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Kedar’s Homecoming

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WHAT A KNOCK! Kedar Jadhav plays a shot during the India v/s England First One Day International match, Pune, Reuters/UNI

Ably led by Kohli, the Pune boy overcame agony to hit ton that transformed the match and made short work of the humongous target

By Sujit Bhar

India winning a One Day International (ODI) versus England isn’t news. But when it wins chasing a massive 350 for seven, England’s highest versus India, then it is. Moreover, if it happens to be the first captaincy effort by Virat Kohli, after Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who had just given up his, leaves with six for six, pulling India down to 63 for four, then it surely is. And that’s what happened in Pune on January 15, in the first ODI of the series.

But that’s not the end. England managed a steady run-rate, reaching the score without a century contribution. That meant that, with four down and not much on the board, India needed to speed up things. Eyes turned to Kohli, of course, the man for a chase. He did not disappoint, scoring a strong 122 off 105 deliveries, with eight hits to the fence and four over.

India won by three wickets with 11 deliveries to spare. This was India’s third successful chase of 350-plus totals.

That was great play, no doubt. But the day belonged to a 32-year-old local lad, Kedar Jadhav. The attacking middle-order bat (also an occasional off-break bowler) hit a whirlwind 120 in 76 deliveries, assisted by 12 boundaries and four sixes.

It was a great start for India’s home series, keeping India’s record of not losing a home ODI intact, and, even in losing, England surely can’t complain. They had started the series tentatively, with former BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke’s letter warning them of a possible lack of facilities, now that board president Anurag Thakur and he had been sacked by the Supreme Court. Facilities were up to the mark, they found, only the Indian team was too hot to handle.

The match itself has been analysed enough, but the incredible thing is India’s throwing up great batting talent on a regular basis. Just the other day Jodhpur-born 25-year-old Karun Nair had become only the second Indian after Virender Sehwag to hit a triple century, and on Sunday Jadhav came in from the cold, so to say, lifting India out of the woods.

Jadhav isn’t a newcomer, this being his 13th ODI, neither is he new to a chase. Four months back, in a chase, India were down to 73 for four, when he combined with then skipper Dhoni for a 66-run partnership that saved the day. On Sunday, fighting cramps (Kohli had cramps too), Jadhav provided ample support to his new captain to be named Man of the Match.

The attacking stance is Jadhav’s default setting. He broke into the big boys’ league with a half-century off 29 deliveries on his IPL debut for Delhi Daredevils. He carried with him the experience of six half centuries and a century in first class cricket and for Maharashtra he has displayed excellent offensive tactics.

Also confidence, oodles of it.

It was clear from what Kohli said after the match. He has been quoted as saying: “I think it was outstanding. Just to have another guy that was willing to believe we can win from any situation was such a boost for me as well. The way he came out—and knew exactly how to bat at this wicket—was tremendous.”

Following Dhoni, Kohli has gained similar leadership qualities. Of Jadhav he said: “He was disappointed in the last series against New Zealand when he couldn’t get us across the line. In New Delhi he was playing really well. We told him that the best place you can learn is out there in the middle. No point sitting outside and thinking what you could have done.”

Kohli has welcomed Jadhav into his world, into his own way of thinking, and for a virtual greenhorn to have his captain put a great deal of confidence in him is great news. Jadhav made the best use of it.

And quite like any top level motivator from the world of hard-core professionals, when Jadhav was facing a hurdle through painful cramps, Kohli just told him to rise above it, play for the team. These are the small things that make a complete human being; someone who is willing to see beyond that threshold of pain, into the world of accomplishment.

If we look back, perhaps, this is the level of optimism that the Supreme Court wanted to bring back to the game. The apex court possibly saw beyond the politicking and wheeling dealings into a world where the game of cricket is supreme. That remains beyond that threshold of temporary pain.

That was what Kohli and Jadhav showed.

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K Srikkanth slams Rinku Singh’s exclusion from T20 World Cup squad, says Rinku Singh has been made a scapegoat

Srikkanth was amazed to see that Rinku Singh had been dropped. He said that in his opinion Rinku Singh should have been there even if it meant dropping Yashasvi Jaiswal. Srikkanth termed the selection process as being rubbish and said Rinku Singh had been made a scape goat.

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The Indian selection committee’s decision to exclude Rinku Singh out of the T20 World Cup squad has drawn harsh criticism from former cricketer K Srikkanth, who called it rubbish and said that the KKR batsman was unfairly used as a target. Rinku was passed over for a birth in the starting lineup despite of the fact of having a remarkable strike rate of 176 in 15 games for India up until January 2024, which also included 2 half centuries.

Speaking on his Youtube Channel, Srikkanth said He is not at all happy. He said everybody should look into this matter. He added Rinku Singh has been spoken about all over the world. He said Singh had performed very well on every opportunity he had got. Srikkanth was amazed to see that Rinku Singh had been dropped. He said that in his opinion Rinku Singh should have been there even if it meant dropping Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Srikkanth said Rinku Singh has played match winning knocks in South Africa. He further remembered the game against Afghanistan in which Rohit Sharma scored a century. India at one point of time was at the score of 22 runs for the loss 4 wickets.

The Indian team ended up reaching a total score of 212. Srikkanth pointed out Rinku Singh’s contribution during the match and said Rinku Singh played a crucial knock. Srikkanth termed the selection process as being rubbish and said Rinku Singh had been made a scape goat.

The announcement of the Indian team for the T20 World Cup 2024 by the Board of Control for Cricket in India has sparked discussions and debates due to the absence of many players who were labeled deserving for the 15 member line up. Many players like KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, and Rinku Singh who have performed incredibly well were not included in the squad.

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IPL 2024: Marcus Stoinis scores half century to help Lucknow Super Giants beat Mumbai Indians by 4 wickets

All-rounder Marcus Stoinis smashed 62 after he took a wicket to guide Lucknow Super Giants to an IPL win. Stoinis top-scored in Lucknow’s modest chase of 145 against Mumbai Indians as the home team achieved their target with four wickets and four balls to spare.

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Lucknow Super Giants beat Mumbai Indians by 4 wickets in a low-scoring match on Tuesday. LSG chased down the target of 145 runs in 19.2 overs thanks to Marcus Stoinis who scored 62 runs off 45 deliveries. Nicholas Pooran hit the winning runs for his team when things went astray for Lucknow Super Giants in the death overs.

Nehal Wadhera scored 46 runs, while Tim David played the supporting role with an unbeaten 32 runs as Mumbai Indians posted 144 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in 20 overs against Lucknow Super Giants. Mohsin Khan picked up 2 wickets as LSG bowlers hunted in a pack to restrict Mumbai Indians. Lucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul won the toss and decided to bowl first against Mumbai Indians at Ekana Stadium, Lucknow.

The Lucknow Super Giants climbed to the 3rd position after their 6th win in 10 games. The Lucknow Super Giants made a cautious start to their chase after Nuwan Thushara picked up the wicket of sub Arshin Kulkarni for a duck on his IPL debut. Stoinis hit back-to-back boundaries off Gerald Coetzee, who conceded 15 runs in his first over itself. K L Rahul slammed 28 runs off 22 deliveries and joined the party, hitting three 4s and a 6 to take 20 runs off Thushara. Stoinis then hit Bumrah over longoff as Lucknow Super Giants reached 52 in the powerplay.

Stoinis turned up with the bat to raise his second fifty, he has also hit a century – of the season with hours left for the Australian selectors to announce the T20 team on Wednesday. Afghanistan spinner Mohammad Nabi picked up his wicket after his 45-ball knock which included 7 fours and 2 sixes. Lucknow lost 2 more wickets to raise Mumbai’s hopes of a turnaround, but Nicholas Pooran brought the team home as he hit the winning runs in the final over.

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Rohit Sharma to lead India at ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, Hardik Pandya to be vice captain

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Board of Control for Cricket in India announced in a statement on Tuesday, April 30, that Rohit Sharma as captain of a 15-man T20 World Cup will lead the squad and Hardik Pandya will serve as vice captain. Sanju Samson and Yuzvendra Chahal were rewarded for their outstanding IPL performances as they are included in the list while Rinku Singh and KL Rahul were two of the greatest misses.

As was to be expected, Virat Kohli and rookie opener Yashasvi Jaiswal were included in the 15-man roster. Batsman and wicketkeeper in the IPL Rishabh Pant, was selected for the T20I team following his valiant comeback to competitive play. Pant was not a consistent member of the T20 Indian Premier League (IPL) before his vehicle accident in December 2022. Nonetheless, he put on an incredible display with the bat and the gloves, scoring 398 runs in 11 games.

Sanju Samson was awarded for his outstanding performance in the IPL 2024, despite missing out on the ODI World Cup squad the last year. Although KL Rahul was also a contender, the skipper of Rajasthan was chosen.

As MI captain, Hardik Pandya has had a difficult time in the 2024 IPL, but he has been backed to be Rohit Sharma’s deputy. When Rohit Sharma was resting from T20Is to concentrate on the lead-up to the ODI World Cup last year, Hardik led India in 16 games. Additionally, seam-bowling all-rounder Shivam Dube, who has been belting sixes for CSK in the IPl 2024, has been selected by India.

The BCCI also announced that skipper Rohit Sharma and top selector Ajit Agarkar will address the media on Thursday, May 2, at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai.

On June 5, India will play their first match of the T20 World Cup 2024 against Ireland. After that, on June 9, they will play their group-stage matches against USA and Canada on June 12 and 15, as well as their bitter rivals, Pakistan.

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