Fakhar Zaman creates world record; reaches to highest second innings individual score in ODIs

IPL 2021: Buttler reveals his most inspiring sportsperson; wants Pat Cummins to play for England

Swiss tennis star Roger Federer is someone who inspires Rajasthan Royals marquee player Jos Buttler to put in the hard yards in all walks of life with grace and style. The Englishman is also awed by how the tennis legend is still able to remain in the mix of the heat, even after entering the late thirties. “Federer is someone whose journey inspires me a lot. He has always been sort of a huge talent as a kid, always talked about that he was going to be a great of the game,” Buttler was said in a Q/A video uploaded by the Royals on their official Twitter handle. “But then to go on to show the desire the consistency and longevity are just amazing. Doing it all at 38 with the huge amount of grace and style that he does is just inspirational,” added the Somerset player. Buttler, 30, was also asked that among the current lot of international players which one would make it to the English team without any hurdle. Answering that he chose Australia vice-captain in Tests, Pat Cummins. “Pat Cummins would fit automatically into the English side. I would like to see him operating with Jofra Archer for England. That would be a deadly combination," said Buttler. Buttler, who has played 58 IPL games, scoring 1714 runs at more than a decent average of 34.97, was also asked to pick one player from the yesteryears whom he would have liked to play with or against. To many people’s surprise, he chose West Indian great Sir Vivian Richards, not only because of his flamboyant nature but because Buttler’s father used to talk a lot about him as the great man too played for Somerset. “Sir Viv Richards is the one player he wanted to play with. He was my dad’s all-time favourite player. He played for Somerset where I grew up playing and there are so many stories related to him and [Ian] Botham batting together at my home ground. He was always ahead of the game and I think he would have been a great T20 player,” said Buttler.

IPL 2021: BCCI in talks with health ministry to vaccinate the players

The second wave of COVID-19 has affected India and the impending trouble to the bio-bubbles for the upcoming edition of the IPL has meant that the BCCI is mulling the idea of vaccinating its players by getting in touch with the Union Health Ministry. Devdutt Padikkal of the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Axar Patel of the Delhi Capitals tested positive for the virus very recently. Even KKR batsman Nitish Rana was also infected by the virus not long ago. This has put the bio-bubble in jeopardy. With only a few days left for the start of the 14th season of the IPL, this has become a genuine concern on how to get things into place with the tension already mounting. Meanwhile, the BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla announced that the board is trying to get in touch with the Health Ministry to vaccinate the players. "In order to cope with this coronavirus rise, I think the only solution is to get vaccinated. BCCI is also thinking on those lines that players should be vaccinated,” Shukla was quoted as saying by the ANI. “Nobody knows when coronavirus is going to end and you can't give a deadline that by this time frame, it will not be there so players can play easily. So, I think now will have to think over that. Vaccination should be done for the players also.” Meanwhile, former Indian skipper and President of the Hyderabad Cricket Association Mohammad Azharuddin offered the facilities of the state body to the BCCI to host the upcoming cash-rich league in case the matches slated to be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai are shifted out. The COVID situation in Mumbai is worsening with each day but with the bio-bubble in place, the management is hopeful of still conducting the matches at the Wankhede Stadium. "In these difficult times there are all the more reasons for us to stand by each other. Hyderabad Cricket Association would like to offer its facilities to @BCCI to ensure that IPL2021 is conducted in safe and secure venues," Azharuddin wrote on his Twitter handle. Despite over 9,000 cases getting reported in Mumbai on Saturday, a senior BCCI office-bearer is confident of still hosting the matches in Mumbai. "Look, even if there is a lockdown, the teams are in bio-bubble and also it's a closed-door event. So we are still confident that IPL games in Mumbai will be held as per schedule with Delhi Capitals playing Chennai Super Kings on April 10 on the second day of the tournament," he had said.

IPL 2021: Shubman Gill is ready to fit into any role given by captain Eoin Morgan

Promising young Indian batsman Shubhman Gill is of the opinion that strike rate is overrated and for him, the biggest strength of a batsman is to adjust to different situations and conditions without having a specific game plan for the situation. Gill who played a pivotal role in India’s historic triumph Down Under has limited experience of ODI and T20 cricket. While he has played just 3 ODI’s for India, he is yet to make his T20I debut. He has often come under scrutiny for his slow strike rate for the Kolkata Knight Riders but Gill isn’t bothered by that. "I think strike-rate is kind of overrated," Gill who will be a vital cog for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the upcoming said during an exclusive interview with the PTI. "It's all about how you adapt to a certain situation. If the team demands you to play with a strike rate of 200 you should be able to do it. If the team demands you to play at a strike rate of 100, you should be able to do it. It's just about adapting to the match situation," he said confidently. "There shouldn't be a certain pattern to your game where you are only able to play one kind of game and not being able to adapt to different situations," he added. Gill had a terrific time with the bat in Australia but couldn’t quite follow it up in the home Test series against England. He scored just one half-century in 7 innings as India thrashed England 3-1 in the 4 Test affair. Gill last played for India in the white-ball format against Australia in December last year but the lack of game time especially in the white ball format isn’t something to worry about feels the talented right-handed batsman. "I don't think it will affect anything because we have almost 10-12 days before our first match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (April 11) so there's plenty of time for me to prepare," he said. Gill opened the batting for Kolkata Knight Riders all through the last edition of the IPL but he is ready to fit into any role given by the skipper Eoin Morgan. "I'll be pretty comfortable and up for it whether the team requires me to bat in the middle-order or higher up. I'm up for anything," he said. Gill said that each of the three formats of the game has its own charm and has its own experiences. "Honestly, All the three formats have their own excitement and have their own experiences." "In Test matches, there's a different type of rush and excitement. In ODIs, there's a different kind of rush and when you're playing T20s, it's different. All three are different but all three are really exciting." Gill made his Test debut against Australia in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne last year. India was coming off a horrendous performance in the opening Test having being bowled out for their lowest ever Test score (36) in the second innings. Reflecting on that, Gill said that it was a bitter pill to swallow to see the best batting line-up getting bundled out for less than 40 runs. "It was not a great feeling when you see the best batting lineup in the world getting bundled out for less than 40 runs. "Seeing our batsmen getting out for such low scores, I think, it kind of motivated me more to do well whenever I got a chance. I was really determined to do well." "Before the Adelaide Test only I knew that I'll be playing the second match in Melbourne because that's when Virat Bhai was leaving so Ravi Sir told me that I'll be playing from the second Test onwards," he remembered. Gill smashed a sensational counter-attacking 91 in the second innings of the final Test at the Gabba in Brisbane which was a perfect set-up for the historic run-chase of 328. Recalling that match, Gill said he really wanted to get a century that day and thought he deserved that feat but that wasn’t to be. "I really wanted to get 100 on that day I thought I deserved it. But once I got to the 90s, I knew that I was getting a bit nervous. I thought I would ask for drinks to calm down my nerves but I got out in the same over," he recalled. "If I have to rate my innings it was nine out of 10. If I would have got a 100 obviously I would have been able to express myself more," he said. Gill looks a matured cricketer even at a very young age and most of his shots ooze class and confidence. However, he is guilty of not converting his starts into a big one. "When I look back, I don't think I would have done anything differently. I don't have any regrets. "I don't think there is any concern in not being able to convert those starts. If I see my innings, there are very few innings in which I've thrown my wicket away. "In most of the innings, where I have not been able to convert my starts, there have been good balls," he pointed out. Quite often Gill is seen bowling his off-breaks in the KKR nets. Reflecting on that aspect of his game, Gill recalled that he used to bowl a lot during his U 16 and U 19 days but after being called for suspect action he kind of stopped bowling. "In U-16 and U-19, I used to bowl a lot but I was warned for suspect action in U-19 then I kind of stopped bowling." "Let's see, you never know I might pick it up and be determined to bowl. I think I should be able to do a pretty good job," he signed off.

IPL 2021: Amit Mishra excited to play under new captain Rishabh Pant

There is certainly no doubt about the fact that leg-spin is one of the most if not the most difficult arts in cricket. It takes years of hard work and honing the skills which makes one a good leg spinner. However one of IPL’s most successful leg spinner is of the opinion that to go with hours of training, a leg spinner also needs a good captain to back him. Indian cricket has moved from finger spin to wrist spin and has again returned to finger spin in the last few years because of the lack of consistency from the wrist spinners. Amit Mishra is of the opinion that a good captain is paramount in the evolution of wrist spinners. "Any leg-spinner needs a good captain because when the bowler is under attack, you need that sort of a skipper, who would back you to the hilt and give you that requisite confidence even when you have gone for a few runs," Mishra was quoted as saying by the PTI during an exclusive interview. "A captain who basically understands the psyche of a leg-spinner," added Mishra. The leg spinner will be back in Delhi Capitals colours when the 14th edition of the tournament kicks off on 9th April. Mishra has played 68 matches for India across formats. He has been out of the national team for a considerable amount of time and especially with the emergence of bowlers like Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. Barring these two and Rahul Chahar, India doesn't have enough wrist spinners. Rahul Tewatia is a leggie as well but he is more of a batting all-rounder and Mishra feels the wrists spinners should share the knowledge of the art with the next generation. "In the past 5-6 years, we have had some good leg-spinners but we will get more quality as we get more such bowlers, who have learnt the craft, and share the knowledge of their art with the next generation. "The passing of knowledge is very important more so for leg-spin which is an art form," said Mishra. The leggie is the second-highest wicket-taker in the history of the Indian Premier League with 160 wickets under his belt just behind Lasith Malinga’s 170 wickets. "I am not for once saying that we don't have good leg-spinners, we have quite a few but yes what a lot of them need is guidance. Once that guidance is available, you will see a large number of them." When asked what are the qualities that make a good wrist spinner, Mishra said, "You should know how to bowl according to situations and which particular variation suits which situation. Also, a wrist spinner, apart from being a good wicket-taking option, should also strive to be someone who can also play the restrictive role, if need be." In an era of T20 and T10 cricket where batsmen have found new ways to come out on top, it has become pretty challenging for the bowlers to find ways to get them out and keep them under check. Mishra feels with the evolution of batsmen, the bowlers should also start trying out new variations and try applying them in matches. "T20 is a game where you can't afford to relax, especially in IPL, because batsmen are always looking to attack you. If you look over the years, how many variations that have come in T20 strokeplay and the bowler also needs to evolve." Quite interestingly Mishra was the Man of the Match and Man of the Series in the last ODI series he played against New Zealand in 2016. He had bagged 15 wickets in the series and after playing two more T20I matches he could never make his return to the national side. When asked whether there is a perception about him as well being a slower through the air bowler, Mishra said that playing in the IPL for the last 13 years goes onto prove his skills and is an achievement in itself. "I can't stop people from drawing their own conclusions but proof of my abilities is the fact that I am playing the world's toughest T20 league for the past 13 seasons, which is an achievement in itself. "I am still second in the list of all-time T20 wicket-takers in IPL. Isse zyada kya performance karega insaan? (What else can one do? I am a top performer in an elite league, where competition is fierce). "My job is to perform and I have been doing that for ages now, so what people think about me hardly makes a difference. "No point being negative or bitter as it would hardly serve any purpose. I play because I still love this game. Next year, I will again play domestic cricket if my body permits." Amit Mishra started off his IPL career under the leadership of Virender Sehwag in 2008 plying his trade for the Delhi Daredevils now Capitals. Come 2021, the veteran leg-spinner will be playing under the leadership of Rishabh Pant who was a school kid back then. "I had a good relation with Virender Sehwag and similarly I share a great bond with Rishabh Pant. I am very happy that he is the captain. He has changed himself in every aspect with regards to his game, fitness and inherent nature and that shows, he has changed his game completely in 4-5 months." The leg-spinner sustained a hand injury during the previous IPL which ruled him out of the majority of the tournament. With the 14th edition slated to start in a few days time, Mishra is looking forward to his stint with the Delhi Capitals. "Last season I missed out on playing the finals, something that I had waited for years. It felt good that all the teammates sent a lot of messages that they missed me. This year, I am raring to go and give my best," Mishra signed off.