Articles by "Indian Cricketer"
Showing posts with label Indian Cricketer. Show all posts

Hello Jammu News at 3:30:00 PM 0

The green pitches have ceased to be "alien" for the Indian team, declared captain Virat Kohli, who is hoping that Australia will not take off the grass from the pitch for the second Test, beginning Friday.


Perth, Dec 13 (PTI) The green pitches have ceased to be "alien" for the Indian team, declared captain Virat Kohli, who is hoping that Australia will not take off the grass from the pitch for the second Test, beginning Friday. 

India took a 1-0 lead in the four-match series with a 31-run win in Adelaide, and will bank on the five pace bowlers to go 2-0 up in the four-match series. 

"We certainly get more excited than nervous looking at lively pitches. We understand that we have a bowling attack that can bowl out the opposition now.

I hope no more grass is taken off it. We as a team are pretty happy with that," said a confident Kohli at the pre-match press conference. 

"We just have to challenge ourselves as a batting unit and play positively, backing the bowlers to do what they did at Adelaide as well. I think this pitch is going to offer significantly more than it did at Adelaide. That is something we are very excited about. 

India named their 13-man squad for this Test, with R Ashwin and Rohit Sharma ruled out owing to injury concerns. There is every chance that India will go in with a four-pronged pace-only attack for only the third instance in their Test history, after Johannesburg (2018) and Perth (WACA, 2012).

"I have played all around the world for 10 years now and I have never played on a wicket like the one at Johannesburg to be honest. I have played at Perth as well in 2012 but was not even close to what Johannesburg was. We are not alien to pitches like these and this is nothing new for us. We know what to expect on a pitch like this. On a lively wicket where there is grass on the pitch and the surface being hard, you are as much as in the game as the opposition." 

When asked about how it feels to be the Indian captain to unleash this best-ever Indian pace attack', Kohli said, "I am lucky that when they are at their peak I am the captain. To be honest I haven't gone scouting for them, they have been playing for a while and it is just that these five have come into their own when I was the captain. So I am not going to sit here and take credit for unleashing some one." 

"If you don't get 20 wickets you don't win a Test match, regardless of whether you scored 600 or 700 or 800. It is insignificant. If you get 300 on the board and you have guys who can get 20 wickets then you are fine as a team. The way they have bowled in the last three tours, it is amazing. They are hungry for wickets and are not giving easy runs. I am sure it is very exciting for those who are watching us play." 

Kohli also emphasised that though it is very "exciting phase" to be in, but they need to build on it. 

"We cannot be complacent and be satisfied with just one win. We need to keep repeating the good things to win a series. Playing away is always challenging but even if you want to win games at home, you need to be consistent and that is something that we are working on, he said.

Certain DRS issues have cropped up after the Adelaide Test, with Australia particularly miffed at some of the marginal decisions not going their way. For India, there is also the issue of no balls, but Kohli underlined that the concerned bowlers have already worked on those.

"We had a word with the umpires. You have to take all the pros and cons of it. Sometimes the inconclusive decisions go your way, sometimes they don't. Sometimes there is a spike in the snickometer but no hotspot. There are variables in the technology for sure. But if it weren't for DRS, you probably would be in a different situation in a game. Probably as a batter or as the fielding side, you don't have any second chance of checking a decision that could be game changing. I am okay with it." 

"Nothing is going to be perfect. There is human error too. I don't think anything can be totally error-free. I just think that until a few things are rectified we need to take these in our stride," Kohli said.

Talking about the no balls, he added, As I mentioned about this after the last game, Ishant (Sharma) himself was very keen to rectify it. So I don't think it was something that needed to be spoken about again and again." 
Read more »

Hello Jammu News at 2:21:00 PM 0


Hyderabad, Oct 13 (PTI) Young Prithvi Shaw blazed his way to a half-century after Umesh Yadav's six-wicket haul as India raced to 80 for one at lunch on the second day of the second Test here Friday.

At the break, Shaw was batting on 52 off 42 balls with eight fours and a six, and had Cheteshwar Pujara for company.

West Indies were all out for 311 in their first innings, adding only 16 runs to their overnight total, as Yadav recorded a career-best figures of six for 88, polishing off the tail in only 6.4 overs in the morning.

Roston Chase (106 off 189 balls), however, deservedly completed his fourth Test hundred before the innings wrapped up.

When the Indian innings started, it was all about how comfortable Shaw looked against Shannon Gabriel and Jason Holder, as he completed his half-century in only 39 balls.

He started by using Gabriel's pace to hit a couple of boundaries. The first was guided past gully and the next was slashed hard over third-man for a six. When Holder pitched up, he played a lovely cover drive and an off-drive.

As Shaw scored with ease, his opening partner K L Rahul (4) looked like a player, who has currently lost all his confidence. Against the same bowlers he struggled and his miseries ended when he played on against Holder.

The only blemish on Shaw's part before he reached his half-century was a dropped catch off left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican. Shai Hope, at first slip, dropped it as Shaw tried to play a cut.

Before that he did hit Warrican over deep mid-wicket for a one-bounce four.

In the morning, Umesh surpassed his previous best figures of five for 93 recorded during a 2011 Test match at the Perth, as he removed Devendra Bishoo, Chase and Gabriel in quick succession to reach his individual milestone.

Read more »

Hello Jammu News at 12:53:00 PM 0


London, Sep 12 :  He listed weaknesses aplenty but a combative India captain Virat Kohli insisted that neither is the 1-4 Test series loss to England all that hard to take nor does his side require any "massive" course correction.

India were mostly outplayed by what was being considered a relatively weak England team, which had its own share of batting woes throughout the series.

"We understand why this series has gone the way it has and we don't see a massive-massive portion that we need to correct. If you are competing in every game, and you have an upper hand in every game at some stage or the other, you are doing something right," said a defiant Kohli after the 118-run loss in the fifth and final Test Tuesday.

The defeat in England added to the team's poor statistics on foreign soil, a tour of South Africa earlier this year being another missed opportunity.

"Not hard at all (to take these series' defeats in South Africa and England) because what matters to me is the kind of attitude you play cricket with. We said at the end of the fourth game that we won't throw in the towel and we didn't," he said.

Speaking about the many weaknesses of the team that lay thoroughly exposed, Kohli said the inability to capitalise on positions of strength stood out.

"We created pressure. We were not able to hold that pressure for long enough with the bat and the ball as well...they (England) took advantage of those situations better than us," he said.

The captain was not particularly amused when questioned whether coach Ravi Shastri's pre-match claim that this was the best touring Indian team in the last 15 years, was something he believed in.

"We have to believe that, why not? What do you think?"

In response to an "I am not sure" from the questioning scribe, Kohli retorted, "That's your opinion. Thank you very much."

But he did acknowledge his side's failure to get more out of the conditions, which England exploited to the hilt.

"We are not starting behind all the time you know and we have fought back in this series...we do not look at this series as something that makes us think we can't play in overseas conditions...but can we capitalise on the important moments better than the opposition? At the moment, no, we haven't done that," he conceded.

"Our aim is to win series, not to win the odd Test match and be happy about it. We are definitely not happy about the way the series has gone, but we played with the right attitude and with the will to win every game that we played," said Kohli.

"We were a bowler short in the second innings as well, but even then the batsmen came out and played liked that. Lot of teams in the past basically have given up but we did not.

"If you keep winning all the time a lot of faults are swept under the carpet. You don't realise the faults you need to work on and I certainly haven't played my cricket like that," he added.

India started Tuesday adrift of the 464-run target but KL Rahul scored his fifth Test hundred and Rishabh Pant scored his maiden Test century as they gave hope for a draw to the dressing room.

Witnessing their 204-run stand for the sixth wicket, the skipper said that there was an odd thought of victory too.

"We did have that thought at tea to be honest, purely because of the way these guys batted and got us to a situation during tea time where all results looked possible. So, I think that it's down to the brilliance of these two that made us think that way," he said.

"Rahul hadn't had a great run but still went on and played like that. Rishabh was doubtful of a few innings and he came and played like that as well. That partnership was a great show of character."

The skipper said there have been key learnings in this series for him and his team going ahead.

"We've had conversations around specific situations we were in and why they went away from us. A lot of time it's been on missed opportunities in the field. We have definitely spoken to individuals and tried to understand what they were thinking in certain situations," he said without getting into the specifics.

Praising the Indian bowling attack, Kohli said, "I would like to offer specials congratulations to them for the way they have bowled.

"Because of them only we were in competitive situations because they were dismissing the opposition twice in the matches. That's a big boost for us."

As for the batsmen, Kohli said issues have been discussed.

"The next series we play, we'll try to play optimistically from the beginning so that we don't play catch-up from the start. In difficult conditions if you are on the back foot from the start then to recover it's very difficult," he said.

Kohli finished as the highest run-getter in the series, but was unable to help India record a win in England.

Talking about his duel with veteran England pacer James Anderson, Kohli said it was fun.

"We haven't had any arguments at all. Through the series it's been nice and competitive. We have had a word here and there, but it's been sarcastic and nothing too serious. Guys like him test you all the time," he said.PTI
Read more »

Hello Jammu News at 11:58:00 AM 0


London, Sept 11 : Indian speedster Mohammed Shami says he watched videos of rival pacers Stuart Broad and James Anderson to understand how to exploit English conditions and has learnt to make an impact while bowling in away series.

After overcoming inconsistency in South Africa and personal problems later on, Shami has bowled nicely in the ongoing series against England, taking 16 wickets in five Tests.

"If you compare my performances on this tour with those in 2014, I have improved a lot. Overall, all of us have done well. I've learnt a lot, especially how to bowl away from home, how focused you need to be, Shami said.

"I've got to learn a lot. In 2014 when I came here, I wasn't that experienced. I wasn't mature either. This time, I watched videotapes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad's bowling. I saw what areas they bowled in, in these conditions. I've got to learn a lot," he added.

The pacer bowled his heart out in the first as well as the second innings, but had no reward to show for it.

He went wicket-less (0/72) in the first innings despite beating Moeen Ali innumerable times and took 2-110 in the second innings as England set an improbable 464-run target.

"Some things depend on luck too. When you bowl, your target is to bowl a good line and length. Whether you get a wicket or not depends on luck. Of course it is frustrating that I beat the bat many times and still didn't get a wicket. But it's okay. Whatever God gives me, I have to accept," Shami said.

Asked to put his overall performances in context, he said, "The saddest time is when as a bowler you work hard and don't succeed. The saddest time will be the first innings yesterday. I've never beaten the bat so many times in my life.

When it comes to fun, all of our players like to joke around with each other. We have fun all the time. When you're on the field, you have to be serious. But off the field, to pass the time or ease the pressure, you need fun and music. We have both in our camp.

The visitors were a bowler short throughout the fourth day as Ishant Sharma bowled only one over in the morning and walked off the field with ankle pain.

India were already playing only four frontline bowlers, and with him missing, there was added burden on Shami and company, with Hanuma Vihari chipping in with 3-37.

"It's hard when you're a bowler short, and especially in these conditions when as a fast bowler you have to bowl. The load is greater. But it's not a big deal. It happens. Sometimes bowlers feel discomfort or in order to prevent injury you go off. It's fine. The understanding between us bowlers is good," he said.PTI
Read more »
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)