Shakib Al Hasan & Mustafizur Rahman to not participate in remainder of IPL 2021

We are playing for every single girl who desires to play this sport: Jemimah Rodrigues

India Women’s batter Jemimah Rodrigues was emotional on receiving her test jersey for the first time ever. The youngster after wearing the India Women’s Test jersey, which is always the dream of any cricketer growing up, said that she is more energised than ever to play for India so that she can leave a legacy for the coming generation, the way ladies before her who represented India in Test cricket did. “So today Ramesh [Ramesh Powar] sir called us for a team meeting and showed us the history we have of women's cricket in India - From where it first started to where it has reached today,” Jemimah wrote on her Instagram post. “The one's who were before us that made it possible for us to be a part of what we are today. The one's who did it without the recognition they deserved, the one's who brought women's cricket in India,” she continued shedding light on as well as thanking India’s women cricketers who toiled hard to take the sport where it stands today. The 20-year-old who debuted for India in 2018 was pumped on receiving her jersey from the hands of two of women cricket’s stalwarts in the world Jhulan Goswami and India Test skipper Mithali Raj. “Then the two legends of Indian women's cricket Mithu di and Jhulu di came up and shared with the entire team what cricket has meant to them and what it's like being a part of this Legacy,” wrote Jemimah. Ending her post, the Mumbai born went on to establish the motto of the Indian Women’s team going ahead. “The meeting ended off with this beautiful quote. ‘Our greatest responsibility is to honour those who have been before us and those who will come after, to 'leave the JERSEY in a better place.',” she wrote. The Indian Women’s would play their first-ever Test in nearly four years time when they take on England Women in the one-off Tests at Bristol, which is also their first game of the English tour. Talking about, Jemimha, who has so far scored 1368 runs in 40 T20Is and 19 ODIs combined, said, This series and the series here forth, we are playing for a far bigger cause than what we realise, we are playing for every single girl who desires to play this sport.”

WTC Final | Sunil Gavaskar not buying 'advantage New Zealand' argument

Former Indian cricketer and batting maestro Sunil Gavaskar has dismissed ‘advantage New Zealand’ argument for the World Test Championship Final calling it a pessimist view. While experts have argued that the Kiwis would be better placed going into the WTC Final because of their two-match Test series against the English side, Gavaskar has quashed those claims. In his recent column in The Telegraph, Gavaskar pointed out the flip side of playing the two Test matches in English conditions. The little master said that the Kiwis could be low on morale if they are whitewashed by England in that series. "The flip side of playing those two Tests is that New Zealand could get beaten and thus be low on morale when they take on India and there could be some injuries and niggles to some of their key players which can happen in early June in England," Gavaskar said. The 71-year-old further added that the Indian team would be fresher going into the final at Southampton and would love to play the sport after a gap of one month. "The other factor that will work in the Indian team's favour is that they will be fresh and raring to go and that sheer energy and enthusiasm to be able to play the sport they love after a month's gap will more than make up for any lack of match practice," Gavaskar wrote. Going into the final match, both India and New Zealand have form on their side. While the Kiwis have not lost a single series at home in their summer season, India come into the final after their historic win in Australia and ruthless victory against England in home conditions. New Zealand would like to make the most of the two-match Test series and hope to get used to the conditions as much as they can. Having lost two ICC ODI World Cup finals in a row, the Kiwis would be coming into the game at full intensity.

WTC Final: Advantage New Zealand reckons Brendon McCullum

Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum believes that the Kiwis might have a 60-40 advantage over India in the World Test Championship because of the fact that they are getting a first-hand match experience in similar conditions with the two-match series they are playing against England. “I think 60-40 New Zealand. I think it is going to be close but the match practice that New Zealand are going to have against England leading to the Final could just tip them ahead. But it is going to be very close,” McCullum said in an interview with Sports Today. The Blackcaps will be involved with the English side in two Tests that fall right ahead of the WTC Final. The first Test begins on June 2 at the Lord’s while the second one starts on June 10 at Edgbaston. The WTC Final will begin on June 18 at Rosebowl in Southampton. The 39-year-old though refused to count Virat Kohli’s men out saying, “Just as New Zealand would respect India, as a fan I too shall respect India.” “It is because of how good the players they have and how competitive they are and the fighting spirit that they have. I think we are in for a ripping WTC Final and may the best team win,” added the Kolkata Knight Riders coach.

IPL 2021 | Non availability of foreigners an opportunity for Gill and Rana: McCullum

The non-availability of Pat Cummins and Eoin Morgan is an opportunity for Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana to show their leadership skills feels Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Brendon McCullum. Speaking to Sports Today on their YouTube channel, McCullum said that it would be tough on KKR if they miss out on the services of cool customers like Cummins and Morgan but at the same time this would be a good oppurtunity for the rest of the contingent to step up to the mantle. “They might not be ready for the responsibility just yet, but if we don't have the leaders there, then unfortunately someone’s got to step in and fill that void.” Taking the names of Gill and Rana, he said that those players will have to drag the rest of the team along and hope that they can make it to the playoffs. “They maybe have to play beyond their years and beyond their experience” McCullum agrees with people to a certain degree when they say that KKR have underperformed despite having quality players in their line-up during the first part of the Indian Premier League. However, the head coach felt that the team was breaking the shackles and shaving their insecurities just as the tournament came to a halt. Bringing up the context of their outing in 2014, McCullum said that he was looking forward to being at the pointy head of the market. He stated that just like 2014, the unit could potentially have done the unthinkable by winning the required number of games to qualify for the playoffs and then winning the ultimate prize. As things stand, KKR reel in the bottom half of the points table with just four points to their name from seven games. With IPL potentially restarting around 19 September, it is possible that KKR might miss out on key overseas players like captain Eoin Morgan and their most expensive recruit Pat Cummins.