Connect with us
हिंदी اردو
Wednesday,22-January-2025
Breaking News

International

Having Dravid is amazing as there is a sense of relaxation, says Rohit Sharma

Published

3 years ago

on

Having Rahul Dravid as the head coach is the most “amazing” thing to have happened to Team India, said white-ball skipper Rohit Sharma, adding that there “has been a sense of relaxation” ever since the legend took over the reins.

Sharma was recently promoted from being T20I captain to full-time white-ball skipper, replacing Virat Kohli as the ODI captain, and the stylish batter is excited about the “huge responsibility” entrusted on him by the Indian cricket board.

“Working with Rahul bhai, it was three-odd games (T20I series vs New Zealand) but it was fantastic. We have seen how he has played his cricket, hard and tough. There has been a sense of relaxation as well, because it is important to keep the atmosphere light and cheerful when you are doing the job on the field, which is so demanding,” said Sharma in a video shared by bcci.tv.

Sharma said that a demanding sport like cricket needs a relaxed atmosphere, which the former cricketer has provided.

“You need to have the atmosphere where people can relax and chill around. It’s been a little while but I have had so many interactions with him in the past about the game, my personal game with him. It’s good to have him on board and will be a very fruitful one for the future,” said Sharma, who will be leaving for South Africa this week with the team for a three-Test and ODI series.

Sharma reckoned that his journey of being a white-ball captain will be ‘exciting’. He also stressed on his relationship with his predecessor, Kohli, saying that he has enjoyed ‘each and every moment’ in playing together and will continue to do so.

“I am deeply honoured and grateful for the opportunity. It’s a huge responsibility and very happy about it. Looking forward to lead India in white-ball cricket, going to be an exciting journey. I have had limited opportunities to lead Team India but whenever I have got an opportunity, I have tried to keep it very simple, tried to keep one thing in common, which is clear communication to players,” said Sharma.

“I have tried making sure that they understand their roles, because that is what it is all about, understanding that role and going out there and performing that role. Because, for us, coach and captain, it is important that we have clear communication and that is what I want to do, making sure people do understand why they have been picked in the team,” added Sharma.

Sharma was all praise for Kohli and his relationship with him in the team. “He has kept the team in a situation when there is no looking back. Those five years that he led the team, he led from the front every time, we stepped on to the park, and there was clear grit and determination to win every game… that was the message to the entire squad. We have had a great time playing under him (Kohli) and I have played a lot of cricket with him, I have enjoyed each and every moment, I will still continue to do that.”

Sharma knows that the challenge for the Indian team is to claim an ICC trophy, something which has eluded them since 2013.

“There are lot of things that we need to do right before we think of end result. The last ICC trophy (Champions Trophy), we won was in 2013. Since then, we haven’t won. But I don’t see anything wrong that we did after that Champions Trophy. We played well and performed as a team but just that we couldn’t get that extra inch that we always look forward to.

“That can happen as international cricket is very demanding but that’s the challenge as we are all professionals. My message to the team will be to focus on process and not to think about the end goal.

“(A) lot of World Cups are coming and India will be eyeing to do well in (a) lot of them. Our focus is on winning the championship but there is a process that we need to follow as a group. If you need to win the championship, there are lot of other things that you first need to take care of then focus on the end goal.”

The 34-year-old believes that emerging strong from tough scenarios will be his focus point as the white-ball captain.

“How you come out of tough challenges is very important. I think, in the past we have been put in those situations before, where we have been 10/3 or 15/2 or something like that, we failed to recover. Something that we need to keep in mind moving forward, it’s one of the areas. There are other areas we need to keep improving as a team because getting better as a team doesn’t stop. We have to keep looking to do better at different departments every time we play a game.”

Post Views: 17
Related Tags:

International

Champions Trophy 2025: Pakistan’s Cricket Stadiums Far From Ready, Tournament Could Be Moved To Dubai, Claims Report

Published

2 weeks ago

on

January 8, 2025

By

Problems seem to be mounting for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as they face a race against time to handover a proper stadium to the International Cricket Council (ICC) before the Champions Trophy gets underway. According to The Times Of India report, the construction and upgradation work is still underway at the National Stadium in Karachi, Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore and the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium

A source following the developments said,”It is a very disappointing picture. All three stadiums are far from ready and it’s not renovation or refurbishment, but proper construction which is underway. There is so much work left with seats, floodlights, facilities and even the outfield and playing surfaces,”

The report further states there is not much time left for the venues to be handed over and it’s not a surprise that there are discussions about moving the entire tournament to the UAE. 

The PCB has to hand over the tournament venues to ICC by February 12, however, the stadium work which was scheduled to be finished by December 31, is yet to be completed.

A team of from the ICC will leave for Pakistan towards the end of the week to do a status check and informal contingency discussions are underway in Dubai corridors.

What is the Current stadium of Champions Trophy venues?

Lahore and Karachi are the two centres where heavy construction work is underway and their multi-storied enclosures, which will have dressing rooms and hospitality boxes, are yet to enter the finishing stages. In addition to the new enclosures, there is fencing work, placement of floodlights and seats which is far from the finish line.

The source added, “The weather is not ideal for construction and finishing work to happen at a rapid pace. At Gadaffi, even the plaster work isn’t completed yet. And most of the time is taken by finishing work because we are talking about dressing rooms etc. They just can’t be random rooms/enclosures for an ICC event. ICC has a checklist which needs to be met. National Stadium has decided to not completely finish the new enclosure because there is no time,”

Post Views: 49,046
Continue Reading

International

AFC Asian Cup 2027 to take place in Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar from Jan 7 to Feb 5

Published

2 weeks ago

on

January 7, 2025

By

Kuala Lumpur, Jan 7: The AFC Asian Cup 2027 will take place from January 7 to February 5 across three cities – Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar – in Saudi Arabia, the AFC announced on Tuesday.

A total of five stadiums in Riyadh will host the tournament’s matches; the King Fahd Sports City Stadium, the King Saud University Stadium, Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud University Stadium, Kingdom Arena and the Al Shabab Stadium.

Two stadiums have been confirmed for Jeddah – King Abdullah Sports City and Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium – with a new state-of-the-art venue to be built in Al Khobar, completing the world-class infrastructure set to provide the backdrop for Asia’s top 24 national teams.

Saudi Arabia was announced as the host nation for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in 2023. This will be the first time Suadi Arabia will host the tournament.

“Confirming the dates and selecting the stadiums for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ is a strategic milestone in our journey to host the tournament. This announcement goes beyond simply identifying locations and schedules; it reflects the ongoing high-level collaboration between us and the AFC as we work towards delivering an exceptional tournament that fulfills the aspirations of the entire Asian continent,” Saudi Arabian Football Federation chief Yasser Al Misehal.

Eighteen teams have already sealed their places at the AFC Asian Cup 2027. The remaining berths will be decided via the Qualifiers Final Round, which is scheduled to commence from March 2025 and features six groups of four teams – confirmed at last month’s draw – with the winners of each group making up the final cast.

India, aiming for its fifth appearance at the AFC Asian Cup, has been placed in Group C alongside Singapore, Hong Kong, and Bangladesh. The team will look to replicate or surpass its 2019 performance, where it showcased significant progress on the continental stage.

Post Views: 45,073
Continue Reading

International

Bumrah, Head nominated for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year

Published

3 weeks ago

on

December 30, 2024

By

Dubai, Dec 30: India’s premium fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is nominated for the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for Men’s Cricketer of the Year. Alongside Indian ace, who is also nominated for the Test Cricketer of the year, Australia’s Travis Head and the English batting duo of Joe Root and Harry Brook also made the list for the prestigious honour.

Bumrah nabbed 15 wickets from eight outings, including a couple in the final against South Africa, as India went unbeaten at the 2024 T20 World Cup.

India’s spearhead also had a memorable year in the longest format by picking 71 wickets in 13 Tests, the most scalps taken by a bowler this year.

In the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, Bumrah is leading the wicket-takers charts with 30 wickets at an average of 12.83. He also completed 200 Test wickets and became the first bowler to achieve the feat with an average less than 20.

Indian bowling attack’s nemesis Head also made the list after shining across all formats for his country. After playing a vital role in the 2023 ICC World Cup final, Head continued his form as he was the third highest scorer in the 2024 T20 World Cup with 255 runs in seven innings, with his highest score being 76 against India. The left-hander is also the leading run scorer during the ongoing BGT helping Australia get in a good position to solidify their spot in the 2025 WTC final.

Root, England’s premier batter, made 1556 runs from 17 Tests at an average of 55.57, his second-best annual run tally in Tests after amassing 1708 runs in 2021. It was also the fifth instance of Root scoring over 1000 Test runs in a calendar year.

With six Test hundreds to go alongside five fifties, Root’s impressive run saw him become the joint-fifth highest century maker in Tests (36) alongside Rahul Dravid. In addition to his batting exploits, Root impressed by picking a four-wicket haul in the Test series against India.

His teammate Brook scored 1100 runs in 12 Tests at an average of 55, comprising three fifties and four hundred-plus scores, including a maiden triple century coming in Pakistan, and became England’s breakthrough batter in the format.

Post Views: 49,224
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending