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Anil Kumble speaks about KL Rahul
KL Rahul was the toast of the nation with his heroics on the West Indies tour. As is always the case with expectations, fans across the nation were convinced that Rahul would score big against New Zealand. But that wasn't to be. A hamstring injury he sustained in the first Test ruled him out of the entire New Zealand series and the dashing opener had to make way for Shikhar Dhawan and then Gautam Gambhir.
The Karnataka lad has now recovered and has been named in the squad for the second Test against England.
Speaking to the media about the inclusion, team coach Anil Kumble said, "He's recovered now and as a protocol we wanted him to go and play a first-class match. And he scored. Today he got a hundred and in the first innings he got seventy plus against Rajasthan. Since the match was happening very close to Vizag, it's good to have him in the squad and he's available for selection."
With Rahul proving both his fitness and his form, it will be extremely difficult for the selectors to restrict him to just water-bottle-duties at Vizag.
Steven Smith says he is embarrassed after the series defeat against South Africa
Australian team continued their disappointing run in the international arena as the hosts lost the second Test against South Africa by an innings and 80 runs in Hobart on Tuesday. The defeat meant that the Australians being handed a series loss as well.
Speaking at a press conference after the match, Australian skipper Steven Smith said that he was disappointed at the loss and pretty embarrassed with his team's efforts. "I am embarrassed to be sitting here to be perfectly honest with you," Smith said.
"Too many times we have lost wickets in clumps, 8 for 30 today, 10 for 85 in the first innings, and you are not winning any games of cricket when are you doing that. And it is happening way too consistently for my liking," he said.
Smith went on to say that his team didn't show any signs of fighting back in the two Test matches so far. He said, "We've got to start finding a way to turn things around. Whether the ball is seaming or spinning or swinging we don't have an answer at the moment. We are not resilient enough, we are not digging in enough, we are not having the pride in our wicket, we're just not being resilient enough and something has got to change."
The South Africans have an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the three-match Test series.
Former Australian skipper has blamed Cricket Australia and its idea of Argus Review for the national team's disappointing run in the international arena lately. While several of the former cricketers have blamed Steven Smith and his men for their lack of character, Ian Chappell has defended the skipper saying the Argus Review has constrained him from making any strong decisions.
"Since the Argus review we’ve been digging a big hole and it’s got deeper and deeper. Hopefully we’ve hit the bottom now because you have to hit the bottom before you can bounce back up," he said.
The Argus Review was formed in 2011 and made subsequent changes to the national board's working committee. The review was responsible for the creation of team performance manager Pat Howard’s position, the promotion of the head coach to also serve on the national selection panel, the introduction of a five-man selection panel and the Test captain’s reduced responsibility off the field.
Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has lashed out at the Australian batsmen following their humiliating defeat in the second Test against the South Africans in Hobart on Tuesday. Speaking to a local news channel, BT Sports, the right-hander criticised the Aussie batsmen for the loss.
"The Aussie batters, they just didn’t know where to go, what to do," Ponting was quoted as saying by Cricket Australia website.
"They got very defensive minded and when they do that and it’s been shown through this Test series their techniques aren’t good enough to stand up. That’s a very, very poor batting performance again," he said.
Ponting also went on to say that the Australian batsmen needed to forget about the selection dilemma that's been persistent ever since their Test series loss to Sri Lanka earlier this year.
Australia have coped it and yes they aren't performing but when comments come from SA @NeilManthorp @GraemeSmith49 remember the big moments! pic.twitter.com/GY8lEyB5De
— Mitchell Johnson (@MitchJohnson398) November 13, 2016
Former Australian cricket Mitchell Johnson has taken a dig at the South Africans following the Aussies' humiliating defeat in the second Test match at Hobart on Tuesday. The left-arm bowler took to Twitter to express his displeasure over some of the comments made by former Portea skipper Graeme Smith.
Johnson pointed out at the dismal record of Proteas in the World Cups and posted a collage of the instances from last seven World Cups where the South Africans have had disappointing moments. The former cricketer sent out a clear message to the Proteas to recall those instances before making any statement against the current Australian team's performances.
South Africa won the second Test against the Australians in Hobart on Tuesday and eventually went on to clinch the series. However, that hasn't stopped Faf du Plessis from going for the kill as the Protea skipper said that he was looking for a clean sweep in the on-going Test series.
Speaking at a press conference he said, "That is the mission for us now. We want to do that very badly. We won't rest on our laurels and be happy with 2-1 or even 2-0. We've got Australia in a position where they are under pressure and we don't want to let that go. It's hard enough to get them in this position so we will do everything we can to make it 3-0."
The third Test will be a day-night match in Adelaide and is scheduled to start on the 24th of November.
The Plunkett Shield match between Wellington and Central Districts in Wellington has been abandoned following the experience of frequent aftershocks in the wake of an earthquake on Sunday late night. The match was cancelled as the players complained about lack of sleep and anxiety.
The New Zealand cricket board was quick to release a statement regarding its decision to abandon the match. "Although the Basin Reserve has been assessed as safe by structural engineers, and the match has been given the go-ahead by local authorities, New Zealand Cricket has decided proceeding with the game would be unfair on the players involved," the statement read.
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Sharmila Tagore wants a biopic on Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi
Biopics have been all the rage in Bollywood in the recent past. Track and field, boxing and cricket have all received equal attention via the sports genre in mainstream cinema. While there are stories aplenty to be told, there's one that would be hard to resist.
Mansoor Ali Khan was handed the reigns of Indian cricket at a rather tender age of 21 and went on to distinguish himself as one of the best in the business. His widow, Sharmila Tagore, was asked at an awards night this past weekend if she would like a biopic made on her late husband. “Yes, of course, I would like a movie to be made on Mansoor Ali Khan. If someone really directs it properly, and with proper research, I think I would like it. I think his life has got a lot of things, about the accident, about losing his father and playing cricket with such a handicap,” she said at the Lux Golden Rose awards night.
As for her choice of actor, she said, "Somebody who looks like Tiger. May be Ranbir Kapoor or somebody in the family." When asked about who would play her, Tagore picked Alia Bhatt.
The 71-year-old actress is said to be developing a biography with a book on the life of her husband having been published already.