Second largest stadium in the country to be constructed in Jaipur

Sir Ian Botham rips into England team management, calls rotation policy 'absolute garbage'

One of the finest all-rounders of the game, Sir Ian Botham has lambasted the England team management for not picking ‘right players and adopting the rotation policy which he rated as an ‘absolute garbage.’ He said that things like plyers being asked to rest after a fine performance would not have taken place in his era. "I am not sure we are picking the right players. Rotation, I think, is the biggest load of b******s of all time. Absolute garbage. I tell you what, I would like to have seen someone say to me when I was playing 'well done, but you’re having a rest next game'. Err, no I’m not. Bowl, get fit and stay fit by bowling," Botham wrote in his column for The Daily Mail. Botham also came hard on England’s batsmen for not going for the chase in the first Test against New Zealand and rated their overall performances as one of the worst he has ever witnessed from his countrymen. He said that the excuse of not having the services of Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler behind them not going for the chase did not make any sense as their absence created chances for other players to step up. "I think our batting is a big worry. Last month, England had a great opportunity at Lord’s when they were given the opportunity of a last-day run chase against New Zealand. People had been waiting for months and months to see live sport and to go out and bat like that in the final innings with no intent was appalling. I thought ‘you guys need to wake up a bit, you rely on the public’. "Their reason for why they didn’t do it was because Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes weren’t playing. Excuse me. That gives a chance for someone else to come through. I thought it was very weak. They got what they deserved in the end, to be quite frank. Performances like the one at Lord’s don’t do anything to promote Test cricket. Quite the contrary. It was one of the most p***poor performances I have ever seen from an England side. He said that the public who turned up at Lord’s to see live sports after such a long break due to Covid-19 would have preferred England going for it and losing it by 20 odd runs instead of watching them bat without any intent. He said that champion sides such as the West Indies of the 1970s, and 80s or New Zealand of now would never have let such opportunities go waste. "You know what, I think the public would have much preferred England to have gone for it and got within 20 runs and if they win it or lose it from that point, whatever. Imagine the West Indies side of the 70s or 80s turning down a challenge like that or New Zealand now. I was pretty ashamed to be honest. I just don’t understand the logic,” an infuriated Botham added in his column. England slipped to their first series defeat against New Zealand at home since 1999 and Joe Root suffered his first series loss at home to Kane Williamson-led New Zealand side who found them short of answers in all departments of the game.

Kohli will end up captaining more than any other skipper in history of the game: Bangar

Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar has put his weight behind present captain Virat Kohli and has said that the right-handed batsman will probably end up captaining more than any other skipper in the history of the game. Kohli though is still searching for an ICC trophy as a skipper but he is the most successful Test captain of India already and has a win percentage of over 70 in ODIs. “If as leaders, you have the opportunity to actually dictate the way the culture of the team is and the outcomes that the team derives, then, in that case, all of them (nominees) were in quest of excellence. So is Virat, I do not doubt that he’ll end up being probably captaining more than any other captain in the history of the game,” Bangar said in Star Sports’ show ‘Cricket Live.’ Under Kohli’s captaincy, India have won 36 Test matches and 65 ODIs but suffered defeats in the final of the Champions Trophy in 2017 against Pakistan and recently in the title clash of the inaugural WTC against New Zealand. The Virat Kohli-led side is now slated to lock horns with England in a five-match Test series scheduled to begin on August 4 in Nottingham.

Steve Smith laments sub-continent tours as physically, mentally & emotionally challenging

Former Australia captain Steve Smith has said that he is looking forward to the upcoming Test fixtures which include Ashes and sub-continent tours. The right-handed batsman further added that the sub-continent tours test a player mentally, emotionally and physically. "I have had a look at the Future Tours Programme and it is pretty hectic, so there is plenty to look forward to, obviously including the Ashes and then tours to the subcontinent which, particularly in Test cricket, they challenge you physically, mentally and emotionally. They are great tours to be involved in and really test you as a player. I am certainly looking forward to those," Smith told cricket.com.au. Talking about the World Test Championship, Smith lauded the idea and also expressed his disappointment on failing to make it through to the final. Australia suffered a 2-1 defeat in the four-match series against India at home. "I think (the WTC) is a pretty cool concept - to have more relevance in every game you play, I think is great. We were obviously very disappointed not to be in the final, and over the last couple of years we talked about it being our focus of where we wanted to get to, but we fell short. So we have got some work to do as a team to give ourselves the best chance to be there next time," he added. Smith who is recovering from elbow injury had earlier opted out of West Indies tour and could skip the World T20 as well to be fit for the Ashes series.

Saba Karim surprised at Shubman Gill 'hiding' his injury, backs Mayank Agarwal against England

Former India wicketkeeper Saba Karim has expressed surprise over the extent of Shubman Gill’s leg injury that would well rule him out of the entire series against England. He suggested that Gill hid his injury and travelled to the United Kingdom despite being injured which should not have been the case in the first place. “I was surprised to see Shubman Gill hide his injury. He has been travelling for a long time with the Indian team. There are physios and other medical staff tracking the fitness of the players. It’s very surprising in the first place, how it happened and why it didn’t come up earlier,” Karim said. Gill’s absence from the side will open the door for Mayank Agarwal, who he said has been treated in a ‘harsh’ manner after a handful of failures against Australia. He has thrown his weight behind Agarwal’s candidature for the series against England if Gill misses out. “Mayank should be given preference. We have been harsh towards Mayank. He was sidelined after just 2-3 failed innings,” he added. Shubman Gill has suffered a stress fracture in his leg and would need rest for a minimum period of six weeks and it could well rule him out of the five-match series starting in the first week of August.