Living continuously in a bio-bubble is tiring & difficult: Mustafizur Rahman

Being a left-arm pacer has helped me get India call-up: Arzan Nagwaswalla

Arzan Nagwaswalla was called-up by the Indian selectors as a standby for the WTC final which would be followed by a five-match Test series in England. The left-arm pacer has represented Gujarat at the Under-16s, Under-19s and Under-23 level and is the hero of Nargol. Nargol is a small village which is located near the Maharashtra border in Gujarat. Arzan’s U19 coach Santosh Desai in an interaction with Cricbuzz said that he had been a promising cricketer ever since he has been playing at the junior level. "I was his district coach when he played Under-19 and Under 23," Santosh Desai, the Gujarat selector and now coach tells Cricbuzz. "He's a very good left-arm fast bowler and from U-16 and U-19, he's been very promising,” he said. The left-arm pacer stamped authority after he returned with a fifer on his debut against Mumbai at the Wankhede in 2018. In the next season Arzan scalped 41 wickets in the Ranji Trophy while scalped 19 wickets in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, including a 6 for 54 against Chhattisgarh last season. He has 39 wickets in 20 List A matches, 21 wickets in 15 T20s. The fast bowler expressed his delight after getting the call-up.”I called up mom and dad the first thing after I came to senses. I was so excited. I couldn't have stopped on the road because Covid-19 protocols don't allow you to step out of the car," Nagwaswalla told IANS from Nargol on Saturday. Talking about his bowling, Nagwaswalla says that being a left-arm bowler has come as an advantage for him. "Maybe because I am a left-arm fast bowler [I was picked]. I am young. That is the only thing. Also, my last season went well," he said.

Ishan Kishan & Mumbai Indians: A saga that might see epilogue soon

It was the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy season. Jharkhand’s young boy Ishan Kishan had just led India U19 in the World Cup that year. Though they had lost the final to West Indies but the overall performance from the Indian team was much appreciated. There is a certain annoying pattern in Indian cricket that when a player leads his team to the winning triumph especially at the U19 level, he is much more celebrated than the ones who have at least captained the side to the finals. Ishan’s story was a bit similar one. The left-hander just missed out on leading India to their fourth title by a whisker. There was a joke going around before the final that the left-handed batsman who dons the jersey number 18 would turn out to be the next Virat Kohli. But eventually and unfortunately, the only common factor between him and the 2008 U19 WC winning captain was the numeric on his shirt. While Kohli’s India lifted the junior World Cup then and the flamboyant batsman got the pathway to the Indian team soon after, Ishan was still left to prove his mettle. He though had a bit of luck on his side. The Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals had been axed from the IPL for two years and Rising Pune Supergiant and Gujarat Lions had replaced them during the 2016 and 2017 editions. While the two sides were building the teams from scratch, it gave a lot of youngsters an opportunity to showcase their talent in the cash-rich league. Kishan had left back the sorrows of the final’s defeat and was up for a new challenge. The Jharkhand wicket-keeper batsman was picked up by Gujarat-based franchise in 2016 and was with the side for both the seasons. The debut season was a dismal one for Ishan as he only managed to compile 42 runs in 5 matches while had a better run in the 2017 season where he accumulated 277 runs after being capped 11 times. Interestingly, the tournament that converts prodigies into mainstays had almost nothing to offer to someone who had been training under someone like Rahul Dravid especially in his first season. Nevertheless, the amount of cricket that is played in India, the young lads are never really short of chances to unleash the abilities they possess and Ishan had the country’s most important domestic tournament to prove his worth. But an over enthusiastic Kishan was certainly failing to manifest his calibre. He only had one hundred in the four matches in which featured for Jharkhand before the criticism from the pundits and media surrounded him. If reports are to be believed, the gloveman even got a bit of scolding from seniors but as they say at times harsh words turn fortunes for you. This exactly happened with Ishan Kishan. Jharkhand was up against Delhi in Thiruvananthapuram when he unfolded one of the finest knocks in the history of Indian domestic cricket in the 2016-17 season. They were struggling at 80/4 when Kishan came into bat and steadied the ship for his side to notch his best First-class score of 273 runs. The match ended in a draw but the left-hander’s efforts were much lauded. Ishan’s capability and talent was now being talked about and it took Mumbai Indians just one opportunity to buy out the youngster in the 2018 auctions. After completing two-year ban, CSK and RR returned back and which meant that Gujarat Lions and RPS would be dissolved with players of the respective sides available to go under the hammer. MI spent an enormous amount of money on Ishan and bought him for a sum of Rs 6.2 crore. Kishan is one of the players who is very humble as well as chirpy when you interact with him. Personally, I have had chats with him on a number of occasions and have felt how much this kid backs his own abilities and has the confidence in his batting skills. Coming back to his MI recruitment, the Jharkhand batsman has been with the team since 2018 and a lot has changed in his life at the professional front. He has played some crucial and brilliant knocks for the Mumbai franchise and has made his India debut as well. In fact, Ishan amassed over 500 runs in the 2020 edition in the 14 matches that he played , notched up a half-century in T20Is for India. Surely some checkpoints in a brief career. Mumbai Indians nature the young crop The Rohit Sharma-led side Mumbai Indians is known for its nature of nurturing the youngsters who join their camp. Whether it has been Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya or for that matter Rahul Chahar, the MI is certainly the best team to get yourself fostered. They don’t just make strategies or team combinations for winning the matches but have a certain set pattern of dealing with the kids in the side and a visual of similar sorts had popped up from the documentary ‘Cricket Fever: Mumbai Indians’ where Mahela Jayawardene is seen talking to Ishan Kishan and telling him about his duties behind the wickets. The former Sri Lanka captain clearly states that the wicket-keeper needs to be the ‘bubbly’ character and jump around and also talks about the consistency which is a cliche in itself. Don’t give up so soon, MI From money to time, Mumbai Indians have certainly invested a lot in Ishan Kishan. From a naughty and over energetic kid, Kishan has now turned into a responsible cricketer who knows how important it is for him to perform for himself and his side. But it seems as if things have gone vice-versa as MI took just five matches to bench Ishan in the recently-halted IPL 2021. Though, he wasn’t really having a great time in the middle but when you have put so much work behind a player and get him to a level where he is able enough to win matches single-handedly, he has been asked to warm the benches especially when he is India international now. Now the question arises whether MI will let Ishan go in the next year’s mega auction or will they persist with him considering the lack of wicket-keeper batsman they have. With only De Kock and Aditya Tare in the squad, it won’t be a brave call from MI to leave Ishan in the coming auctions. While there are only four slots for the overseas players available in a team, it would be an excessive workload on the South African cricketer. Apart from Quinton, MI have Aditya Tare who can be considered for a couple of matches but his age is an important factor that might keep him away from the scheme of selection. Tare is already 33. The Jharkhand cricketer might have had a lean patch in the last few outings for MI but his ability to score brisk runs and decent wicket-keeping skills can make MI persist with him for the next few editions. Adding to this is another major factor. MI generally build a team that stays for a longer period of time and the management doesn’t need to rejig plans in every edition. Looking at the future and Rohit’s age, MI need someone who might be seen as a future captain. This might sound an early or probably a very early call but the fact of the matter is he has led the India U19 team to the finals of the World Cup and also has the experience of leading his state team despite the big names in the ranks. And if MI decide to let off Ishan, this would also come as a boon for him because the BCCI had earlier announced that the IPL 2022 would be a 10-team affair. Barring MI, the other seven teams are pretty sorted with the wicket-keeping positions while the new franchises would be seeking to have someone who has a good IPL as well as domestic experience to hold the post. Well, it might sound harsh on Mumbai Indians but they made an aggressive call on dropping Kishan just after five appearances. What can be the alternate? Jayawardene just needs to replicate what he did some 2-3 years back. Ask Ishan to have a one-to-one chat with him and give him the confidence that there is a reason why he is playing the glorious game at this level and tell him that he belongs here. The IPL 2021 has been suspended for now after there was a surge in COVID-19 cases within the franchise teams. We hope Ishan finds his place back in the XI if and when this edition of the cash-rich league resumes.

ZIM vs PAK | 2nd Test - Abid Ali hits maiden double ton without hitting a single six

Pakistan opener Abid Ali hit a four to reach his maiden double hundred in Test cricket, albeit without hitting a single six, which is one of the rare occasions in modern-day Test cricket. Playing the second Test of the two-match series against Zimbabwe, the right-hander held one end even as most of the stalwarts of the teams disappointed with the bat. Abid, 33, opened the innings with Imran Butt and has carried on since then, playing 393 deliveries to get to the milestone. Batting with patience, he built various partnerships, including the 236 runs stand for the second wicket with former skipper Azhar Ali. After some small contributions with others in the middle order, the Lahire born’s second-best partnership is the one going on between him and spinner Nauman Ali. At the time of writing this, Nauman, 34, had hit 70 out of the 132 run partnership between the two. Abid has so far played 11 Tests for Pakistan, scoring 629 runs at an average of 37 with two centuries to his credit. Pakistan after struggling with wickets falling in a bunch at the Harare Sports Club are now in a commanding position with 473 runs on the board at the loss of seven wickets.

WTC Final: Indian team to get into bio-bubble on May 25, families to travel with players

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has come up with its plans to get the Indian cricket team ready for its sojourn to England which will include a total of six Tests being played over the course of almost three months. The Board is considering allowing families of the players to travel to England as well. Indian players selected for the tour along with the four stand-bys would get into a pre-tour bubble, which would be created on May 25 in India only. "You can expect the boys to come into the bubble on May 25 as it will be an 8-day quarantine period which will not just involve testing against COVID-19, but also there will not be any movement as the boys prepare for the UK schedule," an official close to BCCI was quoted as saying to ANI. On reaching England on June 2, the team would further undergo 10-day quarantine, only this time they would be allowed to train as the simultaneous testing continues. The Indian team will face New Zealand in the World Test Championship Final from June 18 onwards at Rose Bowl, Southampton. Reasoning that the players’ movement in England would be restricted and the stay is very long, the official felt that’s why the families need to travel with players. "The Covid-19 restrictions also mean you cannot move around the place,” he said. “There will be more than a month`s gap between the Test Championship final and the opening Test against England in Trent Bridge from August 4," the official added. The board is also concerned about the vaccination of the players and feels that at least the first dose of vaccine can be administered to the Men in Blue. "The Indian government has opened vaccination for every person above 18 so the players can take their first dose,” said the official. But with the second does in question, BCCI is looking at working closely with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to ensure that a path is created to administer the second does to Indian players in the UK. “Players can get a second dose in the UK if that is not approved by the UK government, we will have the vaccine taken from India for the second dose. Let`s see how that works out in the coming days," he said.