as their selectors opted against picking two of their stalwarts in Martin Guptill and Trent Boult, the latter because he no longer has a central contract.

There have been opportunities for people like Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, and Umran Malik, among others in Indian team. Shubman Gill is another young person who has been selected for the team.

India squad for New Zealand T20Is: Hardik Pandya (C), Rishabh Pant (vc & wk), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Surya Kumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson (wk), W Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Mohd. Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umran Malik.

New Zealand squad for T20Is: Kane Williamson (c), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Daryl Mitchell, Adam Milne, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee and Blair Tickner. (ANI)

Mahendra Sharma, Pioneer Of Indian Women’s cricket, Passes Away

By LokMarg 9th November 2022

Mahendra Kumar Sharma, the man who pioneered women’s cricket in India through the registration of the Women’s Cricket Association of India (WCAI) in 1973, has passed away.

As per ESPNCricinfo, he had been ill for a while and was in his early 80s.
He leaves behind a huge legacy in women’s cricket. In 1973, he registered WCAI under the Societies Act in Lucknow, which kickstarted the journey of women’s cricket in the country.

WCAI was in existence for the next 32 years until BCCI took over the operation of women’s cricket in India in 2006.

For the first five years of its existence, Sharma was the founding secretary of WCAI. He was in charge when India got to host its first-ever women’s cricket world cup in 1978. This was when the organization was largely dependent on donations from individuals and the government.

WCAI also got to host the 1997 edition of the tournament, which was won by Australia.

“Mr Sharma set the foundation stone for women’s cricket in the country,” former India women allrounder Shubhangi Kulkarni told ESPNcricinfo.

“His efforts in setting up the WCAI and getting recognition from the world body – International Women’s Cricket Council (IWCC) – as well as the Indian government was huge at the time,” he added.

“He ensured players got the publicity they needed at the time. His passion and vision for women’s cricket at a time when there was no money were unmatched. It started with him organizing the first-ever women’s nationals in India in 1973 as a three-team event. Then it grew to six, eight, and 14 teams. To start from there and then play a key role in bringing the World Cup was quite an achievement,” he concluded.

Under his watch, Team India also played its first-ever Test match back in 1976 in Bengaluru. (ANI)

T20 WC: India Eye Summit Clash With Pak, England Aim To Deliver Their Best

By LokMarg 9th November 2022

The stage is set for a high-octane second semifinal clash between India and England at the ICC T20 World Cup in Adelaide Oval on Thursday.

India finished their Group Stage at the top of their group’s table, winning four out of their five Super 12 matches. A defeat to South Africa was the only blip in Men in Blue’s consistent performances during the group stage.
Indian batters have been solid for the most part. Suryakumar Yadav (225 runs in five matches with three fifties), Virat Kohli (246 runs in five matches with three fifties) have carried the line-up.

KL Rahul has gained form, scoring two consecutive fifties in his previous two matches, bringing his run tally to 123 runs in five. Rohit Sharma has largely been inconsistent and only 89 runs have come out of his willow in five matches, with his best being 53 against the Netherlands. These two will have to be at the top of their game to lessen the pressure on the middle order.

All of India’s frontline pacers, Bhuvneswar Kumar (4 wickets), Mohammad Shami (6 wickets), and Arshdeep Singh (10 wickets) have been impressive so far. The spin veteran Ravichandran Ashwin and all-rounder Hardik Pandya (six and eight wickets respectively) have delivered well with the ball, though Pandya has not found much success with the bat, other than his knock of 40 against Pakistan.

Axar Patel is Men in Blue’s sole concern in bowling, with his economy rate exceeding nine. It would be interesting if Yuzvendra Chahal gets a chance in the high-stake semifinal.

England has had an up-and-down journey in Super 12. After a win over Afghanistan, their qualification chances dimmed after a loss to Ireland, and the match against Australia was abandoned. But strong showings against New Zealand and Sri Lanka brought them back into the competition and now they’re set to take on India.

England’s deep batting line-up, running down to number 10 is their strength. Their lineup has some power hitters like Jos Buttler, Alex Hales, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, and Harry Brook who can whack bowlers from ball one. They can be lethal at Adelaide, where batting-friendly conditions prevail and boundaries are short.

England’s bowling unit has stepped up drastically, despite not being rated high initially. Sam Curran is England’s leading wicket-taker with 10, while Mark Wood has nine. Ben Stokes has also proved to be useful, having picked up five scalps at an economy rate of 5.90 per over.

They do have some concerns though, be it the fitness of left-hander Dawid Malan or pacer Wood or the performance of Chris Woakes, who has been expensive throughout the tournament. Spinners have also been disappointing. Though Adil Rashid has been a miser while bowling, he has taken only one wicket in four matches. (ANI)

Kohli Can Surpass Tendulkar In Hundreds Scored: Ponting

By LokMarg 19th September 2022

Australia legend Ricky Ponting shared his reaction to Virat Kohli equalling his tally of 71 international hundreds before looking at if India’s star batter can now surpass Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 100 centuries.

The wait for Kohli’s 71st century finally came to an end during the Asia Cup after 1,020 days. He smashed a stunning 122* off 61 balls against Afghanistan, and in doing so equalled Ponting’s record of 71 international tons.
Having equalled Ponting, there is only one name on the list of most tons above Kohli now – Sachin Tendulkar with 100 centuries.

“If you would have asked me three years ago, I’d have said yes,” said Ponting in ICC Review when asked if he could reach Tendulkar’s tally.

“But the fact that it has slowed down as much as it did… yeah, I still think that it is possible for him, there’s no doubt. I still think he has got a number of years ahead of him, but I guess to still be 30 international hundreds behind, that’s a lot. That’s five or six Test hundreds a year maybe for the next three or four years. If you throw a couple of one-day ones, maybe the odd T20 ones on top of it. Look, I’ll never say never with Virat because you know once he gets on a bit of a roll, you know how hungry he is and how keen for the success he is. I’ll never say never that’s for sure,” he added.

The T20 World Cup starts in less than a month, but India still have plenty of cricket to play before the tournament.

India have two white-ball assignments – they will take on South Africa in three ODIs and T20Is and Australia in a three-match T20I series at home – before flying to Australia for the World Cup.

Even though Kohli has been selected for both T20I series, Ponting thinks he still needs to decide whether he needs another break before the World Cup.

“Yes, that’s a really good question and that’s probably a question only he could answer. It’s just going to depend on how he is feeling mentally again,” Ponting said.

“When you’re playing, you don’t even realise how tired you are till you do take a step back because you’re always bluffing yourself and convincing yourself that you are 100 per cent right physically and mentally,” he added.

“Sometimes you’re nowhere near that. And I think Virat has actually come out and said that as well that, he just didn’t realise sort of how bad a space he was in until he got that extended break. If he keeps scoring runs now, I’m sure he’ll play the next series. If he plays that and plays well and starts getting on a bit of a role, I think he’ll want to keep playing. He’d want to keep that momentum going,” the Australia legend said.

“But if he does have a bit of a lean patch again, it’ll probably be in his interest and India’s interest to try and freshen him up mentally as much as they can going into the World Cup,” said Ponting. (ANI)

Robin Uthappa Announces Retirement From All Forms Of Cricket

By LokMarg 14th September 2022

Indian batter Robin Uthappa announced his retirement from all forms of Indian cricket on Wednesday.

The batter, who last represented Team India in 2015, took to social media to make the announcement through a letter.
Uthappa shared a heartfelt post announcing his retirement from all forms of cricket on the Koo App.

The right-handed batter said it has been the “greatest honor” to represent India and Karnataka during this illustrious career.

“It has been my greatest honor to represent my country and my state, Karnataka. However, all good things must come to an end, and with a grateful heart, I have decided to retire from all forms of Indian cricket. Thank you all,” Robin Uthappa said on the Koo app.

“It has been 20 years since I started playing professional cricket, and it has been the greatest honor to represent my country and state, Karnataka, in a wonderful journey of ups and downs; one that has been fulfilling, rewarding, enjoyable and has allowed me to grow as a human being,” Uthappa added.

Uthappa played for the 2004 Under-19 World Cup team for India.

Uthappa made his Team India debut in April 2006 against England in ODIs. Since then, he has played 46 ODIs for India, across which he has scored 934 runs in 42 innings at an average of 25.94. Six half-centuries have come out of his bat.

He has also played 13 T20Is for India, scoring 249 runs at an average of 24.90. He has scored one half-century in the format, with the best score of 50.

The stylish batter was a part of the Indian side which lifted the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup in 2007 in South Africa. The batter from Karnataka has won two IPL trophies– one for Kolkata Knight Riders and one for Chennai Super Kings in 2014 and 2021, respectively. (ANI)