Sunday, 29 January 2023

"Shocker Of A Wicket": Hardik Lambasts Pitches Used In New Zealand T20Is

India skipper Hardik Pandya on Sunday slammed the standard of pitches used in the ongoing series against New Zealand and called the track prepared for the second T20I a "shocker". The ball turned in the first T20I in Ranchi and it was no different on Sunday when New Zealand were restricted to 99 for eight. India chased down the target with only one ball to spare. "To be honest, it was a shocker of a wicket. Both the games we have played on so far. I don't mind difficult wickets," said Hardik after the series-leveling win over New Zealand.

"I am all up for that, but these two wickets were not made for T20. Somewhere down the line the curators or the grounds that we are going to play in should make sure they prepare the pitches earlier. Other than that, happy. Even 120 would have been a winning total," he said.

The series decider will be played in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. "I always believed that we'll be able to finish the game, but it went quite late. All these games are important with the moments. You don't need to panic because it was about rotating the strike rather than taking the pressure. That's exactly what we did. We followed our basics," he said about the tense finish.

On the bowlers' impressive performance, he added: "They stuck to their plans and ensured they (New Zealand) did not rotate the strike. We kept rotating the spinners. Dew didn't play much part in this. They were able to spin the ball more than us. It was carrying through well." New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santer said 120 could have been a winning total on the surface.

"It was a great game of cricket. To get it so close was a great effort from the bowlers. If we would have got an extra 10 or 15, could have been the difference. The calmness of Surya and Hardik to get them over the line was pretty good.

"We bowled 16 or 17 overs of spin, definitely something different. With the bounce out there, it looked challenging. You are not sure what a good total is. 120 might have been a good score," said Santner. 



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Watch: Warner's Tribute To Shahrukh Khan's Pathaan Leaves Fans Impressed

Shahrukh Khan's latest movie Pathaan has broken multiple records since its release on January 25 and it has now gained a famous fan – Australian cricket team star David Warner. Warner, who is well known for his online videos featuring Indian songs and movie scenes, posted a hilarious video to pay tribute to the movie. In the video which has gone viral on social media, Warne juxtaposed his own face on that of Shahrukh Khan's in various scenes from the movie Pathaan. "Wow what a film, can you name this?? #legend #icon," Warner captioned the post which he released along with the song 'Besharam Rang'.

The video was loved by several users on Instagram and India bowler Khaleel Ahmed also appreciated the effort by Warner. The Australia opener had previously posted videos of him dancing to Indian songs. 

The spy-thriller, which marked Shahrukh Khan's return to the big screens after more than four years, went on to become the biggest opener in Hindi cinema history with a record of ₹ 55 crore. As a result, it was able to beat the record created by massive films like RRR and KGF 2. 

Warner will be travelling to India for the upcoming Test series which will start on February 9. The Australia opener recently said that he was exhausted due to the extended home season where he took part in the Big Bash League (BBL) for the Sydney Thunder franchise. Just ahead of the BBL season, Warner also played in all three Test matches for the Australian cricket team. 



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2nd T20I: India Defeat New Zealand In Low-Scoring Thriller, Level Series

Indian spinners revelled on a turning track before the batters made heavy weather of a small target to register a scrappy series levelling win over New Zealand in the second T20 International in Lucknow on Sunday. The trio of Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav impressed on a helping surface to limit a self-destructing New Zealand to 99 for eight, their lowest total against India in the shortest format. It should have been a straight-forward run chase but the top-order comprising Ishan Kishan (19 off 32), Shubman Gill (11 off 9) and Rahul Tripathi (13 off 18) had a tough time again in spin-friendly conditions.

In the end, Hardik Pandya (15 not out off 20) and Suryakumar Yadav (26 not out off 31) took the team over the line with a ball to spare and six wickets in hand.

The series decider will be played in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.

With the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli not playing T20s since the World Cup last year, opportunities have been presented to the younger players who are yet to make them count.

Kishan has gone off the boil since his double hundred in Bangladesh while Gill has not been able to carry on his scintillating ODI form into T20s. The stylish right-hander fell while trying to pull a spinner for the second game in a row but was surprised by the amount of turn.

Tripathi, who is getting to play at number three in Kohli's absence, was unable to take the attack to the New Zealand spinners.

The Indians felt the pressure and that was evident with the run out of Washington Sundar, who sacrificed his wicket to ensure Surya's stay in the middle.

Since the asking rate was never an issue, India could afford to stutter in the chase.

A four after 45 balls, coming from Hardik's bat in the 19th over, released a lot of pressure before the skipper completed the job alongside Surya who hit the winning four.

Earlier, Hardik decided to employ spinners from both ends in the powerplay after opening the bowling himself.

Wrist spinners Kuldeep (1/17) and Chahal (1/4), playing in a T20 together after a while, extracted a lot out of the Lucknow surface while finger spinner Washington (1/17) produced another tidy spell.

Chahal was left licking his lips after the first ball of his opening spell. It was a ripper that pitched on leg stump before beating the outside edge of Finn Allen's bat. The opener perished two balls later trying to reverse sweep with the ball thudding into his back leg before crashing on to the stumps.

The in-form Devon Conway too fell to a reverse sweep as the ball kissed his gloves on way to wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan.

New Zealand were soon reduced to 35 for three in seventh over when the dangerous Glenn Phillips missed a straight ball from Deepak Hooda in his attempt to reverse sweep the part time off-spinner.

Daryl Mitchell got a beauty from Kuldeep that came back in sharply to shatter the stumps.

New Zealand bat deep but none of their batters were able to apply themselves on a testing pitch.

Pacer Arshdeep Singh, who has been guilty of bowling too many no balls lately and Shivam Mavi, were only used in the death overs.

Arshdeep did well to take wickets in his two tough overs and conceded only eight runs. Hardik ended with figures of one for 25 in four overs.



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Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Australia Sweat Over Fitness Of Green, Starc Ahead

Australia all-rounder Cameron Green might come up short on his bowling fitness as he eyes to be match-ready for the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar trophy against hosts India. Green has been training with the team in Sydney ahead of the Test match in Nagpur to regain match fitness to force his way into the playing eleven for the first Test and will be hoping to hear good news from the surgeon for his broken finger which he sustained against South Africa during the Melbourne Test last month.

Early in his professional career, Green has shown himself to be a cricketer who relishes the tempo of consistently playing long-form. He has improved over the course of the summer in both the Test matches this season and the Ashes from a year ago.

In Melbourne, he took five wickets against South Africa before fracturing his finger. The all-rounder came in to bat and managed to make a crucial unbeaten fifty, playing with the injured finger.

"Where he's positioned at the moment, his biggest challenge is bowling. There is a lack of loading there, and one of the key reasons around us getting into this camp early is to make sure that we're ready to go for the rigours of what the bowling unit [is] going to encompass. Building confidence is the main thing, setting him up to succeed in that first Test match, having enough time, that will be the critical question," Australia head coach Andrew McDonald said as quoted by ESPN.

Green would be regarded as a specialist batter, though, if his bowling does not quite measure up. Last year, he demonstrated his aptitude for catching up quickly on the subcontinent with key half-centuries in Lahore and, in Galle, where he won Player of the Match on a tricky surface.

The all-rounder, though is essential in balancing Australia's side. The selectors will have to choose whether to stick with a two-quick, two-spinner balance, as they did against South Africa at the SCG, or to support their usual strength in pace with an additional quick, if he is unable to bowl (or play).

McDonald however, ruled out using three specialised spinners despite Green's inability to bowl.

Matt Renshaw and Peter Handscomb, who both played at the SCG, are other options for the Ausssies at No 6 if Green isn't seen as a specialist batter, with the latter complementing a plethora of left-handers who might be working in his favour.

"We see him [Handscomb] as an important right-hand option. We've got a lot of left-handers. If there were to be any late changes, or Cameron Green doesn't make that first Test, we feel we have some good options," McDonald said.

Mitchell Starc, Australia's other major injury concern, is expected to be ready for the second Test in Delhi on February 17, however, there is a discussion about sending him out earlier than originally intended.

Starc also sustained a finger injury at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) and has been bowling with protection in practice, but will be not permitted to do so during a game.

McDonald described his progress as remarkable while mentioning that there is still a set time frame for his return.

"The guard needs to stay on. Really protecting against the knock that would then re-injure that ligament. That's why it's a clear-cut deadline to mitigate against any of that risk. We can't accelerate that, to be honest. It's probably frustrating for Mitch that he feels that good. But the good thing is when he does get out of the splint all his workloads are going to be up to speed and it will be pretty much into that second Test, which is good news to us," McDonald said.

Australia will be touring India for the Border-Gavaskar trophy which will feature four tests, commencing from February 9 in Nagpur.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)



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2nd ODI LIVE Score: South Africa Look To Seal Series Against England

SA vs ENG, 2nd ODI Live Cricket Score: Eight games and just one win! That's how England's report card has been in the 50-over format of late. Having lost the opening ODI against hosts South Africa, Jos Buttler's men have their backs against the wall as they look to bounce back and keep themselves alive in the 3-match series. Rassie van der Dussen (111) was the star of the match for the Proteas in the series opener while David Miller also played a handy knock of 53 off 56. Chasing the challenging target of 299 runs, England got off to a fine start as Jason Roy (113) and Dawid Malan (59) put up 146 runs for the first wicket. But, Anrich Nortje ran riot, picking up 4 wickets for 62 runs, as the hosts secured a 27-run win. (LIVE Scorecard)

Here are the Highlights of the 2nd ODI between South Africa and England straight from the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein:



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Saturday, 28 January 2023

Not Hardik! Ex India Opener Names His Pick For Team's Future ODI Skipper

Former Indian cricket team opener Aakash Chopra said on Friday that Rohit Sharma is expected to captain the side till the World Test Championship in 2023 but added that a change in the ODI captaincy can be expected after this year's World Cup. In a recent interaction, Chopra added that while Hardik Pandya will most likely lead India in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, it is unlikely that he will be given the ODI captaincy. When asked about his picks for India's future ODI captain, Chopra said that Shubman Gill or Rishabh Pant can be solid candidates to replace Rohit as skipper.

“I don't think we will see a single captain for all formats just yet, I think those days are over. Rohit Sharma will be the Test team's captain till the WTC, that's not going to change - it is going to stay like that," Chopra said on Jio Cinema.

"Hardik Pandya is currently the captain in the T20 format, and I think he will continue to do so and in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, you will see Pandya be the captain of the Indian team. In One-Day cricket, Rohit Sharma will continue to be the captain till the World Cup. But I think in the long term, in terms of India's captaincy, it will be Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant. These are my two candidates for India's captaincy in the future, he further said.

Pandya is currently leading Team India in the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand in absence of Rohit Sharma.



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Adani Group Rules Out Changes In Price, Dates Of Sale Of New Shares

Billionaire Gautam Adani's group on Saturday ruled out any changes in price or the dates of the Rs 20,000 crore follow-on share sale at the conglomerate's flagship firm despite its stocks being hammered below the offer price after a scathing report by a US short seller.

"Adani Enterprises Limited's further public offer (FPO) is going as per schedule and the announced price band. There is no change in either the schedule of the issue price," a group spokesperson said.

The FPO got subscribed just one per cent on the opening day on Friday. Against an offer of 4.55 crore shares of Adani Enterprises Ltd, only 4.7 lakh shares were subscribed, according to information available from the BSE.

Adani Enterprises fell almost 20 per cent to below the offer price of its secondary sale as all the seven listed companies of the conglomerate took a beating in the aftermath of Hindenburg Research alleging that the group was "engaged in a brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme over the course of decades".

The Group has dismissed the report as malicious and bogus aimed at torpedoing the FPO.

Adani Enterprises is selling shares in a price band of Rs 3,112 to Rs 3,276. On Friday, its share price closed at Rs 2,762.15 on the BSE.

"All our stakeholders including bankers and investors have full faith in the FPO. We are extremely confident about the success of the FPO," the spokesperson added.

The FPO closes on January 31.

On Wednesday, Adani Enterprises raised Rs 5,985 crore from anchor investors.

The company allotted 1.82 crore equity shares to 33 funds at Rs 3,276 apiece, taking the transaction size to Rs 5,985 crore, according to a circular uploaded on the BSE website.

Foreign investors who picked up the shares included Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, BNP Paribas Arbitrage, Societe Generale, Goldman Sachs Investment (Mauritius) Ltd, Morgan Stanley Asia (Singapore) Pte, Nomura Singapore Ltd and Citigroup Global Markets Mauritius.

A slew of domestic institutional investors, including LIC, SBI Life Insurance Company, HDFC Life Insurance Company and State Bank Of India Employees Pension Fund, also participated in the anchor book.

Out of the Rs 20,000-crore proceeds from the FPO, Rs 10,869 crore will be used for green hydrogen projects, work at the existing airports and construction of a greenfield expressway.

An amount of Rs 4,165 crore will be utilised for repayment of debt taken by its airports, road and solar project subsidiaries.

Adani Enterprises is India's largest listed business incubator and breeds businesses in four core industry sectors -- energy and utility, transportation and logistics, consumer, and primary industry.

The current business portfolio includes green hydrogen ecosystem, data centres, airports, digital, mining, defence and industrial manufacturing.

(Disclaimer: New Delhi Television is a subsidiary of AMG Media Networks Limited, an Adani Group Company.)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)



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"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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Friday, 27 January 2023

Insiders Are Buying Into These 5 Stocks Aggressively. More Details Here...

'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. 

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.

"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. 

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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