Sarfraz Ahmed warns India, Hardik Pandya trolled and more - Cricket news of today, August 16, 2018

The cricketing world is in a lull as the next high-profile England-India Test match is not until Saturday, and very few other teams are at it in other fixtures elsewhere around the world as well. However, various kinds of dossiers are still abundantly in circulation, and as always, it is always the right mixture of controversy, criticism, and so on.

Let's not forget the sad passing away of Ajit Wadekar, who was a very fine custodian of Indian cricket. May his soul rest in peace.

Read on, to know more about the top cricketing news from the day:

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#5 Hardik Pandya trolled on social media

Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya was trolled mercilessly by hundreds of Indian fans on social media after his latest post on Instagram garnered a lot of negative attention. He was clad in all black and wore a hat and sunglasses to pose for the camera as India finally left London to go to Nottingham for the third Test against England.

Look at what he posted, below. The comments are where all the action is:

Overall, the Indian team has been criticised for the poor attitude on show, in the tour of England. As per their own requirement, Virat Kohli's men played the limited-overs phase to get acclimatized to conditions in England but it has not had any impact.

India only played one warm-up match before the Test series and that too was reduced by a day because of the heat. They are currently at 0-2 down in the series, courtesy of some very lackluster performances.

#4 Ben Stokes in Test 3 squad "for his own well-being": Coach Bayliss

Stokes and Bayliss in a recent net session

Trevor Bayliss, chief coach of the England side, has announced his decision to include Ben Stokes in the squad for the upcoming Test against India on Saturday, August 18. He further added that the decision was taken for the all-rounder's "well being".

"I'm happy for Ben and glad it's all over. It's good to have him back around the squad. Myself, the management, the captain, [stand-in director of England cricket] Andy Flower, the board - everyone had a bit of a say and basically thought for his well being it was good to get him back around the cricket," Bayliss said while speaking to the media.

However, he is yet to make a decision on whether Stokes will play in the game, as he stressed upon the need to assess Stokes before forming an idea on that context. "We'll see how he is mentally as well as physically. He's not played for a couple of weeks. It's a difficult decision whoever misses out, whether it's Ben or anyone else," he said.

Bayliss also mentioned that he will make the all-rounder issue a public apology for his deeds, as early as possible.

#3 Harbhajan questions Ravi Shastri's accountability

Ravi Shastri and Harbhajan Singh

India is down 0-2 in the five-match Test series against England, and it is time for fingers to be pointed at any alleged defaulter. While to many, Virat Kohli's captaincy is the issue, Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh feels differently. According to him, coach Ravi Shastri's performance of the role has a more direct bearing on the issue.

Bhajji, who is a part of SPN (Sony Pictures Network) Sports India's experts' panel, has rained hard on Ravi Shastri and wants the Team India head coach to be made answerable for India's poor show at the Lord's Test. The overall play added up to just two days, with the rest of it washed down by the rain, within which, India surrendered meekly.

"The coach has to come on record, today or tomorrow he has to speak up. He is answerable to everyone. If India loses the series, then he might have to eat his words and admit that conditions do make a lot of difference," Harbhajan was speaking to Aaj Tak. He was apparently referring to the start of the tour when Shastri had stated that his team is afraid of no team. He had also said that India has the potential to be one of the best traveling teams.

Perhaps their excessive confidence got in their own way, forcing them to neglect essential practice times and thereby stunting a growth in experience.

#2 Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed warns India ahead of Asia Cup clash

Sarfraz after the ICC Champions Trophy victory of 2017

Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed said that his side would look to utilize their experience of playing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) against India in the upcoming Asia Cup cricket tournament. “Our team has relatively more experience of playing under UAE conditions and therefore we will try to take advantage of this experience in our Asia Cup match against India,” he said while speaking to Dawn.com.

But that doesn't keep the wicketkeeper-batsman from being wary of India's overall experience. The current side led by Virat Kohli is relatively stronger to them as far as overall experience is concerned, and Sarfraz is aware of the fact, as he added to his earlier statement: “On the other hand, Virat Kohli-XI is a stronger outfit as far as overall experience is concerned."

He also spoke on how the side is preparing for the upcoming event. He said that their prime focus is on maintaining the physical fitness and to make that sure they would be participating in a training camp.

The Asia Cup will begin on September 15, 2018. India and Pakistan will face each other on September 19.

#1 Former Indian captain Ajit Wadekar passes away

Wadekar bats against England in 1971

Former Indian cricket captain Ajit Wadekar, who will forever be remembered for leading India to their first overseas wins in England and West Indies, had been fighting a prolonged illness until yesterday, 15th August 2018, when he breathed his last aged 77. He was admitted at the Jaslok Hospital in South Mumbai and is survived by his wife Rekha, two sons and a daughter.

Wadekar was one of the earliest Indian batsmen known for an aggressive approach to wielding the willow. Despite owning a mere 37 Test caps, it was during these games that he led India to triumphs in England and the West Indies in 1971. He has scored 2,113 runs in his Test career, including one hundred. He later went on to become India's first ODI captain.

Wadekar also served as India's manager in late 1990s, when Mohammed Azharuddin had his tenure as the team captain. He later went on to become the chairman of selectors as well.