Second largest stadium in the country to be constructed in Jaipur

The Rajasthan Cricket Association has received a financial grant of Rs. 100 crores from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to build the second-largest stadium in India. The stadium will be built in Jaipur.

The estimated time for the construction of the first phase of the stadium is likely to take 24 to 30 months while an amount of around Rs. 290 crores would be required for the construction work.

"Historic day for cricket in Rajasthan -- went to JDA for getting the lease deed and possession letter from JDC Gaurav Goyal for the land for India's second-largest cricket stadium proposed at Jaipur. Also present were GS Sandhu, Advisor, Mahendra Sharma, Secy and others," RCA President Vaibhav Gehlot tweeted.

The stadium which will have a spectator capacity of 75,000 will get the funds for construction from three sources. 100 crores will be provided by the BCCI, a 100 crores loan from the bank and Rs. 90 crores from RCS funds.

"Construction work will be done in two phases. There will be 40,000 spectator capacity in the first phase and the ground will have 44 international level cricket pitches," an official statement read.

"There will be two practice grounds, four cricket academies, hostels, parking facilities, sports facilities like club, hotel, gym etc. and will be made of international level," it added.

The Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad is presently the biggest cricket stadium in the world having a total capacity of 1,32,000 and was inaugurated by President Ramnath Kovind ahead of the Day-night Test between India and England earlier this year.

Discover more

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.

Kapil Dev rejects idea of addition in Test squad, asks Kohli- Shastri to respect selectors, players

India’s world-cup winning captain Kapil Dev has outrightly rejected the idea of another opener in the Indian squad for the upcoming Test series against England as was reported by TOI. Giving his opinion of ABP News Kapil Dev asserted that the team management that includes the skipper Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri must have given ‘these are the players we need’ opinions to selectors, and hence theory of an extra opener is demeaning one for the selectors. He also pointed out that the squad already possess two ‘big’ openers in KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal and hence India’s search for another option does not seem to be the right move. "I don't think there is any need for it. There should be some respect for the selectors too. They have picked a team and I'm sure it wouldn't have happened without their (Shastri and Kohli) consultation. I mean, you have two such big opening batsmen in KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal. Do you really need a third option? I don't think it's right," Kapil said on the 'Wah Cricket' show on ABP News. "I want that the captain and the management should have a say, but not at the expense of over-ruling the selectors and say that 'these are the players we need'. In that case, we don't even need selectors. I am feeling a bit odd knowing that something like this has happened because if it has, it demeans the selectors and their role," he said. The conundrum over India’s opener for England Test developed after Shubman Gill developed a stress fracture in his leg that may well force him out of the entire series. Earlier this week, TOI reported that the team management is eager to get Prithvi Shaw back in the squad in England after the series in Sri Lanka although they have Abhimanyu Easwaran in the ranks as well.