Name: Ravi Shastri justifies Pant's selection over Saha in overseas Tests
Uploaded: 2020-02-28T01:35:14.fff+05:30
Duration: T00M53S
Channel: editorji
Description: After skipper Virat Kohli called Wriddhiman Saha the best keeper in modern-day cricket and played him in the last Test series at home, many fans were left surprised with Rishabh Pant's selection over Saha in the first Test vs New Zealand in Wellington. But head coach Ravi Shastri justified as to why the young wicketkeeper-batsman was given a go-ahead.

After skipper Virat&nbsp;Kohli called&nbsp;Wriddhiman&nbsp;Saha&nbsp;the best keeper in modern-day cricket and played him in the last Test series at home, many fans were left surprised with&nbsp;Rishabh Pant's selection over&nbsp;Saha&nbsp;in the first Test vs New Zealand in Wellington. But head coach Ravi Shastri&nbsp;justified as to why the young wicketkeeper-batsman was given a go-ahead.

After skipper Virat Kohli called Wriddhiman Saha the best keeper in modern-day cricket and played him in the last Test series at home, many fans were left surprised with Rishabh Pant's selection over Saha in the first Test vs New Zealand in Wellington. But head coach Ravi Shastri justified as to why the young wicketkeeper-batsman was given a go-ahead.

Just 2 days after Vivo&nbsp;decided to pull out as the head sponsor of&nbsp;IPL&nbsp;2020, BCCI&nbsp;has officially suspended its partnership with the Chinese mobile&nbsp;phone&nbsp;giant. Key BCCI office bearers including president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah had a conference call with Vivo representatives along with IPL chairman Brijesh Patel and both parties decided to terminate the agreement.&nbsp;Vivo though will be back in 2021 and will continue till 2023 as they had paid Rs. 2199 crore for a 5-year contract in 2018. BCCI&nbsp;will now invite a new title sponsor for the the postponed 13th edition of the&nbsp;IPL&nbsp;which is due to start from September 19 in the UAE.

Though the BCCI&nbsp;has laid down strict measures for players, ground&nbsp;officials and staff members for a coronavirus-proof IPL&nbsp;in the UAE&nbsp;but Kings XI Punjab co-owner Ness&nbsp;Wadia&nbsp;feels that even a single case of Covid-19 could doom the IPL. He told PTI&nbsp;that the only thing they are concerned about is the safety of the players and all others involved. He once again reiterated his belief that the 13th edition of the cash-rich league will be the most-watched IPL ever and he would change his name if it's not. BCCI&nbsp;has already sent out the Standard Operating&nbsp;Procedures for the franchises to follow, which&nbsp;requires everyone involved in the league to be part of a bio-secure environment until the tournament concludes.

As Indian cricket fans eagerly wait to see MS Dhoni&nbsp;back in action once the IPL&nbsp;starts September&nbsp;19, Suresh Raina&nbsp;has doubled up the excitement. In an interview with the Hindustan Times,&nbsp;MSD's&nbsp;Chennai Super Kings teammate&nbsp;said that&nbsp;Dhoni&nbsp;is all pumped up and looking forward to going to UAE&nbsp;to entertain his fans. Raina&nbsp;added that&nbsp;MSD was practising really hard before the pandemic and hopefully, we will see his helicopter shot soon. Dhoni&nbsp;was training at the CSK&nbsp;camp for the 13th edition of the IPL&nbsp;but players had to go home as the camp had to be called-off due to the coronavirus&nbsp;pandemic.

Rain may have stopped cricket on the opening day of England's 1st Test vs Pakistan but it couldn't keep the players away from football. England cricketers made full use of the forced break and tried their hand, heads rather, at the header bin challenge. English cricketers though are banned from playing football but since this challenge required no tackles, it was given a green light.&nbsp;

Pakistan were believed to put up a lot tougher challenge for England as compared to the Windies&nbsp;and they proved it on the opening day of the 1st Test in Manchester. Opting to bat first, the visitors had a watchful start but were reduced to 43/2, which saw their skipper Azhar&nbsp;Ali being dismissed for a duck. The tide turned against England when Babar&nbsp;Azam&nbsp;walked in. Pakistan's most dependable batsman dropped anchor and remained unbeaten on 69. Opener&nbsp;Shan Masood&nbsp;may have had a strike rate of just over 30&nbsp;but he made sure to hold one end with 46 not out. The pair put together a 96-run stand before rain washed out the remaining day, with&nbsp;Pakistan ending it at 139/2.

The BCCI&nbsp;has released a strict set of rules and guidelines for the players and officials for the upcoming Indian Premier League which will be played in the UAE&nbsp;starting 19th September. Teams have been advised to stay in separate hotels, strict social distancing in dressing rooms and sharing the electronic team sheets have been some of the few directives issued by the BCCI. Once the players land in UAE, they won't be allowed to meet their teammates&nbsp;till they run 3 negative Covid-19 tests. All teams have been asked to appoint a doctor who will ensure the&nbsp;biosecure bubble is maintained which is advised for the stay, transport and match venues. Moreover, the players have been advised to keep interaction to bare minimum and wear the masks all the time till the point to enter the field to either practice or participate in the game. The cricketers have also been advised to not share playing equipment and even the water bottles in the drinks break during a match will have name tags to prevent accidental sharing. If anyone tests positive, the concerned individual will have to stay for 1d days in isolation and run multiple tests before reuniting with the team. Interestingly, families of players and officials have been permitted to stay and travel with the team as they have to follow the same strict guidelines.&nbsp;

MS Dhoni who burst on the scene with reputation of hitting big sixes, soon had a unique record under his belt. MSD&nbsp;held the record of hitting most number of international sixes as captain, which now belongs to Morgan.&nbsp;Dhoni has 211 sixes as skipper in 332 matches, whereas Morgan, smashed his 212th&nbsp;six&nbsp;in his 163rd game as captain, which is less than half the number of matches Dhoni&nbsp;took. Morgan achieved this incredible feat en route&nbsp;to his 14th ODI&nbsp;hundred in the 3rd and final game vs Ireland on Tuesday.

The IPL&nbsp;franchises are considering arranging resort stays for their players in the UAE&nbsp;instead of 5-star hotels in order to avoid contracting Covid-19&nbsp;through shared air-conditioning ducts. According to the Times of India, where Sunrisers&nbsp;Hyderabad are already in touch with a golf resort, Mumbai&nbsp;Indians and KKR&nbsp;are likely to set up more secluded camps in&nbsp;Abu Dhabi. MI are even considering renting an entire apartment complex. An IPL&nbsp;source&nbsp;told TOI&nbsp;that the resorts in Dubai are high end and arranging single-occupancy rooms will be much easier. According to a study,&nbsp;the virus can spread through ducts of centrally air-conditioned buildings, something which has made the franchises worried.
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The BCCI&nbsp;has laid down coronavirus&nbsp;testing&nbsp;norms for the cricketers for a smooth functioning of the 13th edition of the IPL&nbsp;in UAE. A board official told PTI&nbsp;that according to a draft, Indian players and support staff will have to return negative for Covid-19&nbsp;at least 5 times before they start training in the UAE and subsequently will be tested every fifth day during the IPL. First, they will undergo 2 Covid-19&nbsp;tests, 24 hours apart, a week before joining the 14-day quarantine period with their respective teams in India.&nbsp;Following their arrival in the UAE, players and support staff will have to return at least 3 negative tests during a week's quarantine and only then they can enter the bio-bubble and start training.&nbsp;All overseas players and support staff will also have to undergo 2&nbsp;Covid-19 tests before flying in to the UAE.

They say that lightning doesn't strike the same place twice but it did on Tuesday night. Ireland who had famously stunned England in the 2011 world cup group game, did it again. Ireland upset the world champs yet again as they beat England by 7 wickets in the 3rd and final ODI to avoid a series whitewash. On back of captain Morgan's 14th ODI&nbsp;hundred the hosts finished at 328. Chasing which, the visitors lost&nbsp;one of their openers for 12 but then began the great Irish fightback. Paul&nbsp;Stirling went&nbsp;berserk and smashed a 128-ball-142. Skipper Andy&nbsp;Balbirnie&nbsp;proved to be his willing ally as he too completed a splendid ton. Their 2nd-wicket stand of 214 took Ireland really close to the finish line but the pair couldn't see their side home. A young Harry&nbsp;Tector&nbsp;and an experienced Kevin O'Brien helped Ireland cross the finish line in a last over thriller, completing&nbsp; the&nbsp;highest successful ODI run chase against the 3 lions in their own den.

As the pressure on BCCI to boycott Chinese sponsorships got stronger, IPL head sponsor Vivo has pulled out of the tournament this year. The Chinese smartphone giants though will be back in 2021 and will continue till 2023. BCCI who recently announced their decision to retain all the sponsors for IPL, will now have to fetch for a new title sponsor for the 13th edition of the cash rich league. Vivo had paid Rs. 2199 crore for a 5-year contract in 2018 but decided to pull out for a year after backlash on social media. The postponed&nbsp;IPL is due to start from September 19 in the UAE.

The&nbsp;England and Wales Cricket Board on Wednesday appointed former star batsman Jonathan Trott&nbsp;as their batting coach for the upcoming 3-match Test series vs Pakistan. The 39-year-old was England's batting pillar&nbsp;and&nbsp;scored 3835 runs in 52 Tests between 2009-2015. Trott will also be joined by former New Zealand spinner Jeetan Patel and Warwickshire seamer Graeme Welch. England take on Pakistan in the 1st Test from Wednesday at the Old Trafford in Manchester.

As the BCCI&nbsp;issued standard operating procedures for state associations, the board is also planning to form a&nbsp;Covid-19 task force. Among others, BCCI&nbsp;has also included National Cricket Academy chief Rahul Dravid&nbsp;to be a part of it. Apart from the former India captain, the Covid-19&nbsp;task force will include a medical officer, a hygiene officer and BCCI AGM, Cricket Operations for resumption of training at the NCA in Bengaluru. As per the SOP, their responsibilities will include communicating clearly and regularly with the players, explaining measures being taken to manage risk and the advice being given to individuals to follow the same and updating the&nbsp;relevant higher management about&nbsp;Covid-19 cases. Apart from all the players, administrative staff of NCA will also be tested for Covid-19 before training resumes.

Having staged an incredible fightback&nbsp;in the Test series vs the Windies, England now face Pakistan in the longest format but this time the challenge will be a lot tougher. England all-rounder Chris Woakes&nbsp;too feels that they will have to be on the money from ball one. The series, which will also be held inside a bio-secure bubble, will begin from Wednesday at the Old Trafford in Manchester, the same ground where the 3 Lions won back-to-back Tests vs the Windies. Also, as a delighting news for the hosts, talismanic all-rounder Ben Stokes, who had an injury scare,&nbsp;was able to bowl in the nets on Monday. Though momentum is with England but&nbsp;Pakistan&nbsp;have also&nbsp;been training in England from almost a month now and are also well versed with the conditions. Interestingly, the last 2 times these 2 teams played in England, the Test series was shared and Pakistan will try to take an extra step this time around.

Since the World T20 hs been postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Cricket Australia has decided to also call-off their T20 series against the West Indies in October. Australia was scheduled to play 3 T20I between 4-9 October as a warm-up before the World T20. The decision though came as a welcome news for the BCCI&nbsp;as it was on a collision course with the IPL. But top players from both the sides are now available to play in the cash rich league,&nbsp;due to start from 19th September in the UAE. Most players from Australia and West Indies are top stars in almost all the franchises of the cash rich league.

Though the news of the Women's T20 Challenge being held on the sidelines of the Indian Premier League in the UAE in November came as a welcome news for Indian cricket but BCCI&nbsp;has received flak for its scheduling as it clashes with the Women's Big Bash League in Australia. With the WBBL&nbsp;scheduled to be played from October 17 to November 29, Australian star&nbsp;Alyssa Healy&nbsp;asked on Twitter as to what will the Indian players do who have already signed up to play in the Women's Big Bash League?&nbsp;The clash of schedule also means that several marquee players may have to choose between the two tournaments. The&nbsp;Women's T20 Challenge though is still subject to government clearance.

On the sidelines of the all-important IPL Governing&nbsp;Council&nbsp;meeting, the BCCI&nbsp;also issued a list of Standard Operating Procedures to all the cricketers and State Associations. Players will have to sign a consent form before resuming training at their respective centres. Under which, players will undergo 2 tests one day apart to account for false negatives. If both the test results are negative, only then they will be&nbsp;included in the camp. Apart from that,&nbsp;players are advised to take their own transportation&nbsp;to the stadium and will have to wear masks&nbsp;on the way. Also, the support and ground staff and officials over 60 years of age and any individual with underlying medical conditions will be barred from attending training camps until suitable guidelines are issued by the Government.

The BCCI&nbsp;on Tuesday invited bids for the new Team India's kit sponsor and Official merchandising partner. The new kit sponsor will replace educational technology giants BYJU's&nbsp;who had earlier replaced Chinese mobile phone manufacturer Oppo. The new bids can be lower than previous ones as the future calendar for Team India is still undecided due to the Covid-19 pandemic.&nbsp; &nbsp;

On the sidelines of the all-important IPL Governing&nbsp;Council&nbsp;meeting, the BCCI&nbsp;also issued a list of Standard Operating Procedures to all the cricketers and State Associations. The 100 page SOP defines all rules for cricketers, coaches and associations under the BCCI's&nbsp;umbrella. The cricket board also expects all the players to sign a consent form before getting back on the field. The SOPs&nbsp;will define the way forward for the players &amp; support staff about training protocols, match scenarios and situations when anyone tests positive for Covid-19.&nbsp;

Despite approving the dates &amp; schedule at the&nbsp;Governing Council meet, many answers are still not available for the IPL&nbsp;franchises. According to a report in the Times of India, the organisers have now asked the teams to delay their departure to UAE. Earlier, the teams were planning to reach Dubai in the 2nd week of August to get up to&nbsp;3-4 weeks for practice. IPL&nbsp;now wants the teams to not travel before 20th August and that has left the teams confused &amp; upset. The world's richest cricket board is currently in talks with the stakeholders and also the&nbsp;UAE&nbsp;cricket board to put certain Covid-19&nbsp;protocols in place for the teams which can explain the reason behind the delay. While some of the teams had already started working on the travel and stay bookings, the Governing Council expects more clarity in the coming week.

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Ravi Shastri justifies Pant's selection over Saha in overseas Tests

Feb 28, 2020 13:35 IST

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