"Dhoni Didn't Sacrifice His Position": Ex-India Star Counters Gambhir

Former Indian cricket team fast bowler S Sreesanth believes that MS Dhoni did not sacrifice his batting position for the sake of the team and it was a decision taken consciously by the former skipper in order to completely utilise his talents as a finisher. Sreesanth's comments came in connection to claims made by former teammate Gautam Gambhir who said that Dhoni would have scored more runs if he batted at No. 3. The former pacer added that Dhoni was well aware about the positions that suited all the batters and it was his finishing ability that helped India in winning two World Cup titles.

“Gautam Bhai said recently that Dhoni would have scored more runs had he batted at No.3. But for Dhoni it was always about more victories than more runs. He always had the ability to finish games when the team needed him and he won two World Cups as well,” Sreesanth said in an interview with Sportskeeda.

“Credit should go to Dhoni, but he didn't sacrifice his batting position. He worked a way to find out which players would do well for the team in which position and then slot them in those positions accordingly. His captaincy had the ability to bring the best out of his players. He has always thought about the team first,” the former India fast bowler added. 

Earlier, Gambhir said that Dhoni somewhere 'sacrificed' his batting position for the team.

"MS (Dhoni) was the first wicketkeeper of India who could change the game with his batting. Earlier, they were keepers first and batters later, but MS was batter first and then was a wicketkeeper. It was a blessing for Indian cricket that in MS Dhoni, we got a wicketkeeper-batter who can win you matches from No 7, because he had that power game. If MS would have batted at No 3, I am sure he could have broken several ODI records," said Gambhir on Star Sports.

"People always talk about MS Dhoni and his achievements as a captain, which is absolutely true. But I feel due to captaincy, he sacrificed the batter in him, and he could have achieved much more with his bat which he didn't. And this happens when you are a captain because then you put the team ahead, and you forget about yourself. He started batting at No 6 or 7. If he had not been captain, he would have been India's No 3, and I think he could have scored more than what he has scored and could have scored more hundreds also," he added.

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Asian Games Opening Ceremony Live Streaming: When And Where To Watch Live

The Asian Games 2023 opening ceremony is set to take place at Hangzhou on September 23. Hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh and Olympic medallist boxer Lovlina Borgohain will be the flag-bearers of the Indian contingent during the opening ceremony. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) took the decision to have joint flag-bearers for the continental showpiece. A total of 655 Indian athletes are competing in the Asian Games this time, which is the largest contingent ever. Here are the details of the Asian Games 2023 opening ceremony -

When is the Asian Games 2023 opening ceremony?

The Asian Games 2023 opening ceremony will take place on Saturday, 23 September 2023.

At what time will the Asian Games 2023 opening ceremony take place?

The Asian Games 2023 opening ceremony is scheduled to start at 5:30 PM IST.

Where will the Asian Games 2023 opening ceremony take place?

The opening ceremony of the Asian Games 2023 will take place at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium.

Where to watch live streaming of the Asian Games 2023 opening ceremony in India?

The opening ceremony for the Asian Games 2023 will be streamed live on the SonyLIV app and website in India.

When and where to watch the live telecast of the Asian Games 2023 opening ceremony in India?

The live telecast of the opening ceremony of the Asian Games 2023 will be available on the Sony Sports Ten 2 SD and HD, Sony Sports Ten 3 SD and HD (Hindi) TV channels in India.

Who are India's flag-bearers at the Asian Games 2023 opening ceremony?

Indian men's hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh and female boxer Lovlina Borgohain are the flag-bearers for India at the opening ceremony of Asian Games 2023.

Lovlina had won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics in the 69kg category. This year, she won gold in 75kg category at the World Women's Boxing Championship in New Delhi. On the other hand, Harmanpreet is one of the best drag-flickers in the world and was part of the team that won the historic bronze at the Tokyo Games, breaking the more than four-decade-long Indian hockey team's medal drought in the Olympics.

(All telecast and streaming timings are as per the information received from the host broadcasters)

With PTI Inputs

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ICC Announces Schedule Of U19 Men's Cricket World Cup 2024

The match schedule for the ICC U19 Men's Cricket World Cup 2024 has been revealed as hosts Sri Lanka prepare to welcome the future stars of world cricket to the island nation for the first time since 2006. Five venues in Colombo are set to stage the action from January 13, with the final on February 4 at R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, as per ICC press release. Hosts Sri Lanka play Zimbabwe on opening day while defending champions India open up a day later against 2020 champions Bangladesh. 

Sixteen teams are set to compete for the trophy across 41 matches from January 13 to  February 4, comprising the 11 best-placed Full Member teams at the last edition and five teams who earned their World Cup spot through regional qualification pathways - Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Scotland and USA.

Five venues located in Colombo will stage the 15th edition of the celebrated event; the P. Sara Oval, Colombo Cricket Club, Nondescripts Cricket Club, Singhalese Sports Club and the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, the arena chosen to host both semifinals on January 30 and February 1 and the Ffnal on February 4.

The action starts on January 13 with three fixtures taking place on opening day. Hosts Sri Lanka take on Zimbabwe at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, while 2022 finalists England play Scotland at Colombo Cricket Club and New Zealand face off against Nepal at the P. Sara Oval.

India, who triumphed in the 2022 edition in the West Indies, commence the defence of their crown against 2020 winners Bangladesh a day later on January 14 at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium.

In a revised format that has been introduced for the upcoming edition, teams progressing from the group stages will enter a new Super Six stage, starting January 24, where two groups of six teams will clash to determine the semi-finalists and the subsequent finalists.

In the group listings, holders India are joined by Bangladesh, Ireland and the US in Group A. Group B consists of England, South Africa, West Indies and Scotland. Group C features Australia, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Namibia while Group D is made up of Afghanistan, Pakistan, New Zealand and Nepal.

Speaking on the announcement of the schedule, ICC Head of Events, Chris Tetley remarked, “The ICC U19 Men's Cricket World Cup has a long-standing history of introducing global audiences to future stars of the sport.

“Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson and Angelo Mathews are some of the names that made their entrance onto the world stage at this event, and we are certain to see this tradition continue as the drama unfolds across the 41 tournament fixtures.

“We are thrilled to see the competition return to Sri Lanka for the first time since 2006, in what promises to be a festival of cricket with no shortage of entertainment, and we are proud to offer fans the chance to witness the action for free once more.”

Tournament Director, Samantha Dodanwela added, “Sri Lanka Cricket is delighted to be welcoming this prestigious event back to Sri Lanka after 18 years. 

“Sri Lanka is renowned for its passionate, cricket-loving fans, and we are looking forward to giving them the opportunity to watch some of the most promising young cricketers in the world over 23 days of competition. The five venues selected to host the event in January and February next year have been graced by many exceptionally talented cricketers over the years, and it will be fitting for these historic grounds to host the future stars of the game.

“With so much to look forward to, we have no doubt that the event will help showcase Sri Lanka as an ideal destination for cricket.”

Ahead of the event, each competing team will play two warm-up matches. These will take place across four of the five tournament venues.

The hosts will be hoping to go one better than their previous best finish, when they were runners-up to India at the final of the competition back in 2000.

The landmark event has been the springboard for some of the most recognisable stars of the global game. Through the history of the event, India are the most decorated with five U19 Men's Cricket World Cup titles, Australia have won the event three times, Pakistan twice, while England, Bangladesh, South Africa and West Indies have each been crowned once.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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India Become No.1 Team Across Formats With Win Over Australia In First ODI

Mohammed Shami's crafty bowling performance was beautifully complemented by the grace and poise of Shubman Gill as India defeated Australia by five wickets in the opening ODI of the three-match series in Mohali on Friday. The victory helped India go top of ICC Men's ODI Rankings replacing Pakistan. India is now the number one team across all the three formats - ODI, T20I and Test cricket. Shami displayed his artistry with impressive figures of 5 for 51, reminding all and sundry of his skills while helping India restrict Australia to 276 after asking the visitors to make first use of the strip.

In reply, Gill once again stamped his authority with a 63-ball 74 and added 142 for the opening stand with the Asian Games-bound Ruturaj Gaikwad (71 off 77 balls) to set the foundation for victory, which, on paper, might have looked a bit more stretched than it actually was.

Victory was achieved in 48.4 overs as Suryakumar Yadav (50 off 49 balls) and skipper KL Rahul (58 not out off 63 balls) also played their part with only Shreyas Iyer (3) and Ishan Kishan (18) missing out on a batting party.

Surya would especially be happy with his effort as he came in when India still needed 92 runs to win. It could have been a bit tricky but along with his skipper, the Mumbai batter showed calmness and also earned confidence with a much-needed half-century.

Gill, who hit his ninth half-century in ODIs, was undoubtedly the batting star of the day. He had six fours and two sixes in his knock but the short-arm pick-up pull off Marcus Stoinis left everyone stunned.

Off-spinner spinner Matthew Short was at the receiving end when he was lofted over long-off for the other six.

Gaikwad, who would have to switch on to the T20 mode in another two weeks' time, had 10 boundaries to his credit. He hit cover drives and square drives and was especially severe on Sean Abbott.

For Australia, the only bright spot was leg-spinner Adam Zampa finding some bowling form with figures of 2/57 off 10 overs.

But the game-changer on the day was Shami, who doesn't seem to feature in India's first XI plans for the World Cup. He literally made a statement with his second five-wicket haul in ODIs.

His performance also put tremendous pressure on the weakest link among pacers Shardul Thakur (0/78 in 10 overs), who has been selected in the 15, primarily due to his batting skills.

Shami was literally unplayable in his opening spell, and then came back to remove a set Steve Smith (41 off 60 balls) in a short second stint, to disturb the visiting team's momentum.

Stockily built wicketkeeper Jos Inglis (45 off 45 balls) and Marcus Stoinis (29 off 21 balls) added 62 runs for the sixth wicket to take Australia past the 250-run mark but it was certainly below par as Shami got Stoinis in the nick of time to put the brakes on their scoring.

Warner (52 off 53 balls), Smith and Marnus Labuschagne (39 off 49 balls) all got starts but the lack of conversion did hurt the Aussies on a day when the Indian bowling unit was supremely effective without being exceptional.

All eyes were trained on Ravichandran Ashwin (1/47 in 10 overs) and he did find his rhythm in the second spell after looking rusty during the first spell. He went for 36 in his first six overs from the 'Harbhajan Singh End' but Rahul changed his end during the second spell and it read 4-0-11-1.

The Australian team also suffered due to freak dismissals, first when Labuschagne missed an Ashwin delivery while trying to play a reverse sweep and the ball ricocheted off Rahul's pads with the batter out of his ground.

Then it was Cameron Green (31 off 52 balls), who was slowly but steadily setting it up with Inglis before a miscommunication led to his run-out.

But no praise will be enough for Shami, probably the most versatile seam and swing bowler of his generation, who has magic in those fingers and wrists.

In his very first over, Shami bowled one that moved in the air and just deviated away after pitching. It was full and pitched at a length where Mitchell Marsh had to press forward and the thickish outside edge was a regulation catch for Shubman Gill.

But the turning point was Shami's second spell, where he bowled a sharp in-cutter that jagged back enough and Smith, who was late in reacting, inside edged onto the stumps.

In his third spell, he bowled one stumps and Stoinis' heave across the line saw his stumps uprooted. It was difficult for India to lose after Shami's efforts.

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Watch: "You're A Joke" - Cook's Expression At Stokes' Golf Skills Is Viral

Former England cricket team captain Alastair Cook and Ben Stokes visited the venue of Ryder Cup and showed off their golfing skills. In a video posted on YouTube, both of them tried their hand at the sport and even had a hilarious exchange. Stokes, one of the most explosive batters in cricket right now, smashed the golf ball on his very first shot leaving Cook surprised. “Oh my God! No way. You're a joke," Alastair Cook commented as Ben Stokes seemed satisfied with his shot.

Stokes will be a massive asset for England at the Cricket World Cup 2023 starting in October. He played a huge part in the 2019 success and his all-round ability once again provides an edge.

England's opening one-day international against Ireland was abandoned without a ball being bowled on Wednesday, denying Joe Root a World Cup warm-up.

With the rest of England's first-choice squad rested ahead of next week's departure for India, Root requested to be included for the first of a three-match series after a lean return with the bat in four matches against New Zealand.

However, he never got on the field at his home ground as heavy rain prevented even the possibility of a 20-over-a-side game at Headingley.

Even after the rain subsided, the umpires were concerned for the players' safety on saturated areas of the outfield and the bowlers' run-ups.

The sides will try again at Trent Bridge on Saturday.

England begin their defence of the World Cup against New Zealand on October 5 in Ahmedabad.

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"Mental Headspace...": Dravid On Resting Virat, Rohit For Australia ODIs

Ahead of the first ODI against Australia, Indian head coach Rahul Dravid on Thursday said that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been rested as the team wanted them to be fresh mentally and physically for the Cricket World Cup 2023. India will take on Australia in a three-match ODI series, starting from the first ODI at Mohali on Thursday. It will be India's final assignment before the ICC Cricket World Cup at home from October 5 onwards. "It is one of those series, where you have seen that some of our boys are not playing the first two games. We will rotate our pacers a bit. It will be nice for some other guys that they are given this opportunity to play three tough games before the World Cup," said Dravid in a pre-match press conference. 

"I think with people like Rohit and Virat, from our perspective, it is important that they reach the first game of the World Cup with the physical and mental headspace they want to be in. With the amount of cricket they have played, they know how to prepare themselves for these big games. A lot of these decisions are discussed with them. We discuss with them how they would like to prepare leading up to big events. Based on these discussions, we come up with these mutual decisions," he added. 

On the return of spin-bowling all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin to the ODI set-up after a year, Dravid clarified that the spinner was always in the plans. 

"Having someone of Ashwin's experience is always good for us. He gives you experience, the ability to contribute with the bat at number eight. He is someone we taught about in case of an injury or an opportunity opened up. He was always in our plans. He has not played much ODI cricket for a while, but someone of his experience can deal with that," said the coach. 

India squad for first 2 ODI: KL Rahul (C & WK), Ravindra Jadeja (Vice-captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Shardul Thakur, Washington Sundar, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

India squad for final ODI: Rohit Sharma (C), Hardik Pandya, (Vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel (subject to fitness), Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj.

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PCB Reviews Asia Cup Performance Ahead Of World Cup Squad Announcement

The Pakistan Cricket Board on Thursday held a review meeting of their woeful Asia Cup show in the wake of their World Cup squad announcement. All teams must finalise their 15-player squads for the cricket showpiece before the September 28 deadline, with any replacements after this date requiring approval from the ICC. "The philosophy behind this review was to create an atmosphere of open discussion and develop consensus," PCB chairman of the management committee Zaka Ashraf said in a statement. "The idea is to have everyone on board and debate about performances, identifying the problems and their solutions.” The review meeting was also attended by head coach Mickey Arthur, captain Babar Azam, vice-captain Shadab Khan and former skippers Misbah-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez.

Chief selector and former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq could not attend the meeting due to a 'medical emergency' but shared his inputs with the PCB chief on Thursday.

The other members of the men's national coaching staff including head coach Grant Bradburn, batting coach Andrew Puttick and bowling coach Morne Morkel “were also invited to report on the team's recent performance".

“We have to debate strengths and weaknesses so that we are clear about what and where we need to invest for the betterment of our team,” he added.

Pakistan failed to make the final of the Asia Cup after losing to India and Sri Lanka in the 'Super Four'. They managed wins only against Nepal and Bangladesh.

In fact, Pakistan, who have won the Asia Cup only twice in 2000 and 2012, suffered their heaviest defeat to arch-rivals India by 228 runs in the ODI format, ahead of their mega clash in the World Cup in Ahmedabad on October 14.

Dr Sohail Saleem briefed about the players' injuries and "the way forward for players' rehabilitation programs," the PCB said.

Pakistan pacers Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf both suffered injuries during their rain-marred clash against India in Colombo, with the former under doubt to play the World Cup.

“In a robust analysis, every aspect of recent team performance, player fitness, and future plans came into discussion with a view to bringing improvement to the side,” the release said.

“There was an agreement on making a better approach and strategy on players' workload. The importance of strengthening the bench was also emphasized,” it added. PTI DDV TAP

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