Sunit Jangir

Sunit Jangir

413 Articles

As a Senior Editor at Sacnilk, Sunit Jangir leads our coverage on Indian cinema, box office analytics, and global entertainment trends. Passionate about Cricket, Sunit Jangir is an avid sports lover. He finds inspiration in other people's life stories and try to absorb them. Though introvert by nature, he doesn't feel shy when the topic is cinema and sports, particularly cricket.

Articles Written By Sunit Jangir

World Cup 2019 Stats and Records: World Cup's First
2567 days ago
Cricket

World Cup 2019 Stats and Records: World Cup's First

Here are the first things happened in World Cup 2019. Who faced the first ball in World Cup 2019? Who took the first wicket in World Cup 2019? Who took the first hat trick in World Cup 2019? Who bowled the first maiden in World Cup 2019? Who faced the first free hit in World Cup 2019? Who bagged the first Golden Duck in World Cup 2019? Who hit first six in World Cup 2019? Who hit first four in World Cup 2019? ## Here is everything about that occurred very first in World Cup 2019! ## First Match – England vs South Africa (May 30) ## First Venue – Kennington Oval, London ## First Toss won – South Africa ## First Match won - England (By 104 runs vs South Africa) ## Batting in World Cup 2019 ## First Run – Jason Roy off the 1st ball in World Cup 2019 ## First Four – Joe Root off Lungi Ngidi ## First Six – Eoin Morgan off Lungi Ngidi ## First Batsman Dismissed – Jonny Bairstow off Imran Tahir ## First Duck – Jonny Bairstow ## First Golden Duck – Jonny Bairstow (ENG vs SA) ## First Free hit faced – Wahab Riaz (PAK) vs WI ## First Batsman Caught – Jonny Bairstow by Quinton de Kock ## First Batsman Bowled – Jos Buttler off Lungi Ngidi ## First Batsman Run Out – Dwaine Pretorius by Stokes/Morgan ## First Batsman LBW – Shadab Khan (PAK) vs WI ## First Batsman Stumped – Hashmatullah Shahidi (AFG) vs AUS ## First 50 – Jason Roy (ENG, 54) vs SA ## First 100 – Joe Root (ENG, 107) vs PAK## First 150 – Jason Roy (ENG, 153) vs BAN## Bowing in World Cup 2019 ## First Delivery – Imran Tahir to Jason Roy ## First Wicket – Imran Tahir, dismissed Jonny Bairstow ## First Maiden – Jofra Archer ## First 3 wicket haul – Lungi Ngidi (SA, 3/66) vs ENG ## First 4 wicket haul – Oshane Thomas (WI, 4/27) vs PAK ## First 5 wicket haul – Mitchell Starc (AUS, 5/46) vs WI ## First Hat Trick – Mohammed Shami (IND, 4/40) vs AFG## Extras in World Cup 2019 ## First Extra – Wide by Lungi Ngidi ## First Wide – Lungi Ngidi ## First No Ball – Oshane Thomas ## Partnerships in World Cup 2019 ## First, 50 runs Partnership in World Cup 2019 – Quinton de Kock & Rassie van der Dussen (SA, 85) vs ENG ## First, 100 runs Partnership in World Cup 2019 – Jason Roy & Joe Root (ENG, 106) vs SA ## First, 150 runs Partnership in World Cup 2019 – Aaron Finch & Steve Smith (AUS, 173) vs SL## First 200 runs Partnership in World Cup 2019 – None ## Teams in World Cup 2019 ## The first team to score 300 runs in a match – England (311/8) vs South Africa ## The first team to score over 300 runs while chasing – South Africa (309/8) vs Bangladesh ## The first team to chase a target of 300 or more – BAN (322/3) vs WI (321/8)## Matches in World Cup 2019 ## The first match to be tied – Final (ENG vs NZ)## The first match won by 1 run – None## The first match won by 1 wicket – None## The first match won by 2 wickets – NZ vs BAN ## The first match won by 10 wickets – NZ vs SL ## The first match won by a team at the last ball while chasing – None## Fielding in World Cup 2019 ## First Catch – Quinton de Kock ## First Run Out – Stokes/Morgan to dismiss Dwaine Pretorius ## First fielder to take 3 Catches in a match – Faf du Plessis vs ENG ## First fielder to take 4 Catches in a match – Shai Hope (WI) vs PAK ## Awards in World Cup 2019 ## First Man of the Match – Ben Stokes ## DRS in World Cup 2019 ## First successful DRS - WI vs PAK ## First unsuccessful DRS - AFG vs AUS ## For more and the latest news about World Cup 2019, stay tuned to us.

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Top 5 Fastest Fifty In World Cup History
2568 days ago
Cricket

Top 5 Fastest Fifty In World Cup History

The ODI World Cup 2019 finally begins on May 30 with the encounter between the host England and South Africa. World Cup is a tournament which comes in every 4 years and therefore, everyone wants to do something special whenever they get an opportunity.## In previous World Cups, there have been many brilliant performances in both the batting and bowling department. As a batsman, it is always nice to score runs and when they come quickly it becomes even more special. Scoring fastest fifty is one such thing that gives a batsman immense pleasure as well as confidence.## Here are the top 5 fastest 50s in World cup cricket:## 1. Brendon McCullum (NZ, 18 balls) - Former New Zealand's captain and one of the most dangerous batsmen in the world holds the record of the fastest fifty in World Cup history. The knock came against England in the World Cup 2015 when he battered his own record with a sizzling 18-ball fifty in the group stage. England set a target of 124 which New Zeland chased down in just 12.2 overs with 8 wickets in hand. Brendon McCullum was the chief architect in that assault as scored 77 off just 25 balls including 8 fours and 7 sixes.## 2. Angelo Mathews (SL, 20 balls) - Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews hit the second fastest fifty in World Cup when he took on Scotland at Hobart in 2015. Mathews slammed a 20-ball fifty as Sri Lanka set a target of 364 for the helpless Scotland who couldn't offer any challenge as lost the match by a massive margin of 148 runs. Mathews scored 51 off 21 balls including one four and 6 sixes.## 3. Brendon McCullum (NZ, 20 balls) - Brendon McCullum batted down the order to provide the much-needed finishing touch to New Zeland and he did exactly same against Canada in Gros Islet in 2007. New Zeland, though scored massive and put a total of 363 with the help of century from Lou Vincent and a quick fire 52 off 21 balls from McCullum. McCullum's fifty came in just 20 balls with the help of 5 sixes and a four. New Zeland won the match comprehensively by 114-runs.## 4. Mark Boucher (SA, 21 balls) - One of the finest wicketkeeper-batsman of all-time, Mark Boucher hit a 21-ball fifty against the Netherlands in the same match in which Herschelle Gibbs hit 6 sixes in an over and became the first batsman to do in ODIs. Though Gibbs was adjudged man of the match Boucher played a blinder knock of 75 off 31 balls including 9 fours and 4 sixes. South Africa won that match by 221 runs.## 5. Brendon McCullum (NZ, 22 balls) - In the 1st semi-final, South Africa set a target of 298 (DLS) in 43 overs for New Zeland to reach the final for the first time. It was a tricky target and also the pressure of the big match was there but such was McCullum's carnage who came out to bat with all guns and smashed the third fastest fifty of the tournament in just 22 balls. He smashed 25 runs off Dale Steyn's over. However, McCullum got out in the 7th over after scoring 59 off 26 balls Grant Elliott (84*) and Corey Anderson (58) made sure McCullum's effort doesn't go in vain. New Zeland won the match by 4-wickets with just one ball remaining and booked their ticket for the final for the first time.## Note - Mark Boucher also scored 22-ball fifty against West Indies in the World Cup 2007.## Follow for more...

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Top 5 Leading Wicket-Takers In ODI World Cup History
2573 days ago
Cricket

Top 5 Leading Wicket-Takers In ODI World Cup History

Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga becomes the 5th highest wicket-taker in ODI World Cup history after he produced a match-winning spell of 3 for 39 against Afghanistan on Tuesday (June 4) at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff. His brilliant spell of fast bowling along with Nuwan Pradeep helped Sri Lanka to beat Afghanistan by 34-runs in a low scoring encounter. Malinga now has 46 wickets in 24 matches.## Here are the TOP 5 leading wicket-takers in ODI World Cup history:## 1. Glenn McGrath (AUS) - The leading wicket-taker among the pacers in combined Tests and ODIs with the tally of 949 wickets, Glenn McGrath has been one of the greatest fast bowlers cricket has ever seen. The former Australian pacer has equally been successful in the World Cup as well where he has taken 71 wickets in 39 matches and has been the part of the Australian side in 4 World Cup. McGrath has grabbed those wickets with an average of 18.19 and economy rate of 3.96 which is remarkable. Australia have won 3 out 4 World Cup McGrath has played.## 2. Muttiah Muralitharan (SL) - The leading wicket-taker in both Tests (800) and ODIs (534), Muttiah Muralitharan is arguably the greatest spinner. In 5 World Cup series, he has taken 68 wickets in 40 matches with an average of 19.63 and the economy of 3.88 (the best among the top 5). In 5 World Cups, he played, Sri Lanka emerged as champion in 1996 while they were the runner-ups in 2007 and 2011.## 3. Lasith Malinga (SL) - Sri Lanka's one of the all-time greats, Lasith Malinga bid adieu from World Cup as the third highest wicket-taker in the tournament's history. He surpassed Pakistan's Wasim Akram who has 55 wickets in 38 matches. Malinga sing-off with 56 wickets in 29 matches with an average of 22.87 and economy of 5.51.## 4. Wasim Akram (PAK) - Wasim Akram was a bowler with short run-up who could produce a lot of pace in his bowling. He is the second highest wicket-taker in ODIs with 502 wickets. He has featured in 5 World Cups and taken 55 wickets in 38 matches with an average of 23.83 and economy of 4.04. In Pakistan's successful campaign in 1992, Akram played and a vital role and helped Pakistan to lift the only World Cup till date.## 5. Chaminda Vaas (SL) - Another Sri Lankan in the list who wasn't that fast but very effective with his left-arm medium pace bowling. Vaas' specialty was his accurate line and length and ability to move the ball around both inside and outside. He played 4 World Cups for Sri Lanka and taken 49 wickets in 31 matches with an average of 21.22 and economy of 3.97.## Note - Data as of 6 July, 2019## Follow for more...

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This Is Probably The Most Challenging World Cup Of My Career - Virat Kohli
2576 days ago
Cricket

This Is Probably The Most Challenging World Cup Of My Career - Virat Kohli

Before departing to England for the World Cup 2019, team India captain Virat Kohli addressed media along with the coach Ravi Shastri on Tuesday (May 21). During the press conference, Virat stressed the importance of the intensity and focus throughout the tournament and confirmed the same 15-member squad that had been picked earlier. He also believes that this World Cup is the most challenging World Cup of his career.## "Personally, I think this is probably the most challenging World Cup of all the three that I've been a part of, because of the format. "Everyone has to be at their best intensity from the first match onward and we don't have any room for complacency".## "That's why it's the World Cup, that's why it's the most important tournament in the world. We expect that kind of pressure from the first second. We're not even going to let ourselves think that maybe the first week onward we'll get into it," Kohli said.## In recent times, England's pitches have flat up and high scores can be expected during the tournament. However, the Indian captain believes that despite the high scoring expectations, "scores of 260-270 can be defended".## "White-ball cricket, playing in England, playing an ICC tournament - the conditions are not that different or that difficult I would say, compared to Test cricket. The pressure is the most important thing in the World Cup, and not necessarily the conditions," Kohli said.## "Secondly, all the bowlers in the squad, even during the IPL they were bowling themselves to be in the zone for 50-over cricket. And we saw the guys bowling. No one looked tired or fatigued after bowling four overs. They were fresh. The ultimate goal is to be fit for the 50-over format and not let their fitness come down and that was communicated before the IPL," he added.## One of the main focus in the press conference was on intensity which can be difficult to maintain in 46-days long tournament but Kohli pointed to the football clubs who do the same over a ten-month league in a season.## "This is the challenge. If you look at all the top-class clubs in the world, like in football, they maintain their intensity for three-four months in the Premier League, or in the La Liga. So if we get on a roll and if we maintain consistency then we should be able to do it for the length of the tournament.## "The good thing is that every game has a decent gap between each other. From that point of view, I don't think that the players will burn out even if we have intense games. We will always have time to regroup and go for the next. So the best thing is that we'll have four tough games straight up and that will set the tone nicely for us."## In recently concluded Indian Premier League, one of India's key bowlers Kuldeep Yadav looked completely off-colour during the tournament and could manage to take only 4 wickets in 9 games he played. However, Kohli reiterated his faith in Kudeep and said he will be crucial in the middle overs along with Yuzvendra Chahal.## "Someone like Kuldeep, it is important to see a period where things don't go your way also. We are glad it happened during the IPL rather than happening during the World Cup. So Kuldeep has time to reflect, correct things and come into the World Cup even stronger. We know the kind of skill set he possesses along with Chahal. They are really two pillars of our bowling line-up," Kohli said.## There have been a lot of talks about the importance of MS Dhoni who is going to play probably his last World Cup. The former India captain looked in really good touch during the IPL and hence Indian coach Ravi Shastri believes that he will be crucial for India in World Cup.## "Mahendra Singh Dhoni is someone who'll be right there. His communication with Virat has been fantastic," Shastri said. "There is no one better than him when it comes to keeping and also dealing with those tight situations in matches. It was great to see the way he was moving in this IPL. He will be a big player in this World Cup."## India will start their World Cup campaign against South Africa on June 5 in Southampton. Before that, the men in blues are scheduled to play two warm-up matches against New Zealand (May 25) and Bangladesh (May 28).## Follow for more...

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Virat Just Keeps Improving, Keeps Getting Better: Rahul Dravid
2577 days ago
Cricket

Virat Just Keeps Improving, Keeps Getting Better: Rahul Dravid

Former India captain and currently the coach of India A and U-19 team, Rahul Dravid heap praised senior team India captain Virat Kohli for taking his game to another level. Dravid credited Kohli for setting the bar to levels so high that were previously thought impossible.## Keep in mind, Virat Kohli is the fastest batsman to reach 10,000 runs in ODI cricket and also have 41 centuries. He is now just 8 centuries short from all-time leading century getter Sachin Tendulkar and hence, Dravid cited the rapid rate at which Kohli has been shattering records in the ODI format.## "Virat just keeps improving, keeps getting better. He is setting bars and standards that possibly we thought would never be achieved," he said. "Sachin scored 49-50 [49] hundreds in one-day cricket. People thought that this would take a lot of time to achieve, will it be ever achieved? And now Virat is 10 [eight] away from it or close to it.## The India A and U-19 coach also praised Kohli for coming out as a better player every time from the bad patches which have been the hallmark of Kohli's career so far.## "One of the things about Virat is that even if he has a bad tour - it is not that he hasn't had bad tours, he had a disappointing tour of England in 2014, he wasn't as successful in Australia the first time around, but every time he goes back, he goes back as a better player. He sort of reinvents his game to a point where he is constantly improving."## Virat Kohli is currently the number one batsman in both ODI and Test in ICC's ranking. He will lead India in the upcoming ICC World Cup in England and Wales which will start from May 30 with the fixture of the host England and South Africa.## Follow for more...

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'Virat Kohli Is A Ridiculous Man,' AB de Villiers Opens Up On Camaraderie With RCB Teammate
2579 days ago
Cricket

'Virat Kohli Is A Ridiculous Man,' AB de Villiers Opens Up On Camaraderie With RCB Teammate

The camaraderie between the Indian skipper Virat Kohli and his Royal Challengers Bangalore's teammate AB de Villiers is not a hidden secret now. Both have been involved in so many great partnerships while playing for the RCB in Indian Premier League and also both share a unique bond with each other.## De Villiers during a candid interview with Gaurav Kapur on his Youtube show ‘Breakfast with Champions’ opened up on his friendship with batting sensation Virat Kohli while revealing some interesting stories about their off-the-field chemistry. He revealed that the Indian skipper always treat his family and kids well despite disturbing him a lot.## “We are neighbours. If it wasn’t for the mosquitoes here, we would’ve left our doors open and probably would’ve shared a big room. Anushka’s here all the time, my family is there, the kids are running around. The kids were knocking on his door, early in the morning waking him up. He would let them in and would have coffee together. They were so good with the kids. We spent hours in the pool together, everyone just jumping and diving, and they’re so chilled," de Villiers said.## It is the bond between him and Kohli that made de Villiers call his RCB teammate a ‘ridiculous man’ only because Virat Kohli gifts him stuff whenever he (de Villiers) complains about a thing or two and said that he looks after everyone around him.## “I’m scared of saying anything to him now because. If I say like, “Oh, I like your shoes.” The next minute he organizes me those shoes. I’m like, “Virat, just stop it”. He looks after everyone. I was like, “My phone is flat again.” “Oh, you need a power bank.” There you go. Now it’s mine. He’s ridiculous, man. I told him I like coffee the other day. Now I’m getting an espresso machine- he’s ordered on Amazon. It’s being delivered tomorrow,” de Villiers added.## It has been more than a year since the South African star retired from international cricket at the age of 34 and everyone was left unanswered why he stopped playing at international level so early. Well, the 35-year-old have some plans of playing international cricket as he said that he might return to the international circuit and participate in the 2023 World Cup if MS Dhoni was still around.## “How old will I be (in 2023)? 39! I’ll come back if MS is still around (laughs). If I’m still good enough, who knows eh? I was keen to play the World Cup (2019) but I retired, so it was a very sensitive situation. For the last 3 years of my career, I was labelled as a guy who was picking and choosing when I was playing and when not,” De Villiers said during a candid interview with Gaurav Kapur on his Youtube show ‘Breakfast with Champions’.## “So I got quite a lot of criticism from back home which also played a role in me retiring. And it was difficult for me to then go: ‘Hey, but I’ll still play the World Cup’. You know, it’s the picking and choosing thing again. And it’s quite arrogant to do something like that. But as they say, you can’t have your bread buttered on both sides,” added de Villiers. ## AB de Villiers, famously known as MR. 360 degree took retirement last year after playing his last Test match against Australia at the home soil. Though it was a sudden decision de Villiers said that there were numerous reasons which motivated him to take this decision.## “I’ve always been about the team. It’s never been about myself. But I found myself in a position where I had to make a decision where it’s going to look like I’m thinking about just myself. There’s a lot of reasons I had to move on. There’s a lot of things that played a role. Family is definitely a big part of it. The longevity of, like, I mean I’ve played for 15 years. I was just tired of the whole international scene. It’s quite busy, very stressful. The mental games, the doubts you have as a person, as a player all the time, it wears you down. And being captain of the Proteas for a long time also took its toll you know.”## “And then there are a few deeper issues that might have to be discussed when I’m 50 one day (laughs). There’s a part of me that’ll always miss it. I mean, I had so much fun. It’s everything that goes with it. I wish I could push on longer but like I said at the start I had a great run and more dreams came true than I could ever imagine. And there was lots of heartbreaks as well along the way. And that’s the great ride that we all go through,” said AB de Villiers. ## Follow for more...

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Our Performances Over The Last Few Years Speak For Us: Bhuvneshwar Kumar
2582 days ago
Cricket

Our Performances Over The Last Few Years Speak For Us: Bhuvneshwar Kumar

One of the pleasing sights as an Indian Cricket fan is that our bowlers doing well rather than the batsmen. In the last couple of the years, India's bowling has gone through another level and is considered as one of the best in the world currently and Bhuvneshwar Kumar is one of India pace attacks who have played an important role in that transition.## Bhuvneshwar Kumar is one of the seven players in India's current World Cup squad who were part of the World Cup 2015 in Australia and New Zealand where India reached to the semi-final. To bring that experience, he is supposed to play an important role in the upcoming edition of the World Cup in England and Wales. In an exclusive chat with TOI, he spoke about the challenges in the upcoming World Cup, the experience of bowling with Bumrah and Shami, the role of IPL in preparation for the World Cup and many more.## Excerpts:## This will be your second ODI World Cup. How have you evolved as a bowler since the last World Cup in 2015?## There has definitely been an improvement in my bowling in terms of pace and variations like the slower ball and knuckleball. To add to that, I have improved fitness-wise.## With the likes of Shami and Bumrah for company, do you feel this is India's best ever pace attack?## I don't want to comment on whether we are the best or not because our performance on the field is what will define our attack. Our performances over the last few years speak for us. The Indian bowling attack has grown from strength to strength. Today, we can say that our pace attack can make an impact on any surface.## How do you see your competition with Shami and Bumrah who have done well recently? Do you reckon you have work to do to catch up with them when it comes to getting the nod for the first XI?## Each one of us has our own strengths that we bring to the bowling unit. It is always a good thing that whoever is getting a chance in the playing XI has been performing well. As a bowling unit - we back ourselves to do well in any conditions.## You have been hit by injuries in the last 12 months and missed a lot of cricket. Has it taken a toll on your bowling?## Injuries are part and parcel of a player's career. When you are injured and are undergoing rehabilitation, it is important to stay positive and not allow negative thoughts to creep in. During those times that you are away from the game, it is important to work harder and come back stronger.## Your ability to bowl at the death overs remains one of your major plus points. Do you feel you have struggled to match up to those high standards in recent times?## I don't think so. If you see in the last few games of the IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad - I was able to execute my plans and that's a very good sign. I am happy with the way things are going at the moment.## Do you feel IPL was the right kind of preparation before the World Cup?## IPL has definitely given players the much-needed match practice before the World Cup. Once you have wickets and runs under your belt, the confidence levels automatically go up. For me, it was important to be in a good rhythm and be among wickets which I was able to do for Sunrisers Hyderabad.## What's your take as a player when it comes to workload management for those featuring in the World Cup?## I think each player is aware of what he needs to do to be in the best shape for the World Cup. The IPL gave players crucial time on the field playing competitive cricket that should stand them in good stead ahead for the big event.## With pitches in England becoming flattered over the years, how do you assess Indian bowlers' chances in the World Cup?## I agree that pitches in England in the last few years have been flat, but teams will be wary of India's bowling unit since we can be potent both at the start and at the death. It will all boil down to how we execute the plans on the given day.## Going to the World Cup, who do you think are the most difficult batsmen to bowl to?## Going by IPL, Andre Russell was superb while my SRH teammate - David Warner - too was in great touch. They are the kind of players who can take the game away from you and it's imperative that you are at your best while bowling to them.## Follow for more...

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Top 10 Batsmen With Most Runs In T20s
2609 days ago
Cricket

Top 10 Batsmen With Most Runs In T20s

West Indies' left-hander Chris Gayle is the leading run-getter in all the T20 matches with 14,038 runs in 404 matches. He is one of the only four batsmen who has scored over 10,000 runs.## Here is the list of Top 10 batsmen with most runs in T20 cricket SNBatsmanMatchesRunsH.S.10050SR 1. Chris Gayle (WI) 447 14,275 175* 22 87 145.76 2. Kieron Pollard (WI) 564 11,202 104 1 56 152.85 3. Shoaib Malik (PAK) 436 10,832 95* 0 66 125.79 4. Virat Kohli (IND) 314 10038 113 5 74 133.85 5. David Warner (AUS) 306 10019 135* 8 82 140.71 6. Brendon McCullum (NZ) 370 9,922 158* 7 55 136.49 7. Aaron Finch (AUS) 324 9,845 172 8 64 141.24 8. Rohit Sharma (IND) 352 9391 118 6 65 133.41 9. AB de Villiers (SA) 335 9,341 133* 4 69 150.41 10. Shane Watson (AUS) 342 8,793 124* 6 53 138.27 ## Last updated on 26 September 2021## Follow for more...

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Kohli Recalls Time When Dhoni Backed Him
2609 days ago
Cricket

Kohli Recalls Time When Dhoni Backed Him

The Kolhi we all know and the Kohli who was 10 years back, there have a lot been changed. Every youngster needs support and Kohli was lucky enough to have MS Dhoni when he started his international career. However, the ranked 1 batsman didn't take much time to show his class at the big stage but it was crucial for him that someone like Dhoni has always his back.## The current India captain in an interview given to 'India Today', expressed his gratitude towards the former captain MS Dhoni for his support in the difficult time and now, as the role has reversed, he is not going to back down from supporting veteran despite the recent criticism Dhoni has faced.## "It's unfortunate to see so many people going after him. For me, loyalty matters the most," Kohli's words showed his reverence for his first international captain. When I walked into the team he had the option of trying someone else after a few games, although I grabbed my chances for me to get that kind of backing, it was very crucial for me. Also, he gave me an opportunity to bat at No 3 because not many youngsters get to play at No 3," the skipper recalled his formative days in international cricket", Kohli said.## Even when Kohli is the captain of the ship, he has never hesitated to talk to Dhoni in crunch match situations and that where Kohli believes that they have a lot of respect for each other.## "It's just about the field placements and bowling changes and we say you know the angles, you know the pace of the pitch and that's why there is so much of trust and respect between the two of us. He is one person, who literally knows the game inside out. He understands the game from 'Ball 1 to Ball 300 (50 overs) on the field. I won't say it a luxury to have him but I am fortunate to have a mind like that from behind the stumps," Kohli said.## While the World Cup squad of India has announced, Virat Kohli feels that this is the most balanced team they could have picked. "We are very happy with 15 that we have. This is the most balanced side we could have thought of because everyone is in a good space".## The skipper said that the atmosphere in the dressing room is pretty chilled and relaxed. He himself along with MS Dhoni and vice-captain Rohit Sharma has made sure that the dressing room is in good shape.## "I think the whole management group, the way they have handled the entire group, it creates a good environment where everyone is relaxed. Our change room is like a living room, chilled out with everyone relaxed. "Indian team has to be paramount and everyone and players responded in a very positive manner right from the management, myself, Mahi bhai being the senior most guy and everyone. There is one goal and everyone is in sync with that goal." While the World Cup now occupies his mind space, he said that he doesn't need to switch buttons as the intensity always remains the same," He said.## Talking about the pressure of the World Cup Kohli said, "In 2011, I was not involved in a lot of things, was not involved in a lot of meetings, the pressures that come along. At this point in time, it's going to be different. Even in 2015, I wasn't involved to an extent where I had to be part of everything that is going on.## "To understand the magnitude of a tournament like this from a captain's point of view is a different ball game. I won't say that I will look to do something different just because its a World Cup. Fortunately, I am in the mindset, I don't have to pick myself up for a series, because I always have the same intensity and drive to take the team over the line".## Follow for more...

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There Have Been Some Outstanding Changes In My Life - Mohammed Shami
2611 days ago
Cricket

There Have Been Some Outstanding Changes In My Life - Mohammed Shami

Not long ago Mohammed Shami was not even part of India's ODI set-up and was nowhere close to the World Cup squad. But as it is said, "You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming", Mohammed Shami's journey perfectly fit in this who will now be the part of India's World Cup squad and likely to lead the pace attack along with Jasprit Bumrah.## However, the path hasn't been easy for Shami whose career has been affected by injuries. Hence, he has been in and out from ODIs. But his recent form in white ball cricket has forced the selectors to get him in the 15-member squad. Since October 2018, Shami has picked up 22 wickets in 13 ODIs, the joint-most for an Indian fast bowler along with Bhuvneshwar.## "If you have seen in the last 18 months, I have continuously worked on my fitness and have been constantly trying to improve my game, on what will be better for my team. Yes, I was a bit heavy after my injury and didn't play ODIs for an extended time. But I have played ODIs recently, especially in the last six months there have been some outstanding changes in my life," Shami said on Monday (April 15) during a press conference ahead of Kings XI Punjab's match against Rajasthan Royals.## World cup in England & Wales will be Shami's second after the World cup 2015 in Australia & New Zealand as a player. In the previous edition, he was the second highest wicket-taker for India after Umesh Yadav (18) and 4th overall with 17 wickets in 7 matches. But injuries ruled him out from the ODIs after the tournament. Now, he is fully fit and running hard.## "I am happy with whatever I have achieved. I lost so much of weight, my body has that flow now and the rhythm, I feel, is similar to when I started (my career). I will try to maintain the same rhythm in the future for the World Cup. Like you've seen, there's a lot of difference (with my bowling) when compared to before, say three years back. I have done a lot of hard work, I've worked with the coaches and the confidence that I got with the Indian team, backing me when I was trying to improve my fitness levels, the management, the NCA, they all backed mine with all their heart. I was also dedicated to taking on the fitness challenge in front of me, I accepted that and the result is now in front of you," he added. ## Shami believes that his confidence has only increased after the successful World Cup 2015 for him. "I'm very happy that I have got a second chance in a World Cup. As far as performance is concerned, the way I had performed in 2015, how I approached it with confidence, I am hoping that there's increased confidence in me. And whatever confidence that I have, in terms of my performance in the last seven-eight months, I want to carry that confidence and put my best foot forward for my team."## All the Indian players including Shami who get selected in World Cup squad are playing in Indian Premier League. Shami who is leading the Kings XI Punjab is the leading wicket-taker for his side. He believes that IPL is good for the World Cup preparations. "Playing these matches (in the IPL) help in terms of fitness and mental preparation. It's a challenging tournament before the World Cup and the IPL is very helpful in the preparation, mentally and physically."## Follow for more...

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BCCI Announced Team India Squad For The World Cup 2019
2613 days ago
Cricket

BCCI Announced Team India Squad For The World Cup 2019

Ambati Rayudu who was India's number 4 before the start of the Indian Premier League 2019 has been dropped from the World Cup 2019 squad as the BCCI has announced the 15-member squad on Monday (April 15). ## KL Rahul who was dropped from the ODI set up after the controversial talk show incident has been included in the 15-member squad as a backup opener for Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. Ravindra Jadeja also rewarded for his brilliant all-round form in IPL 2019. Dinesh Karthik will be as a backup wicketkeeper for MS Dhoni. Rishabh Pant also was discussed in the meeting but selectors go with the experience of Dinesh Karthik.## "Definitely a case where we debated in length. We all were in unison that either pant or DK will come in only when Mahi is injured. In an important game, wicket keeping is also important. That’s the reason we went with Dinesh Karthik" - MSK Prasad said## Ambati Rayudu who was the first choice at number 4 but his recent form including IPL has been really poor and that cost him his spot. Vijay Shankar or Dinesh Karthik likely to bat at number 4. ## "We did give a few more chances to Rayudu but Vijay Shankar gives three dimensions. He can bat, if the conditions are overcast he can bowl, plus he is a [good] fielder," MSK Prasad said added.## The selectors have included three genuine pacers along with Hardik Pandya. Mohammed Shami who has shown brilliantly form in white ball cricket in recent time has given a chance into the World Cup squad. The other two pacers are Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal will be two guanine spinners. Both have been brilliant for India in the last one and a half year.## India’s squad: Virat Kohli (Capt), Rohit Sharma (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami## India will start their World Cup campaign against South Africa on June 5.## Follow for more...

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World Cup 2019: Teams' Squad And Schedule
2620 days ago
Cricket

World Cup 2019: Teams' Squad And Schedule

With the World Cup, 2019 is just one and a half months away from taking place in England and Wales, all the teams are looking for the best combination for the mega event. After West Indies announced their squad on Wednesday (April 24), all ten teams have named their squad for the mega event. The deadline for submitting the team squad was 30th April. A few days ago New Zealand became the first to announce their team for the 12th edition of ICC's biggest tournament.## This time, the tournament will be played as Round-robin league where all ten teams will play against each other at least once. The top four teams will qualify for the semi-finals which are scheduled to play on 9th and 11th of July whereas final will be played on 14th July.## Here Is The Complete Schedule Of The World Cup 2019 Match No.Date & TimeTeamsVenue 1st May 30, Thu, 3:00 PM England vs South Africa Kennington Oval, London 2nd May 31, Fri, 3:00 PM Windies vs Pakistan Trent Bridge, Nottingham 3rd Jun 01, Sat, 3:00 PM New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Sophia Gardens, Cardiff 4th Jun 01, Sat, 6:00 PM Afghanistan vs Australia County Ground, Bristol 5th Jun 02, Sun, 3:00 PM South Africa vs Bangladesh Kennington Oval, London 6th Jun 03, Mon, 3:00 PM England vs Pakistan Trent Bridge, Nottingham 7th Jun 04, Tue, 3:00 PM Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Sophia Gardens, Cardiff 8th Jun 05, Wed, 3:00 PM South Africa vs India The Rose Bowl, Southampton 9th Jun 05, Wed, 6:00 PM Bangladesh vs New Zealand Kennington Oval, London 10th Jun 06, Thu, 3:00 PM Australia vs Windies Trent Bridge, Nottingham 11th Jun 07, Fri, 3:00 PM Pakistan vs Sri Lanka County Ground, Bristol 12th Jun 08, Sat, 3:00 PM England vs Bangladesh Sophia Gardens, Cardiff 13th Jun 08, Sat, 6:00 PM Afghanistan vs New Zealand The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton 14th Jun 09, Sun, 3:00 PM India vs Australia Kennington Oval, London 15th Jun 10, Mon, 3:00 PM South Africa vs Windies The Rose Bowl, Southampton 16th Jun 11, Tue, 3:00 PM Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka County Ground, Bristol 17th Jun 12, Wed, 3:00 PM Australia vs Pakistan The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton 18th Jun 13, Thu, 3:00 PM India vs New Zealand Trent Bridge, Nottingham 19th Jun 14, Fri, 3:00 PM England vs Windies The Rose Bowl, Southampton 20th Jun 15, Sat, 3:00 PM Sri Lanka vs Australia Kennington Oval, London 21st Jun 15, Sat, 6:00 PM South Africa vs Afghanistan Sophia Gardens, Cardiff 22nd Jun 16, Sun, 3:00 PM India vs Pakistan Old Trafford, Manchester 23rd Jun 17, Mon, 3:00 PM Windies vs Bangladesh The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton 24th Jun 18, Tue, 3:00 PM England vs Afghanistan Old Trafford, Manchester 25th Jun 19, Wed, 3:00 PM New Zealand vs South Africa Edgbaston, Birmingham 26th Jun 20, Thu, 3:00 PM Australia vs Bangladesh Trent Bridge, Nottingham 27th Jun 21, Fri, 3:00 PM England vs Sri Lanka Headingley, Leeds 28th Jun 22, Sat, 3:00 PM India vs Afghanistan The Rose Bowl, Southampton 29th Jun 22, Sat, 6:00 PM Windies vs New Zealand Old Trafford, Manchester 30th Jun 23, Sun, 3:00 PM Pakistan vs South Africa Lord's, London 31st Jun 24, Mon, 3:00 PM Bangladesh vs Afghanistan The Rose Bowl, Southampton 32nd Jun 25, Tue, 3:00 PM England vs Australia Lord's, London 33rd Jun 26, Wed, 3:00 PM New Zealand vs Pakistan Edgbaston, Birmingham 34th Jun 27, Thu, 3:00 PM Windies vs India Old Trafford, Manchester 35th Jun 28, Fri, 3:00 PM Sri Lanka vs South Africa Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street 36th Jun 29, Sat, 3:00 PM Pakistan vs Afghanistan Headingley, Leeds 37th Jun 29, Sat, 6:00 PM New Zealand vs Australia Lord's, London 38th Jun 30, Sun, 3:00 PM England vs India Edgbaston, Birmingham 39th Jul 1, Mon, 3:00 PM Sri Lanka vs Windies Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street 40th Jul 2, Tue, 3:00 PM Bangladesh vs India Edgbaston, Birmingham 41st Jul 3, Wed, 3:00 PM England vs New Zealand Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street 42nd Jul 4, Thu, 3:00 PM Afghanistan vs Windies Headingley, Leeds 43rd Jul 5, Fri, 3:00 PM Pakistan vs Bangladesh Lord's, London 44th Jul 6, Sat, 3:00 PM Sri Lanka vs India Headingley, Leeds 45th Jul 6, Sat, 6:00 PM Australia vs South Africa Old Trafford, Manchester 1st Semi-Final Jul 09, Tue, 3:00 PM TBC vs TBC (1 v 4) Old Trafford, Manchester 2nd Semi-Final Jul 11, Thu, 3:00 PM TBC vs TBC (2 v 3) Edgbaston, Birmingham Final Jul 14, Sun, 3:00 PM TBC vs TBC Lord's, London ## Here Are The Teams' Squad For The World Cup:## New Zealand squad - Kane Williamson (C), Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (WK), Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor## Australia squad - Aaron Finch (C), Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey (WK), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa## India squad - Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma (VC), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni (WK), Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami## Bangladesh squad - Mashrafe Mortaza (C), Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim (WK), Shakib Al Hasan (VC), Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das, Sabbir Rahman, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Mithun, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mosaddek Hossain, Abu Jayed## England squad - Eoin Morgan (c), Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, James Vince, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood## Sri Lanka squad - Dimuth Karunaratne (C), Avishka Fernando, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Perera (wk), Kusal Mendis, Jeevan Mendis, Thisara Perera, Malinda Siriwardana, Angelo Mathews, Isuru Udana, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Jeffrey Vandersay, Nuwan Pradeep## South Africa squad -Faf du Plessis (C), JP Duminy, David Miller, Dale Steyn, Andile Phehlukwayo, Imran Tahir, Kagiso Rabada, Dwaine Pretorius, Quinton de Kock, Chris Morris, Lungi Ngidi, Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Hashim Amla, Tabraiz Shamsi.## Pakistan Squad - Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Haris Sohail, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Hasnain## Afghansistan Squad - Gulbadin Naib (C), Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Noor Ali Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Afghan, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman## West Indies Squad - Jason Holder (c), Andre Russell, Ashley Nurse, Carlos Brathwaite, Chris Gayle, Darren Bravo, Evin Lewis, Fabian Allen, Kemar Roach, Nicholas Pooran, Oshane Thomas, Shai Hope, Shannon Gabriel, Sheldon Cottrell, Shimron Hetmyer## Follow for more...

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