Cardiff, May 29 : With a fluent knock of 108, which took India to a position of
strength after they had lost early wickets in their second warm-up match against
Bangladesh, KL Rahul seems to be in firm contention to hold India’s highly
contentious No.4 slot at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019.
Successive failures by the opening pair of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma
presented another opportunity for Rahul to put himself as the front-runner for the
position, and he made the most of it with a sublime century that led to skipper
Virat Kohli to call his knock the “biggest positive” to come out of India’s
warm-up gig.
“The biggest positive to come out of this game was the way KL batted at four,”
Kohli said after the outing in Cardiff.
“All the other people know their role pretty well, so it was important that KL gets
runs because he is such a sound player. He can get the scoreboard ticking and
you saw that – a great example of the skill-set that he has,” Kohli said.
Before Rahul, Tamil Nadu all-rounder Vijay Shankar was believed to be in contention
for the position, as indicated by MSK Prasad, the chairman of the selectors.
Vijay, who had missed the first warm-up match, against New Zealand, due to injury,
recovered quickly to feature in the game against Bangladesh. However, he could
manage just two runs and finished wicket-less in his six overs.
India had also tried out several other options at the position, including Ajinkya Rahane
and Ambati Rayudu. Rahul, who was earlier nominated as India’s reserve opener in the
tournament by Prasad, finished as the second-highest run-scorer in the Indian Premier
League last month, and sounded confident and ready to accept the new challenge.
“It is a team game, and you need to be flexible and be ready to bat wherever, or as a
player you need to be ready to take up whatever role is given to you,” he said. “Every
batsman who has played at this level knows how to handle pressure and knows how
to handle the roles and responsibilities given to him.”
The Karnataka batsman, who spent a chunk of time outside the team earlier this year,
due to a code of conduct breach, believed that the break gave him an opportunity to
reflect on his cricket. “I tried to make the best use of it [the time off]. I felt like there were
a few things with my batting and technique I needed to fix,” he said.
“I worked with my coach back home in Bangalore, and the India A games gave me a
little time with Rahul Dravid to just speak to him about mental preparation and how to
handle pressure and how to handle low confidence and low form. The best way to get
back to scoring runs is to find that form in the middle, and I got that opportunity. So from
there, I just carried on and I knew that my batting was fine and I was very hungry to
come back and score runs for whatever teams I played,” Rahul added.

London, May 28 : Ahead of India’s second World Cup warm-up match against Bangladesh on Tuesday, all-rounder Vijay Shankar has returned to the net and batted comfortably during practice.

The BCCI official twitter account on Monday shared this news by posting a video of the crickter’s net practice.

”He was hit on the forearm at The Oval and we are delighted to see @vijayshankar260 back in the nets. #TeamIndia”, BCCI’s official twitter handle posted.

Earlier, Vijay got injured during the first practice session on Friday while attempting a pull against left-arm fast bowler Khaleel Ahmed.

As a precautionary measure,Vijay also did not take any part in the India’s first warm-up game against New Zealand which India lost by 6 wickets on Saturday.

India will look for the win against Bangladesh in their second and final warm-up game before the beginning of their Cricket World Cup campaign against South Africa at Southampton on June 5.

London May 28 : Fast bowler Sheldon Cottrell said that West Indies are in
a very happy state of mind and can’t wait to take on the World Cup challenge.
West Indies have typically boasted some of the most colourful characters in
world cricket over the years. For a team that has never really forgotten the fun
part of playing sport, it comes as no surprise that the mood in the camp is
upbeat ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019.
“The chemistry in the team is something that I’ve never seen before,”
Cottrell said ahead of the team’s second warm-up match against New
Zealand on Tuesday.
“I mean, the fellows are bouncing around, everyone is happy. Everyone’s
talking to everyone, it’s really good,” he said.
The team is also focused on some last-minute tune-ups before the big
tournament. Unfortunately for West Indies, their first warm-up match, against
South Africa, ended up being affected by rain, which forced play to be
abandoned after just 13 overs. The match against New Zealand offers the team
the chance – its last one – to make up, an ICC report said.
“We’re still students of the game, still learning,” said the 29-year-old. “So any
information I can get from those experienced guys ? most of whom play cricket
around the world ? I’ll grasp it.”
“I’m 90 per cent happy (with my bowling). I’m very hard on myself when it
comes to my bowling. There is always room for improvement ? I’m at 90 per
cent and hoping that I can get to a hundred,” said Cottrell.
“The game against New Zealand, I’m taking it very seriously,” Cottrell said.
“It’s the final warm-up before the big tournament, so I know what I want to
do and what is required to be in top shape for the World Cup,” he said.
Cottrell further said that he is still learning the trade from the more
established members of the West Indies squad, such as Chris Gayle, Kemar
Roach, and captain Jason Holder, in a bid to arrive at the World Cup as his
best self.

New Delhi, May 27 : Former Australian all-time great bowler Glenn McGrath in a surprising prediction picked England as the favourites in this ICC World Cup, but also came up with names of India and Australia as other clear contenders based on the form and past history.
McGrath was quoted as saying by ‘ESPNcricinfo’ recently during his trip to India. “To me England are the favourites going into this World Cup, so I think they’ll do very well,” former Australian bowler said.
Elaborating on England as favourite for any cricket tournament, McGrath said, ‘Probably! I can’t remain biased my whole life.’ The England team – the way they go about it, they have impressed me. They have scored some big, big totals. Most teams used to go hard in the first 15 and the last 15, and consolidate in the middle.
But teams like England, India are just going hard the whole 50 overs, and that’s the impact T20 cricket has had. So yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever said ‘England are the team to beat’ or the ‘favourites’.
“I didn’t say they were going to win the World Cup though! So they are the favourites and are going to be tough to beat in their own conditions, but fingers crossed, Australia can do well.”
“The two standouts to me were India and England, with fingers crossed, Australia doing well. South Africa are always a good team, West Indies are bit of a dark horse – they can play really well or badly, probably similar to Pakistan. So it’s going to be an interesting World Cup. England and India are tough to beat, but with Australia’s form, I think we’ll see them make the final.”
The pacer announced his retirement from Test cricket on December 23, 2006 with 563 wickets from 124 Test at an average of 21.6 with his Test career coming to an end after the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney in January 2007, while the 2007 World Cup, which marked the end of his one-day career, saw him take 381wickets averaging 22 and won the man-of-the-tournament award for his outstanding bowling, which was instrumental in Australia winning the tournament. He also played two T20I matches and took 5 wickets.
McGrath is the second most successful fast bowler of all time behind James Anderson and is fifth on the all-time list, with the top three wicket takers Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan, Australia Shane Warne and India’s Anil Kumble all spin bowlers.

Lausanne, May 27 : The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has revealed the report by the evaluation commission on the two candidates to host the 2026 Winter Olympic Games (Stockholm-Are and Milan-Cortina) and praised their efforts to embrace the Olympic Agenda 2020 in their bids.
“Both projects prioritise legacy and sustainability by capitalising on winter sports tradition and experience, with first-rate, established World Cup venues, knowledgeable and passionate fans, volunteers and event organizers.
They have fully embedded the Olympic Agenda 2020 philosophy, and have athletes at the center of their plans,” the chair of the evaluation committee Octavian Moraiu said on Friday.
According to the report, the two candidates plan to use on average 80 percent of existing or temporary venues, 20 percentage points lower than that of candidates for the two previous editions. This leads to a 20 percent lower cost in their proposed budget.
The host city for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games will be decided on June 24 when both candidates have their final presentation at the 134th IOC session in Lausanne, Switzerland.

London, May 24 : The Indian team, led by Virat Kohli will take on Kane Williamson’s
New Zealand at The Oval on Saturday, aiming to find answers to their ideal playing
combinations ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019.
India had won four consecutive ODI series, including the Asia Cup, before they were
handed their first ODI series loss at home since October 2015 by Australia.
The outcome posted serious questions on the team’s balance going into the World
Cup. However, a large part of the squad, including the skipper Virat Kohli, seem to be
in fine form, thanks to some stellar individual performances during the recently
concluded Indian Premier League.
Shikhar Dhawan, MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya’s recent form come as a great
positive. Rohit Sharma, India’s opening batsman and vice-captain, and Kuldeep Yadav,
the left-arm wrist-spinner, were among two of India’s key players that were a bit
off-colour during the IPL though. They will want to make amends during the warm-ups.
New Zealand lost the ODI series to India at home but redeemed themselves after
clean-sweeping Bangladesh with three resounding wins. The batting unit which revolves
around the experienced trio of Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor is
capable of posting big totals against any opposition. Tom Latham’s finger injury presents
opportunity for the uncapped Tom Blundell to justify his selection in the national squad.
A well-rounded pace attack, quality spinners and genuine all-rounders make up a
formidable unit for the Kiwis. New Zealand, who had their best ever World Cup
campaign in 2015 will look to fine-tune things quickly to try and go the whole distance
this time.
Squads:
India: Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma (VC), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar,
MS Dhoni (WK), Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav,
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed
Shami
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (capt), Tom Blundell (wk), Trent Boult, Colin de
Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (wk),
Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim
Southee, Ross Taylor.

Jincheon (Korea), May 24 : The Indian Women’s Hockey team lost 0-4 to hosts S Korea in the third and the final match here on Friday.
India had earlier registered two back-to-back wins but could not muster a third win to end the series with 2-1 victory over the hosts.

The hosts created as many as five PCs in the match and converted one in the 29th minute. Jang Heesan was the one to score first followed which the Indian team conceded back-to-back goals in the 41st minute through Kim Hyunji and Kang Jina.
The 0-3 lead dented India’s comeback into the match while Lee Yuri’s goal in the 53rd minute sealed the match for the hosts.

Indian striker Lalremsiami also completed her 50th International Match for India.
“The learning process is always with ups and downs and Friday was one such experience where we had to deal with setbacks early on and could not recover. But this does not mean we won’t learn from this experience,” stated Chief Coach Sjoerd Marijne after the match.

“S Korea is a good team and on Friday they were much better than us. But I am happy with our performances in the first two matches. And now we know what we must improve upon to be fully prepared for the FIH Women’s Series Finals Hiroshima 2019,” he further added.

New Delhi, May 23 : As the Indian cricket team landed in London for the World Cup, Sachin Tendulkar said that MS Dhoni shouldn’t be disturbed from his ideal place at number 5 and promoted to number 4, as the team has quality batsmen for that position.

In recent days there have been suggestions from the cricket fraternity that India should have quality batsmen at No. 4. Vice-captain Rohit Sharma had said that the former skipper should be promoted to play at No. 4.
India has tried Ambati Rayudu, Rishabh Pant, Vijay Shankar and Dinesh Karthik for the No.4 slot.
“My personal opinion is Dhoni should be batting at five. I still don’t know what the team combination would be, but if you are going Rohit and Shikhar as openers, to Virat [Kohli] at No. 3 and whoever at No. 4 then Dhoni could be No. 5. Then Hardik Pandya, an explosive player, follows them,” Tendulkar said, disagreeing with others.
”Now, a number of things have been discussed as far as slot No. 4 is concerned, but I feel if you have quality batsmen then they should be able to adjust their style of play at whichever number they are asked to bat. I think we have that quality which can go out and deliver at whatever number they have been sent.” he told ESPNcricinfo.

Asked about Hardik Pandya, who might become the most important player if India goes all the way up in the tournament, Tendulkar replied, ”Looking at the way how Hardik has played in the IPL, he is connecting the ball really well. He hasn’t slogged, to be honest. He has played proper cricketing shots, which is an advantage because that is how one would get more consistent. That is going to work in his favour. Hardik, of course, has gone to England with lots and lots of confidence and positive energy, which will reflect on the field.”

”This is going to be a big tournament for him. I am hoping that we, as a team, move forward and go all the way till the end and give a reason for the whole nation to smile and celebrate,” he added.

About Shikhar Dhawan who is the only left-hander in the team and needs to bat as deep as he can, Tendulkar said, ”Yes, of course. A left-right combination always helps because that means the bowler has to adjust his line every now and then and the [bowling] captain has to keep thinking. And if there is a partnership the job becomes even more tougher.
So, yes, it is important for a left-hander to be there to put pressure on the legspinner or for that matter any bowler.”
The Indian team will play two practice matches against New Zealand (May 25) and Bangladesh (May 28) before they begin their campaign in the main tournament against South Africa on June 5.

New Delhi, May 23 : Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will be the second Indian after Ajinkya Rahane to play county cricket this season.
Ashwin will join Nottinghamshire for the second half of the county season and comes in place of Australia’s James Pattinson as Nottinghamshire’s overseas player at the end of June and is expected to feature in six of their final seven red-ball matches.

He plays at home against Essex on June 30, followed by matches against Somerset and Surrey. However, will not play away fixture against Yorkshire but will be back against Kent, Warwickshire and Surrey.
“I enjoyed my previous stint in England with Worcestershire. It’s a good, competitive standard of cricket over there and I can’t wait to get started, joining up with Nottinghamshire at an iconic venue like Trent Bridge and hopefully contributing to some County Championship victories,” Ashwin said.
Ashwin plays for the second time in the county. In 2017, having played four matches for Worcestershire the spinner bagged 20 wickets and scored 214 runs with an average of 42.80.
Ajinkya Rahane had signed for Hampshire earlier and started his season with a century on Wednesday, against the team Ashwin has signed for.

Kohli, who has competed in three World Cups before, said they do not have much breathing space because they have four tough games upfront.

MUMBAI: Highly competitive teams battling in a Round Robin format has made the upcoming World Cup the “most challenging” for India skipper Virat Kohli, who says maintaining intensity from the first ball will be key to his side’s fortunes in the showpiece event, starting May 30.

For the first time since the 1992 edition, all teams will play each other once to decide the semifinalists.

Kohli, who has competed in three World Cups before, said they do not have much breathing space because they have four tough games upfront. However, he expressed confidence that it’d help the team’s campaign in a way.

After opening their campaign against South Africa on June 5, India will take on Australia (June 9), New Zealand (June 13) and Pakistan (June 16).

“Personally, it will probably be the most challenging World Cup I have been part of because of the format and also the strength of all the teams. If you look at Afghanistan from 2015 to now, they are a completely different side,” said Kohli at the pre-departure press conference here.

“Any team can upset anyone. That is one thing we have in mind. Focus will be on to play the best cricket that we can. You have to play to the best of your potential in every game because it is not a group stage situation.”

“Playing everyone once is great for all the teams in my view. It is going to be a different challenge and everybody will have to adapt quickly to,” added Kohli.

“We expect that kind of pressure from the first second we step on the field. We are not going to let ourselves think that ‘first week onwards we will get into it’. You have to arrive on the day match ready with hundred percent match intensity and start building from there. This is the challenge.

“If you look at all the top clubs in football they maintain their intensity for three-four months whether in Premier League or La Liga. So why not? If we get on a roll and we maintain our consistency we should be able to do it for the length of the tournament.”

The recent series between Pakistan and England saw 300-plus scores being the norm but Kohli said things could change in the quadrennial tournament.

“As I said the pitches are going to be very good. It is summer and the conditions are going to be nice. We expect high scoring games but a bilateral series can’t be compared to a Word Cup, it is very different.

“So we might also see 260-270 kind of games and teams defending it because of the pressure factor. We expect all kinds of scenarios in the World Cup.”

More than the conditions, his team will have to come out on top in high-pressure situations, said the skipper.

“It is always good to go to any place in advance. You are right, it does (help) getting rid of the nerves you might have as a side going into the World Cup. White ball cricket in England, playing an ICC event, the conditions are not that difficult compared to Tests.

Handling the pressure is the most important thing in World Cup and not necessarily the conditions.”

Kohli said his highly-rated bowling line-up is ready for the challenge.

“All the bowlers in the squad, even in the IPL, they were preparing themselves for 50-over cricket. You saw all the guys bowling, no one looked tired after bowling four overs. They were very fresh.

The ultimate goal at the back of their mind was always to be fit for the 50-over format and not necessarily let the fitness come down. This was communicated to them before the IPL started.”

Kohli himself learnt a lot as captain in the IPL where RCB lost their first six games under his leadership.

“We literally came to a point where we said to each other that ‘this has not happened to anyone before’. So I realised that after a certain stage things are not in your control so you have to accept that and work things accordingly.

“Most important thing I learnt is that even you are in a situation where it is a must-win game, you can’t think in your room the day before ‘what if you don’t, what might happen or not’. You just have to arrive on that day and play to the best of your potential.”

PTI