Maharashtra Government exempts Rahane and four others from quarantine protocols

Following a historic series win Down Under, members of the Indian cricket team, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Shardul Thakur, Prithvi Shaw and head coach Ravi Shastri arrived in Mumbai on Thursday and to ensure their smooth landing, former MCA President Sharad Pawar granted the permission that the 14-day quarantine is not imposed on them. Most of the Indian players have been in a secure bio bubble for the last 5-6 months and it would have been very hard on them especially after being in quarantine since August and undergoing several COVID tests.

The 5 members of the Indian cricket team along with their head coach was absolved from the 14 day quarantine period after the authorities at BCCI and MCA requested the former president Sharad Pawar to make sure that the quarantine procedures are not imposed on them.

"We requested Mr. Pawar to help obtain an exemption from institutional isolation for these players. They have been in quarantine since August and have also had regular Covid tests. The exemption was obtained at around midnight (on Wednesday)," an MCA official who was there at the airport to receive the aforementioned players was quoted as saying by the Cricbuzz.

It must be noted here that the guidelines which were laid out by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) on December 21 clearly states that passengers coming from Europe, South Africa, UK and the Middle East have to be in isolation for 14 days including a week-long institutional quarantine. The 5 members of the team arrived in Mumbai via a connecting flight from Dubai. Maharashtra is one of those very few states where a 14 day isolation period is compulsory.

"This is because of sudden emergence of a fast-spreading Covid-19 variant in UK which is believed to be more transmissible than the original strain. But we understand the bio-bubble these players were in and regular testing they had to undergo in Australia. Also, it is not that we have not granted exemption in the past. The MCGM website lists out the conditions when an exemption can be granted," the quarantine in-charge Anil Wankhede said.

Meanwhile, the Indian players who will be returning from Australia will be assembled in Chennai on the day of the country’s Republic Day for the upcoming 4 match Test series against England. Meanwhile, the players who were not part of the squad for the tour Down Under will reach Chennai on 23^rd January. All the players from either team will be arriving in two batches and will be part of the bio-secure bubble for a week.

"A hotel has been booked for the teams near the Chepauk and the players will be allowed to practise only from February 2," a Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

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Pujara's daughter readies unique remedy on father's gladitorial return

What Cheteshwar Pujara did for his country on the final day of the 4th test against Australia is beyond imaginable. Copping as many as 10 body blows on the final day of the historic match and the series, Pujara scored a stoic 56 of 211 deliveries and made sure he held the fort at one end allowing the other free-flowing stroke makers to go after the target. Pujara was hit several times on different parts of the body and it wasn’t a pleasing sight for his family members. His wife could barely watch but his two-year-old daughter Aditi had a pretty unique remedy for his father when he returns to India. "When he comes home, I will kiss where he is hurt, he will be fine," said Aditi. Pujara is expected to be back with his family pretty soon as the whole Indian contingent started leaving for their homeland on Friday and Aditi will get the opportunity of trying out her new methods once he gets her daddy back. Meanwhile, Pujara stated that the reason why his daughter thought that a kiss could heal his wounds. "That's what I do to her when she falls, so she believes that a kiss can heal every wound," Pujara was quoted as saying by the Indian Express from Brisbane. Coming back to the historic final Test, Pujara showed immense grit and determination against a top-class Australian bowling line-up to keep them deflated. He might not have the same impact which he had a couple of years ago but some of his knocks especially in the last two Tests made sure India battled hard and won the series, which would be remembered for years to come.

IPL 2021: Franchises release 'overpriced' players, retain players to form core of future

All the franchises participating in the Indian Premier League have related a certain set of players while retaining what they believe will form the core of their team in the next edition of the league. Here’s how teams stack after the latest round of retention and release Kolkata Knight Riders Released players: M Siddharth, Nikhil Naik, Siddhesh Lad, Chris Green, Tom Banton Retained players: Dinesh Karthik, Andre Russell, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Rinku Singh, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Sunil Narine, Eoin Morgan (c), Pat Cummins, Rahul Tripathi, Varun Chakravarthy Purse left: Rs 10.85 cr Mumbai Indians Players released: Lasith Malinga, Coulter-Nile, Mitchell McClenaghan, Rutherford, Pattinson, Dig Vijay, Prince Balwant Players retained: Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, de Kock, Anmolpreet Singh, Aditya Tare, Chris Lynn, Saurabh Tiwary, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Jayant Yadav, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohsin Khan, Rahul Chahar, Anukul Roy Purse left: Rs 15.35 cr Chennai Super Kings Players released: Kedar Jadhav, Shane Watson (retired), Piyush Chawla, Murali Vijay, Monu Kumar, Harbhajan Singh Players retained: MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, N Jagadeesan, Faf Du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sam Curran, Ravi Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Mitchell Santner, Josh Hazlewood, Shardul Thakur, Karn Sharma, KM Asif, Imran Tahir, R Sai Kishore, Deepak Chahar, Lungi Ngidi Purse left: Rs 22.9 cr Rajasthan Royals Players released: Steven Smith, Ankit Rajpoot, Oshane Thomas, Varun Aaron, Tom Curran, Anirudha Joshi, Akash Singh and Shashank Singh Players retained: Sanju Samson (Captain), Manan Vohra,David Miller,Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Robin Uthappa, Anuj Rawat, Ben Stokes, Rahul Tewatia, Mahipal Lomror, Riyan Parag, Jofra Archer, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, Shreyas Gopal, Mayank Markande Purse left: Rs 34.85 cr Delhi Capitals Players released: Keemo Paul, Sandeep Lamichhane, Alex Carey, Mohit Sharma, Tushar Deshpande, Jason Roy Players retained: Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, R Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Axar Patel, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Pravin Dubey, Lalit Yadav, Chris Woakes, Harshal Patel Purse left: Rs 12.8 cr Royal Challengers Bangalore Players retained: Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Yuzvendra Chahal, Devdutt Padikkal, Josh Philippe, Mohammad Siraj, Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pawan Deshpande, Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson. Players retained: Chris Morris, Aaron Finch, Moeen Ali, Isuru Udana, Shivam Dube, Umesh Yadav, Pawan Negi, Gurkeerat Mann. Purse left: Rs 35.7 cr Sunrisers Hyderabad Players released: Sanjay Yadav, Sandeep Bhavanka, Billy Stanlake, Fabian Allen and Yarra Prithviraj Players retained: David Warner, Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Jonny Bairstow, W Saha, Shreevats Goswami, Priyam Garg, Virat Singh, Rashid Khan, Vijay Shankar, Mohammad Nabi, Abhishek Sharma, Mitchell Marsh, Jason Holder, Abdul Samad, T Natarajan, Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma, Basil Thampi, Shahbaz Nadeem, Siddarth Kaul, Bhuvneshwar Kumar Purse left: Rs 10.75 cr Kings XI Punjab Players released: Glenn Maxwell, Sheldon Cottrell, Krishnappa Gowtham, Mujeeb UR Rahman, Jimmy Neesham, Hardus Viljoen and Karun Nair Players retained: KL Rahul, Gayle, Pooran, Shami, Jordan, Mandeep Singh, Mayank Agarwal, Ravi Bishnoi, Prabhsimran, Deepak Hooda, Sarfaraz Khan, Arshdeep Singh, M Ashwin Arshdeep, Porel, Harpreet Brar Purse left: Rs 53.2 cr

Ravindra Jadeja ruled out of Test series against England

Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been ruled out of the upcoming Test series against England scheduled to start from February 5. Jadeja had dislocated his thumb in the third Test against Australia at the SCG and later underwent surgery that required a resting period of six weeks to heal. According to a report by The Indian Express, Jadeja’s injury will take more time than the previous estimated period of six weeks and hence he has been ruled out of the series. A call for his availability and selection for the limited-over series that will follow the Test series will be taken later by the national selectors. “He is out of Test series and he will take more than six weeks to recover completely. The selectors will take a call later, whether to include him in the team for the shorter formats,” a BCCI official told The Indian Express. Notably, Jadeja was excluded from the squad picked by the Chetan Sharma-led selection committee for the first two Tests of the series. His absence will hurt India by disturbing the balance of the team and his left-arm spin will also be missed by captain Kohli. He was an instrumental figure in India’s 4-0 win over England in the last series that took place in India in 2016.

BBL10 | Preview: Heat face Strikers in the make or break game for both sides

It is going to be a big day for both the Brisbane Heat as well as the Adelaide Strikers, both of whom, for now, occupy the third and second last positions in the league table respectively. With Melbourne Renegades' win over the Stars, the door which was just ajar for these two teams have now been opened slightly more and it now depends on their own skills and ability to win if they want to make it to the Playoffs. Both these teams have lost their last encounters and hence calling one better than the other would not be right as only one point separates the two in the points table as well. But all that would mean nothing when the two teams face each other in a high voltage clash at the Adelaide Oval. Strikers try to cash-in home advantage Although it hasn’t really been a great home season for the Strikers with three wins and two losses in five previous games of the BBL 2020-21, the team would still like to believe that home advantage would work in their favour, especially in a pressure game as they know the ground inside out. The fact that they have either won it big or even when they lost, it wasn’t because they played really well, rather because the opposition was far superior on that day. With Travis Head, the captain back in the side and Alex Carey, the former captain and current deputy in sizzling form, the fans, and even the team would be hoping to tighten the screws on the Heat bowling and get runs on the board to try and defend with the bowling of Wes Agar, Danny Briggs, and a fitter Peter Siddle. Heat must play as if they have 'nothing to lose' The Brisbane Heat have now lost too many close matches to be afraid of losing any more. The only way out for Chris Lynn and his men would be to go for the kill without caring for the result. They must take lessons from their previous game against Scorchers where they messed up a fairly easy chase. Players like Marnus Labuschagne and most importantly spinner Mictdhell Swespon would be back for the Heat and they would make the Playing XI without any doubt. It is with these players alongside the already present Joe Denly, Joe Burns, Lewis Gregory, and Morne Morkel that the team needs to bank on to get them through the toughest test that they face this season so far. Strikers vs Heat: Match Details Match Number- 46 Date and Time- Jan 21, 2021, 1:45:00 pm IST, 06.45 pm Local, 08.15 am GMT Venue- Adelaide Oval Broadcast- Sony LIV, Sony Sports Network Pitch Report The pitch in Adelaide has been on a slower side as compared to Perth or an MCG or for Hobart or Carrara. But along with it, it offers true bounce too, so if a batsman is in touch, there shouldn’t be a problem in scoring runs. But the fact that you can’t start slogging right from the ball go must also be adhered to. One must get their eye in to utilize the pitch to the fullest. Weather and Bat Flip With no chances of rain whatsoever and the temperature also remaining favourable for playing cricket, the captain winning the toss would like to have a target to chase. But this is pressure and in pressure games, there is nothing better than a few runs on the board. Hence in this situation, it might not be a bad option to lose the toss. But whoever wins, will have a really tough decision to make. Strikers Strongest XI Alex Carey (c & wk), Matt Renshaw, Jonathan Wells, Travis Head, Jake Weatherald, Ryan Gibson, Michael Neser, Daniel Worrall, Danny Briggs, Wes Agar, Liam O Connor Heat Strongest XI Chris Lynn (c), Joe Burns, Marnus Labuschagne, Joe Denly, Jimmy Peirson (wk), Lewis Gregory, James Bazley, Jack Wildermuth, Mark Steketee, Morne Morkel, Mitchell Swepson