Cricket news

Who is at the Crease?

Published

9 years ago

July 12, 2017

By Sujit Bhar

Following a chaotic few evening hours on Tuesday (July 11), it was confirmed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Acting Secretary Amitabh Choudhary that Ravi Shastri would be the next head coach of the Indian cricket team.

The Board’s media advisory said: “The BCCI announces the appointment of Mr Ravi Shastri as the Head Coach, Mr Zaheer Khan as the Bowling Consultant and Mr Rahul Dravid who will be the Overseas Batting Consultant (Test cricket) for the Indian Cricket Team.”

The appointments will be till the World Cup of 2019.

So far so good, but there seem to be a number of attendant problems. When did the Board decide to appoint a Bowling Consultant and an overseas Overseas Batting Consultant (Test cricket)? And if it did, why was it not advertised and applications invited?

The second problem is of law. Does the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) of the BCCI, or even the Board itself, retain full powers to ask for applications for such important posts? Does it have the requisite authority of related tendering processes? The problem arises from the Supreme Court’s appointing the Committee of Administrators (CoA) with full authority to oversee every action of the Board and its sub-committees, such as the CAC.

The CoA’s ability to push decisions within the Board was visible on Tuesday (July 11) when its chief, former Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai, insisted that the coach be named on Tuesday itself. That was not what the CAC had planned. The Board had given the CAC full authority to choose the coach. And with good reason, what with the CAC comprising such names such as Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman.

The CAC had done its homework and its interviews, but still wanted to interview skipper Virat Kohli, holidaying in America. Sourav had said that he had great respect for Kohli and it (talking to him for his views) would be the right thing to do, but it would not be nice to call him on his holiday.

Rai was insistent, though. So Kohli was called and the announcement was made.

The CAC did hold its own view. Sourav has been against the appointment of Shastri and Laxman has been supportive of that view, though neither had said it openly. A vote within the CAC would have yielded the expected result. It is not known if there was unanimity of opinion within the Committee.

As for the CoA, one has to remember it is fractured at the moment.

On June 1, the Supreme Court received a letter from historian and cricket buff Ramachandra Guha, stating that he was quitting from the CoA. This letter, dated March 28, contained detailed explanation on why he was quitting, and one of the main issues was the way Anil Kumble, the former India coach, was handled. It is a different matter that both Guha and Kumble hail from Bengaluru, and there is a good bit of bonhomie around. Guha’s resignation letter is pending with the apex court, which will take a call on it on July 14.

The very nature of the CoA and its powers need to be better explained to the Board. Apart from Rai and Guha, the CoA also has former international cricketer and India captain Diana Edulji and IDFC Ltd Managing Director and CEO Vikram Limaye. While the CoA’s primary function was to carry out the Lodha Commission’s recommendations in reforming the sport in the country, who carries out the day-to-day running of the sport? If that is the responsibility Board, then it was the Board’s and therefore of the CAC’s responsibility to announce the name of the coach after due process.

So who is selecting the coach of the Indian cricket team? The basis of the CoA is to delegate a certain amount of power to the BCCI till things are set in perspective when the functioning of the CoA would become redundant. At this point, it seems the CoA has the authority to decide on something that is within cricket’s deep understanding.

This complexity needs to be sorted out. Also the need of the hour is ascertaining the responsibilities and powers of the individual members of the CoA. Guha has probably not done the administration any good by sending in his resignation and by not contesting whatever he thinks are wrong from within.

The coach selection issue brings too many anomalies into the open. These are key issues that need sorting out in quick time, before another Kumble-like incident arises.

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Asian Games 2026: India win first gold as women’s cricket team beats Sri Lanka

India won its first gold medal at the Asian Games 2026 after the women’s cricket team defeated Sri Lanka in the T20I final, taking the country’s medal tally to seven.

Published

4 days ago

September 22, 2026

APNLive Desk

India opened its gold medal account at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya after the women’s cricket team defeated Sri Lanka in the T20I final on Tuesday.

The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side produced a dominant performance to win the final and claim India’s first gold medal of the Games. India set Sri Lanka a target of 217 runs before bowling them out for 69.

The victory took India’s medal tally to seven, adding a gold to the six medals secured during the opening days of the competition.

India assure another medal in badminton

India also secured another medal opportunity in men’s team badminton after defeating hosts Japan 3-0 in the quarter-final.

Ayush Shetty completed the victory by beating Japan’s Koki Watanabe 21-10, 21-19, sending India into the semifinals and assuring the country of at least a medal in the event.

Earlier, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeated Japan’s Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi to give India a 2-0 lead in the tie.

Roshibina Devi assures India another medal

India also secured a medal in wushu after Roshibina Devi reached the women’s 60kg semi-finals.

Roshibina defeated Macao’s Man Sin Chu by point difference to book her place in the last four.

However, India’s Aryan was knocked out in the men’s 56kg quarter-final after losing to Uzbekistan’s Saydullo Abdurashitov.

India miss shooting medal

India’s Elavenil Valarivan and Parth Mane finished fourth in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team final after earlier qualifying second for the gold medal match.

The pair therefore missed out on a podium finish in the event.

More results from Day 3

Indian boxer Jadumani Singh advanced to the men’s 55kg Round of 16 after defeating Nepal’s Chandra Bahadur Thapa 5-0.

In artistic gymnastics, Pranati Nayak qualified for the women’s vault final with a score of 12.916.

India’s women’s badminton team, meanwhile, exited the competition after losing 1-3 to hosts Japan in the quarter-finals.

Cricket news

Zaheer Khan named CSK head coach ahead of IPL 2027

Chennai Super Kings have appointed former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan as their new head coach ahead of IPL 2027, replacing Stephen Fleming.

Published

5 days ago

September 21, 2026

APNLive Desk

Chennai Super Kings have appointed former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan as their new head coach ahead of the 2027 Indian Premier League season. The five-time IPL champions announced the appointment on Monday, with Zaheer taking over from long-serving coach Stephen Fleming.

Fleming stepped down from his CSK role in July and subsequently took charge as head coach of the England men’s Test team. Zaheer’s appointment marks his first stint as a head coach at any level.

CSK announced the move on social media with the message welcoming Zaheer as the team’s new head coach.

Zaheer Khan’s coaching experience

Zaheer has previously held senior coaching and mentoring roles in the IPL. He served as Mumbai Indians’ Director of Cricket from 2018 to 2022 before taking up a mentoring role with Lucknow Super Giants from August 2024 to September 2025.

He was also initially named India’s bowling coach in 2017 after Anil Kumble became head coach. Following Ravi Shastri’s appointment later that year, Zaheer’s role was changed to bowling consultant.

As a player, Zaheer represented India in 92 Tests, 200 ODIs and 17 T20Is. He was India’s leading wicket-taker in the 2011 ODI World Cup, taking 21 wickets during the tournament.

Stephen Fleming’s CSK exit

Fleming had two coaching stints with Chennai Super Kings, from 2009 to 2015 and again from 2018 to 2026. He left the franchise in July this year to become England’s men’s Test coach, succeeding former New Zealand teammate Brendon McCullum.

Zaheer will now oversee CSK as the franchise prepares for IPL 2027. The appointment brings an Indian former international cricketer into the team’s head coaching role following Fleming’s departure.

Cricket news

Abhishek Sharma smashes fastest T20I century by Indian in India vs Afghanistan 3rd T20I

Abhishek Sharma smashed a 30-ball century against Afghanistan in the third T20I, breaking Rohit Sharma’s record for the fastest T20I hundred by an Indian batter.

Published

1 week ago

September 17, 2026

APNLive Desk

Abhishek Sharma produced a record-breaking batting performance for India against Afghanistan in the third T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday. The left-handed opener smashed a century in just 30 balls, becoming the fastest Indian batter to score a hundred in men’s T20 Internationals.

Abhishek eventually made 108 off 34 balls, with nine fours and 11 sixes. His century came in the ninth over of India’s innings and surpassed the previous Indian record of 35 balls, held by Rohit Sharma.

Abhishek Sharma century breaks Rohit Sharma’s record

Abhishek brought up his hundred from 30 balls, breaking Rohit Sharma’s previous record of a 35-ball T20I century against Sri Lanka in Indore in 2017.

The milestone also placed Abhishek third overall on the list of fastest T20I centuries. The two faster centuries in men’s T20I cricket belong to Estonia’s Sahil Chauhan, who scored a 27-ball century, and Turkey’s Muhammad Fahad, who reached his hundred in 29 balls.

Among batters from Full Member nations, Abhishek’s 30-ball century moved him to the top of the list. The previous mark was 33 balls, achieved by Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza and New Zealand’s Finn Allen.

Abhishek Sharma dominates the powerplay

Abhishek’s attack began from the opening overs. He reached his half-century in only 16 balls before accelerating further.

During the first six overs, Abhishek scored 76 runs from 22 balls while remaining unbeaten at the end of the Powerplay. That became the highest individual score by a batter in the first six overs of a men’s T20I, according to NDTV and ICC.

India also reached 100 without losing a wicket during the Powerplay, with Abhishek and Sanju Samson combining to take India to 100 without loss at the end of the first six overs.

Abhishek dismissed for 108

Abhishek’s record-breaking innings ended at 108 when Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan dismissed him just before the halfway stage of India’s innings.

His final score came from 34 deliveries and included nine fours and 11 sixes, giving him a strike rate of more than 300.

Sanju Samson also contributed to India’s fast start before continuing his innings after Abhishek’s dismissal. The opening pair had put India in a strong position during the early overs.

India’s series position

India entered the third T20I with an unassailable 2-0 lead after winning both of the first two matches against Afghanistan by seven wickets.

Abhishek had already made 82 in the opening match and 39 in the second T20I before producing his record century in the final game.

The third match is being played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, with Afghanistan winning the toss and choosing to field.

What record did Abhishek Sharma break?

Abhishek Sharma broke Rohit Sharma’s record for the fastest T20I century by an Indian batter. Rohit had scored his century in 35 balls against Sri Lanka in 2017, while Abhishek reached the landmark in 30 deliveries against Afghanistan.