Ashwin, Rahane's presence will lift ETPL profile: Glasgow Cosmic's Keshav Maharaj

 

New Delhi: The presence of former India stars Ravichandran Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane in the European T20 Premier League (ETPL) will help raise the profile of the competition and attract fans, said South Africa left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj, who will turn out for Glasgow Cosmic in the inaugural edition.

Ashwin will represent Dublin Guardians while Rahane will play for Amsterdam Flames in the league, which Maharaj believes has already created a strong product by bringing together prominent international names.

"Both their (Ashwin and Rahane) presence will be really felt within this league, not only from a cricketing perspective, but bringing in the fans to watch the games," Maharaj told PTI in an interview.

"We know Indian cricketers obviously have a large fan base and I think it's a wonderful drawcard to create awareness in this league," Maharaj said.

Maharaj also lauded the two Indian veterans, saying their influence would extend beyond their performances on the field.

India vs Sri Lanka highlights, 1st Test day 3: Ravindra Jadeja Achieves huge milestone, India take 178-run lead

 

Ravindra Jadeja added another feather to his cap in Test cricket as he became the fourth Indian to pick up 350 wickets in the format. The all-rounder reached this landmark during the first Test between India and Sri Lanka in Galle on Day 3.

Jadeja took two wickets, and Sri Lanka were 250/7 in 70 overs in their first innings at the time of writing. He had figures of 2/56 from 18 overs. His bowling kept India in control after the visitors posted a big total of 462 in the first innings.

He also got himself solidified as one of the world's best all-rounders and thus joined the ranks of world-class left-arm spinners in Test history.

Jadeja Becomes Only Fifth Indian To 350 Test Wickets.

Shreyas Iyer Remains Winless as India T20I Captain after Record 125-run Defeat

It feels like 2011 again. Where an empire that looked unshakable only months back has been brought to the ground in the most stunning fashion. Three months after becoming the first team ever to successfully defend the T20 World Cup, India remain winless on their trip to Ireland and the UK and are staring at a second successive series defeat, having already lost to Ireland. Set 202 to win in Nottingham, with MS Dhoni watching from the stands on his 45th birthday, India folded for 76 in 11.4 overs, losing by a record 125 margin – their worst ever- on Tuesday, and go 0-2 down in the series. 

As has been the case throughout this tour, India failed to bring their A-game to the fore and paid for it. It is the first instance where India are without a win in five successive matches. A new T20 cycle calls for changes in personnel. But given India’s depth, the fact that they have been listless so far is a concern.

A series that promised fireworks is turning into a damp squib as India simply refuse to put in a complete performance and some of the decision-making so far has been questionable.

Why Sanju Samson was Omitted from Zimbabwe T20I Squad

 

Samson has gone through a run of low scores on the tours of Ireland and England, however, with scores of 5, 0 and 1 before being dropped in the second T20I against England in Manchester, paving the way for the 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to make a long-anticipated international debut.

While Samson's lean run is understood not to be a factor in his omission from the Zimbabwe tour, it could not be confirmed if the selectors spoke to him about their decision.

The Zimbabwe series will begin four days after India's tour of England with the T20Is scheduled on July 23, 25 and 26 in Harare. It is understood that VVS Laxman will be head coach for the Zimbabwe tour as well as the Asian Games with the regular India coaching staff focussing on the Sri Lanka Test tour in August and the white-ball series against West Indies in September-October.

"Having him in this side is very, very important" - Team India coach on Rohit Sharma's role in ODI team

 

"Rohit Sharma is definitely an experienced player. He is a champion cricketer and someone who adds immense value to this team, not only with his batting but also through his leadership qualities, which rub off on all the boys, including Shubman. Having him in this side is very, very important. He understands each game and knows what is expected of him and from the team. He looks forward to every match, and the amount of work he puts in is as if he has just started playing."

Pune Man who ran to Lose weight completes 85.77km ultrarun in record time

 

Pune’s Yogesh Sanap, 39, becoming the fastest-ever Indian finisher at the prestigious Comrades Marathon in South Africa, clocking a remarkable sub-seven-hour finish in the 85.77-km race on Sunday. A three-time Boston Marathon qualifier, Sanap clocked 6:59.57 hours in what is widely regarded as the world’s oldest and most iconic ultramarathon. He eclipsed Devarao Chaudhari’s record for fastest-ever Indian in the event, set last year.

This year’s race — the 99th edition of the Comrades Marathon — was an “Up Run” from Durban to Pietermaritzburg, including five major climbs. Breaking the Indian record has still to sink in for Sanap, who ran the marathon at a brilliant pace of 4.54 minutes/km. “All this seems like a dream,” Sanap told The Indian Express from South Africa.

Adding to India’s impressive showing were Sanap’s fellow Pune runners Saarth Sable and Dr Yogesh Satav, who completed the gruelling race in 7:15.08 hours and 7:24.46 hours respectively. According to the International Association of Ultrarunners, as many as 21,633 runners took part in the Comrades Marathon, with George Kusche winning among the men in a new “Up Run” record of 5:15:56 hours and Gerda Steyn’s finishing first among women in 5:49.46 hours. The official cut-off time for the Comrades marathon is 12 hours.

Cyril Gane halts Alex Pereira's bid at History in Front of Donald Trump

 

Alex Pereira's historic bid to become the first three-division champion in UFC history was brutally halted by France's Ciryl Gane. Fighting the Brazilian at the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House, Gane knocked out Pereira in the second round of the co-main event to win the interim heavyweight title.

Gane's sharp jabs left Pereira helpless in the second round, as the Frenchman punished the Brazilian by repeatedly finding openings through his defence. Referee Herb Dean was reluctant to stop the fight immediately, which only subjected Pereira to more punishment before the contest was waved off.