Mentor Dhoni vs protege Hardik, a contest within contest to kick off IPL 2023

Over the years, Dhoni has passed on his wisdom to Hardik. Can he use the same to trump the old master on Friday?

Shashank Kishore30-Mar-2023The nets arena at Motera’s practice ground is quite a walk from the main practice square of the Narendra Modi Stadium. On Thursday evening, shortly before 5pm, security personnel had been stationed around the perimeter of the nets area as venue managers readied a yellow carpet at the entrance of the Chennai Super Kings dressing room.Within minutes of the Super Kings team bus arriving, there was chaos as the news spread. In the middle of the main stadium, lensmen who were trying to capture the lighting of the grand stage set up for a glitzy opening ceremony, with sunlight filtering through one of the gaps in the stands, could have given track-and-field aspirants a run for their money at that very moment.The reason behind their dash? They all wanted to get a perfect shot of MS Dhoni getting out of the team bus and walking into the nets area. What followed next was the whirr of a few hundred shutter clicks to capture Dhoni’s entry. Except Dhoni wasn’t on the team bus. He had arrived an hour earlier for the captains’ meeting and photoshoot, and was already done with some light warm-ups indoors.Related

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After the crowd had dispersed, he casually sauntered into the nets area and put his arm around Gary Kirsten, the Gujarat Giants’ mentor. Ashish Nehra soon joined them for some laughs. A few handshakes and high-fives later, Dhoni quietly went towards the main ground, where Hardik Pandya was seated beside Shivam Mavi, Rahul Tewatia, Abhinav Manohar, Shubman Gill and Alzarri Joseph, and was having a long chat.Then as they dispersed to their respective nets on either side of the centre wicket, Hardik and Dhoni briefly crossed paths again.On one side was the fierce intensity of a captain who had led his side to the title in their very first season. On the other was the calmness of the grand old veteran, who will turn 42 in three months. His side had finished ninth last season but he was resonating vibes of someone who has seen it all but is fully comfortable in the space he is in, ahead of possibly one last dance.As Dhoni stood in the middle, crouching low and doing some lower-body drills, Hardik ran in and bowled, took outfield catches, and offered words of advice to his younger team-mates. Later, he played the role of an umpire to have a ringside view of his bowlers.Youngsters have often turned to Dhoni for advice and he too has always been there for them•PTI Then as the rain started to come down, Dhoni yelped from afar towards Hardik as they started to walk off. Watching all this from the outside, you couldn’t help but think of how Hardik has gradually stepped into Dhoni’s footsteps.When a raw Hardik made his debut in 2016, Dhoni was at the front and centre of Indian cricket. He had stood with Hardik at the top of his bowling mark to give instructions and advice ahead of that final over against Bangladesh during the 2016 T20 World Cup game in Bangalore. Just like Hardik does for his young Indian bowlers now.Dhoni was always there for his younger players, who would invariably turn to him for guidance. Ask Kuldeep Yadav or Ravindra Jadeja. Or an unheralded Mohit Sharma, who burst through to have the IPL of his life in 2013. Or Mukesh Choudhary last year.Somewhere along the way, with Hardik, this mentor-mentee relationship evolved into one between an elder and younger brothers. To the extent that Hardik would often be seeking life lessons from Dhoni. It’s said when Hardik found himself in a soup over comments made on a TV chat show, it was Dhoni who told Hardik to not become a recluse and switch off from all forms of social media.The Hardik we see today is a calmer version of the person that burst onto the scene. And it isn’t just the off-field attributes of Dhoni that he seems to be embodied. On the field, Hardik has been instinctive. But at the same time, he has also been calculative and has thrown himself into tough situations to shield younger players and give them a little bit of cushion.Like when he opened the bowling against New Zealand to allow a slightly off-rhythm Arshdeep Singh to settle in. Or promoting himself to No. 4 and doing the bulk of the heavy lifting, even if it meant having to go against his natural game of hitting sixes.0:46

Pandya: I took all the tips from Dhoni when we played together

Last year, for example, Hardik’s strike rate of 152.54 in the last four overs was the third-lowest for him in any IPL season. But that was because he was playing the role of an anchor, allowing the likes of Tewatia and David Miller to do the finishing.”I don’t mind playing the role that, somewhere down the line, Mahi used to play,” Hardik had said in February, during the white-ball series against New Zealand. “When he was around, I was young and hitting all around the park. But since he is gone, all of a sudden, that responsibility is on me. I don’t mind that. We are getting the results. It’s okay if I have to play a little slow.”I’ve always enjoyed hitting sixes. But that’s life; I’ve to evolve. I’ve believed in partnerships and want to give my batting partner and team some assurance and calmness that I’m there. I’ve played more games than any of these guys; I’ve learned how to accept and swallow pressure and make sure everything is calm.”It’s this calmness from their captain that Titans are feeding off. “Hardik isn’t closed-off, available to all the players at all times during the season,” Vikram Solanki, Titans’ team director, said. “He was a very mature captain last year, he took to captaincy very naturally. It was apparent he is a deep thinker of the game. You think of him as a character and personality, it plays through in the way he plays. He led with a lot of positivity and energy, and had a lot of time for people.”When Hardik steps onto the field to lead Titans in the opening game, he will know Dhoni will have a trick or two up his sleeve. The Hardik of a few years ago may have been consumed by that very thought. This version of Hardik is likely to soak it in with a smile and simply make plans on the fly to give Dhoni the slip, just like Dhoni did to the big crowd and lensmen who had made a beeline for him earlier in the evening.

The ride hasn't been easy, but it's time now for Scotland's greatest moment under the sun

Having waited so long for that first World Cup win, Scotland have now strung together four in a row. They believe this is just the beginning…

Alan Gardner24-Oct-2021Scotland and World Cups has not exactly been a recipe for success over the years. It took them 21 attempts between 1999 and 2016, across six different tournaments in the 50-over and T20 formats, to win a game at limited-overs cricket’s highest level – and that a first-round match against Hong Kong with qualification already beyond both sides.Such heartache was very much in keeping with the national character. Scotland’s football team has a longer, slightly more respectable history at World Cups, but nevertheless last qualified for one in 1998, when the anthem that accompanied them to France was Del Amitri’s “Don’t Come Home Too Soon” (a plea that sadly went unheeded).In Oman over the last week, however, the cricketers refused to contemplate going home early. In the process they have written a fresh page in Scotland’s sporting history. Their three wins in Group B included knocking over a Full Member in Bangladesh – gaining some measure of revenge for a narrow defeat at Edinburgh’s Grange ground in the 1999 World Cup – and saw Scotland emphatically through to the Super 12s.Related

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Before the start of the second stage, England captain Eoin Morgan called them “the team of the tournament so far”. Having waited so long for that first World Cup win, they have now strung together four in a row.Reaching the second round of a global ICC tournament for the first time must rank as Scotland’s greatest achievement since being granted Associate membership in 1994. For Preston Mommsen, who captained Scotland at the 2015 World Cup and the World T20 a year later, “this is the proudest moment” in cricket.”For me it’s comfortably now the pinnacle of Scottish cricket in terms of what we’ve achieved in the past,” he told ESPNcricinfo from the UAE, where he is commentating at the T20 World Cup. “The highest [point] we’ve reached, to make it through to a second round of a World Cup event in these sort of foreign conditions is testament to how far Scotland has come as a cricketing nation.”Scotland made a noise by beating Bangladesh in their first match – quite literally, as a full-throated team rendition of “Flower of Scotland” interrupted the official post-match press conference and left Mahmudullah purse-lipped, looking like he’d just been offered a plate of haggis. Victory over Oman sealed Scotland’s progression as group winners and left Kyle Coetzer, Scotland’s current captain and playing in his fourth ICC tournament, seeming somewhat overwhelmed.”For Cricket Scotland and back home it’s huge,” Coetzer said, “the opportunity to play on the biggest stage, the opportunity to test ourselves against the best, and grow the game back home. People are watching, the following has been immense.”

Cricket Scotland’s chief executive, Gus Mackay, was one of those watching on expectantly from the UK – having spent the day in meetings in London, he caught the final moments in a pub on Chancery Lane. Given how tight the margins are in Associate cricket, Mackay said he has had “everything crossed” for success in Oman and the UAE.Progression to the second round of a World Cup brings with it numerous benefits, from raising public awareness of the sport in Scotland to the more tangible prize of a guaranteed spot at the 2022 tournament in Australia – giving the board some certainty and meaning Scotland can start to plan ahead, as well as try to tap new revenue streams. As Mackay puts it: “My job now is to capitalise on this moment, and work on our enhanced reputation and the commercial opportunities that lie ahead.”Rewind 12 months and the picture was significantly bleaker. The Covid-19 pandemic hit Scotland harder than most cricket nations, with their programme of international fixtures completely torn up: between December 2019 and May 2021, the men’s team did not play a single senior game. Planned fixtures against New Zealand, Australia and Sri Lanka, as well as two rounds of the World Cup League 2, were mothballed.Cricket Scotland has an annual turnover is around £2.3m – a fraction of a Full Member board such as the ECB – and receives most of its funding through the ICC, as well as some support from Sport Scotland. Covid cost them around £500,000 in lost revenue in 2020, as well as forcing several players on to alternative – and thankfully temporary – career paths. But it also sharpened Scotland’s focus on the importance of the rescheduled 2021 T20 World Cup.”These things don’t happen overnight,” Mackay said. “This is 18 months of planning, putting structures in place – and, to be honest, Covid’s probably forced us into some of that. And I think there was also this real champing at the bit by the players who hadn’t played international cricket to just get going again. So in a strange way, Covid’s probably helped.”In September, Scotland played their first home fixtures in more than two years, beaten 2-1 in a T20I series with Zimbabwe. But by then, the blueprint for the T20 World Cup was already in place. Success in the first round was based on rigorous physical preparation and familiarity with the conditions, having arrived in Muscat several weeks beforehand for World Cup League 2 fixtures against Oman and Papua New Guinea.Greaves was instrumental in Scotland bossing Bangladesh last week•ICC via GettyMommsen suggested that losing to Zimbabwe before departing from Edinburgh provided a timely “wake-up call” and said he had been impressed with Scotland’s fitness and fielding during wins against Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea and Oman.”It’s been hot here but they’ve coped very well with the tough conditions. I think the outfield fielding has been so far the best on display. Some of the catches they’ve taken, under lights in very difficult fielding conditions, comes from a good base of fitness, confidence in the body and being able to perform under pressure, and under fatigue. Credit to the backroom staff, the guys are in great shape and have handled that very well.”It’s just very pleasing to see the results now coming to fruition because that would have been 18-24 months of solid behind-the-scenes graft. People aren’t seeing the work they do, day in and day out, training through the winter, in a cold Edinburgh.”Cricket Scotland had strengthened backroom support in advance by recruiting Jonathan Trott, the former England batter, as a consultant, as well as appointing a wellbeing manager. Louise Finlayson has worked with Scotland for several years, but was given a specific brief to help look after players in the “managed environments” brought on by Covid – which includes using an app to monitor their levels of happiness and stress.Scotland also sent an expanded party out to Oman, allowing for added competition and cover in case of injuries – something the board was only able to afford to do because the eight members of the coaching and support staff agreed to fly economy class, with the players in business. “That shows how the management team put the team first and it brings a really cohesive unit together when you’ve got people making sacrifices,” Mackay said.While playing ODIs as a precursor to a T20 tournament might not sound ideal, the extended trip helped Scotland to get acclimatised and build a strong sense of purpose, with Coetzer putting their success down to “a real togetherness within our squad”.Past failures have played their part, too. The core of Scotland’s side – players such as Coetzer, Calum MacLeod, Richie Berrington, Matt Cross, Michael Leask, Josh Davey and Safyaan Sharif – has been in place for some time, and can call on the memory of narrow defeats to Afghanistan and Zimbabwe in Nagpur at the 2016 World T20.”That really hurt for a lot of us,” Mommsen said. “Both of those games we played good cricket, had moments to seize control, but for one reason or another we weren’t able to do that. It was quite clear that the experience wasn’t quite there in terms of being under the pump on a world stage, when you’re playing for a place in the next round. But the guys that were there in 2016, they’ve really stood up. They’ve made the most of those experiences and possibly the regrets of 2016.”

“Probably a week ago there’s a lot of people, particularly in Scotland, who didn’t know Scotland were in a World Cup. They certainly do now, because of what we’ve achieved.”Cricket Scotland CEO Mackay

The star of the victory over Bangladesh, however, was a 31-year-old allrounder forged in the Scottish club scene and playing only his second T20I. Chris Greaves was born in South Africa but turned out for the likes of Glenrothes, Forfarshire and Caledonian Highlanders over the course of almost a decade in Scotland and spent the 2021 summer travelling down to Whitburn, near Sunderland, to play in the North East Premier League.Greaves previously earned a living as a caddy at St Andrew’s before turning to delivering parcels for Amazon during the pandemic but had been on the radar for some time, playing for Scotland A and working with Toby Bailey, the national performance coach, before making his full international debut earlier this month.”I have a huge amount of admiration for him for hanging on for so long and working towards a goal that was clearly there for him from the beginning,” said Mommsen, who made a similar journey from South Africa to Scotland as a young man. “He wanted to play international cricket, he wanted to represent Scotland at the highest stage and what a way he’s done that. He’s ploughed away in Scottish cricket leagues for a number of years now and he’s finally reaping the rewards.”Scotland will be hoping for further rewards, too. Overcoming their World Cup hoodoo can only help strengthen aspirations towards Full Membership, something which Cricket Scotland would like to achieve “as soon as possible” but is likelier to fall within the next ICC rights cycle, from 2023-2030. A more competitive team should help secure fixtures, with Mackay hoping to agree visits by two of the four Test-playing nations – New Zealand, India, South Africa and Pakistan – due to tour the British Isles next year.They also have five more opportunities to make an impression in the UAE, with spinner Mark Watt jokingly warning that Virat Kohli “should be worried” about the prospect of taking on Scotland. Before India, they face old foes Afghanistan and fellow Associates Namibia. “Who knows, if they can go two from two, with three incredibly difficult games to go after that. But you sneak another win and then a bit of net run rate and, who knows,” Mommsen said. “So, yeah, the guys will be dreaming.”And while Covid regulations mean there is unlikely to be a Tartan Army descending on Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, signs of awakening interest are there – Gray-Nicolls, who manufacture Scotland’s kit, tweeted on Friday that they had sold out of their first run of replica shirts.”More importantly it’s what this does for the game in Scotland,” Mackay added. “Probably a week ago there’s a lot of people, particularly in Scotland, who didn’t know Scotland were in a World Cup. They certainly do now, because of what we’ve achieved.”

Deshpande's rise from being CSK's net bowler to bowling tough overs in the middle

He has been expensive, but at the same time brings with him the ability to take wickets

Deivarayan Muthu11-Apr-2023In the absence of Dwayne Bravo, who is now Chennai Super Kings’ bowling coach, he has fronted up to bowl at the death. Then, when Super Kings lost Deepak Chahar to injury one over into the match against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede, he fronted up to bowl two overs in the powerplay and bowled Rohit Sharma with a beauty. With Ben Stokes and Mukesh Choudhary also injured, Tushar Deshpande has become Super Kings’ go-to seamer.Deshpande was a net bowler with Super Kings in IPL 2021 after having gone unsold at that auction. Two seasons on, Dhoni trusts him to bowl the tough overs.There’s a bit of Shardul Thakur about Deshpande. He can be expensive, but at the same time, he brings with him unpredictable variety and the ability to take wickets. Tim David walloped him for 6, 4, 6 but didn’t expect a grippy slower offcutter next ball, and ended up dragging a pull to deep midwicket. Deshpande can also crank it up to 140kph and surprise batters with extra pace.Related

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“We believe in him,” MS Dhoni said after the game against Mumbai. “Also what happens is when you’re new, you have a different sort of pressure, but if you’ve already played IPL for a few games, then it becomes like a comeback. I feel, as a cricketer, it’s one of the worst feelings to have. But he had a very good domestic season and that helped.”We have been constantly talking to him about what needs to be done. He is very good at execution, but in the last couple of games, he had bowled no-balls and that’s not a very good feeling to have. When you’re at your bowling mark, that’s something you don’t want to have in your mind. I feel he’s improving; the delivery that Rohit got out to was a fantastic delivery. So, he has that potential, he can be much more consistent and we’re just hoping that he takes that added responsibility.”Deshpande had a rough start to the IPL 2023. As the first-ever Impact Player in the IPL, he leaked 51 runs in 3.2 overs against defending champions Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad. Then, against Lucknow Super Giants at Chepauk, where he said the “crowd was so loud that I couldn’t hear anything”, he bowled an 11-ball over in the powerplay, which cost 18 runs.

“I’ve been working on yorkers. I feel it does not come naturally. Even if it comes naturally, you need to have the guts to execute that when you are under pressure”Tushar Deshpande

Deshpande has had issues with overstepping in the past too, but he put that horror over behind him and executed the best-laid plans of Bravo when he returned to bowl at the death. When he came back, Super Giants were 150 for 5 in 15 overs, chasing 218, with Nicholas Pooran on 31 off 15 balls, having just reverse-swept Ravindra Jadeja into the top-tier over point.At the time out, the message from Bravo was to bowl wide yorkers and hide them away from the reach of Pooran. Dhoni gave him three fielders on the off-side boundary – deep point, deep cover and long-off – including two of his best in Mitchell Santner and Ben Stokes. Deshpande stuck to the plan and gave up just one run off the first two balls to Pooran. He then darted another wide yorker – possibly wider than another set of stumps – and had Pooran slicing it to Stokes at long-off. Just six runs off the over to go with the wicket of Pooran. Game over for Super Giants.Deshpande admits that the yorker doesn’t come to him naturally, but he has been learning on the job from one of the best in the business. On Monday evening at the Chepauk nets, Bravo had both Deshpande and Dwaine Pretorius bowling both wide yorkers and straight yorkers under his supervision.”I think bowling at the death is something that comes with great responsibility,” Deshpande told select newspapers in Chennai. “I’ve been working on yorkers. I feel it does not come naturally. Even if it comes naturally, you need to have the guts to execute that when you are under pressure. So I feel staying in the moment helps.”MS Dhoni talks to Tushar Deshpande during the match against Lucknow Super Giants•BCCIThe yorker is arguably the hardest delivery to nail. Overpitch it, it’s a full toss. Under-pitch it, it’s a half-volley. Even if you nail it, you can disappear for runs. Deshpande has embraced that challenge.”If you’re bowling in the death, you have to accept that someday you are going to get hit,” he said. “So you need to stay in the present even if you get hit for a six off the first ball. I have the next five balls to come back in the game or take the batter out. So staying in the present and in the moment is very important, and I personally feel that the next five balls are an opportunity for a bowler to get his mark back in the game. So that is what helps while bowling at the death.”Those who have followed Deshpande in Mumbai’s cricket circles speak highly of his commitment and fortitude. Just days after he had lost his mother to cancer, Deshpande rejoined Mumbai’s squad for the 2019 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy game against Delhi in Indore and bowled them to victory with figures of 4 for 19. Ajinkya Rahane, his captain at Mumbai and current team-mate at Super Kings, is also impressed with his progress.”Tushar has been bowling really well and he had a great [domestic] season for Mumbai,” Rahane said after the match against Mumbai. “Even in the match before this [game against Mumbai Indians], his comeback was really great. The first over was not up to the mark in the last game but the way he came back and the way he bowled in the death overs was really good. I’m really happy for him. [These are] still early days for him and he will learn a lot by playing matches and when you’re playing under Mahi <bhai, you’re sure that you will learn every time you’re out in the middle.”At the IPL 2022 auction, Super Kings raised their bid up to INR 7 crore to buy back Thakur, but he ultimately got away from them. They have now found another Mumbai player who can perform the role that Thakur used to do for them with the ball. Deshpande is no Thakur with the bat, but the introduction of the Impact Player rule means he need not be.

Headbutt episode in the past for Warner and Bairstow

Sixteen months ago, they were involved in a sledging tirade during an Ashes battle. Now, they’re opening the batting together and smashing records

Hemant Brar in Hyderabad31-Mar-2019Just over 16 months ago, David Warner and Jonny Bairstow were in the cauldron of an Ashes battle. During the first Test at the Gabba, the stump mic picked up Warner telling Bairstow “you shouldn’t headbutt our mates” in response to Bairstow’s head contact with Cameron Bancroft at a pub in Perth. This verbal volley riled Bairstow up and he was dismissed soon after while attempting an uppercut. In the third Test at Perth, Bairstow celebrated reaching his century by headbutting his helmet.Now in 2019, in another Ashes year, Bairstow walks out to open with Warner. What do they do? They break IPL records, by putting together three successive century stands.Against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens, they added 118 in 12.5 overs with Warner making a bruising 53-ball 85. Bairstow played second fiddle with a 35-ball 39. In the next game, the duo went on to add 110 in just 9.4 overs against Rajasthan Royals at Hyderabad to orchestrate a 199-run chase – the highest successful chase for Sunrisers in the IPL.Once again Warner led the way with a 37-ball 69, but this time Bairstow too struck at a strike rate of 160, scoring 45 off 28. At one point during their stand, Warner had faced 18 balls with Bairstow being on strike for just three balls, and then when the ball count for Warner was 27, Bairstow’s was still seven. In both games, Warner took first strike.”Me and Jonny have partnered quite well since Kolkata,” Warner would say after the game. “There have been a few hiccups with him trying to get off the mark, I have been hogging the strike a little bit.”Their stand paved the way for Sunrisers’ victory after they had started with a loss against Knight Riders. Until then it was Warner who hogged the limelight by scoring runs like he was never away from cricket. One wondered if he had hired Shane Warne’s scriptwriter.Until then Bairstow was to Warner what Robin is to Batman. However, it wasn’t to be the case for long. On Sunday, Virat Kohli tossed the ball to Moeen Ali after winning the toss. It’s not like Warner has any weakness against offspin. On the contrary, no fingerspinner (except Sunil Narine, who isn’t a traditional offspinner) has dismissed him in the Powerplay in the IPL since 2011.Still, perhaps to be on the safer side, Bairstow took first strike, and swiped the second ball of the over for four. Moeen ended up conceding 14. In the next over, Warner lofted Umesh Yadav’s first ball over long-on for a six. The pair took off once again as Sunrisers walloped to 59 in the Powerplay. After eight overs, both batsmen were neck to neck, Warner on 35 off 23 and Bairstow 36 off 25.In his next eight balls, Bairstow struck three sixes and two fours and raced to 67 off 34 at the halfway stage. It’s not often that Warner is the mellower of the two batsmen in a century stand. Though he was striking at a healthy 146, it paled in comparison to Bairstow’s 197. The two added 185, the highest opening stand in the IPL. En route Bairstow brought up his hundred off 52 balls, resulting in Warner embracing him in a hug. In the final over of the innings, Warner too reached the landmark, taking just two balls more than his partner.After Sunrisers’ innings, it was Bairstow who handed Warner the Orange Cap for becoming the leading run-scorer of the season. When Kevin Pietersen interviewed the duo, Warner – still catching his breath – didn’t forget to praise Bairstow’s knock, giving a pat on the latter’s shoulder. “Twelve months have done me well,” Warner said. “I am [feeling] nice and refreshed, but what a terrific innings by Jonny. Fantastic partnership by both of us there.”Bairstow was quick to return the favour. “Fantastic to bat in the middle with him [Warner],” he said. “He is a fantastic player and has done [well] for a long, long time. That’s why he has got the Orange Cap.”The understanding between the unlikely pair was on display throughout the innings. While Bairstow scored 90 of his 114 runs in boundaries, he ran ten twos and 20 singles for his partner as Warner exploited the long square boundaries by consistently nudging the ball in the gaps.With the World Cup just two months away, and the Ashes to follow soon after, these two would once again be competing against each other. But for now, they are busy pushing each other, helping each other out, and enjoying each other’s success as if it’s their own. And to borrow from the movie , who knows it might prove to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

New-ball ineffectiveness and absence of genuine allrounder haunting India

Even India’s spinners were outbowled by their South African counterparts

Hemant Brar21-Jan-20221:36

Pant: India didn’t get enugh wickets in middle overs

Jasprit Bumrah is a world-class bowler – both in Test cricket and in the limited-overs versions. But in the last couple of years, he has lacked the potency with the new ball in ODIs. Since the 2019 World Cup, he has picked up just one powerplay wicket in 43 overs across 11 innings.Bhuvneshwar Kumar hasn’t fared much better: in the same period, he has three powerplay wickets from 41 overs.That has resulted in India being by far the worst bowling side in the first ten overs. Since the last World Cup, their bowlers have picked up only ten powerplay wickets in 23 ODIs. They have also given away 5.74 runs an over – the most by any team – and their bowling average of 132.10 is more than double that of the next worst (Zimbabwe’s 63.45). In comparison, India’s opponents in those games picked up 24 wickets in 22 innings at an average of 53.00 and an economy rate of 5.78.Stand-in captain KL Rahul was asked before the South Africa series if that concern was addressed in team meetings. “We have talked about this and we have some ideas, some plans, and we want to try those in the coming series,” he said. “That will give us an indication about whether we’re doing things right, and if our strategies or tactics are right.”Clearly, whatever India tried didn’t work as their new-ball woes haunted them again during the second ODI in Paarl. Chasing 288, South Africa cruised to 66 for no loss in the first ten overs. On a surface that was supposed to make batting difficult in the second innings, they registered their highest successful chase since 2017.Apart from the sub-par returns with the new ball, what has hurt India in this series is the lack of a third wicket-taking fast bowler in the playing XI.In the absence of Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, they are forced to play both Venkatesh Iyer and Shardul Thakur, leaving no place for someone like Mohammed Siraj. But they are caught between a rock and a hard place. They need someone from the top six to chip in with a few overs if a regular bowler goes for too many or, worse, breaks down. And the importance of Thakur’s batting was highlighted today, as without him, India would have struggled to cross 275.2:41

Manjrekar: Time for India to go back to Kuldeep Yadav

But what was baffling was the Indian spinners being outbowled by their South African counterparts on a pitch that resembled one from back home. The last time India visited South Africa, in 2017-18, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal had wreaked havoc. They topped the bowling charts, picking up 33 wickets at a combined average of 15.09 to help India win the six-match ODI series 5-1.This time, with Kuldeep out of form and favour, and Chahal not at his best, India struggled to take wickets in the middle overs too. R Ashwin, playing his first ODI series since June 2017, wasn’t very effective either.In the first ODI, Chahal and Ashwin had combined figures of 1 for 106 from 20 overs, while Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi and Aiden Markram had 4 for 124 from 26 overs. On Friday, the Chahal-Ashwin combo went for 1 for 115 from their 20 overs, while Maharaj, Shamsi and Markram picked up 4 for 143 from 26.In the first match, Ashwin started by flighting the ball but soon switched to a flatter trajectory, which neither stopped runs nor fetched wickets. Chahal bowled a few good deliveries but also erred in line from time to time. The South African batters, especially Rassie van der Dussen and Temba Bavuma, cashed in on it, using sweep as their main weapon.Today, Ashwin was introduced into the attack as soon as the fourth over after Quinton de Kock took Bhuvneshwar apart. He started in the same manner, tossing the ball up and even bowling a maiden to Janneman Malan. In his third over, he produced a stumping chance but Rishabh Pant fluffed it. To rub it in, de Kock, the man reprieved, hit the next ball for a six and went on to score 78 off 66 balls, setting the platform for a series-clinching victory.Chahal bowled a little better, picking up 1 for 47, but it wasn’t good enough.”I think they [the South African spinners] were a little more consistent in their lines and lengths,” Pant said after the match. “Yes, our spin unit could have done a little better but you have to see we are playing one-dayers after a long time, we are just getting used to the momentum of the 50-over cricket. So there are lots of factors we can talk about. Hopefully, we can correct all these mistakes in the coming matches.”

Attack with the new ball, don't lose momentum in the middle: where the 2023 World Cup could be won

No clear favourites and the vast range of conditions in India mean the 2023 edition is deliciously set up to intrigue – but there remain some things that have brought teams success of late. Here’s a rundown

Sidharth Monga04-Oct-20232:08

What will this World Cup be remembered for?

Not on boundary countback. This World Cup will not be won that way, given the change in rules.That low blow out of the way, this is an intriguing World Cup not least because it is the most open one since Australia started making a mockery of the tournament in 2003. Because of this even field, the vast range of conditions in India, the unavailability of teams’ best XIs at various points in the years between the World Cups, and the recency of trends, it is extremely difficult to bridge the gap between cricket the story and cricket the sport.Still there are certain things that can inform our understanding of what the teams are trying to do to win matches in this World Cup. For starters, they are not bowling spin early. There’s a good reason for it. The new white ball seems to be doing more. More so in India. And for longer. What used to be some shape for one or two overs is now considerable seam and swing for about eight overs in India.Related

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That’s why you will see bowling teams attacking wholeheartedly in the early exchanges. More so when they are defending, because under floodlights – and before the dew kicks in – is the best time to bowl in India these days. The average cost of a wicket in the first ten overs in matches between the sides playing this World Cup has been 31 and 32 the last two years. In 2019, it was 41. The last time the new-ball bowlers had so much for two years in a row was way back in 2005 and 2006.It is great that most teams are blessed with some pretty good seam and swing bowlers who can make use of the new ball. It will be interesting to see if the batters will look to be watchful or counterattack, as we saw Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill do in their second Asia Cup match against Pakistan after they struggled in the first.India and Australia, in fact, have been leading the way against the new ball in recent times. No side has scored as quickly in the first ten overs across the past year or so as Australia and India have: 7.26 and 6.61, respectively.Not leaving it late in the big chasesIf they are chasing a big total, expect the batters to meet fire with fire. Himanish Ganjoo, cricket analyst and an ESPNcricinfo contributor, has worked out that teams of late are not leaving themselves too much to do in tall chases. There is strong data to support it. Since 2016, in successful chases of above 300, the run rate of the winning side has tended to remain uniform, while the sides batting first have tended to increase their run rate only gradually.The middle overs are where England seem to be making up for sedate starts with the bat•Getty ImagesIt perhaps flies in the face of conventional understanding that anything is possible with wickets in hand in the last 20 overs. In fact, teams batting second have been okay with losing wickets if they can keep abreast with the asking rate: looking at high totals, the first three wickets of sides batting first contribute 60% of the runs, but only about half in the second innings. The sixth and seventh wickets play a bigger role in chases, which is probably why you see sides valuing depth so much.If this informs a chasing strategy, is there something to be gleaned by the fielding side too? In the lead-up the World Cup, I asked Ian Bishop and Tom Moody if it would be smart to try to choke early through spin, and then have seam bowlers operating when the dew is in and the asking rate is high. They both went for the conventional wisdom: wickets. Go for what will get you wickets. If the recent trend of the ball gripping in the second innings continues, it will only support the conventional wisdom.Win the middle overs – a key to successAs ever, teams that do better in the middle overs tend to win. That’s why you see batters like Virat Kohli press more in the middle overs than they did before. That’s why you see focus on point-of-difference bowlers who can pick up wickets through the middle overs. These are the overs where England seem to be making up for sedate starts with the bat, and after non-penetrative new-ball spells. Their spinners have a decent strike rate, the fourth-best between the two World Cups.Pakistan might have the best pace attack, but they need to make up for lukewarm numbers of their spinners•Getty ImagesIt might not show in the numbers because the two haven’t played that much together, but two highly uncommon bowlers in Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah give India a big advantage in the middle overs. And still they might have cause for concern if the pitches keep offering spinners some grip: their batters have not been great against fingerspin.If India and Australia are great in the early goings, they can stutter in the middle overs. England and South Africa are superb from 11 to 50, but they are not the best with – and against – the new ball. Pakistan might have the best pace attack, but they need to make up for lukewarm numbers of their spinners, and also the middle order.The difficult pitches worked a treat for the 2019 World Cup, but it was also a predictable World Cup in terms of tactics: stable start, mid-overs press, extreme pace, and wristspin. This one is more deliciously set up in its unpredictability and the variety of tactics available, especially given how much the conditions tend to change through the course of a match in India.Keep your eyes and ears open. It’s going to be a wild one.

Stats – Pujara ends 52-innings century drought with record 201*

Derby stood host to three double-centurions in the second round

Sampath Bandarupalli18-Apr-20221 Tom Haines (243) and Cheteshwar Pujara (201*) became the first pair to score double-centuries in the same first-class innings while following-on. They are also the first pair with double-hundreds in the same first-class innings for Sussex since Ted Bowley (228) and Maurice Tate (203) in 1921 against Northamptonshire.2 Pujara became only the second Indian to score a double-century in the County Championship. Mohammad Azharuddin was the first, having scored 212 against Leicestershire in 1991 and 205 against Durham in 1994, both for Derbyshire. Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi also had four double-hundreds in County Cricket, but were scored while he was a Test cricketer for England.ESPNcricinfo Ltd52 First-class innings without a hundred for Pujara before the unbeaten double-ton for Sussex. His last first-class century was scored in January 2020 when he made 248 against Karnataka. Between his recent two hundreds, Pujara scored 1518 runs in the format at an average of 30.36 with 14 fifties.14 Number of first-class double-centuries for Pujara, the most by an Asian player. He has now surpassed Kumar Sangakkara’s tally of 13 double-tons. Only eight batters had more first-class double-hundreds than Pujara. No active player other than Pujara has even scored ten double-tons.1 Pujara’s 14 double-centuries in first-class cricket are also the most by any player in the format since the start of the 21st century. Sangakkara held the record previously as all his 13 double-tons came between 2002 and 2017.201* Pujara also recorded the highest individual score on the first-class debut for Sussex. The previous highest score on debut for Sussex was 152 by Joe Gatting against Cambridge UCCE in 2009.239 Shan Masood’s score during the Derbyshire’s first innings. It is the highest individual score by a Pakistan player in the County Championship. The previous highest was 230* by Zaheer Abbas for Gloucestershire against Kent in 1976.

3 Number of players to score a double-century in the game between Derbyshire and Sussex – Masood, Haines and Pujara. It is only the third County Championship match to feature three double-centurions. The County Ground in Northampton stood host for the previous such instances when the home team Northamptonshire faced Essex in 1952 and Glamorgan in 1998.

Bairstow, England cricket's 'great servant' who always comes back very strong

Ahead of his milestone 100th ODI, Bairstow acknowledged the “ups and downs” in his journey

Matt Roller09-Oct-2023Jonny Bairstow will win his 100th ODI cap for England when they play Bangladesh in Dharamsala on Tuesday. It is an achievement he said will make him “immensely proud” and a milestone in a journey he acknowledged has not always been easy: “There’s been a few ups and downs, hasn’t there?”It has been a career of two halves in this format. Bairstow found things difficult during his first six years as an ODI cricketer, spending three years out of the side after his first seven appearances and then forcing his way into the squad more regularly, generally as batting cover for the first-choice side.But since his promotion to open the batting in 2017, firstly when Jason Roy lost form in the Champions Trophy and then when Alex Hales was suspended due to his involvement in the infamous Bristol street fight, Bairstow has become one of the world’s best. His strike rate of 107.34 as an ODI opener is unmatched in the format’s history.Related

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In that light, it might come as a surprise that Bairstow has not reached this milestone already. Six members of this England squad have more caps than him in the format, and his debut came back in 2011 when he hit 41 not out off 21 balls to rescue a rain-reduced run chase against India in Cardiff: “I think we’ve just found a player,” Alastair Cook, who was England’s one-day captain at the time, said.Bairstow had been called into the squad the previous day, along with another uncapped 21-year-old batter in Jos Buttler. “It’s a fantastic achievement for Jonny,” Jos Buttler reflected on Monday. “He’s been a huge part of the one-day team for a really long period of time.”The longevity he’s shown to play 100 caps is fantastic. He’s been one of the best openers in world cricket, in 50-over cricket, for a long time. He’s been a great servant for us and he’s got plenty more ahead of him as well. We’re delighted to have him in the team; he’s a fantastic player and his record shows that.”In 2015, Bairstow was widely considered unfortunate not to feature in England’s first squad of their new era in white-ball cricket, as Eoin Morgan and the team’s management looked to blood the group of players who would feature for them in the 2019 World Cup.

“There was a period where he was out of the team and any time he got his opportunity, he scored runs and banged the door down to make sure he’s one of the first names on the team sheet”Jos Buttler on Jonny Bairstow

But he was called into the squad the day before the final ODI and hit 83 not out off 60 balls, the first of several innings over the following two years in which he stated his credentials for more regular inclusion. It presented a dilemma for Morgan, who was determined to introduce the consistency of selection that England had often lacked and enable his regulars to thrive.Morgan is in Dharamsala this week, covering the tournament as a pundit. “Jonny, for a long time, was the example as to how you want a strong cricketing team to play – certainly in my early days as captain,” he said on Monday.”You want people banging down the door, and also asking continuous questions of the players within that XI, simply because it should be a tough place to get into and it makes selection a lot harder. Jonny did that for about a year and a half and would come in sporadically and perform brilliantly.”Buttler added, “As he’s always done, any time he’s been challenged, he comes back very strong. There was a period where he was out of the team and any time he got his opportunity, he scored runs and banged the door down to make sure he’s one of the first names on the team sheet.”Jonny Bairstow impressed on his very first outing in ODIs, in 2011 as a 21-year-old•Associated PressBairstow’s partnership with Roy is undoubtedly England’s greatest in 50-over cricket, and statistically stacks up with the best of all time. While they have played in an era that has favoured attacking opening batters, with flat pitches and two new balls, their legacy was confirmed four years ago when they helped England win their first men’s World Cup in the format.”Him at the top of the order with Jason Roy have just been phenomenal. They complemented each other unbelievably well, scoring in different areas – although being very imposing cricketers,” Morgan said. “To play in the manner that he has for 100 games, completely selflessly, and just get better and better is unbelievable.”There has been a shift heading into this World Cup, with fitness and form contributing to Roy’s omission from England’s final squad and Dawid Malan’s promotion to open the batting. England’s heavy defeat to New Zealand in Ahmedabad was only the third time they have opened together, and Bairstow acknowledged there has been a slight shift in approach.”Naturally, that change does have an impact,” he said. “I’ve played with Dawid for a number of years. There’s a change in the way he plays compared to Jason. That’s not to say it’s a bad thing at all, but naturally, it will take a little bit of time to bed in and to get used to different tempos and styles.”Bairstow has been short of runs since returning to ODI cricket at the end of England’s home summer, with 52 in his last four innings. But there were signs against New Zealand that he is returning to form – not least when he flicked the second ball of the tournament over square leg for six, off Trent Boult.England will hope that Bairstow’s landmark coincides with things clicking for him in Dharamsala on Tuesday. It is a game that they cannot afford to lose after their drubbing on the opening night.

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