India are set for a T20 appetizer ahead of their marquee Test series against Australia when they face the touring New Zealand in a three-match series beginning in Ranchi on Friday. With less than two weeks left for the Border Gavaskar Trophy matches against Australia that will determine India's World Test Championship Final fate, a T20 series in the midst of a packed ODI calendar ahead of the 50-over World Cup may seem purposeless. As a result, Hardik Pandya , who led a 2-1 series win over Sri Lanka earlier this month, is back leading the T20 side with some regulars and fringe players in the squad. While skipper Rohit Sharma , Virat Kohli , KL Rahul , Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami are being rested, the likes of Shubman Gill , Suryakumar Yadav , Ishan Kishan and Kuldeep Yadav will get an extended run before they assemble for Test series camp at Nagpur from February 2. There is also the welcome addition of attacking Mumbai opener Prithvi Shaw , who returns … [Read more...] about India Brace For T20 Appetizer vs New Zealand Ahead Of Marquee Australia Test Series | Cricket News
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Jadeja ‘almost there’ fitness wise ahead of Australia showdown
BORDER-GAVASKAR SERIES by Cricbuzz Staff • Published on Share Tweet The 41.1 overs he bowled in the first-class match augurs well for Jadeja © BCCI "Yes, yes, yes...," was Ravindra Jadeja's reply when he was asked if he was ready for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar series. Playing his first competitive game in close to five months, having undergone a knee surgery, the left-armer picked up a seven-wicket haul against Tamil Nadu on Day 3 of the current round of the Ranji Trophy. While an NCA report is awaited to determine his readiness for the Tests against Australia, Jadeja hopes he is good to go. "Feeling very good, playing a game after a long time. Hopefully I am good to go now. It was tough on the first day but as the game progressed, I was feeling good," Jadeja told PTI at the end of the third day's play in Chennai. Jadeja has been a key weapon for India in the past, with the left-arm spinner having bagged a total … [Read more...] about Jadeja ‘almost there’ fitness wise ahead of Australia showdown
T20I timeout for India amid ODI drills and Test hysteria
NEW ZEALAND TOUR OF INDIA 2023 by Cricbuzz Staff • Last updated on Share Tweet Hardik Pandya will be leading India in the absence of several senior players © BCCI "Broadcaster ko bhi sahi cheez dikhana chahiye" (The broadcaster should show things with context). That sudden burst of Hindi in the middle of a largely English press conference summed up Rohit Sharma's gripe. Speaking in Indore after his 30th ODI century, Rohit was frustrated at the marketed narrative that he had just hit his 'first ODI hundred in three years', when the fact was that he had only played 17 ODIs since his last century. You could blame the pandemic, his unfortunate injuries or simply more 20-over tourneys in view of back-to-back T20 World Cups, but Rohit wasn't really without an ODI hundred for three years; the world watching him was. Which is why this three-match T20I series feels oddly placed nine months before an ODI World Cup. More … [Read more...] about T20I timeout for India amid ODI drills and Test hysteria
Archer’s return adds to South Africa’s qualification tall order
SOUTH AFRICA VS ENGLAND, 1ST ODI by Telford Vice • Published on Share Tweet The home side's challenge won't be made easier by the confirmed return of Jofra Archer © Getty "It seems like there's an echo in the room; it's the same question," Shukri Conrad said as he glanced at various parts of the ceiling during a press conference in Bloemfontein on Thursday. He had been asked, for the third time in not quite 13 minutes, about the importance of South Africa's World Cup Super League (WCSL) series against England . The truth is self-evident. If England win all three matches, South Africa will have to make an unprecedented trip to the qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe in June and July to reach the World Cup in India in October and November. If South Africa beat England once they will need to prevail in both matches against the Netherlands on March 31 and April 2 to avoid the qualifier. Win two against England and just one … [Read more...] about Archer’s return adds to South Africa’s qualification tall order