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SA v IND, 2nd Test: No one is going to ever tell Rishabh not to be a positive or aggressive player, says Dravid

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3 years ago

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 India head coach Rahul Dravid has said that no one in the team will instruct wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant to not be in his aggressive or positive self.

He acknowledged that a time will arrive when the coaching staff will have talks with Pant over the timing of playing particular shots.

Pant played a reckless shot to get out for a three-ball duck in the second innings. After being beaten outside the off-stump, Kagiso Rabada rattled Pant with a snorter of a delivery, hitting him on the gloves after sneaking past his helmet grille.

On the very next ball, Pant stepped out to slog a short ball from Rabada but gave a feather edge behind to keeper Kyle Verreynne.

“In the sense that, we know Rishabh is a positive player and he plays in a particular manner which has gotten him a little bit of success. But, of course, there are times we are going to have sort of level of conversations with him around. It is just a little bit about maybe the selection of the time to that. No one is going to ever tell Rishabh not to be a positive or aggressive player. But sometimes it is just a question of picking and choosing the time to do that,” said Dravid in the virtual press conference.

Dravid gave an explanation on how the talk with Pant will be ahead of the third Test at Cape Town. “When you have just come in, maybe giving yourself a little bit more time would be more advisable. In the end, we know what we are getting with Rishabh, he is a really positive player, he is someone who can change the course of the game for us, so we naturally won’t take that away from him and ask him to become something very different. It is about figuring out what is the right time to attack or play out a slightly difficult period that sets your innings up. He is learning, he plays in a particular way but he will keep learning, improving and keep getting better.”

Dravid went on to praise South Africa captain Dean Elgar’s unbeaten 96, which helped the hosts chase down 240. “He played well. You got to give him credit. He really stuck it out there, I think in both Test matches. He has stuck out there and fought through some very difficult periods. We have beaten the bat quite a few times, I must admit even in the first innings and here, but we haven’t been lucky in that sense. The odd ball has kicked up and hit the glove and fallen to probably where fielders haven’t been.”

Elgar received many blows on his body but was rock-solid and defiant in staying at the crease to carry his bat through the chase. “But credit to him, in spite of being beaten and not looking very comfortable, he stuck it out there and showed a lot of resilience, determination and fought his way through. We just had to keep coming back and had some clear strategies and plans against him but didn’t get him out with those strategies and plans.”

Dravid also felt luck deserted India on day four. “At times, it just doesn’t work your way. You beat the bat a lot of times and just don’t get that nick which we were looking for. But like I said in the end, he sort of showed a lot of character and determination to keep fighting even though at times he didn’t look very comfortable.”

The 48-year-old rued the fact that there wasn’t much swing on offer once play resumed on day four after rain relented. “We came here knowing that we will have to do something really special to get those eight wickets with 122 on board. Obviously, it was under covers for a while. But also, we knew that the outfield was wet and the ball was going to get wet. Probably, people would rely a lot on swing bowling and swing the ball a lot. So, probably the ball did not swung much because the ball got a little bit wet and the seam got a little bit softer.”

“But credit to the South African batsmen, they came out there and played really well. They took the opportunities whenever the bad balls were bowled and cashed in on them. Maybe a little bit of luck or break we needed today, we didn’t get today. We were excited to go out there and trying to do our best to compete out there but on the day, I think South Africa played better,” concluded Dravid.

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International

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

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3 days ago

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December 19, 2024

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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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International

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

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3 days ago

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December 19, 2024

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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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International

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

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6 days ago

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December 16, 2024

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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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