ICC CWC 19: A hopeful Kohli downplays top-order rout ahead of WC campaign

The top-order failed to fire in both the warm-up games with most experts suggesting that the batsmen are struggling to adapt to the English conditions.

Business Standard : "I am glad with what we got out of these two games," said Virat Kohli after the second warm-up match against Bangladesh which his side won comfortably by 95 runs.

But was it really the case?

In the first practice match, the famed Indian batting line-up struggled before the pace and swing of New Zealand bowlers, especially Trent Boult who wreaked havoc and picked up four wickets on May 25 in challenging batting conditions at Southampton. Apart from Ravindra Jadeja, none of the Indian batsmen managed to stay for long at the crease and as a result the Men in Blue were bundled out for mere 179 inside 40 overs which the Black Caps chased down without any hiccups.

In the second match as well, the Indian top-order failed to perform as per expectations and didn't seem to be in total control of their game. It was only K.L. Rahul and M.S. Dhoni, who managed to make the most of their batting as they scored brilliant hundreds to help India post a mammoth 360-run target, which it successfully defended against Bangladesh.

ICC World Cup 2019

Keeping aside those two knocks and the quickfire 46-ball 47 from Virat Kohli, it was again a case of conditions making the batsmen sweat.

ODI vice captain Rohit Sharma, who had scored just two runs against the Kiwis, managed 19 against the Bangladesh. He was seen struggling before the pace and swing of Boult, as well as that of Mustafizur Rahman.

Same was the case with Shikhar Dhawan who managed scores of 2 and 1 in both the warm-up matches. The much spoken about Vijay Shankar also managed just 2 on Tuesday as the Indian scoreboard read a scary 102/4 at one stage. But the 164-run partnership between Rahul (108) and Dhoni ensured that another embarrassing collapse was avoided.

However, Kohli doesn't appear much bothered by the form of his 'star openers'. "Shikhar and Rohit are quality players. They become stars in ICC events. I understand if guys don't get going rightaway in this format, but I am glad with what we got out of these two games," the skipper said on Tuesday.

When it comes to bowling, the Indian bowlers didn't have much to defend against the Black Caps. But still, they put up a good show, especially Jasprit Bumrah who was magnificent with his line and length. He bowled at a brisk pace and returned with figures of 2/4 from the four overs he bowled.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2019: Why India are best placed to win the trophy

India, currently ranked second in ICC team ODI rankings, dominate ICC player rankings with two batsmen and three bowlers among top 10; also, number 1 batsman and number 1 bowler are both from India.

The much-awaited International Cricket Council (ICC) tournament, the men’s cricket World Cup 2019 (50-over) is scheduled to kick-start from May 30. The cricket world cup (CWC), hosted by England and Wales this time, will see 10 teams playing 47 league matches. Four teams would advance to the knockout stage where two semifinals will be played. The winners of the semis will meet in the final to decide the world champion.

Days before the start of the 12th edition of CWC, we look at the ICC rankings for batsmen, bowlers and all-rounders, and estimate which teams will have the advantage going into the World Cup.

Check World Cup schedule here

According to the latest ICC batsmen ranking, India, New Zealand and South Africa have two players each in top 10 list, while England, Australia, Pakistan and West Indies have a player each. The India cricket team seems to have an advantage in the batting department, with the top two batsmen in the ICC rankings from the country — Virat Kohli (ranked first) and opener Rohit Sharma (second). New Zealand’s Ross Taylor is ranked third, while the only England player among top 10 is Joe Root (ranked 6th).

However, if we were to widen the list from top 10 to top 20, England would find three of its other frontline batsmen making the list — Eoin Morgan (ranked 19th), Jos Butter (14th) and Jonny Bairstow (17th). By comparison, apart from Kohli and Sharma, India have only one player in top 20 — Shikhar Dhawan (13th).

Talking of Australia, which recently returned to winning ways after a team overhaul, have only their skipper, Aaron Finch, in top 10 (ranked ninth). The only other Australian in top 20 is Finch’s opening partner Usman Khawaja (18th). At least three participating teams — Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan — have no representation in ICC’s top 10 batsmen list.

Bowlers

Indians appear to be dominating the ICC rankings in the bowling department, too, with Jasprit Bumrah ranked first, Kuldeep Yadav seventh and Yuzvendra Chahal (eighth) in top 10. Afghanistan have two bowlers on the top 10 list — Rashid Khan (third) after Mujeeb Ur Rahman (ninth). New Zealand have Trent Boult (second) in top 10, while South Africa, regarded the best bowling unit in ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, have two players — Imran Tahir (fourth) and Kasigo Rabada (fifth). Australia have only Pat Cummins (sixth) in the list of top 10, while World Cup favorites England have Adil Rashid (ranked 10th). Again, three participating nations — Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan — have none of their players in the ICC list of top bowlers.

IPL 2019: Hotstar registers 18.6 million concurrent viewers for finale

The final match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings that took place on Sunday saw the streaming platform soar past its earlier record of 12.7 million concurrent users.

Online streaming platform Hotstar registered 18.6 million concurrent viewers during the finale of IPL 2019 between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.

The final match on Sunday saw the streaming platform soar past its earlier record of 12.7 million concurrent users, achieved during an earlier game in the same tournament, according to a statement.

The Rohit Sharma-led team defeated an equally strong Chennai Super Kings by one run in an edge of the seat thriller Sunday night in Hyderabad.

Social media chatter around the latest version of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been the loudest in comparison to all its previous editions. In two weeks, about 345 million people watched the matches on television, while the viewership on digital platforms was at 267 million in three weeks, making this season of the IPL the most-watched.

According to the data shared by media agency Wavemaker, the IPL has been trending high on social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Varun Narang, Chief Product Officer, Hotstar, said: "We have an innate belief in delivering a game-changing viewing experience to our consumers through ideas that challenge the status quo.

"With technology as our backbone and our all-round expertise in driving scale, we are confident we will continue to break global records and set new benchmarks with each passing year."

The 12th edition of the IPL began with Hotstar aiming to reach 300 million unique visitors, and by the end of the tournament, Hotstar had not only recorded in excess of 300 million users but also witnessed a 74% increase in watch-time as compared to last year.

The IPL began on March 23. The seven-week tournament was stream streamed live in eight languages on the platform, which is now gearing up for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup.

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World Cup: Nice guy, finish first! selectors' veiled advice to Rishabh Pant

Chief selector MSK Prasad said 'Pant was almost there' but finishing matches was the important point where they felt 33-year-old Karthik had an advantage over 21-year-old Rishabh Pant.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on April 15 announced the 15-member national squad for the ICC World Cup 2019 to be held from May 30 in England and Wales.

There were 4-5 slots up for grab as it was evident that remaining seats would go to known names.

ALSO READ: India's 15-player World Cup 2019 squad announced: Check who's in, who's out

Till recently, Rishabh Pant had all in his favour and he was seen as a potential batsman to end India's no. 4 conundrum.

But the selectors had some other plans, they wanted a player who could provide more dimensions (bat, bowl and field) or could finish the matches.

Pant is a new weapon in India's batting arsenal and in a short span he has earned the trust and praise of veteran to active players.

Chairman of selectors, MSK Prasad said, "We all (agreed) that either Rishabh Pant or Dinesh Karthik will come in if Mahi (MS Dhoni) is injured. If it's a crucial match, wicket-keeping is also important. That's the reason we went with Dinesh Karthik. Otherwise, Pant was almost there."

But he later added that finishing the matches was the important factor where 33-year-old Karthik had an advantage over 21-year-old Rishabh Pant.

“That is exactly what we discussed. I’m saying one of the wicketkeepers will make it only if MS is injured. Under pressure, we have seen Karthik finishing matches,” he said.

However, BCCI on April 17 named Rishabh Pant, veteran batsman Ambati Rayudu and young pacer Navdeep Saini as standbys for the tournament.

In January 2019, Pant was named the ICC Emerging Player of the Year at the 2018 ICC Awards. Recently he was given level A contract by the BCCI.

In December 2015, he was named in India's squad for the 2016 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. He made his Twenty20 International (T20I) debut for India in January 2017. A year later, he made his Test debut in August 2018, and just two months later, his One Day International (ODI) debut in October 2018.

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Adelaide ODI: Australia won the toss, decided to bat in the 2nd ODI

Having lost the opening match of the series, India would look to up the ante as it is a do or die clash for them.

Australia won the toss and asked India to bowl first in the second ODI of their ongoing three-match series here at the Adelaide Oval on Tuesday.

Following the toss, Indian skipper Virat Kohli said he was looking to bat first, considering the conditions of the pitch.

Talking about the team combinations, Kohli informed that pacer Mohammed Siraj has been included in the squad in place of Khaleel Ahmed.

"We would have batted. It looks a great wicket and it's very hot. We lost the first T20I earlier in the tour and bounced back quickly. It's good to put yourself under pressure. We have one change. Mohammed Siraj comes in and Khaleel Ahmed misses out," Kohli said.

Australian captain Aaron Finch, on the other hand, kept the squad same as the first ODI and hoped to put a good performance in the match.

"Good opportunity to bat first again after a good performance in Sydney. We're unchanged," Finch said.

Having lost the opening match of the series, India would look to up the ante as it is a do or die clash for them.

Following are the Indian and Australian playing XI:

India- Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (c), Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj

Australia- Aaron Finch (c), Alex Carey (wk), Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Nathan Lyon, Peter Siddle, Jason Behrendorff.

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Dhoni's poor form a worry for India ahead of second ODI against Australia

Dhoni's 51 off 96 balls and failing to rotate the strike has brought to focus the rejigging that skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri will have to fret upon.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's inability to set the pace during middle overs will remain a major cause of concern when India take on Australia in a do-or-die second ODI on Tuesday in their bid to keep the three-match series alive.

Hardik Pandya's sudden suspension on disciplinary grounds has badly affected the balance of the batting order, which was apparent during team's 34-run defeat in the opening match despite vice-captain Rohit Sharma's 22nd hundred in 50-over format.

(Business Standard)

Dhoni's 51 off 96 balls and failing to rotate the strike has brought to focus the rejigging that skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri will have to fret upon.

With Dhoni being slotted at No 5 even though vice-captain Rohit wants the veteran to bat a notch higher but cues from India's training session made it clear that the team is unlikely to tinker with the batting order.

India's batting order did come under the spotlight at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The top three (Rohit, Shikhar Dhawan and Kohli) have enjoyed a fairly consistent run since 2016.

But it was a rare occasion when Dhoni had to come out in the fourth over of the innings.

Dhoni averages 52.95 while batting at number four, which is higher than his current career-average of 50.11 over 333 games.

It is even higher than his favoured batting positions of number five (50.70) and six (46.33) but batting lower down the order, strike-rate becomes paramount.

Yet, Dhoni's career strike-rate at number four is 94.21 is higher than his overall career strike-rate of 87.60, or at number five (86.08) and number six (83.23).

When India last played ODIs in Australia in January 2016, Dhoni batted at number four in two matches but only scored 18 runs.

In fact, since that series, Dhoni has batted at number four in only eight ODIs, with the last instance in the 2018 Asia Cup.

He averages 24.75 in this interim, with a strike-rate of 77.34 and a highest of 80 against New Zealand in October 2016.

This presents a quandary, which the Indian team management might not be in a mood to sort out at present.

Rayudu did well enough in the Asia Cup and in the home series against West Indies, and both batsmen merit a longer run in their respective positions to help settle this batting line-up in the run-up to the English summer.

India vs Australia 2018-19: Ready for challenging Australia conditions, says Rohit Sharma

Rohit said everybody in the team needs to step up against a formidable side like Australia.

India Vs Australia 2018- 2019 : Australia's towering pacers are at an advantage against the "not that tall" Indian batsmen, says visiting vice-captain Rohit Sharma but insisted that his team is ready to rewrite the script of the battle this time.

India start the tour with the T20 Internationals from November 21 in Brisbane and Rohit said it would a tough task to counter the fast pitches.

"India have always played either at Perth (venue for second Test from December 14-18 this time) or Brisbane. These two conditions are challenging and the Australians have tall bowlers who exploit those conditions and use it to their advantage," he said.

"Indian batsman are generally not that tall, so it is not easy for us but the guys are determined to change things this time, we are ready to accept the challenge," he asserted.

"It is challenging for our batsmen...But most of the guys have come to Australia before. So they understand the conditions. Of course, their bowling attack will challenge us whichever format we play but as a batting unit, we are prepared," Rohit said.

India will start with a three-match T20I series, followed by a four-match Test series and a three-game ODI Series. The visitors have never won a Test series in Australia, drawing three and losing eight of their 11 outings.

"Whenever we travel outside India there is always a special feeling and Australia is one place where we want to leave our mark and do well as a unit," Rohit said after India's practice session at The Gabba.

ALSO READ: Tour operators milk cricket craze, offer Australia matches in itinerary

"Last time we played a Test series here, although we lost two games and drew one, but I thought we played few close games, especially at Brisbane.

"We want to make it count this time around, there is a real good feeling inside the group. The motive is to seize all the moments and win."

Stressing on the significance of putting up a good performance in Australia ahead of the 2019 World Cup, Rohit said: "When you do well in Australia, you feel good as a team and thinking about the World Cup ahead, it can only give you confidence winning in places like Australia."

Rohit said everybody in the team needs to step up against a formidable side like Australia.

"Australia in Australia will always be dangerous without a doubt. In places like Australia you want the whole unit to come together, that is our focus," he said.

Business Standard

Asia Cup 2018: India aims to test middle-order against resolute Afghanistan

For Afghanistan, a win against the fancied Indian side will be a great end to the tournament.

Business Standard : The Indian cricket team will hope that its untested middle-order gets some game time ahead of the grand finale when it takes on an ever-improving Afghanistan in the final 'Super Four' encounter of the Asia Cup 2018 on Tuesday.

India have been on a roll after an unimpressive start against Hong Kong, with couple of one-sided victories over arch-rivals Pakistan and an equally facile one against Bangladesh.

With a spot in Friday's final sealed, skipper Rohit Sharma may want some of his untested middle-order batsmen to get quality time in the middle against someone of Rashid Khan's calibre.

Often in cricket, the 'Law of Averages' catches up with the best performing teams at a critical juncture.

Shikhar Dhawan (327) and skipper Rohit (269) have done the bulk of the scoring in the four matches so far with very little contribution being required from the other batsmen in the line-up.

The next highest scorer is Ambati Rayudu (116 runs) because he comes in at No 3.

The problem has been lack of batting time for the likes of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav and Dinesh Karthik so far.

Sample this: Rohit and Shikhar have so far faced 284 and 321 deliveries respectively. The next best Rayudu has played 162 balls.

However, Karthik (78 balls), Dhoni (40 balls) and Kedar (27 balls) can be found wanting if there is a top-order collapse on the big day.

Rohit had given Dhoni an opportunity to come in at No 4 against Bangladesh and the former captain scored 33 runs. But it was a pressure-free situation.

Dhoni's achilles heel of late has been to keep the scoreboard ticking in pressure situations that the middle-overs throw up.

If the likes of Rashid Khan and Mujeeb ur Rahman can put pressure, it will be a good warm-up for the middle-order trio before the final match.

The Indian captain might fancy batting first in case he wins the toss, which in turn will give his team a chance to bat 50 overs instead of chasing another modest total.

The Indian bowlers have been splendid on the slow Dubai International Stadium track with all the bowlers enjoying an economy rate of less than five runs per over...Read More

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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