ICC to host decade awards soon; fans back Kohli to win Player of the Decade

India will be 'smoked' 4-0 if Virat Kohli doesn't set the tone: Michael Clarke

The fact that Virat Kohli’s absence from the Test series in Australia may well have a huge impact on the outcome of the series is known to all and now a former Australian captain Michael Clarke has painted a grim picture of the Kohli-less Indian Test team. The right-hander has said that Virat Kohli will have a huge role to play in setting the tone in the limited-overs leg of the tour and if he fails to deliver on that front, there will be no bouncing back from the men in blue in the captaincy of Ajinkya Rahane. He added that an unsuccessful series in white-ball format will land Indian team in deep trouble heading into the Test series and Australians will prove too strong for them. “These one-dayers and these Twenty20s is where Virat Kohli can really stand up and lead from the front. If India doesn’t have success in the One-dayers and the T20s, they are in deep trouble in the Test matches and they’ll get smoked 4-0, in my opinion. I think the tone he sets with this team will play a big role when he leaves, after the first Test match,” Clarke said on Sky Sports Radio. Apart from Virat Kohli, Clarke pinned India’s hopes on speedster Jasprit Bumrah who has been in terrific form throughout his career and was one of the brightest spots for the team on the last tour of Australia. He added that Bumrah has troubled opener David Warner in the past and he has the quality and pedigree to challenge the perpetually improving Steve Smith who has been a thorn in the Indians’ flesh in the previous series he played. He rated Bumrah as the best short-form bowler going around in the world along with an exceptional record in Test cricket. He suggested that Bumrah needs to be aggressive against the Aussie batting line which will make for a riveting contest in the Tests series starting December 17. “Opening bowler, probably the best short-form bowler in the world at the moment but his success in Test cricket has been exceptional as well. He’s quick, he’s got a really different action, so I think he needs to set the tone and be really aggressive to the Australian batters. Again, it’s not just about the wickets he takes, it’s how he bowls. He’s got Davey Warner’s measure at the moment, he’s got him out a number of times. Even to someone like Steve Smith, he’s got to use that short ball consistently and regularly, like Jofra Archer did to Steve Smith in the Ashes. They’ve got to take the Aussies on and those two players are India’s best two players to be aggressive to the Australians,” Clarke added on his outlook of the Indian team’s chances against Australia which has come back to ist full strength with the return of David Warner and Steve Smith who were missing from the team during the last series. The Indian team has been jolted by injury concerns to its marquee players such as Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma while Virat Kohli will return home for the birth of his first child. However, the absence of these star players will give the perfect opportunity to players sitting on the fringe for so long to come into reckoning and make a name for themselves.

Aus vs Ind | Rohit, Ishant ruled out of first two Tests: Report

Opener Rohit Sharma and pacer Ishant Sharma are all but ruled out of at least the first two Tests of the four-Tests match series against Australia scheduled to begin on December 17. However, their participation in the last two Tests of the series that are scheduled only in January 2021 will depend on how quickly the National Cricket Academy consider them match fit for Test matches and BCCI manages logistics. Out of the two, Ishant Sharma’s case in more precarious than Rohit’s as the pacer might as well run out of time for the Third Test as well as he will need a workload of four weeks to prepare for a Test match and keeping in mind the quarantine norms being imposed on people entering Australia, he will have to board the flight to Australia in order to spend six weeks before he can claim a place in the playing XI. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma is not very close to the full fitness deemed required to play a Test match and is likely to be cleared to travel down under only in the second week of December and adding the two weeks period of quarantine, he will be able to join the training of the Indian team only after December 22 which will rule him out of all the warm-up games and the first Test. The Selection Committee had named both Ishant and Rohit under the watchlist of the BCCI medical team and said that a call will be taken on the duo and Rohit was added to the Test squad while Ishant remained on the watchlist. The absence of both Ishant and Rohit along with the return of Virat Kohli will deplete the composition of the India team massively and it will open up holes in all the aspects of the game. Meanwhile, some unconfirmed media reports have claimed that the team management led by the captain Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri has asked for the inclusion of right-handed Shreyas Iyer in place of Rohit Sharma in case he misses out. Iyer has a strong record in domestic cricket to stake a claim in the Test squad and his presence in the white-ball squads will boost his chances of selection looking at the restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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.

Virat Kohli's advice helps Mohammed Siraj staying strong for his father's dreams

Indian pacer Mohammaed Siraj must have seen both the great and the worst aspect of life, more so as an international cricketer when he was locked in Australia for an all-important series and could not decide to come back to his home to see his father for the last time in a span of 10 days, but he is holding it on and getting on with the life showing exemplary mental toughness and commitment to the game and his country. What really helped him calm his nerves and anxieties after suffering a heart-breaking tragedy in the loss of his father was the advice from his skipper Virat Kohli who advised him to stay strong and fulfill his father’s dream of him playing for Indian in the blue jersey. Siraj said that the advice he got from Kohli were words of positive energy and it helped him refocus on his own game. "Virat bhai said Miyaan tension mat le (don't take stress) and be strong. Your dad wanted you to play for India. So, do that and don't stress. "The skipper told me, 'If you can be strong in this situation, it will only help you'. So those were positive words from the Indian captain and it felt nice," Siraj told 'bcci.tv' on the sidelines of India's training session in Sydney. However, Siraj could not hold back the emotions for his father whom he credited for all his success and journey so far in the Cricketing world. He sounded motivated to live his father’s dreams and shine on the big stage to make him feel proud. Siraj also spoke highly of his Indian teammates, who he said supported him in probably the toughest phase of his life. "It's a huge loss for me as he was the biggest support system of my life. He wanted me to shine for my country and my mindset now is to fulfill his dreams. "I am indebted to my teammates as they stood by me in these tough times and everything was well taken care of,” Siraj added. Mohammed Siraj has a long career ahead of him if he gets it right, especially in the white-ball format. He is rated as one of the bright prospects for the future of Indian cricket and the tour of Australia could just be the start of something special for both him and his family who has been jolted by the loss of his father.