Aus vs Ind: All India Radio to broadcast full series, DD to telecast limited overs games

In a development that would give pleasure to old school fans of Cricket, All India Radio has bagged the broadcasting rights for all the matches to be played during the upcoming Indian tour of Australia starting November 27. Furthermore, the Prasar Bharati that runs the Doordarshan and its sister channels will also broadcast live the limited-overs leg of the tour on TV in India. Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar has confirmed the development to Mumbai Mirror. “We have got radio rights for the series and AIR will be broadcasting all the matches. DD will show the white-ball games,” Mumbai Mirror quoted him as saying.

Sony Network has the broadcasting rights of Australian cricket in India and it will broadcast the games live in India in multiple languages. Earlier this week, the network had issued the list of commentators for its multiple language commentary panels that included big names in the broadcasting world such as Harsha Bhogle, Sanjay Manjrekar among others.

India’s tour of Australia will begin with a three-match ODI series which will be closely followed by a T20 series of equal matches and a four-match Test series. White ball series will have a huge interest in India as the Indian captain Virat Kohli is set to return home after the first Test starting December 17 in Adelaide.

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LPL 2020: Afridi misses flight to Sri Lanka, likely to miss first two games

In a bizarre series of events the Galle Gladiators captain in the Lanka Premier League 2020, Shahid Afridi missed his flight to the island nation and hence will not be available for the first two matches of the tournament. The former Pakistan captain tweeted about the event, assuring his fans that there was nothing to worry about as he will surely be available for the tournament. “Missed my flight to Colombo today morning Confused face. Nothing to worry about, I'll be reaching soon to take part in the LPL for Galle Gladiators. Look forward to joining my teammates,” Boom-Boom tweeted. This is a new worry for the league apart from various other events which has made the league be in the limelight but mostly for the wrong reasons. A few days ago two international cricketers in the form of Canadian Ravinderpal Singh and Pakistan’s Sohail Tanvir had tested positive for the dreaded covid-19. Although the final date of 40-year-old Afridi's arrival is still not confirmed, the Galle franchise said they expect him to be in Sri Lanka by Wednesday. In his absence, Vice-captain Bhanuka Rajapaksa would lead Gladiators in the first few games. Galle plays its first game against Jaffna Stallions on November 27, and another game - against Colombo Kings on November 28. All the matches of the LPL 2020 would be played in Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium, beginning 26 November. Each day would have doubleheaders.

I see no reason why he was not included: Brian Lara on Suryakumar Yadav

Even after not being selected in the Indian squad to tour Australia, Suryakumar Yadav is still hogging the limelight thanks to his brilliant performance in the Indian Premier League. Brian Lara, the West Indian batting legend has now spoken in his favour saying that his non-inclusion in the Indian squad is baffling. “I see no reason why, looking at the (Indian) squad, he can’t be a part of it,” Lara told the anchor during a discussion on Star Sports’ show ‘Cricket Connected’. The Mumbai batsman was the pick of the season with his 480 runs at an average of more than 40 and strike rate of more than 145. Saying that Surya fits in the number three squad in the Indian T20 side without any doubt, Lara quashed all the reasons of ‘no space in the side’ given by a certain group of people. “He comes to bat on the back of Rohit Sharma, and Quinton de Kock, and every time, they are under pressure, he comes in at No. 3. Just remember, other than the openers, the No. 3 batsman in any cricket team is normally your best player, your most reliable player and for me, he (Surya) has been that for Mumbai Indians,” he stated. Lara, 51, heaped great praises on the 30-year-old saying that he fits in as a class batsman by all standards. “He is a class player. I don’t just look at players that score runs; I look at their technique, capabilities under pressure, positions that they are batting, and for me, Suryakumar Yadav has done such a wonderful job for Mumbai,” said Lara.

AUS vs IND: Mitchell Marsh hopeful of playing against India A

Australian fast-bowling all-rounder, Mitchell Marsh believes that he could recover in time to play the two A games against India A, which is scheduled to take place on December 6-8 and December 11-13 respectively. “I’m hopeful, I’ll probably find out this week whether I’m ruled in or out,” Marsh told The West Australia website. Marsh got injured while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2020, post which he was rushed back to Australia, where he has been recovering ever since. Admitting that he would only be able to know on Friday about his chances of playing the games, the 29-year-old said that he needs to work on his body. “I’ll probably know on Friday, I’ve got a few things to tick off rehab-wise and then go from there. I started running last week and I’ve got a few kilos to shed before I start playing,” he said. Marsh, who has represented Australia in 32 Tests, 60 ODIs, and 15 T20Is, has talked to Rugby players and believes that the injury can heal easily, however, the Western Australian stresses the fact that he would only bat for few days, or until this year. “It’s been a pretty slow process but speaking to a few AFL players about it, it gets pretty good quickly at the end so hopefully that’s the case in the next couple of weeks. At this stage it will just be batting; I wouldn’t imagine I would be bowling until midway through the Big Bash at this point in time,” he said.