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Ipl 2021 Csks K Bhagath Varma Living Every Bit Of His Dream To Play At Big Stage

IPL 2021: CSK's K Bhagath Varma living every bit of his dream to play at big stage

Having gone the last season without any off-spinner, the Chennai Super Kings were adamant about having off-spinners in the mix. They brought the established players in Moeen Ali and Krishnappa Gowtham, while also putting their weight behind a rookie off-spinner from Andhra Pradesh in K Bhagath Varma.

Bhagath Varma had played for India-U19 against England in 2017 and was in the Andhra Pradesh side for the Vijay Hazare Trophy held earlier this year.

Looking back at the auction when he was bought for by the CSK in the auction, Bhagath Varma said that he could not believe that the team as big as the CSK could trust his talent. He said that it took a call from his mom and friends that made him convinced about his selection for the IPL 2021.

“I was like frozen for a bit, a couple of minutes..like is it really me who has been selected for the CSK team. Later, I got a call from my mom and even she was not talking much and was in tears. Friends and families everyone were happy. Yes, I was very happy,” Bhagath Varma said in a video released by CSK on Twitter.

He said that dining the yellow jersey of the CSK was a special feeling for him and that walking around the Chepauk stadium with a real opportunity to play on the big stage was like a dream coming out to be true.

“Walking in here to the Chepauk stadium wearing this yellow jersey of CSK was a dream come true and it was really exciting for me. I was in the Vijay Hazare practice session when the auction was going on. So, when I came back to the hotel, probably the same time my name came in the auction,” Varma added.

Chennai Super Kings will open their campaign on April 10 against the Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

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Regret losing the match, don't regret not getting double-century: Fakhar Zaman

Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman played a brilliant knock under pressure against South Africa in the second ODI on Sunday in Johannesburg but in a losing cause. The left-handed batsman struck 193 off 155 while Pakistan were chasing a target of 342 runs. While Zaman scored 193 during the course and missed out on what could have been his second double-century in ODI cricket, the visitors were restricted to 324/9 to suffer a defeat by 17 runs. The Pakistan batsman expressed disappointment on not winning the game for his team. "I don't regret not getting the double, I regret losing the match," he said. "If we had won this it would've been amazing so my regret is about that. The situation was such that I was only focusing on getting the win, not the double. I couldn't finish it but I'd take scoring less runs than this and winning the game." Zaman’s innings came to an end after getting runout in the last over. The left-hander hit the ball towards the long off region that was collected by Aiden Markram who threw it back to the batting end. South Africa wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock gestured that the throw was towards the bowling end and it looked as if Zaman had slowed down a bit after looking at de Kock’s gesture. The direct hit from Markram scalped the Pakistan batsman’s wicket. Fakhar didn’t really object to the gesture made by the Proteas gloveman and walked back in the hut but it did draw some attention on social media as well from the pundits. Later the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) posted a law relating to the dismissal. Law 41.5.1 says: "… it is unfair for any fielder wilfully to attempt, by word or action, to distract, deceive or obstruct either batsman after the striker has received the ball", and Law 41.5.2 says, "it is for either one of the umpires to decide whether any distraction, deception or obstruction is wilful or not". The three-match series is now levelled at 1-1 with the decider to take place on Wednesday in Centurion.

IPL 2021: BCCI President Sourav Ganguly rules out any change in schedule

Amid the looming threat of increasing Covid-19 cases across the country, and especially in Mumbai where a considerable number of matches have been scheduled to be played, the BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has ruled out any change in the schedule of the cash-rich league. "There will be no change (in the schedule)," Sportstar quoted Ganguly as saying. The 14th edition of the IPL is scheduled to start on April 9 in Chennai between the defending champions Mumbai Indians and the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Notably, four IPL franchises such as the Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals, Punjab Kings and Chennai Super Kings are there in Mumbai training for the IPL edition. They are practising their drills at the Brabourne Stadium, Bandra Kurla Complex and at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai. Franchises have shown faith that the tournament will go as planned as any changes in schedule just days ahead of the tournament will lead to logistical issues. "We have not been informed anything about the change in venue. As franchises, we are taking all the measures and are following all the protocols. Hope the Mumbai leg goes ahead as per schedule. Last moment changes would lead to logistical issues," Sportstar quoted a franchise official as saying. There have been questions around the BCCI’s decision to host matches at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai— a city that has emerged as the worst hotspot for India in the second wave of novel coronavirus infection.

Senior Women’s One Day Trophy 2021: Railways reign supreme to lift record 12th title

Railways, the most dominant force in women’s cricket in India, once again showcased their prowess winning the 2021 edition of the Senior Women’s One Day Trophy. They defeated Jharkhand Women, a first-time finalist in the tournament’s 14-year-old history by seven wickets. Sneh Rana shone with the ball for the Mithali Raj led side at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot. Punam Raut and Sabbhineni Meghana were the heroes with the bat. Raj, the skipper of the side neither bowled nor batted in the entire game. Chasing a modest target of 168 to win, Railways lost wicketkeeper batswoman Nuzhat Parween pretty early in the form of a runout. But after that Raut and Meghna added 107 runs for the third wicket to break the back of the Jharkhand defence. Raut did get out, but not before completing her consecutive half-century (59) in the tournament. Meghna too was stumped off the bowling of Ravinder Devyani off 53, but it was too late for the women from the land of mines to stage a dynamic comeback. Sneh and Mona Meshram completed the proceedings to take Railway home by seven wickets in just 37 overs. Earlier in the day, Jharkhand skipper Niharika mani won the toss and decided to bat first. Apart from Mani herself (39*), only Indrani Roy (49) and Durga Murmu (31) showed any sort of resistance against the dominating Railways bowling. The team eventually got all out on the very last ball of the innings for 167.

Sanju Samson being appointed Royals captain is a great story: Jos Buttler

Sanju Samson was drafted into the Rajasthan Royals squad in 2013 at the age of 19. But he then turned to Delhi Daredevils in 2016, only to stay there for two seasons and return back in 2018 to the original home. Now it’s 2021 and that 19-year-old Kerala boy is a full-grown man ready to lead the Royals in his first season as skipper. Jos Buttler the marquee wicket-keeper batsman of the royals believe that Samson is a great story of development for the Royals. “I think it’s fantastic that Sanju is our captain this year,” Buttler, 30, said in a video uploaded by the Royals on their official Twitter account. “I am obviously excited to play under him. It’s obviously a great story for Sanju to have been with the Royals since he was 17 (actually 19) and now nearly 10 years (nine years) later to be appointed captain for this IPL season is hugely exciting,” he added. The video was a long one of more than five minutes, basically, a compilation of a Question and Answer (Q/A) session organised by the franchise for its fans to interact with their stars. On being which other trophy he would like to win a game away from cricket, Butter’s answer was an expected one from an Englishman, “The FIFA World Cup.” The somerset man went on to reveal his love for South Africa left-handed batsman Quinton de Kock, saying, “Quinton de Kock is my current favourite player.” “I just love the free spirit that he plays with. Left-handers always look stylish and better than right-handers,” he further joked, but without compromising on the real praises. One of the biggest six hitters in the modern era with a prolific bat flow, for Buttler no ground is big enough. Asked about which is the toughest ground to hit a six at, the Englishman chose the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur as his answer. “It is actually our home ground. It is one of the bigger grounds we play in the IPL. So we need to bring in the boundaries when we get back to playing at home,” he said. Buttler is also excited about seeing Indian all-rounder Shivam Dube as one of the newest entrants in the Royal camp.