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Concerns are growing about Virat Kohli’s inability to play fluently, says Ian Bishop

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Despite his team registering a hard-fought win in the last match against Chennai Super Kings, concerns are growing about the former Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli’s inability to play fluently in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022.

Kohli, one of the best batters in the world cricket, is finding different ways to get out to different bowlers in the IPL. In the match against CSK, Moen Ali produced a perfect off-spinner dismissal, inviting Kohli to go for an expansive drive but got one to turn in from outside off to hit the stumps.

Seeing Kohli’s inability to defend his citadel against quality bowlers, former West Indies pacer Ian Bishop said he is concerned that different types of bowlers are getting the former RCB captain out amid his poor run of form in the recent past. He added that the star batter’s inability to keep a healthy scoring rate is also a worrying sign for him as well as his team.

Virat Kohli, who has been struggling for form, played a laboured knock against CSK’s bowlers in which he managed 30 from just 33 balls. Kohli took his time even as his opening partner Faf du Plessis kept the scoreboard moving in the powerplay. Kohli played 16 dot balls and the pressure showed as he was involved in the run-out of Glenn Maxwell, who walked in at No. 3 for RCB.

“If you’re not getting ahead of the rate and going at a run-a-ball, you need to bat deep into the innings,” Ian Bishop was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.

However, Bishop emphasised that he is not criticising Kohli, but wanted to highlight his lack of intent during RCB’s match against CSK at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Wednesday.

“He didn’t get ahead, and there wasn’t much intent. He hit one [six] over extra-cover off the seamer, and that was when he just went ahead to a run-a-ball and then he came back. And he isn’t going deep into the innings either. So those deliveries don’t come back to you. Even if RCB won, that wasn’t an innings, even given the difficulties of the pitch, that you could say caused a match-winning total,” he added.

It is no secret that IPL 2022 has seen Virat Kohli struggle to get runs consistently for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). In 11 matches, Kohli had amassed just 216 runs at an average of 21.60 and strike-rate of 111.91.

Amidst registering consecutive golden ducks and recently nine against the Rajasthan Royals at Pune, many former cricketers have asked Kohli to take a break in order to get some rest.

However, he scored half-century (58 in 53 balls) against Gujarat Titans and many former cricketers including legendary Sunil Gavaskar said that it was a much-needed and confidence-booster fifty for the beleaguered batter.

Before his fifty against GT, joining the ‘take a break’ bandwagon was former India head coach Ravi Shastri, who has advised Kohli to pull out of IPL 2022 if he wishes to extend his cricketing career.

“I think it (a break) is ideal for him because he has played non-stop cricket and has captained the side across all formats. It will be wise of him to take a break. Sometimes you have to draw the balance. This year he is already into the tournament (IPL 2022), tomorrow if push comes to shove and you want to prolong your international career and make a mark there for 6-7 years, pull out of the IPL, for all you care,” Shastri said on sports presenter Jatin Sapru’s YouTube channel.

Kohli’s struggles against spin are not new for Bishop, but he believes there is a more pressing issue with the star batter’s dismissals in the recent past.

“This is something we’ve been seeing with Virat, not just this season. Even last season, I remember, and even sometimes internationally, he’ll fly out – he didn’t fly out tonight – and then he’ll slow down again. So, I’m concerned,” he added.

International

CT 2025: India to take on Pakistan on Feb 23, likely to play in Colombo or Dubai: Sources

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New Delhi, Dec 19: The much-awaited clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan in the Champions Trophy 2025 will be played on February 23 with Colombo and Dubai front-runners to play host for India’s matches in the tournament being played in hybrid format. The development comes after the ICC Board said that “India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC Events during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue.”

“India will take on Pakistan at a neutral venue on February 23, 2025. ICC looking at Colombo and Dubai to host their matches.”

The Champions Trophy is scheduled to be played in February and March 2025. Meanwhile, ICC said the schedule for the marquee tournament will be confirmed in the coming days.

Pakistan are the defending champions of the tournament, having defeated India by 180 runs in the final at The Oval in 2017. Both teams last played against each other in the T20 World Cup in New York earlier this year which India won by six runs and went on to claim their second silverware in the format.

Due to the strained political relations between the two neighbouring countries, India and Pakistan only play each other in international events including World Cups and Asia Cup. The last bilateral series between India and Pakistan was held in 2012-13 when the latter toured India for the five-match white-ball series.

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It’s OFFICIAL! All India vs Pakistan Matches At ICC Events To Be Played At Neutral Venue Till 2027

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India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC Events during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue, the ICC Board confirmed on Thursday, 19 December. The schedule for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is set to be confirmed soon, with Pakistan aiming to defend the title they won in 2017.

The eight-team event will feature Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, and South Africa, alongside hosts Pakistan.

This will apply to the upcoming ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 (hosted by Pakistan), set to be played in February and March 2025, as well as the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 (hosted by India) and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (hosted by India and Sri Lanka).

It was also announced that the PCB has been awarded hosting rights of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2028, where neutral venue arrangements will also apply. Cricket Australia is set to host one of the senior ICC women’s events during the period 2029 to 2031.

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‘Our dream is getting fulfilled’: Coach Sumit Bhatia elated to see Kho Kho going global

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New Delhi, Dec 16: Coach Sumit Bhatia is all pumped up for the first edition of the Kho Kho World Cup scheduled to take place from January 13-19, 2025. Bhatia, who holds a distinct record of being the only head coach to have won the Asian Championship twice, believes that this historical step is an indication of the realisation of the dream to take the sport to the international level and help it gain global recognition.

Having been honoured with the best coach award by the Delhi government, Bhatia has been a part of various Indian teams’ success, including the 2016 and 2023 Asian Kho Kho Championship victories, and has trained players like Nasreen Shaikh and Sarika Sudhakar Kale. Both of them have been Arjuna Awardees.

Nasreen, who is also a part of the World Cup camp, is the only player who has played in two Asian Championships and won the gold. The coach-student duo is now gearing up for the global event.

Sharing how the journey of Kho Kho World Cup’s inception, the coach said, “We organised an international camp here before COVID happened, in 2020. Coaches and players from 16 countries came here and we gave them training. Now they will be coming here for the World Cup but this campaign started in that camp”.

He further said, “Around 30-35 countries were willing to play the tournament but we picked the best 20 teams for both men and women. Some countries have single teams while some have double teams but a total of 24 countries will be participating in the tournament. It was our dream to take Kho Kho to the international level and now we can see that our dream is getting fulfilled.”

He also lauded the launch of the Ultimate Kho Kho League and shared how the franchise-based model has helped the players and coaches gain recognition, while also bringing forward grassroot talent.

“When the Ultimate Kho Kho league started, I also joined Telegu Yodhas as their head coach and we also played the final. Players have gotten exposure through the league and it’s not just financial. Earlier we used to hesitate while admitting being a Kho Kho coach but today our players introduce us as their coach,” said Bhatia.

He added, “The league got so much coverage that wherever we go, the players are approached for autographs. So the platform of the league started a new world for both coaches and players and now not just India but the entire world knows us. Earlier we used to tell people about our game but now they know what is Kho Kho and Ultimate Kho Kho league and are also waiting for the third season.”

Bhatia also discussed the impact of sports science on Kho Kho and lauded the newly introduced technology and said, “We have benefitted a lot from it. Sometimes we don’t understand why a player is not performing well. But with the introduction of sports science, we now know about the details of the problem.

“For example, a player might be facing issues with his left leg while sitting and so, it gives us an opportunity to work on that weakness… Sports science has helped us in identifying the accuracy and weakness of a player. So it’s very beneficial for us.”

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