We didn't play smart cricket at crucial times: India coach Rahul Dravid

It's a dream to go to the IPL & I'm no different: Romario Shepherd

West Indies Romario Shepherd played a blinder against England in the second T20I in Barbados but failed to take his team over the line as the Caribbean team suffered a defeat by just 1 run. Shepherd remained unbeaten at 44 off 28 which included five maximums during the course. The West Indies cricketer has now talked about the IPL and admitted that getting a contract will be good. "I try to focus on what is at hand right now and try and put my all in here," Shepherd said according to an ESPNCricinfo report. "Eventually, if an IPL contract comes, that would be great for me. I'm not saying that I don't think about it - I do think about it, but I try not to think about it during a game, I just focus on wherever the game is and trying to get ourselves out of a situation." He further added that the IPL is a great platform for any youngster to showcase his talent. "It's a great platform. For any youngster, it's their dream to go to the IPL and I'm no different. I'm trying my best to get myself in there, but at the same time trying to win a series here. It's something that I've dreamed about for a very long time. My name was in the [auction] for the last three years, so this year, I'm looking forward to it." The IPL auctions are slated to take place on February 12 and 13 respectively in Bengaluru.

Twitter compares Kohli and Maharaj after latter’s Instagram post with Jai Shree Raam

The Indian audiences were first pleasantly shocked and then took it as a challenge to appreciate as much as possible when they found out that he is a devout Hindu and wears his religion on his sleeves. In an Instagram post of the South Africa spinner, who has also led the Proteas in Sri Lanka in 2021, he wrote about the hard work and determination which helped him and his team beat India 3-0 in the recently concluded ODI series and signed it off by writing ‘Jai Shree Raam’. It was this post that was shared and liked by many Indians. But then came the comparison gang which started comparing Maharaj, a non-Indian on how he proudly showcases his religion with Indian cricketers, mostly former captain Virat Kohli, saying that he rather discourages people from celebrating Holi and Diwali with fervour (Kohli has always asked not to burn crackers to reduce pollution and not to put clours on animals). The comparison was always harsh and to make it even more illogical, the trolls resorted to Maharaj’s achievements in the series where he removed Kohli twice in two matches at crucial junctures of the game. In total, the 31-year-old took three wickets in the series and remained economical in all the games. Fuelled by this post, people searched the entire history of Maharaj’s posts and brought out only those posts in which he has praised lord Rama and lord Hanuman. While praising Maharaj for his religious beliefs is truly justified, it is the unrealistic comparison with Kohli and Indian cricketers that irked some people who also vented out their anger on Twitter only.

India fined for slow over rate during final ODI against South Africa

The Indian team has been fined 40% of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate during the third and final ODI against South Africa in Cape Town. The sanction was imposed by match referee Andy Pycroft on the basis of the charges leveled by on-field umpires Marais Erasmus and Bongani Jele, third umpire Allauhudien Palekar and fourth umpire Adrien Holdstock. There was no requirement of a formal hearing as the stand-in Indian skipper KL Rahul had pleaded guilty to the offence. Talking about the match, India suffered another defeat in the third ODI after they lost the match by 4 runs. The visitors were handed a target of 288 in 50 overs and were looking good at one stage with Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli providing the much-needed resistance to the side. But India lost wickets in middle-overs and were pushed on the back foot before Deepak Chahar produced a masterclass with the bat to score a 34-ball 54 during the course. His efforts though went in vain as India fell short of the target and were bundled out for 283 in the final over. Lungi Ngidi and Andile Phehlukwayo scalped three wickets each for the side. The visitors had already lost the first two ODI in the series.

Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir tests positive for Covid

Gautam Gambhir has tested positive for Covid-19, he informed through a post on his official Twitter handle. The left-handed batter who played crucial knocks for India in two of its most recent World Cup-winning campaigns is also a Member of Parliament from East Delhi Constituency. Last year in November, the cricketer had to isolate himself after a family member of his tested positive for Covid-19. An active member of the Bhartiya Janta Party’s Delhi unit, Gambhir is one of the most popular faces in the country. Apart from his active politics, the batter who played 242 international matches across formats for India from 2003 to 2016, has also been roped in as mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants, the franchise which enters as one of the two new teams in the Indian Premier League from the 2022 edition onwards. In total, the 40-year-old scored 10324 international runs in his career with 20 centuries and 63 half-centuries to his name.