Siraj praises skipper Rahane in racism row, says he was adamant at not leaving the pitch

Sri Lanka vs England: James Anderson replaces Stuart Broad for 2nd Test

The most successful pacer in the history of Test cricket, James Anderson has been included in England playing XI for the second Test against Sri Lanka in place of Stuart Broad who has been rested. This is England’s only change from the opening clash which they won convincingly by 7 wickets. Meanwhile Broad was effective in the first Test bagging 3/20 in the first innings which helped the visitors to skittle the hosts out for just 135. However with this being a relatively low key series, the England team management has decided to rotate the frontline pacers and in comes, Anderson in place of a long time bowling partner especially to manage the workload of the players ahead of a highly intense four-match Test series against India. This will be Anderson’s first Test match ever since taking the 600th Test scalp against Pakistan last August. Anderson who has been England’s spearhead for nearly two decades will look to guide England to their fifth successive win abroad. Jack Leach and Dom Bess will remain the two spinners for England as Moeen Ali isn’t available for selection yet having only completed his coronavirus quarantine on Saturday. Test skipper Joe Root expressed his disappointment at Moeen Ali missing out as he lends a good balanced for England in all conditions. "Unfortunately Mo is not going to be selectable for this game, which is a real shame. It's been a really tough tour for him so far. "It is great to see him back around the group, training again and easing his way back into his workload and getting ready for Test cricket again. We are all looking forward to having him back at full tilt. "The great thing for me is that the spinners had success but also have great attitudes where they want to keep getting better. They don't want to be happy with what they have done, they want to improve on the start they have had." The 2nd and the final Test of the series start tomorrow, 22nd January and the hosts will surely be looking to make a grand comeback and level the series. England team for second Test: Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root (captain), Dan Lawrence, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Sam Curran, Dom Bess, Jack Leach, Mark Wood James Anderson

Byju's logo removed from Rahane jersey in welcome party

India’s stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane was given a grand welcome in the society he lives in Mumbai after returning from a historic series win in Australia. India won the series 2-1 after Rahane led the team from the front after putting a splendid century in the Boxing Day Test after their dismal show in the Adelaide Test. However, the development during the ceremony may cause a bit of treble as the members of Rahane’s housing society cropped the logo of the principal sponsor of the Indian team jersey—Byju’s. Rahane was also offered to cut a cake in celebration of his return after a heroic win down under but he showed his class off the field as well as he refused to accept the cake that had a Kangaroo—representation of the Australian team on it.

Rishabh Pant wants to make a name for himself, doesn't want to be compared

Receiving a hero’s welcome on his return to New Delhi, Team India stumper, Rishabh Pant stated that he feels ‘amazing’ when people draw comparisons with legend MS Dhoni but he reiterated the fact that he wants to make a name for himself in Indian cricket. Pant was one of the pivotal members of the Indian squad which went onto win the historic Border Gavaskar Trophy after breaching the Gabba fortress in the final Test of the series. This was India’s 2nd Test series win in Australia on a trot. "You feel amazing when you are compared to someone like MS Dhoni and you compare me with him," Pant told reporters after his arrival in Delhi from Australia. Pant scored a match-winning 87 in the 2nd innings of the final Test and stayed there till the end as India won the Test by 3 wickets with 3 overs still left in the day’s play. Pant finished as India’s leading run-scorer in the Test series and in the process also became the fastest to 1000 Test runs by any Indian keeper breaking MSD’s record. However, he doesn’t want to be compared with anyone. "It's amazing but I don't want to be compared with anyone, I want to make myself as a name in Indian cricket because it's not good to compare some legend with some youngster," Pant said. Pant played quite a few breezy knocks during the course of the series which also included a magical 97 in the 3rd Test in Sydney which gave India a realistic chance of chasing down the target of 407. However, injuries to Ashwin and Vihari didn’t allow them to go after the target but the duo played some terrific cricket in the last session to draw the Test. Pant who scored 274 runs in just 5 innings just wants to savour the moment for years to come. "I think the whole team is very happy with the way we played the series in Australia," he said. The feat of India is quite staggering especially given the fact that was bowled out for 36 in Australia and didn’t field even their 2nd XI in the final Test.

Maharashtra Government exempts Rahane and four others from quarantine protocols

Following a historic series win Down Under, members of the Indian cricket team, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Shardul Thakur, Prithvi Shaw and head coach Ravi Shastri arrived in Mumbai on Thursday and to ensure their smooth landing, former MCA President Sharad Pawar granted the permission that the 14-day quarantine is not imposed on them. Most of the Indian players have been in a secure bio bubble for the last 5-6 months and it would have been very hard on them especially after being in quarantine since August and undergoing several COVID tests. The 5 members of the Indian cricket team along with their head coach was absolved from the 14 day quarantine period after the authorities at BCCI and MCA requested the former president Sharad Pawar to make sure that the quarantine procedures are not imposed on them. "We requested Mr. Pawar to help obtain an exemption from institutional isolation for these players. They have been in quarantine since August and have also had regular Covid tests. The exemption was obtained at around midnight (on Wednesday)," an MCA official who was there at the airport to receive the aforementioned players was quoted as saying by the Cricbuzz. It must be noted here that the guidelines which were laid out by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) on December 21 clearly states that passengers coming from Europe, South Africa, UK and the Middle East have to be in isolation for 14 days including a week-long institutional quarantine. The 5 members of the team arrived in Mumbai via a connecting flight from Dubai. Maharashtra is one of those very few states where a 14 day isolation period is compulsory. "This is because of sudden emergence of a fast-spreading Covid-19 variant in UK which is believed to be more transmissible than the original strain. But we understand the bio-bubble these players were in and regular testing they had to undergo in Australia. Also, it is not that we have not granted exemption in the past. The MCGM website lists out the conditions when an exemption can be granted," the quarantine in-charge Anil Wankhede said. Meanwhile, the Indian players who will be returning from Australia will be assembled in Chennai on the day of the country’s Republic Day for the upcoming 4 match Test series against England. Meanwhile, the players who were not part of the squad for the tour Down Under will reach Chennai on 23rd January. All the players from either team will be arriving in two batches and will be part of the bio-secure bubble for a week. "A hotel has been booked for the teams near the Chepauk and the players will be allowed to practise only from February 2," a Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.