Will cherish playing with you: Sakariya writes heartfelt message for MS Dhoni

Fit-again, de Grandhomme & Wagner among New Zealand players vaccinated ahead of England tour

The New Zealand national cricket team along with all the Olympic bound athletes will be vaccinated due to "reasons of national significance" in the Kiwi nation’s first vaccine drive against the deadly Coronavirus. Colin de Grandhomme, who missed the whole home summer of Test cricket mainly due to not being able to bowl, has returned to the fire after successful ankle surgery. He is most likely to be included in the Blackcaps scheme of things on the England tour where the team plays two Tests against England before taking on India in the inaugural World Test Championship. "Since I've had the surgery the ankle has felt really good and it seems to keep getting better and it feels normal again for a change," de Grandhomme, 34 said on the sidelines of his first practice session in Mount Maunganui. "Looks like I'm tracking well at the moment and should be ready to go for ball one if I'm needed," added Zimbabwe born. With England making India a red list country, the four Kiwi Test squad members in skipper Kane Williamson, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult and Kyle Jamieson, not getting vaccinated is a prime concern. The players from India would most likely require to undergo an extended period of quarantine in England. Neil Wagner, who would be a lethal option in England has also started training with the duke ball and was seen warming up in Maunganui after being vaccinated alongside de Grandhomee. "It's got a little bit different characteristics to what a Kookaburra does so just trying to get used to it and adapting to the different things we'll come across in England," Wagner said about how he is going to adapt to the English duke ball and the conditions. "[It's about] not getting too far ahead of yourself with a Duke ball that tends to swing around a little bit and try too hard,” he added.

MI coach Shane Bond credits bowlers for hard-fought success; lauds highly-talented DC squad

The Mumbai Indians have shed the tag of slow starters in the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League with splendid performances against the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Sunrisers Hyderabad. They were not always ahead in those two games but bowlers bowled exceedingly well in the middle overs and the Mumbai Indians team ‘scrapped’ hard to win those close games. The team is not looking forward to giving up on that tactics ahead of the clash against the Delhi Capitals. “We have got to get out there and scrap and fight for everything. That’s why we have won two of the games and taken the other one down to the last ball. It’s because we have done that. And, we are going to have to do that again tomorrow,” Mumbai’s bowling coach Shane Bond said in the video shared by the franchise on its Twitter timeline. “We know that the wicket here is tricky, but we have got experience on it. So, hopefully, that will hold us in good stead in what will be another good game.” Speaking highly of the Capitlas side, Bond commenced the side as a very talented one who has made another impressive start in this season. He added the Mumbai have been able to come stronger against them in the recent past and that the match-ups between the two sides have also been enthralling. “They are a team that’s highly talented last year, and played outstanding cricket and started the season well again, particularly with the bat. I think they were all particularly close games last year. We probably played some of our best cricket against Delhi. They certainly deserved their place in the final and have started the season strongly again and have a really well-balanced team. We take a lot of confidence. We know we are a team that match up very well against them,” Bond added. Bond lauded his bowling attack for coming back stronger and stronger after early onslaughts by the batting teams in the last two games. He said that spinners are being successful in tightening their grips on the match while the likes of Bumrah and Boult are not allowing teams to get away with too many run sat the back end of the innings. "We are always well planned and we have attacked their players in different ways and we will do the same. In the last couple of games, the teams have got a good start against us, our spinners have done a brilliant job in the middle. Teams are scoring 20-25 runs of the last five overs which is a real credit to our bowlers. They are really clear about what they want to do," Bond further said. The Delhi Capitals have travelled to Chennai after playing their first three games in Mumbai while the Mumbai Indians have stayed in Chennai for some more time after their three games. The contest between the Mumbai Indians and the Delhi Capitals will pit Rohit Sharma, the most successful captain in IPL against Rishabh Pant, who is just starting to grow as a leader of the pack in the Capitals squad.

Don't want to restrict my shots, says Sanju Samson after subpar performance in consecutive games

Rajasthan Royals new skipper Sanju Samson began the IPL 2021 campaign with a fine hundred against the Punjab Kings while chasing 222 in 20 overs. While the wicket-keeper batsman started off the tournament with a bang, Samson has lost his touch. He has scored only 5 runs in the last two outings for RR. Sanju failed to leave a mark in the clash against Chennai Super Kings after he was dismissed for just 1 by Sam Curran after miscuing a stroke and giving an easy catch to Dwayne Bravo stationed at mid on. But the right-hander is of the opinion that the IPL is all about risk-taking shots and the batsmen can succeed on some occasions while can fail on the others to execute them. "Yeah, actually it keeps on happening in this format of the game. I think IPL definitely demands a lot of risk-taking shots. And I said before when I succeeded, I took a lot of risks. That's why I scored a hundred. So, it depends actually on the day, the mindset you are coming with," Samson said at the post-match press conference. Samson further said that he would like to continue to bat in the same way and won’t resist himself from going for his strokes. "Actually, I don't want to restrict my shots, I want to keep on playing my shots and keep on batting the way I love to bat actually. So, I'm also accepting a lot of failures on the way,” he added. RR suffered a defeat against Chennai Super Kings on Monday by 45 runs after they failed to chase down a target of 189 runs and were restricted to 143/9 in 20 overs. Jos Buttler top-scored for RR with 49 off 35 while Moeen Ali was the pick of the bowlers for CSK after he returned with figures of 3/7 in 3 overs. RR will now face Royal Challengers Bangalore on Thursday in Mumbai.

IPL 2021 | MS Dhoni is and will remain an asset for Chennai Super Kings: CSK CEO

The Chennai Super Kings have bounced back strongly after facing a heavy loss in their first game of the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League. However, they have not seen their leader MS Dhoni coming to the party yet in this season. Dhoni had gone out cheaply in the game against the Delhi Capitals, whereas in the game against the Royals, he batted at the number six position. There have been calls from experts and forme players demanding Dhoni to bat higher up the order and also that he has become a liability for the team as runs have started to dry up. Replying to stern criticism of Dhoni, the CEO of the CSK franchise, Kashi Vishwanathan has said that Dhoni was and will continue to be an asset for the men in yellow. He also clarified that Dhoni’s decision to bat lower down the order has been taken in view of having other in-form players after consultation with the team management. “See, he plays for the team. To bat at the position he has preferred is something, MS has taken in consultation with the team management. He plays to the situation in the best interest of the game. I am sure if need be he and the team management might decide to play him up the order. But that is for them to decide. He has played only 2 innings so far & I am sure he will come up with big knock performances… CSK needs its captain more than ever before. He is an asset and will always remain so," says CSK CEO. The Super Kings have won two out of their games this season and have found new heroes in Moeen Ali, Sam Curran.