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IPL 2022: Hadn’t anticipated that wicket would play so well, says Shreyas Iyer

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When broadcaster Simon Doull had asked Shreyas Iyer after the match about assessing the bowling performance of his team, he uttered the word ‘clueless’ about his team’s inability to stop Prithvi Shaw from putting an opening partnership of 93 runs with David Warner in 8.3 overs.

“I had said clueless as they got a really good start after the first over. We hadn’t anticipated that the wicket would play so well. The surface was very hard but if you see, Prithvi Shaw is a batter who can change the power-play. When he plays good shots on good balls, then I don’t know as a captain on what kind of a field could be set. That’s why I said it that way,” explained Iyer in a post-match virtual press conference.

Shaw had teared into Kolkata’s bowling attack by punching Umesh Yadav through extra cover for four from the first ball of the innings. The right-hander took a liking for Yadav, hitting him for three more boundaries despite being hit on helmet. Shaw then hammered a pull over deep mid-wicket off Pat Cummins to bring up Delhi’s fifty in just four overs.

Iyer introduced spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine in power-play. But they weren’t able to stop Warner and Shaw as boundaries continued to flow.

“It was definitely based on the start they got. Prithvi is someone who doesn’t go really big at the spinners as I have played with him before. Since he got a really good start, I wanted to restrict the momentum that he had created at the start. I felt that Varun and Sunil both are really experienced bowlers. So, I really thought we could restrict him at that point of time and give us a really good hold.”

Out of options, Iyer brought in Andre Russell and Venkatesh Iyer. But Shaw slammed Venkatesh for a four and six on both sides of the wicket to reach his fifty in 27 balls. Though Chakravarthy ended Shaw’s stay at 51 when he castled him through the gate with a googly, Delhi’s task to set the base for the 44-run win was already done.

Kolkata did pull back things by taking four wickets as Delhi were 176/5 in 18 overs, Shardul Thakur and Axar Patel dished out a finishing onslaught to take 39 runs off the last two overs to carry Delhi to 215/5. With Umesh leaking 23 runs and Cummins going for 16 in the 19th and 20th overs respectively, it reiterated that Kolkata’s death bowling has been their Achilles Heel in IPL 2022.

“It’s not a concern (death bowling); it’s definitely something we need to work as a team. Even when we practise, we need to see to it that we execute the yorkers rightly and bowl according to the plans that we have before the match,” stated Iyer.

“We’ve got an amazing bunch of bowling team; we’ve got amazing coaches as well. So it’s just that we back our strengths and see to it that we don’t think negatively at that point of time. Yes, we have been really okay in the previous games as well, at the death. But it’s something we can work on and come back really strong.”

In a massive chase of 216, Kolkata needed Delhi-like starts and contributions from all batters. But that didn’t happen as Ajinkya Rahane and Venkatesh Iyer fell in power-play. Iyer himself made 54 off 33 balls and had support from Nitish Rana’s 20-ball 30. But once the duo got out in successive overs, it was all over for Kolkata.

On his part, Iyer refused to indulge in blame-game but admitted that batters not converting starts into huge scores is an area of progress. “I am absolutely not worried about the starts we are getting. But when you are chasing 215, you need to get off to a really good start. You can’t think twice about what the bowlers are going to bowl. Because you have to have that attacking mindset right from ball one, and one mistake can get you out as a batsman. So I wouldn’t blame anyone in this particular chase.”

“But yes, we have this history in the last few games that we didn’t get a really good start. That is also something we need to work on. This is just the early stage of the tournament, so once when we start practising more and executing stuff really well on the field, I think things will be really taken care of pretty well.”

International

PM Narendra Modi Lays Foundation Stone For Rs.451 Crore International Cricket Stadium In Varanasi 

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India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the new International Cricket Stadium in Varanasi on September 23rd (Saturday). The likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Ravi Shastri, Dilip Vengsarkar, and Sunil Gavaskar were also present for the ceremony. The Prime Minister also went on to present an Indian team jersey to Tendulkar.

The state government, led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, has remitted a whopping ₹121 crore for the purpose of land acquisition, while the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shall put in ₹330 crore from their side for the iconic stadium’s construction. Some of the notable features that the stadium would have are trishul-shaped floodlights, drum-shaped media center, and crescent moon-shaped roof.

Meanwhile, the stone-laying ceremony witnessed some of the most top figures from the BCCI, including President Roger Binny, Vice-President Rajiv Shukla, and Secretary Jay Shah. This will also be the third international stadium in Uttar Pradesh, with Kanpur and Lucknow already having one.

“The sportspersons here will benefit from the construction of an international stadium” – Narendra Modi

Speaking at the ceremony, Modi stated that sports are no longer prohibited by the elders, unlike before, as it acts as an incentive in several ways. He said, as quoted by The Indian Express:

“This stadium in the city of ‘Mahadev’ will be dedicated to ‘Mahadev’ himself. The sportspersons here will benefit from the construction of an international stadium in Kashi. There was a time when parents used to scold their children for playing sports, but that is no longer true. When sports infrastructure is built in an area, it acts as an incentive not just for young sporting talent but also spurs the local economy.”

The stadium has a seating capacity of approximately 30000 and the construction of the same is likely to finish by December 2025.

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Legends Including Sachin Tendulkar And Ravi Shastri Leave For Varanasi For Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony For New International Stadium In UP

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Legendary Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Ravi Shastri, Sunil Gavaskar, and Dilip Vengsarkar on Saturday headed for Varanasi for the foundation stone laying ceremony of the international cricket stadium in Uttar Pradesh.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of the International Cricket Stadium in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi on Saturday afternoon.

The Uttar Pradesh government led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has spent Rs 121 crores on land acquisition for the construction of the International Cricket Stadium in Varanasi. Moreover, the BCCI will spend Rs 330 crores on the stadium’s construction.

The former India head coach Shashti on Saturday took to social media ‘X’, formerly known as Twitter, and wrote in a post, “Varanasi bound. Great to be amongst Greats and colleagues for Mumbai and India. Just a few international runs and wickets there. Pic of a lifetime. Gr8 memories.”

The thematic architecture of this stadium draws inspiration from Lord Shiva, with designs developed for crescent-shaped roof covers, trident-shaped floodlights, ghat steps-based seating, and Bilvipatra-shaped metallic sheets on the facade. The stadium will have a capacity of 30,000 spectators.
Veteran players like Tendulkar, Gavaskar, Shastri, Vengsarkar will be present at the foundation stone laying ceremony.

Uttar Pradesh to have its 3rd international stadium:

The event will also have the presence of key figures from the BCCI, including President Roger Binny, Vice President Rajiv Shukla, and Secretary Jay Shah, the release stated. Furthermore, many veteran players are expected to attend the foundation stone laying ceremony. After Kanpur and Lucknow, this will be Uttar Pradesh’s third international cricket stadium. 

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IND vs AUS: ‘Always Well Looked After And Well Protected’ As David Warner Feeling ‘Great’ To Be Back In India

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The Australian cricket team has landed in India ahead of what will be their final dress rehearsal for the 2023 World Cup. Veteran Australian opener David Warner took to his official Instagram handle and expressed their gratefulness at landing in India. He also thanked GMR Aerocity for making their transit easy.

Warner will be one of the few players most in focus ahead of the ODI series, especially due to his inconsistency in the preceding rubber against South Africa. The left-hander made only two fifty-plus scores in five innings and threw away starts consistently.

The five-time World Champions will be keen to get back in the groove after missing an opportunity to win the series in South Africa despite a 2-0 lead. The middle-order batters, including Alex Carey and Marcus Stoinis will be under pressure for consistently failing against the Proteas. With Steve Smith back in the side and Australia set to field a full-strength attack, they should be in a good stead.

The 36-year-old took to his Instagram handle and wrote:

“Always great to be welcomed back to india. We are always well looked after and well protected. Thanks so much. @gmraerocity always makes our transits so easy.”

Australia won the three-game ODI series in India earlier this year:

Pat Cummins and co. should draw confidence from their success against the Men in Blue in their backyard earlier this year under the captaincy of Steve Smith. Nevertheless, India are an in-form team, having won the Asia Cup 2023.

However, the men’s team’s chief selector Chief selector Ajit Agarkar has announced resting Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the first two ODIs. KL Rahul will captain India in Mohali and Indore,

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