The rescheduled ODI series between India and Sri Lanka will kick off on July 18, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah has confirmed.

The upcoming ODI series between India and Sri Lanka has been rescheduled after hosts’ team analyst GT Niroshan and batting coach Grant Flower tested positive for coronavirus.

“The India-Sri Lanka ODI series will start on July 18 due to coronavirus cases in Sri Lanka camp,” Jay Shah told ANI.

The Shikhar Dhawan-led Indian side was slated to lock horns in the ODI series scheduled to begin on Tuesday, but due to the recent cases in the Sri Lanka camp, the tour will now start from July 18.

As per a report in ESPNcricinfo, both Niroshan and Flower have been infected with the Delta variant, which is more contagious. Sri Lanka squad was slated to come out of quarantine and enter a bio-bubble on Friday, but the players have been forced to spend at least two more days in isolation.

Earlier, three England players testing positive for COVID-19 had sent alarm bells ringing as Sri Lanka last played against the English squad.

Sri Lanka played against England in three ODIs and three T20Is and the cricketers returned to Sri Lanka on Tuesday evening. Sri Lanka failed to win a single match on their tour to England after they suffered a 3-0 defeat in T20Is and a 2-0 loss in the ODI series.

NEW DELHI: The Indian cricket team’s six-match limited-overs series against Sri Lanka was on Friday rescheduled owing to a COVID-19 outbreak in the home team camp, with the first ODI now starting on July 17 instead of July 13. Sri Lanka’s batting coach Grant Flower and data analyst GT Niroshan have tested positive for the dreaded virus on return from the United Kingdom, which has forced Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to extend the hard quarantine period from the stipulated three days.

“Yes, the series will now start from 17th of July instead of 13th. The decision was taken in consultation with SLC keeping the safety and security of players in mind,” a senior BCCI official told PTI, confirming the development.

After talking to sources in SLC, it has been learnt that new dates are still being chalked out in consultation with the BCCI. The tentative dates could be July 17, 19 and 21 for the 50-over games, while the three-match T20I rubber is likely to start from July 24. “We are discussing a few options on the fresh itinerary,” a source in SLC told PTI. As per the original schedule, the series was to start with the ODI leg on July 13, followed by matches on July 16 and July 18. The T20I games were scheduled for July 21, July 23 and July 25.

The second-string Indian team, being led by Shikhar Dhawan with Rahul Dravid as chief coach, has completed its hard quarantine and has been training in Colombo. The SLC source informed that all the Sri Lankan players who came back from UK have tested negative.

“Once the contingent returned from the UK, Grant tested positive on arrival in RT PCR on the first day. All other players were then in their respective room (hard) quarantine. We removed Grant immediately in separate isolation zone. He is asymptomatic,” the source added.

“Yesterday we tested the others once again and today GT Niroshan’s report came positive and he was also isolated. Since we didn’t receive any other positive reports as of now, it means that the players who returned from UK have tested negative in their second RT PCR test.”

The series is now being pushed back by four days despite the SLC keeping two groups of players in separate bio-bubbles. “Apart from the UK-returned batch, we have created two more bio-bubbles in Colombo. In one bubble there are 13 players and in another there are 26. So, 39 players are available to pick a squad from. But BCCI would like to play the first team for obvious reasons,” the SLC source said.

Since the Sri Lanka white-ball team doesn’t have any commitments after this, the rescheduling wasn’t a big problem. With all the games at the Premadasa Stadium, the dates can be kept flexible as no travelling is involved. The Indian team is staying at its preferred location for the last three decades — Taj Samudra. While Niroshan’s conformation was given on Friday, Sri Lanka’s batting coach Flower tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, 48 hours after the squad’s arrival from England. All the other players who are quarantining have also been tested.

Before testing negative, Sri Lanka’s squad had faced an anxious wait for the results of their RT-PCR tests on returning home, following a COVID-19 outbreak in the England squad after the final match of their tour in Bristol on Sunday.

The Lankans have been in a bit of turmoil even otherwise with a dispute over contracts and an ongoing inquiry into bio-bubble breach by three players during the England tour adding to their woes.

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Sourav Ganguly Birthday: Former Team India captain Sourav Ganguly turned 49 years old. Sourav Ganguly, the current President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, is counted among the best captains in the world. Ganguly is seen as a leader who took Indian cricket out of the fixing scandal and scripted a new story. 

Sourav Ganguly took charge of Team India in 146 ODIs and 49 Test matches. Under his captaincy, the Indian team managed to win 76 ODIs and 21 Test matches, while they drew 15 Tests. Ganguly not only achieved a historic victory by defeating Australia 2-1 in 2001 but also made it a habit of winning matches on foreign soil. 

He Gave Opportunities to Young Players :

Under the captaincy of Sourav Ganguly, the Indian cricket team was successful in winning the final match of the NatWest Series. It was the magic of Sourav Ganguly’s captaincy that despite a very poor start in the 2003 ODI World Cup, India made it to the semi-finals.

Sourav Ganguly gave young players several opportunities under his captaincy. Under his captaincy, players like Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag, Irfan Pathan, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, MS Dhoni, Mohammad Kaif, and Ashish Nehra managed to claim their spots in Team India. These players later played an important role in India winning the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup.

Their Journey Wasn’t Easy

The journey from playing for India to leading the country was not easy for Sourav Ganguly. Sourav Ganguly made his ODI debut in 1992. However, he was dropped from the team after one match. Four years later, in 1996, Sourav Ganguly made a comeback with a bang and made his Test debut, scoring a century at Lord’s. 

For the next 10 years, Sourav Ganguly emerged as the biggest player for Team India after Sachin Tendulkar. In 2000, when India was caught in the trap of fixing and Sachin Tendulkar refused to lead the team, Sourav Ganguly was handed the reins. Sourav Ganguly began writing a new script for Team India.

Strong Comeback

Unfortunate times also awaited for Sourav Ganguly. Sourav Ganguly’s form deteriorated in 2004. In 2005, after Greg Chappell became the coach, Sourav Ganguly was not only sacked as captain, he also lost his place in the team. 

Sourav Ganguly, however, made a strong comeback on the South Africa tour in 2006. After shining with the bat for the next two years, Sourav Ganguly said goodbye to cricket in 2008.  

Wimbledon 2021: Novak Djokovic reaches semi-finals, Roger Federer loses

Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh heaped huge praise on flamboyant wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant and said he has a smart brain. Pant has touted as the next big thing in Indian cricket as he has already proved himself in the tough Australian and English conditions. In the past few months, Pant took the international cricket by storm with his match-winning performances in Australia tour Down Under and England Tests at home.

Yuvraj feels that Pant has the potential to become the Indian captain in the future. The southpaw led the Delhi Capitals in the first half of IPL 2021 where his team ended at the top of the points table when the tournament got suspended due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the bubble.

“I also see Rishabh as a potential Indian captain in the future. Because he is jumpy, chirpy, and talks around. But I feel he surely has a smart brain as well because I saw him when he was captaining in the IPL for Delhi Capitals. He did an incredible job. So, people should look at him as the next captain of the Indian team in the coming years,” Yuvraj told Times of India.

“I see someone, Rishabh Pant, who like Adam Gilchrist who can change the course of the game. Gilchrist changed the course of the game in Test cricket when he came onto the scene. And I feel Rishabh can do the same.”

Meanwhile, Pant has often said that his inspiration in cricket is Gilchrist who is ranked amongst the greatest wicketkeeper batsmen of all time.

The 23-year-old is currently in England for the five-match Test series. All eyes will be on the southpaw as the last time India toured England, Pant slammed his maiden Test century in 2018.

India’s ex-skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is celebrating his 40th birthday today. Born on July 7, 1981, in Ranchi, Dhoni ruled international cricket for almost 15 years. During this period, he created several big records. Today, on the occasion of Mahi’s 40th birthday, here’s looking at 5 MSD records that might be difficult to break

Only Captain to Win All ICC Trophies 

MS Dhoni is counted among the most successful captains in international cricket. Dhoni is the only captain in the world to have won all three ICC trophies. He won the T20 World Cup in 2007, the ODI World Cup in 2011, and the Champions Trophy in 2013. It is almost impossible to break this record. 

Record for Most Stumpings

Dhoni’s wicketkeeping skills were not rated highly in terms of technique. However, everyone holds his wicketkeeping in high regard today. Even though his skills were lacking, his results were par excellence. Dhoni holds the record for most stumpings in international cricket. He has a record 123 stumpings to his name in his 15-year career. No other wicketkeeper has touched the 100 mark. 

Scored a Century Batting at Number 7 

Dhoni is the only captain to score a ton while batting at number seven in ODI cricket. He scored a century against Pakistan in December 2012 while batting at the five-down position. He also scored his first international century against Pakistan. 

Highest Individual Score as a Wicketkeeper-Batsman 

Dhoni holds the record for scoring the most runs in a match as a wicketkeeper-batsman in ODI cricket. In 2005, he scored an unbeaten 183 in a match-winning innings against Sri Lanka. The innings was studded with 15 fours and 10 sixes. Earlier, Australia’s legendary wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist had scored 172 runs against Zimbabwe in 2004. 

Captaincy Record  

MS Dhoni holds the record of captaining India in the most number of ODIs. He has led team India in 200 matches. He is also the highest run-scorer for India as a captain in ODIs. 

Team Indian cricketers are enjoying a lengthy break after their disappointing loss in the World Test Championship Final to New Zealand last month and on Tuesday (July 7), pacer Jasprit Bumrah chose to spend quality time with his better-half, Sanjana Ganesan, and that too at the Wembley stadium where the couple enjoyed Euro 2020 semifinal match between Italy and Spain.

Sanjana took to her social media handles to share a picture with Bumrah where the couple can be seen posing in the stands at Wembley stadium. However, the picture wasn’t met with great responses as many people questioned the couple for not wearing masks while suggesting that COVID-19 is still pretty much there in England and the star couple should have worn masks while attending the match.

Here are some reactions:

Mask wask laga ke rakho bhabhi. Situation in London is not good

— Dev Singh (@itsDevRA) July 7, 2021

 

Looking great together 
Bs mask pehn kr rkho , Eng is no more safe

— Robin Saroy (@RobinSaroy2002) July 7, 2021

 

Where is mask ??

—   (@AlwaysHitler45_) July 7, 2021

Notably, on Tuesday (July 6), seven members of the England men’s cricket team tested positive for COVID-19 and the entire team has gone into isolation because of the same, after which England had to announce an entirely new squad for the Pakistan ODI series.

Meanwhile, India’s Test regulars are making the most of their time away from the sport during their 20-day-long break in the UK. Earlier, wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant attended the England vs Germany Round of 16 game, and recently, head coach Ravi Shastri and spinner Ravichandran Ashwin attended Wimbledon 2021 games.

India will take on England in five-match Test series starting from August 4.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, one of the biggest stars in the history of Indian cricket, turns 40 today. Dhoni has played an important role in taking Indian cricket to new heights. He is the only captain in the world to win all ICC trophies. His attitude towards the game made him different from others. Today on Mahi’s birthday, lets know about his journey in international cricket.  

Ganguly was the one to give Dhoni his first chance. 

Born on July 07, 1981 in Ranchi, Mahendra Singh Dhoni had knocked on the doors of Team India in the year 2000 after his excellent performance in the domestic cricket. But even after consistently performing well, Dhoni was not getting selected in the Indian team. There was no permanent wicketkeeper in Team India in those days. Dhoni did not lose courage and continued to struggle. The responsibility of wicket keeping was handed over to Rahul Dravid but being a makeshift wicketkeeper on important occasions proved to be harmful to the team. Later, at the end of 2004, during the Bangladesh tour, Indian captain Sourav Ganguly gave Dhoni his first chance to play for the team. Dhoni was selected for Team India on the Bangladesh tour, and he got a chance to play his first match for India. However, Dhoni could not do anything special in the debut match and was run out for zero. 

Dada always supported Dhoni

Ganguly recognized Dhoni’s talent. All that was needed now, was to believe and support his talent. Dada did the same. Even after a bad tour of Bangladesh, he selected Mahi in the team as a wicketkeeper against Pakistan in 2005. This time Dhoni did not disappoint his captain and played a blistering innings of 148 runs in Visakhapatnam. Shortly after this, Mahi showed his skills in international cricket by playing match-winning innings of 183 runs against Sri Lanka. 

Dhoni became the world’s number one batsman in ODI cricket. 

Soon Dhoni became the best batsman in the world cricket. Dhoni achieved the first position in the ICC ODI rankings in just 34 innings of ODI cricket. Before him, no player till date has been able to achieve this fate. He achieved his place in the Indian team by performing consistently against Pakistan, England, Australia, West Indies, and South Africa. Mahi became a reliable player of the team in all three formats. 

Captaincy in 2007 

India’s performance in the 2007 ODI World Cup was very poor. India had to face the defeat against Bangladesh. BCCI handed over the captaincy to Mahi. Dhoni got a chance to lead Team India in the 2007 T20 World Cup. His precise decisions and his keen eye to understand the game made India the world champion. 

India won the World Cup after 28 years. 

That was the first moment in 2011 , when Dhoni settled in the heart of every Indian. He won the 2011 ODI World Cup for India. Thus after 28 years, Team India triumphed once again. Dhoni became the first captain in the world to win the ICC T20 and ICC ODI World Cup. 

Won the Champion trophy in 2013 

The Champions Trophy was held in England in 2013. Once again , Dhoni won the title for India on the basis of his accurate decisions and best strategies. Dhoni became the only captain in the world to win all ICC trophies. 

He retired from Test cricket in 2014. 

Mahi retired from Test cricket in 2014 after scoring 4876 runs in 90 Tests for India at an average of 38.09. Dhoni scored 1 double century, 6 centuries, and 33 half-centuries in Test cricket. His highest score in Test cricket was 224. 

He played his last International match in 2019. 

After he retired from Test cricket, in 2017, Dhoni decided to quit captaincy in ODIs and T20 Internationals. Mahi played his last international match against New Zealand on July 09, 2019, during the 2019 ODI World Cup. On August 15, 2020, Mahendra Singh Dhoni retired from international cricket. 

The five-match Test series between India and England will start next month. Team India’s star spinner R Ashwin, however, may play a Test game before the Test series against England. After getting a working visa, R Ashwin might reportedly play a first-class match for England’s county team Surrey. 

If Ashwin gets his work visa on time, he can play in the county match for Surrey from July 11. Ashwin is currently on a break like rest of his team members. Ashwin has played county cricket in the past as well. He has played county cricket for Nottinghamshire and Worcestershire.

If Ashwin gets a work visa for Surrey’s match against Somerset at The Oval, it could prove to be a good opportunity for him to practice on English soil before the Ind vs Eng Test series.

READ | Tokyo Stops Olympic Torch Relay In Light of Covid-19.

Team India will also play a practice match 

The fourth match of the India and England Test series will be played at The Oval. Reports claim that it is more or less confirmed that Ashwin will play a county match for Surrey, pending a formal announcement. 

After losing the World Test Championship final against New Zealand, Indian captain Virat Kohli said that the team demanded a first-class match before the title match but, he is not aware as to why it did not happen.

India is expected to play practice match before the Test series against England. The England and Wales Cricket Board has already said that it plans to organize a warm-up match for India against the combined county team ahead of the Test series.

IND Vs ENG: For Team India, presently in England, a new issue of finding an opener is worrying them ahead of India vs England Test series. Shubman Gill’s exclusion from the England tour is absolutely certain. For this reason, the team management advocated for sending Prithvi Shaw and Devdutt Padikkal to England. But reportedly, the selectors have rejected this demand of the team management. 

However, BCCI has not yet issued any official statement regarding Shubman Gill. Experts, however, have already predicted that Shubman Gill’s injury is very serious and it will take at least 3 months for him to recover completely. However, no update has been issued about when Shubman Gill will be sent back to India.

READ | Euro Cup 2020: Italy wins final ticket, beat Spain in penalty shootout

Looking at the long tour of England, the team management wanted to get in-form Prithvi Shaw and Devdutt Padikkal as backup openers. Both these players are currently in Sri Lanka for the limited-overs series and there was a demand from the management to send them directly to England. But according to the Sports Today report, the selectors are not ready to send Prithvi Shaw and Devdutt Padikkal to England.

Mayank Agarwal confirmed to play

Team India has Mayank Agarwal as an opening partner for Rohit Sharma for the England tour. Except for the Australian tour, Mayank Agarwal has done very well in Test cricket. Mayank Agarwal is expected to get a chance in the team in the opening Test.

KL Rahul has been selected as the middle order batsman for the England tour. Since KL Rahul has played Test cricket as an opener so far, he can also be asked to open if needed.

Apart from this, BCCI has kept Abhimanyu Easwaran in the reserve players. Easwaran will most likely go to England as a backup opener.

Former India wicket-keeper batsman MS Dhoni is not only known for his finishing heroics and ending the match with a big shot, but he is also famous for his leadership role and taking bold decisions which have time and again changed the course of the game. MSD called time on his international career in August 2020 but to date, he remains India’s one of the best skippers. From the inaugural World T20 triumph in 2007 to the fabled 2011 50-over World Cup win on home soil and then the 2013 Champions Trophy victory in England, Dhoni has led by example and tasted the success that no other Indian captain has ever managed. He even led India to the number one ranking, both in Test and ODI formats.

As Dhoni celebrates his 40th birthday on Wednesday (July 7), let’s take a look at his top five bold decisions as an India skipper that left fans stunned, but eventually won India a game or even a tournament.

2007 T20 World Cup final: Giving Joginder the last over

World Cup is undoubtedly the biggest event in any sport and making unconventional decisions in the final game of the elite tournament requires nerves of steel. However, Dhoni, who is also known as ‘captain cool’, had it all mapped out in his head when he decided to give the last over to rookie medium-pacer Joginder Sharma in the thrilling final of the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 which was played arch-rivals between India and Pakistan.

India needed to defend 13 runs in the final over while Pakistan had only one wicket left. But with Misbah-ul-Haq in the middle, the momentum was with Pakistan as he had smashed Harbhajan Singh for three sixes in the 17th over and was looking in top form.

Dhoni told Joginder to bowl as wide as he could instead of taking a wicket and the decision turned out to be a masterstroke as Sharma stuck to the plan and managed to defend the target, picking up the wicket of Misbah-Ul-Haq in the process. India won the final by five runs to clinch the first edition of the World T20.

India vs Australia final Test in Nagpur, 2008: Negative bowling

India were leading 1-0 in the four-match Test series against the Aussies back in 2008 as the first and third Test match of the series ended up in a draw, while India won the second Test in Mohali to take the lead. Heading into the final Test in Nagpur, Dhoni and co. had the chance to seal the series with either a draw or a win.

But after India made 441 in the first innings, Australia took control as they were 189/2 in 49 overs with a healthy run rate of about 3.9 at the end of the second day and it looked very likely that Australia would overtake India.

However, on the third day, Dhoni, in only his third Test as captain, instructed his bowlers to bowl outside off-stump and negate the attacking threat of the batsman.

This “negative” tactics move by Dhoni was criticised by many commentators and purists and they blasted him for playing for the draw. However, Australia totally imploded on Day 3 and scored just 166 runs in 85.4 overs at an abysmal run rate of 1.9 to end up with a total of 355 runs, well behind India.

In the final innings, India counter-attacked with Virender Sehwag hitting 92 and Dhoni smashing a quick half-century to set an improbable target of 382. Ultimately, India crushed Australia by 172 runs to take the series 2-0.

2013 ICC Champions Trophy Final: Showing faith in Ishant Sharma

The final of the 2013 Champions Trophy between hosts England and India had to be curtailed. It was a 20-over affair and batting first, India scored 129 in a game that later turned out to be a low-scoring thriller.

Chasing a meagre 130, England were well on course to reach their target, needing just 28 off 18 with 6 wickets in hand.

To bowl the 18th over, Dhoni had to select one among Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, but in the end, he opted for Ishant despite the fact that the pacer gave 28 runs in his first 3 overs and looked totally tired and jaded.

However, giving the ball to Ishant proved to be the turning point of the game as he removed both set batters- Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara and in the end, India won the game by five runs to clinch the Champions trophy.

India vs Bangladesh, World T20 in 2016: Removed one of his wicket-keeper gloves

In the World T20 match against Bangladesh, the pressure was on the Men in Blue when the opposition needed 2 runs off 3 balls at Bangalore. Mushfiqur Rahim already smashed the previous two deliveries to the boundary and only a miracle could save India.

However, Hardik Pandya, who was bowling the last over, changed the contrast of the match completely by removing Rahim and Mahmudullah in consecutive balls. Then came the Bangladesh tail-ender Shuvagata Hom at the crease with the Tigers needing to score two runs off the last delivery to win the game. This is when Dhoni instructed Pandya to bowl a short ball as it will be difficult for a tail-ender to play that particular ball.

Meanwhile, Dhoni decided to remove one of his gloves before the last ball as he was pretty sure that Hom will try to take a run even if he fails to connect and and that’s what exactly happened.

Shuvagata Hom missed the ball which went straight to Dhoni’s hands and he sprinted and knocked the bails off the stump before the non-striker could steal a run. India did something which looked impossible at one stage as they won the game by a run with Dhoni finishing in style but with a run-out this time.

2011 World Cup final: Promoting himself up the order

Sri Lanka had set India a target of 275 in the final of the 2011 World Cup which took place at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Interestingly, in the previous nine World Cups, no team had chased such a big target and India had a rather bad start to the run chase, losing both Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar early.

The Men in Blue were in trouble as they had lost three wickets for 114 runs by the 22nd over. This is when Dhoni surprised everyone by walking down in the middle as he came to bat at the no.5 position instead of in-form Yuvraj Singh, who was arguably India’s standout batter in the middle-order during the 2011 World Cup. Scoring 362 runs at an average of 90.50

On the other hand, Dhoni was not in the best touch with the bat in the 2011 World Cup yet he promoted himself up to five ahead of Yuvraj that too in the final, which raised several eyebrows.

But, the decision paid dividends as he smashed an unbeaten 91 runs in 79 balls to help India chase down the total and lift the World Cup trophy. Not only Dhoni steered the innings splendidly but he also finished the game in style by hitting a six. The wicketkeeper-batsman also bag the Player of the Match award for his outstanding performance in the final of the mega event.

India vs England

The Indian Test squad is currently on a two-week break in the United Kingdom after playing the ICC World Test Championship Final against New Zealand last month. But, Kohli once again showed why he is a fitness freak as the 32-year-old cricketer took to Instagram to share a video of his intense workout on Tuesday (July 6).

India skipper Virat Kohli and boys are currently on a break in the UK ahead of the five-match Test series against England and the cricketers will be administered their second dose of COVID-19 vaccines on July 7 and 9.

Speaking to ANI, sources in the know of developments said the second round of vaccination has been planned for the boys.

“The second dosage has been planned for the cricketers and they will be vaccinated on Wednesday and Friday,” the source said.

While the Team India players are currently on a break after the completion of the World Test Championship, they are set to go into quarantine in Durham from July 14.

The Indian players are also set to play a warm-up game from July 20 to 22 after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) requested the English and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to arrange for a practice game before the first Test gets underway on August 4.

While speaking to the media in the virtual press conference at the end of the World Test Championship final against New Zealand, Kohli had said his side wanted first-class games ahead of the series against England, but they have not been given that.

Meanwhile, India opener Shubman Gill has been ruled out for eight weeks after he suffered a shin injury post the final encounter at Ageas Bowl in Southampton. Incidentally, pacer Ishant Sharma had suffered an injury to his bowling hand while stopping a ball during the WTC final at the Ageas Bowl and had to get three stitches. But the pacer is set to be fit in time for the England Tests.

“Ishant hurt his bowling hand while stopping the ball and had to get three stitches. But he will be ready for the Tests against England which starts on August 4,” a source had said.

The five-match Test series between India and England, beginning from August 4 is set to be played in front of full capacity crowds after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday announced the easing of COVID-19 restrictions.

The British PM said that they will lift the limit on the number of people attending concerts and sports events.

“We’ll move away from legal restrictions and allow people to make their own informed decisions about how to manage the virus,” Sky Sports quoted British PM as saying.

“From step four we will remove all legal limits on the numbers meeting indoors and outdoors. We will allow all businesses to reopen, including nightclubs, we will lift the limit on named visitors to care homes and the numbers of people attending concerts, theatre, and sports events,” he added.

The matches in the UK have been either played behind closed doors or have been opened to crowds with restricted numbers due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“BREAKING: Full capacities will be allowed back in stadiums from the 19th of July,” England’s Barmy Army supporters of the England cricket team tweeted.

BREAKING: Full capacities will be allowed back in stadiums from the 19th of July  pic.twitter.com/28XDEC2bf7

— England’s Barmy Army (@TheBarmyArmy) July 5, 2021

Reacting to the Tweet, England fast bowler Stuart Broad expressed excitement as he pointed out towards the first Test between the two sides which gets underway from August 4 in Nottingham.

“Trent Bridge 1st Test Vs India,” Broad tweeted.

Trent Bridge 1st Test Vs India  https://t.co/6UzGAnPvIz

— Stuart Broad (@StuartBroad8) July 5, 2021

The WTC final between India and New Zealand last month was played in front of limited fans.

After the WTC final, the Indian team got a 20-day break and the side will regroup in Durham around July 14. The Indian team is also set to play a warm-up game before the series starts. India and England are slated to lock horns in five Tests, beginning August 4.

Meanwhile, opening batsman Shubman Gill Gill injured his shin and has been ruled out for eight weeks. The batsman is unlikely to be a part of the first half of the five-Test series against England.

Ahead of the ODI series against Sri Lanka, India batsman Suryakumar Yadav on Tuesday informed that all-rounder Hardik Pandya is regularly bowling in the training sessions.

Hardik has in recent times stuck to playing as a finisher both in the national team and Mumbai Indians however he did bowl in the white-ball series against England in March.

Suryakumar feels Hardik bowling in the nets is good for Team India. But he was quick to add that whether the all-rounder will bowl in the Sri Lanka series depends on how the management goes about it.

The side is excited for the Sri Lanka tour with Rahul Dravid heading #TeamIndia‘s coaching staff: @surya_14kumar #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/PyspvNlusL

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 6, 2021

“He did bowl in the T2OIs against England, even in the ODIs, he bowled. But yeah, during IPL he didn’t bowl and that was on team management and Hardik as they know their responsibility really well so they were taking the call,” Suryakumar said during a virtual press conference.

“But here in Intrasquad game he did bowl, also in the nets he is bowling, so it is his and team management’s call how they want to go about it but yes he is bowling, and it’s very good sign,” he added.

Sri Lanka and India will square off in three ODIs and three T20Is, beginning July 13. While Bhuvneshwar has been named vice-captain, Dhawan will lead the team which will be coached by former India skipper and NCA head Dravid.

Suryakumar had a good start in international cricket as he set the T20 stage on fire after hitting a fifty-plus score in just his second T20I against England earlier this year.

The right-handed batsman is a key cog in Mumbai Indians’ batting wheel and he is looking to play the same role as he plays for his franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

“I have been doing the same thing that I have done for my franchise (Mumbai Indians) in IPL. As you saw when I made my debut for India it was the same thing, I didn’t do anything differently it was all same as what I have been doing,” Suryakumar pointed out.

“So I have been enjoying the role really well whatever the position they tell me to bat, I will just go there express myself the same way how I do in every game,” he added.

Team India’s white-ball squad trained in Colombo for the first time on Friday as the Dhawan-led side gears up for the upcoming limited-overs series in the Island Nation.

India captain Mithali Raj’s excellent show in the three-match series against England has helped her grab the No.1 position in the ICC Women’s ODI Player Rankings for the eighth time in her stellar 22-year international career.

The 38-year-old struck 59 in the second match and then guided India to a four-wicket victory in the final match of the series with an unbeaten 75, gaining four spots to reach the top of the ladder in the latest weekly rankings update for women, carried out on Tuesday.

@M_Raj03 is the new No.1

In the latest @MRFWorldwide ICC Women’s ODI Player Rankings for batting, the India skipper climbs to the of the table.

Full list: https://t.co/KjDYT8qgqn pic.twitter.com/2HIEC49U5i

— ICC (@ICC) July 6, 2021

Mithali Raj had started the tour in the eighth position but her series-topping aggregate of 206 runs has helped her reclaim the top position, which she had last occupied in February 2018. The first time she reached the number one position was in April 2005 after scoring an unbeaten 91 against New Zealand at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in Potchefstroom and the difference of more than 16 years at No.1 is the largest for any woman batter.

England’s Janette Brittin was number one for the first time in 1984 and the last time in 1995, while New Zealand’s Debbie Hockley is the only other female batter to have been No.1 more than 10 years apart — first achieving the feat in 1987 and for the final time in 1997.

West Indies captain @stafanie07 and @MyNameIs_Hayley make significant gains in the latest @MRFWorldwide ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings for all-rounders 

Full list: https://t.co/py2wQA3VZq pic.twitter.com/z3w3345fGs

— ICC (@ICC) July 6, 2021

In other gains for India players, big-hitting opener Shafali Verma’s scores of 44 and 19 in the last two ODIs of the series sees her gain 49 places to reach 71st position while Jhulan Goswami is up to four places to 53rd. In the bowlers’ list, all-rounder Deepti Sharma is up to one place to 12th after finishing with figures of three for 47 in the final match.

BCCI

The coveted Ranji Trophy, which was cancelled last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be played in a three-month window from November 16 to February 19, 2022.

In a bizarre incident, an applicant named Mahendra Singh Dhoni has applied for the post of teacher in the capital Raipur and to add to that, the applicant has given his father’s name Sachin Tendulkar. What’s even more surprising is that despite this weird cricketing name scenario, the person’s profile was shortlisted for the post and he was called up for the interview in the selection process for contractual teachers in the district of Raigarh.

Moreover, based on his 98 percent marks achieved in graduation, the applicant’s name figured on the top of the list of candidates. But, when Mahendra Singh Dhoni did not reach for the interview on June 2, the officials got suspicious and dialed the number given in his application. However, the contact number turned out to unreachable and this is when the officials realized their mistake and the application was deemed to be fake, but it is yet to be figured out how the applicant made it to the interview round.

“Based on the cut-off marks, his name was on the top of the list of applicants. He didn’t come to face the interview. We had a feeling the concern person may not be genuine. So we informed the school education department and lodged a police complaint for investigation”, R P Aditya, who is the district education officer in Raigarh, told the New Indian Express.

As per the application of the so-called ‘MS Dhoni’, he held a degree in engineering from CSVTU University in Durg district. The application soon went viral and many other candidates started to share it on social media. While some bizarre cases like these are generally ignored, the authorities have decided to lodge an FIR against the person who filed the fake application.

Former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is known for his cool and composed attitude. And that particular trait has fetched him the tag of being a ‘cool’ cricketer. Dhoni led India to the 2007 T20I World Cup victory, and then later also led the side to the 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy. Unlike the current skipper Virat Kohli, who is known for his aggressive behavior, Dhoni, who took retirement from international cricket in 2020, gained a reputation for keeping his calm even in the tensest situations and not letting signs of worry show on his face. He has rarely shown his emotions on the cricket field. However, in the Centurion T20I against South Africa in 2018, a very different side of Dhoni was witnessed by fans when the former India cricketer abused Manish Pandey for lack of attentiveness.

During the last over of the innings, Dhoni, who had a reputation for taking quick runs between the wickets, was present on the crease along with Pandey. Manish hit a shot towards mid-wicket and ran for a single. Dhoni, who was looking for a double was clearly angry and he snapped at Pandey, for his lack of concentration in the middle. Dhoni screamed angrily at Pandey to look at him while he is batting and apparently said, “Oye! Bho*&I$# Idhar dekh le. Udhar kya dekh raha hai?”

Interestingly, MSD’s shocking remark was picked up by the stump mic at the time and while many did not notice the scene, a video of the same went viral on social media.

Talking about the match, Dhoni scored his second-ever T20I fifty in the game. He smashed an unbeaten 52 off just 28 deliveries. His knock was studded with four boundaries and three maximums. In the final over, he managed to cream away 16 runs to take the Indian team to a decent total of 188/4 in the stipulated 20 overs.

Also, in the game, the other batsman who gave the impetus to the Indian innings was Manish Pandey. Manish scored an unbeaten 79 off just 48 deliveries with 6 fours and 3 sixes. Dhoni and Pandey stitched an unbeaten 98 run stand off just 56 deliveries for the fifth wicket in the game.

However, South Africa chased down the target of 189 in 18.4 overs to level the three-match series 1-1.

India’s veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has put his weight behind Virat Kohli after the Indian captain had to cope with heavy criticism for his statement. Kohli had stated that the best of three finals in the World Test Championship would have been better as it gives a chance to the losing team to make a comeback in the next two Test matches.

However, Kohli’s comments were taken in a way that he is trying to steal the credit from New Zealand’s win. Ravichandran Ashwin, who scalped a total of four wickets in the WTC Final, stated that Virat Kohli never demanded three Test matches for the World Test Championship final and only commented what he thinks the next edition of the WTC should have.

“I happened to hear people saying that Virat Kohli asked for three Tests to be played for the WTC Final but it is ridiculous. After the match got over, Michael Atherton had asked what could be done differently in the WTC. Virat replied in a particular context that if three matches are played, then adaptability and come back for a team are possible. Kohli did not demand anything,” said Ashwin on his YouTube channel.

Meanwhile, Ashwin is hopeful that India goes on to win a major ICC tournament in the coming time. India hasn’t savoured success in ICC events since MS Dhoni-led the team to glory in the 2013 Champions Trophy. The Men in Blue will now have a chance in the T20 World Cup, which will take place in UAE in the October-November window.

“When we lose a final, fans would be disappointed. Perhaps, billion Indians were looking forward to good news after lockdown and stuff. But it didn’t happen. Fingers crossed. Just hoping we win some other ICC tournament,” concluded Ashwin.

Team India head coach Ravi Shastri on Thursday took some time off and went to watch Swiss tennis maestro Roger Federer’s second-round match in the ongoing Wimbledon tournament on Centre Court in London.

Federer will lock horns with French tennis player Richard Gasquet in the second round of the tournament on Centre Court.

Shastri shared a picture of him from the stadium on Thursday.

“Great to be back on a sunny day at @Wimbledon. Great tradition. Centre court beckons in a bit,” Shastri tweeted.

Great to be back on a sunny day at @Wimbledon. Great tradition. Centre court beckons in a bit  pic.twitter.com/tZ1PCIzhQr

— Ravi Shastri (@RaviShastriOfc) July 1, 2021

On Tuesday, Federer had survived a scare in his opening match to register a win over Adrian Mannarino.

Federer staged a comeback against Mannarino to level the game before the French tennis player was forced to retire.

The game 6-4, 6-7(3), 3-6, 6-2 was at level with Federer winning the fourth set but Mannarino retired just at the start of the fifth essay and Swiss tennis maestro got a walkover.

In the first set Federer came out with flying colours but Mannarino levelled up against the star player after a dominant second set tie-break.

Mannarino stunned Federer in the third set when he won an easy game but the Grand Slam champion won the fourth set to stage a comeback and was finally given a walkover as he reached the second round of the tournament.

Earlier in the day, Star India player Sania Mirza and her doubles partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands sailed into the second round of the ongoing Wimbledon Championships.

Sania and her American partner easily defeated the doubles pair of Desirae Krawczyk and Alexa Guarachi in the first round of women’s doubles.

Krawczyk, Guarachi gave a tough fight to Sania and Mattek-Sands in the first set however, the Indian tennis star along with her partner clinched the opening set 7-5.

Riding on the winning momentum, Sania and Mattek-Sands thrashed sixth seed pair of Krawczyk- Guarachi in the second set with a 6-3 win to kick off the quest of Grand Slam in style.

Big blow to the Indian cricket team as opener Shubman Gill could miss the five-test series against England due to a leg injury. Shubman Gill was carrying an internal injury, which aggravated during the World Test Championship final. Meanwhile, to open the match with Rohit Sharma, India does have other options, including KL Rahul, Hanuma Vihari, and even Mayank Agarwal. 

India’s legendary cricketer Kapil Dev, who was known to bowl a lot in the nets, has criticised the current generation of bowlers for complaining about workload and “getting tired after bowling only four overs”.

“Cricket today is very basic. You either have to bat or bowl. In our time, we had to do everything. So cricket today has changed,” said Kapil in an interaction with India Today.

“Sometimes it saddens me to see a player getting tired after bowling just four overs and I have heard they are not allowed to bowl more than three or four overs,” he added.

The 62-year-old former India skipper, who was the top wicket-taker in Test cricket at one point in time, said he would not shy away from bowling at least 10 overs to even the No. 10 batsmen since they believed it would help build muscles.

“I remember in our time — I won’t say whether it’s right or wrong — even the last player who would come out and bat, we would bowl at least 10 overs to them. The mindset was that it helps build muscles. Today perhaps those four overs are enough for them. So our generation feels a bit strange,” Kapil said further.

All-rounder Hardik Pandya, who was expected to take the mantle from Kapil Dev, has been in focus in recent times due to fitness issues. Pandya has not been able to bowl due to back problems. He can only bat and has avoided bowling even in the nets.

Team Indian cricketers are enjoying a lengthy break after their disappointing loss in the World Test Championship Final to New Zealand last month and on Wednesday (July 1), pacer Jasprit Bumrah chose to spend quality time with his better-half, Sanjana Ganesan.

Mumbai Indians paceman Bumrah recently shared a picture with his wife Sanjana from the couple’s day out in London. “Smiling at you,” Bumrah captioned the post on Instagram.

However, after posting the selfie, Bumrah faced the wrath of irked fans for his poor performance in the WTC final, in which Bumrah didn’t enjoy a great outing as he failed to pick up a single wicket in the crunch game due to which the Indian pace spearhead is facing brickbats on social media.

 

Zero Wicket in WTC still smiling great

— The Falcon (@K23Supriyo) June 30, 2021

 

Wtc final lost , u r smiling … Pls sit some days in room or don’t post some time in social website

— Prudhvi (@Prudhvi22420020) June 30, 2021

 

After seeing this how can you be happy?? U guys not Playing for our india especially when it comes to ICC SF,Finals always failing. When u r playing in IPL u give 100% effort, when u playing for country in Finals and all don’t give 30% effort also. Don’t u feel shame on you. pic.twitter.com/A87BxatjU3

— VIVEK (@Vivek1234556667) June 30, 2021

 

& we are crying because of you.
Atleast don’t write such captions to hurt us

—  (@NM18___) June 30, 2021

 

Watch ur final performance,Watch this boy pain & Keep smile ra lucha pic.twitter.com/usH08U6VEa

— Balaji (@Baaji25) June 30, 2021

India lost the WTC final by eight wickets to miss out on the prestigious Test mace but will be hoping to bounce back in the upcoming five-match series against England.

Team India is currently on a 20-day break from the bubble life in the UK after the World Test Championship Final 2021 against New Zealand. Team India dispersed on June 24 and will subsequently re-group in the bio-bubble on July 14 ahead of the Test matches which will commence from August 4. The players however are not allowed to leave the UK during this time period.

On the occasion of World Social Media Day, India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar on Wednesday recalled one of his social media posts, where he had posted an image with former skipper MS Dhoni.

Bhuvneshwar had posted an image with Dhoni on August 16, 2020, just one day after the former India skipper announced his retirement from international cricket.

In a video posted by the official Twitter handle of BCCI, Bhuvneshwar Kumar explained why Dhoni will always be special to him and why he wrote such a heartfelt post for Dhoni.

“This image I posted when Mahi Bhai retired from international cricket. Everyone knows what sort of player he was, but the kind of human being he is, that is why I posted something for him. If you speak to anybody about Dhoni, they will all tell you about how helpful he is. He always gives guidance to all the youngsters,” said Bhuvneshwar in the video.

Today on #SocialMediaDay, @BhuviOfficial relives some of his favourite Insta memories

Bhuvi talking about @msdhoni & his beloved dog is all heart #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/4boMPZvlF5

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 30, 2021

Dhoni is the only skipper to win three ICC trophies — Champions Trophy, T20 World Cup, and 50-over World Cup.

The former India skipper bid adieu to international cricket on August 15 last year. He still plays for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

On the other hand, Bhuvneshwar will next be in action in the upcoming limited-overs series against Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka and India will square off in three ODIs and three T20Is, beginning July 13. While Bhuvneshwar has been named vice-captain, Shikhar Dhawan will lead the team which will be coached by former India skipper Rahul Dravid.

A week after he became the No. 1 ranked all-rounder in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings, Ravindra Jadeja slipped to joint second as West Indies’ Jason Holder (384 rating points) moved back to the top. Jadeja (377) shares the second spot in the list of all-rounders with Ben Stokes.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant (752) slipped a spot to seventh position in rankings for Test batsmen while Rohit Sharma (759) held on to his sixth position. Besides Pant and Sharma, skipper Virat Kohli (812) occupies the fourth position.

@BLACKCAPS captain Kane Williamson is back to the No.1 spot in the latest @MRFWorldwide ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings for batting.

Full list: https://t.co/OMjjVx5Mgf pic.twitter.com/1DWGBonmF2

— ICC (@ICC) June 30, 2021

Altogether, Indians occupy three of the top 10 positions in rankings for Test batsmen, one out of 10 in bowling rankings list, and two in the ranking for all-rounders.

R Ashwin retained his No. 2 position among bowlers with 865 rating points, behind Pat Cummins, who has 908.

Devon Conway moves up 18 slots
Kyle Jamieson reaches career-best position

The two New Zealand stars make massive gains in the @MRFWorldwide ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings

Full list: https://t.co/OMjjVx5Mgf pic.twitter.com/B3fEuFFBDZ

— ICC (@ICC) June 30, 2021

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, who played match-winning knocks — including a half-century — in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India this month, has moved back to the top spot with 901 rating points and displaced Australia’s Steve Smith (891), who is now No. 2.

Smith’s Aussie team-mate and understudy Marnus Labuschagne (878) is third and 66 rating points ahead of Kohli.