WTC Final | IND vs NZ: Team India flock to game of darts as rain washed first day's play

Ashwin, Pant, Rohit Sharma, Bumrah weigh in on pressure of expectations Indian team deal with

Giving insights of the amount of pressure the star-studded Indian side face over the time from fans, Indian star players have opened up on what it means to be a Test cricketer for India and how do they deal with the enormous pressure of expectations. Off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said that Indian Test cricketers are special for having the skills in them to soak up the pressure as every time they feature in global tournament, there are hige rounds of expectations that they will be champions. He said that a cricketer while he is stepping up every ladder to play for India understands fair bit of what sort of pressure they will have to deal with at the international level. “As a kid when you grow up to play cricket in india, you know what the adulation is, you know what the expectation is, you know what the pressure is gonna be like. We all crave it. What makes a Test cricketer in India very special is the ability to be able to handle pressure and repeat good performances over a period of time. The expectation for an indian team to win a tournament is always gonna be high,” the champion spinner said in an ICC video released on Twitter giving insights about the Indian side. Speedster Jasprit Bumrah, who has risen through the ranks at a rapid rate since his debut in 2018, said that he tries to ‘block’ out the ‘outside’ and ‘unnecessary’ noise of expectations as it can bring unnecessary pressure on him. He said Cricket, the game itself is already a very demanding game and so far he has chosen to take one day at a time instead of getting bogged down by the weight of expectations. “For me personally, I try not to focus on all those expectations. I try to take it one day at a time because if I let the outside noise affect me all the time, then there is unnecessary pressure. Anyway it’s a high pressure sport and a lot of responsibilities are on you. I look to block all of that, try to focus on things I have to do, try to enjoy the game and try to take it one day at a time. So rest, will take care of itself,” Bumrah said in the same video. Wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant, who has emerged as the firebrand cricketer of the Indian side over the last few series, conceded that he feels the ‘expectattion pressure.’ However, he said that he just does not want to feel ‘that kind of pressure’ as it can hamper his best efforts in the field and hence he focuses only to giving his best and making the team proud while out there in the field. “Yes, there is expectation pressure but if I think about that I can’t give my 100 per cent in the field. I don’t want to give myself that kind of pressure. I just want to give my 100 per cent each and every day and make my team proud. That’s the only thing I can do,” Pant said. Opener Rohit Sharma has a lot of things riding on his shoulders if India have to clich the first edition of the World Test Championship. He has the monumental task of combatting the Kiwi quartet of Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Kyle Jamieson and Neil Wagner. However, he said that he no longer feels weighed down under the huge amount of pressure of expectations and goes out on the field to just enjoy the game. He said that Cricket will always be played for a ‘limited’ period of time and hence it is important for individual players to enjoy the game itself to get relived off the pressure. “I used to feel it when I was 20. But right now, for me it’s all about just going out there and having fun. At the end of the day, this game is all about having fun. It’s a good bunch of individuals that we have together and cricket is played for limited period of time and you should remember to have as much fun as possible as well,” Rohit asserted. The first day of the World Test Championship final has been washed out by persistent rain in Southampton. The weather forecast for the remainder of the schedule does not look any proming either and both India and New Zealand will have to be at their absolute best to enforce result in the game if rain continues to affect the play.

Virat Kohli does not see WTC final as 'final frontier', says team India built on 'belief'

WTC final | Day 1: Rain washes away first day's play

In a huge disappointment to the fans who were waiting for the action to begin in the World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand, the rain has played a spoilsport and the first day has been washed out completely. To compensate for the loss of play on the first day, the play will begin at the scheduled time at 3 pm IST (10:30 am local). Since the WTC final also has a reserve day marked to cover loss of play such as these, the match would not be started half an hour early, a practice is more popular in Test matches. Rain was always expected to hamper the big clash between the top two sides as the weather prediction was suggesting thunderstorm across all days of the Test match but the abandonment of the very first day without a ball being bowled left all disappointed. India have already announced their playing XI for the clash and have included both the spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin along with the pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami. On the other hand, New Zealand have picked Ajaz Patel over Mitchell Santner in the 15-man squad along with Kane Williamson, BJ Watling, Tim Southee, Kyle Jamieson, who were rested or missed the second Test of the series against England.

PSL 2021 Preview: With backs to the wall, Quetta play for pride while Karachi look to seal playoffs

Karachi Kings have somehow kept themselves alive in this PSL 2021 after they managed to win the game against Lahore Qalandars on Thursday. Babar Azam was back in some form while Martin Guptill too chipped in with some crucial runs as Karachi put up a decent total of 176/5 in 20 overs. Later, it was the Kings bowling line up that defended the total for the side. But standing at the winning podium hasn’t really done much for the Imad Wasim-led side as they are still placed at the second last spot in the points table with 8 points from nine matches and having not so impressive net run-rate. The Karachi Kings have some work to do when they meet Quetta in their last league game on Saturday. The Karachi team needs to win this match with some good margin and hope that Lahore Qalandars suffer a defeat at the hands of Multan Sultans. Well, Karachi probably have the weakest opponent in front of them as they eye a berth in the play-offs. Quetta have struggled with form throughout the competition winning just two of their nine matches and are placed at the bottom of the table. In fact, the side would be under tremendous pressure after the way it fared in their last encounter against Multan Sultans. Chasing 184, the Gladiators were bundled out for 73 and suffered a 110-run defeat eventually. Multan’s Imran Tahir rattled the Sarfaraz Ahmed-led side with his spin. Karachi would also have a psychological advantage in this match as they emerged victorious last time the two sides met. The Kings’ bowlers first bowled out Gladiators for 121 and then chased down the target by 7 wickets in less than 14 overs. With no chance of making a qualification for the play-offs, Gladiators should come out and just enjoy this game and then get on to some restructuring of the plans. Match Details Date – Saturday, June 19, 2021 Time – 6:30 PM IST Venue – Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi Pitch Report The tracks in Abu Dhabi have offered a lot of assistance to the spinners. The slow nature of the pitch has helped the spinners create problems for the batsmen. But as the match progresses in the evening, the strip might have something on offer for the batsmen too. So, if you win the toss, elect to bowl. Team news Quetta Gladiators: Quetta Gladiators will be without the services of their key players, Andre Russell and fas du Plessis. The West Indies all-rounder has left the PSL as he is a part of the squad for the T20Is against South Africa. Faf du Plessis was ruled out of the tournament after he suffered a concussion during his side Quetta Gladiators’ match against the Peshawar Zalmi on Sunday. “Thank you everyone for all the messages of support. I’m back at the hotel recovering. Have concussion with some memory loss but I will be fine. Hopefully I will be back on the field soon. Much love,” du Plessis had tweeted. Karachi Kings: There was some good news for Karachi Kings as Babar Azam was back in form during the match against Qalandars while their overseas recruit Guptill was also among some runs. Karachi for now looks to be a balanced side with a stable batting order and a formidable bowling attack. All the players just need to concentrate on this one game without focusing on the results and what would happen if they lose. Probable XI Quetta Gladiators Jake Weatherald, Usman Khan, Cameron Delport, Sarfaraz Ahmed (c & wk), Azam Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hassan Khan, Zahir Khan, Mohammad Hasnain, Khurram Shahzad, Usman Shinwari Karachi Kings Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam, Martin Guptill, Chadwick Walton (wk), Najibullah Zadran, Imad Wasim (c), Danish Aziz, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Ilyas, Abbas Afridi, Noor Ahmad Fantasy XI Azam Khan, Chadwick Walton, Cameron Delport, Usman Khan, Najibullah Zadran, Sharjeel Khan (VC), Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Nawaz, Usman Khan-Shinwari, Khurram Shehzad, Noor Ahmad