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SA v IND: It is a very, very difficult decision to make, says Rahul on who will bat at number five

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3 years ago

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India vice-captain KL Rahul conceded that the decision on who will bat at number five will be a very, very difficult one to make. He added that the team will start to talk about it either from today or tomorrow. Ajinkya Rahane has been batting at number five for long. But an indifferent run of form means Hanuma Vihari and Shreyas Iyer have emerged as contenders for the spot.

“It is a very, very difficult decision to make. I think Ajinkya has been a very important part of our Test team and has played very, very crucial knocks in his career. In the last 15-18 months, if I think back, his knock in Melbourne was really, really crucial and helped us win a Test match. The partnership with Pujara in the second innings at Lord’s, where he got a fifty, was really important and that ended up in us winning the Test match. So, he has been a key player for us in that middle order and is a very, very strong player,” said Rahul in the virtual press conference.

“Shreyas has taken his chances and played a brilliant knock in Kanpur and got a hundred, so he’s very exciting. Hanuma has done the same for us. It’s a tough decision and will start having a chat today or tomorrow and you will get to know in coming days’ time,” added Rahul.

Rahul opined that the nature of the pitch at Centurion oscillates between slow and quick. “Even the last time we played here, the wicket started off a bit slow and then quickened up and got slow again. I think whatever information we can gather for this Centurion pitch, it’s been that kind of pitch. Even in the centre-wicket practice, we have experienced same things and we tried to prepare accordingly.”

Rahul fully backed the five-bowler strategy which has given India success in recent overseas tours. “I think most teams have started playing four bowlers and every team wants to pick up 20 wickets and that’s the only way you can win a Test match. We have definitely used that tactic and it has helped us in every Test match that we have played away from India. So, the workload also becomes slightly easier to manage that way with five bowlers and when you have that kind of quality, you might as well use it.”

The 29-year-old stated that vice-captaincy duties won’t take an effect on his role at the top of the order but will engage him more while fielding. “According to me, there hasn’t been any. You always have the responsibility when you are the opener as you have to give a good start to the team. There will be no difference in terms of batting. But I think in the field, there will be more involvement with regards to doing strategies and practically passing information to Virat (Kohli). If we try and work together, then it will be really helpful and will take some pressure off Virat.”

Rahul played a crucial role in India going up 2-1 in England before the last Test in Manchester was cancelled because of fear of a COVID-19 outbreak in the camp, scoring 315 runs in eight innings at an average of 39.37. He is hopeful of carrying his good run in England to South Africa. “The only thing in my hands is how to prepare in the best way to give myself the best chance to perform and succeed in these conditions. The preparation has been going very well here. Not just me, everyone in the team had a good time in the middle.”

“I will try to give my team a good start like the way I did in England. As I said before, new ball is very important, especially in South Africa. How I get through that new ball and try to score big for my team. Hopefully, I can continue the from England here in South Africa.”

Rahul signed off by saying that the talk in the Indian team has been only about the first Test. “The discussion so far has only been about the first Test match. We are not thinking too far ahead. The first Test match of the series is the most important for us to start well. All our discussion and focus has been on trying to do the best in the first game and get the team off to a good start, be it with the bat or ball.”

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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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‘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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