Category: SPORTS

Former India captain Rahul Dravid feels the ambition to resume cricket in a bio-secure environment is “unrealistic”, giving a thumbs down to the concept primarily floated by the England and Wales Cricket Board.   Seeking to restart its cricket season after weeks of inactivity owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ECB recently announced that it would have in place bio-secure venues to host Pakistan and the West Indies later this summer. But batting great Dravid is not convinced with the concept. “It is a bit unrealistic to have things at…

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India’s limited-overs vice captain Rohit Sharma says he has fully recovered from the calf injury that forced him to leave the tour of New Zealand midway earlier this year but the fitness test has been continuously delayed because of the COVID-19 lockdown. The Mumbaikar had to return home after sustaining the injury during the T20 series against the Black Caps on February 2. He missed the three-match home ODI series against South Africa, which was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as he was undergoing rehabilitation at that time. “Before…

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Throwdown specialist D Raghavendra’s ability to rachet up speeds in excess of 150-155 kmph with the sidearm enormously contributed to Indian batsmen’s improvement against fast bowling in recent years, acknowledges skipper Virat Kohli.   The sidearm is a cricketing equipment that is shaped like a long spoon, with its far end designed to hold and hurl the ball at great speeds. “I believe the improvement this team has shown while playing fast bowling since 2013 has been because of Raghu,” Kohli said during an Instagram Live session with Bangladesh star…

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Senior India pacer Ishant Sharma says fast bowlers will have to get used to the “new normal” if the ICC decides to ban the use of saliva to shine the ball owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.   The International Cricket Council (ICC) is reportedly considering the use of artificial substances on the ball instead of saliva in the post COVID-19 scenario, effectively legalising ball-tampering. The idea has attracted mixed response from the cricketing fraternity. “We know there are talks of some changes and adjustments in cricket, but I feel cricketers…

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Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria on Saturday accused Shahid Afridi of treating him unfairly all through his career and blamed him for a rather short limited overs outing. Kaneria, only the second Hindu to play for Pakistan after his maternal uncle Anil Dalpat, took 261 wickets in 61 Tests at an average of 34.79. However, he only played 18 ODIs between 2000 and 2010. Speaking to PTI from Karachi, the 39-year-old said, beyond his religion, it was difficult for him to think about the reason behind Afridi’s discriminatory behaviour. “He…

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These are lonely times for thousands of souvenirs in dozens of Tokyo 2020 Olympic stores, which are drawing few customers with the postponed games more than a year away and facing an unclear future.   And they’re worrying moments for Tokyo organizers, who hope to generate 100 million by selling 5,500 licensed products including official Olympic chopsticks, Olympic umbrellas, and large stuffed mascots that can go for almost 200. The pandemic and the uncertainty have emptied Olympic stores of customers. And one large question looms to increase the anxiety: Can…

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The current Indian team has good fielders but none of them is a “complete package” like Yuvraj Singh and he himself, reckons Mohammed Kaif.   The hero of India’s Natwest victory played more than 100 ODIs, primarily because of his superb fielding. The superior fielding skills prolonged his career even as his batting form declined steadily. Asked about his take on Indian fielding compared to the times when Yuvraj Singh would man the point and he would stand at extra cover, Kaif outlined the lacking in the current set-up. “To…

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Rafael Nadal says Novak Djokovic will need to be vaccinated to keep playing if the governing bodies of tennis make coronavirus shots obligatory once they become available.   Nadal told the Spanish newspaper La Voz de Galicia this week that Djokovic and all players will have to follow the rules when tennis eventually returns to action. Nadal said no one can be forced to take the vaccine and everyone should be free to make their choices, but all players will have to comply if tennis officials require vaccination to travel…

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All-rounder Dwayne Bravo is in awe of the current West Indies T20 team’s batting depth, saying it is better than the 2016 World Cup-winning side and can intimidate any opposition.   “In the last series in Sri Lanka, we had a team meeting, and coach Phil (Simmons) put the team down, the list, and he put it down in batting order, and he had my name down at No. 9,” Bravo told ESPNcricinfo. “And I said to the guys, I said listen, I don’t think I was ever involved in…

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He has flattered to deceive on umpteen occasions but highly-rated wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson says he has learnt to accept his failures in pursuit of the calm demeanour that former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni possesses.   The 25-year-old from Kerala has always been talked about by the likes of Rahul Dravid and Gautam Gambhir but it hasn’t translated into international success with only four T20 Internationals in his kitty in the last five years. “I have learnt to understand and focus more on my strengths and (be more) accepting (of)…

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