Banter with Flintoff to coaching in limited-overs: Here's what Yuvraj said

During the must-win game for India against England in 2007, Yuvraj smashed six sixes in an over bowled by Stuart Broad.

Former India batsman Yuvraj Singh recalled his tussle with English all-rounder Andrew Flintoff during the 2007 T20 World Cup match against England.

Yuvraj was doing an Instagram live session with former England skipper Kevin Pietersen. During the session, Yuvraj was then asked to talk about what Flintoff told him during the T20 World Cup in 2007.

During the must-win game for India against England in 2007, Yuvraj smashed six sixes in an over bowled by Stuart Broad.

However, before the feat, Yuvraj was involved in an aggressive war of words with Flintoff.

Yuvraj Singh's 6 sixes vs Stuart Broad

"I think Freddie bowled two good balls and he bowled a yorker which I managed to hit for a boundary. Then he told me that this was a dash shot, he got pretty elaborative. He said I am gonna cut your throat off and then I replied saying you see this bat in my hand? You know where I am gonna hit you with this bat? I remember I was so angry, when I hit Broadie for six sixes, I looked at Dimitri Mascarenas and then I looked at Freddie."

"Mascarenas had hit me for five sixes during an ODI match so that is why I looked at him first. It was one of those games which we all will remember," he added.

Ind vs Eng 5th Test: Kohli & co to play for pride in Cook's farewell test

In the backdrop of Ravi Shastri's comment on current Indian cricket team terming it the "best travelling side in last 15-20 years", Kohli would like to play is best possible playing 11.

Ind Vs Eng : Team India led by Virat Kohli will have only pride to play for after going down in the Southampton Test and losing the five-match series 1-3 against England which will see former captain Alastair Cook playing his last international match, in the fifth and final Test at The Oval in London starting today. The final match might only be of academic interest but India skipper Virat Kohli would want to finish on a high nonetheless. A scoreline of 2-3 will definitely look much better than 1-4 and India will any day take Test win. Meanwhile in the backdrop of Ravi Shastri’s comment on current Indian cricket team terming it the “best travelling side in last 15-20 years”, Kohli would like to play is best possible playing 11.

Can Prithvi Shaw make India debut in The Oval Test?

With Prithvi Shaw's inclusion in the Test squad, the Indian selectors are looking ahead to the next line of openers. And with Murali Vijay dropped, they need to firm up plans ahead as attention will soon turn to the tour of Australia in November. A school of thought suggests that Shaw should be thrown into the deep end of the pool to ascertain if he can take on the pressure of facing the best bowlers international cricket has to offer. Even if he fails to get going in this one-off Test, at age 18, Shaw still has time to climb the ladder again. Meanwhile, any success on his part will provide an easy answer to the opening conundrum ahead of the Australian tour.

The other school of thought suggests that the current opening combination of Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul ought to be retained. If the selectors are indeed looking ahead, this could prove to bthe a last chance for either of them to impress before the series against West Indies and the domestic first-class season begins back at home. Early indicators are that Shaw will have to wait for his chance, at least until the home season.

Ravindra Jadeja to replace R Ashwin?

Ravindra Jadeja looks set to play his first Test on tour, with Ravichandran Ashwin not bowling in the nets on Wednesday and moving gingerly as well. While there is no confirmation from the management, it has been reliably learnt that he has aggravated his hip strain and will miss out on the final Test.....Read More

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Live Cricket Score India vs England 1st Test Day 3: India need early wickets to pin down England

Indian bowlers will look to get wickets early in the day, especially of England captain Joe Root's wicket, to keep the hosts under pressure. At the end of third day's play, England were 22 runs ahead.

India Vs England : On Day 3 of the first Test match, Virat Kohli and company need to take early wickets to keep the momentum in their favour which they had in the final session of Day 2. With the scorecard reading 148/6 after the departure of Hardik Pandya during the second session on Day 2, the situation looked extremely bleak for the Indians. 

The prospect of conceding a lead in excess of 100 looked likely and the visitors desperately needed a miracle to even minimise the damage that had been done. And the miracle came in the form of Virat Kohli century who added 92 runs for last 2 wickets, scoring 90% of the runs. To add salt to England miseries, Ashwin dismissed Alastair Cook to end the day with England at 9-1, 22 runs ahead of India.

What England need to do on Day 3?

England went to stumps on Day 2 at a score of 9/1, with Ravichandran Ashwin rattling Alastair Cook's off-stump off the last delivery of the day. The day, however, belongs to Virat Kohli, who fought against the odds to bring up his maiden century in England while almost single-handedly rescuing India from dire straits to help his side post a respectable total. 

With Cook disappointing yet again in the dying minutes of the day, England will have to count once again on Joe Root playing the anchor's role and building partnerships around him. More importantly, the home team will need their middle order to show more character in the second innings after the collapse in the first if they are to post a score in excess of 300, one that might just turn out to be a match-winning one for them.

How Virat Kohli escaped the ghost of 2014?

When Kohli last visited England in 2014, he scored just 134 runs in 10 innings and on Day 2 he scored 149 in one innings to show his class and somewhat he proved that he is world’s best batsmen in present time. During his 149-run knock, Kohli did struggle early on in the innings while facing the bowling of James Anderson and Sam Curran and was even dropped in the slip cordon by Dawid Malan while batting on 21. 

However, he did not let the bowlers get to his head and took on them with aplomb as he patiently scored a century. He kept losing wickets at the other end as none of the other batsmen managed to cross the 30-run mark. Towards the end of the innings, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav played second fiddle and stood around at the crease for a long time, despite scoring just 5 and 1 respectively. To put things in perspective, 92 runs came off the last two wickets and Ishant and Umesh just scored 6 of those. Kohli managed to keep strike for the majority of the deliveries and hit the boundaries whenever he got a chance.

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Ind vs Eng 1st Test, day 2: Can Kohli overcome Anderson scare at Edgbaston?

Indian batsmen would look to take advantage of the pitch which looked like a typical sub-continent wicket as the wicket which doesn't have bounce and starting turning from Day 1.

India Vs England : On the Day 2 of first Test match, India took 10 balls to take the last wicket. Now the onus will be on Indian batsmen to put a spirited batting performance to get an upper hand at Edgbaston cricket ground in Birmingham today. Mohammed Shami took the last wicket as he beautifully set up Sam Curran, an inswinger followed by a delivery shaped away which drew Curran into poking away from his body and a healthy outside edge, easily taken by the Dinesh Karthik. After a sub-par first two session on Day 1 India bounced back brilliantly after a spirited fielding by Virat Kohli to remove Joe Root in the final session picking 6 wickets. Ashwin’s bowling was the highlight of Day 1 as he picked 4 wickets and he will look to get his 5th scalp on day 2. On the other hand, Indian batsmen would look to take advantage of the pitch which looked like a typical sub-continent wicket as the wicket which doesn’t have bounce and starting turning from Day 1.

How Virat Kohli’s inspired fielding effort reduce England to 285/9 from 216/3

At 216/3 England were cruising and it seems they will get past 400- runs marks as Joe Root was looking set to get a big with Jonny Bairstow at the other ens. But a brilliant piece of fielding from Kohli saw the England skipper getting run-out for 80. Root tried to steal a second runoff Ravichandran Ashwin but Kohli ran quickly, picked up the ball and threw it in one swift motion to knock down the stumps with a direct hit. Jonny Bairstow also followed his captain as he chopped on Umesh Yadav delivery onto the wicket and England were not able to recover from the two quick blow after the tea. Ashwin kept things tight and get the two crucial wickets of Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler. Read Day 1 session by session report here.

Will India miss Cheteshwar Pujara at Number 3?

Cheteshwar Pujara’s poor form in recent past prompted Virat Kohli to exclude him from the playing 11. But the player-- Shikhar Dhawan—who was preferred over him is also not in the best of his form as he get a pair in the practice game against Essex and also have a very dismal record overseas, averaging only 24. However, Pujara form is also a concern as he didn’t score a half century during the first class summer. He has managed only 172 runs in six matches at an average of 14.33 for Yorkshire. He scored a mere 35 against Afghanistan in Bengaluru, and in the practice game at Chelmsford, he managed 1 and 23. In 2014, too, Pujara had has a poor series with a score of 222 in five matches at 22.20. But given Dhawan’s weakness against the moving ball, Pujara would have been much better choice.

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Ind vs Eng 3rd ODI: Virat & co will aim for 10th consecutive ODI series win

In the India vs England 3rd ODI, Virat Kohli and co will look to plug middle-order and death overs woes in Leeds. Catch live action here.

India Vs England : In the third One Day International (ODI) of the 3-match series, Virat Kohli-led India will look to plug loopholes in the field when they take on Eoin Morgan’s England at the Headingley Cricket Ground in Leeds today. If India win today’s match it will be the team's 10th successive series victory.

How is the 3 match series evenly poised?

England levelled the three-match series with a convincing 86-run victory at Lord's, having been comprehensively beaten in the opening match at Trent Bridge.

Areas Indian cricket team needs to improve in the 3rd ODI

After first ODI victory, India made a couple of mistakes in the second match. First, the bowlers leaked few extra runs which helped England post a challenging total and then batsmen failed to rise to the occasion. Apart from Suresh Raina and skipper Virat Kohli no other batsman could face English bowlers perfectly. Although wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Shikhar Dhawan got good starts, they failed to capitalise on them. Middle-order batsmen Lokesh Rahul, Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya also failed miserably. Hence, in order to give English bowlers a tough time, India's middle batting line-up needs to click in unison.

In the bowling department, Kuldeep was the only wicket-taker. He scalped three wickets but gave away 68 runs in his 10 overs. Pacers Umesh Yadav, Hardik and debutant Sidharth Kaul also proved costly. Bowlers now have to come up with something new to disturb the opponents as Root, Morgan, Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow are already in form.

How England won the 2nd ODI

England, on the other hand, learned quickly from a poor display in the first match against India and especially against chinaman Kuldeep, who claimed 6 for 25. Joe Root and skipper Eoin Morgan also showed good form with the brilliant knocks of 113 and 53, respectively. Jason Roy and Bairstow also showed signs of regaining their form with disciplined batting throughout their innings. So, with a settled top-order, the only worry of the hosts is their middle and lower order. Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali could not add much to the score after a brilliant start. Had the trio clicked in the final match, it could have made things difficult for Indian batsmen. England has improved a lot in the bowling department. Bowlers are hunting in pairs. Pacers Liam Plunkett and David Willey are bowling well, while Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali and Mark Wood are supporting the duo superbly. Their bowling economy is not above six, which is a good sign for English players, especially when the opponents are chasing the target.

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India vs England 2018 1st ODI preview: Upbeat India look to give stiff challenge to England

The 3-match ODI series will give Virat Kohli and company an ideal opportunity to know the English conditions ahead of ICC Cricket World Cup next year. Catch live updates here.

India Vs England ODI : After an impressive T20 International (T20I) series win, India will eye another dominant performance against England when both teams lock horns for the 1st One Day International (ODI) match at Trent Bridge in Nottingham today. With ICC Cricket World Cup scheduled to be held in UK in 2019, the three-match ODI series will give Virat Kohli and Company an ideal opportunity to know the English conditions that Indian cricket team are expected to encounter at during their World Cup stint at exactly same time next year.

India will be going to play the 1st ODI on high after 2-1 T20I series win while England, the top-ranked ODI team in ICC men’s ODI Team rankings, coming into the series having crushed a below-par Australia 6-0 in their last bilateral engagement recently. England have been one of the finest 50 over sides in recent times and India will have their task cut against a batting line-up comprising Jos Buttler, Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Jonny Bairstow and Eoin Morgan with Ben Stokes as all-rounder makes the English side a formidable team.

It is a reputation built on fearless, attacking cricket that has seen England win 46 out of 69 ODIs since a disastrous ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. Their last bilateral series' defeat came in India in January 2017, with only a freak one-off loss to Scotland in the interim.

The 3 match ODI series will give Indian team management a chance to mix and matches various combination, keeping in mind the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. K L Rahul's stupendous form has been a happy headache for the team management and there is a possibility that the captain Virat Kohli might come at No 4 in order to give Rahul a chance to make optimum use of his current form. Rahul scored a 70 against Ireland and followed it by an unbeaten 101 against England in the first T20. He will, in all likelihood, be the missing jigsaw puzzle at the top of the order for skipper Kohli. With both Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma being automatic selections at the top of the order, Rahul, who is also a specialist opener comes in at No 3. If the same batting order is followed, skipper Kohli, who has been world's best ODI batsman by a distance, will have to drop himself a notch down at No 4.

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Haven't seen anyone hit the ball so hard: Pandya on Rohit's 3rd T20 century

On Sunday, Rohit smashed an unbeaten 100 off just 56 balls with the help of 11 boundaries and five sixes to steer India home against England.

India Vs England 3^rd T20 : Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya credited Rohit Sharma for the team's comprehensive win in the series-clinching third and final T20 International against England, saying it was a special innings from the elegant batsman after two ordinary outings.

Rohit struck his third T20I hundred as India chased down a 199-run target with seven wickets in hand on Sunday to pocket the three-match series 2-1.

"Rohit played amazingly well. He was outstanding and played a fantastic hand. He won the game single-handedly for us. We expect that from him. I haven't seen anyone hit the ball as hard as Rohit," Pandya told reporters at the post-match press conference.

"Not having two good games and then coming back to play such an innings, that is special. It shows the confidence players have in this team, in themselves. It all comes down to the support staff. They have been great," he added.

Rohit did not have the best of outings with the bat in the first two T20s against England, scoring 32 and 5. But he got back his mojo on Sunday night and smashed an unbeaten 100 off just 56 balls with the help of 11 boundaries and five sixes to steer India home.

Pandya too played a major role with both bat and ball last night. He first returned figures of 4 for 38 and then came ahead of MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina to hit 33 not out off just 14 balls to lend support to Rohit in India's pursuit of 198 for 9.

The 24-year-old medium pacer, however, had a nightmare start to his afternoon when he conceded 22 runs from his first over.

"To be honest, I see the T20 format as a funny game. You need to back yourself and bowl your best balls. I still remember after getting hit for 22, I was still normal. If you come and bowl the right lengths, and take wickets on this kind of pitch, eventually you will stop runs," Pandya said.

"My focus was to make sure that I bowled different balls rather than just bowling yorkers because bowling length was the key. With the shortest boundaries on the straight, I kind of mixed things."

Pandya said every game teaches him a new cricketing lesson.

"I am learning. I am always learning in the game. I've made sure that I keep on learning from my mistakes. With every game, something or the other I am learning, which is helping my game," he said.

"When I was young, I have batted at number three. So for me any situation I go in, I play according to that. It doesn't matter if I hit 13-ball 30 or 25-ball 25, depending on the situation I play accordingly."

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Uruguay's Godin shall summon all defensive spirits to stop France's Mbappe

Nineteen-year-old Mbappe scored two goals in the Argentina game.

Fleet-footed France will have to find a way past the tournament’s joint-meanest defenders Uruguay in the first of two inter-continental World Cup quarter-finals on Friday.

Fifa World Cup 2018 : Uruguay will seek to summon up all their famous defensive spirit to shackle the Europeans’ lighting-fast teenage top-scorer Kylian Mbappe.

The South Americans kept Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo at bay in their 2-1 last-16 win, and that goal conceded was the only one against them so far in Russia - a defensive feat only matched by Brazil, who play Belgium later on Friday.

But France banged in four goals in their last 16 game against Argentina, and will be hoping their formidable attacking trio of Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud and Kylian Mbappe can turn it on again at the Nizhny Novgorod stadium.

Nineteen-year-old Mbappe scored two goals in the Argentina game, becoming the first teenager since Brazilian great Pele in the 1958 final to score two goals in one World Cup match.

But it was his amazing 70-metre sprint earlier in the match, to win France a penalty, that stunned viewers worldwide.

“I was wondering whether he was riding a scooter,” joked France midfielder Florian Thauvin of the teenager whom Uruguay’s defenders must be having nightmares about.

On the surface, though, Uruguay look relaxed and their experienced central defenders Jose Gimenez and Diego Godin are relishing the chance to foil both Mbappe and their friend and Atletico Madrid team mate Griezmann.

“We want to deny them space, stop them playing, make their strikers uncomfortable - that’s our weapon,” said midfielder Diego Laxalt at the Uruguay camp in a hotel outside Nizhny Novgorod which, oddly, is painted in the colours of Brazil.

With an impressive strike partnership of their own in Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, the Uruguayans believe they can surpass their most recent best of a semi-final in 2010 - though Cavani is sweating on a calf injury that may keep him out.

‘Les Bleus’ will be inspired by the two-decade anniversary of their only World Cup win in 1998, while double winners Uruguay’s modern generation are desperate to recreate the black-and-white-era glories of their 1930 and 1950 trophies.

The winners will play Brazil or Belgium, who meet in their quarter-final in Kazan on Friday evening, for a place in the July 15 final.

Uruguay vs France: When and Where to Watch

1st match: Uruguay vs France

When and Where to watch: Uruguay vs France

Time: 7:30 PM (IST)

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India vs England: Virat Kohli & co look to wrap up series with 2nd T20I win

India stand on the cusp of a 6th successive T20I series' win - a run stretching back to their 2-1 win over New Zealand at home in Nov 2017. Catch live updates of India vs England 2nd T20I match here.

India Vs England 2^nd T20 : Fresh from a clinical eight-wicket victory over England, India will aim to clinch the series when they lock horns with the hosts in the second Twenty-20 International(T20I) of the three-match series at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on Friday. The Indian cricket team led by Virat Kohli completely outclassed England in the first game, as Kuldeep Yadav's fifer followed by Lokesh Rahul's unbeaten ton guided Indian to a comfortable victory. Indian skipper Virat Kohli will be expecting another dominant show from his side to set the tone for the long England tour.

The Indian team management is likely to stick to the same playing eleven, and will not try to disturb their winning combination. In the batting department. Opener Shikhar Dhawan, who failed in the first match, would like to rectify his mistakes in the second T20I against England, while in bowling department, pacers would like to display some disciplined bowling after leaking runs in the opening 10 overs of the first T20I.

On the other hand, England will be desperate to bounce back in the threematch series and would once again rely on opener Jos Buttler, who continued his purple patch of form with another half-century in the opening match. In order to put up a fight against the visitors, apart from Buttler, Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Alex Hales, and Eoin Morgan will have to quickly learn to read India's wrist spinners. While England spinner Adil Rashid did a fair job in the first outing, Moeen Ali was expensive and will have to be economical against the spin-friendly Indian batsmen. The English camp will also miss the services of pacer Tom Curran, who has been ruled out of the remaining T20Is and the ODI series owing to a left side strain.

How a series win will affect India and England ICC T20I ranking?

In terms of ICC Rankings, a 2-0 series lead will allow India to close the gap with second-placed Australia, while a whitewash will catapult them to second position, behind top-ranked Pakistan. Australia will have to win both their next two games in the ongoing tri-series in Zimbabwe to stay above India.

A loss on Friday will see England drop down to rank seven below New Zealand, South Africa and West Indies, respectively.

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India vs England T20I: Virat Kohli & co gear up for tough English summer

India will start the English Summer with T20I series, followed by 50-over cricket and Test series in August. Catch live updates here of the first T20Is between India and England.

India Vs England T20 : After a crushing 2-0 victory over minnows Ireland, India led by Virat Kohli will be up against a formidable England in the first of the three-match Twenty20 International series (T20Is) at the Old Trafford in Manchester. Indian cricket team's supremacy in shorter formats is redoubtable but India will have their task cut out against a vastly improved England in the opening T20 International in what will be a defining summer for Virat Kohli and his team.

While India has been a consistent limited-overs side over the past 6-7 years, England has of late lifted their game in coloured clothes by miles, thanks to a group of fantastic limited overs players like Jos Buttler, Jason Roy, and Ben Stokes.

Going into today’s series opener, India is expected to play around with set combinations which means Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma teaming up at the top of the order. With veteran Suresh Raina in great hitting form at No 3, and skipper Kohli at No.4, it will be interesting to see if the team management includes the in-form Lokesh Rahul in the middle order. All eyes will also be on the former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who was in great touch in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for eventual champions Chennai Super Kings. While Manish Pandey is in running for the fourth spot on account of his good run in international T20 cricket. Batting late in the order, he boasts of 276 runs in 10 matches at average 92 and strike-rate 127.18. These numbers are hard to ignore.

On the bowling front, Jasprit Bumrah's thumb injury will be a concern as he has played a big role with his death overs bowling. It will be interesting to see whether his replacement, Deepak Chahar, gets his maiden cap even though senior pro Umesh Yadav looks a more likely replacement.

Wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have proven their worth in Ireland and look certain to play against England in the first T20Is.

England, meanwhile, made a few strategic changes by putting assistant coach Paul Farbrace in charge of the T20 team for the Australia and India series, while head coach Trevor Bayliss simultaneously took to domestic cricket scouting. England's recent ploy to promote Jos Buttler as an opener worked in fine fashion as he struck the quickest T20I half-century by an English batsman, with a 22-ball 50, that included six fours and five sixes against the hapless Kangaroos.

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