Rahul Dravid knows me inside out & has guided me a lot: Yuzvendra Chahal

IND vs NZ | 1st T20I: Early and consistent onset of dew to limit unfair advantage of toss

There will be little to no impact of the toss in the first T20I between India and New Zealand with high chances of dew falling well before the scheduled start of the game. The officials at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur has said that dew has started falling by 7 pm in the evening in the last two days and the trend is likely to continue. The toss advantage was remarkably visible in the just-concluded T20 World Cup and in almost all the matches, teams batting second got the better conditions to bat on and there were clear signs of toss severely impacting the performance of sides, for both good and the bad. “Here in Jaipur, there could be dew in the first innings itself going by the last two days which minimises the toss advantage to a certain extent. Since it is a T20, one has to expect lots of runs from this surface,” said an official to PTI. “We will use the anti-dew spray on match day but we have all seen its effect is very limited.” A high chance of dew falling will compel both the hosts India and New Zealand while selecting their playing XI especially with regards to the number of spinners in the side. If not for dew, India would have been comfortable fielding a spin-heavy attack but now they will have to give a hard look to the dew and nature of the surface. The pitch is expected to be flat and stroke makers in both sides should love to hit through the line using the balls coming onto their bats due to dew falling heavily at the night.

Felt really bad after getting dropped from T20 World Cup squad: Yuzvendra Chahal

India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is back in the side for the T20I series against New Zealand slated to begin on Wednesday in Jaipur. The leggie was earlier snubbed from the T20 World Cup squad and talking about the same, Chahal admitted that he was disappointed after not getting picked for the global tournament. “I was not dropped in four years and then I got dropped for such a marquee event. I felt really bad. I was down for two-three days. But then I knew the second leg of the IPL was still around the corner. I went back to my coaches and spoke to them a lot,” Chahal told the Times of India. The right-arm bowler further added that it was his family and fans who kept him motivated despite the omission from the squad. “My wife and family were constantly encouraging me. My fans kept putting out motivational posts. That buoyed me. I decided to back my strengths and overcome my confusion. I couldn’t have sulked for long because that would have impacted my IPL form,” he added. The Indian team had a disappointing run in the T20 World Cup after they were eliminated from the tournament in the group stage. The Men in Blue will now play a three-match T20I series against New Zealand.

Hardik Pandya refutes 'rumours' of watch worth Rs 5 crore, says voluntarily declared items to customs

India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has released a statement making a clarification regarding the rumours doing the rounds that the custom officials at Mumbai airport seizing his luxury watches worth Rs 5 crore. The right-hander in a statement said that he voluntarily declared all the items that had been lawfully purchased from Dubai and was ready to pay whatever duties that needed to be paid. “I had voluntarily declared all the items that I’d lawfully purchased from Dubai and was ready to pay whatever duties that needed to be paid. As a matter of fact, the customs department had asked for all the purchase documents which were submitted; however, customs is doing the valuation for duty which I’ve already confirmed to pay,” Pandya wrote in a statement issued on twitter. Hardik further added that the cost of the watches is “approximately Rs. 1.5 crore and not Rs. 5 crore as per the rumours floating around on social media”. The all-rounder was a part of the Indian team during the recently concluded T20 World Cup. Hardik scored a total of 69 runs in the three innings that he batted in for India. The Men in Blue bowed out of the tournament in the group stage itself and will now lock horns with New Zealand in the T20I series slated to begin on Wednesday in Jaipur.

The Ashes | Sir Ian Botham picks Marnus Labuschagne as 'cherry on the cake' for Australia

One of the best all-rounders to have ever played the game and the one who ruled the Ashes series in his prime, Sir Ian Botham has picked his Australian player to watch out for in the upcoming Ashes series. Botham called Marnus Labuschagne “cherry on the cake” for an already strong Australian side with batsmen such as Steve Smith and David Warner, whom he rated as a “threat” for the Joe Root-led England side. Botham said that Labuschagne’s competitiveness and attitude stand him apart from other players and rated him as Australia’s best player at the moment even ahead of the likes of Smith and Warner. Interestingly, Sir Botham also divulged his personal connection with Australia’s number three batsman and is looking forward to “sitting down and having a cold one with Labuschagne at some stage” and “watching him with interest” during the Ashes where he will be commentating on the games. Botham’s grandson and Labuschagne got along well while the right-hander was playing County Cricket for Glamorgan in Cardiff although he was late to pick it up that it was actually Marnus Labuschagne whom his grandson was hanging out with. “I think [Steve] Smith is going to have a big part, I think [David] Warner somewhere along the line is going to be a threat and, definitely, Labuschagne,” Botham said to the Sydney Morning Herald. “What I have seen of him has really impressed me. I like his attitude, his competitiveness. He could be the cherry on the cake for Australia.” “Labuschagne is probably your (Australia’s) best player at the moment. I have watched his career. He was obviously playing with Glamorgan in the county championship in the UK. “My grandson was also in Cardiff because he plays rugby for Cardiff and Wales. The two of them meet for a coffee, quite often. I didn’t realise this until I caught up with Labuschagne. The two of them get on very well, meet up for a coffee and a chat. They are both very competitive, that’s one thing for sure. That rubs off. I am going to watch him with interest in the series. The Ashes series is scheduled to start at Gabba on December 08.