All posts by csb10.top

Mumbai Indians officials are hoping to persuade Shaun Pollock, the former South African allrounder, to extend his contract with the IPL franchise. Pollock, whose contract with Mumbai Indians was only for one year, said that he didn’t want to play cricket anymore.”I have reached a stage where I think I have played enough cricket,” Pollock told Cricinfo. “My contract with the Mumbai Indians was for one year and I was very happy with the way things went. I enjoyed every bit of the IPL experience but I want to stop playing now. But I will come back in some capacity.”His franchise, however, had not given up hope of Pollock returning. “We are in talks with him. We understand his position but we are positive we will be able to convince him to reconsider, “a Mumbai Indians’ spokesperson said.During the first season of the IPL, Pollock had told Tendulkar that he might not return next year but the seniors, including Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya, convinced him to continue playing at the time.Pollock was the captain of the franchise during the first half of the tournament after Tendulkar was injured and Harbhajan Singh was banned. He scored 147 runs in eight innings at a strike-rate of 132.43 and took 11 wickets in 13 matches at an economy-rate of 6.54.

The West Indies Cricket Board has confirmed its interest in touring England in May and June next year, as a replacement for Sri Lanka who last week announced that they were pulling out of their proposed trip and would be honouring their contracts to play in the Indian Premier League.A press release from the WICB stated that the board “has received an invitation from the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to tour England in 2009 and the matter is under discussion,” while Dr Donald Peters, the WICB chief executive, confirmed that the proposal is for two Test matches and three one-day internationals.”We are examining all possibilities,” Peters added. “At this stage it presents some challenges because West Indies will be hosting a series – including Tests and one-day internationals – against Bangladesh in early May next year.”If we accept the invitation we would have to determine how best we could work out the logistics and planning issues.”West Indies are the third team to be considered by England for the pre-Ashes series next summer. Zimbabwe were originally slated to make a visit but their tour was cancelled due to political pressure, while the likelihood of Sri Lanka touring had been in doubt ever since SLC gave its players the go-ahead to take part in the IPL’s second season, even though the dates clashed.Rather than hosting a second-string Sri Lankan team – which would almost certainly have damaged ticket sales and jeopardised the status of Test cricket as the ultimate form of the game – West Indies have been earmarked as a more marketable alternative. They too have players in the IPL, but it is expected they will be part of the touring party.The West Indies players do have commitments with their sponsors, Digicel, which could in the future cause problems should they want to be released for the IPL in preference to major international events

Virender Sehwag left Vadodara on Friday for Delhi, mid-way through the Irani Cup match against Rest of India, because of a migraine.His departure from Vadodara sparked speculation in the local media about the reasons for him leaving with two days left in the match. Some cited poor accommodation facilities for Delhi in comparison to Rest of India while others said Sehwag was disturbed after the Munaf Patel incident, where the bowler had a heated exchange of words with some Delhi players on the field.”It is disappointing to note how people are reacting to my return (back to Delhi). Since Wednesday (the first day of the Irani Trophy game) I’d been getting severe bouts of migraine,” he told .Sehwag said the migraine was not a serious problem but he wanted to rest before joining the national team for the preparatory camp in Bangalore. “My doctor told me that since I have to join the Indian team’s camp next week it is better that I take rest now,” he said. “My return has nothing to do with Munaf Patel. These things are common on a cricket field and no cricketer will return home because of that.”Sehwag also dismissed suggestions that he was not a team man. “If you look at my record I have never missed a chance of playing for Delhi. Not only this, I always make it a point to turn out for my employers ONGC as well. Whoever doubts my commitment doesn’t know me at all. I am a complete team-man whether playing for Delhi or India or any other team.”Vijay Dahiya, Delhi’s coach, said Sehwag had informed the team management and the team backed him. “He spoke to the team management and also took permission from Gary Kirsten,” Dahiya said. The match officials were also informed after the game on Friday.Rest of India completed a 187-run victory over Delhi on Saturday.

Match facts

Friday August 22, 2008
Start time 2.30pm (13.30GMT)

Big Picture

Chastened by a 2-1 defeat in the Test series, England have their chance for redemption with the first of five one-dayers against South Africa, beginning at Headingley on Friday. Though much of the focus will be on Kevin Pietersen and how he leads his one-day side, perhaps the most interesting sub-plots of the series will be the return of Steve Harmison – who has come out of ODI retirement – and the opening partnership between Ian Bell and Matt Prior, returning to international cricket after 12 months. Their relationship at the top of the order will be crucial if England are to compete on level terms with South Africa, the No.2 ODI side in the world, who bristle with aggression (they welcome back Herschelle Gibbs) and nous (JP Duminy). With Paul Collingwood still absent following his dubious tactics in the one-day series against New Zealand earlier in the summer, and Ryan Sidebottom again injured, England have it all to do. However, with Harmison and Andrew Flintoff in the bowling attack, alongside James Anderson, they do have the fire power to cause some problems.

Form guide

England NLLLN
South Africa WWWWW

Watch out for

Herschelle Gibbs No longer favoured by South Africa as a Test opener, Gibbs comes into the series fresh and firing. A brisk 81 helped South Africa beat England Lions last week, and he offers an explosive, dynamic start to their innings. By his own standards he struggled to make an impact against Bangladesh earlier in the year, but nevertheless has four hundreds in his last fifteen matches. England can only dream of such riches. Opening the innings with his captain, Graeme Smith, will make for a thrilling denouement to the international summer.Matt Prior Another series, another keeper for England, and this time they’ve gone back to the tried-and-failed Prior. Dropped after the Test series against India, headlines such as “Prior the buffoon should grow up” hurt his pride, but he has responded in the most sensible manner possible: scoring runs and taking catches. In the Championship alone, he has 841 runs at 56.06. It’s another opportunity for him with Tim Ambrose and Phil Mustard both failing to impress in one-day cricket and, you sense, it is one he is desperate to grab: this time, with both hands.

Team news

England are still without Collingwood, who is in the middle of serving a four-match ban following the one-day series against New Zealand, which alters their middle-order somewhat. Samit Patel made his debut in the drizzly encounter against Scotland this week, but it seems likely that England will opt for Graeme Swann and Luke Wright in their middle and lower-order. Again, Sidebottom has failed a fitness test meaning Tim Bresnan might another game or Harmison could be thrown straight back in. Owais Shah – who was “wasted” at No.6, according to Pietersen – will bat at No.3, as England ring the changes and opt for Bell and Prior as their latest opening combination.England (possible) Ian Bell, Matt Prior (wk), Owais Shah, Kevin Pietersen (capt), Andrew Flintoff, Ravi Bopara, Luke Wright, Graeme Swann, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, James AndersonSouth Africa have injury concerns of their own, too. Albie Morkel (shoulder) has been ruled out, while his brother, Morne, is trying to shrug off a sidestrain. Meanwhile, Smith warmed up for the series with a neat 50 against England Lions, and leads a strong batting line-up with Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers providing middle-order power, but he too has an elbow problem. In addition, JP Duminy acts as a dynamic strokeplayer at No.5, along with his useful spinners. Talking of which, Johan Botha is South Africa’s main spinning option, having remodelled his action after he was reported by umpires in Australia during South Africa’s 2006.South Africa (probable) Graeme Smith (capt), Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Mark Boucher (wk), Vernon Philander, Johan Botha, Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn, Andre Nel.Umpires: Ian Gould and Simon Taufel

Pitch and conditions

After the Twenty20 washout at Chester-le-Street there remains a concern that Headingley, too, may not be ready in time for Friday. Heavy showers were forecast for Thursday, and that trend was to continue on Friday too, making the toss all the more important. A fired-up Dale Steyn, who missed the last two matches of South Africa’s Test series win, could be an exhilarating prospect on a damp and seaming Leeds pitch.

Stats and Trivia

• South Africa haven’t lost a one-dayer since New Zealand beat them at home in November 2007. In fact, they are on a remarkable winning streak of nine-straight victories
• Against England, South Africa have won 22 out of the 35 matches and haven’t lost a match against them since January 2005 – the series in which Pietersen made his thrilling international debut
• England have won three out of their last five one-dayers at Headingley, including beating South Africa on the 1998 tour

Quotes

“There were times when I thought maybe if I didn’t keep, my batting average would escalate and I could try and get in just as a batsman.”
Matt Prior reveals the steps he considered taking to force his way back into the England side”During that period, I had to really think about my bowling and be really on my game – so that if something didn’t feel right with my bowling I knew what it was.”
Johan Botha on his remodelled action and return as South Africa’s main spinning option

Attempts to finalise a tour of Kenya by Zimbabwe continue to stall because of claims by Zimbabwe Cricket that their itinerary is too busy to allow them to fit in with dates offered by the Kenyans.A source inside Zimbabwe Cricket told Cricinfo that while Cricket Kenya had offered two alternatives for a one-day series in Nairobi and Mombasa, the Zimbabwe board had countered that the only time they had free was a small window in late October, at the same time the Kenyans are hosting Ireland in the Intercontinental Cup and then a one-day series.It is possible that the Ireland series could be replaced with a triangular tournament including Zimbabwe, but that could throw up political issues in asking Ireland to take the field against Zimbabwe.Zimbabwe have not played an international match since February, when they were whitewashed in a five ODI series. They have repeatedly put obstacles in the way of playing Kenya away from home, much to the frustration of both Cricket Kenya and, increasingly, the ICC, who have put Zimbabwe Cricket under increasing pressure to play the lower-ranked Test countries as well as the leading Associates.Zimbabwe’s schedule is hardly packed. They are down to play one-day series with Sri Lanka at home and away during the next year, and they are also hosting a Pakistan Academy side next month. Last season they played a large number of matches in South Africa’s domestic competitions, but with relations between ZC and Cricket South Africa now frozen, there appear to be big gaps in their itinerary.”It’s as much about not wanting to be seen losing to Kenya than anything else,” the ZC source told Cricinfo. “It would be easy to arrange the tour if the will was there. The players want to play. It’s the administrators who are running scared as they worry that a defeat by them [Kenya] would make people inside the ICC sit up and start asking more questions about funding.”

The review of umpiring decisions, being trialled in the series, has already generated a lot of attention and did so again on Saturday, when a confident appeal by India for an lbw against Thilan Samaraweera was turned down initially by the on-field umpire and then on review.Samaraweera was struck on the pad by a ball from Anil Kumble but it appeared as if he might have got an inside edge. However, replays showed ball hitting pad before bat, and it appeared as though the ball would have gone on to hit the middle stump three-fourths of the way up. The decision, though, was upheld and Samaraweera, then on 5, went on to score 35.Mark Benson was the on-field umpire involved in that decision, and he admitted it had been a hard day at work. “It has been a tough day for the umpires; there have been three decisions overturned but in the end of the day the correct decision has been made and we have to live with it,” he told broadcaster Ten Sports after the day’s play. “It’s not easy with all these bat-pads and these mystery spinners (read Ajantha Mendis). It’s a trial and the review system has got to be for the obvious mistakes. It can only be for good if we get rid of the obvious mistake”There were seven review calls made by both teams on Saturday. Benson and Rudi Koertzen were the two on-field umpires, with Billy Doctrove standing as the third umpire. Benson had a few suggestions for improving the system.”The review system needs to get the HotSpot in,” he said. Benson also said perhaps the review should check if the entire ball pitched outside the line of leg stump in case of leg-before decisions, instead of looking at percentages. Currently, the rule states that more than 50% of the ball must pitch in line with the leg stump, whereas for the impact of the ball on pad, as long as a part of the ball is in line with the stumps the batsman can be given out.The present review system uses the Virtual Eye technology, which maps where the ball pitched and the point where it hit the pad, and predicts where the ball will hit the stumps (though this is not available to the third umpire due to doubts over its accuracy). However, the system produced a gaffe when it failed to detect a deflection from Virender Sehwag’s front pad onto the back pad in India’s second innings at the SSC, and showed the impact of the ball in line with where it hit the back pad, but at a distance from the stumps where his front pad was. Third umpire Rudi Koertzen too failed to point out the glaring error to the on-field umpire.Sri Lanka have had the better of the review system so far in the series, with captain Mahela Jayawardene particularly making some superb calls in the field on the first day of the Test, with lbw shouts against Rahul Dravid and Gautam Gambhir, initially given not-out by the on-field umpire, were upheld on review. Trevor Bayliss, the Sri Lanka coach, was for the system. “We’ve had a number decisions turned around in our favour. The other way of looking at it is sitting here and complaining about seven or eight wrong ones,” he said on Saturday. “In fact we had those turned around. I think it’s doing its job. There are one or two areas that have to be cleaned up a little bit. But from our point of view we are reasonably happy the way it has gone.”Bayliss felt the review system would balance the contest between bat and ball. “Everyone says the game is a batsman’s game. I think the review system might be a little bit of a comeback for the bowlers. There will be more outs than not outs. All the bowlers should be pretty happy that the review system is in place.”

Australia have announced their preliminary 30-man squad for the Champions Trophy in Pakistan in September, with Shaun Tait being recalled as he continues to work his way back into international cricket after taking a self-imposed break due to exhaustion. The squad also includes five newcomers in Xavier Doherty, Ryan Harris, Brett Geeves, George Bailey and Tim Paine.”The squad recognises the continued success of the one-day side and its outstanding efforts in the West Indies, together with the strong performance of our young emerging talent in the Ford Ranger Cup,” Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of Australia’s national selection panel, said.Offspinners Nathan Hauritz and Dan Cullen and legspinner Cameron White will stake their claim for the spinners’ spot in the final squad. “Closer to final selection a decision will be made on the make-up of the squad and whether a specialist spinner needs to be added to the final 15,” Hilditch said. Beau Casson, he said, missed out as he needed “more exposure” to the one-day format.Tasmania’s Ford Rangers Cup success last season means that they have provided four of the newcomers to the squad. Doherty, the left-arm spinner, and seamer Geeves were the among four bowlers who finished joint-highest on the wicket-takers’ list with 15 scalps. Paine, the wicketkeeper who has turned into a specialist batsman, contributed 261 runs at 37.38, while Bailey, despite his limited success – 258 runs at 25.80 – is marked as one for the future. Harris, the bowling allrounder who moved to Queensland from South Australia, has taken 49 wickets at 35.51 in his List A career.Hildicth added that Ben Hilfenhaus was not considered as he was recovering from an injury. The squad will be whittled down to a final 15 on or before the August 11 deadline.

Barring two uncapped players in Nestor Dhamba and Ayan Khan, Oman will be fielding an experienced squad at the T20 World Cup starting October 18 in Al Amerat. Veteran allrounder Zeeshan Maqsood will lead the side.With Oman playing at home for the first stage of the tournament, they have named no reserve players. Maqsood will be reliant on the collective experience of Mohammad Nadeem, Aqib Ilyas, Khawar Ali and Jatinder Singh in the competition.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Oman’s first task at the T20 World Cup will be to achieve a top-two finish in their group of Papua New Guinea, Bangladesh and Scotland. If they do that, Oman will proceed to the Super 12 stage of the competition in the UAE.Co-hosts of the T20 World Cup along with the UAE, Oman were the last team to qualify for the competition after winning the World Cup qualifier playoff game in 2019 against Hong Kong for the final spot.They enter the competition following two wins in three home T20s against Indian domestic side Mumbai, giving the Asian side crucial match practice before the World Cup. Oman played the 2016 T20 World Cup in India previously, where they recorded their first-ever tournament win when they beat Ireland in Dharamsala.Oman’s squad for T20 World Cup: Zeeshan Maqsood (capt), Aqib Ilyas (vice-capt), Jatinder Singh, Khawar Ali, Mohammad Nadeem, Ayan Khan, Suraj Kumar, Sandeep Goud, Nestor Dhamba, Kaleemullah, Bilal Khan, Naseem Khushi, Sufyan Mehmood, Fayyaz Butt, Khurram Khan

Likely first XI

Ajinkya Rahane, Mayank Agarwal, Faf du Plessis, Steven Smith (capt), Ben Stokes, MS Dhoni (wk), Rajat Bhatia, Shardul Thakur, Ankit Sharma, Ashok Dinda, Imran Tahir

Reserves

Batsmen – Usman Khawaja, B Aparajith, Ankush Bains, Manoj TiwaryBowlers – Ishwar Pandey, Saurabh Kumar, Adam Zampa, Jaskaran Singh, Deepak Chahar, Jaydev Unadkat, Lockie Ferguson, Rahul ChaharAllrounders – Dan Christian, Rahul Tripathi, Milind Tandon

Strengths

They have arguably the best batsman in the world, the best finisher, and the best allrounder. Smith, Dhoni and Stokes form the crux of a robust middle order that is capable of blitzing targets as well as accumulating scores. Then there is the legspinner Tahir, the current No. 1 bowler in T20 cricket, who was rather surprisingly overlooked at the auction in February. Zampa was the surprise package in IPL 2016, peeling off 12 wickets in five matches at an economy rate of 6.76, and he enters this season with an enhanced reputation after productive stints with the Australian team and Guyana Amazon Warriors in the CPL. He could even jostle Tahir out of the playing XI should Supergiant opt to play just one spinner.

Weaknesses

No less than six Supergiant players – du Plessis, Kevin Pietersen, Smith, Mitchell Marsh, M Ashwin and Deepak Chahar – suffered injuries in 2016 with all four overseas names pulling out midway through the last season. They have now lost R Ashwin and Marsh even before the start of this season. Sports hernia has stripped Supergiant of their only frontline offspinner while their two left-arm fingerspinners, Ankit and Saurabh, lack T20 experience – the latter is yet to play an IPL match. Supergiant’s worries extend to their seam attack too. Thakur, who was acquired from Kings XI Punjab, might feel the aftereffects of a long domestic season as the IPL wears on: he bowled 417.3 overs across formats – the second-most by a seamer. Unadkat and Pandey are similar bowlers to RP Singh and Ishant Sharma, who were released from the squad.Dan Christian was on fire at the BBL but will he be able to overturn an otherwise lacklustre IPL career with a new franchise?•Getty Images

Where they finished in 2016, and what’s different this year?

Seventh. They were the first side to be knocked out last season.For starters, the management has changed the team’s name from Rising Pune Supergiants to Rising Pune Supergiant, and made Smith captain in place of Dhoni on the eve of the auction. Having released Thisara Perera, Albie Morkel and Irfan Pathan from the squad, Supergiant then splurged INR 14.5 crore (approximately USD 2.16 million) on Stokes, making him the most expensive overseas player ever bought at an IPL auction. They also spent a crore on Victoria and Hobart Hurricanes allrounder Dan Christian, who might be thrust into the spotlight when Stokes takes up national duty. That Supergiant shelled out millions for just two players meant they could not bid more aggressively for fast bowlers like T Natarajan and Basil Thampi. As a result, the seam attack remains largely unchanged. The top order, though, has been bolstered by the acquisition of Agarwal from Delhi Daredevils.

What have their players been up to?

• Stokes was distraught after being hit for four successive sixes in final in Kolkata last year, but a brutal fifty and the wicket of Virat Kohli, which helped England sew up a high-scoring thriller this year, came as a soothing balm. His hit-the-deck bustle challenged India in the limited-overs series before he showed innings-building skills while scoring a fifty against West Indies in Antigua.
• Christian had a fruitful BBL season with the Hurricanes, performing the dual role of taking wickets and curbing the run rate. He claimed nine wickets, including 5 for 14, the third-best figures in the history of the BBL. His batting wasn’t as sparkly in the tournament, but when Christian hits the ball, it stays hit. Case in point: this 117m monster at – or – the Gabba in 2015. On the flip side, Christian has struggled in the IPL, managing only 341 runs in 22 innings for Deccan Chargers and Royal Challengers Bangalore at a strike rate of 116.78.
• Dhoni smashed a half-century in his most recent T20I, then led Jharkhand to the semi-final of the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy. He finished as his state’s second-highest scorer with 330 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of nearly 100.

Overseas-player availability

Stokes will be available to the franchise for the entire group stage, before returning to England on May 14 to prepare for three ODIs against South Africa in late May that serve as a warm-up for the Champions Trophy. Tearaway quick Lockie Ferguson will be with Supergiant until May 10, before linking up with New Zealand for a tri-series against hosts Ireland and Bangladesh.

Home and away record in 2016

Supergiant fared equally badly both at home and on the road. They were swept clean at the MCA Stadium in Pune, before they won two out of three games in their second home in Visakhapatnam and avoided a bottom-place finish. They also won three away matches, all while chasing.

Poll

Match facts

Thursday, January 26, 2017
Start time 1630 local (1100 GMT)Amit Mishra will lead India’s spinners in R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja’s absence•BCCI

Big picture

England finally found reasons to grin when Chris Woakes owned the last four balls of his final over in Kolkata, sealing their first win since November. The tension, pressure, dejection and relief were all palpable in the closing overs. On India’s Republic Day, the teams now move to a format where those emotions last for the game’s entirety, and four well-executed yorkers mean nothing until you can “finish an over”.New limited-overs captain Virat Kohli hasn’t led India in a T20 but he is familiar with the nuances of the role, having captained Royal Challengers Bangalore since 2011. Besides, as was visible in the ODI series, he has MS Dhoni to guide him along. What either of them won’t have is the assurance of Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin, who were rested for the T20s. With a healthy mix of veterans – Ashish Nehra, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina and Amit Mishra – and uninhibited youth (Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya) in India’s squad, will experience or exuberance dominate?England’s T20 set-up is largely the same as their ODI team, a compliment to how seamlessly they can make the transition from one format to another. Despite not being “near their best”, they could have whitewashed India 3-0 in the ODIs had they won clutch moments. England’s batting explosiveness, from nos. 1 to 11, will keep them in the contest, and if the bowlers can find their end-overs rhythm, the visitors will be hard to get past.

Form guide

India LWWLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
England LWLWW

In the spotlight

Amit Mishra will take over as India’s leading spinner for the T20s, with Jadeja and Ashwin rested. Historically, England have had their share of woes against spin. A wristspinner, like Mishra, will extract more than a fingerspinner with the increased number of revolutions imparted on the ball. Despite his unwillingness to use the googly in the Test series against England, Mishra will be a handful even if England’s batsmen can read his variations.England posted scores of 350, 366 and 321 despite the absence of Jos Buttler‘s pyrotechnics through the middle overs. He scored just 52 runs in three innings. Armed with a variety of reverse-sweeps and scoops, Buttler is plausibly England’s most destructive ball-striker.

Team news

India have plenty of batsmen – both fresh and experienced – to choose from. Virat Kohli said he was open to the idea of opening if that added balance to the squad. It might be the best way to accommodate Suresh Raina at No. 3, followed by Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni. It is unlikely they will field two legpsinners, increasing Parvez Rasool’s chances and, if the quick bowlers are to be picked on form, Bhuvneshwar Kumar will have an edge over Jasprit Bumrah.India (probable) 1 KL Rahul/Mandeep Singh, 2 Virat Kohli (capt), 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Manish Pandey, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Parvez Rasool, 9 Amit Mishra, 10 Ashish Nehra, 11 Bhuvneshwar Kumar/Jasprit BumrahEoin Morgan confirmed Joe Root was fit after recovering from his niggle, whereas David Willey, who joined the squad on Tuesday morning from Kolkata after scans, was not available for selection. With Woakes not in the T20 squad, England may bring in Sussex team-mates Chris Jordan and speedster Tymal Mills for early wickets. They might want to stick with four quicks and leave Adil Rashid out as they did in the last two ODIs.England (probable) 1 Sam Billings, 2 Jason Roy, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Jos Buttler (wk), 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Liam Plunkett, 9 Chris Jordan, 10 Tymal Mills, 11 Jake Ball

Pitch and conditions

Back to small grounds and flat pitches then, after a grassy Eden Gardens. With dew playing a bigger role in north India, the first T20 will start at 4.30pm to make it a more even contest. Temperatures are expected to be in the early 20s when the match starts and dip a little later.

Stats and trivia

• The last time India lost while chasing in a T20I despite Virat Kohli making a fifty was against England at Edgbaston in 2014, also the previous encounter between these two teams. Since then, Kohli has struck four fifty-plus scores in successful T20I chases
• Yuvraj Singh has won two Man-of-the-Match awards against England in T20Is
• Of the 206 T20s Kohli has played, he has captained in 72 of them. He has not led India though

Quotes

“At the moment the guys are feeling a lot more confident than they were maybe after game two. They did a lot of hard work but didn’t get a win under their belt, Looking forward to a three-match series potentially could be very exciting.”
“I have only opened once or maybe twice for India, but I have experience opening in the IPL. If need be then I could or I might not depending on the balance of the side. There are all kinds of possibilities.”