Sanju Samson being appointed Royals captain is a great story: Jos Buttler

Fakhar Zaman creates world record; reaches to highest second innings individual score in ODIs

Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman created the world record for the highest individual score by any batsman in the second innings of an ODI score. The 30-year-old scored 193 at the Wanderers during the second ODI of the ongoing three-match ODI series between South Africa and Pakistan. The left-hander was unfortunately run out for 193 attempting a second run. The run-out was so unfortunate that Aiden Markram hit the stumps directly at the striker’s end from long-off. In his 155 ball 193, Zaman hit 18 fours and 10 sixes to keep the team in chase. It is also the second-highest score for a player in a losing cause in an ODI. Charles Coventry of Zimbabwe had scored 194 unbeaten against Bangladesh in an ODI game which his team lost. How valuable the knock was could be gauzed from the fact that Pakistan was chasing 343 and the second-highest score in the team was that from skipper Babar Azam’s 31. Fakhar’s knock though couldn’t save the game for the Men in Green in the Pink ODI as the Proteas won it by 17 runs.

IPL 2021: Buttler reveals his most inspiring sportsperson; wants Pat Cummins to play for England

Swiss tennis star Roger Federer is someone who inspires Rajasthan Royals marquee player Jos Buttler to put in the hard yards in all walks of life with grace and style. The Englishman is also awed by how the tennis legend is still able to remain in the mix of the heat, even after entering the late thirties. “Federer is someone whose journey inspires me a lot. He has always been sort of a huge talent as a kid, always talked about that he was going to be a great of the game,” Buttler was said in a Q/A video uploaded by the Royals on their official Twitter handle. “But then to go on to show the desire the consistency and longevity are just amazing. Doing it all at 38 with the huge amount of grace and style that he does is just inspirational,” added the Somerset player. Buttler, 30, was also asked that among the current lot of international players which one would make it to the English team without any hurdle. Answering that he chose Australia vice-captain in Tests, Pat Cummins. “Pat Cummins would fit automatically into the English side. I would like to see him operating with Jofra Archer for England. That would be a deadly combination," said Buttler. Buttler, who has played 58 IPL games, scoring 1714 runs at more than a decent average of 34.97, was also asked to pick one player from the yesteryears whom he would have liked to play with or against. To many people’s surprise, he chose West Indian great Sir Vivian Richards, not only because of his flamboyant nature but because Buttler’s father used to talk a lot about him as the great man too played for Somerset. “Sir Viv Richards is the one player he wanted to play with. He was my dad’s all-time favourite player. He played for Somerset where I grew up playing and there are so many stories related to him and [Ian] Botham batting together at my home ground. He was always ahead of the game and I think he would have been a great T20 player,” said Buttler.

IPL 2021: BCCI in talks with health ministry to vaccinate the players

The second wave of COVID-19 has affected India and the impending trouble to the bio-bubbles for the upcoming edition of the IPL has meant that the BCCI is mulling the idea of vaccinating its players by getting in touch with the Union Health Ministry. Devdutt Padikkal of the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Axar Patel of the Delhi Capitals tested positive for the virus very recently. Even KKR batsman Nitish Rana was also infected by the virus not long ago. This has put the bio-bubble in jeopardy. With only a few days left for the start of the 14th season of the IPL, this has become a genuine concern on how to get things into place with the tension already mounting. Meanwhile, the BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla announced that the board is trying to get in touch with the Health Ministry to vaccinate the players. "In order to cope with this coronavirus rise, I think the only solution is to get vaccinated. BCCI is also thinking on those lines that players should be vaccinated,” Shukla was quoted as saying by the ANI. “Nobody knows when coronavirus is going to end and you can't give a deadline that by this time frame, it will not be there so players can play easily. So, I think now will have to think over that. Vaccination should be done for the players also.” Meanwhile, former Indian skipper and President of the Hyderabad Cricket Association Mohammad Azharuddin offered the facilities of the state body to the BCCI to host the upcoming cash-rich league in case the matches slated to be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai are shifted out. The COVID situation in Mumbai is worsening with each day but with the bio-bubble in place, the management is hopeful of still conducting the matches at the Wankhede Stadium. "In these difficult times there are all the more reasons for us to stand by each other. Hyderabad Cricket Association would like to offer its facilities to @BCCI to ensure that IPL2021 is conducted in safe and secure venues," Azharuddin wrote on his Twitter handle. Despite over 9,000 cases getting reported in Mumbai on Saturday, a senior BCCI office-bearer is confident of still hosting the matches in Mumbai. "Look, even if there is a lockdown, the teams are in bio-bubble and also it's a closed-door event. So we are still confident that IPL games in Mumbai will be held as per schedule with Delhi Capitals playing Chennai Super Kings on April 10 on the second day of the tournament," he had said.

IPL 2021: Shubman Gill is ready to fit into any role given by captain Eoin Morgan

Promising young Indian batsman Shubhman Gill is of the opinion that strike rate is overrated and for him, the biggest strength of a batsman is to adjust to different situations and conditions without having a specific game plan for the situation. Gill who played a pivotal role in India’s historic triumph Down Under has limited experience of ODI and T20 cricket. While he has played just 3 ODI’s for India, he is yet to make his T20I debut. He has often come under scrutiny for his slow strike rate for the Kolkata Knight Riders but Gill isn’t bothered by that. "I think strike-rate is kind of overrated," Gill who will be a vital cog for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the upcoming said during an exclusive interview with the PTI. "It's all about how you adapt to a certain situation. If the team demands you to play with a strike rate of 200 you should be able to do it. If the team demands you to play at a strike rate of 100, you should be able to do it. It's just about adapting to the match situation," he said confidently. "There shouldn't be a certain pattern to your game where you are only able to play one kind of game and not being able to adapt to different situations," he added. Gill had a terrific time with the bat in Australia but couldn’t quite follow it up in the home Test series against England. He scored just one half-century in 7 innings as India thrashed England 3-1 in the 4 Test affair. Gill last played for India in the white-ball format against Australia in December last year but the lack of game time especially in the white ball format isn’t something to worry about feels the talented right-handed batsman. "I don't think it will affect anything because we have almost 10-12 days before our first match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (April 11) so there's plenty of time for me to prepare," he said. Gill opened the batting for Kolkata Knight Riders all through the last edition of the IPL but he is ready to fit into any role given by the skipper Eoin Morgan. "I'll be pretty comfortable and up for it whether the team requires me to bat in the middle-order or higher up. I'm up for anything," he said. Gill said that each of the three formats of the game has its own charm and has its own experiences. "Honestly, All the three formats have their own excitement and have their own experiences." "In Test matches, there's a different type of rush and excitement. In ODIs, there's a different kind of rush and when you're playing T20s, it's different. All three are different but all three are really exciting." Gill made his Test debut against Australia in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne last year. India was coming off a horrendous performance in the opening Test having being bowled out for their lowest ever Test score (36) in the second innings. Reflecting on that, Gill said that it was a bitter pill to swallow to see the best batting line-up getting bundled out for less than 40 runs. "It was not a great feeling when you see the best batting lineup in the world getting bundled out for less than 40 runs. "Seeing our batsmen getting out for such low scores, I think, it kind of motivated me more to do well whenever I got a chance. I was really determined to do well." "Before the Adelaide Test only I knew that I'll be playing the second match in Melbourne because that's when Virat Bhai was leaving so Ravi Sir told me that I'll be playing from the second Test onwards," he remembered. Gill smashed a sensational counter-attacking 91 in the second innings of the final Test at the Gabba in Brisbane which was a perfect set-up for the historic run-chase of 328. Recalling that match, Gill said he really wanted to get a century that day and thought he deserved that feat but that wasn’t to be. "I really wanted to get 100 on that day I thought I deserved it. But once I got to the 90s, I knew that I was getting a bit nervous. I thought I would ask for drinks to calm down my nerves but I got out in the same over," he recalled. "If I have to rate my innings it was nine out of 10. If I would have got a 100 obviously I would have been able to express myself more," he said. Gill looks a matured cricketer even at a very young age and most of his shots ooze class and confidence. However, he is guilty of not converting his starts into a big one. "When I look back, I don't think I would have done anything differently. I don't have any regrets. "I don't think there is any concern in not being able to convert those starts. If I see my innings, there are very few innings in which I've thrown my wicket away. "In most of the innings, where I have not been able to convert my starts, there have been good balls," he pointed out. Quite often Gill is seen bowling his off-breaks in the KKR nets. Reflecting on that aspect of his game, Gill recalled that he used to bowl a lot during his U 16 and U 19 days but after being called for suspect action he kind of stopped bowling. "In U-16 and U-19, I used to bowl a lot but I was warned for suspect action in U-19 then I kind of stopped bowling." "Let's see, you never know I might pick it up and be determined to bowl. I think I should be able to do a pretty good job," he signed off.