Veteran Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor passed away today after he was admitted at the Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in Mumbai.

Earlier today, Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan took to social media site Twitter to confirm the news of the death of Rishi Kapoor.  Sachin Tendulkar, Mithali Raj, Harbhajan Singh and his wife Geeta Basra all took to Twitter to express their feelings on the sudden death of Rishi Kapoor this morning.

"Very very sad to hear about the passing away of Rishi ji. I grew up watching his movies and he was always very gracious when we met over the years. May his soul Rest in Peace. My heartfelt condolences to Neetu ji, Ranbir and the whole Kapoor family," said Tendulkar on Twitter.

Indian women's ODI team skipper Mithali Raj termed the actor's demise as "huge loss" and said she will miss him on the silver screen.

"Shocked by the demise of veteran actor Rishi Kapoorji.Never quite got his due for the acting genius that he was! His boyish smile,straight talking ,jovial & endearing personality won him millions of followers.Huge loss.Will miss dearly on the silver screen. OM Shanti #gonesoon," Raj tweeted.

Shocked by the demise of veteran actor Rishi Kapoorji.Never quite got his due for the acting genius that he was! His boyish smile,straight talking ,jovial & endearing personality won him millions of followers.Huge loss.Will miss dearly on the silver screen. OM Shanti 🙏🏻 #gonesoon

— Mithali Raj (@M_Raj03) April 30, 2020

India spinner Harbhajan Singh also mourned the death of the actor and wrote, "Woke up with this very sad news @chintskap is no more #RIPRishikapoor ji Condolence to the family.."

When we haven’t got over yesterday.. today another tragedy! This year is full of grief and such sadness! @chintskap ji.. may you rest in peace! A legend always.. a library of films you have left us with! To even write this just doesn’t feel right... 💔🙏

— Geeta Basra (@Geeta_Basra) April 30, 2020

Harbhajan Singh's actress wife Geeta Basra also took to Twitter to share a quote from his film as a tribute to Rishi Kapoor.

Ek hasina thi.. ek deewana tha.. kya umar.. kya sama.. RIP to a legend.. @chintskap my condolences to the whole family 🙏💔 a very sad day.. pic.twitter.com/3DVNq6IUHu

— Geeta Basra (@Geeta_Basra) April 30, 2020

In September 2019, the veteran actor returned to Mumbai after staying in New York for almost a year for cancer treatment. He was last seen in the 2019 film 'The Body' alongside Emraan Hashmi and Shobita Sobhita Dhulipala.

Inputs from ANI

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Batsman Suresh Raina on Thursday asked Rohit Sharma to stay home and bake a cake as the right-handed batter celebrates his 33rd birthday today.

"Happy birthday, Rohit! Wishing you and the family health and happiness in these dire times. Stay home, stay safe, bake a cake. @ImRo45 #HappyBirthdayRohit," Raina tweeted.

Happy birthday, Rohit! Wishing you and the family health and happiness in these dire times. Stay home, stay safe, bake a cake. @ImRo45 #HappyBirthdayRohit pic.twitter.com/E2ToRIkGIS

— Suresh Raina🇮🇳 (@ImRaina) April 29, 2020

Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) official handle also shared a video of some of the special knocks played by Rohit in Test cricket to wish the batsman a very happy birthday.

"Happy Birthday, Hitman. On @ImRo45's special day, here is a recap of The Hitman show in whites. This one was in one of his favourite hunting grounds - Kolkata, #HappyBirthdayRohit," BCCI tweeted.

Coach of the Indian side, Ravi Shastri tweeted: "Happy Birthday, Sharmaaaa! Have a great year ahead. Here's wishing you and your family health and happiness, God Bless".

Pacer Mohammed Shami also took to Twitter to send in his wishes for Rohit Sharma.

"Happy birthday to you. From good friends and true, from old friends and new, may good luck go with you and happiness too! @ImRo45," Shami tweeted.

In the 2019 Cricket World Cup, Rohit Sharma finished the tournament as the highest run-scorer after registering 648 runs from just nine matches at an average of 81.00.

During the tournament, he had also become the first batsman to score five centuries in a single edition of the World Cup.

Rohit, who is now the vice-captain of the ODI team, has played 224 ODIs, 108 T20Is, and 32 Tests so far.

The limited-overs vice-captain has so far scored 14,029 runs across all formats.

Rohit is the only player in the world to have three double tons to his name in ODI cricket. He also holds the record for the highest individual score in the 50-over format as he played a knock of 264 runs against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens.

In the longest format, he has also reinvented himself as the batsman started opening the batting in Test cricket last year.

Rohit would have been in action for the Mumbai Indians had the Indian Premier League (IPL) commenced from March 29.

However, the tournament has been suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Batting maestros Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Virat Kohli have made a cut to former Australia batter Michael Hussey's "Best Enemies XI" in Test cricket.

Hussey picked Sehwag and former South African captain Graeme Smith as openers in the batting line-up which consists stalwarts like Brian Lara, Tendulkar, Kohli, Jacques Kallis and Kumar Sangakkara.

The bowling unit included South Africans Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, England's James Anderson and legendary Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.

The left-handed batsman, who played Test cricket for Australia from 2005 to 2013, however didn't included his former Chennai Super Kings teammate MS Dhoni.

"I wrestled with this one between Kumar Sangakkara, MS Dhoni and AB de Villiers. But I think the latter two have got more impact in the shorter formats T20s and ODI," Hussey said while picking the Best XI of opponents he has played against in Test cricket on "The Unplayable Podcast".

"Sangakkara had immense impact in Test cricket," he added.

Hussey played a total of 79 Tests, 185 ODIs and 38 T20Is in which he scored 6235, 5442 and 721 runs respectively.

Michael Hussey's 'Best of Enemies' XI: Virender Sehwag, Graeme Smith, Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Jacques Kallis, Kumar Sangakkara, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, James Anderson, Muttiah Muralitharan.

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Kumar Sangakkara and Brett Lee were the only overseas players that made it to veteran South African pacer Dale Steyn's best XI of players he has faced or played with.'

Interestingly, the team included his "school bowling partner", "best friend" and his "club captain," Cricket South Arica said in its tweet.

Steyn picked his former South African skipper Graeme Smith and former Sri Lankan captain Sangakkara as openers. Jacques Kallis, widely rated as one of the greatest all- rounders of all time, slots in at no.4 while Jhonty Rhodes comes in at no.5.

Wicketkeeper and current South African limited overs skipper Quinton de Kock came in at no.6.

Australia's Lee, former South African spinner Paul Harris and Proteas fast bowling great Allan Donald made up the bowling department.

A notable omission from Steyn's XI is AB de Villiers, with whom he played most of his international matches with and was considered among the batsmen in the world throughout his international career. Also, there was no India in the XI picked up by Steyn.

Steyn's Best XI he played with or against: Kumar Sangakkara, Graeme Smith, Dave Hawken, Jacques Kallis, Jonty Rhodes, Quinton de Kock, Bret Bargiachi, Peter Lombard, Brett Lee, Paul Harris, Allan Donald.

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India head coach Ravi Shastri and his counterparts with the A and junior teams discussed future plans for their respective sides in an online interaction, making use of their time at home amid a national lockdown. National Cricket Academy (NCA) head Rahul Dravid was the man behind the initiative and senior team support staff comprising Shastri, bowling Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar were a part of this interaction last week.

"It wasn't an online coaching class. You can say it was an interaction where you give ideas and listen to the mindset and plans of other coaches. There has only been one such session but it is likely to be a regular affair," an NCA official told PTI. The online session was also attended by junior and NCA coaches including Paras Mhambrey, Narendra Hirwani, Abhay Sharma and Sitanshu Kotak.

"If senior coaches like Shastri, Arun and Sridhar are also part of the interaction, you are bound to learn something from their rich international experience," the official said. "At the moment, it is a lockdown so it was easier to organise this. It remains to be seen how often it can be done when things are normal and the Indian team is on duty," the official added.

The aim was to bring in more synergy in the work of national teams (senior, India A and under-19). All global sporting activity has come to a standstill due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There is no clarity when the Indian team will take the field next, having played last in New Zealand in the first week of March.

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Australia have moved to the top of the Test and T20I rankings for men while England continue to lead the men's ODI rankings after the annual update carried out on Friday, which eliminates results from 2016-17. In the latest update, that rates all matches played since May 2019 at 100 per cent and those of the previous two years at 50 per cent, Australia (116) have taken over from India as the top-ranked side in the ICC men's Test team rankings with New Zealand (115) remaining in second place. India are now third with 114 points.

With only two points separating them, this is the second closest the top three teams have been since the Test rankings were launched in 2003. The closest for the top three teams were in January 2016, when India had led Australia and South Africa by a single point. India have yielded the top spot for the first time since October 2016. This is largely because India had won 12 Tests and lost just one Test in 2016-17, the records of which were removed in the latest update. They had won all five series during this period including against Australia and England.

On the other hand, Australia had lost to South Africa as well as to India in the same period. South Africa have suffered the biggest rating fall of eight points, which sees them drop below Sri Lanka into sixth place. They had won three series in the period culled, while they have lost eight of their nine Tests since February 2019, playing against Sri Lanka, India and England. India still lead the ICC World Test Championship, a league comprising six series played by each of the top nine Test sides.

In the ICC men's ODI team rankings, reigning World champions England (127) have increased their lead over India from six to eight points. New Zealand remain in third place, three points behind India, The top ten rankings remain unchanged. By contrast, the updated ICC Men's T20I team rankings see plenty of changes. Australia (278) top the list for the first time since the T20I rankings were introduced in 2011. Pakistan, who had overtaken New Zealand to reach top position in January 2018 and then spent 27 months there, are now fourth with 260 points.

England have moved into second position with 268 points while India are up one place to third, just two points behind. Afghanistan are down from seventh to tenth while Bulgaria are the biggest gainers, up 12 places to 51st in the 84-country list of teams that played the requisite six matches in the past three years.

When the global T20I rankings were launched 12 months ago, there were 80 ranked teams. Since then seven teams have joined the table (Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Romania and Turkey), while three countries (France, Isle of Man and France) have lost their rankings having played insufficient matches.

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On this day in 1995, former Australian batsman Steve Waugh played his highest Test innings as he scored 200 against West Indies at Sabina Park in Kingston. the final Test of the four-match series, playing against a fearsome West Indies attack spearheaded by Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose, Waugh stood firmly at one end and guided the side to post 531 runs in the first innings after bundling the hosts for 265. Waugh's double ton was studded with 17 fours and one six.

In the second innings, Paul Reiffel and Shane Warne scalped four wickets each to bundle Windies at 213. The visitors won the match by an innings and 53 runs under the leadership of Mark Taylor, Waugh was awarded as the Player of the Match for his spectacular batting performance. Australia also won the series by 2-1 after one match ended as a draw and became the first side to defeat the invincible Caribbean team in 15 years.

Waugh played 168 Tests and scored 10,927 runs at an average of 51.06. He is at the eleventh spot in the all-time run-scorer list of the longest format. In 325 ODIs, the middle-order batsman amassed 7569 runs. He hammered 35 centuries and 95 fifties across all formats.

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Veteran Kiwi batsman Ross Taylor on Friday claimed the top honour on the final day of the 2020 New Zealand Cricket Awards, winning the prestigious Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for the third time while Tim Southee was named Test Player of the Year. The virtual ceremony also saw Canterbury umpire Kim Cotton's meteoric rise through the officiating ranks recognised with the GJ Gardner Homes New Zealand Cricket Umpire of the Year award. Taylor had a great season, he helped guide the Blackcaps to a second successive ICC Cricket World Cup Final. He surpassed Stephen Fleming's all-time Test runs scoring record for New Zealand and became the first cricketer to play 100 international games in each of the three formats.

The 36-year-old was once again the glue in the top-order, amassing 1,389 runs across the three formats in a season in which he played in all but one of the Blackcaps' 32 internationals, from England to Sri Lanka, Australia and at home. Taylor reflected on the influence of the late Martin Crowe who was instrumental in developing the right hander's Test technique and helping him to set his goals. "I'm sure he would be proud of this. Marty was able to pass on a lot of his experience and wisdom which has played a massive part in my career," Taylor said.

"It was always something that he always pushed me to do (break records). I think he would probably be surprised at how well I have done. But I've been fortunate to be helped by a lot of people over the years and I guess when you win awards like this it's nice to be able to thank them," he added. On the other hand, Southee claimed 40 wickets from eight Tests, including 14 in the two-Test wins against India, in Wellington and Christchurch.

In the four Tests, the Kiwis won during the judging period, he took 25 wickets at an average of 16.40.

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New Zealand batsman Henry Nicholls has donated his ICC 2019 World Cup shirt to UNICEF to help raise funds for the battle against COVID-19. The 28-year-old has offered his half-sleeve shirt signed by his teammates to facilitate meals for Kiwi families. The official Twitter handle of UNICEF New Zealand wrote, "NZ Cricketer @HenryNicholls27 has offered up one of his prized 2019 Cricket World Cup jerseys, signed by the whole team! One lucky donor who has supported our #FoodForKiwiFamilies appeal will receive it. You've got to be in it, to win it so donate now!"

Anyone who donates by Monday, irrespective of the amount, will enter a draw and one lucky person will get the shirt. The Blackcaps played their second consecutive final but failed to bring the trophy home as they lost to England on the basis of the boundary-countback rule. As a result, the Three Lions went on to lift their first-ever 50-over title.

The normal 50-over match action and super over had ended as a tie, and in the end, England was announced as the winners after scoring more boundaries in the match. As all the sporting activities including cricket have been suspended due to the global surge of the coronavirus pandemic, the left-handed batsman was last seen in action against Australia in an ODI on March 13.

He has played 33 Tests, 49 ODIs, and 5 shortest format games for Kiwis. The player has scored 3,095 runs across all formats including six centuries.

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When Vikrant Keni, who led the Indian team to its maiden Physical Disability T20 World Series in England last year, and teammate Gurudas Raut were invited by BCCI president Sourav Ganguly & Co to the Cricket Centre on March 4 to receive the token cheque of R65 lakh as prize money for their flawless performance, their achhe din may have begun to look like coming true.

A few weeks later, India went into lockdown to fight against the dreadful Coronavirus and the 18-player team have not received their share of R3 lakh each. The Indian cricket board has yet to release the payment but say the players will receive their dues soon.

The Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) had approved the prize money for the Indian physically challenged team before their term ended last October. With most of the players from the T20 World Series-winning squad living a hand-to-mouth existence, they feel the BCCI prize money would make a huge difference to them especially in these COVID-19 pandemic-caused testing times.

All-rounder Ramesh Naidu, 24, whose father M Ramu earns R15,000 from driving cars at Vijaya Medical Centre in Visakhapatnam, is finding it difficult to cope with the lockdown. "My family is completely dependent on my father's income. It's difficult to manage during this period," said Naidu, who is in his last year of M Tech (Master of Technology) in Electrical Engineering at IIT Chennai. Naidu had taken an education loan of Rs 4.5 lakh.

Wasim Khan, who hails from the turbulent Kashmir region, was banking on the prize money to cope with the lockdown.

"With no job, it's quite tough to exist. My elder brother is a lawyer but he is without any work at the moment. We have some groceries at home but I don't know how long they will last. We have got no help from anyone. It will be a big relief if BCCI releases our prize money soon," said Wasim, who had scored a match-winning 40-ball 79 in the semi-final against Pakistan.

Hard-hitting batsman Sudanese Mahendaran, 29, who changed the complexion of the game in the final against England with his 11-ball 33, said the lockdown has rendered his family income-less. "There has been no income for the last month as my father has not been able to ride his auto rickshaw due to the lockdown. My close friends are helping us out," said the Tamil Nadu lad.

Bengal-based wicketkeeper batsman Debabrata Roy, 31, is confident BCCI president Ganguly will rescue the players. "I was earning R8,000 till last month as a salesman at a cloth store. I am sure Dada [Ganguly] will look into our problems," said Roy.

Left-arm spinner Anish Rajan, who was India's highest wicket-taker (11) in the tournament, has had his share of suffering in the lockdown.

Skipper Vikrant Keni (right) and teammate Gurudas Raut with the R65 lakh cheque they received from the BCCI in March. Pic/ Suresh Karkera

A mechanical engineer by profession, Rajan quit his job in 2015 to pursue a career in cricket.

"My dream was to play for India. I play as a professional for Tripunithura Cricket Club in Kochi and I also officiate in matches as umpire or scorer. However, due to the lockdown, there has been no source of income," he said.

Skipper Keni, who is lucky to have a steady source of income, sympathised with the financial condition of some of his teammates. "Most of the players from my team are struggling as they have no jobs. I think the BCCI prize money is taking time due to the lockdown," said Palghar-based Keni.

BCCI's General Manager Cricket Operations, Syed Saba Karim told mid-day on Friday that the prize money will be remitted in a couple of days. "It has been approved and in a day or two, it will be processed. The amount will be deposited in their [players'] bank account. It has been cleared from our side," Karim said.

I will talk to BCCI: AICAPC prez Ghavri

AICAPC prez Karsan Ghavri

The president of the All India Cricket Association for Physically Challenged (AICAPC), Karsan Ghavri said he would talk to the BCCI officials to release the prize money of the Physical Disability T20 World Series-winning team once the lockdown ends. "It [the prize money] was supposed to go into the players' account, but it has not happened. This is not the right time to talk. Let everything settle down. We will definitely speak to the authorities," the former India all-rounder told mid-day.
Ghavri is also hopeful of sorting out the employment problems of the physically challenged cricketers. "We are definitely trying to help them out. In fact, Nitin Gadkari, a senior minister in the central government, is helping us a lot in this regard," he added.

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Former West Indies cricketer Ramnaresh Sarwan has broken his silence after his former teammate Chris Gayle took to social media to hit out at him. Gayle had earlier accused Sarwan for engineering his ouster from Caribbean Premier League side Jamaica Tallawahs. "I categorically deny any involvement in the decision, or the decision-making process, which led to Gayle's non-selection to represent the Jamaica Tallawahs in the 2020 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Tournament," Sarwan was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo on his Facebook page. "In that video, he has levelled false allegations and tarnished the good name and reputation of a series of persons.

"I was the focus of most of the onslaughts. I reply, not because I feel that Gayle's rantings are worthy of it, but because I feel that the public's record must be set straight and also, to protect the character and careers of so many people, whose image he sought to besmirch," he added. Gayle had earlier referred to Sarwan as a 'snake' and he even went on to the extent of saying that he was 'worse than coronavirus'.

"Let me make this abundantly clear that I played with Gayle since the inception of my career. I have always respect him as an extraordinary talent, a colleague and most importantly as a close friend. Hence, my utter shock at these allegations," said Sarwan. Tallawahs have also said that Sarwan had nothing to do with Gayle not being retained by the franchise.

"Gayle gave several reasons for the decision that was made not to retain him in the Tallawahs. However, the truth is that this decision was made collectively by the Ownership and Management team which did not include Ramnaresh Sarwan and based purely on business and cricketing reasoning," Tallawahs said in a statement on their official website.

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BCCI president Sourav Ganguly is deeply saddened and intimidated by the devastation caused because of the COVID-19 pandemic and has equated the unprecedented crisis to playing a Test match on a dangerous wicket. The decorated former player opened up on life under lockdown due to the novel coronavirus pandemic that has claimed over 2.40 lakh lives across the world while infecting more than 34 lakh people. "This situation is a Test match on a very dangerous wicket. The ball is seaming and spinning as well - the batsman has very little margin of error," Ganguly said while speaking on '100 Hours 100 Stars', an initiative started by Fever Network.

"So, the batsman has to score runs and keep his wicket safe with this little margin of error, and win this Test match," he added. A winner of innumerable fierce battles during his playing days when there was no dearth of fearsome fast bowlers and quality spinners, Ganguly was tempted to draw a parallel between the tough moments in the sport and the health crisis. "This is very difficult, but we hope that we will win this match together," he added. Ganguly expressed his sadness at the number of lives lost in the pandemic and the irreparable damage that it has caused. "I am really upset seeing the current situation, because so many people are suffering outside. We are still struggling to understand how to stop this pandemic," he said. "This atmosphere all over the world has really bothered me. We don't know how, when and where it came from - we all were unprepared for this," he added. Not just upset, Ganguly conceded he cannot help feeling a big scared of what's unfolding because of the disease. "People are being affected by this so much. There have been so many deaths. This situation upsets me, and I also feel scared," he said.

"People come to my house to deliver groceries, food, so I feel a little scared as well. So it's a mixed feeling. I just want this to end as quickly as possible," he added, He said cricket has taught him to face tough situations in life and the importance of staying alert at all times. Asked how he keeps himself positive, the former captain said: "Cricket has taught me a lot. I faced real life, high-pressure situations. You have to make runs and there is just one ball left. "If you make one wrong move, one wrong footwork, you will not get another chance. These kind of situations make you alert and aware about real life situations," he said. The BCCI chief, though, also added that he is getting to spend a lot of time with his family after a long time. "It's been a month into the lockdown. I didn't mind it earlier. Earlier, I wouldn't get time at home like this. My lifestyle involved travelling for work everyday. "For the past 30-32 days, I have been at home with my family, spending time with my wife, daughter, my mother and my brother. "I have got a time like this after long, so I am enjoying myself," he said.

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Greats likes Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev have pledged their support to Indian Cricketers Association's (ICA) initiative to financially help around 30 needy players amid the nationwide lockdown, said its president Ashok Malhotra. The ICA has so far raised Rs 39 lakh to help former cricketers who are in dire need of funds.

"Big names like Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Gautam Gambhir and Gundappa Viswanath have joined us and that is a major boost to our initiative. A corporate from Gujarat has also offered its support," Malhotra said.

It has been learnt that likes of Gavaskar, Dev and Gambhir have also made financial contributions to the cause. Mohammed Azharuddin had pledged his financial support earlier this week. The ICA will continue to accept donations till May 15, following which it will shortlist 5-6 cricketers from each zone (north, east, west, south and central).

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Former India chief selector MSK Prasad listed out the differences between Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as captains. Speaking during an online live video session, Prasad states the three have altogether different styles of captaincy that has brought so much success over the last few years.

"If you look at fundamental styles, leadership has got so many different styles. These three (Dhoni, Kohli, Rohit) are three different guys and I am sure all three are equally good," Prasad said in an interview uploaded on Fancode app.

"They are three guys who have three different styles. Mahi is absolutely cool, you never know what is there in his mind until it is executed, he's very very cool, and very very accommodative whereas Virat is pretty clear. He's at you all the time, he's very clear in his mind what he wants. If you are talking about Rohit, he's more of an accommodative sort of a guy. He definitely has that empathy towards other players and he thinks from their hats," he said.

Prasad also spoke about the Dhoni's future with Team India. He revealed they had a discussion regarding Dhoni taking some time off from the game and that is why they backed youngster Rishabh Pant in that position.

"We had a discussion and Mahi (Dhoni) didn't want to play for some time. So we moved on and picked Rishabh Pant and we have been backing him. Now KL (Rahul) has also done extremely well in the matches that he played in New Zealand," Prasad said.

"So it would have been nice if the IPL was being played and we would have seen old glimpses of Mahi but now it's a very tricky situation."

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India cricketer Shreyas Iyer has been entertaining his fans both on and off the field. In order to make things a bit positive during the COVID-19 pandemic, Shreyas Iyer shared a fun video on Instagram.

On Sunday, Iyer posted a video for his 2.3 million Instagram followers and captioned it: "Fielding practice is everywhere you look."

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Fielding practice is everywhere you look 😏

A post shared by Shreyas Iyer (@shreyas41) onMay 3, 2020 at 12:30am PDT

In the video, Shreyas Iyer is seen diving to save an egg, catching the remote control of his TV, arranging chairs quickly and even collecting clothes thrown out of the washing machine.

One could hear American rapper Tyga's song, Bored, playing in the background. Shreyas Iyer, born in Mumbai, made his debut for India in 2017. He has since played 18 ODIs and 22 T20Is. Shreyas Iyer is also the captain of the IPL franchise Delhi Capitals.

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In the latest episode of ESPNcricinfo Videocast that airs on May 2, 2020, R Ashwin talks about his future, his accuracy as a bowler, what makes him clicks in short-format cricket, future of spinners and how can they stay relevant in the ever-evolving game of Cricket.

“I am good at T20 cricket. If my body holds up, I see a purple patch coming up for me in test Cricket”, says Ravichandran Ashwin, an all-rounder who bats right-handed and bowls right-arm off break when Sanjay Manjarekar, host of ESPNcricinfo asks him about his future plans. R Ashwin does not favour 4-day Cricket. He says, “I am a spinner and you’re taking the fifth day out of the game, you’re taking out a very fascinating aspect of the game.”

ICC has been considering 4-day test as part of the World Test Championship from 2023. However, the world's cricketers stand as the most likely source of opposition to the change, with many viewing the step up from four-day first-class games to five-day Tests as a critical point of difference at the top end of the long-form game (source: ESPNcricinfo article dated Dec 30, 2019)

R Ashwin shares the secret of his ability to produce variations in finger spin with so much accuracy and the influence Woorkeri Raman, former Indian cricketer and current coach of the India women's national cricket team’s coaching technique had on him. “WV Raman who is known to be a straight forward and extremely disciplined man trained us to throw the ball accurately that should land above the stumps. He also maintained that I stand no chance as a spinner if I cannot hit the top of the bat of a batsman every time I bowled.”

R Ashwin further adds, “Infact, WV Raman helped me master my rhythm. He was the first person who with or without his knowledge, inculcated this self-conscious training inside me. He would keep telling me, you’re running 10% slower or you’re running 15% faster. And this put me in a great place when I started playing first class Cricket. And these are the things that I will never forget in my career. But because he was straight forward, a bit dismissive and he could put pressure on people, they started moving away from him.”

R Ashwin shares more such anecdotes on WV Raman’s training that shaped him as a spinner that he is today.

R Ashwin has one of the best record of bowling with a new ball. “I like a new ball because of the fizz that I get on it. One of my strengths is to be able to put revs on the hard ball as it responds better to the pitch. But I generally like to use the arm ball in first 2 or 3 overs. Because when you use the arm ball, it challenges both the edges of the batsman and forces him to go across the line which is rendered risky The others that I use are the floaters that swing, the one that pitches in and goes out or the other one that lands on the seam and gets to go the other way. So these balls become very effective.”

“With a new ball I use my middle finger more than the index finger but when I bowl with an older ball, I try and get over the top. Sometimes, I don’t use index finger to go over the top, It is behind and I still put the revs and that’s when the ball actually goes the other way”, adds R Ashwin.

Commenting on future of finger spin and success of Mohammad Nabi, Afghan all-rounder and off-break bowler, R Ashwin says, “I am really surprised that at the last IPL people could not pick up what I was bowling. They thought I was bowling the carrom ball but actually I was bowling reverse carrom because when I would bowl that I would get a lot out of the pitch. Sometimes it can spin, sometimes I could get it to skid.”

R Ashwin points, “In a T-20 cricket, you need to call yourself a bowler. At times you should be able to bowl a bouncer or a spinner. Wrist spin is successful not because it is challenging both edges of the bat but because of its unpredictable nature when bowling length. And this makes wrist spin extremely relevant. Now imagine if someone can dish out unpredictable stuff in a very aware manner. That’s the journey I have taken, and that’s why I found myself amongst the wickets and in extreme control last year when I was bowling in Mohali which can be very challenging.” He adds, “In any white ball cricket, you can only hunt wickets down unless people are not picking it, but that is at a very novel stage of your career. Post that you should be able to dish out things at will that can surprise the batsman. Once you can keep the batsman guessing, chances of them bossing over you is very little.”

“Mohammad Nabi is a great spinner in T-20 format. He is able to change his line and length at will and that’s because he has done these repetitions in the longest format i.e. Test cricket. If you wake Nabi up at 3 in the night, he’ll be able to bowl at the sticker of the bat, he will then be able to change his line to wider, to closer or Yorker”, says R Ashwin. He adds, “But what is happening with wrist and finger spinner is complete eradication of logic. So, if you want finger spinner as an attacking option, he should be able to do everything that a wrist spinner does in terms of length and line for which he needs to develop the awareness of his own bowling.”

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Remembering the loss at the hands of South Africa in Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games in 1998, former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting on Sunday shared a picture of his jacket that he used in the event.

Taking to Twitter Ponting posted a picture and captioned the post, "Found my jacket from the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games in 1998. One of the few occasions we weren't good enough in a big tournament, South Africa outplayed us in the gold medal game."

Found my jacket from the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games in 1998. One of the few occasions we weren't good enough in a big tournament, South Africa outplayed us in the gold medal game. pic.twitter.com/8Mh6jJ1XP3

— Ricky Ponting AO (@RickyPonting) May 3, 2020

In the gold medal match, Shaun Pollock led side outclassed Australia by four wickets with 24 balls remaining.

Proteas won the toss and asked Aussies to bat first. The team from Down Under was only able to post a total of 183, thanks to skipper Steve Waugh's unbeaten knock of 90 runs. Ponting failed to leave his impression on the scoreboard and was sent back to the pavilion after scoring just two runs.

Chasing 184, Mike Rindel and Jacques Kallis guided South Africa to a comfortable victory in 46th over. Rindel amassed 67 runs while Kallis scored 44 runs. Australia settled with a silver medal in the competition while New Zealand bagged the bronze medal.

For the first time, cricket was included in the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Malaysia. Matches were played over 50 overs and had List A status rather than full One Day Internationals.

However, now in Birmingham CWG 2022 women's T20 cricket has been included and eight teams will compete for the coveted gold medal.

The ICC will be responsible for the competition terms and the conduct of cricket, by way of providing match officials and ensuring matches are played as per the laws of the game.

The Birmingham 2022 Games will take place in England from July 27 to August 7, 2022, and will see 4,500 athletes competing at across 18 sports.

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Feeling like a kid again, England batsman Jason Roy can't wait to get back on the cricket field but says it would make sense to postpone the T20 World Cup in October-November if teams don't get enough time to prepare for the mega event. All cricketing activities have come to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the future of T20 World Cup in Australia is also in doubt.

"If players aren't able to prepare in the right way and are not able to get over to Australia, then it makes sense to postpone it," Roy was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. "But if it goes ahead, it's our job to play cricket - and if we're told we have three weeks to prepare to go and play in the World T20, all the boys will be putting the yards in to make sure we're ready for that.

"I think all the boys are on edge, waiting for the call saying, 'Right, we have a month turnaround or a six-week turnaround. Get in the nets and go hit some balls.' I think the boys will be as ready as they can be," said the 29-year-old opener. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) too has suspended activities until July 1. While Roy is eager to be playing again, he said safety is paramount.

"I've got a huge amount of trust in the ECB. I think they will look into every single avenue of all the positives, all the negatives. So, I guess I would trust in what they say, probably have a chat with Morgs (Morgan) and see where his head's at and go with that. "I don't think I'll have too many questions, especially when it got to the stage of 'Right, we're going to play', because there'll be a lot of people in those meetings discussing whether it's the right thing to do or not."

Roy also has no issues in playing in front of empty stadiums. "I just want to play some cricket to be honest. I think for us to be able to go out there and play some cricket would be an incredible feeling. I feel like a kid again. "I guess we're governed by the government here, we don't really know what is going on or what the safety measures are. There's way bigger things out there. I'm more than happy to play behind closed doors, it would just be nice to get out there," he added.

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Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad has recalled how he and Zaheer Abbas went after the Indian spin attack -- comprising of Bishan Singh Bedi, Bhagwath Chandrasekhar and Erapalli Prasanna -- and scored bulk of runs in the three-match Test series in 1978-79.

Both Miandad and Abbas took the famous Indian spin troika to cleaners in the series which Pakistan won 2-0.

"Chandrasekhar, Bedi, Prasanna... India's strength was this, their spinners. And they did well around the world but when they came here (Pakistan), they were taken to the cleaners. Our players robbed them for so many runs," said Miandad in his Youtube channel.

Miandad recounted the first Test of the series played in Faisalabad and said how he and Abbas went after the Indian spinners.

"I remember that Chandrasekhar was giving some troubles to Zaheer bhai. Then he told me 'Javed please tackle him for me'. I obviously said yes. Meanwhile from the other end, Zaheer bhai was taking a lot of runs off Bedi sahib and Prasanna," said Miandad.

"Then I said, 'Zaheer bhai please allow me to take some runs too, I will also use my feet against them. I'm stuck here. I won't take a single off the last ball'," he added.

Both Miandad (154) and Abbas (176) scored big hundreds in that match which ended in a draw.

In the second Test in Lahore, there was still no respite for the Indian spinners as Abbas scored a brilliant double hundred as Pakistan won the match by eight wickets.

In the final Test in Karachi, it was the turn of Miandad to score a century as India lost the Test and ultimately lost the series 0-2.

Chandrasekhar took eight wickets in that series at an average of 48.12 while Bedi scalped six wickets at an average of 74.83. Prasanna managed to pick just two wickets in the two matches he played in the series at an average of 125.50.

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Former cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir has become quite an active personality on social media. Gambhir, who is quite famous for his straightforward opinions and practical views, has a much lighter side on social media.

Gautam Gambhir recently took to photo sharing website Instagram to share a photo of his two little daughters Anaiza and Aazeen as they 'bring the house down' as the country faces a lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Gautam Gambhir captioned the photo saying, "That’s the look of two of the naughtiest girls on the planet after they have brought down the house with their partying!!" Take a look at the post below.

 

 

 

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That’s the look of two of the naughtiest girls on the planet after they have brought down the house with their partying!! 🥳🤣

A post shared by Gautam Gambhir (@gautamgambhir55) onMay 4, 2020 at 12:15am PDT

Gautam Gambhir, who is member of the Lok Sabha, got married to Natasha Jain in 2011. Their first daughter Aazeen was born in June 2014. Gambhir and Natasha welcomed their second daughter Anaiza, born in June 2017.

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Yuzvendra Chahal is among the best leg-spinners in international cricket right now but he can be more effective with better use of the crease, says former Pakistan spinner Mushtaq Ahmed. Ahmed picked Chahal, Australia's Adam Zampa and Pakistan's Shadab Khan among the top leg-spinners in white-ball cricket. "Chahal as been impressive. He is definitely among the top leg-spinners of the world. And I feel he would be more effective if he uses the crease a lot more," Ahmed told PTI.

Ahmed, who has coached all around the world and is currently a consultant for his native team, said India's ability to take wickets in the middle-overs in the limited overs format through Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav has been a game-changer for them. Both the wrist-spinners were brought into India's limited overs set-up following the 2017 Champions Trophy. Though, of late, both Chahal and Kuldeep havn't been playing together. "He (Chahal) can go wide of the crease at times. You got to be smart enough to understand pitches. If it is a flat pitch, you can bowl stump to stump," said Ahmed, one of the best leg-spinners Pakistan has produced. "If the ball is gripping, you can go wide of the crease because you can trouble even the best of batsmen with that angle. That way your googly also doesn't turn as much as the batsman expects and you end up taking a wicket." Chahal has taken 91 wickets in 52 ODIs at 25.83 and 55 wickets in 42 T20s at 24.34. He is not a huge turner of the ball but uses his variations very effectively. Ahmed also feels the likes of Chahal and Kuldeep have benefitted immensely from former captain M S Dhoni's advice from behind the stumps.

"You have got to be one step ahead of the batsman. You should know your field position as per the batsman's strength. I always say attack with fielders not with the ball. If you understand that theory, you will always be successful," the 49-year-old, who played 52 Tests and 144 ODIs, said. "India has become a force to reckon with in all three formats as it uses its bowlers really well. Dhoni was a master at getting the best out of his bowlers in limited overs cricket and now you have Virat Kohli." He also said the art of leg-spin remains relevant more than ever. "You need leg-spinners and mystery spinners in your team as they have the ability to take wickets at any stage of the game. I see a lot of them coming through in the next 10-15 years. "Most batsmen now like playing express pace but with a good leg-spinner in the team, you are always in the game," added member of the 1992 World Cup-winning squad.

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Indian spinner Yuzvendra Chahal on Sunday shared a throwback picture with 'legend' MS Dhoni saying that he misses 'being called tilli from behind the stumps'.

Chahal took to Twitter to share a picture with Dhoni and captioned the post: "Miss being called tilli from behind the stumps by the legend..!!"

Miss being called tilli from behind the stumps by the legend..!! ðŸ¤ÂðŸ‡®ðŸ‡³ pic.twitter.com/iWGz6E11Pw

— Yuzvendra Chahal (@yuzi_chahal) May 3, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has taken a huge toll on sports across the globe as all the sporting events have either been cancelled or postponed.

The COVID-19 crisis in the country also put an indefinite halt to the Indian Premier League (IPL) in which Dhoni was to slated to make his return to the field. The former captain has not played any international match after India's exit from the 2019 World Cup.

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Former India pacer Ashish Nehra went down the memory lane with ex-teammate Aakash Chropra during a chat on Chopra's show Aakashvani. Nehra said how he had only one pair of shoes which he used for Ranji Trophy games as well as his Test debut against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 1999.

"I wore them for the first time in Ranji Trophy and had only one pair which I took them with me to play in my first Test match in 1999. I still remember I used to get the shoe stitched after each innings and that is how it survived the entire Test," Nehra said.

Talking about practicing bowling action at the Delhi Cantonment Railway station with the club's bowling coach, Nehra said: "I wasn't alone. There used to be a bunch of us who would go to drop sir at the railway station. He would ask us to show him different bowling actions. I remember we would pick up the stones at the station and bowl with them."

The pair also discussed a game they had played at the Race Course ground in Delhi for their club team. "You remember we had to bowl into the wind and against the wind? The coach asked me why I didn't bowl you from that end. I told him that you wanted to bowl from the other end," said Chopra as the two had a good laugh going down memory lane. Left-arm pacer Nehra played 17 Tests, 120 ODIs and 27 T20Is for India.

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Veteran India spinner Harbhajan Singh on Tuesday rejected the perception that he is jealous of Ravinchandran Ashwin, saying the Tamil Nadu bowler is a "legend in making". Ashwin, who had replaced Harbhajan in the Indian team, is among the leading off-spinners in the world alongside Australia's Nathan Lyon.

Harbhajan is not yet retired but last played for India in 2016. Harbhajan, 39, has played 103 Tests with his final game coming in 2015. Ashwin, on the other hand, has played 71 Tests since making his debut in 2011. "A lot of people think I am jealous, this and that. They can think whatever they want to. I just want to say that you are the best off-spinner presently playing the game," said Harbhajan during an Instagram live chat with Ashwin.

Harbhajan Singh

"Of course I like Nathan Lyon as well. I always put him right up there because he plays in Australia and it is a tough place to bowl [for spinners]. You [Ashwin] are one of those legends in the making. I wish you the very best and lots and lots of wickets."

The chat was focused on India's remarkable comeback in the 2001 home Test series against Australia. Trailing 0-1 in the three-match series, India went on to win the next two including the second one in Kolkata, where the hosts won after following-on, thanks to an iconic stand between VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid.

365
No. of wickets off-spinner R Ashwin has taken in 71 Tests

27
No. of five-wicket hauls by Ashwin, the most by an Indian off-spinner in a Test innings

72
No. of wickets claimed by Ashwin in 2016, the best by an Indian off-spinner in a calendar year in Test cricket

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England star all-rounder Ben Stokes will run his first ever half marathon on Tuesday to raise funds for the National Health Services (NHS) Charities Together and national children's cricket charity Chance to Shine. The 28-year-old all-rounder who admitted that the longest he had ever run was 8 km, will be running a half marathon near his home. "A half marathon is always been something that I've thought about doing a but never really got around to overdoing it. Obviously we have been in lockdown so I thought what a great option to go out and if I'm going to do it I might as well try and raise some funds for a good cause," Stokes said in an Instagram video.

Stokes got inspired by the efforts of three men who ran full marathons in their back gardens over the weekend. "I will be hopefully inspiring people to make some donations towards the Cricket Garden Marathon, I'm just trying to add some more funds to what they've managed to do for the great cause," said Stokes. "I've done absolutely no training, the longest distance that I've ever run is 8 kilometres. So, I don't even know I'm going to be able to complete it but hopefully, I can," he added.

The left-handed Stokes on April 8 became the first English cricketer since 2005 to be named as Wisden's Leading Cricketer in the World. In 2005, Andrew Flintoff was named as Wisden's Leading Cricketer of the Year.

The year 2019 proved as an instrumental year for Stokes as he played a key role in England's first 50-over World Cup win and then he went on to play a memorable inning against Australia during the third Ashes at Headingley.

Also, the English all-rounder was named as ICC's cricketer of the year in January 2020.

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India cricketer and star opener Shikhar Dhawan's daughter Aliyah turned 20 on Tuesday and the doting father posted a cute Instagram video dancing alongside her. "Happy birthday my angel! May you forever sparkle and shine like the star that you are. I miss you so much. Take care and enjoy your day @aliyah_dhawan," Shikhar, 34, captioned his video.

 

 

 

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Happy birthday my angel! May you forever sparkle and shine like the star that you are. I miss you so much. 🤗 Take care and enjoy your day ❤️ @aliyah_dhawan

A post shared by Shikhar Dhawan (@shikhardofficial) onMay 4, 2020 at 11:40pm PDT

Meanwhile, Aliyah's mum Ayesha also posted a sweet message for her eldest daughter. "My partner in crime for life. My ride or die!!! This beautiful young lady is my soul, my heart my life!!! You are the reason I am who I am today! God bless you @aliyah_dhawan love you dearly #HAPPY 20th BIRTHDAY MY INSPIRATION," Ayesha wrote.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

My partner in crime for life. My ride or die!!! This beautiful young lady is my soul, my heart my life!!! You are the reason I am who I am today! God bless you @aliyah_dhawan love you dearly #HAPPY 20th BIRTHDAY MY INSPIRATION 🎂🎁🎉💕🎈

A post shared by Aesha Dhawan (@aesha.dhawan5) onMay 4, 2020 at 9:53pm PDT

Ayesha Dhawan, 44, has two daughters, Rhea, 14, and Aliyah from a previous marriage. Shikhar and Ayesha fell in love and got married in October 2012. In 2015, the couple welcomed their son, Zoravar.

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He has flattered to deceive on umpteen occasions but highly-rated wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson says he has learnt to accept his failures in pursuit of the calm demeanour that former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni possesses. The 25-year-old from Kerala has always been talked about by the likes of Rahul Dravid and Gautam Gambhir but it hasn't translated into international success with only four T20 Internationals in his kitty in the last five years.

"I have learnt to understand and focus more on my strengths and (be more) accepting (of) the failures. I try to contribute to the team's cause and try to take the team over the line. I am learning to focus and control my emotions while batting like MS Dhoni," Samson said during a podcast organised by Rajasthan Royals. He recently made a comeback in India's T20 side and it was a worthy experience for him. "It was great to be a part of the Indian team again. To be a part of one of the best teams in the world, surrounded by players like Virat bhai and Rohit bhai, it was a fantastic experience," Samson said. In one of the games in New Zealand, Samson was sent to bat in the Super Over, something which made him feel wanted in the Indian set-up. "It was a great feeling to be trusted by the players such as Virat bhai and Rohit bhai to go out there and bat in the crucial moments. It's a great feeling when the team and the players consider you to be a match winner." On a lighter note, Samson revealed that he refers to Steve Smith as "chachu" (uncle) after Brad Hodge once started calling him by that name.

"I share a very good relationship with 'Chachu' Steve Smith. He is one of the best brains in world cricket and we all enjoy a lot playing under him." Asked what's the back story of the nickname, Samson said: "It started with Brad Hodge, he used to call Smith 'Chachu', then when Hodgy left, I started calling Smith 'Chachu'. In return Smith also started calling me 'Chachu'. We both really enjoy and continue calling each other that." While Dhoni is his idol, he also loves watching Jos Buttler in Royals and makes notes on how the star Englishman prepares for games. "I observe Jos especially given he too is a wicketkeeper-batsman. He's always working on his skills and his game and never sits idle. "He's either working on his keeping, batting in the nets or running around the park. I love to observe and know how he thinks and prepares as a keeper before a game."

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The out of favour Suresh Raina might have felt hard done by the national selection committee but its former chairman MSK Prasad made it clear that it was poor form during the 2018-19 domestic season that became his undoing. The 33-year-old, who has appeared in 226 ODIs and 78 T20Is apart from 18 Tests, last played for India in July 2018 in England after which he was dropped for good. Last year, he had a knee surgery in The Netherlands and was eyeing a comeback with his favourite team Chennai Super Kings in the currently postponed Indian Premier League.

"See VVS Laxman, when he was dropped from the Indian Test squad in 1999, he forced himself back by scoring over 1400 runs in domestic cricket. This is what is expected from senior players when they are dropped," Prasad told PTI, expressing surprise at Raina's recent comments that selectors should have taken "more responsibility" as far as senior players were concerned. Raina scored 243 runs, with two fifties, in five Ranji games in 2018-19 season. A terrific IPL player, he scored only 383 runs in 17 games for CSK in 2019 which dashed his World Cup hopes.

"Unfortunately, we didn't see that form here in Raina's case in domestic cricket while other youngsters emerged at the big stage with their brilliant performances in domestic cricket and India A," Prasad, who had an eventful four-year tenure, said. Recently, Raina, during a YouTube show 'Sports Tak', accused the selectors of not clarifying why he was dropped, something that Prasad said wasn't "true".

"I think selectors should have taken more responsibility towards the senior players. Tell me, if I have any deficiency then I will work hard. When the cause is not known, how he will improve," Raina was quoted as saying. Prasad, a former India wicketkeeper, seemed hurt by the allegation from a veteran player, which he said was far from truth. "It is so sad to hear from him that selectors don't watch Ranji games. Please check the records with BCCI that how many matches were watched by senior selection committee members in the last four years." Prasad said he had personally spoken to Raina about his exclusion and told him what was expected of him.

"I had personally spoken to Raina calling him to my room and explained him the roadmap for his future comebacks. He had, back then, appreciated my efforts. I am really surprised when I have heard things which are exactly contrary to what had happened." In fact, he gave a lowdown of how many of Uttar Pradesh's Ranji matches he has seen. "I gave postings to my selectors looking at those matches where the consistent players, fringe players, probables or comeback players are playing.

"Personally, I watched four UP games in Lucknow and Kanpur in the last four years apart from the other many UP matches my colleagues have seen. ""I take pride in saying that our selection committee has watched more than 200 Ranji matches in the last four years." For any senior player, the template for national comeback should be that of Mohinder Amarnath, who made a record of sorts during his 20-year-career with the national team. "When a senior player is dropped from the squad, we expect him to go back to domestic cricket and get his form back," he said. "If you look at the great Mohinder Amarnath, check how many times he was dropped and made a strong comeback with stellar performances in domestic cricket."

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India skipper Virat Kohli on Tuesday teased ace batsman Cheteshwar Pujara by sharing a throwback picture from a Test match against Australia.

In the photograph, the skipper can be seen taking a one-handed blinder at second slip while Pujara glances at Kohli from a fair distance.

First session after lockdown be like 👀 @cheteshwar1 I hope you will go for the ball pujji 😜😜 pic.twitter.com/5DAGgpzbbw

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) May 5, 2020

The Indian captain wanted Pujara to be fit before the first practice session of the team once the coronavirus enforced nationwide lockdown is lifted.

"First session after lockdown be like ?? @cheteshwar1 I hope you will go for the ball pujji," Kohli tweeted.

Pujara who has played 77 Test matches came up with a witty response and said," Yes captain, and I shall catch it with both hands @virat.kohli."

Indian skipper Kohli is widely hailed as the run-machine and has many records under his belt.

In 86 Test matches, he had 7,240 runs studded with 27 centuries and 22 half-centuries. In 248 ODIs, he has amassed 11,867 runs with an average of 59.33.

In the shortest format of the game, he has played 82 games in which he slammed 2,794 runs at an average of 50.80 with the help of 24 fifties.

On the other, Pujara has been a key cog in the batting wheel of team India in the longest format of the game. He has amassed 5840 runs at an average of 48.66.

Both cricketers are currently spending time with their families as the COVID-19 pandemic as brought all sporting action across the world to a grinding halt.

Kohli would have been in action for Royal Challengers Banglore (RCB) had the Indian Premier League (IPL) commenced from March 29.

However, the tournament has been suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Suresh Raina on Tuesday tweeted a video of him working out with the song 'Bella Ciao' playing in the background. Raina posted boomerangs of him working out with his "little Bella." In one of those, his daughter Gracia can also be seen in the frame. "Another workout session with my little Bella. #Gracia," said Raina.

On Monday, Raina said that it was disturbing to see how there has been an "exponential" rise in the number of child abuse and domestic violence cases during the ongoing coronavirus crisis around the world. Raina has, therefore, urged people to raise their voice and report such cases without any fear.

Another workout session with my little Bella. #Gracia pic.twitter.com/CCb4ylo2JX

— Suresh Raina🇮🇳 (@ImRaina) May 5, 2020

"Lockdown has taught us various ways to love and bond with our family," Raina said on Twitter. "Though it's disturbing to read how exponentially the no. of child abuse and domestic violence cases have grown around the world.

"I urge anyone who is facing violence please reach out for help and don't shut yourself," he added. Earlier, Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan and his wife Ayesha had also put out a video on social media to send an important message regarding domestic violence. Dhawan urged people to put an end to this social evil by choosing the right partner for themselves.

"While I enjoy my time at home with my loving family, I am truly sad and disheartened and sad to hear about domestic violence still existing in today's time and we need to put an end to it. Choose a kind and loving partnership and say no to violence," read his Twitter post which he published in April.

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Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma on Wednesday paid tributes to their pet dog Bruno, who died after gracing their lives for 11 years.

Kohli penned down on emotional note on social media to express grief at the demise of Bruno. "Rest in peace my Bruno. Graced our lives with love for 11 years but made a connection of a lifetime. Gone to a better place today. God bless his soul with peace."

 

 

 

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Rest in peace my Bruno. Graced our lives with love for 11 years but made a connection of a lifetime. Gone to a better place today. God bless his soul with peace 🙏❤ï¸Â

A post shared by Virat Kohli (@virat.kohli) onMay 5, 2020 at 8:33pm PDT

Meanwhile, Anushka shared an image of the trio, remembering their furry friend. "Bruno RIP", she captioned the photo.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

♥ï¸Â Bruno ♥ï¸Â RIP ♥ï¸Â

A post shared by AnushkaSharma1588 (@anushkasharma) onMay 5, 2020 at 8:39pm PDT

Virat and Anushka, a celebrated star couple, are currently spending quality time at home following the nationwide lockdown in order to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Kohli and Anushka have been quite active on social, media, often sharing videos and photos to encourage people to obey guidelines set by the government to battle coronavirus.

Had the IPL 2020 season been underway, Virat Kohli would have been leading his team Royal Challengers Bangalore. However, the IPL is indefinitely postponed.

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The coronavirus pandemic has not just forced a suspension of all sporting events across the globe, it has also raised question marks on the future and whether the ICC should look at other options to help the bowlers keep the shine on the ball rather than using saliva or sweat. And Dinesh Karthik believes that there needs to be a definite balance between bat and ball.

"I believe that there should be a fair contest between bat and a ball which is missing now a days especially in white-ball cricket. But I don't know if they allow ball tampering, where would they put a stop to it because that will be really hard. They have to manage it. To get the ball to swing , you need sweat and saliva. With new ball you use saliva and when it grows old you use sweat. But in England they use Murray Mint to the saliva, it helps ball to swing a lot more. That's why Test cricket in England is so challenging," he said in the latest episode of ESPNcricinfo One on One #Workfromhome.

Talking about switching roles when playing for India and in the IPL, Karthik said: "With experience comes adaptability. Over a period of time what you need to learn is that as a middle-order batsman you should be able to bat anywhere between number 3 and 7 and sometimes even 8. The key is not to get attached to where you're batting but about which situation you're walking into and how can you give your best.

"T20 has evolved in such a way that it doesn't matter whether you're a 1 down batsman or a 2 down batsman. All you need to know when you walk into the game is -- is it the 8th over or the 11th over or the 14th over and then accordingly react to the situation and use your skill set to do your best."

Commenting on India's journey in the 2019 World Cup, Karthik said that the team had a very successful run and none had imagined that the journey would end against the Kiwis in the semi-finals.

"We believed that we will go all the way. Everything was working well for us. Though, in the last 2-3 years, the only time any team could challenge us is when they got 3-4 wickets upfront and that happened in the WC semi-finals. And that put a break on us. Obviously loosing semi-final still hurts. But in the lead up to the tournament we achieved something special, we played very good cricket," he said.

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With no cricket in sight in the near future due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the sport's groundsmen are the worst affected. Touched by their plight, India women's all-rounder Anuja Patil has came forward to help the groundsmen in her hometown, Kolhapur. Patil has distributed groceries worth approximately Rs 40,000 to groundsmen besides providing financial aid to some in dire need.

Supporting Patil in this cause are former Maharashtra pacer Ramesh Kadam, her Maharashtra teammate Rutuja Deshmukh, U-23 batsman Ranjit Nikam and trainer Swapnil Kadam. The group visited Kolhapur's Shaupuri Gymkhana, Shivaji Maharaj Stadium and Shau Stadium and provided aid to 11 groundsmen.

'Challenging times'

"This is a challenging time for all. And having undergone some of these tough situations personally, I understand how challenging it is to manage things. I feel it's my duty to help the needy," Patil, whose father Arun used to be an auto rickshaw driver till a few years ago, told mid-day.

"This crisis may last for another couple of months, so I plan to meet these groundsmen again to help out," added Patil.

Kadam said: "So far, we have distributed 11 grocery kits comprising rice (25kg), wheat (25kg), sugar (10kg), oil (5litre), dal (5kg), tea powder, soap etc."

India A's Anuja Patil during the first ODI against Australia A at Brisbane last December. pic/Getty Images

Having represented India in 50 T20Is, Patil can't wait to put on her India jersey and get on the cricket field again. But before that, she is keen to use this lockdown phase to upgrade her skills. "I'm utilising this time to work on my game. I'm following the schedule that has been given to us by our coach WV Raman sir and also speaking to my local coaches—Suraj Jadhav and Anil Sangawkar. I spend two hours training every morning and evening. I do my batting drills by hanging the ball on a rod and also bowl a bit in my parking lot. I'm also working on improving my visualisation of the ball with certain drills," said Patil, who has claimed 48 T20I wickets with her off-spinners.

Mental preparation

Patil made a fine impression in the fifth and final T20I on November 20 last year at the Providence Stadium in West Indies, returning with figures of 3-1-3-2 to help India win by 61 runs. "I want to ensure that I am mentally prepared because whenever the situation is normal again, cricket will begin and I should be ready to perform," Patil concluded.

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England star all-rounder Ben Stokes on Tuesday ran his first half marathon to raise funds for the National Health Services (NHS) Charities Together and national children's cricket charity Chance to Shine. The 28-year-old all-rounder completed the run in the one hour 39 minutes and 41 seconds. Stokes who has played 63 Test and 95 ODIs for England completed the marathon near his home and made an appeal to fans to donate towards the foundation.

"Please donate! That was so hard! it's all for a great cause: the NHS Charities Together and Chance to Shine foundation if you can please go and donate," said Stokes in a video posted on Instagram. "Guys please check my story if you are able to help out and donate towards @NHSCharities and @Chance2Shine ..I've just competed a half marathon to support the 3 guys with their efforts to raise money who did a full marathon in their back gardens," wrote Stokes on Instagram.

The left-handed Stokes on April 8 became the first English cricketer since 2005 to be named as Wisden's Leading Cricketer in the World. In 2005, Andrew Flintoff was named as Wisden's Leading Cricketer of the Year. The year 2019 proved as an instrumental year for Stokes as he played a key role in England's first 50-over World Cup win and then he went on to play a memorable inning against Australia during the third Ashes at Headingley.

Also, the English all-rounder was named as ICC's cricketer of the year in January 2020.

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Spinner Harbhajan Singh on Wednesday said that MS Dhoni was a very shy person when he first came to the team and said that the wicket-keeper finally started opening up after the 2008 Sydney Test against Australia.

Harbhajan was doing an Instagram Live Session on the official handle of Chennai Super Kings and it was then that the spinner was asked to name his favourite memories with Dhoni.

Answering the question, Harbhajan replied: "We have played a lot of cricket together, we have done tours to probably all the countries, MS Dhoni was a very shy guy, he never used to come to our rooms, he was a very quiet guy, in the 2008 series against Australia, the Sydney Test brought the team together, from that time onwards, he started opening up".

"He was a young guy in the team, he was the captain but still he was very shy, he used to give suggestions, but he allowed everyone to do their thing, he is still the same, he gives everyone all the freedom, this is probably something people should learn from him, you should give space to bowlers," he added.

The 2008 Sydney Test between India and Australia is still remembered by everyone as Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds were involved in an on-field tussle. Symonds had alleged that Harbhajan had passed a racist remark upon him and since then, the incident is known as 'MonkeyGate'.

During the 2008 Sydney Test, India also had to face few bad decisions and the side ended up losing the match. For the altercation with Symonds, Harbhajan was handed a three-match ban by referee Mike Procter although the charges were downgraded on 29 January 2008 to the lesser charge of using abusive language and the ban was lifted.

Thirty-eight-year-old Dhoni has been currently enjoying some time away from the game. He last played competitive cricket during the 2019 World Cup.

This year, Dhoni did not find a place for himself in the BCCI's centrally contracted players list. The board had released the list of central contract list of players for the period from October 2019 to September 2020.

Dhoni is the only captain to win all major ICC trophies (50-over World Cup, T20 World Cup, and Champions Trophy). Under his leadership, India also managed to attain the number one ranking in Test cricket. IPL 2020 was slated to begin from March 29, but the tournament has been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Sourav Ganguly, former India skipper and the current president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday shared a throwback picture of him training at the Lord's Cricket Ground.

Ganguly shared the picture on his Instagram account and captioned the post as: Memories .. training at Lords day before my test debut in 1996".

 

 

 

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Memories .. training at Lords day before my test debut in 1996

A post shared by SOURAV GANGULY (@souravganguly) onMay 6, 2020 at 4:06am PDT

The left-handed batsman made his Test debut against England in 1996 at the Lord's Cricket Ground. In his opening Test, Ganguly came out to bat at number three and played a knock of 131 runs from 301 balls, studded with 20 fours.

His innings helped India post a total of 429 runs and gain a lead of 85 over the hosts England. England managed to hang on in the second innings for a draw.

Over the years, Ganguly went on to become one of the most successful Indian skippers. Under his leadership, India defeated Pakistan in Pakistan for the first time in a Test series. He also guided India to the finals of the 2003 Cricket World Cup.

Ganguly played 113 Tests and 311 ODIs. The swashbuckling left-handed batsman scored 18,575 runs across all formats in his international career. In October 2019, Ganguly became the president of the BCCI.

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It looks like former England skipper Nasser Hussain doesn't want to remember the 2002 Natwest Final against India.

The official Twitter handle of the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday posted a photo of the Indian team celebrating a victory and asked the fans to name the win that the Men in Blue are celebrating.

Scenes 🙌

Can you tell us which dramatic win the Indians are celebrating? pic.twitter.com/Grh0VUwzBx

— ICC (@ICC) May 6, 2020

"Scenes, Can you tell us which dramatic win the Indians are celebrating," ICC tweeted.

As soon as one sees the picture, ardent cricket fans will quickly conclude that the image is from the 2002 Natwest Final when India gained a memorable win against England at the Lord's Cricket Ground.

However, to ICC's query, Hussain replied: "No".

In the Natwest final, India was set a target of 326 to win the match. India was struggling at 146/5 when both Yuvraj and Kaif got together at the crease.

The duo put on a partnership of 121 runs to give India a glimmer of hope in the match. Yuvraj was dismissed for 69 runs, but Kaif batted well the tailenders to give India a win in the final over by two wickets and with three balls to spare.

After the win, then skipper Ganguly took off his shirt and celebrated in style at the Lord's dressing room.

During England's innings, Nasser Hussain also scored a century and went on to play a knock of 115 runs.

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Indian cricketers Ravichandran Ashwin and Umesh Yadav on Thursday expressed condolences to the families affected in the Vizag gas leakage mishap. Yadav took to Twitter and wrote: "Praying for everyone affected in Vizag. Condolences to the bereaved families #VizagGasLeak.

Praying for everyone affected in Vizag. Condolences to the bereaved families 🙏🏻 #VizagGasLeak

— Umesh Yaadav (@y_umesh) May 7, 2020

"A gas tragedy now??? Omg.. The visuals are so disturbing. God !!! Please have mercy," Ashwin tweeted. Badminton player Kidambi Srikanth also tweeted about the incident which has left eight people dead, saying it is disturbing to hear about the mishap.

A gas tragedy now??? Omg.. The visuals are so disturbing. God !!! Please have mercy🙏

— lets stay indoors India 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) May 7, 2020

"Disturbing to hear about the #VizagGasLeak. Hope affected people recover soon and my condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. Stay safe Vizag!" Kidambi Srikanth tweeted.

Around 120 people have been admitted to the hospital after a styrene gas leak in RR Venkatapuram village. The mishap took place at the LG Polymers industry early on Thursday morning.

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His ice cool demeanour is the stuff of legends but former India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has no qualms conceding that he is not immune to pressure and fear. Dhoni, lending support to MFORE—an initiative offering mind conditioning programs to achieve peak performance in sports—offered his perspective on the issue of mental health. "In India, I feel there is still a big issue of accepting that there is some weakness when it comes to the mental aspects, but we generally term it as mental illness," Dhoni was quoted as saying in a press release issued by MFORE.

"Nobody really says that,.When I go to bat, the first five to 10 deliveries, my heart rate is elevated. I feel the pressure. I feel a bit scared because that's how everybody feels—how to cope with that?" the World Cup-winning captain asked. "This is a small problem but a lot of times we hesitate to say it to a coach and that's why the relationship between a player and coach is very important be it any sport," said Dhoni, who hasn't played any international cricket since India's World Cup semi-final exit last July.

"Mental conditioning coach should not be the one who comes for 15 days because you are only sharing the experience. If the mental conditioning coach is constantly with the player, he can understand what are the areas which are affecting his sport," Dhoni, who led CSK to three IPL titles, said.

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India cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar enjoyed a fine snack prepared by his daughter Sara, 22, and happily shared his experience on social media.

Sara prepared a plate of beetroot kebabs for her father on Thursday and he simply loved them. Sachin shared this picture on Instagram, holding up a plate full of beetroot kebabs (left). Alongside, he posted another picture (right) of the plate, but this time it was empty. "Gone in 60 seconds! Thanks for the fabulous beetroot kebabs @saratendulkar," Sachin captioned his post that went on to receive nearly one million 'likes' within a few hours.

In an Instagram story, Sachin added that Sara also prepared a Tabbouleh (a Lebanese vegetarian salad), which was also a hit with the family, who are currently in lockdown at their Bandra home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "This was over before we could say Tabbouleh," wrote Sachin.

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Solo Nqweni, a South African first-class cricketer who has been battling multiple health issues, has tested positive for coronavirus. The 25-year-old all-rounder is also being treated for Guillain-Barre Syndrome -- a condition in which the immune system attacks the nerves. He is currently in Aberdeen, Scotland and shared the news of him contracting COVID-19 on Twitter.

Nqweni is the third cricketer known to have contracted the disease after Pakistan's Zafar Sarfraz and Scotland's Majid Haq. "So last year I got GBS, and have been battling this disease for the past 10 months and I'm only half way through my recovery. I got TB, my liver failed and my kidney failed. Now today I tested positive for coronavirus. I don't understand why all of this is happening to me," Nqweni tweeted.

This diagnosis is the latest in a long line of health issues for Nqweni, who spent four weeks in an induced coma last year. Nqweni played for South Africa Under-19s in 2012 and has been contracted to Eastern Province and has also played for franchise cricket for the Warriors.

The former Grey High star, who is playing as a professional at Aberdeenshire Cricket Club, is in the intensive care unit of Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, according to Herald Live.

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Wasim Akram has claimed that "some people" still use his name to "promote" themselves, a reference to ex-opener Aamir Sohail who has blamed the pace great for Pakistan not winning the World Cup since 1992. "Whenever I hear these negative things about myself I feel very sad that it has been 17 years since I retired but even today they are some people using my name to promote themselves," Akram said on a web show. Wasim said even he could say a lot of negative things about others but refrained from doing so.

"I can also make negative comments about these people but what purpose will it serve. That is why I keep quiet. I just think about the respect and love I have earned from the people over the years and even 17 years after retirement," he said. Sohail, who is also a former Pakistan captain, has claimed that Akram's job as captain in the 1996 and 19999 World Cup and as a senor player in the 2003 edition was to ensure that Pakistan never repeated their 1992 title-winning feat.

"It's very simple. Put the 1992 World Cup to one side and talk about the 1996 World Cup. In 1995, Ramiz Raja was captain. Saleem Malik was the captain before that, he was very successful and if he could have spent one more year as captain then Wasim would not have been leading the side," Sohail was quoted as saying by Dawn. "If you look at what happened till 2003, there was this persistence before every World Cup to remove the captain and put Wasim Akram in that role...Look, the biggest contribution by Wasim Akram for Pakistan cricket was making sure Pakistan does not win a World Cup after 92," he added.

Former Pakistan pacer Ata ur Rehman and former PCB chiefs, Khalid Mahmood and Lt General (retd) Tauqir Zia, have also mentioned Akram's name while discussing the match-fixing allegations of the 90s and the Justice Malik Qayyum report.

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South African spinner Keshav Maharaj admitted that he is interested in captaining the Proteas in all formats one day. The position of South Africa's Test captain has been vacant since Faf Du Plessis stepped down from the position in February. Maharaj has not been among the frontrunners for the position but he led the Dolphins to the domestic One Day title. The Dolphins were awarded the title by Cricket South Africa after the season had to be curtailed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"I've really enjoyed captaincy from the time I've been handed the opportunity this past season," he is quoted as saying by Sport24. "I really want to captain the Proteas. It's been my dream. Not a lot of people in the national set-up actually know that, but the few who have approached me on the matter know that." Maharaj even said that he would like to captain South Africa in all formats and lift trophies with the team. Wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock is captain of the ODI side and had led South Africa in T20Is against England and Australia this year.

"I'd like to captain the South African team across all three formats and I want to raise a World Cup trophy with my own hands, as the leader of the side," he said.

"I didn't merely want to play for the Proteas. Lifting that silverware has always been my childhood dream."

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It is premature to talk about resumption of cricket but India's tour of Australia later this year is likely to go ahead, BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal said on Friday, downplaying the logistical issues likely to arise because of the COVID-19 pandemic. To ensure that the high-profile tour, starting in October, goes on as scheduled, Dhumal said quarantining of Indian players upon their arrival is a possibility even though it is not feasible before every overseas assignment. "You can't be sure of the situation prevailing at that point of time. As of now the Australia tour is on because nobody has called off that tour and same for T20 World Cup," Dhumal told PTI.

"The need for quarantine ahead of Australia tour only arises if the preceding T20 World Cup doesn't take place. If the World Cup happens, then players would have already completed their quarantine." Dhumal said isolation before the start of the tour can only be a one-off. "If quarantine becomes a norm before every tour then it would be difficult to organise games," he said.

Dhumal then went on to list the bigger logistical challenge that awaits Australia -- the T20 World Cup in October-November."...would it be possible for Australia to have so many teams (16) coming in and quarantining for two weeks? Players will be out of cricket for so long and further two weeks of quarantine and then straightaway to go into T20 World Cup. Who would be interested? So there is no clarity. "Once the situation improves and the lockdown ends, then we will see keeping the safety and health of our players in mind as that is paramount," said Dhumal.

India are scheduled to play four Tests Down Under with Cricket Australia considering an additional one. Dhumal said the five-Test series idea was discussed before the lockdown but Cricket Australia could now change its mind considering the severe financial impact COVID-19 has had on the board. If India tour doesn't take place, Cricket Australia could lose as much as 300 million Australian dollars. "The India-Australia tour is more likely to happen because it is further away and logistically it easier to organise. We will have to see what government guidelines are at that point (both India and Australian government).

"How will the team travel? There is no clarity on international travel and if we can get an exemption. We dont' know as of now. The picture is ho hazy that we can't decide anything," said Dhumal. On Cricket Australia's idea of an additional Test, Dhumal said:"As far as the fifth Test goes, that discussion happened before the lockdown. When cricket resumes, (we will see) whether any country would like to host an additional Test or have two T20s instead, which is likely to generate more revenues.

"There is a possibility that request comes from Cricket Australia only." Former Pakistan cricketers, including Shoaib Akhtar and Saqlain Mushtaq, have called for resumption of Indo-Pak cricket as the world deals with the outbreak. Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg has also proposed an Indo-Pak Test series later in the year.

Dhumal rejected all such talk. "People are talking about unthinkable things right now...They can think whatever they want to but it is for the board to decide.

"In an ideal situation, we would want to take Test cricket to a different level but given the situation, we are not even sure when T20s and ODIs can take place next," he said.

Dhumal said if the IPL doesn't take place, the board will take a hit of Rs 4000 crore. "If IPL doesn't take place the revenue loss will be Rs 4000 crore. In case, we lose the home season also, that will also be a substantial amount. BCCI is also facing huge losses. If IPL doesn't happen then we will be in a very big problem," said Dhumal. If the T20 World Cup doesn't take place in October-November, staging the IPL is a possibility in that window.

"If the situation improves by that time (September-October), we also have think about T20 WC and Asia Cup and accordingly take a call. For a full-fledged IPL to happen, you have to have at least 45-50 days. Whether we get the window, it is still a question mark."

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India's limited-over vice-captain Rohit Sharma in an Instagram Live with Australian opener David Warner said India's tour of Australia, which is scheduled after the T20 World Cup, will be a "great way" to restart international calendar.

'Love playing Australia'

"I love playing against Australia. When we won last time [in 2019], it was great for us. You guys [Warner and Steve Smith] were missing [due to ball-tampering bans]. "What our bowlers and batters did there was amazing. I am looking forward to the upcoming tour already. Hope both boards manage to get the series underway. Will be a great way to kick off cricket in the world," Rohit said.

India won their first Test series in Australia, and Warner said he was feeling helpless watching his team lose. "Watching that series was hard as you can't do anything from the outside. But I want to say that India has the best pace attack against left-handers. They zero in one spot and keep bowling there. "Mentally, it was great for Indian cricket but it was hard to watch. I felt helpless," said Warner.

The southpaw said it is unlikely that the T20 World Cup will be staged in his country in October-November because of the COVID-19 pandemic. "The ICC World Cup will not go ahead here by the looks of it. It will be difficult to get everyone (16 teams) together," he said. Warner is also not enthused by the idea of playing in front of empty stands, like Australia did against New Zealand in Sydney in March before the ODI series was called off.

Bizarre experience

"It was a bizarre experience. You could only hear echo of the cricket ball. It was bizarre. We are used to calling 'yes and no' while running between wickets but we did not need to do that. It was literally like playing a warm-up game."

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Help continues to flow for virtually out-of-work cricket groundsmen in the city knocked down by the Coronavirus-caused lockdown.

Former Mumbai left-arm spinner and current Mumbai under-19 coach Rajesh Pawar, a product of maidan cricket, was at Shivaji Park on Thursday, distributing grocery packets to 16 groundsmen. "I spoke to a few of them over the phone, learnt about their situation and decided to do something about it. It's a small help from my side," Pawar told mid-day.

"I got a lot of calls after my friend Mandar Phadke [ex-Mumbai batsman] posted a picture of me distributing the packets on social media. Some said they are willing to help and I think we should all come forward to help the groundsmen and needy persons in this crisis," remarked Pawar. Each groundsman got four kilos of rice, a kilo of tur dal, two kilos of sugar, one litre of cooking oil and 250 gms of tea powder.

Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) Apex Council member Nadim Memon also distributed groceries to groundsmen at Dadkar Maidan in Matunga, Azad Maidan, Cross Maidan and Oval Maidan. He also provided them financial assistance. Memon handed out cooking oil, wheat and other essentials that will last the groundsmen a month.

Meanwhile, a group of match officials headed by former Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) managing committee member and BCCI umpire, Ganesh Iyer, who has been providing financial assistance to umpires and scorers ever since the lockdown began, helped a further 32 officials with Rs 1,500 each. Last month, 62 needy individuals (47 umpires and 15 scorers) were given Rs 3,000 each. Financial help in two more installments were granted to needy umpires and scorers apart from groceries. According to Iyer, the total expenditure towards this cause is around R4,78,000. "We thank all our contributors. Without their benevolence and support, we could not have done our bit," said Iyer.

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was discharged from hospital on Sunday, a Downing Street spokesperson said, a week after being admitted for treatment for Coronavirus. Downing Street said the prime minister would continue his recovery at his country residence, Chequers.

Johnson said on Sunday Britain "will defeat" coronavirus, in a video message released by Downing Street as he left hospital following intensive care treatment for the disease. He also thanked the state-funded NHS medics and staff for their hard work through the pandemic as he was discharged from hospital, saying he owed them his life after testing positive for the deadly virus over two weeks ago.

As of Sunday evening, the health officials said further 737 people died from Coronavirus in the UK, bringing the total to 10,612. "Today marks a sombre day in the impact of this disease," the Guardian quoted Health Secretary Matt Hancock as saying. Earlier in the day, the UK Opposition parties and some ruling Conservative Party MPs called on the government to resume Parliament after its Easter recess period on April 21 in a virtual form, given the social distancing measures in place.

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China has reported 99 new Coronavirus cases, the highest in a single day in recent weeks, and 63 fresh asymptomatic infections, taking the total number of patients in the country to 82,052, health officials said here on Saturday, amid concerns about a second wave of the pandemic.

According to China's National Health Commission, as of Saturday, a total of 1,280 imported cases were reported in China. Of them, 481 had been discharged from hospitals after recovery, and 799 were being treated with 36 in severe condition.

It said 99 new confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported on the Chinese mainland on Saturday, of which 97 were from people returning from abroad. Also on Saturday, 63 new asymptomatic cases, including 12 from abroad, were reported on the mainland. The NHC said 1,086 asymptomatic cases, including 332 from abroad, were still under medical observation.

Asymptomatic cases refer to people who are tested positive for the coronavirus but develop no symptoms such as fever, cough or sore throat. They are infectious and pose a risk of spreading to others.

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African ambassadors in China have written to Foreign Minister Wang Yi over the "discrimination" against the African nationals in the Chinese city of Guangzhou. According to reports, African students and expatriates in the city are being evicted by the landlords, forcefully tested for the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) and quarantined without checking their travel history or considering other criteria for testing.

Several of them have been refused rooms in hotels and are forced to live on the streets, according to CNN. Several videos and posts about the alleged discrimination also went viral, leading to widespread anger among citizens in Africa.

Al Jazeera reported that its journalist Sarah Clarke said some in China believe the African community in Guangzhou could be behind a second wave of infections. "Since last Thursday we saw 114 new cases reported in Guangzhou of Coronavirus and 16 of them Africans. We've seen a number of reports from members of the African community in Guangzhou making complaints of mistreatment, arrests, eviction and being denied access to restaurants and hotels, and some students are even claiming to be living on the streets and being denied food," she said.

The ambassadors said such "stigmatisation and discrimination" has led people to believe that the Africans are spreading the virus. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian has, however, denied the claims of discrimination, without referring to the letter to Wang.

Zhao Lijian said, "The Guangdong authorities attach great importance to some African countries' concerns and are working promptly to improve their working method. African friends can count on getting fair, just, cordial and friendly reception in China."

'No home quarantine for patients'

Wang Xinghuan, the head of the Wuhan Leishenshan Hospital, involved in handling the crisis in Wuhan on Monday said mandatory isolation of people with mild symptoms in special centres instead of their homes is essential as they are very likely to spread the virus to their family members.

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The death toll from the Coronavirus pandemic has slowed in some of the worst-hit countries, with Spain readying Monday to reopen parts of its economy as governments grapple with a once-in-a-century recession.

Italy, France and the US have all seen a drop in COVID-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, with Italy — the European nation most afflicted — reporting its lowest toll in more than three weeks.

Spain's death toll has fallen in recent days, but as a small bump in deaths was reported on Sunday, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned that the locked-down country was "far from victory".

"We are all keen to go back out on the streets... but our desire is even greater to win the war and prevent a relapse," he said, as some companies were set to resume operations at the end of a two-weeks halt of all non-essential activity.

In the US — now the world's worst-hit nation with a fifth of all deaths and more than half a million confirmed cases — the government's top infectious disease expert added to cautious optimism that the pandemic may have reached its peak.

Anthony Fauci said, "We are hoping by the end of the month we can look around and say, OK, is there any element here that we can safely and cautiously start pulling back on?"

1,16,045
Total no. of deaths worldwide

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