"Didn't Seem To Have Any Plans": Ex-Pak Star Critical Of Hardik Pandya

Team India lost the first T20I of the three-match series against New Zealand in Ranchi on Friday. After sweeping the ODIs 3-0, India failed to carry the momentum forward as the Kiwis won the match by 21 runs and took a 1-0 lead in the series. After India's defeat, former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria criticised captain Hardik Pandya, saying that the star all-rounder struggled tactically. Kaneria said that Hardik failed to rotate his bowlers smartly, adding that the latter didn't have any plans.

"Hardik Pandya was not smart with his rotation of bowlers. He brought Shivam Mavi into the attack very late. He should have been brought in early. He could have also used Deepak Hooda a bit more, given the amount of turn that was on offer. This is where Hardik missed a trick or two, tactically. He didn't seem to have any plans," Kaneria said on his YouTube channel.

Kaneria also questioned Hardik's role as a bowler, saying that he didn't bowl well with the new ball.

"The Indian bowlers leaked a lot of runs. Hardik Pandya didn't bowl well with the new ball. He did not hit the right areas and conceded 33 runs in his three overs," he added.

For New Zealand, Opener Devon Conway made 52 off 35 balls and Daryly Mitchell smashed an unbeaten 59 as the Kiwis posted 176/6 after being invited to bat first in Ranchi.

In reply, India were restricted to 155/9, with Washington Sundar smashing a gritty half-century.

Sundar survived three dropped catches to hit 50 off 28 balls after Suryakumar Yadav (47) and Hardik Pandya (21) had stitiched a partnership of 68.

(With AFP Inputs)

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'If You Don't Get Favourite Biryani...': IND Star's Witty Reply Post Loss

India all-rounder Washington Sundar termed their loss to New Zealand in the opening T20I here as a "one-off" defeat and backed the hosts to bounce back in the three-match series. Chasing an competitive 177, India's top-three, including in-form Shubman Gill (7) were dismissed for just 15 runs inside 19 balls, making the task difficult for the remaining batters with the home team settling for 155 for 9, handing New Zealand a 21-run win, their first victory of the tour on Friday night. New Zealand were swept 0-3 in the preceding ODI series by India before the new-look home side under Hardik Pandya took over for the T20 leg.

"I think it was just a one-off game," said Washington, who scored a quickfire 28-ball 50, besides returning with tidy figures of 2/22. "I don't think that just because it was spinning so much, we have to address anything. Just that one-off game. Had we got off to a flier or a better start, things would've been much different. Obviously, it did spin, and you will see such wickets here and there.

"...people over here and players in our team have played on such wickets in the IPL and even in the Indian team. So, just that one-off game where certain things didn't go our way," he added.

Will you stop going to a restaurant, if you don't get your favourite biryani? 

But his responses seemed "unconvincing" for a journalist, who went on to probe further and asked whether they should "change" their top order. This time, the youngster was at his wittiest best.

"Do you really think a change is needed? If you don't get your favourite biryani in one of the restaurants, you will never go to that restaurant? All of them have made so many runs. It's just one day. It happens to anyone -- even New Zealand collapsed in Raipur (108 all out in 34.3 overs in the second ODI)," Washington said.

"It did not mean they had to change their top order. It's a game where anything can happen. We will have to be patient. At the end of the day, it's a sport where both teams cannot win and all 22 players cannot perform. All of them have done well to get to this stage."

The 23-year-old backed left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, who registered poor figures of 4-0-51-1 and young pace sensation Umran Malik, who conceded 16 runs in the only over he bowled during New Zealand's innings.

"He (Arshdeep) has taken so many wickets -- for India and in the IPL. We are also human beings, we also want to play the sport. When the competition is very high, and the opposition is of the highest quality such things can happen," Washington said in support of his teammate.

"The way he (Malik) bowled against Sri Lanka and New Zealand (in ODIs) that's why we all know he's here. He's an X-factor, someone who bowls above 150 consistently and that's a rare quality." Washington went on to hail the team management under head coach Rahul Dravid.

"...also with this management, they are very calm and patient, keen as long as we are learning from all the mistakes, that's an amazing quality. Going forward, we will be a very very strong side," he said.

He also praised Kiwi all-rounder Daryl Mitchell for his unbeaten 59 off 30 balls, which eventually made the difference.

"Obviously, Daryl's innings was very crucial for them. Around 150 would be par, we would have been very happy with that. But he made the difference by actually getting a half-century for himself," he concluded.

The second T20I will be played in Lucknow on Sunday. 

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Watch: Ex Pak Captain Sarfaraz Sings at Masood's Wedding. Internet Amazed

Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed recently made a successful comeback to international cricket. He played his first Test series in three years against New Zealand recently at home and scored three half-centuries and a ton for Pakistan. After being picked over Mohammad Rizwan in the team, Sarfaraz repaid the trust shown as he scored 335 runs in the two-match series. Wishes and praises poured in for Sarfaraz for his gritty knock in the second Test.

Now in a video, that has gone viral, Sarfaraz can be seen singing a song 'Sada khush raho tum...' at Pakistan cricketer Shan Masood's wedding. 

Sarfarz Ahmed sings at #Shaanmasood 's Qawali Night. #sarfarazahmed #qawali #qawalinight #weddingdiaries pic.twitter.com/ylDkWEYO2r

— CCZDigital (@cczdigital) January 27, 2023

Earlier, former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria took a jibe at those who had dropped Sarfaraz from the national squad earlier. "The people who dropped him from the team are hiding their faces. They have now realised that they didn't treat him well. Second innings while chasing is probably the most difficult one, Sarfaraz played the best knock of his career under pressure. He scored runs on a difficult pitch where the so-called world-class batter Babar Azam failed. Against off-spinners, he doesn't have sweep shots and is unable to take charge. And in the end, he gave up," Kaneria said in a video uploaded on his YouTube channel.

The second and final Test match between Pakistan and New Zealand ended in a draw but not before going down to the wire. Sarfaraz was the ninth wicket to fall. At that stage, Pakistan had 287 runs on the board in pursuit of 319 in the final innings. Abrar Ahmed came in as the final batter and stayed not out with Naseem Shah before bad light forced stumps.

Listen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com

The series ended in a 0-0 draw as none between Pakistan and New Zealand could win a game.

With AFP Inputs

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Pakistan Batter Who Said 'Kohli Is Behind Me' Now Says This On India Star

Virat Kohli has regained his golden touch and it's evident with the way he has been reaching the triple figure marks in recent times. He is now only second to Sachin Tendulkar in terms of number of international tons. Kohli, who didn't score a ton for more than three years, ended his century drought last year in the Asia Cup against Afghanistan, which was his 1st hundred in T20Is. Since then, the 35-year-old hasn't looked back, smashing three centuries in his last nine ODI outings. He is just three ODI tons away from equalling former India batter Sachin Tendulkar's (49) record of scoring the most number of tons in the format. 

Recently, however, a veteran Pakistani batter claimed that his List A record is better than that of Kohli. During a recent interaction, Khurram Manzoor, who has represented Pakistan in 16 Tests, seven ODIs and three T20Is, was asked about a claim he had made over his List A numbers being better than Kohli.

Manzoor, who last played for Pakistan in 2016, clarified that his intention was not to compare himself with the former India captain, but to highlight his achievements in domestic cricket.

"I am not comparing myself with Virat Kohli. Fact is, in 50-overs cricket, whoever are there in the top-10, I am the world no.1. Kohli is behind me as he scores a century every six innings. I score century every 5.68 innings, which is a world record. Over the last 10 years, my average is 53, and I am ranked fifth in the world, as far as List A cricket is concerned," Manzoor said on Nadir Ali's Podcast.

After the statement, Manzoor got trolled and has now issued a clarification. "Its funny how some media outlets and individuals have taken my interview out of context and twisted my words. Virat Kohli is a generational player and I have always admired him as the best. I talked about this stat in List A Cricket about having best innings per hundred ratio where I am topping the chart and Kohli is on second. There is no comparison between me and him, he has played more games and that too mostly on international level," Manzoor wrote in a series of Tweets.

1/3 Its funny how some media outlets and individuals have taken my interview out of context and twisted my words. Virat Kohli is a generational player and I have always admired him as the best. pic.twitter.com/d1UzhA7egI

— Khurram Manzoor Khan (@_khurrammanzoor) January 26, 2023

"He remains the best regardless of this stat. I would like to suggest all these media outlets to show some responsibility in publishing any articles or news. Thank you!"

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Watch: Kishan Pulls Off Stunning Run Out Against NZ In Dhoni's Presence

It was a homecoming for Ishan Kishan during the first T20I encounter between India and New Zealand in Ranchi on Friday. Although the hosts were beaten by 21 runs after a disappointing performance by the batsmen, Kishan impressed his home crowd by a brilliant direct hit to dismiss Michael Bracewell. During the 18th over of the New Zealand innings, Daryll Mitchell was unable to hit the ball properly and it hit his thigh pad to roll slowly towards the keeper. Kishan showed brilliant presence of mind to pick up the ball quickly and pull off a direct hit to make sure that the batsman was unable to reach the crease in time. 

Bang on ?

How about that for a run-out! ? ?

Watch @ishankishan51's direct-hit to dismiss Michael Bracewell ?

Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/gyRPMYVaCc #TeamIndia | #INDvNZ | @mastercardindia pic.twitter.com/XqVfGSPkMm

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 27, 2023

New Zealand produced a dominating performance with bat and ball to defeat India by 21 runs in the opening T20I of the three-match series at JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi on Friday. 

New Zealand now lead the three-match series 1-0. 

Chasing a target of 177, Washington Sundar scored the highest for Team India with 50 of 28 deliveries while vice-captain Suryakumar Yadav played a gritty knock of 47 runs. For New Zealand, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner and Lockie Ferguson bagged two wickets each. 

Earlier, Devon Conway's gritty fifty and Daryl Mitchell's blistering knock of 59 propelled New Zealand to 176/6 against India. 

Mitchell scored the highest runs for New Zealand and his 59 came of 30 balls. Devon Conway contributed with a knock of 52. Arshdeep Singh conceded most runs for India with New Zealand batsmen scoring 51 in four overs of his spell. 

(With ANI inputs) 

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Conway, Mitchell And Spinners Shine As New Zealand Beat India In 1st T20I

Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell conjured up fluent and fiery half-centuries before the spinners choked the hosts as New Zealand outplayed India by 21 runs in the opening T20I to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series on Friday. Asked to take first strike, opener Conway continued his purple patch with a 35-ball 52, while Mitchell smashed a 30-ball unbeaten 59, which included a last-over thrashing of Arshdeep Singh for 27 runs, to power the Black Caps to a challenging 176 for six. The Kiwi bowlers, led by Mitchell Santner (2/11) and Michael Bracewell (2/31), then spun a web around the home batters, restrict India to 155 for 9 in 20 overs.

India had a disastrous start to their chase with both Ishan Kishan (4) and Rahul Tripathi (0) sent back to the pavillion by the third over.

While Ishan was bamboozled by Bracewell, pacer Jacob Duffy (1/27) induced a fine edge off Rahul's blade. Shubman Gill (7) too perished soon after being deceived by Santner as India slumped to 15 for three.

Suryakumar Yadav (47), however, looked in good touch as he picked up two boundaries before picking one off his hips for a six off Lockie Ferguson (1/22).

Santner then bowled a maiden as India reached 33 for three in the powerplay overs.

With the pitch offering grip and turn, New Zealand spinners controlled the proceedings keeping it flat and mixing the length even as Hardik unleashed a drive over extra cover to ease the pressure.

Suryakumar too brought out his range of sweep shots to keep the scoreboard ticking. When Blair Tickner was introduced, he played a square cut and then sent another one through backward point for successive fours as India reached 74 for 3 in 10 overs.

Leg-spinner Ish Sodhi was then sent inside out over extra cover for a maximum but New Zealand struck twice in next five balls to remove both the set batters.

While Surya chipped one off Sodhi to Finn Allen at long on, Hardik was caught and bowled by Bracewell as it all went downhill after that with India slipping to 85 for five.

Deepak Hooda smacked one over the rope before being stumped. Santner then ran out Shivam Mavi. Ferguson bowled a wicket maiden, removing Kuldeep.

Washington Sundar smashed a fighting 28-ball 50 but it was too late.

Earlier, Indian bowlers struggled to get their line and length, allowing New Zealand to get off to a good start.

Allen (35) smashed Hardik for successive boundaries, while a juicy half volley from Arshdeep was hit straight to the boundary.

Conway, who had scored 138 in the third ODI in Indore, also punished the left-arm pacer for a widish ball as New Zealand put up 23 in two overs.

Sundar, however, got a lot of purchase from the wicket and soon saw the back of Allen and Mark Chapman (0) in the space of five deliveries to reduce New Zealand to 43 for 2.

Conway, however, kept it going with two fours and a six off Umran Malik, who bled 16 runs in his only over.

Hardik brought himself back and tried to mix his bowling, using more cutters and slower deliveries as New Zealand reached 79 for 2 in 10 overs.

Conway used the slog sweep and his feet to pick up boundaries off Kuldeep and Hooda as New Zealand crossed the 100-mark in the 13th over.

Kuldeep then struck with a googly as Glenn Phillips went for a slog, only to be holed out by Surya at deep midwicket.

Daryl Mitchell then joined Conway and, after surviving two video referrals for a caught behind and an LBW, blasted Hardik for two maximums.

Conway, on the other hand, completed his fifty in the 16th over but was sent packing soon by Arshdeep with Hooda taking the catch at long-off.

Ishan Kishan then ran out new man Bracewell (1) and Shivam Mavi had Santner (7) caught by Rahul Tripathi as India seemed to have pulled things back.

However, Arshdeep conceded 27 runs in the last over, with Mitchell clobbering him for three sixes and a four.

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Pics: Indian Cricketer Axar Patel Married To Meha Patel In Vadodara

Indian cricketer Axar Patel tied the knot with Meha Patel in Vadodara on Thursday. The all-rounder skipped the ODI series against New Zealand this time owing to his wedding. Although he did not share any photos or videos, many fan accounts on Twitter shared some from his memorable day.

Check them out:

MR. & MRs. Axar Patel.#AxarPatel #weddingnight pic.twitter.com/LxDYLd8fGd

— Meha Patel (@Meha_Patela) January 26, 2023

Happy married life Axar Patel#AxarPatel #MehaPatel #WeddingNight #WeddingDay pic.twitter.com/priqlc2R6k

— Meha Patel (@Meha_Patela) January 26, 2023

#AxarPatel #AxarPatelWedding #MehaPatel pic.twitter.com/FEUZF7HxEV

— Meha Patel (@Meha_Patela) January 26, 2023

Congratulations Axar Patel & Meha Patel. pic.twitter.com/Ld5kpKa6jk

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 27, 2023

Wedding pics of Axar Patel & Meha Patel. pic.twitter.com/kAjsiO9K4H

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 27, 2023

Talking about his career, he did extremely well in the recently concluded T20Is and ODIs against Sri Lanka. The Gujarat-born cricketer grabbed a lot of attention after he played a quick knock of 65 off 31 balls against Sri Lanka in the second T20I match, where the hosts ended up on the losing side.

More details about his wife Meha and their wedding are awaited. 

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"We Talk About...": Hardik Reveals Discussion With Dhoni. It's Not Cricket

Ahead of India's first T20I against New Zealand in Ranchi on Friday, the Hardik Pandya-led side met with former captain MS Dhoni, who resides in the Jharkhand capital. Dhoni visited the India dressing room on Thursday and interacted with the players ahead of the first T20 against New Zealand on Friday. Dhoni first interacted with T20 skipper Hardik Pandya and then was seen giving tips to young wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan. In a short video posted by the BCCI, titled, "Look who came visiting at training today in Ranchi - the great @msdhoni", the former captain was also seen interacting with opener Shubman Gill, spinner Yuzvendra Chahal as well as the support staff.

Later, Hardik, speaking at a press conference, revealed that when he meets with the great captain, he does not talk about the game.

"Mahi bhai is here which is good as we get to meet him. We can get out of the hotel also (to meet him). Otherwise, the way we have played in the last one month, it has just been hotel to hotel," he said at a press conference.

Look who came visiting at training today in Ranchi - the great @msdhoni!#TeamIndia | #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/antqqYisOh

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 26, 2023

"And when we meet we try to talk about life and keep cricket away. When we played together I learnt a lot from him. I have squeezed a lot out of him (knowledge)... there is not much left," said Hardik.

India, after making a clean sweep of the ODI series against the Kiwis, will hope to continue their good form in the shortest format with Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill set to open in the first game. This will be India's first T20 outing after they defeated Sri Lanka 2-1 earlier this month.

Gill has only played three T20Is -- the youngster made his debut against Sri Lanka -- and will open with Kishan following his superb performance in the ODI series. The 23-year-old scored a double-ton as well as a century as India took the series 3-0.

With PTI inputs

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India's Predicted XI vs NZ, 1st T20I: Will Kuldeep Yadav Find A Place?

After claiming a 3-0 clean sweep in the ODIs against New Zealand, Team India is all set to take on the same rivals in a three-match T20I series, starting from Friday. With the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli being rested, all-rounder Hardik Pandya will once again be donning the captain's cap, with Suryakumar Yadav as his deputy. The hosts had thrashed Sri Lanka 2-1 in the three-match T20Is, earlier this month under Hardik's captaincy. With Prithvi Shaw getting named in the squad, it will be interesting to see who will be sealing a spot in the Playing XI for the first T20I match on Friday in Ranchi.

Here's our predicted India XI for the first T20I:

Shubman Gill: The 23-year-old right-hander impressed everyone with his heroics in the ODI series against New Zealand, where he bagged the Player of the Series award. However, in the last T20Is against Sri Lanka, Gill could only manage scores like 7, 5, and 46 but he is definitely capable of playing a bigger innings. 

Ishan Kishan: In the absence of Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan holds the responsibility of wicketkeeping. Apart from this, he is known for playing powerful knocks but he miserably failed in the recent T20Is against Sri Lanka. 

Suryakumar Yadav: The star batter entertained everyone with his brilliant century against Sri Lanka in the third T20I match. Surya took just 51 balls and played an unbeaten knock of 112* runs to join the elite of batters with three or more tons in the shortest format. 

Rahul Tripathi: The right-handed batter made his international debut in the second T20I against Sri Lanka but failed to leave a mark as he was dismissed for just 5 runs. However, he played a quick knock of 35 off 16 balls in the third match. 

Hardik Pandya: The skipper failed to impress in the T20Is against Sri Lanka and scored only 45 runs in three matches. Apart from this, he also scalped two wickets in the third match.

Deepak Hooda: The right-handed batter played a fiery knock of 41 not out off 23 balls in the first match, but failed to repeat his heroics in the second and third T20I. Hooda would be eager to put up another good show.

Kuldeep Yadav: Despite the presence of Washington Sundar, who is a spin allrounder, the team management might be tempted to use Kuldeep Yadav. The left-arm wrist spinner can form a lethal combo with Chahal 

Arshdeep Singh: The young India pacer had a forgettable outing in the second T20I, where he registered an unwanted hat-trick of no-balls. However, he made a brilliant comeback in the third match and scalped three wickets and leaked only 20 runs in 2.4 overs. 

Shivam Mavi: He made his international debut in the first T20I and impressed all with his figures of 4/22. But went wicketless in the next two games. 

Umran Malik: The Jammu and Kashmir pacer scalped seven wickets in three matches against Sri Lanka and impressed everyone with his fiery pace. 

Yuzvendra Chahal: The veteran spinner scalped three wickets in the T20Is against Sri Lanka. He needs to prove his mettle.

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Women's Premier League 'Breaks Records' Of 2008 Men's IPL - A Comparison

The inaugural season of the Women's IPL will feature five franchises and the Board for Cricket Control in India (BCCI) ended up earning $572.5 million for their sales. Adani Sportsline became the highest bidder for the Ahmedabad franchise with $158 million while the other teams will be from Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow and Bengaluru. According to the cricket governing body, the amount paid for the five teams eclipsed that which was paid for the teams in the first edition of the Indian Premier League.

"Today is a historic day in cricket as the bidding for teams of inaugural #WPL broke the records of the inaugural Men's IPL in 2008! Congratulations to the winners as we garnered Rs.4669.99 Cr in total bid. This marks the beginning of a revolution in women's cricket and paves the way for a transformative journey ahead not only for our women cricketers but for the entire sports fraternity," Shah wrote.

The cost of the other four teams were - $112 million for Mumbai, $110.4 million for Bengaluru, $99.3 million for Delhi and $92.7 million for Lucknow.

Here's a look at how much the franchises went for ahead of IPL 2008 -

Mumbai Indians – The franchise was bought by billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance India Limited for $111.9 million making them the costliest side in 2008.

Chennai Super Kings – The Chennai-based franchise attracted a lot of attention from various top companies but was ultimately bought by India Cements at a cost of $91 million.

Royal Challengers Bangalore – The second-highest bid for any franchise came for RCB with Vijay Mallya's United Breweries group shelling out a massive $111.6 million.

Delhi Daredevils – The GMR Group picked up the Delhi-based franchise for $84 million.

Deccan Chargers Hyderabad – The team which is now known as Sunrisers Hyderabad started its journey as Deccan Chargers with Deccan Chronicle paying $107 million for the franchise.

Kolkata Knight Riders - Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment paid $75.09 crore for the Kolkata-based franchise.

Rajasthan Royals – The Jaipur-based team was bought by a consortium led by Emerging Media for a price of USD 67 million.

Kings XI Punjab - Preity Zinta, Ness Wadia, Karan Paul, and Dabur's Mohit Burman came together to acquire the franchise now known as Punjab Kings for $76 million.

NOTE: The above figures were not adjusted for inflation.

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