Would love to share new ball: Anderson wants to pair up with Broad despite rotation policy

Never imagined in a million years: James Anderson on becoming most-capped English Test player

James Anderson is fit and running and he showed that in the county championship game that he played earlier this month. Now the 38-year-old would be aspiring to, first, equal his former skipper Alastair Cook’s record for most Test caps (161) when he plays the first Test of the two Tests series against New Zealand at Lord's on June 2, and, then overhaul it by getting a place in the xi in the second Test as well. "For a bowler to play this amount of games, I don't know what the word is, but it's a bit mind-blowing to me," a thrilled Anderson was quoted as saying to Skysports. "It does make me feel proud. I never imagined in a million years I'd get to this point. I don't feel like I've played that many games. My body doesn't feel old or tired,” added the man who has played 160 Tests in a span of 18 years. Talking about his love for the format in which he is the highest wicket-taker among the active bowlers, and has most wickets for a fast bowler (614 wickets), Anderson said, "I just absolutely love Test cricket.” “I've got a huge passion for it. Growing up, all I wanted to do is play Test cricket for England and I'm honoured I've been able to do it for this long,” the Burnley born added. The right arm swing bowler is also approaching another milestone of 1000 First Class wickets, having accumulated 992 till now. Anderson believes that it is a rare feat considering the amount of T20 cricket that is being played currently in the world. “It's a lot of wickets and in this day and age, I don't know if it's possible to get that many first-class wickets anymore,” said Anderson who picked up three wickets playing for Lancashire against Glamorgan in the Championship recently. “With the amount of cricket that's played there doesn't seem to be that longevity in bowlers and there's loads of T20 cricket and whatever else going on around the world. I'm just happy to still be here, to be honest,” he added.

Trust and respect - Virat Kohli explains his relationship with MS Dhoni

Indian skipper Virat Kohli has described his relationship with former skipper, MS Dhoni, as one of trust and respect. During a question and answer session on Instagram, Kohli was asked to describe his relationship with the legendary Indian skipper in two words. In reply, Kohli wrote, “trust and respect”. Kohli has always been vocal about his cordial relationship with Dhoni despite several reports claiming about their indifference which led to Dhoni’s Test retirement midway through the tour of Australia in 2014. However, both have always maintained a healthy bonding with each other and has been hardly bothered by what has been spoken about them in the media. In a live session with Ravichandran Ashwin last year, Kohli has spoken about his elevation as the skipper of the Indian team and how Dhoni played a pivotal role in elevating him as the skipper of the national team. Kohli had said that how he was always in the ears of the former skipper suggesting different tactics. "I have always been inclined towards taking responsibility. After my debut for India, it was just about wanting to play, it was about being in the Indian XI all the time. Then with your intrigue in the game you start talking to the captain regularly. I was always in MS’s ears, discussing different tactics, “ Kohli had said. Back in 2017, Kohli had presented a platinum bat to Dhoni on the occasion of his 300th ODI. He had called Dhoni his captain for a lifetime having started his career under Dhoni’s tenure. “You will always remain our captain,” Kohli had said. Following Dhoni’s retirement from all forms of cricket in August 2020, Kohli had shared a video where he spoke about the great camaraderie which they shared and wished him all the best for his future endeavours.

Pat Cummins won't be returning for IPL in September: Reports

In what comes as a huge blow to Kolkata Knight Riders, Pat Cummins has confirmed that he won’t be returning for the second leg of the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) slated to take place in UAE in the September 15-October 15 window. Cummins who was bought by KKR for a whopping Rs 15 crores in the 2020 IPL Auctions won’t travel to UAE despite the multimillion contract. A report in the Sydney Morning Herald states that Cummins has already made it clear that he won’t be returning for the second leg of the cash-rich league. “David Warner and Pat Cummins could be rested from the West Indies tour because of family reasons - others could follow after a draining year in several bubbles - and Cummins, despite a multimillion-dollar IPL contract, has already said he will not return to the T20 tournament this season,” the report stated. Earlier the England Cricket Board (ECB) director Ashley Giles confirmed that they won’t be changing their schedule for the IPL. It becomes a tricky situation for Cricket Australia to whether allow the rest of the Australian cricketers to participate in the second leg of IPL. The BCCI on Saturday confirmed the resumption of IPL in UAE in September. The dates are yet to be finalised. They are looking at a 25-day window to complete the remaining 31 matches. “The decision was taken at a special general meeting held virtually, where members unanimously agreed to resume IPL,” the BCCI statement read. The Aussies will travel to the Caribbean shores in late June for a short to prepare for the T20 World Cup. That will be followed by a home summer for the Aussies which will include a Test against Afghanistan and the Ashes series. It remains to be seen what decision CA takes regarding their player’s participation in the IPL.

I had sleepless nights after that: Ravindra Jadeja reflects on his lean patch

Dynamic Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja revealed how he went through a dull phase post the 2017 Champions Trophy finals when he almost lost his place in the team and with the influx of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal’s partnership, he was thrown into neglect by the selectors and team management. "Honestly, those one-and-a-half years were filled with sleepless nights. Through that phase, I remember I would be up till 4-5 am. I would be thinking about what to do, how am I going to bounce back?” Jadeja told Indian Express in an interview. The 32-year-old would not be able to sleep and because he didn’t get many opportunities to showcase the talent, Jadeja was getting restless. "I was in the Test squad but not playing as we played a lot overseas. I wasn’t playing ODIs. I wasn’t playing domestic too as I would be travelling with the Indian team though not playing. I wasn’t getting any opportunity to prove myself. I would keep thinking about how I am going to come back," he said. However, as always in everybody’s life, there comes a second chance and for Jadeja, it was the Oval Test in 2018 that did the trick. "That Test changed everything for me. Poora (complete) game,” said the man who scored a belligerent 86* and also picked wickets in the non-consequential last game of the series. “My performance, my confidence, everything. When you score in English conditions against the best bowling attack, it greatly impacts your confidence. It makes you feel your technique is good enough to score anywhere in the world,” added the Jamnagar born. Hardik Pandya’s back injury also played a major role in Jadeja’s entry into the limited-overs team. Since then he hasn’t really looked back and why should he. The Saurashtra all-rounder has scored 878 runs and 55 wickets in 16 Tests, 497 runs and 33 wickets in 32 ODI games since 2018. This also includes the 77 off 59 balls that he scored in the Semi-Final of the 2019 World Cup. Apart from his knock, what is remembered best from the World Cup is his signature sword celebration pointing towards the commentary box, signalling to Sanjay Manjrekar who had termed Jadeja as a ‘bits and pieces player. Talking about that, Jaddu says, "Tab toh Bhatta garam tha, na! (The grill was hot, then!) I was searching for the commentary box. Then I thought, it must be somewhere there, only. And those who understand would know who I was targeting the celebration at! (laughs)." The all-rounder who is now an integral member of the team in all formats would be travelling with the team which would play the World Test Championship Final in Southampton against New Zealand, starting June 18. He would also feature in the five-match Test series against England that would start in August.