‘I will come back for sure’: Shaw highlights List A stats after Vijay Hazare Trophy snub

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

New Delhi, Dec 17 (IANS) Prithvi Shaw expressed disappointment and frustration after getting excluded from Mumbai’s squad for the first three rounds of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) announced its 17-member squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy on Tuesday, just two days after Mumbai’s triumph in SMAT, where they beat Madhya Pradesh in the final.

Ajinkya Rahane, Mumbai’s star performer in the SMAT with 469 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 164.56, has been rested following his request for a break. Rahane’s contributions, which included five half-centuries as an opener, were instrumental in Mumbai’s success.

Shreyas Iyer continues as captain, with Mumbai naming a full-strength squad that includes stalwarts like Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, and Shardul Thakur. Opener Ayush Mhatre, who missed the SMAT to represent India in the Under-19 Asia Cup, returns to bolster the team.

Shaw, who was left out from the squad, took to Instagram to share his stellar List A record and reflect on the situation. “Tell me god, what more do I have to see…if 65 innings, 3399 runs at an average of 55.7 with a strike rate of 126, I’m not good enough…but I will keep my faith in you and hopefully people believe in me still…cause I will come back for sure. Om Sai Ram,” Shaw posted on Instagram.

The decision to drop Shaw comes at a time when questions have been raised about his recent performances. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), Shaw managed just 197 runs in nine innings with a highest score of 49 in the quarter-final against Vidarbha. His struggles with consistency have coincided with mounting scrutiny regarding his fitness and work ethic.

Shaw’s exclusion follows a turbulent few months. Earlier in October, he was dropped from Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy squad over concerns about his fitness and alleged disciplinary issues. His failure to secure a team in the recent IPL auction further amplified discussions about his declining form and work ethic.

Mumbai captain Shreyas Iyer addressed Shaw’s situation following their SMAT win, emphasizing the need for self-discipline. “He needs to get his work ethics right, and if he does that, the sky is the limit for him. We can’t babysit anyone, right? Every professional playing at this level needs to know what they should be doing. He has also done it in the past; it’s not that he hasn’t. He has to focus, sit back, put a thinking cap on, and figure it out himself,” Iyer stated.

–IANS

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BGT: Marsh backs ‘class player’ Smith to regain form in Brisbane

Brisbane, Dec 12 (IANS) Australia all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has expressed confidence in senior batter Steve Smith to score runs in the third Test against India in Brisbane after accumulating just 19 runs across three innings of the series so far.

Smith had scored 0, 17 and 2 in the first two Tests of the series. With pressure mounting over his form, Marsh called Smith a ‘class player’ and backed his abilities to perform for Australia in the third Test following their emphatic 10-wicket win in the pink-ball Test at Adelaide Oval.

“We know he’s one of our best players ever and I’m certainly backing him to get some runs. I’m probably not in a position to tell Steve Smith what he should work on. We know he’s a class player and he’s scored a lot of runs for Australia and we know at times when we’ve needed him, he always seems to step up,” Marsh said on Thursday.

India arrive at the Gabba following a setback in Adelaide but carry fond memories from their remarkable victory at this venue during the 2020-21 series. That historic win ended Australia’s unbeaten streak on the ground and secured back-to-back Test series triumphs for the visitors in Australia.

The hosts, however, are focused on the present and not dwelling on past outcomes. After suffering a defeat in Perth, they rebounded strongly in Adelaide to level the ongoing series and will look to maintain that momentum in the third Test.

“The biggest thing for us is just focusing on this week and not what’s happened in the past. The way we bounced back from Perth was an example of that. We’re really focused on playing our style this week and hopefully going 2-1 up in the series,” Marsh said.

Australia’s hopes of thwarting India at the Gabba could hinge on their ability to counter Jasprit Bumrah. The world’s top-ranked bowler has been a nemesis for Australia’s top order, dismissing Steve Smith twice in three innings and accounting for the other top-five batters – Nathan McSweeney, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head – at least once each in the series.

Marsh, who is yet to be dismissed by Bumrah, believes that applying pressure rather than merely trying to survive against the Indian spearhead is the best approach to tackling his threat.

“We know right now he’s probably the best bowler in the world. It’s just about getting up for that challenge, it’s a big series. You want to take the best in the world on. That is certainly my mentality. Looking forward to facing him again,” Marsh said.

“I think each batter has their own plans. As a batting unit we back each other’s plans. I think when you have the best bowler in the world and you are just trying to see him off, he is going to have one with your name on it. I think it is about applying pressure with your own method and taking the challenge on,” he added.

The third Test will be played in Brisbane from Saturday.

–IANS

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‘Thuppakiya pudinga Washi’: Ashwin passes baton to Sundar in Thalapathy Vijay style

New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) Amidst all the tributes pouring in for Ravichandran Ashwin following his retirement from international cricket, he wished fellow off-spin all-rounder Washington Sundar in a way which seemed like a passing of the baton moment in Indian cricket.

On Wednesday, shortly after Ashwin announced his retirement post the third Test at the Gabba ending in a draw, Sundar penned a heartfelt tribute on his social media accounts. “More than just a team mate, you have been an inspiration, Ash anna. It’s been an honour to share the field and dressing room with you.”

“Coming from the same state of Tamil Nadu, I have grown up watching you from the close corners of Chepauk to playing against and alongside you. Every moment has been a privilege. The learnings, both on and off the field, are something I will carry forever. Wishing you success and happiness in whatever comes next.”

In reply, Ashwin wrote from his X account on Friday, ‘Thuppakiya pudinga Washi!’ “The 2 minutes you spoke that night in the get-together was the best.” The first line which Ashwin said to Sundar is a famous dialogue from Tamil superstar Vijay’s recent film, Greatest of All Time (G.O.A.T.), which was used in a scene of him with actor Sivakarthikeyan.

Among all the options to handle spin-bowling duties for India in the post-Ashwin era, his fellow Chennai resident Sundar appears to be the like-for-like replacement. It’s no secret that Sundar is the preferred spin-bowling choice for the current Indian coaching setup.

An example of this is Sundar being chosen ahead of Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja for the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Perth, and picked two wickets in the second innings, while making four and 29 with the bat, as India won by 295 runs.

So far, Sundar has taken 24 wickets and scored 387 runs in his seven Tests so far. But with Ashwin’s retirement, the Indian team will be counting on him and Jadeja to thrive in the remaining two Tests of the series in Melbourne and Sydney, especially with the five-game series locked at 1-1.

–IANS

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PKL 11: Himanshu’s Super 10 helps Tamil Thalaivas beat Bengaluru Bulls

Pune, Dec 22 (IANS) Tamil Thalaivas registered their eighth win of the season with a convincing performance against Bengaluru Bulls, winning by a scoreline of 42-32 at the Badminton Hall in the Balewadi Sports Complex in PKL Season 11, on Sunday. Himanshu completed a Super 10 and was well supported by Moein Shafaghi as they overcame the bottom-placed side, despite Sushil’s 15-point game.

It wasn’t the most action-packed start to the game with raiders of both teams not quite flying off the blocks. Moein Shafaghi opened the scoring, while Parteek got the first tackle of the evening. The defences were on top in the opening exchanges as Amir Hossein Bastami got himself into the action with a tackle of his own.

Sushil registered the first successful raid for Bengaluru Bulls and Parteek started well on the defensive end too. Amir Hossein Bastami responded with a successful tackle on a Do-or-Die Raid, followed by a raid from Moein Shafaghi to level the scores at 4-4. It was a Super Raid from Sushil that gave Bengaluru Bulls a three-point lead before Tamil Thalaivas fought back to take an 8-7 lead after the first timeout.

Moein Shafaghi carried on his good run on the attacking end for Tamil Thalaivas, while Sushil was doing the same for Bengaluru Bulls. A tackle by Nitin Rawal gave them the lead again, as the defensive units continued to stay on top. A Super Tackle from Abhishek Manokaran helped Tamil Thalaivas level things up at 12-12, before they closed out the first half with a slender one-point lead as the scoreline read 14-13.

Himanshu got the first raid of the second half, but Pardeep Narwal quickly levelled things up with a two-point raid of his own. Sai Prasad put Tamil Thalaivas back in front with a couple of raids and got support from Abhishek Manokaran, who got the first successful tackle of the first half. Another successful tackle, this time by Aashish helped Tamil Thalaivas take a four-point lead.

Sushil kept the scoreboard ticking for Bengaluru Bulls with a successful Do-or-Die Raid and got support from Naveen, as he inflicted a Super Tackle to help their side cut the deficit to two-points. However, the duo of Himanshu and Moein Shafaghi ensured that the Tamil Thalaivas regain their four-point lead, with the score at 23-19 going into the final phase of the game.

Amir Hossein Bastami helped his side inflict an All Out on the Bengaluru Bulls to put some daylight between the two sides. Himanshu further extended the lead to 10-points with another Super Raid, reducing Bengaluru Bulls to three players on the mat. Sushil showed some spirit and registered his Super 10 to keep his side in the game.

However, there was no respite for the Bengaluru Bulls as they suffered another All Out to give their opponents a twelve-point lead. Moein Shafaghi amassed 100 raid points for the season, and with close to five minutes to go in the contest, the writing was already on the wall.

Pardeep Narwal got a two-point raid and Sushil kept his foot on the pedal to try and take the game to their opponents. Eventually, it was the Tamil Thalaivas who came out on top in this contest with the scoreline of 42-32 as Himanshu completed his Super 10, finishing with 13 points, to wrap up a complete performance for his side.

–IANS

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