It is with immense pleasure that I welcome Mr @GautamGambhir as the new Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team,” wrote Shah. “Modern-day cricket has evolved rapidly, and Gautam has witnessed this changing landscape up close. Having endured the grind and excelled in various roles throughout his career, I am confident that Gautam is the ideal person to steer Indian Cricket forward.”
Once upon a time, Sri Lanka used to produce stars – from Arjuna Ranatunga, Aravinda de Silva and Sanath Jayasuriya to Lasith Malinga via Muttiah Muralitharan, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara. They are at a premium these days.
There was a stat that flashed on the screen – Chamari Athapaththu had scored almost 50 per cent of Sri Lanka’s runs in the just-concluded Asia Cup. The Sri Lankan stalwart continued to be her team’s fulcrum (43-ball 61) as Sri Lanka created history by sealing their maiden Asia Cup triumph with an eight-wicket win over India.
or a long period, Virat Kohli batted at the nets, first taking throwdowns, followed by match simulations. India had an optional practice session at Premadasa Stadium here in Colombo on Wednesday, and the focus was on getting into the ODI groove ahead of the three-match series that starts on Friday.
Rohit’s batting was a reason why India looked so dominant in last year’s World Cup until they fell at the final hurdle. He wasn’t the team’s highest run-scorer in the tournament. Virat Kohli had 765 runs in 11 innings, while Rohit made 597 from the same number of innings.
We travelled back from Paris yesterday. As we were getting ready to leave the hotel in the morning, a colleague who had already reached the airport called to say, “Don’t forget to wear your media accreditations; it will make your life easier.”
