New Delhi, March 6: Pyla Avinash, the all-rounder from Andhra Pradesh, recalled how he used to get inspired by watching Ricky Ponting’s batting videos on YouTube, especially his trademark pull shot, as he gets ready to play under the Aussies’ coaching for the Punjab Kings in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.

“He is a legend. I used to watch Ricky Ponting’s batting videos where he would play the pull shot to get inspired. He has played some great knocks in his career, and I am looking forward to working with him,” said Avinash in a release issued by the franchise on Thursday.

Hailing from the city of Visakhapatnam, Avinash picked up a cricket bat at the young age of 13 and found inspiration in his brother to take up the sport seriously. “My brother started playing cricket first, and looking at him, I began playing as well. He played in the U-19 and U-23 Andhra Pradesh teams, and he became my inspiration. Seeing him work hard every day motivated me to do the same,” he said.

In a local T20 tournament held in Andhra Pradesh last year, Avinash struck 11 sixes in his side’s mammoth 226-run chase.

“It was a special inning because we were in a tricky spot. Chasing nearly 230, we were three or four wickets down when I came in to bat. Despite wickets falling on the other end, I continued hitting big shots. I struck five sixes in one over, and it made me believe we could complete the chase,” he recalled.

While Avinash was unable to finish off the chase, with his side losing the match by just one run, his unbeaten 105 off 58 balls brought him a lot of limelight, including a call-up to the state team for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. In his Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy debut game against Mumbai, Avinash scored a brisk fifty for Andhra. “I think that inning changed my life and has made me reach where I am today. It made a huge impact,” he added.

Ashish Tuli, GM of Cricketing Operations at Punjab Kings, explained how Avinash caught the eye of their scouting team, leading to him being roped in at last year’s mega auction. “Our attention was drawn to his power-hitting abilities and performance in a domestic T20 tournament. However, it is important to note that those performances were not the sole factor for our interest, as we have been monitoring him for some time.”

“The process of identifying the right talent involves a comprehensive and meticulous approach. Over a dozen specialised scouts work throughout the year, covering all major state leagues and BCCI-affiliated tournaments. It is essential to have a keen eye for identifying the right talent at the right time, a skill that comes with experience and a deep understanding of the game,” he added.

Punjab Kings, captained by Shreyas Iyer, will open their IPL 2025 campaign on March 25 against 2022 winners Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Lahore, March 5: New Zealand set up a meeting with India in the final of the 2025 Champions Trophy in Dubai after beating South Africa by 50 runs in the second semifinal at the Gaddafi Stadium here on Wednesday.

After Rachin Ravindra smashed his fifth ODI hundred and second ton of the tournament and Kane Williamson notched up his third century in a row against South Africa to take New Zealand to 362/6, the highest total in the competition’s history, the Proteas ended up at 312/9, with David Miller’s unbeaten century coming off 67 balls going in vain.

For the Blackcaps, captain Mitchell Santner broke the back of South Africa’s chase with 3-43, while Glenn Phillips and Matt Henry took two wickets each. Michael Bracewell and Rachin Ravindra bagged a scalp each as New Zealand got a clinical win and will now meet India for the second time in this tournament.

Chasing 363, the in-form Ryan Rickleton began by hitting four early boundaries before he was undone by Matt Henry’s cutter, and the leading edge was caught by short-cover in the fifth over. Temba Bavuma was struggling to get going, as seen from him being three off 18 balls, before breaking the shackles by hitting a four each off Henry and Kyle Jamieson.

While van der Dussen took two fours off Henry, Bavuma pulled Jamieson over square leg for six. After the duo took a four each off William O’Rourke, Bavuma brought up South Africa’s hundred by going inside-out against Michael Bracewell for four and got his seventh ODI fifty in 64 balls.

Shortly after, van der Dussen brought up his third consecutive fifty with a single as South Africa’s chase got a stable look, especially with Bavuma’s catch being dropped by Kane Williamson at short mid-wicket. But in the 23rd over, Bavuma looked to slice a flighted delivery from Santner but was caught at backward point for 56. Three overs later, Santner struck again as he got one to turn enough and castled van der Dussen for 67. In his next over, he landed a huge blow to South Africa’s chase by having Heinrich Klaasen pull to Henry at long-on, though he injured himself after landing on the right shoulder.

From there, South Africa’s slide in the chase began – Rachin Ravindra held on to a chip from Aiden Markram’s bat off his own bowling, Wiaan Mulder miscued a slog-sweep to deep square leg off Bracewell and had Marco Jansen trapped lbw by Glenn Phillips, who later had Keshav Maharaj caught behind.

Despite Rabada hitting two boundaries in his 22-ball 16 and David Miller carting bowlers all around the park to complete a century on the last ball of the innings, it wasn’t enough for South Africa to stop New Zealand from progressing into the Champions Trophy final.

Brief scores:

New Zealand 362/6 in 50 overs (Rachin Ravindra 108, Kane Williamson 102; Lungi Ngidi 3-72, Kagiso Rabada 2-70) beat South Africa 312/9 in 50 overs (David Miller 100 not out, Rassie van der Dussen 69, Temba Bavuma 56; Mitchell Santner 3-43, Glenn Phillips 2-27) by 50 runs

Dubai, March 5: Former India cricketer and ex-coach Ravi Shastri presented Shreyas Iyer the ‘Fielder of the Match’ medal for his ripper of the throw like a bullet in India’s Champions Trophy semifinal win against world champions Australia on Tuesday.

After Virat Kohli’s valiant 84, Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul put on a late show to take India to a third straight Champions Trophy Final after a tense run-chase against Australia in Dubai.

When Alex Carey was threatening to run away with the game for Australia, Shreyas’ impressive fielding effort helped India get the much-needed wicket. Carey, who played a 61-run knock, looked set to take Australia past the 275-run mark, but Shreyas’ direct hit from the deep dismissed the left-hander and halted Australia’s momentum.

Following the win, India’s fielding coach T Dilip addressed the players in the dressing room and lauded their efforts in the field and revealed the contenders for the best fielding honours, before inviting former coach Shastri to present a medal to Shreyas.

“Knockout game demands presence, awareness; it demands a fielding unit that doesn’t react but creates things that are happening. This is exactly what we did… The way we cut the angles in the field, the way we made sure that no second run was easy on the outfield. And also making sure that every run they have earned it, that is a proof of top-notch fielding effort, which is a combination of skill and will,” said Dilip in a video posted on BCCI.tv.

“Individual brilliance will take you only to a certain level, but it’s a collective team effort that will take you across the finish line. Today two champions were playing; pressure game, character shown, team effort, flashes of brilliance on the field always make a difference,” Shastri said in his speech.

India finished atop Group A, winning all three of their fixtures against Bangladesh. With a semifinal win, India also exacted revenge on Australia, whom they had lost to in the final of the ODI World Cup in 2023.

They will now take on the winner of the second semifinal between South Africa and New Zealand in Dubai on March 9.

“You are by far the best team in this tournament so far, one more to go,” Shastri added.