U19 World Cup 2022: India U19 rattle England U19 to push them on backfoot

'You're saying me and Shikhar should sit on the bench' - Rohit Sharma on giving opportunity to Gaikwad, Kishan

India white-ball skipper Rohit Sharma addressed the media ahead of the upcoming ODI series against the West Indies. Detailing what lies ahead of India in the limited-overs cricket, Rohit revealed his side's plan to target the upcoming T20 and ODI World Cup. When asked about captaincy Test cricket, Rohit dodged the question twice, saying that his focus currently lies on limited-overs cricket solely. "There's time for that. My focus is on limited-overs cricket. Workload management is important. We could lose a few series because we need to keep changing players, but we're ready for that. Forget Test captaincy for now. I have no idea for now. Like I said, there is the WI and SL series for now to focus on," the newly-crowned ODI captain said during the press conference. When asked about giving opportunities to youngsters in the top three, Rohit replied wittily as he said for that to happen, he and Dhawan would need to sit out from the playing XI. "You are saying I and Shikhar should sit on the bench and and give Ruturaj and Ishan chances at the top? The top 3 batters in Indian ODI team have done very well. Young batters will get opportunities. Ishan is getting one. There are a lot of matches. The ones who do well will get opportunities. Dhawan did well in SA but is now affected by Covid. Ishan is getting the opportunity now. After Rohit took the leadership baton from Virat Kohli, speculations were rife that the men in blue may come with a changed approach to the field in the ODIs. However, the 34-year-old batter again expressed that India will continue with the same template under his captaincy. "When Virat was the captain, I was the vice-captain. I just have to take it from where he left. Everybody knows what is expected out of them, we want to continue with the same template. There is not much we need to change. It is just that adaptability and being open to different things is what we have spoken of. It is not like I have to come in and change things drastically,” the opener quoted. "I just have to take it from where he left and it is important guys understand the responsibilities. This is what I will focus on, giving them the clarity on what is expected out of them," Rohit concluded.

IND vs WI | 1st ODI: India look for positive re-start after dismal show away from home

India are all set to lock horns with West Indies at home with new limited-overs skipper Rohit Sharam returning to the setup after missing the South Africa tour due to injury. But the hosts suffered a major blow after the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Navdeep Saini (standby player) had tested positive for Covid-19 ahead of the start of the series. The selectors had subsequently called up Mayank Agarwal in the ODI squad. The Indian team is coming into this series after suffering a defeat in both Tests and ODIs against the Proteas. They only managed to win one Test match while having a thumping 0-3 defeat in the ODIs under the stand-in captain KL Rahul's leadership. The first ODI between India and West Indies will be played on Sunday (February 6, 2022) in Ahmedabad. Match Details Match: IND vs WI, 1st ODI, West Indies tour of India, 2022 Date: Sunday, February 06, 2022 Time: 1:30 PM Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad Broadcast: Star Sports Network and Disney+Hotstar Pitch Report The track at the venue is expected to be a balanced one but chasing here seems to be a better option. So, if you win the toss, elect to bowl first. Team News India: The Indian team has announced that wicket-keeper batsman Ishan Kishan will be the opening partner of captain Rohit Sharma for this game. The two openers Shikhar Dhawan and Gaikwad were forced out of the series due to Covid-19 and Mayank Agarwal was included in the side for the fixtures. Probable XI India: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Shardul Thakur, Washington Sundar, Deepak Chahar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammad Siraj West Indies: Shai Hope (wk), Brandon King, Shamarh Brooks, Darren Bravo, Nicholas Pooran, Kieron Pollard (c), Jason Holder, Hayden Walsh Jr, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach Fantasy XI Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Virat Kohli (VC), Shamarh Brooks, Brandon King, Kieron Pollard (C), Jason Holder, Yuzvendra Chahal, Alzarri Joseph, Akeal Hosein

IND vs WI | Rohit Sharma confirms his opening partner for first ODI

Returning Indian captain Rohit Sharma has confirmed his opening partner for the first ODI vs West Indies scheduled to be played on 6 February, Sunday. Sharma stated that India will opt for a combination of Ishan Kishan and Sharma himself as Mayank takes his time to come out of isolation. India were forced their hand into the situation after two of their top order players, Shikhar Dhawan and Ruturaj Gaikwad were forced out of the series due to Covid-19.

Not what I was expecting: Chris Cairns gives shock health development

Former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns has been diagnosed with bowel cancer. Cairns revealed the development on Saturday, 5 February and stated that he is ready for yet another battle, but hopes that this one ends swiftly. Cairns was discharged from the hospital last week, after a live-saving heart operation and then a long habilitation programme. Cairns was left paralyzed in both legs after his surgery and kept posting updates about his recovery from time to time in the last few months. In his playing days, Cairns was one of the forces in world cricket setting several records to his name. He was only among a very few people at the time who had scored 3000 runs in Test cricket and had taken 200 wickets.