Delhi Capitals sign up Anirudha Joshi, Shams Mulani as replacements for Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel

IPL 2021: Riyan Parag reveals the impact of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli in his cricketing journey

A rising star in IPL, Riyan Parag has been a revelation for the Rajasthan Royals in the competition in the last two years. He hasn’t scored a truckload of runs but the manner in which it comes and the impact it does to the context of a match is big. He has played some amazing cameos from difficult situations and even in the previous encounter against the Punjab Kings, Parag’s quickfire knock of 25 of 11 deliveries almost made the difference. His rise to top-level cricket has been steady and he aspires to play for India in the middle order one day. In an exclusive interview with Cricbuzz, Parag revealed his aspirations in life and what the IPL has done to him and many more. He also spoke on the impact of MS Dhoni in his life and his exposure of rubbing shoulders with some of the best named in international cricket. Speaking on the impact IPL had in his life, Riyan Parag said that mentality wise its IPL has benefited him because unlike in domestic cricket teams have to wait to face a good team if they qualify for the quarter-final but in IPL getting the chance to rub shoulders with Steve Smith, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer has really been a learning curve for Parag. “Mentality wise IPL a big positive impact. When you get to play for your state you will some great players but when you play in the IPL and share the dressing room with players like Steve Smith, Ben Stokes, Ajinkya Rahane, Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer. These are top top players at the international level." Parag said. "And then when you come up against people like Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni, it makes you mentally very strong. When you play the IPL, you obviously have the skill level, but what gives you the extra edge is that mental aspect. So when you play in front of big crowds on a platform like this, it gives you immense mental strength. Secondly, about life, it feels good when so many people start recognising me. That wasn't the case in Under-19 cricket, however, it's a different story and that has changed my life,” Parag added on the matter. A couple of years back a picture of a very young Riyan Parag along with MS Dhoni went viral and Parag says that he doesn't even remember when that he had taken a photograph with Dhoni as he was too young and he only recalled it when the picture went viral. “When I was small I don’t even remember taking a picture with him but when I saw it I realised that it was a long journey but then it’s very inspiring. After the match, he came up to me and said you are doing well and never let the fun aspect going away from you," Parag reminisced. He also recalled the fact that Indian skipper Virat Kohli once told him that he won’t win the orange cap and should rather concentrate on scoring the quick 20’s and 30’s for the team and make sure that it helps the team in winning the match. "No, it doesn't actually [if not getting a lot of chances to bat matters to him]. I had a chat with Virat Kohli during the last IPL," Parag said. "He specifically told me that 'you are not going to get the Orange Cap. You bat No. 5 or No. 6 so there is no point in you thinking about the Orange Cap. You just think about how you can get those crucial 20 or 30 runs and when you get the chance to go in at a crucial phase, just think how you can get the team through'," he added. Here is the full interview

Babar Azam recalls Virat Kohli's advice which helped him improve his game

Pakistan skipper across formats, Babar Azam on Wednesday became the fourth Pakistani batsman to secure the top spot in ICC Rankings for batsmen in ODI cricket. He leapfrogged Virat Kohli to occupy the numero uno position. Babar Azam has been one of the finest young cricketers of the modern generation and time and again experts and fans have compared Babar with Indian skipper Virat Kohli. With the sort of rivalry, India and Pakistan share both on and off the field, comparisons are bound to come but whenever Babar has been compared with Kohli the former has always said he looks up to Kohli and he has a lot more to achieve which Kohli already has in his international career. After becoming the No 1 ODI batsman in world cricket, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) released a video where Babar can be seen indulging in an interactive session with his teammate Imam-ul-Haq. During that brief interaction, Babar Azam revealed that how a piece of advice from Virat Kohli helped him in his own batting. “Previously, I used to play at nets with a casual mind but slowly I overcame this. I understood that If I am not taking my sessions seriously, how can I perform in matches?,” Babar said. “In this regard, I once talked to Virat Kohli and he told me to take net sessions as seriously as matches. If you get out and play rash shots in nets, subsequently you will do the same in a match,” he added. Babar Azam whose ultimate dream is to become the No 1 batsman in Test cricket said that Kohli’s advice helped him a lot and that has helped him bat with more intensity in the nets. “His advice helped me and now I don’t get satisfied with my batting at nets. If my net session doesn’t go well, I am disturbed throughout the day,” Babar said. Babar Azam looked in sublime touch during the recently concluded ODI series against the Proteas. He began the series with a brilliant century and followed it up with a match-winning 94 of 82 deliveries in the series decider. His consistent run helped him get eight points clear of the Indian skipper Virat Kohli. Meanwhile he also smashed a match-winning century in the 3rd T20I which helped Pakistan chase down a mammoth target of 205 with utmost ease. His knock of 122 came in just 59 deliveries as Pakistan chased the target down with two overs to spare.

Coach Simon Katich commends maturity of Glenn Maxwell after win over Sunrisers Hyderabad

Glenn Maxwell has received a lot of praise for playing a match-winning innings against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 14. Maxwell came to bat at the number four position and helped RCB reach a defendable total although big wickets fell around him. Katich commended Maxwell for showing maturity and assessing the game situations perfectly to the RCB’s advantage. "He's shown a lot of maturity, particularly today (against SRH on Wednesday) when wickets were falling around him... He summed up the conditions really well and took the game deep, that's credit to him for his experience for summing it up and then executing right at the end when we needed some quick runs," Katich said in a video posted on RCB'’s Twitter timeline. Katich has hailed Maxwell for his quality as a team man as he has been helping other young players in the preparation for the games. Katich said that Maxwell has helped young guys in developing their fielding skills so that they can make an impact while in the field as well. "He's taken a lot of the young guys under his wing at fielding practice, worked with him on that aspect of our game because we know that's an area we have to keep being good and really open up opportunities for run out and catches." Notably, Maxwell’s innings turned out to be the difference between the two sides as his presence at the crease till the last ball made sure the Royal Challengers were not out of the game in the first innings itself. He scored his first fifty in the IPL since the 2016 edition and looks like he is really flourishing in the RCB camp after enduring a horrendous season last year with the then Kings XI Punjab.

IPL 2021: Shahbaz Ahmed has proved his worth in the team says Mohammed Siraj

Royal Challengers Bangalore speedster Mohammed Siraj hailed Shahbaz Ahmed for his match-winning performance and feels that the all-rounder has done enough to justify his selection in the playing XI. His three-wicket overturned the game on its head and eventually helped RCB win a cliffhanger by just 6 runs. With SRH requiring 35 in the last 4 overs, captain Virat Kohli handed over the ball to Shahbaz Ahmed. It was a brave call from Virat Kohli and Shahbaz repaid the faith showed in him by his skipper. Jonny Bairstow who is a sensational striker of the ball was at the crease with a well set Manish Pandey. Shahbaz Ahmed was not overawed with the decision and gave the ball a rip and bagged three wickets in the over. He bamboozled Bairstow and Manish Pandey in successive deliveries and then bagged the wicket of hard-hitter Abdul Samad which tilted the scales in favour of Bangalore. “Both Shahbaz Ahmed and Rajat Patidar (who played the last game as Devdutt Padikkal was unavailable) have been brilliant in the practice games,” Siraj said in the post-match press conference. Shahbaz, as an all-rounder, gives us that extra option with his left-arm spin. The wicket was slow and turning also. Shahbaz Ahmed fitted into it for this game and did the job for us,” he added. Siraj said that with two right-handers in the middle Virat Kohli decided to give the ball to Shahbaz Ahmed despite an experienced Washington Sundar having some overs up his sleeve. That call proved to be a masterstroke as RCB eventually won a nail-biter by just 6 runs. “We had overs left of Washington Sundar too. But Virat bhai thought with two right-handers at the crease, a left-arm spinner could be brought." “He created a chance with Manish Pandey in his first over, and that”s why he bowled another, and that changed the game for us,” said Siraj. Mohammed Siraj was himself quite impressive during his four-over spell bagging two wickets conceding just 25 runs. He had a sensational start to his spell beginning with a maiden and followed it up with another tight over. However, he was taken to the cleaners in his 3rd over but came back well in his final over after getting smashed for a six by Rashid Khan. “I just try to swing the ball with the new ball. I got swing the first ball and I thought to do more of that and get a couple of wickets." Siraj said. “The dew factor is also there and we have to overcome that. I always aim to hit back of length and let the batsmen make mistake,” he added.