'Cricket is a captain's game, coach must take back seat'

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly said that a coach should take a back seat in cricket as it is a captain's game, unlike football.

Asia Games 2018: "I think the coach has to take a back seat in cricket. It's not like football. A lot of the current cricket coaches start to believe that I'm going to run a cricket team like a football team. Cricket is a captain's game and the coach has to take a back seat," the 46-year-old said at an event here on Monday.

Furthermore, Ganguly quipped that if given a chance, he would like to ask the Indian cricket team's head coach, Ravi Shastri who picks the team, him or Rohit Sharma.

Ganguly also said that he would like to ask the head coach how he changes the current Indian team to perform in a similar manner away from the subcontinent.

Reflecting on the nature of a team's head coach, Ganguly said that man management is one of the key qualities a coach should possess, adding that hardly few have those skills.

The former Indian skipper was in Symbiosis International (Deemed University) for the launch of his book- 'A Century is not Enough', co-authored with senior sports writer Gautam Bhattacharya.

↓↓↓ Read more on ↓↓↓

Sourav Ganguly on Cricket

---

News Source: BS & Business Standard

Don’t let Virat Kohli play county cricket; he must suffer in England

Virat Kohli is expected to play for Surrey in the Division One of English county in his bid to prepare for the five-Test August-September series in England.

Letting Virat Kohli play county cricket is “nonsense”, feels former England captain Bob Willis, who wants the prolific Indian captain to “suffer” from the wretched form he endured in 2014, when his team comes here for a Test series later this year.

Kohli is expected to play for Surrey in the Division One of English county in his bid to prepare for the five-Test August-September series in England, which has been his focus for sometime now.

“I can’t stand overseas players in county cricket,” Willis told ‘Sky Sports’.

“He should be made to suffer and average 30 in England as he has done before. We don’t want England starting to lose Test matches at home because we’re accommodating all of these visiting players,” Willis commented.

Apart from Virat Kohli, the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara (Yorkshire) and Ishant Sharma (Sussex) are also set to play for different sides.

Willis, however, is upset that England will be losing home advantage ahead of the series and termed it as a detrimental move for the counties.

“It doesn’t benefit the players stranded in the second XI year on year and the youngsters. The only way to improve our Test team is to have as many England-qualified players playing in the County Championship as possible,” said Willis, who has played 90 Test matches for his country taking 325 wickets.

“Instead, they’re going to pay Kohli, presumably, five figures a match so he can hone his skills in English conditions before a Test series. It’s a nonsense,” fumed Willis.

The 68-year-old feels that like last time, when Kohli failed to score a single half-century across five Tests, England should once again make him suffer.

Virat Kohli: Fastest to reach 9,000 ODI runs; a century

Courtesy his innings of 113 in the match, Kohli broke de Villiers' record of fastest cricketer to have reached the milestone

 

 

India skipper Virat Kohli on Sunday became the fastest to reach 9000 ODI runs, taking just 194 innings to achieve the feat.

He achieved the feat even as he scored his 32nd century in the third and final One-Day International (ODI) against New Zealand here at the Green Park stadium on Sunday, to clinch the 1-1 levelled series.

Courtesy his innings of 113 in the match, the Team India captain broke de Villiers' record (205 innings) of the fastest cricketer to have reached the milestone.

FIFA U-17 World Cup: Indian team won hearts, if not medals

Kohli also became the first batsman to amass 2000 runs in international cricket in 2017. Ahead of the Kanpur ODI, Kohli was on 1991 runs from 39 matches at 58.55.

The 28-year-old achieved the 8000-run mark in ODIs in just 175 innings, again breaking AB de Villiers' record, who took 182 innings.

Kohli, in 2013, became the fastest player to 5000 ODI runs, equaling West Indies' Viv Richards record, reaching the mark in 114 innings.

Meanwhile, India has crossed the 300-run mark with Rohit Sharma having been snared by Santner for 147.

Earlier in the day, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson won the toss and decided to have a bowl first.

Click here to Know More → Fastest 9000 ODI Runs

National anthem to BCCI: SC verdicts that stirred the nation in 2016

Of the several judgments delivered, most were monumental, though some could be termed as surprising

Breaking News - It was a happening year for the Supreme Court as it produced several judgement in the course of the year. While most of them were monumental, a few could be termed as surprising.

Business Standard  brings you the top five judgements by the apex court of the nation.

SC verdicts that stirred the nation in 2016

J&K's Constitution subordinated to Indian Constitution

Rap on the knuckles to BCCI 

National anthem in cinema halls

The Cauvery tangle

The Sahara case

2016  was a happening year for the Supreme Court as it produced several judgement in the course of the year. While most of them were monumental, a few could be termed as surprising.

Read Article Source>>>

Be Updated on Stock Market News  &  Latest Business News  |  Business Standard

Suresh Raina, Hardik Pandya recalled in ODIs

Star batsman Suresh Raina and all-rounder Hardik Pandya have been recalled to the national squad for the first three matches of the five-match One Day International (ODI) series against New Zealand, starting on October 16.

This was the first assignment for the newly-appointed selection committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) headed by MSK Prasad.

The 15-member squad led by limited overs skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who last played the ODI and T20 International series in Zimbabwe in June, however, left out regulars like off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja.

The batting department has been bolstered by the return of Test skipper Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma while Manish Pandey is likely to fill in for injured Lokesh Rahul as opener.

Maharashtra stumper Kedar Jadhav and Punjab batsman Mandeep Singh also retained their places in the squad.

FOR  Venue &  Squad

Read Source

500 test matches… and a heap of mediocrity

India goes into its 500th Test match today against a combative but not frightening New Zealand XI. The national expectation is that Virat Kohli and his lads will win, making it India’s 130th Test victory. A cooperative pitch is expected to play its part: it’s not called “home advantage” for nothing. In Indian cricket at least, ‘atithi devo bhavah‘ – the Upanishadic principle that says the guest is God – is blithely ignored. It’s more like ‘Ashwin devo bhavah’, in homage to India’s sharpest spin bowler.

India’s being at number one in the International Cricket Council’s Test rankings from November 2009 to August 2011 has led the younger generation of fans to be starry-eyed about their team in Tests. The team was briefly number one again in January, February and August of this year; and but for last month’s foul weather in Port of Spain – and the fouler drainage at the ground – it would still be at the top. India currently sits in second place, a point behind Pakistan, and would return to pole position if it beats New Zealand in the forthcoming series.

Recent Test performances should not blind us to the truth that India has historically been a mediocre, and often poor, Test side. It has a better head-to-head record against only four out of the nine other Test-playing countries. Two of those are Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, teams largely undeserving of their Test status. Sri Lanka and New Zealand are the other sides against which India has prevailed more often than it has lost; but of those two, the Kiwis have the worst overall win percentage – 20.68%  – of any major Test team, so they don’t provide a basis for a boast. And Sri Lanka’s total win percentage against all sides is actually better than that of India. So while India is superior head-to-head, the islanders fare better on average, against everyone else, than India does.

The point of this short piece, therefore, is an appeal for modesty. Let us not thump our chests in the modern Indian manner, but remember that for long stretches of its Test history, India has been a soft opponent. Its overall percentage of victories is a mere 25.95%, the second-worst among the major Test nations (comprising England, Australia, South Africa, West Indies, New Zealand, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka). Only New Zealand has a poorer record. Australia has won a dazzling 47.20% (or nearly half) of its Tests and every other team has won a  read full story