Called second string team by Arjuna Ranatunga, India thrash Sri Lanka by 7 wickets
With the help of India stand in captain Shikhar Dhawan and debutant Ishan Kishan half centuries, India hammered Sri Lanka by seven wickets on Sunday in the first one-day international of a series delayed by the coronavirus.
The Indian cricket team which was earlier described as a second-string Indian team by Sri Lanka’s World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga, has not only defeated Sri Lanka by seven wickets but also achieved the target of 263 runs in just 36.4 overs in the first one-day international of the limited overs series on Sunday.
Chasing 263, India achieved the target losing three wickets with 80 balls to spare and lead the three-match series in Colombo. Shaw’s 24-ball 43 provided early momentum and Kishan’s 42-ball 59 took the game away from Sri Lanka. Dhawan anchored the chase with an unbeaten 86 off 95 balls but before the batsmen did their job, India’s spinners unsettled the opponents.
Prithvi Shaw was named man of the match for getting India off to a flying start.
On his return to the Indian team, Shaw showed no signs of the excess baggage of a depressing Australia tour last winter. This was his first 50-over international in about 18 months. In batting-friendly conditions, the 21-year-old have played his natural game.
Arjun Ranatunga, a former World Cup-winning skipper, had criticised the Sri Lankan cricket board for agreeing to host a ‘second-string Indian team’ in a limited-overs series, calling it an ‘insult’.
Ranatunga had already faced criticism as he was targeted by many current and former Indian and Pakistani cricketers for his remarks. Now it will be interesting to see that what will Ranatunga say?
Sri Lanka, led by Dasun Shanaka, lost wickets on regular intervals after electing to bat first but number eight Chamika Karunaratne’s quickfire 43 lifted the side to 262 for nine in 50 overs.
However, Sri Lanka could only manage 262 for nine against the fast bowlers Deepak Chahar (2/37) and the spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav (2/48) and Yuzvendra Singh Chahal (2/52), popularly known as Kulcha. Krunal Pandya also bowled economical and took one wicket for just 26 runs in 10 overs.
The limited-overs series that also includes three Twenty20 matches was rescheduled and the original start date of July 13 pushed back by five days due to a Covid-19 outbreak in the Sri Lankan camp following batting coach Grant Flower’s positive test on return from their tour of England.
Sri Lanka, who had already been hit hard by the suspension of three players including vice-captain Kusal Mendis and wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella for breaching the team’s bio-bubble in England, suffered an injury blow after captain Kusal Perera was ruled out of the series.
Indian leg spinner Amit Mishra has criticised the decision to make Shubman Gill the captain of India’s T20 team.
In a podcast, Mishra said Gill has no idea of what it means to be a captain and is ignorant of the importance of the captain’s role. Mishra said he didn’t feel Gill could do justice to the responsibility of being a captain in the recently concluded T20I series against Zimbabwe.
He suggested Ruturaj Gaikwad was a better option. He said there is a sense that Gaikwad has been ignored by the BCCI and national selectors to support Gill. Even Gaikwad was overlooked as a backup player for the T20 World Cup 2024 and then for India’s captaincy in Zimbabwe.
Mishra didn’t hesitate in saying he wouldn’t have appointed Gill captain for the Zimbabwe series. He admitted the decision had surprised him.
Mishra clarified that he is not someone who hates Gill but believed that if someone was doing well that person deserved a chance and respect, like Gaikwad.
During the IPL, Mishra said Gaikwad as captain of Chennai Super Kings had scored vital runs in many different situations. He has the hallmark of a complete player and needs to be rewarded in ODIs and Tests as well.
Most important thing is that he brings calm to the team and doesn’t make such risky shots, Mishra said in his evaluation of the performances of Gill and Gaikwad in IPL matches.
Mishra said the other captaincy options were Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant. He said these three, including Gaikwad, are players who can lead India in T20Is.
The leggie also spoke on several other controversial topics including the row involving Sanjeev Goenka and KL Rahul during the IPL and the fraught dynamics between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir.
A few days after India’s World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev’s appeal, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretay Jay Shah has instructed the cricket board to release Rs 1 crore with immediate effect to provide financial assistance to India’s veteran cricketer Anshuman Gaekwad, who is battling blood cancer.
According to BCCI Apex Council, Shah has also spoken to Gaekwad’s family and took stock of the situation and provided assistance.
In the statement, the Council has stated that the board stands by Gaekwad’s family in this hour of crisis and will do whatever is essential for Gaekwad’s quick recovery. The BCCI will continue to monitor Gaekwad’s progress and is confident that he will come out of this phase strongly, the BCCI Apex Council further said.
Earlier, speaking to a Sports channel, Kapil said that he had written to BCCI requesting to lend financial support to Gaekwad, who is battling blood cancer alone and said he is ready to donate his pension to help him.
He further said that his former teammates such as Mohinder Amarnath, Sunil Gavaskar, Sandeep Patil, Dilip Vengsarkar, Madan Lal, Ravi Shastri and Kirti Azad have been generating funds to help Gaikwad, who has been undergoing treatment for the past year at King’s College Hospital in London.
Kapil showed his confidence in the BCCI going to take a look into the matter and extend its help to support the former India head coach Gaekwad financially. Kapil said he was saddened and depressed because he had played alongside Gaekwad and couldn’t bear to see him in this situation. No one should suffer, he added.
The cricket legend said he knows the Board will take care of him and not compel anyone. Any help for Anshu should come from the heart. Kapil further said that Anshu took blows to his face and chest when standing up to some of the ferocious fast bowlers. “Now is the time for us to stand up for him. I am sure our cricket fans will not fail him. They should pray for his recovery,” Kapil added.
The Indian cricket team is not likely to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy in 2025. The BCCI told the media on Thursday that it will ask the ICC to host matches in Sri Lanka, Dubai in a hybrid model. The Indian team has not travelled to Pakistan since 2008 the two teams have played against each other only at multi team events. The last Asia Cup was hosted in Pakistan but India played all their matches in Sri Lanka under a Hybrid model which had been set by the organisers.
The Indian cricket team claimed that the Indian government has not granted permission to visit Pakistan for the Asia Cup. The marquee tournament is scheduled from February 19 to March 9, 2025 (Reserve Day). Pakistan has not hosted any major international tournament since 1996, but in 2025 they will be hosting the Champions Trophy.
The two nations have not played bilateral cricket with each other since the 2012-2013 season. The ICC head of events Chris Tetley met the PCB chairman Naqvi in Islamabad and inspected the other arrangement. The Pakistan Cricket Board has allocated approximately Rs 17 billion for the upgradation of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi for 50 over Marquee Stadium, featuring over 8 teams.
According to reports the Pakistan Cricket Board had planned a match between India and Pakistan in Lahore on March 1, 2025 and the Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Broad Mohsin Naqvi had submitted a report of the 15 matches. But the BCCI has not given any confirmation about the Champions Trophy since touring Pakistan is a big concern for the Indian government.
On May 6, Rajeev Shukla, the Vice President of the BCCI told the media that they will do whatever the Government of India tells them to do. He further added that they will send the Indian team only once they get permission from the government of India.
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