ENG W vs IND W | One-off Test, Day 1: Sneh Rana, Deepti Sharma pull things back after Heather Knight’s 95

Two Indian teams in two locations a permanent feature in covid ridden world: BCCI Treasurer

The Board of control for Cricket in India is not averse to having two different Indian national teams competing in two different series at different locations at the same time. BCCI Treasurer Arun Kumar Dhumal stressed upon this point saying, "It is a definite possibility that India could play another limited-overs tour with a younger squad while the main team players are playing elsewhere or need a break. The COVID-19 related restrictions also need to be factored in.” Further, the veteran administrator feels that with such a policy the strong Indian bench strength would also get the key exposure instead of warming the bench. Along with that, this move would also help those boards which are facing financial problems due to Covid. "It (two India squads) also shows the solid bench strength of the Indian team and gives us an opportunity to organise more bilateral cricket and help other boards which are facing financial challenges amid the pandemic," Dhumal was quoted as saying to PTI. "It is imperative to come up with new ideas to deal with the loss of bilateral cricket that has happened over the last 18 months," he added. The Indian board will be sending a side led by Shikhar Dhawan to play Sri Lanka in a three-match each ODI and T20I series starting July 13. All the matches would be played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. While the second-string Indian side would be in Sri Lanka the main team is already in England and would be playing the World Test Championship Final against New Zealand starting June 18. The Virat Kohli led side would then play a five-match Test series against hosts England as well.

WTC Final: Top 5 batting performances

The stage is all set for the final of the inaugural World Test Championship. India and New Zealand will lock horns with each other in the title clash scheduled to take place in Southampton from June 18. The Virat Kohli-led side marched into the WTC final in a dramatic manner. They had a dismal start to the tour DownUnder earlier and were bundled out for 36 in the first Test to go 0-1 down in the four-match series. Moreover, the regular skipper Kohli had to return back home for the birth of his first child. The Indian team then suffered some injury blows with key players like Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Hanuma Vihari, Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul getting ruled out during the course of the series. The visitors were also racially abused. But the side faced all the hurdles in the most brilliant way. The youngsters took the onus on themselves and led India to a series win by 2-1. The Indian team then faced England at home and lost the first match of the four-match tie. Kohli’s troops turned the fortunes for themselves in the rest of the fixtures and eventually etched a win in the series by 3-1 margin. On the other hand, Kane Williamson’s New Zealand faced Pakistan at home and defeated them 2-0 with the captain starring for his side in the series and India’s 2-1 win against Australia was enough to make them register a berth in the final. Well, the WTC witnessed a number of incredible performances with the bat and here we bring you some fascinating knocks from the tournament that left a mark. Rishabh Pant in Australia Whenever one would talk about the Border-Gavaskar trophy and how India managed to defend it in 2021, discussion about wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant’s contribution to this victorious triumph would top the charts. The aggressive left-handed batsman produced a magic not once but twice on the Australian soil and showed why the pundits rate him so high. A few years back when Pant was bursting onto the scene, he had a tendency of going after the bowlers right from the starting and used to give away his wicket. But a little tweak in the series against Australia did wonders for this young lad. He first got his eye in and then began to play his strokes which didn’t just help him score runs but also made him play a vital part in India’s win. There were two instances where Pant showed his calibre and class. The first one came in the second Test in Sydney where he notched up 97 as India managed to end the match in a draw. India were already trailing 0-1 in the series and were handed a target of 407 runs in the second innings. After getting reduced to 102/3 with the likes of stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane and experienced opener Rohit Sharma back in the hut, the responsibility of providing the resistance to the side was on Cheteshwar Pujara and Pant. The two stitched a stand of 148 runs for the fourth wicket before Pant departed for 97. India eventually ended the proceedings at 334/5 as the match was drawn. The second instance of his brilliance came in Brisbane in the fourth and final Test. The series was levelled at 1-1 and a draw in this game would have meant that the Border-Gavaskar Trophy would remain with India as they had won it in 2018-19. But Rishabh had other plans. India were asked to chase 328 and had a disappointing start after losing Rohit early in the innings. But another youngster Shubman Gill showed his skills and chipped in with a crucial 91 and built a partnership of 114 runs for the second wicket with Pujara. While Gill’s departure saw wickets falling at regular intervals, Pant stood strong at the other end and eventually remained unbeaten at 89 to hit the winning runs for the team. India won the match by 3 wickets and wrapped up the series in their favour. Ben Stokes vs Australia (Ashes 2019) There are moments that become a nightmare for a player and then there are some events which he/she cherishes for life. England all-rounder Ben Stokes is a perfect example of how this game plays a balancing act. In the 2016 World T20 final against West Indies, Stokes was hit for four maximums by Brathwaite. England had lost yet another tournament final and Stokes was down in dismay. Cut to 2019, England were in the final of the 50-over World Cup against New Zealand at Lord’s. While England looked to be on the backfoot at one stage, Stokes’ unbeaten 84 helped them to somehow take the match in the Super Over. England eventually won the World Cup in the Super Over on the basis of boundary county, a rule that was later scrapped by the ICC. A month later, the left-handed batsman was once again writing his name in the record books. This was the third Ashes Test at Leeds between England and Australia and the hosts needed 359 to win. They have had a dismal run in the match so far after getting bowled out for 67 in the first innings and no one really expected to see what unfolded next. Chasing 359, England were reduced to 286/9 with Stokes and Jack Leach out there in the middle. The two shared a stand of 76 runs for the last wicket as the home side went on to win the match by just one wicket. Leach impressed everyone with his defence as he scored just one run in 17 balls that he faced. David Warner vs Pakistan Australia opener David Warner is the only batsman to score a triple-hundred in the World Test Championship. The left-hander achieved the feat against Pakistan the Day-Night against the Asian side in Adelaide in 2019. Batting first, the hosts put up a mammoth 589/3 (D) after Warner remained unbeaten at 335 while Marnus Labuschagne scored 162 in the first innings. Later, the Australian seamers rattled Pakistan before tai lender Yasir Shah notched up a ton during the course while Babar Azam fell short of a century by just three runs. Starc picked up six, Cummins had three wickets to his name while Hazlewood scalped one as Australia bundled out the visitors for 302 enforcing the follow-on. Nothing much changed for Pakistan in the second innings too as Nathan Lyon ripped apart their batting unit to bag a fifer. The visitors were bowled out for 239 to suffer a defeat by an innings and 48 runs. Virat Kohli vs South Africa India are simply ruthless when they play at home and this Test match against the Proteas in Pune in October 2019 was another example of something similar. Batting first, India rode on some fine piece of batting from opener Mayank Agarwal, captain Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja to post a huge total of 601/5 (D). While Agarwal scored a ton, Jadeja missed out on a century by 9 runs. But captain Kohli was in a different zone altogether. He was eyeing the ball perfectly and had precision in every stroke that he played. The right-hander notched up 254* which is also his best Test score till date before declaring the innings. Kohli’s knock of an unbeaten 254 is the third highest individual score so far in the WTC. India later bowled out South Africa for 275 and 189 in the first and second innings respectively to win the match by an innings and 137 runs. Kohli holds the record for the highest number of double-centuries in Test cricket for India. The swashbuckling batsman has seven double tons to his name. Kane Williamson vs West Indies New Zealand captain Kane Williamson is probably one of the finest batsmen across the format that world cricket has ever seen. The right-handed elegant batsman has almost every shot in his textbook that has made him a successful player at the highest level. One of Williamson’s greatest knocks ever in Test cricket came against West Indies in Hamilton in December 2020 when he struck 251. Williamson’s 251 is also the fourth highest individual score in WTC so far. The Kiwi skipper’s double-century helped his side post 519/7 (D) in the first innings while the bowlers did the job and cleaned up West Indies for 138 and 247 in the first and second innings respectively. The hosts won the match by an innings and 134 runs. While these were the top five batting performances according to us, there were few more magnificent knocks which couldn’t make it to the above tally and one of them came from Kyle Mayers. The West Indian struck 210* in the second innings against Bangladesh in Chattogram earlier this year to take his side over the line by 3 wickets. Chasing 395, West Indies were reduced to 59/3 before Mayers and Bonner joined hands and put up 216 runs for the fourth wicket to eventually win the game. Well, all said and done, India and New Zealand are all set for the summit clash that begins on Friday. You all stay with us for the live coverage of this much awaited clash and all the latest updates from the world of cricket.

Faf du Plessis ruled out of remainder of PSL owing to concussion

Faf du Plessis has been ruled out of the remainder of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) which is underway at the United Arab Emirates. Du Plessis suffered a concussion during his side Quetta Gladiators’ match against the Peshawar Zalmi on Sunday and had to be substituted immediately. The former South African skipper will be flying back to his country on Wednesday night. The South African superstar who is known to be one of the finest fielders around went for a full-fledged dive to stop a drive down the ground from the blade of his countryman David Miller and had a high-speed collision with Mohammad Hasnain. Rushing in from long-off Hasnain tried to get out of the way but the momentum didn’t allow him to move away and du Plessis’ head crashed into his knee. Faf looked dazed after the collision and laid in the ground for a while before the physio came out and attended him. He eventually got back to his feet and was later taken to the hospital. He was eventually replaced by Saim Ayub in the playing XI. Later in the day, du Plessis tweeted that he suffered a concussion with some memory loss. “Thank you everyone for all the messages of support. I’m back at the hotel recovering. Have concussion with some memory loss but I will be fine. Hopefully will be back on the field soon. Much love,” du Plessis had tweeted. Earlier in the tournament, swashbuckling West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell also suffered a concussion after being hit on the helmet by a ferocious bouncer from Mohammad Musa. He hasn’t played any game since.

Ankeet Chavan cleared to resume professional cricket after serving 7 year ban for spot fixing

Former Rajasthan Royals all-rounder and one of three players from the franchise who was banned for life for the alleged spot-fixing in the 2013 Indian Premier League (IPL) Ankeet Chavan has been freed from his life ban and can resume his duties as a professional cricketer after the ban was reduced to 7 years. The 35-year-old left-arm spinner who was earlier banned for life by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) can now take part in competitive cricket. “I want to play cricket again, I want to go back to the ground and start playing. I still feel I have it in me to make a comeback. Being a spinning all-rounder I have kept myself fit. It was a very, very tough time for me. It was the most difficult phase of my life. My home is near Shivaji Park and still, I couldn’t play. Imagine a situation like this for a cricketer. I’m really eager and excited and looking forward to play again,” Chavan was quoted as saying by the Indian Express. In an email which was accessed by the ESPN Cricinfo, BCCI interim chief executive Hemang Amin confirmed in a letter to Chavan that his life bn has been revoked to 7 years which means it effectively ended on 13th September 2020. “The Learned Ombudsman, has restricted the ban imposed on you from life ban to 7 years, with effect from 13 September 2013. In view of the order dated 3 May 2021, the ban imposed on you, therefore, ended on 13 September 2020,” the BCCI interim CEO Hemang Amin wrote. Despite the ban in principle getting over in September 2020 Chavan had to wait until May 3, 2021 to get a copy of the order from the ombudsman, unlike Sreesanth’s case who got the term reduction copy back in August last year. Chavan had to request the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) to apply to the BCCI for a confirmation letter which was finally received on June 15. "The ban has been completely over as of September 2020," Chavan told PTI on Tuesday after his life ban was revoked. "I am open for whatever (comes) my way. I am really looking forward to getting on the ground as soon as possible. "Unfortunately, because of the pandemic (Covid-19) and the rains, the grounds would probably be closed but whichever opportunity I get to be back at the ground, I will be really eager for that." Back in 2013, the BCCI disciplinary committee handed him a life ban along with Sreesanth and Ajit Chandila. While the Delhi trial court dismissed all the charges against all of these three players due to the lack of evidence, BCCI continued to impose the life ban on all three players.