Harmanpreet Kaur's heroics, Indian cricketers' Independence Day celebrations and more - Cricket News of Today, 15th August 2018

Harmanpreet Kaur Kohli Shastri

The Indian cricket team celebrated the country's 72nd Independence Day by hoisting the tri-colour in London. They then departed for Nottingham which will host the third Test of the ongoing series against England.

All eyes will be on skipper Virat Kohli and the condition of his back injury. While Sunil Gavaskar has implored the in-form right-hander to play at Trent Bridge, Kumar Sangakkara jumped to the defence of India's misfiring batting unit.

India women's T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur gave a glowing demonstration of her hitting ability by powering Lancashire Thunder to a much needed win against Yorkshire Diamonds in the KIA Super League.

In other news, Pakistan opener Imam-ul-Haq declared that India's challenge in the upcoming Asia Cup will be reduced by half if Kohli were to be kept quiet.


Gavaskar urges Kohli to play 3rd Test even if 50 percent fit

Gavaskar Kohli
Sunil Gavaskar has implored Virat Kohli to take the field at Trent Bridge irrespective of injury concerns

Legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar has urged Indian captain Virat Kohli to take the field for the third Test against England irrespective of his injury concerns. The iconic opener called upon the 29-year old to play at Trent Bridge even if he were to regain only fifty percent fitness.

"Virat Kohli has to assess his injury himself, whether to take the risk or not. But if I were the captain, I would want Kohli to play even if he's 50 per cent fit. He's such a crucial element. He has to play unless he can't bend or walk. At the end of the day, he has to decide how much pain he can bear. For me Virat has to play", Gavaskar told India Today.

Kohli is determined to recover from the major back injury which had hampered his batting at Lord's. 0-2 down in the five-match series, the beleaguered Indian team could find themselves staring at further bleakness if they were to lose the services of their skipper. The third Test begins at Trent Bridge on Saturday.

Imam-ul-Haq issues Asia Cup warning to Kohli's India

Imam-ul-Haq
Imam-ul-Haq has had a solid start to his international career

With the Asia Cup lurking in the horizon, Pakistan opener Imam-ul-Haq has issued a warning to arch-rivals India. The 22-year old, who is the nephew of batting great Inzamam-ul-Haq, feels that the Men in Blue's potency will be reduced by 50 percent if their skipper Virat Kohli does not fire with the bat.

During a show called Voice of Cricket, Imam-ul-Haq insisted, "India is a top team and the man who sets standards for them is Virat Kohli. If you keep him aside, the Indian team will be reduced to 50 percent."

Terming the eagerly awaited Asia Cup encounter as a 'dream' contest, Imam affirmed that his desire to play the sport stems from an yearning to perform in the high-octane rivalry. India and Pakistan are scheduled to lock horns with each other at Dubai on September 19.

Harmanpreet Kaur fires Lancashire Thunder to key triumph

Harmanpreet Kaur
Harmanpreet Kaur hammered four boundaries and six sixes in her blitzkrieg

Harmanpreet Kaur bounced back from a string of low scores to mastermind Lancashire Thunder's vital victory in the KIA Super League fixture against Yorkshire Diamonds on Tuesday. The belligerent right-hander smashed a 44-ball 74 to spearhead Thunder to a strong total of 154 at the Stanley Park in Blackpool.

Kaur came into the crease when her team was tottering at 43/2 in the eighth over. She hammered four boundaries and six sixes to wrest the momentum from the Yorkshire bowlers. Even as wickets kept falling at the other end, the 29-year old never curbed her positive instincts and ensured that Lancashire reached a competitive score.

Although Katherine Brunt tried to steer the Diamonds to the target, Lancashire's arsenal of spinners had the last laugh. The narrow nine-run victory has taken Thunder to fourth position in the league table ahead of the last round of group matches.

Sangakkara defends misfiring Indian batting lineup

Kumar Sangakkara Virat Kohli
Kumar Sangakkara does not see any flaws in Kohli's leadership skills

Venerated batting icon Kumar Sangakkara has jumped to the defence of the under-performing Indian lineup. Dismissing suggestions that they rely far too much on captain Kohli, the elegant left-hander attributed the batting unit's dire performance at Lord's to lack of adequate preparation and not lack of quality.

When asked if India are too dependent on Kohli's batting, Sangakkara said, "It is almost unfair to the other batsmen because we have seen Virat batting like he has for the last few years. It is incredible to watch and he is an incredible performer, but others are also fantastic players."

The southpaw elaborated, "Pujara and Rahane are absolutely great batsmen. Pujara averages 50 in Test cricket, Rahane averages 50 overses. Then, there are others. KL Rahul looks brilliant (when in form), Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Dinesh Karthik - these are no insignificant names."

Connecting India's first innings debacle to the particularly swing-friendly conditions on offer at Lord's, Sangakkara felt that losing the toss played its part too. Labelling Kohli as a 'very good captain', the former Sri Lankan skipper advised against frequent chopping and changing of playing lineups.

Kohli and Shastri hoist tri-colour in London

Virat Kohli Ravi Shastri
Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri need to inspire the team to reverse their fortunes

Celebrating the occasion of the country's 72nd Independence Day, the Indian cricket team honoured the national flag in London. Skipper Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri were seen hoisting the tri-colour during a private ceremony in the British capital.

Before leaving for Nottingham wherein they will play the third Test of the series, the Indian team gathered outside their hotel in London. As the captain and coach hoisted the national flag, the rest of the players looked on with pride.

Kohli enthused, "On behalf of the Indian cricket team all the way from UK, here's wishing everyone a happy Independence Day. Jai Hind."

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Edited by Vignesh Ananthasubramanian