Digital Media

10 days ago

1.6K views

The Second Semi-Final Of The T20 World Cup 2026 Between India and England Shatters World Record For Digital Viewership

Mumbai, March 7 - The second semi-final of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 between India and England has created history by becoming the most-watched live event ever on digital platforms. The blockbuster clash registered a record-breaking 65.2 million peak concurrent viewers on the streaming platform JioHotstar, setting a new global benchmark for live streaming. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) The high-stakes encounter, played on March 5, drew massive interest from cricket fans across the world, particularly from India, where digital consumption of live sports continues to surge. The record surpassed the previous milestone of 61 million concurrent viewers, which was achieved during the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy final between India and New Zealand. It also went past the 2023 ODI World Cup final peak of around 59 million viewers on Disney+ Hotstar. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) Second semi-final of the @ICC #T20WorldCup 2026 has shattered the world record for digital viewership. The match between @BCCI and @EnglandCricket registered a peak digital concurrency of 65.2 million viewers @JioHotstar which is the highest for any live event across the world.…— Jay Shah (@JayShah) March 6, 2026 The viewership surge once again highlighted the enormous popularity of cricket in India and the growing dominance of streaming platforms in sports broadcasting. Matches involving the Indian team consistently attract the highest engagement, and the India-England semi-final proved no exception as millions tuned in simultaneously during the tense moments of the game. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) On the field, the match delivered a thrilling contest as India defeated England by seven runs, securing their place in the final of the tournament. With India now set to face New Zealand in the T20 World Cup 2026 final, the championship clash could potentially break the digital viewership record once again, given the massive interest surrounding the Indian team's title defence. Stay tuned...

Sports

1260 days ago

3.7K views

List Of Most Sixes In An Innings In ODI

Here is the list of the most sixes in an innings in ODI.## England topped the list with 26 sixes against the Netherlands at the VRA Cricket Stadium Amsterdam on 17 June 2022. England also holds the second and third places as they hit 25 sixes against Afghanistan at Manchester on 18 June 2019, and 24 against West Indies On 27 February 2019 at St George's Cricket Stadium.## Check out the full list below.## List of the most sixes in an innings in ODI Sixes Team Opponent Venue Match date 26 England Netherlands Amstelveen 17 June 2022 25 Afghanistan Manchester 18 June 2019 24 West Indies St George's 27 February 2019 23 West Indies England Bridgetown 20 February 2019 22 New Zealand West Indies Queenstown 1 January 2014 West Indies England St George's 27 February 2019 Stay Tuned...##

Sports

1261 days ago

4.5K views

List Of Highest Innings Totals In ODI

Here is the list of the highest innings total in ODI.## England made this record as they are at number one, second and third on the list. They made the highest score of 498-4 in 50 overs against the Netherlands at Amstelveen on 17 June 2022, the second time with a total of 481-6 in 50 overs against Australia at Nottingham on 19 June 2018, and the third a total of 444-3 runs in 50 overs against Pakistan at Nottingham on 30 August 2016.## Check out the complete list below.## List of the highest innings total in ODI Score Team Opponent Venue Date 498–4 (50 overs) England Netherlands Amstelveen 17 June 2022 481–6 (50 overs) Australia Nottingham 19 June 2018 444–3 (50 overs) Pakistan 30 August 2016 443–9 (50 overs) Sri Lanka Netherlands Amstelveen 4 July 2006 439–2 (50 overs) South Africa West Indies Johannesburg 18 January 2015 Stay Tuned...##

Cricket

1923 days ago

2.7K views

New Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad To Host Day-Night Test Against England

Chennai and Ahmedabad will be the two host venues for the four-Test series of England's tour of India early next year as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) along with England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Thursday announced the fixtures for Team India's home series against England. ## The much-awaited Test series for Anthony de Mello Trophy will kick-start from the 5th of February in Chennai's Chepauk stadium. Chennai will also host the second Test while the newly built Sardar Patel Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad will host the remaining two Test matches including the 3rd Test as D/N. ## Motera, the largest cricket stadium in the world, boasts of state of the art facilities and a seating capacity of 110,000. It will host India's second Day-Night Test match at home after the huge success of India's first-ever pink-ball Test that was played in Kolkata last year against Bangladesh. ## Apart from the last two Tests, the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad will also be hosting all the five T20Is before the 3-match ODI series take place in Pune from the 23rd of March. ## "The BCCI prioritizes the health and safety of both teams and will leave no stone unturned to make sure that the tour is held adhering to all safety protocols agreed by the BCCI and ECB medical teams. Both Boards have worked closely to put together an exciting series that promises to provide high octane action between two powerhouses of world cricket. This will be India's first bilateral series at home since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic and the home season will bring back joy to cricket fans", BCCI secretary Jay Shah said.## ECB CEO Tom Harrison added, "We have been delighted with the planning that has been undertaken by the BCCI to ensure the three venues in Chennai, Ahmedabad, and Pune will be ready to host international cricket in a bio-secure environment and look forward to working closely with them over the coming weeks to finalize those plans".## "The prospect of becoming the first international side to play at the magnificent Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad adds an extra dimension to the tour and I know will be something that is a highlight for both the players and management".## Here is the complete schedule - ## Tests -## 1st Test - February 5 - 9, Chennai## 2nd Test - February 13 - 17, Chennai## 3rd Test - February 24 - 28, Ahmedabad (D/N)## 4th Test - March 4 - 8, Ahmedabad## T20Is: All games at Motera, Ahmedabad -## 1st T20I - March 12## 2nd T20I - March 14## 3rd T20I - March 16## 4th T20I - March 18## 5th T20I - March 20## ODIs: All games at Pune - ## 1st ODI - March 23## 2nd ODI - March 26## 3rd ODI - March 28## Stay tuned...

Cricket

2030 days ago

2.1K views

James Anderson Becomes The First Pacer To Take 600 Test Wickets; Twitterati React

The England's spearhead, James Anderson becomes the first-ever fast bowler to claim 600 Test wickets. With the wicket of Pakistan's captain, Azhar Ali on Day 5 of the final Test of the series in Southampton, Anderson entered the 600 wickets club. ## The swing bowler from Burnley, Lancashire, made his Test debut way back against Zimbabwe at Lord's in 2003, where he picked up a five-for. Since then, he has gone on to take 29 five-wicket hauls and three 10-wicket hauls for the match. ## With 600 wickets, he has now become the 4th highest wicket-taker in the history of the Test cricket. He is only behind Muttiah Muralitharan (800), Shane Warne (708), and Anil Kumble (619). Among the pacers, he is way ahead than the second-best Glenn McGrath who has 563 wickets to his name. ## Check out how the Twitterati reacted to his tremendous achievement:## Congratulations @jimmy9 on your 600 wickets! Massive effort from a great fast bowler. Welcome to the club 👍🏼— Anil Kumble (@anilkumble1074) August 25, 2020 ## Champion bowler James Anderson! Congrats on reaching the first-ever 600 wickets for a fast bowler.. hard work, passion and never-day-die approach have been the hallmark of your career.. doyen of fast bowlers, best wishes for the rest of your career @jimmy9— Wasim Akram (@wasimakramlive) August 25, 2020 ## Congrats on the 600th Jimmy - Aweosme effort buddy 👍 pic.twitter.com/VWflgISbKv— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) August 25, 2020 ## An extraordinary bowler @jimmy9 goes past yet another milestone. What a bowler and what an achievement !! 💯💯 Well done and look forward to having a healthy debate on the run out and shredder ASAP! Someone like you can really help settling the stigma surrounding it. 🙌🏻🙌🏻— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) August 25, 2020 ## Incredible 600 by @jimmy9 . What an amazing achievement. Playing 156 Test Matches for a medium fast bowler is no less achievement. Cheers mate. #JamesAnderson #600TestWickets #England pic.twitter.com/dVFMqPvuwA— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) August 25, 2020 ## Balls bowled to take 600 Test wickets:Muttiah Muralitharan 3️⃣3️⃣,7️⃣1️⃣1️⃣ JAMES ANDERSON 3️⃣3️⃣,7️⃣1️⃣7️⃣ Shane Warne 3️⃣4️⃣,9️⃣2️⃣0️⃣ Anil Kumble 3️⃣8️⃣,4️⃣9️⃣4️⃣ #ENGvPAK pic.twitter.com/HTKxQn5CuJ— ICC (@ICC) August 25, 2020 ## Remarkable achievement to play 156 Tests as a Batsman .. To do it as a quick bowler & then achieve 600 wickets is nothing short of extraordinary .. Well done @jimmy9 .. England’s greatest ever bowler .. #TestCricket— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) August 25, 2020 ## Congratulations @jimmy9 wonderful display of skill and resilience over a long career. #Jimmy600 https://t.co/PPl6V26i2x— Tom Moody (@TomMoodyCricket) August 25, 2020 ## Stay tuned...

Cricket

2423 days ago

12.7K views

ICC World Test Championship - FAQs

The ICC Test Championship is finally here. To make Test cricket exciting again, the Championship will kick start with The Ashes series between England and Australia. With so many T20 leagues around the globe, something was necessary to keep Test cricket alive. A few days ago, Virat Kohli, the captain of the Number 1 Test side India had said in an interview that it is (Test Championship) happening at the right time for the longest and oldest format of the cricket.## The Championship can not ask for a better start other than The Ashes, one of the biggest rivalries of cricket. Long-time ago, there was an idea of holding 'Test World Cup' but the idea couldn't take its place due to some reasons. However, after a few trials and tribulations, the two-year affair is about to start and the final of the championship is scheduled to play in the UK in 2021. ## Here is the schedule of the Championship, how the points will be awarded and some other information - ## What is the ICC Test Championship?## The World Test Championship (WTC) comprises the Top Nine Test-playing Nations facing each other in a two-year period. Each country will play six Test series - three at home and three away. There are 27 series altogether during this cycle and a total of 71 Tests to be played. In the end, the top two teams in the points table will face-off in a final to determine the World Test Champion.## Which teams are part of the WTC?## The top nine teams in the ICC Test rankings as of March 31, 2018, have qualified to play the championship. India, England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies, and Bangladesh will be competing for the WTC.## Schedule## The WTC will be played in various countries. Each of the 9 teams will play 6 series, 3 at home and 3 away. Most of the series will fall under ICC's Future Tour Program (FTP).## 2-Test Series3-Test Series4-Test Series5-Test Series SL vs NZ (2019) WI vs IND (2019) IND vs SA (2019) SA vs ENG (2019-20) ENG vs AUS (2019) PAK vs SL (2019) IND vs BAN (2019) AUS vs NZ (2019-20) AUS vs IND (2020-21) IND vs ENG (2021) AUS vs PAK (2019) PAK vs BAN (2020) ENG vs WI (2020) - - NZ vs IND (2020) SL vs ENG (2020) SL vs BAN (2020) - - BAN vs AUS (2020) WI vs SA (2020) ENG vs PAK (2020) - - BAN vs NZ (2020) NZ vs WI (2020) BAN vs WI (2021) - - NZ vs PAK (2020) SA vs SL (2021) SA vs AUS (2021) - - PAK vs SA (2021) WI vs SL (2021) - - - ## How will be the points awarded?## Each Test series will carry 120 points, and it doesn't matter if it is a two-match series or a five-match rubber. For example, a two-match series will mean 60 points for a Test, while it comes down to 24 points for a five-match series. A tie will see the teams sharing the points while a draw will be in 3:1 ratio.## Matches in seriesPoints for a winPoints for a tiePoints for a drawPoints for a defeat 2 60 30 20 0 3 40 20 13 0 4 30 15 10 0 5 24 12 8 0 ## Will there be future WTCs or is it a one-off?## The plan is to have two-year cycles. The first one will start on August 1, 2019, and end on March 31, 2021, with the final slated to be played on June 2021. The next Championship is scheduled to start from June 2021 and will end in April 2023.## Will the WTC have any affect on the ICC Test rankings?## The rankings will continue in the same way after each series. The WTCs points system will be independent of the Test rankings.## Follow for more...

Cricket

2558 days ago

3.5K views

Ponting And De Villiers Picked Their World Cup Semi-Finalists

With world cup just two and a half months away, all the teams are looking all set for the biggest tournament. However, as of now, India and England are looking firm favorites to lift the cup at the iconic Lords stadium, Australia, the five-time world champion is picking at the right time and the inclusion of Steve Smith and David Warner will boost their chances.## Australia's former captain Ricky Ponting and South African great AB de Villiers have picked their four semi-finalists but fell that it is India that is more likely to lift the cup. Ricky Ponting who is all set for his new assignment as a coach of Delhi Capitals told TOI that "England, India, Australia and maybe New Zealand. Of course, you never know what Pakistan and West Indies are gonna do! when he was asked about his four world cup semi-finalists.## On the other hand, AB de Villiers feels that South Africa can win the world cup but he was honest in saying that they are not the favorite for the title. "I do believe South Africa have a chance, as we did at any other World Cup because we are a world-class team with plenty of match-winners. The Proteas are certainly in the running, but I won’t say they are the favorites to be honest with you.## "India and England are looking strong, Australia has won five World Cups in the past and Pakistan claimed the Champions Trophy in the UK two years ago. Those four teams are probably the favorites," De Villiers told Sport24.## De Villiers who will be seeing playing IPL starting from March 23 for RCB along with Virat Kohli. The duo has been one of the most successful pairs in the history of the Indian Premier League and hence, they know each other more than anyone else. Keeping the world cup in mind, de Villiers feels that Virat Kohli's purple patch will give India an edge which has propelled him to No.1 in the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Rankings for batsmen, aren't going to stop any time soon.## "Virat’s performances over the last while have been incredible and I can’t see it stopping very soon," de Villiers said. "I have played with him for eight years now in the IPL and you can never take the class out of the guy. I see lots of similarities between myself and Virat. We are both fighters and don’t enjoy losing, we love batting together and taking the game away from teams."## While the other former players and legends of the game are still arguing for the best ODI batsman of all time between Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, both de Villiers and Ponting feel that Virat Kohli is the greatest batsman of all time in ODIs.## "If Virat has a good World Cup, India will win. His numbers show that he is the best. How old is he? Maybe 30, and he is going to play another 200 games. I don't think there will be many people who are going to argue against him being the best," Ponting told TOI.## Follow for more...

Cricket

2621 days ago

8.8K views

Top 5 Cricket Teams With Most International Wins

Australia began 2019 with a comfortable 34-runs win over India in the one-day format. Australia had an awful 2018 where they could manage only 2 wins and lost as many as 13 in the 50-over format. Australia couldn't ask for a better start of a year as former world no. 1 team has taken a 1-0 lead in 3-match series.## With the help of this win, Australia became the first and only country to win 1000 matches in all three formats (Test, ODI, T20I). Despite their struggle in all three formats in recent times, Australia has won most matches in Tests and ODIs than any other team in the world. Apart from Australia, only three teams have been able to win more than 700 matches in the history of the cricket.## Here is the list of the TOP 5 countries with most international wins## 1. AUSTRALIA (1000 WINS) - Since the beginning of the cricket, Australia has been a most successful team in the history of the game. They played their first match in 1877 against England and since then they have played 818 Tests, 920 ODIs, and 114 T20Is and have won 1000 matches (384 Tests, 558 ODIs, 58 T20Is). During this period, Australia has won Five 50-over world cups and has been the team to beat during the time period of 1990 to 2010.## 2. ENGLAND (774 WINS) - England is the country who invented cricket. England played their first match against their Ashes rivals in 1877 and has played 1007 Tests, 721 ODIs, and 105 T20Is so far and has won 774 matches (364 Tests, 360 ODIs, 50 T20Is). Despite inventing cricket, England couldn't win the 50-over world cup. Their only major ICC tournament win came in the shortest format of the game when they became T20 champion in 2010 after beating Australia in the final.## 3. INDIA (711 WINS) - India has emerged as one of the teams to beat since the start of 21st century. In their 86-year of cricketing history, India has played 533 Tests, 954 ODIs, and 110 T20Is and has won 711 matches (150 Tests, 492 ODIs, 69 T20Is). The biggest moment for Indian cricket came in 1983 when India became world champions for the first time by beating defending champions West Indies under the captaincy of Kapil Dev and 28 years later, India lifted the World Cup for the second time under MS Dhoni. Apart from winning 50-over World Cup twice, India has won inaugural T20I World Cup in 2007 and Champions Trophy in 2014.## 4. PAKISTAN (702 WINS) - Pakistan is known for producing fast bowlers and has won many matches because of the great pacers. Since their first match (In 1952), Pakistan has played 422 Tests, 899 ODIs, and 139 T20Is and has won 702 matches (136 Tests, 477 ODIs, 89 T20Is). Pakistan has won 50-over World Cup (1992), T20I World Cup (2009), Champions Trophy (2017) at least once in their cricketing history.## 5. WEST INDIES (608 WINS) - From 1970 to 1980, West Indies was an almost unbeatable team. During this period, Windies won two World Cup (1975, 1979) and in 1983, they lost to India in the final at the iconic Lords Cricket Ground. Windies have played 539 Tests, 788 ODIs, and 104 T20Is so far and have won 608 matches (171 Tests, 388 ODIs, 49 T20Is). Apart from two 50-over World Cups, Windies have won two T20I World Cups (2012, 2016) and Champions Trophy in 2004.## Stats till 12 Jan 2019.## Follow for more...

Cricket

2634 days ago

3.9K views

Top 5 Bowler With Most Test Wickets In Debut Year

2018 has been another phenomenal year for Test cricket especially for the bowlers where India's pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, and Mohammad Shami scripted a landmark year for Indian cricket. India that ended 2018 with a big 137-runs win against Australia in Boxing Day Test at Melbourne, the pace trio played a vital role in that who helped India to retain Border-Gavaskar trophy with one to play.## Jasprit Bumrah who debuted against South Africa in January 2017, has touched new height in Test cricket. He has been going to man for Virat Kohli not only in Test cricket but all three formats. Talking about the records both Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah have ruled 2018 with bat and ball.## Here is the list of TOP 5 bowler with most Test wicket in debut year:## 1. Terry Alderman (AUS, 54 Wickets, 1981) - Australia's former right-arm fast-medium bowler who took 170 wickets in 41 Tests for Australia made his Test debut against England in 1981 and made his own with taking 54 wickets in 10 matches. His record of taking 54 wickets in debut year is yet to be broken. In the 1981 Ashes series he took 42 Test wickets, including nine on debut, the biggest haul in a series since Jim Laker's 46 in 1956 and the fourth-highest total of all time.## 2. Curtly Ambrose (WI, 49 Wickets, 1988) - Sir Curtly Ambrose has been one of the greatest bowlers of all time that world cricket has ever seen. Sir Ambrose made his Test debut against Pakistan in 1988 and went on to become the colossus of West Indies bowling in the 90s. He took 49 wickets in 11 Tests in 1988 which is the second highest by any bowler in his debut year. In 12 years of Test career, Sir Ambrose played 98 Tests for Windies and took 405 wickets with an average of 20.99.## 3. Jasprit Bumrah (IND, 48 Wickets, 2018) - Jasprit Bumrah is the new sensation in world cricket today. With his unorthodox action, he has become very hard to play for any batsman and with time passing, he is becoming even more lethal. In his debut series against South Africa in South Africa, he took 14 wickets in 3 matches and AB de Villiers was his first Test wicket. He carried that form into England series and took the same number of wickets in the last 3 Tests, unfortunately, he couldn't play first two matches due to injury. And now in ongoing series against Australia down under, he is the leading wicket-taker with 20 wickets in 3 matches. With 6 for 33 in 3rd Test in Melbourne, he became the first Asian bowler to take 5-fer against SA, ENG, and AUS in overseas in a calendar year. In 18 innings of 9 matches, he has taken 48 wickets with an average of 21.02.## 4. Steven Finn (ENG, 46 Wickets, 2010) - Steven Finn's career has been affected by injuries and fitness has been the biggest concern for the English pacer. However, he last played a Test in 2016, shone in his debut year of 2010 where he grabbed 46 wickets in 11 matches. In 36 Tests so far he has taken 125 wickets with an average of 30.41.## 5. Roy Tattersall (ENG, 44 Wickets, 1951) - Roy Tattersall was an English Right arm off break bowler who played only 16 Tests and took 58 wickets in which 44 came in his debut year (1951) in 12 matches. Despite his impressive record in first-class cricket (328 matches, 1369 wickets) Tattersall made only two further appearances in Test cricket in 1953 against Australia and in 1954 against Pakistan.## Follow for more...

Cricket

2774 days ago

2.7K views

India Surrendered To Broad And Anderson

This was perhaps the first time under Virat Kohli's captaincy when India did not even compete in a Test match. After allowing England to take 289 runs lead in the first innings, India was in trying to avoid an innings defeat, bowled out on 130 and lost by an innings and 159 runs and go down 2-0 in 5-match series.## It was a perfect match for England where their batsmen batted well and bowlers took full advantage of overcast conditions. After Anderson's 5 for 20 led England to bowled out India on 107 in the first innings, Chris Woakes (137*) and Jonny Bairstow (93) took the game away from India with a massive 189-run partnership for the sixth wickets.## England declared their first innings on 396 at the fall of Sam Curran's wicket who scored 40 off 49 balls. Indian bowlers did bowl well especially, Hardik Pandya and Mohammed Shami even though they could not stop England to take a big lead. Hardik took 3 for 66 while Shami too went with as many wickets and conceded 96.## With the conditions has become a lot tougher for the batsmen, India had a mammoth task in front of them to save the match. But India had no answer of Anderson and Broad's bowling who ran through India's batting line up with 4-wickets each and the remaining two wickets were taken by Woakes.## One can understand how badly India failed with the bat as for them, the biggest partnership of the match was 55 that came in the second innings between Hardik Pandya and Ravichandran Ashwin. The situation could have been even worse if the duo didn't put that partnership. Hardik batted well for his 26 while Ashwin remained the top scorer for India in both innings with 29 & 33.## Chris Woakes awarded Man Of The Match for match-winning all-round show as he took 4-wickets in the match and scored his maiden Test ton.## The third match of the 5-match series will be played at Trent Bridge, Nottingham from August 18. It will be a do or die match for India while England will look to seal the series.## For more updates and news, stay tuned to us.## Thanks for the reading.

Cricket

2775 days ago

4.1K views

Indian Batsmen Should Play Ugly To Be Successful In English Conditions - Clive Lloyd

There seems no end of India's batting woes in the Test series in England. After losing the first Test by a small margin of 31-runs in Edgbaston, India's struggle with the bat continued in the second Test at Lords Cricket Ground, London.## After the day one of the second Test completely washed out due to rain, it took only 35.2 overs to England to bowled out India on 107 on another rain-interrupted day two. England's bowlers led by James Anderson's 5 for 20 took full advantage of overcast conditions.## Former West Indies' captain Clive Lloyd said that India should play ugly cricket to be successful in these conditions. One of the greatest captains of all time was speaking to ET and had plenty to say about India's batting and personally about Virat Kohli.## Excerpts :## When the conditions are all stacked in favour of the bowlers, what do you do as a batsman?## You bat ugly. That’s what you need to do and also hope that you have the luck on your side. It isn’t easy to bat in these conditions, especially when a bowler like James Anderson is bowling at you. But as a batsman you have to tell yourself that you will be patient, you will take blows on your body, you will be prepared to play and miss and yet not give your wicket away. Virat Kohli did exactly that at Edgbaston. He was not great to look at but he was hugely effective. That’s what you want from your best player and that’s what you need from your other batsmen.## Are you implying that Virat is a few notches higher in comparison to the other batsmen?## He is a rockstar. A player of tremendous quality but that doesn’t mean the others aren’t good enough or can’t stand out there and help out the captain. You needed one more man to bat ugly to win the Test at Edgbaston. One man to just tell himself that comes what I will not get out. It is a question of resolve and determination. Of courage and conviction. Cricket isn’t an easy sport and these conditions are as difficult as they can ever be. But that’s where you need to excel as a batsman to qualify as a great. Virat has done that and that’s what I am trying to tell you.## Coming to Virat the leader. You have been the most successful cricket captain of all time. How do you look at Virat as captain?## I like his style and like seeing him conduct himself as captain. Every captain is different and will have his own style. I had once asked Malcolm Marshall, who had a broken hand if he would still risk playing? Marshall did and got five wickets for me. Will Virat do the same of his players? Maybe not. The question that is of paramount importance here is how much trust the players have in Virat and vice-versa. I can say my players trusted me wholeheartedly and I did the same with each and every one of them. You can never be a successful captain and get the best out of your team if you don’t trust each other to the fullest. That’s what Virat will have to do as captain — get his players to trust him with their life. I see a lot of potential in him and I hope he will get better with time.## If you were in Virat’s position, would you have played your premier bowlers in the IPL or would you speak to the BCCI and withdraw them from the IPL to keep them fresh for the 2019 World Cup?## I have a very straightforward answer for you. The nation comes first. India comes first. IPL will come every year. If Virat and the management feels you need a certain bowler and the IPL may exhaust him or burn him out, you have to ensure he doesn’t play the IPL in World Cup year. Arthur Ashe once came to Melbourne and seeing 90,000 people in the stadium said to me, you guys must be millionaires. I said we get $500 per game.## Modern players make enough money and there is every reason that they should. But when it is a toss-up between the World Cup and the IPL and when you know you might not be at your best for the World Cup, you have to sacrifice franchise cricket. If you win the World Cup for your country you will qualify in the category of a cricketing legend. No number of franchise league wins can get you up there.## India is 1-0 down in 5-match series. To win this Test series, India will have bat well in rest of the remaining matches. Apart from skipper Virat Kohli, no other Indian batsmen looked to score runs against England's bowling attack in the first Test and resulted in, they failed to chase down 194 and lost the match by 31-runs.## For more updates and news, stay tuned to us.## Thanks for the reading

Cricket

2777 days ago

3K views

Nasser Hussain Feels India Is Undercooked For The Test Series

Indian team is facing criticism by the former players after the loss of Edgbaston Test. In the list, former England's captain and commentator Nasser Hussain feels that India is a bit 'undercooked' for the five-match Test series. Earlier, he questioned Virat Kohli's captaincy a day after the conclusion of the first Test and had said that Kohli should take the responsibility for the loss.## Hussain questioned their decision to reduce the sole warm-up match to three days instead of the scheduled four. He asserted that lack of preparation as well as the team management's dubious decision to exclude Cheteshwar Pujara resulted in their struggles against the moving ball in Edgbaston.## However, despite the poor batting show, Hussain still feels that India will be competitive in upcoming matches even though he predicts the series scoreline 3-2 in favor of England. Speaking to India Today ahead of the second match at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground, Nasser Hussain said,## "3-2 is what I had predicted before a ball went down, (it will still be) 3-2 in favor of England. I don't think there'll be any draws."## The second match of the 5-match will be played at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground, London where India had happy memories. Last time when India toured this part of the world in 2014, they registered a memorable victory at Home of the cricket.## On the other hand, England has lost five Test out of their last ten appearance at this ground. Unlike the last time, London is facing the extreme heatwave which means the pitch will be dry and there will not be much swing for the pacers. Hussain opined that the Indian batsmen would find it much easier than at Edgbaston.## "It will be a good pitch at the Lord's. I don't think the ball will do as much as it did at Edgbaston so that will help the Indian batsmen a little bit. But, there's the slope at the Lord's and there's always a little bit of movement. It will also spin a little bit. The side playing better cricket would be important.## "Conditions play a part but if India had been a little smarter and taken their catches in the first game, you would be talking about one-nil down for England and everyone will be nailing England at the moment. So both sides have their problems," he said.## India will be hoping a much better performance with the bat than Edgbaston at the Lord's, London in the second Test starting Thursday, August 9.## For more update and news, stay tuned to us.## Thanks for the reading.