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Kohli says Indian players discussed farmers’ protest in team meeting

Indian skipper Virat Kohli has said that the Indian team discussed the farmers’ protest issue in the team meeting. The farmers’ issue and Indian cricket got connected as all the major Indian cricketers tweeted a similar tweet with the hashtag #IndiaTogether. "Any issue which is present in the country, we do talk about it & everyone has expressed what they had to say about the issue. We briefly spoke about it in the team meeting and then we carried on discussing the team's plans," Kohli said that in the pre-match press conference in Chennai. Indian cricketers, both former and current including former greats like Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble too tweeted with the same hashtag and it was supposed to be an answer to the Rihanna and Greta Thornberg tweets supporting the farmers’ strike going on in Delhi. "Let us all stay united in this hour of disagreements. Farmers are an integral part of our country and I'm sure an amicable solution will be found between all parties to bring about peace and move forward together," Kohli had tweeted on Wednesday, 04th February. Kohli, 32, also talked about his love for the game saying that the hunger to play for India and win games while playing would not go until and unless he retires. "I can never lose my love for cricket and I was always connected to my team even when away. I will continue to enjoy my cricket and taking Indian cricket forward and that is how it will be till the day I retire,” said Kohli.

Services batsman Rahul Singh hopes for IPL contract post successful SMAT 2021

“I kept myself calm and focused on my game which helped me during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy because initially I was under bit of a pressure that I wasn’t scoring runs in the shorter format,” says Services batsman Rahul Singh who scored 244 runs in five matches in SMAT. In an exclusive interaction with OneCricket, Singh talks about his SMAT performance, IPL selections and COVID-19. Talk to us about your SMAT performance. I had a good run in SMAT and want to continue that in Vijaya Hazare Trophy. I’m happy that I have been among runs in the T20 format too. I was scoring runs in days cricket and one day format and have now scored some runs in shorter format too. Are you expecting to get selected for IPL this time? The franchise do keep an eye on you if you scoring runs in domestic cricket especially in T20 format. So, I have scored runs and hope some franchise acknowledges that. But at the end of the day it is a process, it’s good if I get selected but if I’m not, it won’t affect me and I would rather concentrate on my own game. Though, I have given trails for Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals. What do you think about holding Vijay Hazare trophy and not Ranji? Well, Ranji Trophy is not having because there is not much time so holding a full-fledged Vijaya Hazare is surely a better option. How did you keep fit during COVID-19? We did a lot of home workout during the COVID-19. But to be honest, we have realised that home workouts are not enough. We all are putting in more effort now to compensate on the time we lost during the pandemic. Do you get disappointed when you get unnoticed for India call-up? Yes, there is a bit of disappointment but that is because I feel that I didn’t perform to an extent that I get noticed. So I try to focus on doing better. For example, I was focusing on T20s this time because I was not able to perform that well in this format. What changes did you make to play the shorter format? The technique wasn’t a problem though but certainly my mindset was. So I had a chat with my father and he suggested me to stay calm. This did work for me and I started scoring runs with a better strike-rate as compared to earlier seasons. My natural game is attacking so I just went with instincts. Moreover, I practiced more and played more balls in the nets. I had a gut feeling that if I play my natural game and not get under pressure, I would be able to score runs and it did happen. Tell us about your routine. In the morning we have out fitness session while we go for our nets in the day time. I go for practice on my own in the break time that we get in the middle. What went wrong in the SMAT 2021? Actually, we lost a lot of time due to COVID-19 outburst. We were not able to get that span for practice and subsequently we didn’t get the momentum. We did try to give our best but certainly that wasn’t enough. Would there be any team changes? Actually, we have a respective combination for all the tournaments so there would be a little bit of tweak in the squad not much.

PCB allows 20% crowds for PSL games: Reports

The Pakistan Cricket Board has decided to allow 20% crowds in stadiums for the upcoming Pakistan Super League, which is scheduled to start from 20th February at the National Stadium in Karachi. “PCB has confirmed that 20% of crowds will be allowed to attend PSL matches. The decision means around 7,500 ticketed spectators will be allowed access inside the National Stadium each match day, while around 5,500 will be able to attend each match at the Gaddafi Stadium,” Saj Sadiq, a prominent cricket journalist from Pakistan tweeted. This year’s PSL will be played in only two stadiums that is the National Stadium in Karachi and the Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore with the first game between Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators to be played out in Karachi. Talking about the security for the tournament, which has always remained a big concern with cricket in Pakistan, the PCB said that it would be working with the National Command and Operation Centre to make sure that security is beefed up for the entire tournament. "During the course of the PSL, the National Command and Operation Centre and the PCB will continue to work together and monitor the situation before a decision to increase crowd numbers for the three playoffs and the final is made," Sadiq quoted PCB as saying.

Rishabh Pant part of playing XI in Chennai Test: Kohli

Indian Cricket captain Virat Kohli has confirmed that Rishabh Pant is going to play in the first Test against England at the Chepauk in Chennai. Speaking to the media on the eve of the first Test, Kohli said that the wicketkeeper is in a good headspace and therefore the team would like to continue with him. "Yes, Rishabh (Pant) will start tomorrow. He had a massive impact in Australia and is in a good headspace and we want to continue with him. He's come along nicely after the IPL and he's worked hard in his fitness and his game. We were very happy to see him flourish," he said. Kohli also said that the team would like to give a long rope to Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill as an opener confirming that the two will start the series as well. “We are looking forward to giving Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill a long rope as openers. We look forward to good starts from them in all the Test matches we play,’ he said. The Indian team plays their first home game after the covid-19 hiatus as they take on England in the first test at Chennai tomorrow, i.e. 5th February.