SA vs IND | 1st ODI: Bavuma, van der Dussen shine as Proteas blank India in all departments

India U19 captain Yash Dhull and Vice-Captain Shaik Rasheed test positive for Covid

In a big blow to the India Under-19 team’s campaign at the ongoing ICC U19 World Cup 2022 in West Indies, the skipper and vice-captain of the team along with four other players have tested positive for Covid-19 in Rapid Antigen Testing. Yash Dhull, the captain of the side along with Shiekh Rasheed, his deputy, Aaradhya Yadav, Vasu Vats, Manav Parakh, and Siddharth Yadav were declared Covid positive just ahead of the team’s Group B clash against Ireland. In such tough circumstances, the team barely managed to field an XI. “Three Indian players had tested positive yesterday and were already isolated. In the morning before the match our captain and vice-captain also tested positive in Rapid Antigen Test which is not (not considered) conclusive," a BCCI official was quoted as saying by PTI. “So they, as a precautionary measure, were pulled out. The players included skipper Yash Dhull and his deputy Shaikh Rasheed. We only had 11 available players and six isolated," the official added. According to ICC’s measures, “merely registering a positive PCR test result within a team will not result in the automatic postponement or cancellation of fixtures." Therefore it is most likely that India would play its next group stage game against Uganda scheduled for Saturday, January 22. But the bigger question, is what would happen if even after six days, India is unable to get back its captain and vice-captain in playing condition ahead of the all-important quarterfinal clash? That decision would be taken by the ICC’s Bio-safety Scientific Advisory Group (BSAG). As far as the match against Ireland is concerned, riding on the back of openers Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Harnoor Singh’s fifties and a quickfire 36* from Rajvardhan Hangargekar, the Nishant Sandhu led Indian team reached 307-5 in its 50 overs. In reply, Ireland were 1-0 in the second over at the time of publishing this copy.

SA vs IND | 1st ODI: India waste a great start, lose flurry of wickets at crucial junctures

The Indian team, which was looking all set to chase down 297 with a great partnership of more than 100 runs between the experienced pairing of Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli, now suddenly finds itself in all sorts of bother. The team now needs 107 runs from 78 balls with two relatively less experienced batters or bowling all-rounders in Ravichandran Ashwin and Shardul Thakur at the crease. In total, India lost five wickets in 50 runs. It was going all well with there seeming no interest at all from South Africa to take any wicket as Keshav Maharaj went routinely through his overs from one end. But it was during one such over that an arm bowl from the left-hander castled a settled Dhawan, who was batting at 79 off 0ff 84 balls. Rishabh Pant joined Kohli at the crease and helped the latter get past his 63rd fifty-plus score. But just after his fifty, Kohli was out courtesy of a very soft dismissal as the ball hit the toe end of his bat while he was sweeping chinaman Tabraiz Shamsi and the leading edge was popped up easily by Temba Bavuma at short midwicket. Shreyas Iyer who joined Pant added 29 for the fourth wicket, before being caught by de Kock off Lungi Ngidi for run a ball 17. De Kock was once again in action as he stumped Pant off Andile Phehlukwayo’s medium pace down the leg. Venkatesh Iyer, the debutant too lost his patience and tried to pull a short ball from Ngidi, was caught at square leg by Rassie van der Dussen. At the time of publishing this copy, Ashwin was joined at the crease by Thakur.

SA vs IND | 1st ODI: Shikhar Dhawan hits fifty as India move steadily towards the target

The Indian team has started well on their chase of 297 set up by hots South Africa in the first match of the three-match ODI series being played at the Boland Park in Paarl. The team has so far lost only one wicket and reached the 100 run mark with a settled Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan at the crease and more than 30 overs remaining to chase down the target. Dhawan, who is playing for the first time in the Indian side after the Sri Lanka tour with the second string side in August, started solidly and has kept on striking the ball well ever since. He lost his opening partner and Indian skipper, KL Rahul, as the right-hander was caught by Quinton de Kock behind the stumps off the bowling of part-timer Aiden Markram. While the opening pair of Dhawan and Rahul added 46 in 49 balls, the partnership between Kohli and Dhawan is now 56 runs strong and it has come off just 63 balls and the men in blue look determined to chase down the 297 run target. Dhawan is batting at 64 off 65 balls while Kohli is at 24 off 32 balls. This was Dhawan's 34th ODI fifty. A drinks break was taken at the end of the 19th over and at the time Indian score read 102-1. South Africa is yet to introduce their ace Tabrazi Shamsi in the bowling attack.

BBL 11 | Melbourne Stars finish campaign with brilliant victory against Hurricanes

The league of stage of the Big Bash League 2021-22 came to an end with Melbourne Stars finishing it off in a style. The Glenn Maxwell led side registered a fantastic victory over the Hobart Hurricanes at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday, January 19. The Stars, who scored the highest ever total in BBL history by reaching 273-2, beat the Hurricanes by a whopping 106 as the latter was only able to get as far as 167-6 in its quota of 20 overs. The chase was never going to be easy in any case. To be honest, it was almost impossible. However, no team can simply give up because of the huge target and hence neither did Hurricanes. Ben McDermott, till the time he was at the crease, gave his best to try and gather as many runs as possible. Consistency among the Hurricanes batters was difficult to find as after 55 off 33 from McDermott, nobody else could get past the fifty run mark. D'Arcy Short who played his usual slow innings was able to make 41 off 36 balls. For Stars, Brody Couch picked up three wickets. Earlier in the evening, after being put in to bat, Stars got off to as flying a start as possible with openers adding 97 runs for the first wicket in the first seven overs only. The intensity kept on moving a notch above from there on as after Joe Clarke’s wicket, Maxwell got even more aggressive as he reached his second hundred of the season. Marcus Stoinis, who joined Maxwell after the fall of the second wicket in the form of Nick Larkin also gelled well with his captain. The duo put up an unbeaten stand of 132 runs in just 54 balls. It was during that time that Maxwell became the first person in BBL history to go past the 150 run mark as a batter in an innings. Now the BBL would move to Finals with five teams fighting for the biggest honours. In the first match, the Eliminator, the number four and five ranked teams in the points table, Adelaide Strikers and Hobart Hurricanes will face each other. The match will be played on January 21 at the MCG.