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There has been a lot going on in the world of cricket over the past 24 hours. India skipper Virat Kohli scored his maiden Test century in England and silenced his critics. His knock pulled things back for India as Kohli, along with Umesh Yadav, reduced the deficit to just 13.
Kohli got a lot of appreciation for his knock from all over the world and the skipper himself has rated his 149 last night as his second best Test innings after his 140-odd in Adelaide in 2014.
Meanwhile, TNPL side Siechem Madurai Panthers qualified for the playoffs after failing to win a single match in the first three seasons.
Let us take a look at the things which made news in the cricket world today (03 August 2018).
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Ishant Sharma, R Ashwin wreak havoc
R Ashwin, who dismissed Alastair Cook off the last ball of day 2, started the day with the wicket of Keaton Jennings and followed it up with the wicket of Joe Root thanks to a brilliant catch from KL Rahul at leg slip.
Jonny Bairstow and David Malan frustrated the Indians with a brief partnership but Ishant Sharma came into the attack and accounted for Malan early on in his spell. Soon after, he bowled a fiery over in which he dismissed Bairstow, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler on either side of the Lunch break.
Since then, Sam Curran really pulled things back for his side by scoring a counter-attacking fifty, taking the lead to 193.
Jofra Archer takes a sensational hat-trick
Rajasthan Royals fast bowler Jofra Archer bagged a hat-trick in the last over of the match to help his side Sussex register a 12-run victory over Middlesex in the Vitality Blast South Group match at Lord's on Thursday. The right arm pacer returned with match-winning figures of 3 for 25 runs.
Batting first, Sussex scored 168 runs in 19.4 overs, thanks to Philip Salt's 20-ball 50 and Delray Rawlins' 35-ball 49. Chasing the target, Middlesex were riding on the back of Eoin Morgan's sole innings of 56-ball 90.
Archer came on to bowl the last over when the hosts needed 16 runs off the last six balls with six wickets including the one of Morgan in hand. He dismissed Morgan, John Simpson and James Fuller off the third, fourth and fifth balls of the innings to seal the win.
Glenn McGrath compares Virat Kohli with Brian Lara
Legendary Australia pacer Glenn McGrath has compared Indian skipper Virat Kohli to legendary West Indian batsman Brian Lara when it comes to verbal engagements.
Talking to Sportskeeda in an exclusive chat, the former Aussie quick said that Kohli is similar to Lara as the banter, the challenge and the aggression are the factors that help him keep up with the game.
"It just depends on how they are going. Brian Lara was very similar. When he was focused and in the zone and if you said anything to him, that was it...you could lock in, he would score a double hundred. It was just his day. You knew that was going to happen. So Virat's probably a little bit similar (to Lara). If he is on form and focused and scoring runs, I think he loves that banter, that challenge and that aggression there and it gets him going," he said.
Read more here.
NACC Blames Ticket Prices for Lack of Crowd at Edgbaston Test
The National Asian Cricket Council (NACC) chairman Gulfraz Riaz has blamed excessive ticket prices by the organizers for the lack of crowd in the ongoing first Test between India and England at Edgbaston, Birmingham.
He also feels that the organisers are trying to cash in on the Asian people's passion for cricket and the ticket prices for this match are almost double of what the fans paid to see the Test against Pakistan.
"The benchmark will be what the attendance is like at Lord's, Oval and Trent Bridge. But the pricing is a lot higher than previous Pakistan Test matches, so there's an element of cashing in, perhaps, on Asian communities' passion for cricket. From what I understand the prices are almost double of what they were for Pakistan Test matches in some cases. Out of the two communities, the Indian cricket community is a bit more affluent and maybe they were targeted," Riaz said.
The opening day of the first Test at the 25,000 capacity stadium on Wednesday here was witnessed by 18,159 spectators. That forced the organisers to reduce ticket prices for Wednesday's post-tea session but the attendance dipper further to just over 16,000.
Virat Kohli kisses wedding ring
One thing the Indian fans and the skipper Virat Kohli have been waiting for since 2014 is the tour of England as the right-hander had a nightmare the last time he toured the European country. He managed to score just 134 runs in 10 innings in 2014.
A century in England eluded him but he started off the 2018 tour of England in style as he scored 149 in his first innings of the series, 14 runs more than what he managed in five matches in 2014.
When he reached his century, Kohli raised his bat towards the pavilion, turned around and kissed the wedding ring which hangs around his neck, dedicating the century to his wife Anushka Sharma. Later that day, Anushka was seen in the stands applauding Kohli's innings.
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