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Ipl 2022 Krunal Natasha Played A Major Role In Hardiks Recovery Suresh Raina

IPL 2022 | ‘Krunal & Natasha played a major role in Hardik's recovery’ - Suresh Raina

Former India cricketers Irfan Pathan and Suresh Raina looked highly impressed with Hardik Pandya's fitness in the IPL 2022. The duo lauded the flamboyant all-rounder for his comeback as a pacer in the show-piece tournament.

Raina and Pathan felt that the Gujarat Titans' skipper did well with the ball in their opening game against the other new entrants, Lucknow Super Giants, and believe that he will only get better as the tournament progresses.

For the unversed, it was the first time since the 2019 season of IPL when Pandya twirled his arms in the tournament. The 28-year old last played for India back in the 2021 T20 World Cup, and after that, he took a break from competitive cricket to work on his bowling fitness.

Pandya, who has been appointed as the skipper of the Titans, toiled hard on his fitness and passed the mandatory test at National Cricket Academy before joining his side in IPL 2022.

While speaking during an episode of Cricket Live on Star Sports, former India cricketer Suresh Raina asserted that Pandya's elder brother Krunal Pandya and wife Natasha Stanković have played a massive role in his recovery, providing him with the much-needed confidence.

"The way Hardik Pandya has made his comeback is commendable. In a player's return from injury, his family, especially his wife, has played the most important role, and we could see the happiness on her face when he was bowling.

"His elder brother Krunal has also played a major role in Hardik's recovery and gave him all the confidence he needed. Hardik is looking fit, and he's also generating decent pace with the ball; these are good signs for Gujarat Titans," said Raina while speaking during an episode of Cricket Live on Star Sports.

Meanwhile, former India pacer Irfan Pathan, who was also part of the same conversation, added that the excellent performance of Pandya with both bat and ball would eventually help him in boosting his confidence. At the same time, the 37-year old said Hardik is not putting much strain on his back while releasing the ball, which is a good sign for him.

"The best thing about Hardik Pandya is that he's once again started bowling. You can see that he's not trying to bend a lot while releasing the ball, which means he's not putting a lot of strain on his back, cited Pathan.

"There might be a slight dip in his pace due to this, but bowling two-three good overs at the start of the tournament will give him the confidence to do well, further added the former India all-rounder.

Gujarat have started their IPL 2022 campaign with a victory and are (at the time of writing) facing Delhi Capitals in their second game at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.

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IPL 2022 | MI vs RR | Buttler, Chahal deliver magic as Rajasthan coast to stellar win

On double-header Saturday, Rajasthan Royals (RR) gathered their second win on the trot by defeating the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 9th game of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. In a see-saw battle, the Royals defeated the MI by 23 runs. After being asked to bat first, RR suffered early setbacks in the form of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal but had a rapid recovery as Jos Buttler led the onslaught. Buttler, with Sanju Samson, wasted no time to counter-attack as they set the tone for the batters to come. Basil Thampi's first over had carnage written all over it, with the Englishman racking up five successive boundaries. Samson channelled his inner beast and aided Buttler as Mumbai dealt with the offence. Soon, Pollard struck with the prized wicket of the Rajasthan skipper. Later, Shimron Hetmyer carried on with the charge and smashed his Caribbean teammate all over the park. Meanwhile, Buttler brought up his second IPL century off just 66 deliveries. However, his innings did slow a bit before Jasprit Bumrah bowled him. At one stage, RR eyed a total of more than 200 runs. But they were reduced to 193 with a flurry of wickets at the end. Mumbai, in reply, could reach only 170 runs and fell short of the target by a 23-run margin. Captain Rohit Sharma departed at the score of 10, while Anmolpreet Kaur was sent back for just five runs. Ishan Kishan had a quick start but eventually played a slowish 54-run knock. However, Tilak Varma's innings ignited the belief in the MI camp. The youngster took the challenge head-on and gave RR a run for their money. Tilak scored 61 runs off mere 33 deliveries, and it took a special ball from Ravichandran Ashwin to get the better of him. Yuzvendra Chahal provided the crucial wickets of Tim David and Daniel Sams, which almost made the match one-way from thereon. Pollard played until the last ball, but the West Indian power-hitter also failed miserably today, scoring 22 runs during his stay at the crease. With this win, the double-R's are enjoying the top position in the points table, while MI lies at the ninth spot, having lost their games thus far. Brief scores: Rajasthan Royals - 193/8 Jos Buttler-100(68), Shimron Hetmyer-35(14) Jasprit Bumrah-17/3; Mumbai Indians - 170/8 Tilak Varma-61(33), Ishan Kishan-54(43) Yuzvendra Chahal-26/2 Rajasthan Royals won by 23 runs

IPL 2022 | "Whatever I saw, it was wrong"- Ex-cricketer not happy with MS Dhoni calling the shots against LSG

Former Indian cricketer-turned pundit, Ajay Jadeja, has opined that former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni should give his successor Ravindra Jadeja the freedom to call shots on the field. The CSK suffered their second consecutive defeat of the season on Thursday night as they failed to defend 210 against debutants Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Throughout Lucknow's innings, it was evident that Dhoni was calling the shots on the field, as far as bowling changes and field placement is concerned, with Jadeja fielding at the boundary. Dhoni's decision to give the penultimate over to Shivam Dube proved to be a disaster as Evin Lewis, and Ayush Badoni smashed the medium pacer for 25 runs to effectively seal the deal. Speaking on CricBuzz Live following the end of the heart-pumping game, Ajay Jadeja said that it would have been fine on the part of Dhoni to be more involved in captaincy decisions had it been a knockout game, but since this was just the second match of the season, he didn't feel it was right. "Whatever I saw, it was wrong. There is no doubt about that. There is no bigger fan of MS Dhoni than me. I am his fan because of the temperament and the things he does. If this were the last game on which your qualification depended, then I still would have understood. Sometimes you take back the reins because there is a need for it in those situations. But in the second game, we got to see this, and I am not saying just because it is Ravindra Jadeja." "MS Dhoni is a big name. I do not like saying such things, but we are here talking about the game, so I have no doubts that what I saw today I did not like," he added. Jadeja signed off by stating that since Dhoni decided to relinquish the leadership duties, he should now step back and let Ravindra take control. He also felt that seeing Dhoni call the shots would have dented the Saurashtra cricketer's confidence. "I feel there has never been a bigger captain than MS Dhoni, nor will there be one. So when it is your decision (to step down), and you want someone else (as captain), leave aside taking someone forward. You have taken the person backwards," he said. "The confidence of that person (Jadeja) has taken a big dent. He was not there in the play itself, not at the beginning and nor in the end," he signed off. CSK will next face Punjab Kings (PBKS) on April 03.

IPL 2022 | 'LSG showed faith in me and I am happy that I delivered'- Ayush Badoni on recent exploits

Latest sensation from the Indian Premier League (IPL), Ayush Badoni has expressed his gratitude towards Lucknow Supergiants (LSG) mentor Gautam Gambhir and skipper KL Rahul for providing him with an opportunity to feature in the cash-rich league from the first game itself. Badoni, the 22-year-old Delhi batsman, has been in and around the domestic and IPL circuit for a few years now, but he never got a chance to play for any franchise despite featuring in multiple trials before this season. Finally, it was Lucknow who bid for him in the recent mega-auction, bagging his services at the base price of INR 20 Lakh. Normally, an uncapped local player warms the bench for a major part of his first season, but Badoni's obvious talent and temperament persuaded Lucknow to give him a go from the first game. He didn't disappoint either. The right-handed batsman smashed a crucial half-century for his side in their first-ever IPL game against the Gujarat Titans, where he showcased his skills to the hilt against the likes of Rashid Khan and Lockie Ferguson. The Delhi went one step ahead in the last game against CSK, smashing an unbeaten 9-ball 19, including a sensational six off Shivam Dube over backward square-leg and a score-levelling six off Mukesh Choudhary during a 211-run chase. Speaking to the TOI, Badoni thanked Gambhir and Rahul for showing faith in him besides stating that he is satisfied that he has lived up to his billing. "I am grateful to the Lucknow family and my captain KL Rahul and Gautam bhaiya (Gautam Gambhir) for giving me a chance in the team's first match. They showed faith in me and I am happy that I delivered," he said. He also revealed that Gambhir came up to him after the match and hugged him, urging him to keep up the excellent work. "I stayed calm before hitting the six (to tie the scores). When I hit that (almost) match-winning six, I was so happy that I had done the job for my team. KL (Rahul ) applauded me. Once I went inside the dressing room Gautam bhaiya came up to me and hugged me and said 'well played, keep going," he said. When asked about how he managed to stay so calm under immense pressure, Badoni said: "Since childhood, I have always tried to take the match to the finish line and then end on a winning note. Sometimes we lost and sometimes we won. I have won many matches for my domestic team. I have learnt a lot from those matches. There were several occasions when I got the chance to bat lower down the order and the team needed lots of runs in a few number of balls. I have won those mathes for my team. So, those were the learnings that are helping me here in the IPL." Badoni and Lucknow will hope that the young lad continues with the good work in the forthcoming games.

New Zealand set to tour Netherlands for two T20Is in August

The Netherlands cricket team will host New Zealand for a two-match T20I series in August. As per the latest announcement by their respective cricket boards, Netherlands and New Zealand is set to feature in the two-match series on the 4th and 6th of August at the Voorburg Cricket Club at Hague. New Zealand’s long European tour will culminate with these two T20Is. The Kiwi tour commences starting June, where they visit England for three tests, followed by as many ODIs and T20Is in Ireland; two T20Is and a solitary ODI in Scotland. Reacting to this, Netherlands coach Ryan Campbell has said that they have always aimed at playing against the best white-ball teams globally, and it would be a golden opportunity for the young Dutch players to showcase their skills against quality opposition like New Zealand. Both New Zealand and Netherlands are currently engaged in a three-match ODI affair, which ends on Monday at Hamilton. After the solitary T20I in Napier was washed out, the hosts defeated the Dutch convincingly in the first ODI at Mount Maunganui. The Kiwis also won the 2nd ODI at Hamilton convincingly by 118 runs to clinch the series on Saturday. Admiring New Zealand’s decision to tour the European country, Campbell said that it shows the kind of bond both nations share and expected the home crowd to enjoy the contest between the two sides. “The chance to play the best white-ball teams in the world has always been the goal for this team. To test our young players against them and showcase our skills in front of our home fans is so extremely exciting”, Campbell stated, according to Cricbuzz. “The Black Caps coming to The Netherlands again shows the respect we are building in world cricket, and I hope all Dutch fans come out and enjoy the contest”, the Dutch team’s coach further added. On the other hand, the New Zealand team’s coach Gary Stead admitted to being excited ahead of this tour. He also insisted that the full-member nations should often play against the associate teams. It plays a significant role in their growth as a cricketing nation, thereby ensuring the long-term benefits of world cricket. “We’re really excited to be touring the Netherlands. Playing against associate teams as a full member nation is a vital part of helping them grow, which can only benefit the world game long term”, the Black Caps’ coach said.