BY SACNILK

Indian cricket team has not a big fan of changing jerseys as quickly as the other teams, but whenever this happens, it has always been a trend shatter among the fans of men in blue. Among team India's jerseys, their iconic 1992 World Cup jersey remains a big hit to date and has a great recall value among fans even in the modern era. ## Ahead of their first ODI against Australia at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney on November 27, the Virat Kohli-led Men in Blue is set to turn the clock back and go retro, by donning a jersey similar to the one worn in 1992.## Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan gave a sneak peek into the national side's new jersey supporting the sponsors of MPL Sports and BYJU's. "New jersey, renewed motivation. Ready to go", Dhawan wrote while sharing a selfie wearing a new jersey. ## New jersey, renewed motivation. Ready to go. 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/gKG9gS78th— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) November 24, 2020 ## Talking about Dhawan's own form, the left-hander is coming from scoring a plethora of runs in the recently-concluded IPL 2020 edition. The Delhi Capitals (DC) opener became the first-ever batsman in the tournament history to slam successive tons. Overall, he finished with 618 runs, at 44.14 and a strike-rate of 144.73, to end as the second-highest run-getter after KL Rahul. ## Dhawan will have an extra responsibility in the limited-overs series in which India will miss the service of vice-captain Rohit Sharma who also ruled out of the first two tests against Australia due to a hamstring injury. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

There was a massive controversy over team India's star batsman, Rohit Sharma's non-inclusion in all three India squads for the forthcoming Australia tour, but now, the vice-captain of the limited-overs format has cleared the air and said that he was in regular touch with BCCI regarding his injury. ## "Hamstring is absolutely fine. Just started the process of getting it nice and strong. Before I play the longer format, I absolutely needed to be clear in mind that there is no stone that is left unturned, that's probably the reason, I'm at the NCA. So for me, it was not a concern what x, y, or z was talking about like whether he would make it to Australia", Rohit told news agency PTI as stated by Cricbuzz. ## Rohit Sharma had missed a few matches for Mumbai Indians in the recently concluded Indian Premier League in the United Arab Emirates due to his hamstring injury. He was also not included in the India squads announced on October 26 for the Australia tour. ## However, hours after Rohit's omission, he was seen practicing in a video posted by Mumbai Indians on social media which led experts like Sunil Gavaskar to question transparency regarding player injuries. Though Rohit was included in the Test squad later, he cleared the misconceptions about the injury and the subsequent confusion over the Australia series. ## "I don't know what was going on, to be honest, and what all were people talking about. But let me put this on record, I was constantly communicating with BCCI and Mumbai Indians".## Rohit confirmed that while he was feeling a lot better, he was still not a 100% fit - which meant that he couldn't risk being part of the white-ball series down under. "Of course, there is still some work that needs to be done on my hamstring. That's why I didn't go to Australia for the white-ball leg as there are back-to-back games. Around 6 games in 11 days", he said, on the upcoming ODI and Twenty20 series.## "So I thought if I get to work on my body for 25 days, I can probably go and play the Test matches. So it was an easy decision for me and I don't know why it became so complicated for others", he said.## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced that MPL Sports, an e-sports platform, will the new kit sponsor and official merchandise partner of the Indian cricket team on Tuesday (November 17).## The three-year deal between BCCI and MPL Sports will be starting with India's upcoming tour of Australia and it is from November 2020 to December 2023. As per the new deal, Men's, Women's, and the Under-19 Indian cricket teams will be sporting MPL Sports designed and manufactured jerseys.## "The partnership leads us to a new frontier for Team India and for sports merchandising in the country. We look forward to working with a young Indian brand like MPL Sports to tap the potential that this sphere holds. This partnership aims at facilitating access to high-quality Indian cricket fan merchandise, including the coveted Indian cricket team jersey for cricket fans not just in the country but globally", Jay Shah, Honorary Secretary, BCCI said.## Earlier, the BCCI had invited bids for team kit sponsor and official merchandising partner rights through a tender process after Nike's four-year deal came to an end in September this year.## "We are delighted to announce the dawn of a new era for Indian cricket with the appointment of MPL Sports as the kit sponsor for the Indian men's and women's national cricket team until 2023. We look forward to MPL Sports adding a new chapter to the team's kit, and bring Official BCCI licensed merchandise within easy and convenient reach for the billion-plus fans who cheer for Team India", Sourav Ganguly, BCCI President said.## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Monday (October 26) have announced the team India's squads for the Tests, ODIs, and T20Is for the Australia tour. The regular vice-captain in white-ball cricket, Rohit Sharma hasn't been named in any of the squads due to the injury along with Ishant Sharma. ## The Senior Selection Committee headed by Sunil Joshi have named 28 players that'll feature across the three formats in Australia. Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma's progress, a BCCI media release states, will continue to be monitored by a medical team.## KL Rahul has been named in India's Test squad for the forthcoming four-Test Border-Gavaskar series against Australia at the end of the year. Rahul is joined by fellow Test returnee Kuldeep Yadav while seamer Mohammed Siraj gets a call-up in an 18-member Test squad.## India is going with full packed pace attack in Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah along with Navdeep Saini, Umesh Yadav, and Mohammed Siraj. BCCI has also announced that 4 additional bowlers - Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kartik Tyagi, Ishan Porel, and T. Natarajan - will travel with the Indian contingent.## NEWS - Four additional bowlers - Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kartik Tyagi, Ishan Porel and T. Natarajan - will travel with the Indian contingent.The BCCI Medical Team will continue to monitor the progress of Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma. #AUSvIND— BCCI (@BCCI) October 26, 2020 ## Test Squad: Virat Kohli (C), Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (VC), Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Mohd. Siraj. ## Fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who limped out of IPL 2020 with a leg injury, will not be part of the traveling contingent to Australia. The swing bowler, who has been beset by injury problems since the start of 2018, had been named in the 50-over squad for the series against South Africa which was eventually called off due to the Coronavirus pandemic.## Rishabh Pant and Prithvi Shaw have been axed from the ODI squad after their poor run in the ongoing IPL. They have also been removed from the T20I squad as well. KL Rahul will be Virat Kohli's deputy in ODIs and T2OIs. ## ODI Squad: Virat Kohli (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul (vc&wk), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Mayank Agarwal, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur.## Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy who has been impressive in the IPL 2020 has received his maiden India call-up for the three T20Is. The Tamil Nadu player picked up a five-wicket haul against Delhi Capitals on Saturday and has overall taken 12 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 7.05. He replaces Kuldeep Yadav as the fourth spinner in the 16-man squad.## Rohit Sharma's absence has also given Mayank Agarwal a spot in the shortest format for the very first time. The 29-year-old opener has lit up the IPL this season scoring almost 400 runs in the 10 games he has played so far with a hundred. Hardik Pandya also returns for the limited-overs series. ## T20I Squad: Virat Kohli (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul (VC & WK), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar, Varun Chakravarthy. ## India will start their tour on November 27 with three T20Is, followed by three ODIs and four Tests later on. India became the first Asian team to win a Test series in Australia when they toured down under in 2018-19 and now, will have a chance to retain the Border-Gavaskar series. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Sunday (October 11), has announced the squads for the women's T20 challenge that will be played from 4th November to 9th November during the playoffs of men's IPL in the UAE.## Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, and Mithali Raj have been named the captains of Supernovas, Trailblazers and Velocity respectively. The three teams will compete in the upcoming Women's T20 Challenge. Each team will play two games with the top 2 to face in the final on 9th November. ## The best of Indian women's cricket will combine with some of the leading stars from England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Bangladesh, and New Zealand in a four-match tournament.## Thailand's Natthakan Chantham, who scored her country's first Women's T20 World Cup half-century, adds another feather to her cap as she will become the first Thai cricketer to feature in the tournament.## The 2020 Women's T20 Challenge will begin with last year's finalist Supernovas taking on Velocity in the opening game. The complete schedule is as below.## Match No.DateTeamsTime (IST) 1. 4 November Supernovas vs Velocity 7:30 PM 2. 5 November Velocity vs Trailblazers 3:30 PM 3. 7 November Trailblazers vs Supernovas 7:30 PM 4. 9 November Final 7:30 PM ## Here are the complete squads - ## Supernovas - Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Jemimah Rodrigues (VC), Chamari Atapattu, Priya Punia, Anuja Patil, Radha Yadav, Taniya Bhatia (WK), Shashikala Siriwardene, Poonam Yadav, Shakera Selman, Arundhati Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar, Ayushi Soni, Ayabonga Khaka, and Muskan Malik## Trailblazers - Smriti Mandhana (C), Deepti Sharma (VC), Punam Raut, Richa Ghosh, D. Hemalatha, Nuzhat Parween (WK), Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Harleen Deol, Jhulan Goswami, Simran Dil Bahadur, Salma Khatun, Sophie Ecclestone, Natthakan Chantham, Deandra Dottin, and Kashvee Gautam## Velocity - Mithali Raj (C), Veda Krishnamurthy (VC), Shafali Verma, Sushma Verma (WK), Ekta Bisht, Mansi Joshi, Shikha Pandey, Sushree Dibyadarshini, Manali Dakshini, Leigh Kasperek, Danielle Wyatt, Suné Luus, Jahanara Alam, and M. Anagha## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Former India player, Yuvraj Singh who had announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in June last year, might be seen in action again in the domestic circuit as the left-hander has confirmed that he wants to help Punjab to win championships at least in the T20 format. ## The flamboyant batsman had worked with the youngsters like Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Prabhsimran Singh, and Anmolpreet Singh at the PCA Stadium in Mohali in the last few and had felt that despite not being on the field for a long time, he was hitting the ball pretty well. ## Speaking to Cricbuzz, the 38 years old told, "I enjoyed spending time with these youngsters, and talking to them about various aspects of the game, I realized that they were able to pick up various things that I was telling them. I had to get into the nets to show them a few other elements, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well I was hitting the ball even though I hadn't held a bat for a really long time." ## "I also trained for those two months, and then I started to bat in the off-season camp. I made runs in some of the practice matches. Mr. Puneet Bali, the secretary of the Punjab Cricket Association, approached me after one of the sessions and asked me if I would reconsider coming out of retirement."## "Initially, I wasn't sure that I wanted to take up the offer," Yuvraj admits. "I was done with domestic cricket, though I did want to continue to play in other domestic franchise-based leagues worldwide if I got permission from the BCCI. But I also couldn't ignore Mr. Bali's request. I gave it a lot of thought, for nearly three or four weeks, and it was almost as if I didn't even have to make a conscious decision in the end", he added.## The Player of the Tournament at the 2011 World Cup, Yuvraj also confirmed to Cricbuzz that he has sent a mail to the BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah, seeking their permission to come out of retirement. ## "As things stand now, I will be playing only T20s if I get the nod," Yuvraj observes. "But who knows, let's see."## If Yuvraj gets permission from BCCI, then he obviously will have to give up his willingness to play outside India as BCCI does not grant NOC to the Indian players until they take retirement from all forms of cricket in India. Last year, he had played for Toronto Nationals in the Global T20 in Canada in August, and for Maratha Arabians in the Abu Dhabi T10 League last November. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the schedule of the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League 2020, on Sunday (September 6). Defending and 4 times champions, Mumbai Indians will take on 3 times winners, Chennai Super Kings in the tournament opener on September 19 in Abu Dhabi. ## The tournament will be played in three venues which are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah. In all, 24 matches will be held in Dubai while 20 match will be played in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah will host 12 matches. ## The action will move to Dubai from Abu Dhabi on September 20 when Delhi Capitals will kick-off their campaign against Kings XI Punjab, followed by Sunrisers Hyderbad's opening match against Royal Challengers Bangalore on September 21. Sharjah's first match is on September 22 when the first-season finalists, Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings take on each other. ## This year, there will be 10 double headers while rest of the matches are scheduled to be played in the evening. The first of 10 scheduled double headers, will be held on October 3 when Royal Challangers Banglore will be against Rajasthan Royals.## Afternoon games will start at 3:30 PM IST (14:00 UAE time) while the regular evening games will begin at 7:30 PM IST (18:00 UAE Time).## Five of the 10 day games will be hosted by Abu Dhabi. Dubai will host four afternoon matches, while Sharjah will have only one match starting at 2 PM. All teams will play a minimum of two day games, with only RCB, KKR, RR and SRH set to play in three.## Talking about who will play where, Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders will play 8 of their league matches in Abu Dhabi, while Sunrisers Hyderabad will play 8 of their games in Dubai. The maximum games Chennai Super Kings, Kings XI Punjab, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals will play at a venue is 7 each in Dubai.## On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals will play six games in Dubai and 5 will play in Abu Dhabi while all teams will play three games each in Sharjah. The dates and venues for IPL playoffs, the final and the women's T20 league yet to be announced. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Under the current circumstances and in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, cricket around the world is being played without the crowd on the ground. The upcoming season of the Indian Premier League 2020 which will start from September 19 will be no different. ## However, the BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has hinted that the later on in the tournament, 30% crowd may be allowed with the proper social distancing and testing. ## Speaking to the Press Trust of India, the former India captain said, "Because of Covid and the infection, you don't want people to be too close to each other, but very soon you will see there will be 30% people in the ground with social distancing. They will be properly tested and allowed to enter the ground. But I think that is going to happen over a period of time". ## With people not coming in the ground, the BCCI President also referring the Broadcasters of the tournament, stating that Star India, who paid INR 16347 crores for five-years of broadcast rights, are expecting higher ratings for this edition.## "Crowds will watch it on television... They [broadcasters] are actually expecting the highest rating of IPL this season because they believe if [fans] don't turn up in the ground, they will be actually watching on their television sets", Ganguly said.## Ganguly also said that holding the IPL was important to ensure a sense of normalcy amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused disruption in every aspect of daily life.## "This is just a virus which is already weakening and we will hopefully get past it. These are small bumps in our life, and we have to get past it. We could have easily avoided the IPL…but then, that's what we humans are and that's why we have survived all the difficult times".## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is very much willing to host a farewell match for the former India captain and two-time world cup winner Mahendra Singh Dhoni, according to a senior board official.## MS Dhoni has announced his retirement on the evening of Independence Day of India (August) and put an end to his glorious 16-years of an international career. Dhoni who has a habit of keeping himself away from the limelight announced his retirement via an Instagram post and video. ## Over the 16-years of career, Dhoni has achieved a lot as a captain and as a player. He is the only captain in the history of cricket to win all three ICC trophies - the ICC T20 World Cup (2007), the ICC ODI World Cup (2011), and the ICC Champions Trophy (2013). ## And now, looking at his achievements, BCCI believes that MS Dhoni has done a lot for India and deserves a proper farewell. And therefore, the board will reportedly have a word with Dhoni during the IPL regarding his desire to play a farewell game. ## "There is no international series right now, maybe after IPL, we will see what can be done because Dhoni has done a lot for the nation and he deserves all the respect. We always wanted to have a farewell match for him but Dhoni is a different player. He announced his retirement when nobody was thinking of it", the official told IANS. ## "Surely we will speak to him during the IPL and that would be the right place to get his opinion about a match or series. Well, there will be a proper felicitation ceremony for him no matter if he agrees on it or not. That will be our honor to felicitate him", he added. ## Former Indian all-rounder Madan Lal also said that Dhoni deserves a farewell match and BCCI can host a series in India after the IPL so that fans can see Dhoni in action in the blue jersey for the last and final time. ## "I would be really happy if the BCCI hosts a match for Dhoni. He is a legendary player and you can't let him go just like that. His fans would want to see him again in action". ## Although MS Dhoni has said goodbye to the Indian jersey, he will be in the action leading Chennai Super Kings in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League starting on Septemeber 19 in the UAE. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

The Board Of Cricket Control In India (BCCI) has officially suspended the title sponsorship with the Chinese mobile company Vivo for the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League amid soaring India-China diplomatic tensions. ## BCCI, without giving any details sent out the one-line statement to say that the Vivo will not be associated with the IPL 2020. ## "The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Vivo Mobile India Pvt Ltd have decided to suspend their partnership for Indian Premier League in 2020", the press release stated. ## FYI, Vivo won the title sponsorship rights for five years from 2018 to 2022 for a reported sum of ₹2190 crore, approximately ₹440 crores per annum. Now, with Vivo is no longer hold the sponsorship rights for this year's IPL, BCCI likely to float a tender for the new title sponsors. ## As it was earlier decided, the IPL 2020 has moved to the UAE due to the rising COVID-19 cases in India. The tournament will kick-start from September 19 with the final set to be played on November 10. ## BCCI has made some changes for this year's IPL regarding the match timings, the number of the players per team squad, and a few others. Read Here... ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, is all set to kick-off from September 19 with the final to be played on November 10 in the UAE. It will be the longest 8-team IPL edition which is 53-days long. ## Following the IPL Governing Council meeting on Sunday (August 2), that matches will be played in Dubai, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi subject to necessary clearances from the Government of India. It is important that the Sports Ministry of India has given a go-ahead to the tournament while the approvals from the Home Ministry and Ministry of External Affairs are expected soon. ## The IPL governing council has also given a nod to the 3 sides Women's T20 Challenge for the 4-matches that will take place during the IPL play-off week from 1-10 September.## Some key decisions were taken in the meeting today, meanwhile -## => The night matches will start at 19:30 IST instead of the 20:00 IST while the afternoon ones at 15:30 IST instead of 16:00 IST. ## => All the matches will be played in Dubai, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi. ## => There will be a total of 10 double-headers. ## => Maximum 24 players to be allowed in the squad per team. ## => Unlimited Covid-19 Substitutes.## => Four matches of the Women's T20 Challenge will take place during the IPL play-off week to be played by three teams.## => VIVO to continue to be the sponsorship partners of the IPL 2020. ## "The Governing Council also discussed the comprehensive Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), which will be finalized and published in due course, including the agencies to execute and deliver a bio-secure environment for the safe and successful conduct of IPL 2020 Season," said the statement. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Team India captain Virat Kohli revealed that the England tour of 2014 which is by far Kohli's worst by statistically in which he could score only 134 runs in 10 innings proved to be a milestone in his career which helped him to change his approach and mindset. And when 4 years later, Kohli returned for his toughest challenge, he looked a completely different player altogether. ## Ever since the 2014 England tour, Virat Kohli's stats as a batman skyrocketed. He has played 57 Test matches (94 innings) and piled on 5,385 including 593 runs in 5 Tests on 2018 England tour since the fifth and last Test match against England at The Oval in 2014 which speaks a lot about his determination.## "2014 will be a milestone in my career", Kohli told Mayank Agarwal in a Web Chat Show on BCCI.tv. "Lot of people take good tours as a milestone. That tour of 2014 will always be the milestone in my career. From where I thought things might go bad for me very soon because the next big tour was Australia. I had to sit down and change the way I thought and approached the game".## "I started being more fearless, not in situations which sort of seemed easy, like in white-ball cricket, you invariably knew what the situation was. You prepared yourself, you get motivated very easily. But Test cricket, when it gets tough, to maintain your composure is the most difficult thing for a cricketer. That is something I really needed to correct".## From 2014 to 2018 – How Virat Kohli turned it around 💪@imVkohli chats with @mayankcricket on how he put behind his failures in England with technical inputs from @sachin_rt and @RaviShastriOfc and came out all guns blazing in 2018 🙌👌Full video 📽️👉 https://t.co/yNMw87SR4z pic.twitter.com/m6zCPftcTC— BCCI (@BCCI) July 24, 2020 ## Virat Kohli, however, credits Team India coach Ravi Shastri for his success as a batsman on the 2018 England tour and the tours happened after 2014. He revealed that soon after the 2014 England tour, Shastri (who was Team India director then) called him and Shikhar Dhawan to his room and suggested them to make some changes in their techniques. Kohli who went to England as captain of the team this time obviously followed what Shastri's advised, and what happened next is well known. ## "Well, it was after the England tour in 2014. He (Shastri) called me and Shikhar to his room. He called for a bat as well. He has such a keen understanding of the game. Because from a lower-order player to opening the batting for India and averaging 40-plus and scoring hundreds almost everywhere in the world, you have to have a good understanding of the game".## Kohli also revealed that How Shastri's suggestions of standing outside the crease helped him to deal with the pacers.## "Ravi Bhai asked me if I was afraid of the short ball. I said no. Then he said 'good, then stand outside the crease'. I said I am willing to get hit but not get out. Before the tour game in 2018, Ravi Bhai saw me practicing and asked me again why I was not standing outside the crease. So, I went back into the nets and did about 40 minutes of standing outside the crease. It was absolute chalk and cheese."## "I was so much more in control. I was in control of the space that I was playing in. I would play with conviction of the front foot also play the short ball from the same base. The results were there to see", He said. ## Stay tuned...