International
SA v IND, 1st Test: He has to carry on playing that shot but he needs to pick better balls, says Rathour on Kohli’s dismissals
India batting coach Vikram Rathour believes that Test captain Virat Kohli should continue playing the drives but at the same time needs to be better in selection of deliveries for playing the shot. In the ongoing first Test at SuperSport Park, Kohli was dismissed while driving and edging to first slip and wicketkeeper in both innings.
“This is the shot which brings him (Kohli) lots of runs and this is his scoring shot. He needs to play that shot and I think it is always your strength that turns out to be your weakness as well. If you don’t play a certain shot, you will never get out playing that shot, isn’t it? You will never score runs on that shot as well,” said Rathour in the virtual press conference after day four.
“When to play that shot, that’s the part where there are constant discussions. I mean, was it right all and right stage to play that shot? If we can just tighten up our game-plans a little more, that will be better. But that’s the shot he (Kohli) plays well and scores loads of runs. He has to carry on playing that shot but he needs to pick better balls, at times,” added Rathour.
Rathour further said that as a coaching unit, they are happy in playing Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane till the time the duo in lean patch are putting in their best efforts. “As far as Pujara and Rahane are concerned, they are trying their best and giving their best. Rahane looked in really good touch in this game before he got out. So has Pujara. He has played some important innings for us in the past.”
“You see these are challenging conditions for everybody, not only those two. Many people have scored runs here. You need to be patient and as long as they are trying their best and giving their best, as a coaching unit, we are fine, how much time they get or are we getting impatient, not at this stage.”
Rathour had words of praise for Rishabh Pant, who made a quick-fire 34 in India’s second innings total of 174 to boost the lead past 300 and give South Africa a stiff target of 305. “He’s working hard on his fitness, on his batting and he trains really hard. It really depends on what kind of situation he is in. Today was the situation where he was in there and had got a decent start, then had to bat with the tail. He had to be aggressive and that suits his kind of batting. He’s a kind of player who can play differently in different situations. That’s what he is looking to do and it was an important innings for us.”
The 52-year-old Rathour signed off by praising KL Rahul’s discipline while making 123 in the first innings total of 327. “KL Rahul has been a good batter from the start. In between, he lost his form a little and lost his place in the team. But since his comeback, he’s been playing really well. He had brought a lot of discipline in his game, which is a very important aspect of opening in batting. If you play new ball with discipline, it is helping him. If he plays with this discipline and intent, then he will make a lot more runs for India.”
International
Champions Trophy 2025: Pakistan’s Cricket Stadiums Far From Ready, Tournament Could Be Moved To Dubai, Claims Report
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,”
International
AFC Asian Cup 2027 to take place in Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar from Jan 7 to Feb 5
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.
International
Bumrah, Head nominated for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year
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.
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