Veda Krishnamurthy: 'I thought I was bigger than the game'

India batter admits “things have gone wrong for the team” sometimes because of her

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jul-2020Having kicked off her ODI career with a fifty on debut against England in 2011, the knock should have given then 18-year-old Veda Krishnamurthy the required confidence to achieve greater heights. Her attacking batting style meant she was entrusted with the role of a finisher, but the early success lulled the India batter to believe she was “bigger than the game”.”The biggest mistake of my cricket career was that I thought I was the greatest player when I was 18,” Veda, now 27, said on Indian Express Facebook Live. “I thought I was bigger than the game, that nobody could be better than me.”It was only in 2014-15 when things started to fall in place for me. I realised cricket is bigger than anyone. This is true for life as well. You need to have gratitude, appreciation for what you have.”ALSO READ: ‘They used to call me Darthy – after Darth Vader’While she has scored eight half-centuries in 41 ODI innings, those knocks were interspersed with a string of low scores. She was part of the squad for the T20 World Cup in Australia earlier this year, but she was dropped from the ODI side in 2018 after several single-digit scores in a row. Veda, however, has no regrets about the way she plays.”My aggressive nature has definitely gone against me sometimes in my career. The higher the reward associated with risk, the higher is the chance of missing out. But I don’t regret any of the rash shots I played. Regrets don’t work.”I like to stick to my natural game. If it comes off, it will flip the match in such a way that the opponents cannot come back. Sometimes because of me, things have gone wrong for the team, but that’s cricket. You cannot let go off your natural instincts. I would like to say I am the nail in the coffin, either for my team or the other team, depends on how that day turns out.”Over the last ten years, Veda has represented India in 48 ODIs and 76 T20Is, and has played most of those games under or alongside Mithali Raj. There was a time in 2007 though when Veda was in awe of India’s ODI captain.”Mithali scored a double-hundred in a two-day match when I had just started playing for Karnataka. I was struck by how effortlessly she scored her runs. When I first batted with her, I called up a friend and told her, ‘Do you know who I batted with today?’ That’s the kind of influence she had on us. I have learnt a lot in the 8-9 years I have spent with her.”Mithali is very professional. We all try to learn from her how she manages to compartmentalise things, does one thing at a time. She has mastered the art of concentration.”Veda though is closer to India’s T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur in her approach to the game. When asked to compare the captaincy styles of Raj and Kaur, Veda said: “Mithali is very calm on the field. You discuss your plans beforehand, you are told what your role is, if you are not able to execute your role, she discusses it in the team meeting later.”Harmanpreet is a more on-field captain. She is more aggressive, she is always telling you what to do. Both are very good in their own ways and are doing a fantastic job in the different formats right now.”

Virat Kohli: MS Dhoni played a big role in my becoming captain

In a chat with R Ashwin, Kohli said the process was one of ‘earning trust’ over several years

ESPNcricinfo staff30-May-20202:08

‘I was always in Dhoni’s ear’ – Kohli

Virat Kohli has credited MS Dhoni with playing a significant role in anointing him as his successor as India captain.Kohli took over as the full-time Test captain when Dhoni retired from the format midway through India’s tour of Australia in 2014-15, and later became captain across formats when Dhoni quit his limited-overs post in early 2017.Kohli said the process was a gradual one of “earning trust” over several years.”I was always inclined towards taking responsibility,” Kohli said of his early days in the India dressing room, while speaking to his team-mate R Ashwin on his Instagram Live show . “After that it was all about just wanting to play, wanting to be in the XI regularly. I didn’t play all the games, but I wanted to be discussed, that ‘whether this guy is good enough to play or not.’ That is a transition that slowly happens.”Then with your interest in the game you start talking to the captain regularly. I was always in MS’s ear, standing next to him, saying, ‘We can do this, we can do that.’ He would deny a lot of things but he would discuss a lot of things as well. I think he got a lot of confidence that I can do this after him.”A large portion of me becoming captain was also to do with him observing me for a long period of time. It can’t just happen that he goes and the selectors say, ‘Okay you become captain.’ Obviously the guy who is there takes responsibility and says, ‘Okay I think this is the next guy. I will tell you how it is going.’ And then slowly that transition is formed. He played a big role in that, and that trust you have to build over six-seven years. It doesn’t happen overnight, it’s a process.”Kohli was first appointed vice-captain for the 2012 Asia Cup, which followed India’s tour of Australia for a Test series and a tri-series in 2011-12. In a tour that otherwise went poorly for India, who were blanked 4-0 in the Tests and failed to reach the tri-series final, Kohli emerged with distinction. He scored his maiden Test century in the fourth match in Adelaide, becoming the only India batsman to reach three figures in that series. In the ODIs, he made his then highest score in the format , smashing 133* off just 86 balls as India chased down a target of 321 in 36.4 overs to keep their hopes of making the final alive.The relationship between Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni solidified over time•Associated Press

Kohli said that tour helped him become aware of his game and hone it significantly. “I remember that whole season,” he said. “It was from that Test hundred in Adelaide to continuously stringing scores. That was a phase of six to eight months where I really realised a lot about my own game and came into my own as far as my skills were concerned.”I was very competitive but I wasn’t very sure or in control of what I wanted to do before. When you come in new, you’re still figuring out how to go about it. At the international stage you want to be feared, you want to be respected. You don’t want to walk in and hear, ‘He’s one of the youngsters, we’ll just knock him over.’ We all play for that. That was a phase where I started to realise this.”In the Asia Cup that followed, Kohli made 183 in another tall chase, against Pakistan. He revealed that during this knock, he had negated the threat posed by Saeed Ajmal by treating the offspinner as if he were a legspinner.”I told myself I’m going to start playing him like a legspinner,” Kohli said. “Because his was quite difficult to face and his offspinner was not that lethal. So I said I’m going to try and hit him over cover consistently, and it just paid off. As soon as I negated his , the potency of his threat became lesser and lesser.”In that game I scored most of my runs against him through the off side [29 runs on the off side and 7 on the leg side]. My only aim was I’m going to make him unsettled with his . He should fear bowling the doosra to me, then I’m on top of my game.”

Bowlers give Sri Lanka U-19 2-0 lead

Three-fors from Jehan Daniel and Charith Asalanka and an unbeaten 75 from Shammu Ashan were highlights of Sri Lanka six-wicket win over Pakistan in the third Youth ODI in Colombo

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Oct-2015
ScorecardThree-fors from Jehan Daniel and Charith Asalanka, and an unbeaten 75 from Shammu Ashan were highlights of Sri Lanka’s six-wicket win over Pakistan in the third Under-19 ODI at the SSC. The win gave the hosts a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.Ashan continued his good form and struck nine fours, adding 87 and 47 with Avishka Fernando and Sachitha Jayathilake, as the hosts chased 174 inside 41 overs. Openers Thanuka Dabare and Kaveen Bandara put on 38 for the first wicket but then lost three wickets for five runs. However, Ashan took control of the chase, steering his team home.After being inserted, Pakistan were reduced to 13 for 2 inside seven overs. A few middling partnerships pushed Pakistan to 88 for 4, but they slipped again. Daniel and Asalanka applied the squeeze and reaped the reward as the visitors fell to 107 for 6.Awais Iqbal hit 42 off 53 balls that was part of two 20-plus partnerships with the tail but Pakistan were eventually bowled out for 173 in 49.4 overs.

Mitchell Marsh, Colin Munro and Andrew Tye demolish Sydney Sixers

Andrew Tye and Jhye Richardson shared seven wickets between them for the Scorchers

Sreshth Shah06-Jan-2021After no wins in their first four games, the Perth Scorchers have now run up a hat-trick of wins, the latest, in front of a home crowd, coming against table-toppers Sydney Sixers, who were beaten comprehensively by 86 runs. Half-centuries from Colin Munro and Mitchell Marsh took them to a competitive 183, after which Andrew Tye and Jhye Richardson shared seven wickets between them to bowl the Sixers out for 97.The result took the Scorchers up to sixth on the points table, only four points away from breaking into the top four.Sixers recover after early Scorchers onslaughtThe Scorchers’ English opening pair of Jason Roy and Liam Livingstone brought out the fireworks early against Jackson Bird as the home side raced away to 22 in two overs after being asked to bat. Livingstone rode his luck, top-edging a six and whipping shots off his pads that just eluded the fielders, but was then caught for a 13-ball 16 looking to clear offspinner Steve O’Keefe over deep midwicket in the fourth over.That brought in Munro at No. 3, and he began with a four off Jake Ball and a six off O’ Keefe to get going. But at the other end, Roy was struggling with his timing. It was thanks to Munro’s aggression that at the ten-over mark the Scorchers had reached 71, with Roy’s strike rate below a run-a-ball. Munro reached his half-century in the 12th over one ball after hitting X-factor sub Lloyd Pope for a six. But the legspinner took his revenge midway through the over when Munro mistimed a sweep to the backward square fielder to be dismissed for a 34-ball 50. Two overs later, Roy was out to Pope after an excruciating 31-ball 27, caught in the deep after a slog. At that stage, the Scorchers were 3 for 99 after 14 overs.Andrew Tye was the destroyer-in-chief, with 4 for 20•Getty Images

Marsh leads death-overs assaultMarsh walked in at Roy’s dismissal and drilled a drive through the covers off his first ball to set the tone. With Josh Inglis chipping in from the other end, Marsh hit Dan Christian for two fours in a 17-run 16th over. He then hammered Ball for a six and a four off the 17th.But the biggest over was the 18th, delivered by O’Keefe, where Marsh hit a baseball-style swat over the bowler’s head for six with Inglis, too, hitting a six and a four. That 19-run over, despite Inglis’ dismissal, set the Scorchers up for a score over 170. They went better. Marsh struck three more fours in the last two overs – that added up to 27 – to bring up his tenth T20 half-century and set the Sixers a target of 184. The Sixers conceded 85 runs in the last six overs as the Scorchers had the momentum going into the break.Richardson, Tye seal the dealThe Sixers have successfully chased steep targets in three of their last four wins, so early wickets were key for the Scorchers, and they got the first of those when the in-form Josh Philippe looked to clip a short ball from Jason Behrendorff over square leg, only for the leading edge to go to first slip. Four balls later, James Vince was out for a three-ball duck when he edged a drive off Richardson behind the stumps.Jack Edwards and captain Daniel Hughes looked to counterattack in their 34-run stand for the third wicket but the latter fell to Tye, trying to cut but failing to clear backward point. Marsh then struck in his first over – the eighth of the chase – when his short ball was slashed by Jordan Silk, facing his first ball, straight to third man. Tye then took his second when Christian’s attempt at a leg-side hoick took the splice and gave a simple catch to mid-on, ensuring the Sixers had lost half their side for 52, including three batsmen who did not get off the mark.Carlos Brathwaite lasted only three balls, as his attempt to ramp Richardson’s short ball found backward point instead, and if it wasn’t for a well-utilised Power Surge by Edwards and the lower-order batsmen, the Sixers would have been out for much less. O’Keefe and Bird hit some big blows to take the Sixers’ score close to 100 before a return spell from Tye and Richardson closed the game with over three overs to spare.

NSW top Shield table ahead of BBL break in 'shocking' air conditions

New South Wales shrugged off bushfire-smoke-filled air to record a nine-wicket victory over Queensland at the SCG

The Report by Daniel Brettig10-Dec-2019New South Wales shrugged off appalling air conditions in Sydney to record a nine-wicket victory over Queensland at the SCG and go to the Big-Bash-League break at the top of the Sheffield Shield table with five wins and a draw after six matches.On a day when NSW health authorities held an afternoon press conference advising all caught in the bushfire-smoke-filled air around Sydney to stay indoors and the harbour’s ferry service was suspended due to low visibility, the Blues and Bulls played out the final act of their contest after Dr John Orchard assessed conditions with match officials and concluded it was safe to play.Not only was the air a concern on a breathing level, the smoke was so thick that visibility also looked to be an issue for players on both sides – reminiscent of some of the worst smog-induced conditions seen at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi from time to time.NSW spinner Steve O’Keefe described conditions as “shocking” and “far worse than India”. “The one thing they need to look at is the air-quality policy,” O’Keefe told reporters after the match. “That was shocking. I don’t have kids, but if I did they’d be locked up inside, and if I was at home I wouldn’t be training or playing in it. I tip my hat to Queensland because when you’re behind in the game you’ve got a reason to whinge, but they got on with it.”That air quality was shocking. The doctor was all over it and speaking to us about it, and the fact the game wasn’t going to go all day was considered, but in the future they need to look at it because it’s not healthy – it’s toxic. That was far worse than [India]. It got to the stage we weren’t going to come off for quality, it was more about visibility. It was getting hard to pick the ball up. I’m sure they’ll address it. It’s a bit left field to have something as severe as this.”Queensland captain Usman Khawaja said he was surprised the NSW bowlers were able to persist for so long in the conditions. “When we arrived here this morning it reminded me of playing in India,” he said. “It was just hard to breathe, there was a lot of smoke. I was only out there for about five overs but it just got stuck in your throat. I was actually surprised the bowlers were bowling for that long, I thought they would have taken out of it. It was bad but it wasn’t unplayable.”Khawaja added that he had spoken with the players’ association about conditions and also revealed that air quality index readings had indicated the quality of the air had not slipped beyond the 300 rating considered dangerous.”I spoke to the ACA about it yesterday, just making sure I knew what was going on. There was limitations set, the doc knew about it,” he said. “I talked to the doc about it this morning, and yeah there was limitations there. If it got really bad – they’re obviously using a measuring device and they have numbers up there. I think 300 was the number, if it got to there then we probably would have come off.”But it never got to there, I think the highest it got to was 180s or 200s or whatever. So we just let them do what they need to do.”On Friday, Cricket NSW had advised club and community cricket organisations to consider cancelling weekend matches amidst similar conditions emanating from the bushfires that have engulfed the east coast of Australia in recent weeks.The Shield game, though, went on, and resuming at 5 for 111, still needing another 25 runs to make NSW bat again, Queensland suffered arguably the decisive blow in the first half an hour when Trent Copeland coaxed an outside edge from Usman Khawaja from around the wicket.Michael Neser and Mitchell Swepson kept the Bulls’ wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson company for long enough to allow the visitors to forge a lead, but when Peirson was last out, shortly before lunch, they had left the Blues needing just 42. This was enough to allow Swepson the wicket of Daniel Hughes, but with only another four runs required.The allrounder Moises Henriques was named Player of the Match for his match-shaping first-innings century.

Australia could play extra quick in India as Pat Cummins eyes flexibility

All bases will be covered in the squad but Travis Head could have an increasing part to play with the ball

Andrew McGlashan09-Jan-2023Using three frontline quicks remains an option for Australia on their tour of India with Pat Cummins keeping an opening mind about the balance of the side that they will need.The last time they won in India, on the 2004 tour, their bowling attack was based around the three-pronged pace of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz alongside the spin of Shane Warne and then some part-time overs.Australia have the resources to go with a similar shape of team this time although the emergence of Cameron Green has given them greater flexibility. However, Green is expected to miss the first Test in Nagpur due to his broken finger so the selectors will need to decide whether to stick with the two-quick, two-spinner method employed against South Africa or back what is traditionally Australia’s strength in pace bowlers.Nagpur has not hosted a Test since 2017 and Australia’s previous game there was the VCA Stadium’s maiden fixture in 2008 when Jason Krejza took 12 wickets in the match on debutRelated

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Mitchell Starc is also unlikely to be fit for the first Test – and things may yet be tight for the second in Delhi – due to his broken finger suffered at the MCG, but Josh Hazlewood’s impressive return from injury in Sydney, where he was threatening with reverse swing, means he could get more opportunity than presented itself on last year’s trips to Pakistan and Sri Lanka where he only played once.Scott Boland was left out of the final Test against South Africa and has yet to play a game overseas, but it could be an option to field him, Cummins and Hazlewood together unless the pitch is so persuasive of including another spinner.”Potentially,” Cummins said when asked about playing the extra quick. “[When] Cam Green bats at six you’ve kind of got three quick bowlers which is a bit of luxury as it is. [Josh] showed his class out there. No qualms picking him, you know what you are going to get and it’s quality. Each game in India we might need to chop it up slightly differently, maybe one game it’s three quicks and another it’s one quick. We’ll get over there and see.”Australia’s second spinner at the SCG was Ashton Agar who went wicketless through 22 overs in his first home Test, nearly 10 years after making his debut. Agar is assured of his place on the India tour, and Australia are keen on having a left-arm spinner in their attack, but Mitchell Swepson and Todd Murphy are also in the mix for the tour.Travis Head could get plenty of work with the ball•Getty Images

However, there is an option where Australia rely on a combination of their part-time spinners to supplement Nathan Lyon, with Travis Head’s development of his offspin making him a viable option. Head has taken seven wickets at 13.99 in his last seven Tests having not struck before then.”It’s a real option,” Cummins said. “Think the squad will have all possibilities there. Really comfortable [with the part-time spinners] especially Trav, he’s a slightly different offspin bowler to Nathan, a bit flatter, which could be really helpful over there. Probably underbowled him in this game so he’ll be a big part over there.”Away from the bowling, the batting options for the tour are likely to include Peter Handscomb, who was drafted into the SCG squad when Marcus Harris was released to play BBL. He is the leading Sheffield Shield run-scorer this season with 571 runs at 81.57 and coach Andrew McDonald said he was unlucky not to originally be selected for Sydney when Matt Renshaw was preferred.”He’s a huge chance over in India, he’s played really well in Bangladesh, India he’s been there before,” Cummins said. “He’s earned the right by scoring a lot of runs in Shield cricket. I’m sure come selection time he’ll be there or thereabouts. Always nice having a right-hander as well, we’ve got plenty of left-handers.”The squad is expected to be named later this week and will depart at the end of the month. There are plans for a short training camp in Sydney with the tour itself not including a warm-up match before the opening Test in Nagpur from February 9.

James Franklin worried by pain in left knee

Allrounder worried his career could be in trouble once again after experiencing pain in his left knee during a tour game against Pakistan last week

Cricinfo staff27-Nov-2009New Zealand allrounder James Franklin is worried that his injury-hit career could be in trouble once again after he experienced pain in his left knee during a tour game against Pakistan last week.”It’s come like a bolt out of the blue, so naturally I’m pretty nervous because my knees have never been the greatest,” Franklin told the . “The last thing I want to do is spend a long time out of the game again, especially as I’m really enjoying my cricket at the moment. I’ve been happy with my form over the last little while so I don’t need a potential setback like this.”Franklin had patella-tendon surgery on his right knee in November 2007, followed by nine months of rehabilitation. This time, he may have injured the patella tendon in his left knee and ultrasound tests confirmed inflammation in the tendon. Franklin was prescribed a series of blood injections into the tendon to help speed up his recovery. In the past he has been through the same routine for his right knee, but the injections were administered too late to prevent surgery in that case.New Zealand are still recovering from the loss of allrounder Jacob Oram, whose retirement from Tests was forced by injuries. After two years on the sidelines, Franklin made a comeback to the New Zealand Test side in the home series against West Indies late last year. He tried to re-establish himself as an allrounder and scored a fifty against India in Napier.”I haven’t given up hope. I might even try and have a bat in the next day or so and if that goes well I might be able to squeeze a game in for Wellington, possibly just as a batsman, and then go from there,” Franklin said.

Liam Livingstone's all-round show keeps Lancashire motoring

Opener stars with bat and ball to keep Lancashire at the top of the North Group

ECB Reporters Network02-Aug-2019Liam Livingstone starred with both bat and ball to maintain Lancashire Lightning’s impressive start to the Vitality Blast, as they defeated Durham by five wickets at Emirates Riverside.The 25-year-old displayed his all-round ability by taking 2-21 with his combination of off and leg-spin, while Matt Parkinson took four wickets to bowl out the home side for 139 from their 20 overs. Livingstone took centre stage with the bat to chase down total, blasting the Durham attack around the park with an innings of 70 from 48 deliveries.It proved to be enough to take the Lightning over the line, although the ending was tighter than visitors would have expected. Regardless, Lancashire earned their fourth win of the campaign and extending their lead at the top of the North Group.Durham won the toss and batted first, and Steven Croft could have dismissed the dangerous D’Arcy Short from his first ball, only to drop a brisk return catch. Scott Steel’s return from injury did not last long as he fell for six attempting to scoop Saqib Mahmood over the top and was caught behind.Short and Graham Clark found their rhythm at the crease and guided Durham towards the 50-run mark at the powerplay. However, Richard Gleeson produced a quick delivery that Short skied into the air and was taken comfortably by Dane Vilas moving forward.Durham’s progress was further stymied after the introduction of Parkinson. Ben Raine had swept the first ball of the leg-spinner’s over for four, but he returned to pin the left-hander lbw. Parkinson then turned one through Clark’s defences in the same over, leaving the home side with work ahead of them at 72-4.Alex Lees and Peter Handscomb were forced to rebuild the innings in the middle overs. Both players found it difficult to find the boundary and Handscomb’s struggles resulted in his dismissal when he caught by James Faulkner off Gleeson.Skipper Stuart Poynter lost his wicket to Parkinson’s spin, while the Lancashire bowler collected his fourth wicket by dismissing Lees courtesy of a fine catch by Croft. Durham edged their way towards 139 before Faulkner ended the innings removing Nathan Rimmington.The chase required a rate of seven runs per over, and Alex Davies ensured that the Lightning got off to a strong start, finding the boundary from opening two balls of the innings. Livingstone opened his arms and found the boundary with regularity during the powerplay, including dispatching a short Rimmington ball over the head of Trevaskis at square leg.Matty Potts broke the opening stand with the final ball of the sixth over as Davies chipped tamely to Trevaskis for 24, although he left his team in a strong position at 57-1. Livingstone continued to punish the Durham attack, driving Trevaskis straight over his head for a six to the long-on boundary. The 25-year-old reached his half-century from 28 balls, keeping Lancashire well ahead of the rate.Glenn Maxwell came and went cheaply, falling to his compatriot Short as he picked out Potts in the deep. The Aussie then notched his second wicket by bowling former Durham man Keaton Jennings to put the pressure on the visitors.Livingstone’s impressive innings came to an end when Trevaskis turned one past the opener, who was stumped by Poynter.But Vilas and Faulkner calmed any nerves to guide their team to the victory target in the penultimate over.

Rahul Johri back at work at BCCI after contentious clean chit

The CoA is divided over the inquiry committee’s report, which doesn’t find the BCCI CEO guilty of sexual harrassment

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Nov-2018Rahul Johri is set to continue in his position as chief executive officer of the BCCI with the Committee of Administrators unable to reach a consensus on what action should be taken against him, after the panel investigating allegations of sexual harassment against Johri did not find him guilty of those charges. The day’s developments have evoked strong reactions from several people who testified before the panel, including the BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry.ESPNcricinfo understands that Johri has already resumed charge and even sent a note to the CoA of his rejoining work.The summarised report reveals a sharp difference between those who formed the majority opinion – Justice (retd) Rakesh Sharma of Allahabad High Court and Barkha Singh, a former head of the Delhi Commission for Women – and the third member, women’s rights lawyer Veena Gowda. Sharma called the allegations “false, baseless” and Singh called it “motivated and fabricated”; both recommended Johri continue in his position.Gowda, referring to one of the charges against Johri, relating to an incident in Birmingham, called his conduct “unprofessional and inappropriate, which would adversely affect its [BCCI’s] reputation” and said it was “essential that… [Johri] undergo some form of gender sensitivity counselling/training.”The two members of the CoA – Vinod Rai and Diana Edulji – have also differed sharply over the interpretation of the panel’s findings.Rai, in his note to the report, referred to the opinion of Sharma and Singh that Johri may be permitted to function as the CEO as before. He also wrote that he inferred from Gowda’s opinion that, “going forward, Johri needs to be counselled as aforesaid but there is no recommendation to take any other action against him.”Edulji’s note made it clear that she did not agree with the conclusions of Sharma and Singh. She felt “the fact that Ms. Gowda has recommended that Mr. Johri should undergo gender sensitization counselling/ training is sufficient for her to arrive at the conclusion that he is not fit to be the CEO of BCCI”. She also said it was her view that the report was “actually a split 2:1 verdict” and so Johri should be asked to resign.”Since there is no consensus between the two members of the Committee of Administrators regarding what action should be taken against Mr. Rahul Johri, the Chairman [Vinod Rai] stated that the natural consequence would be that Mr. Johri continues as the CEO of BCCI and is entitled resume office,” a CoA release said. “Ms. Edulji disagreed with this.”However, the Chairman reiterated that Mr. Rahul Johri should continue as the CEO of BCCI and resume his duties, as a natural consequence.”The final verdict did not go down well with the BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry, who was among those who had deposed before the inquiry committee.”This is clearly not a clean chit as is being propagated by a section of officials,” Chaudhry said in a statement. “Ms. Veena Gowda, a member of the Inquiry Committee has observed that the Conduct of Mr. Rahul Johri at Birmingham, as a CEO of an institution such as BCCI is unprofessional and inappropriate which would adversely affect its reputation and the same has to be looked at by the concerned authorities.”This is extremely shocking to say the least and this cannot be willed away by someone just because one may be in a position of authority. What makes it even more serious is that the time period referred to is one where the Hon’ble Supreme Court was monitoring the administration of the BCCI through the CoA. We cannot lose sight of the fact one member of the CoA i.e. 50% of the CoA appointed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court believes this to be serious enough to make the position of the CEO untenable in an organisation such as the BCCI.”It is understood that one of the two women who levelled the allegations against Johri is a friend of the former Mumbai cricketer Shishir Hattangadi, who testified before the committee. Hattangadi said he could not understand the “dichotomy” of opinions in the report.”One of them is trying to paint Johri as the Pope, the other one is saying he needs counselling. Who am I supposed to believe?” Hattangadi told ESPNcricinfo. “Do we have to now judge the wisdom of these three people (in the committee) because they are completely contrary to each other? …”The person who was asking the most questions was Veena Gowda. She was the most authoritative and the most proactive in the probe, the most pertinent questions were asked by her. And she was the conductor of the whole procedure. So as an observer her word for me would hold weight, because of the way she was so clear… and that is why I came out and made a statement [that] I am happy with the probe.”That is what has surprised me in this whole probe – if they had said not enough evidence, not enough documentation, it is fine, that is your opinion, but here, one is giving a clear indication that something is amiss, and the other two are saying the opposite.”Among others who testified before the committee was Neeraj Kumar, former commissioner of Delhi Police. Asked today for his reaction to the decision, Kumar told ESPNcricinfo: “It’s odd that on one side a member of the committee is advising counselling (for Johri) and on the other side, the person who deserves to be counselled is being asked to resume his duties.”Aditya Verma, the Cricket Association of Bihar chief who also testified before the committee, said he would raise before the Supreme Court “the conduct of Rahul Johri and Vinod Rai when it comes to women employees”. The Supreme Court will next week resume hearing the case of the implementation of the Lodha Committee’s recommendations to the BCCI; Verma is a party to the case.

Bereaved Kemar Roach set to miss West Indies' warm-up match

The fast bowler is flying home to Barbados following the death of his grandmother and will rejoin the team in India after her funeral

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Sep-2018Kemar Roach will return to Barbados following the death of his grandmother and will rejoin West Indies’ squad in India after her funeral. This means the fast bowler is likely to miss West Indies’ two-day tour match against the Board President’s XI in Vadodara. The match begins on September 29, and is West Indies’ only warm-up match before their two-Test series against India, which begins in Rajkot on October 4.Roach, as a result, could go into the first Test without any recent long-format match practice; his last red-ball match was the first Test against Bangladesh in Antigua in the first week of July. He took five wickets in the first innings of that Test match, but also picked up a hamstring injury and was rested for the second Test in Jamaica.Since then, Roach’s only top-level cricket has been a pair of T20 games for Jamaica Tallawahs in the Caribbean Premier League in August.The 30-year-old Roach is the most experienced of the five fast bowlers in West Indies’ squad, having played 48 Tests since his debut in 2009. Shannon Gabriel (37 Tests) and Jason Holder (34) are the two other senior quicks, with Keemo Paul having played just the one Test so far and Sherman Lewis – who replaced the injured Alzarri Joseph – yet to make his debut.

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