Laxman predicts favourites for World Cup 2019, Binny picks backup keeper for Dhoni, and more - Cricket News Today, December 22 2018

Welcome to Sportskeeda's Cricket News Today, a section that covers a summary of the trending news topics of the day in the world of cricket.

With the conclusion of the second Test between Australian and India and the conclusion of the IPL 2019 Auction, there has not been too much to talk about in the cricketing world.

Bangladesh are currently taking on the Windies in the third and final T20I of the three-match series in Dhaka. Apart from that, the Big Bash League continued today, providing fans with a lot of entertainment.

The third Test between Australia and India is just a few days away. It will begin on Boxing Day at the MCG in Melbourne.

Having said that, let's take a look at the top news from today:

#1 Brad Hogg heaps praise on Virat Kohli

Former Australian cricketer Brad Hogg praised Virat Kohli for his performances on the field in the ongoing Test series. He also called him the "energy" of the team.

"Virat Kohli is the energy of this Indian team. He is their clear leader and they feed off him. You just see him on the field - his athleticism is different and he expects that from the Indian team," Hogg told PTI.

"And what he expects from the team, he does as well, so it is not as if he is telling the team what to do without leading from the front. He is actually leading from the front and asking his teammates to follow him," he added.

#2 VVS Laxman predicts the favourites for 2019 World Cup

Indian ODI team

Former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman has predicted that India and England are the favourites for the ICC World Cup to be held in England in 2019.

“India and England favourites. Being an Indian, I want India to win. I am not going to remove my shirt at Lord’s. That’s a challenge posed by Sourav to Virat. Happy to leave it to them. I don’t have six packs like Sourav had or at least he had the confidence of removing his shirt,” Laxman was quoted as saying by India Today.

England are currently the no. 1 ranked ODI side in the world while India are ranked no. 2. England came out victorious against India in the three-match ODI series which was held in England a few months ago.

The World Cup will begin on May 30, 2019.

#3 Roger Binny picks backup keeper for MS Dhoni for World Cup

Rishabh Pant

With the World Cup just five months away, the Indian cricket team are trying to figure out the best possible combination for the playing XI.

While MS Dhoni will most likely be the no. 1 choice for the role of the wicketkeeper, a solid backup has to be in place. Former Indian cricketer Roger Binny felt that Rishabh Pant would be the ideal choice.

“I would go purely on age or youngster. Pant has done well in the shorter formats. He should play the World Cup. Encourage him and give him confidence,” Binny said on the sidelines of an event in Bangalore.

#4 Rahane likely to play for India A against England Lions

Ajinkya Rahane

After the conclusion of the Test series against Australia, India will not play a single Test until July 2019 as the ICC World Cup is to take place in May.

Hence, Test specialists like Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara will need to be kept busy. Sources close to BCCI told PTI that the two star batsmen might be a part of India A's squad to take on England Lions in February.

"The fast bowlers workload management is a different issue but in case of some of the Test specialists, we might play them against England Lions. England Lions are coming for a full series where they will play four day Tests as well as List A and T20 matches," a BCCI source privy to the development told PTI Saturday.