Pujara excited to be back in IPL, says will take a call on county cricket later

Pujara not bothered by challenges of Pink-ball Test, defends Chepauk pitch as 'not dangerous'

The stories around the ongoing Test series between India and England have been dominated by the quality and nature of of the pitches used so far in the two Tests, and there is no end to the talks surrounding the 22-yards as the pitch for the third Test at Motera remains under widespread scrutiny. India’s number three, Cheteshwar Pujara who had to come quickly to see what the two surfaces offered to bowlers and batsmen in the first two Tests was presented with the challenge of predicting what the pitch in the third Test would look like. To add to the complexity of the situation, the third Test will be a pink-ball affair and hence groundsmen will have their task cut out in order to balance the assistance between bowlers and batsmen as the piano ball by nature goes soft very quickly compared to the red balls. In Pujara’s eyes, the pitch at the Motera appears to be a ‘decent’ pitch, but he also urged cautions against reading too much into it given there is enough time left before the first ball will be bowled on the surface. He also outlined the unpredictability of the behaviour of the pink ball and said that it can throw up challenges complete unseen and unexpected before the start of the game. "We have three-four days and a lot could change. It looks a decent pitch but it's difficult to predict anything, considering we're playing with a pink ball. With the red ball, it'd be a different ball game, but with the pink ball, it's difficult to assess. You expect something, but it could turn out to be something else. I want to just try and keep things simple and not worry too much about the pitch,” Pujara said in a virtual press conference. The winter in the Western part of India where the Sardar Patel Stadium is located will mean that there will be an onset of due and Pujara said that he too expects the due to bring some effect on the game. However, he said that the extent of its effect is still unknown, but most likely will be limited to the third session of the day’s play. "Yes, there may be dew. Looking at the weather, there's a possibility of dew in the final session. The guys have played a lot of cricket with the white ball here, and the bowlers are used to it. As batters, we've played with the pink ball. It could in the third session, although how much we don't know yet. We will have a better idea, but we are expecting dew,” Pujara added. Team India has had completely contrasting fortunes in the only two day-night fixture they have been part of as their lowest total in Tests came in a similar affair against Australia in December 2020. Before that, in their first pink ball game against Bangladesh at home, India steamrolled Bangladesh on the back of a strong pace-attack as spinners did not take even a single wicket at the Eden Gardens. Pujara said that the team will not improve playing with pink-ball by playing one-off Test, but at the same time suggested India will not be compelled to change their tactics going into the third Test against England. On the point of humiliation in Adelaide, Pujara downplayed the collapse as an aftereffect of one terrible session where balls were swinging, otherwise, the team was in commanding position till the end of the first innings fo both sides. "I've played so many Tests but with the pink ball, even I don't have enough experience. I don't think it matters a lot when you play one-off pink-ball Tests, we will get used to it as we keep playing more. We'll have to just play normal cricket, have similar game plans as we had in the previous Test match, depending on the pitch. We'll just stick to that. In Adelaide, the ball was swinging around and we had one bad session of poor batting that led to that disaster, but overall if you look at the first innings, we were in a dominating position." Pujara also came strongly in defence of the pitch at Chepauk which attracted severe criticism from pundits, especially from England. He said that batsmen find it tougher to score when pitches like at the Chepauk provide assistance to spinners, but Indian batsmen combat similar challenges when they go overseas and face seamers on pitches that have live grass on them and provide a lot of seam movement. He conceded that batting was difficult on the Chepauk pitch in the second innings but said that pitches in Australia have cracks as well that deviate balls to awkward positions for batsmen and he hoped the English batsmen will find a way as they will get accustomed to it. "Sometimes, if you're playing on a turner, you find it difficult, but it wasn't a dangerous pitch at all," he said. "When the ball spins, people find it difficult to score runs. When we go overseas, we also play on seaming tracks where games finish in three or four days. We still have to play on pitches with grass and seam movement. When it comes to turning tracks, you can't define how much it should turn. There's a thin line, but I don't think it was a bad pitch,” Pujara said. “Yes, it always becomes difficult in the second innings, but even when we play in Australia on fourth or fifth-day tracks, balls can hit the cracks and take off. As a team, I don't think we had an issue, am sure England once they're used to it and play more matches, they'll also figure out a way." Pujara batted brilliantly in the Test series against Australia and was batting with great touch to look good for a hundred that has eluded him for than two years now in the first innings of the first Test against England before he got out on one of the most unfortunate ways of getting dismissed in cricket. Pujara played the talks around his lack of hundred down to the attributes of batting that are under his control and hoped that the three-figure mark is not that far away for him in Tests. "The way I am batting, although the three-figures haven't come, I am hoping it won't' be too far away. As a batsman, what is in my control - my practice, preparation, process - it's been wonderful. I'm confident of getting a big score very soon." The third Test between India and England is scheduled to start on February 24 at Motera in Ahmedabad. India are contemplating the decision of bringing an extra seamer in place of the third spinner which may well be Kuldeep Yadav while the tourists are banking on the pink-ball to negate the extra amount of spin from the Indian spinners and extract some swing in the air for their pacers, especially James Anderson who is destined to come back after a widely controversial rest in the second Test.

PSL 6: All-round United look to put past dull last season with victory against Rizwan-led Sultans

Two-time champions, Islamabad United had the worst possible start to a full-fledged PSL in Pakistan. The team representing the capital finished last on the Points table in the 2020 edition of the tournament. With a fresh start beckoning them in a fresh season, the Shadab Khan-led side would look to get over the last season, when they take on MultanSultans in their first game. There is nothing to choose between the two teams as far as the last six encounters with both of them winning three each. Even in the last season, the two teams split the victories in the two games they faced each other. All-rounders hold key for United Islamabad have a lot of such players who are good at both the tricks (batting and bowling) of the trade. It is this multi-tasking ability of the players that make the team a well-balanced side and one which can easily navigate all situations. Shadab Khan, Lewis Gregory, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Zafar Gohar and even Paul Stirling can both bat and ball and make a sizeable contribution in both fields. Thus, striking a good balance among the players is something that the team management needs to focus on. With new man-in-charge, Sultans eye victorious start to the campaign Pakistan vice-captain and one of the most prized cricket entities in the country right now, Mohammad Rizwan has been named as the skipper of Multan Sultans for this season. Under a new leader, the team would be eager to give their best and get the campaign rolling with a victory. There is balance in the side with the seasoned batsmen in the form of Chris Lynn, James Vince alongside national talents Shan Masood and Sohaib Maqsood are supported well by a generous supply of all-rounders and bowlers. All-round abilities of the evergreen Shahid Afridi, West Indian heavyweight and recently crowned champion with Sydney Sixers in the BBL, Carlos Brathwaite and Khsushdil Shah would be crucial in Multan’s approach to the game. The team from South Punjab also has some brilliant bowlers in Sohail Tanvir, Imran Tahir, Sohail Khan and Usman Qadir to offer skipper Rizwan a lot of options to choose from. Islamabad United vs Multan Sultans: Match Details Match Number- 03 Date and Time: 21st February, 07:30 pm IST, 07:00 pm Local, 02:00 pm GMT Venue- National Stadium, Karachi Broadcast and Live stream: Sony Six and Sony LIV Pitch Report This wicket would be two matches old. Since it is just the start of the season and the game is going to be an evening affair, not much help could be expected for the bowlers, especially with heavy dew settling in. Though Quetta weren’t able to get a partnership going otherwise this wicket is tailor-made for high scoring games at the start of the season. Weather and Toss At this time of the season, dew is a common phenomenon and hence it would majorly impact the game. The winds will be dry and chilly in the evening, helping the faster bowlers a bit with the new ball. But with dew, a major concern, the team winning the toss would most likely bowl first. Probable XIs Islamabad United Alex Hales, Paul Stirling, Asif Ali, Philip Salt (wk), Hussain Talat, Lewis Gregory, Shadab Khan(c), Faheem Ashraf, Zafar Gohar, Hasan Ali, Muhammad Musa Multan Sultans Chris Lynn, Mohammad Rizwan(w/c), James Vince, Sohaib Maqsood, Khushdil Shah, Shahid Afridi, Carlos Brathwaite, Sohail Tanvir, Usman Qadir, Sohail Khan, Imran Tahir Dream XI/ Fantasy XI Chris Lynn, Mohammad Rizwan (w/c), Alex Hales (vc), Asif Ali, Khushdil Shah, Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Shahid Afridi, Hasan Ali, Zafar Gohar, Sohail Tanvir

Excited to share dressing room with Virat Kohli: Rahul Tewatia

Haryana and Rajasthan Royals player Rahul Tewatia got maiden India call-up on Saturday after the BCCI announced the T20I squad for the home series against England. Talking about his selection, Tewatia said that the level of Haryana cricket and the way he has cemented his place at the state level has made him tough. "Imagine fighting it out for a place in the team which has legends like Amit Mishra bhai. Then you had Jayant Yadav, and Yuzvendra Chahal has also represented the state team whenever he has not been busy playing for India. The level of competition for spinners in the Haryana team is one of the toughest I would say. Finding a place and performing for Haryana not only gave me confidence but also helped me back my skills," he said while talking to ANI. Every cricketer goes through a rough patch and so did Tewatia. Mentioning about the same, the left-arm batsman said that the management has always supported him and kept him confident. “Yes, it can get tough some times when you have a bad game here and there, but there has been immense support from HCA. Not to forget how Anirudh sir has always instilled confidence in me. He was always a call away and ensured that I only looked at the positive side and backed my game," he further said. Tewatia also revealed that he is pretty “excited” to share the dressing room with someone like Virat Kohli. "So far, I played against Virat Kohli in the IPL. Now I will play with him and share the dressing room with him. Cannot wait to share the dressing room with him and some of the best cricketers in world cricket. It will be all about learning from them and understanding how they compete against the best in the business and succeed," he said. Apart from Tewatia, the selectors have also called up Suryakumar Yadav and wicket-keeper batsman Ishan Kishan.

Australia skipper Aaron Finch not surprised at going unsold in IPL auction

Australia white-ball captain Aaron Finch would have relished the prospects of playing in the upcoming edition of the IPL given his lacklustre form in the previous edition, but he is also pragmatic about the lack of opportunity and not surprised at franchises not showing any interest in his service. Notably, Finch had put his base price at Rs 3 crore INR but went unsold in the auction that took place on February 18 in Chennai. However, he is preferring to take the positives out of it as it offers him a window to stay at home after an extended period of time away from playing for Australia and in the IPL last year. "It would've been nice to be playing again, it's an amazing competition to be a part of, but it wasn't unexpected that I didn't get picked up to be honest. I'd prefer to be playing cricket, but a little bit of time at home might not be the worst thing, having quite a full schedule since August when we left for the UK and a few times in quarantine and a lot of times in hubs and bubbles, I think just getting home and recharging the batteries might be nice. I know my wife's definitely looking forward to it,” Finch said. Finch struggled at the top of the order for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the last IPL where he could muster only 268 runs from 12 innings with an abysmal average-strike rate combination of 22.33 and 112.20. He finished the tournament with a solitary fifty and became a liability for the Virat Kohli-led side before he was axed from the playing XI. He would have hoped to resurrect his form and turn around his numbers in the Big Bash League that followed the limited-overs leg of the series against India, but his numbers sank further. He could not hit even a fifty in the 13 games in the 10th edition of the league and finished with mere 179 runs with a horrible average of 13.77 runs per innings. Now, Finch has stepped up the process to eradicate the obvious flaws such as playing the front foot in his batting in discussion with Andrew McDonald, Australia’s assistant coach. Finch said that he felt his foot movement was making him stuck in the crease and hence the efforts and precise training to make his foot mobile will help him get back among runs once he starts to play again for Australia in the upcoming tour of New Zealand. "I've been working on a few little technical things, trying to get a little bit less weight on my front foot. At times I can be a little bit flat-footed and my feet get planted and then I struggle to move again. I have my initial movement and then I get a little bit stuck. I've talked a lot and worked a fair bit with Andrew McDonald, who I go back to every time things don't seem quite right and he seems to sort it out pretty quick, so it's been nice to have a good chunk of training and focusing on a few little technical changes." Australia are touring New Zealand for a five-match T20 series starting tomorrow, February 22 where the selectors have taken a punt on younger players who have shone brightly in the recently-concluded Big Bash League. The T20 squad has been picked in a clear separation from the Test squad in a clear sign of divergence as Australia are looking to build up a strong squad to win the ICC World T20 due to be held later this year in India.