BCCI open to shifting NCA, writes to state bodies for land

BCCI has been looking for a suitable piece of land in Bengaluru but to no avail. In 2010, it had purchased 49 acre land but the HC termed it illegal.

BCCI president Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke presided over the BCCI technical committee meeting on Sunday. (Source: Twitter)

The National Cricket Academy (NCA) could be shifted out of Bengaluru with the BCCI asking all its state associations to look for suitable land in their respective regions.

The NCA Board met in Bengaluru on Sunday and among other things discussed was the long pending issue of shifting it to a bigger facility.

“It has been decided that the secretary (Ajay Shirke) will write to all state associations and if any of them can get us a 30-40 acre land with necessary permissions from the state government, there is a good chance of NCA being shifted there,” Niranjan Shah, chairman of the NCA Board said.

The BCCI has been looking for a suitable piece of land in Bengaluru but to no avail. In 2010, it had purchased 49 acre land for Rs 50 crore from the Karnataka government but the High Court termed the land illegal in 2013 following a series of PIL’s against its purchase.

Last month, BCCI joint secretary Amitabh Choudhary, had said that the Board had waited enough and the NCA would move out of Bangalore if the state government did not provide the land by June 30.

Shah, on his part, added: “The BCCI has been waiting for the land for long. The current set up at the Chinnaswamy Stadium is too insufficient for the Academy’s needs. We will have to look elsewhere if the land is not provided”.

Vijay Mallya enjoys IPL 2016 final with son Siddharth in London, see video

When Siddharth Mallya turns camera on his father, "go RCB" says Vijay Mallya while rooting for RCB.

Vijay Mallya had quit as RCB director days after stepping down as chairman of the United Spirits.

In a rare appearance since shifting base to the United Kingdom, troubled Indian businessman Vijay Mallya was seen having a good time in London as he watched the Indian Premier League final between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday.

In a video gone viral, Mallya senior is seen having a gala time with his son Siddharth along with a few others. The video was posted by Siddharth as he watched the IPL final with his father.

Siddharth also mentions about Force India’s third place finish in the Monaco Grand Prix, which also took place on Sunday.

“Here we are, watching together from London. It doesn’t get better than Sergio Perez getting a podium (for Mallya co-owned Force India). Hopefully we can add to what has been an epic day of sports so far,” says Mallya junior in the video as he catches the IPL action with his father on the big screen.

When Siddharth turns camera on his father, “go RCB” says Mallya while rooting for his team.

Mallya, who owes more than Rs 9000 crore to Indian banks, had quit as RCB director days after stepping down as chairman of the United Spirits. However, he remains the chief mentor of the IPL side with Siddharth on its board.

India was not able to get Mallya deported as UK asked India to seek his extradition instead. Mallya, wanted in India by various authorities, has been in the UK since March.

Suryakumar Yadav gets engaged, see pics

Suryakumar Yadav, who plays for Mumbai in domestic circuit and KKR in the IPL, got engaged after end of the 2016 edition of the cash-rich league.

Suryakumar Yadav poses for a picture with his fiancee. (Source: Facebook)

Kolkata Knight Riders batsman Surya Kumar Yadav has scratched his name out from the eligible bachelors’ list after the right-handed batsman got engaged recently. Yadav’s fiancee’s details haven’t been disclosed so far.

He posted some pictures from his engagement ceremony on social media. The ceremony took place after KKR’s IPL 2016 campaign. The Gautam Gambhir-led unit failed to advance from the IPL Eliminator.

Here’s a look at the pics of the couple:

Pink ball to be tested by top cricketers in Duleep Trophy

BCCI president Anurag Thakur says tournament will help gauge the ‘advantages’ and ‘disadvantage’ of the new concept.

The Duleep Trophy will be a day-and-night affair with the pink ball. (File Photo)

The top Indian cricketers will feature in the Duleep Trophy, which shall be played with a pink ball under lights later this year. It will help decide the viability of hosting a pink ball Test in October against New Zealand in Indian conditions and provide Indian players valuable practice with the pink ball.

The plan to revamp Duleep Trophy suggests that speculations about a mini-IPL in the same time frame can be put to an end.

Anurag Thakur, the president of Indian cricket board, not only confirmed the availability of top players but also stressed the reason for their participation. “All players will be playing Duleep Trophy; that is why we have gone for day-night domestic cricket for first time. We want to know how the player feels, how the dew conditions will be. With top players playing we will get a good feedback,” Thakur told The Indian Express.

It also marks the revival of a tournament that had long lost its lustre and was seemingly on its last legs, especially after it was suspended last season due to a crowded calendar. Back then, the BCCI had promised that Duleep Trophy would be revived and the possibility of a pink-ball Test, an idea that took off after the success of a Test match between Australia and New Zealand last October, has made it a reality.

The staggering television numbers and attendance at the stadium of that game has interested the administrators in the pink experiment. In the Indian context, Duleep Trophy has become the vehicle of change.

The revival has come with transformational change. The old inter-zonal nature of Duleep Trophy will be scrapped and instead it will be played on a round-robin basis between four teams picked by the national selectors, with each team assured of getting at least three games.

It will be bolstered by the presence of all the top stars in the country. It will act as a dress rehearsal for the game against New Zealand. “We will come to know what advantages and disadvantages are of playing with pink ball. Before jumping straight away in Tests cricket these top Indian players will be playing it in Duleep Trophy. We will make sure that top cricketers participate in Duleep Trophy.”

The decision to introduce the pink-ball in Duleep Trophy has already been welcomed by Test players like Cheteshwar Pujara who felt the move would help players practice against pink ball, and develop bench strength in the country. “Sixty players will be in the fray (assuming 15-men squad) and whoever performs might get a chance,” Pujara had said.

There were whispers about squeezing in a mini edition of IPL after the solitary Test match against Bangladesh in August and the start of the home series against New Zealand in October. India then go on to host a long series against England in November-December before they play Tests against Australia – at home – in February next year. However, the repackaging of Duleep Trophy puts an end to those rumours.

Last week, in the working committee of the Indian cricket board, Thakur had talked about the plan to focus on Test matches. As a preparation for the T20World Cup that ran from March 8 to April 4, the BCCI had the Indian team playing in a series of T20 games. Now that it’s over, and as India gets ready to play 13 Tests at home, after the four-Test tour in West Indies which concludes on August 22, the board doesn’t want a T20 championship to spoil India’s preparations for the longer format.

Thakur focussed on the stature of the players who would play Duleep Trophy, whose timelines effectively cuts out the possibility of holding mini IPL.

“We will make sure that contracted players will be participating whosoever, qualifies to play. Aisa nahi hai ke Pawan Negi khelega as he is contracted player. (It’s not as if Pawan Negi will play). Jis player ka banta hoga those players will have to play Duleep Trophy. These Duleep Trophy games will help players a lot especially with long season ahead,” Thakur said.

Viable in Indian conditions

The Duleep Trophy will help the board, and the players, to see whether pink-ball cricket can be viable in Indian conditions. The Australian experiment had necessitated that the ground and pitch was doctored to an extent.

With the approval of the captains, the pitch, and the outfield, was kept grassier than normal to minimize the de-colouration of the pinkness, and make it more visible to the players. Though the colour was attractive to watch on TV, the players who took part in the game had complained about visibility and the liberal amount of grass which played its part in reducing the game to a three-day affair.

Encouraged by the popularity among fans, the administrators tried to make the ball more player-amenable by trying a black-seam on the pink ball in Australian domestic cricket earlier this year. It too ran into problems of frequent ball changes.

Countries like Pakistan too have tried it in their domestic cricket, not without problems though. It would be interesting to see how Duleep Trophy plays out.

This isn’t the first time that Duleep Trophy’s inter-zonal five-team format has been tinkered with. In 2002-03, Duleep Trophy was played between five teams – Elite A, Elite B, Elite C, and Plate A, Plate B. Neither is it the first instance of a domestic tournament played in lights with a coloured ball. The Ranji Trophy final between Delhi and Mumbai in ‘96-97 in Gwalior was a day-night affair with a white ball. However, Indian cricket will turn pink for the first time later this year.

Test cricket must be lucrative for players, says Anurag Thakur

Anurag Thakur wishes to bridge the gap between big money earners in T20 and Test players to keep interest alive with the latter format.

Anurag Thakur has plenty on his plate after becoming the new BCCI president. (Source: AP)

CHETESHWAR PUJARA earns Rs 7 lakh from every Test he plays. Pawan Negi played eight matches for Delhi Daredevils this season after commanding Rs 8.2 crores at the auction. If new BCCI president Anurag Thakur has his way though that diabolically unfair disparity between what Test and T20 cricketers make from plying their respective trades could finally be fixed. At least for now, it looks like the richest cricket board in the world has finally woken up to the income inequalities that exist in the present T20-dominated climate of world cricket. Thakur insisted that the board was very keen on making the traditional format of the game an equally lucrative option to make sure that the modern-day players’ motivation to play Tests doesn’t wane off for good. And that paying them more was the best way out.

“If we need to keep the players’ interest in Tests alive, we’ll have to ensure that those playing Tests are better paid. We can’t hide away from the trend which we are witnessing among new cricketers (being more prone towards T20 cricket),” Thakur told The Indian Express. He went on to bring up the Pujara case as a prime example of the staggering imbalance that presently threatens the very future of Test cricket. Pujara, who has played 32 Tests and is an integral member of the Indian Test team, went unsold in the IPL auctions for the second year running and was denied a ticket to come aboard the glitzy T20 caravan. Negi on the other hand wasn’t even in India’s plans till three months ago, and to date has appeared in a solitary international T20—against UAE during the Asia Cup in March where he recorded figures of 1/16 in three overs—despite being a member of the World T20 squad. For the record, Negi picking up one wicket at an average of 84 and scored 57 runs at a strike-rate of 96.61 in the eight matches he played for Delhi Daredevils.

Parity is board’s prerogative
And Thakur believes it’s the BCCI’s prerogative to bring more parity in terms of player payments. “If you look at the players we have in our current setup in this context, Cheteshwar Pujara’s name springs up immediately. He is a very good cricketer but not in any IPL team. If we wants these kind of cricketers to have long careers, and to retain their focus on Tests, we need to make Test cricket a lucrative option,” the BCCI chief said.

It’s not difficult to fathom why there’s a worry that more and more cricketers in coming years will drift towards the shortest format of the game, considering the quick and the massive financial gains on offer. Even though Indian players aren’t permitted to appear in the many other profitable T20 leagues around the world, the IPL is a remunerative enough distraction for the passion to don whites for their country slipping down the priority list of future cricketers.

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen too had spoken about how the ICC should do something about luring the likes of Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo back to Test cricket. “The game needs context and Test cricketers deserve to be rewarded properly. Only then can we feel safe in the knowledge that Test cricket will survive. It is wrong that guys such as Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and myself can earn a lot more money playing franchise cricket than cricketers who are Test regulars,” he wrote in his column for The Telegraph.

“I believe Test cricketers should be the best paid players in the world. Guys such as (Joe) Root should be earning the big money, not Twenty20 cricketers. If we play fewer Tests and pay the Test cricketers the money they deserve then the future of the game will be more assured,” he added.

Other cricketing luminaries, including West Indies ODI captain Jason Holder, around the world too have spoken out about the threat that exists for the future of Test cricket. Rahul Dravid, who coached the India U-19 team to the junior World Cup final before taking over as mentor for Delhi Daredevils, too had cautioned young players from wanting to only play in the T20 leagues by insisting that playing for the country should be the ultimate goal. “You don’t have to say ‘I’ll only become a T20 player’. That’s a dangerous trend because there’s only two months of T20 cricket. I don’t think young players need to sell themselves short. Their ultimate aim should be to play for India. That’s the gold medal for me; silver is playing the IPL,” Dravid had said.

Thakur had brought up the issue during the BCCI’s working committee meeting soon after taking over as president last week. With India set to play 18 Tests in the next nine months or so, the attention will return to cricket in whites before the IPL turns 10 in 2017. According to Thakur it’s not just important to keep players’ hooked on to Tests, but also to make sure that they are playing in front of big crowds. And the new president is confident that some of the new initiatives that the BCCI is planning to put in place, including hosting the first-ever day-night Test with pink balls on Indian soil, could go a long way in ensuring that.

“We are thinking of having 10 per cent seats for kids. I also think introducing new Test centres, especially those in smaller cities, will be a great way of bringing more people into the grounds. If not Dharamshala, we could even go to towns like Amtar and Nadaun, where the capacity is just 5000-10,000. But at least the stadiums will look fuller,” he said.

Virat Kohli capable of breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s records, says his coach Rajkumar Sharma

It is known that Virat Kohli not only spend hours batting in the nets, he devotes a substantial time towards his fitness.

Virat Kohli scored four tons during IPL 2016 edition. (Source: BCCI)

The sheer self-belief in his ability separates Virat Kohli from the rest and he is very much capable of breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s records with the way he has been batting, feels his childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma.

Sharma doesn’t see a weakness in Kohli’s batting, which has reached the next level with sensational performances in the World T20 and subsequent IPL.

“He is in sublime form at the moment. I don’t remember anyone playing for India being as consistent as Kohli. Even internationally, there won’t be many who have shown the consistency Kohli has shown. With the way he is batting, he is very much capable of breaking Sachin’s records,” Sharma, who watched Kohli lead RCB in the IPL final in Bengaluru on Sunday, told PTI on Wednesday.

There has been no looking back for India’s Test captain ever since the forgettable tour of England in 2014 when he failed to make a single half century in five Tests.

He soon worked on the flaws in his game and went to hammer four hundreds in the subsequent four-Test series in Australia.

Talking more about Kohli’s transformation and the ongoing phenomenal phase, Sharma said:”What separates him from the rest is the self belief in his ability. He backs his ability and the way he adapts to different conditions against different opposition is very good and it is a very important reason why he is successful. And he is always hungry for runs.”

What is Kohli doing differently compared to the time he struggled in England couple of years ago?

“England tour was a bad patch and every player goes through that phase. After that, he worked very hard on his game and the result of that you saw in Australia, the World T20 and now the IPL.

“England tour was a rough phase as I said. But it is not a Test for the future as I am very sure he would dominate the next time he is there,” reckoned Sharma.

It is known that Kohli not only spend hours batting in the nets, he devotes a substantial time towards his fitness.

“He prepares very well. Hard work everyone does but he does smart work with hard work. For example, every one goes back to their rooms after practice but he goes back and spends an hour or two in the gym. He has strict control over his diet even though he is very much a foodie. He eats only boiled and grilled stuff along with fruits. He loves to eat. It is just that he is avoiding fats and sugar,” said Sharma.

He has also toned down his aggression with time and his coach feels it has only helped India’s batting mainstay.

“Aggression has always been his strength. The only thing is that he should not be over aggressive and cross the line. He was a bit immature earlier but now he is a matured guy, and what you seeing on the field these days is controlled aggression. He has got a very good head on his shoulders.”

Sharma closely followed Kohli’s breathtaking run in IPL where he ended up being the highest run-getter besides smashing a record four centuries.

“I was in regular touch with Virat. I even went to watch the final and got back only a couple of days ago. The hundred he made against Kings XI in the 15-over game is my personal favourite. It was unbelievable the way he played that night.”

Sharma feels Kohli is ready to captain in all three formats but he should wait as long as MS Dhoni is around.

“He has shown his leadership quality but I would say Dhoni is a tremendous captain. So let him continue till the time he wants to continue and Virat will take over when the times comes,” the coach added.

India unlikely to rise in ODI rankings even if they blank Zimbabwe

If India win all the matches against 11th-ranked Zimbabwe, then they will gain one point and move to 110.

India won’t be moving from their current fourth place spot even if they blank Zimbabwe in the upcoming limited overs tour.

Fourth-placed India are unlikely to move up in the ICC ODI rankings even if they blank Zimbabwe in the three match series beginning in Harare on June 11.

If India win all the matches against 11th-ranked Zimbabwe, then they will gain one point and move to 110. If India win the series 2-1, then MS Dhoni’s side will slip to 108 points and Zimbabwe will move from 47 to 48 points.

Currently, India are five points ahead of fifth-placed Sri Lanka and behind leaders Australia (124 points), New Zealand (113) and South Africa (112).

Eighth-ranked West Indies will aim to create some daylight between itself and ninth-ranked Pakistan when they host world champions Australia and third-ranked South Africa in a tri-series from June 3. A total of 10 matches will be played in the triple-league format with the top two sides progressing to the final.

West Indies lead Pakistan by just one point, but trails Australia by 36 points and South Africa by 24 points. As such, because the rankings are weighted to reflect this difference, every West Indies win over Australia or South Africa will earn them valuable points.

If Australia remain unbeaten in the series, then they will collect five points and move to 129 points, while South Africa will gain six points and rise to 118 points if they make a clean sweep of the series. However, the West Indies will vault from 88 points to 106 points (a gain of 18 points) if they win all their seven matches.

Meanwhile, South Africa captain AB de Villiers and Sunil Narine of the West Indies will start the ODI season as the number-one batsman and bowler, respectively.

De Villiers leads India’s Virat Kohli, who will miss the  Zimbabwe tour, by 75 points, while third-ranked Hashim Amla and fourth-ranked Quinton de Kock are separated by just three points. Just outside the top 10, in 11th position, is Faf du Plessis.

Australia have no batsman inside the top 10 but occupies batting slots from 14-18. Glen Maxwell is his side’s highest ranked batsman in 14th position, followed by David Warner, Aaron Finch, Steve Smith and George Bailey. The five batsmen are separated by just 13 points.

In the bowlers’ chart, a returning Mitchell Starc isthe second highest-ranked bowler to feature in the tri-series after Narine. Starc, who was adjudged the player of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, last played an ODI against England in Manchester in 2015 and will start in fourth place – 49 points behind Narine.

Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh is the number-one ranked all-rounder, while Australia’s fifth-ranked James Faulkner will aim to make some upward movement.