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Ipl Is Huge Tournament Monetary Rewards Are Obvious Jos Buttler

IPL is huge tournament & monetary rewards are obvious: Jos Buttler

England wicket-keeper batsman Jos Buttler has said that the ECB had never given him an option of skipping the IPL and be available for the Test series against New Zealand. The right-handed batsman is now in India for the limited-overs fixtures and will stay in the country till the end of Rajasthan Royals IPL campaign.

"No nothing of that sort (was discussed with me) and I don't know about other players. I think an agreement about participation in IPL was in place well before the New Zealand Test series was announced," Buttler said during a media conference.

Buttler further admitted that the IPL gives you “monetary rewards” and it is an advantageous tournament to a lot of people in terms of money.

"We all know the benefits of IPL. It's a huge tournament and monetary rewards are obvious and also the experience you gain and it has its pluses too. And it's obvious in the upturn of white ball games in England, and the number of players participating in it and how beneficial it is to all of us," he said.

"IPL is advantageous to a lot of people with the money that's involved. It's the biggest tournament in cricket in terms of money and careers can be short but we know that playing for England can be a huge draw and we are very well remunerated playing for England," he added.

The gloveman suggested that it was an achievement for the England team that 12 players were in demand for the tournament like the IPL. "It is also a big feather in the cap for the England side that 12 players were in demand in the world's biggest tournament," he said.

The IPL 2021 is set to begin from April 9 with defending champions Mumbai Indians taking on three-time finalists RCB in Chennai in the opening clash.

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Jos Buttler

Varun Chakravarthy fails fitness test again

Spinner Varun Chakravarthy has failed his fitness test while left-arm fast bowler T. Natarajan is at the NCA in Bengaluru and is yet to join the squad in Ahmedabad due to a shoulder niggle. “Varun Chakravarthy was selected because he recovered from his shoulder injury that ruled him out of the Australia series. He did his rehab at the NCA and started throwing normally,” a senior BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity. “However, he has failed to clear the YoYo test mark stipulated for a 2km run at least twice,” the source added. The questions have raised on Chakravarthy’s selection as he hasn’t played competitive cricket since October. “We can understand he was doing his rehab during Mushtaq Ali (T20 Championship). But then again, he didn’t play a single Vijay Hazare Trophy game. How do you assess his match fitness based on games that he played five months back? I guess Varun Chakravarthy is a lesson for selectors,” said the source. Leg-spinner Rahul Chahar might join the team. Chahar has been in the bio-bubble since the beginning of the Test series between India and England. The two sides are slated to play five T20Is and three ODIs in Ahmedabad and Pune respectively. The T20I series begins on Friday at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The home side earlier won the Test series 3-1 and marched into the final of the World Test Championship to take place in Southampton against New Zealand in June.

Jhulan Goswami, Smriti Mandhana lead India’s comeback in ODI series vs South Africa

It was Jhulan Goswami show on display in batting while Smiriti Mandhana stole the show in batting to thrash South Africa in the second game of the five-match series. Jhulan was at her vintage best as she broke two partnerships in her two spells, eventually claiming four wickets for 42 runs in her 10 overs. Mandhana, 24, was at her very best as India started the chase of a modest 158. She and Jemimah Rodriguez got India to a brisk start making 22 in the first four overs. Jemimah though got out trying to pull a boat down the leg and chopping it on to her stumps, Mandhana continued on her way. She was joined by Punam Raut and the two carried on till India eventually won the game and levelled the series. Mandhana, on her way to 80 off 64 balls also became the most accomplished female opening batsman of India, going past Jaya Sharma’s tally of 2039. While Jaya had scored those runs in 72 games, Mandhana achieved the feat in only 52 games. She now has 2119 runs in 52 games at an astonishing average of 44.15. Raut also brought up her 14th fifty scoring an unbeaten 62 as India chase down 157 in just 28.4 overs. Earlier in the morning, Mithali Raj, the India skipper won the toss and decided to field first. Manasi Joshi, making a comeback into the Indian team gave early blows to South African eves along with Jhulan. However, after the fall of those two wickets, skipper Sune Luus and Lara Goodall added 60 runs trying to steady the ship. But Jhulan came back to break the partnership and once it was broken, the floodgates opened and Indian bowlers kept on striking one after the other. Goodall was the highest scorer for women in green and yellow, getting removed for 49 by Harmanpreet Kaur. Apart from Jhulan’s four-for, Rajeshwari Gayakwad took three wickets while Joshi picked up two. With this win at the Atal Bihari Bajpayee stadium, Indian eves have now levelled the five-match series and the two teams would now faceoff in the third game on 12th March at the same venue.

Eoin Morgan has more power than Joe Root: Michael Vaughan

Former England skipper Michael Vaughan has alleged that all the powers of an English captain are vested into the limited-overs skipper Eoin Morgan, who could choose the team he wants. “It is very clear where the leadership power lies in English cricket – it is with Eoin Morgan and not Joe Root,” Vaughan wrote in his column for The Telegraph. Saying that Morgan could easily get what he wants, Vaughan feels that it might not be good in the longer run, that one captain be treated all-powerful and one format is given more preference than others. “I understand rotation. Nobody argues against the fact players need breaks from Covid bubbles but the frustration for me as a lover of the game’s longest format is why has our Test team been weakened this winter, yet the Twenty20 side is at full strength?” questioned the Ashes-winning skipper. Putting emphasis on the fact that Morgan winning the World Cup has made him ‘bombproof’, Vaughan, feels that this power might harm English cricket interests in the longer run. “As much as he is a brilliant captain, it is wrong for Morgan to always get what he wants because understandably he will prioritise what is good for his team, and inevitably that will be at the expense of something else,” said the 44-year-old. “If England do not manage this situation differently in the future, and if I hear they have to rotate during the Ashes series, then I’m afraid we are in some dark days indeed. “If there is one team that needs oiling more than any other it is the Test team. The one-day side can get away with losing players for breaks – they are that good,” Vaughan added.

Smriti Mandhana becomes most successful Indian opener

India women’s team opener Smriti Mandhana has become the most successful opening batter for the team. She has bow accumulated 2046 runs in 52 ODIs surpassing Jaya Sharma’s tally of 2039 in 72 games. Mandhana has notched up 4 tons and 17 fifties and has scored runs at an average of over 43 in the 50-over format. Earlier, Mandhana’s 80* and Puma Raut’s 62* helped Indian women’s team script a 9-wicket win against South Africa in the second ODI in Lucknow to level the five-match series. The left-handed opener just took 64 balls to score 80 runs during the chase of 158 runs and her knock included 10 boundaries and three maximums. Mandhana has scored four half-centuries in her last five ODIs and has 50+ runs in every ODI chase beginning from 2018. Since 2018, the left-hander has scored 1150 runs in 21 matches for India at an average of 67.6. India bowled out South Africa for 157 in 41 overs after Jhulan Goswami scalped four wickets while Gayakwad bagged a three-wicket haul. Lara Goodall top-scored with 49 for South Africa. The two teams will now play the next ODI on Friday at the same venue. The ODI series will be followed by a three-match T20I series.