LPL 2020: Afridi misses flight to Sri Lanka, likely to miss first two games

I see no reason why he was not included: Brian Lara on Suryakumar Yadav

Even after not being selected in the Indian squad to tour Australia, Suryakumar Yadav is still hogging the limelight thanks to his brilliant performance in the Indian Premier League. Brian Lara, the West Indian batting legend has now spoken in his favour saying that his non-inclusion in the Indian squad is baffling. “I see no reason why, looking at the (Indian) squad, he can’t be a part of it,” Lara told the anchor during a discussion on Star Sports’ show ‘Cricket Connected’. The Mumbai batsman was the pick of the season with his 480 runs at an average of more than 40 and strike rate of more than 145. Saying that Surya fits in the number three squad in the Indian T20 side without any doubt, Lara quashed all the reasons of ‘no space in the side’ given by a certain group of people. “He comes to bat on the back of Rohit Sharma, and Quinton de Kock, and every time, they are under pressure, he comes in at No. 3. Just remember, other than the openers, the No. 3 batsman in any cricket team is normally your best player, your most reliable player and for me, he (Surya) has been that for Mumbai Indians,” he stated. Lara, 51, heaped great praises on the 30-year-old saying that he fits in as a class batsman by all standards. “He is a class player. I don’t just look at players that score runs; I look at their technique, capabilities under pressure, positions that they are batting, and for me, Suryakumar Yadav has done such a wonderful job for Mumbai,” said Lara.

AUS vs IND: Mitchell Marsh hopeful of playing against India A

Australian fast-bowling all-rounder, Mitchell Marsh believes that he could recover in time to play the two A games against India A, which is scheduled to take place on December 6-8 and December 11-13 respectively. “I’m hopeful, I’ll probably find out this week whether I’m ruled in or out,” Marsh told The West Australia website. Marsh got injured while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2020, post which he was rushed back to Australia, where he has been recovering ever since. Admitting that he would only be able to know on Friday about his chances of playing the games, the 29-year-old said that he needs to work on his body. “I’ll probably know on Friday, I’ve got a few things to tick off rehab-wise and then go from there. I started running last week and I’ve got a few kilos to shed before I start playing,” he said. Marsh, who has represented Australia in 32 Tests, 60 ODIs, and 15 T20Is, has talked to Rugby players and believes that the injury can heal easily, however, the Western Australian stresses the fact that he would only bat for few days, or until this year. “It’s been a pretty slow process but speaking to a few AFL players about it, it gets pretty good quickly at the end so hopefully that’s the case in the next couple of weeks. At this stage it will just be batting; I wouldn’t imagine I would be bowling until midway through the Big Bash at this point in time,” he said.

Shubman Gill excited to be in Australia, but hasn't set any specific goals

Part of the Indian Test and ODI squad, young Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders batsman Shubman Gill is really looking forward to the upcoming Australian series. The 21-year-old said that he hasn’t set any particular goals to achieve but just the feeling of being there in Australia is exciting him. "I am really looking forward to Australia because this is my first trip. As a kid growing up, I always watched the matches between India and Australia. I am really excited," Gill told Sanjana Ganesan, the KKR presenter in a video uploaded by the IPL franchise on their official Twitter handle. Gill, who has so far played only two ODIs for team India, hasn’t really had the outing expected from a player of his caliber as he has managed only 16 runs from those two matches. However, he is hoping to put that behind in this series and practicing a lot in the nets to make good use of the opportunity that he gets. “A lot of friends are traveling together too, so it’s going to be fun and exciting. But once the practice session starts and the adrenaline kicks in then, of course, you start thinking about the match and that’s a whole different situation,” he said. With a good enough IPL; a season where he scored 440 runs, much would be expected from the skillful right-hander, but he says he has no specific goals as of now. “I have not really set any personal goals, but I am really looking forward to it,” the Chandigarh born added. The Indian tour behind with the first ODI in Sydney on 27th November and Gill could be a part of it, with Rohit Sharma not available for the series.

Exclusive: Bengal's Shreyan Chakraborty talks bio-bubble, T20 Challenge

Times could not have been more challenging for the inaugural Bengal T20 Challenge. Set to begin on Tuesday, 24 November, the organisers, Cricket Association of Bengal had to overcome a myriad of administrative challenges to make the tournament happen. With India registering a new surge in Covid-19 cases post the festive season, the tournament looked in jeopardy, but strict guidelines, sanitization protocols, and bio-bubble measures have meant that the 33-match tournament will run its course of 16 days. Despite being a local tournament, a lot is at stake. With virtually no cricket played throughout the year, this could be a case for several players to make their case for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy early next year. “This is a great opportunity for the youngsters and the players,” Arun Lal, who coached Bengal to Ranji Trophy final last season had told Times of India. OneCricket caught up with Bengal spinner Shreyan Chakraborty ahead of the tournament and he gave us a glimpse of how is life in a bio-bubble and what he has been up to ahead of the tournament. Q. The bio bubble must be new for you, how does it feel? Getting to stay at a hotel in my own city (laughs), it feels nice. The CAB is taking care of their players well. If one player gets affected, panic ensues. They have organised this in such a manner that the players can be in a safety bubble. It feels great to stay in such a good facility and looking forward to the games more than anything. Q. Could you explain to our readers how the bio-bubble works There are six teams that have been fitted in 2 floors of this hotel. There are 40 odd rooms with 2 players staying in each room along with the CAB staff, ACU and the media. We are living inside of our rooms for three days in quarantine. Regular Covid-19 tests are being done. It has become like a school exam (laughs). We are joking about if we will pass today or not. Q. What was the process that you had to go through while entering the bubble and what all has CAB provided for your comfort? There was through sanitisation process during the check-in in the morning and we had testing done on the same day. We got the results of the test yesterday (22 November) and we had testing done once again today morning. We’ve been staying inside our room since. Q. How does it feel to return to competitive cricket after such a long break? It’s a feeling that I've longed for. It’s been so long that I have not played cricket, the longest that I have had to wait since I started playing. It feels good to get back into the ground and what better stage could it be than the Bengal T20 Challenge. It’s just a matter of a few hours now. Q. What have you been up to in the bio-bubble? Oh, my PlayStation. It's my saviour (laughs). Q. Multiple players including Bengal Ranji Trophy captain have tested positive for Covid-19, does that worry you? The CAB is doing everything it can and abiding by every rule. It is unfortunate that Abhimanyu tested positive, but he can still come into the tournament in the later stage, so fingers crossed for that. For me, I am just concentrating on the cricket part right now and I think it is great that Bengal’s best T20 cup will be played with the best players in the land. The competition will be right up there and it will be a great tournament to watch. You can catch Shreyan play for Calcutta Customs in the Bengal T20 Challenge on Fancode app. The match starts at 4 pm IST.