Sports
IPL 2024: Reading the batters, not trying much – the Kuldeep Yadav formula of holding your own
New Delhi, April 25 (IANS) At the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday, Gujarat Titans were having a flying start in their chase of 225 against Delhi Capitals. They had amassed 61/1 from Power-play and it looked like they would ace another chase. But with Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav operating from both ends, DC were beginning to have some control.
After Axar was taken for 13 runs in his second over, the onus was on Yadav to get DC a breakthrough. In his second over, Yadav bowled three short balls, before enticing Wriddhiman Saha to slice at a spinning away delivery. To his and DC’s delight, Saha went for a huge slash, but couldn’t keep it down and Axar timed his jump well at cover to take the catch.
For the rest of his spell, Yadav would mix tossed-up and short balls, while varying the pace. He signed off with a spell of 2-29 by catching a faint edge of Rahul Tewatia through a short ball outside off-stump, which was safely pouched by Rishabh Pant. In a match, where the aggregate was 400+ as fans were treated to another run-fest, Yadav’s spell was the best amongst spinners from both sides.
“Happy to get the win! These two points are very important. Was an amazing game, held our nerve in the last over and turned out to be very tight. Obviously we had a plan. Coach and captain wanted one over (from me) when (Rahul) Tewatia came out (to bat).”
“I bowled a few balls to Tewatia into the wicket. I thought he would slog sweep. That was a good plan with Rishabh (in the end), and we got his wicket and it put us in a good position,” said Yadav after DC won the match by four runs.
Focusing on a steady line and length was also the key to his success against GT. “You have to read the batsman and see what they are trying to do. We batted well and put up a good total on the board. I didn’t try too much when I came out to bowl. The line and length mattered a lot,” added Yadav.
In a season in which batters have majorly called the shots through blazing Power-plays and Impact Player empowering them to go harder on the bowlers, it is heartening to see Yadav hold his own, as seen from 12 wickets in six matches this season, being second leading spin wicket-taker in the tournament after Yuzvendra Chahal.
Five days ago, on April 20, at the same venue, against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma amassed a staggering 125 in the Power-play, the highest-ever six-over score in any T20 game. With the possibility of 300 lurking around, Kuldeep Yadav came on to pick four SRH wickets in 17 balls of the middle-overs phase to finish with 4-55.
At a DC media day on Monday, Yadav elaborated on how bowlers have to be confident and brave in their abilities to stop rampaging batters in IPL 2024.
“Teams are obviously looking to attack more in the Powe-plays now and maximise when there’s fielding restrictions. I feel bowlers need to be braver because the T20 format has evolved in the way that the batters are always on the attack and that, I feel, keeps the bowlers in play all the time.”
“Even if you’re getting hit for runs, you’re still in the game (if you become brave). Secondly, I feel nowadays the bowlers think way too much about the batters and what he’s trying to do instead of sticking to their own strengths. In trying to bowl according to the batters’ weakness he ends up leaking more runs anyway. The bowlers will have to understand their own strengths instead and back themselves, that most important.”
Further talking about confidence in himself to stand up for his team, Yadav said, “It’s all about confidence, I feel. If you have the confidence you want to take that responsibility to bowl the tough overs, and if you’re not confident you’re trying to hide on the field then. I’ve always tried to take the ball in challenging situations to try and induce a wicket and make a difference for the team.”
“I’ve barely seen a few bowlers, maybe Jassi (Jasprit Bumrah) – the way he bowls and backs his strengths keeps the batters on the backfoot always. Even mentally that gives the bowler an edge over the batters, and that remains among one of the most important traits for bowlers in the T20 format now,” he said.
Since Kuldeep Yadav joined DC in 2022, he’s grown in confidence to be the lead bowler for the franchise in taking out wickets and containing run-flow in middle-overs, while giving special mention to Ricky Ponting and Shane Watson for giving him the support to get his rhythm back.
It’s a far cry from his time at Kolkata Knight Riders, which resulted in him being benched from mid-way of IPL 2019. The tough time at KKR and shift to DC after a knee surgery has also made Yadav wiser in his bowling approach, apart from adding more tools in his armoury like increased pace under the tutelage of his childhood coach Kapil Pandey.
“It still hurts to think about my time at KKR. When I see myself now (as compared to then), I feel if I could do things that I’m capable of doing now, I would have been able to dominate the game more from that time itself. But that didn’t happen; that’s experience, I guess. You can’t buy it, you have to play and fail and succeed in life to get that experience.
“If you look at me now, as compared to my time a KKR, I’m a lot more confident and I have a lot more belief in my skill. At the same time, I’m also a lot respectful of the opponent. I feel I understand their game a lot more now, which I probably didn’t earlier.”
“(Now there’s) maturity, to understand what the batters’ game plan is and what I have to do to counter him, what’s my strengths and where I should be bowling to make life difficult for the batter,” he elaborated.
Compared to 45 wickets in 40 games for KKR, coming at an average of 30.9 and economy rate of 8.27, Kuldeep Yadav’s time at DC has fetched him 41 wickets in 33 games so far, at an average of 22.73 and economy rate of 7.85.
If his stellar time continues in IPL 2024, on the back of what has brought him success so far, one can be sure that Kuldeep Yadav will still hold his own as a lead spinner when the Indian team goes to the Caribbean and the USA for the T20 World Cup.
–IANS
nr/bsk/
Bengaluru, Aug 22 (IANS) Shivamogga Lions’ woes continued as they suffered a 28-run defeat to the Mysore Warriors in the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday.
Mysore Warriors delivered a well-rounded performance, anchored by Karun Nair’s (45) swift knock, supported by a few other good contributions in the middle order, and highlighted by late-innings fireworks from J Suchith (22*) and Manoj Bhandage (23).
On the bowling front, Vidyadhar Patil (3/29) and Karthik CA (3/31) played crucial roles in restricting the Shivamogga Lions. Sharath HS’ (4/29) lethal spell with the ball and valiant efforts from Abhinav Manohar (46) and Nihal Ullal (46) with the bat couldn’t turn the tide in Shivamogga’s favour.
Chasing 180, Shivamogga Lions got off to a disastrous start, with Vidyadhar Patil’s lethal first over leading to the dismissals of Mohith Bangalore (2) and Dheeraj Mohan (0) in consecutive deliveries. Skipper Nihal Ullal (46) managed to crack a few early boundaries, but Hardik Raj (17) was also removed by Krishnappa Gowtham, leaving the Lions reeling at 41/3 by the end of the powerplay.
K Gowtham then engineered the run out of Rohan Naveen (11), further denting the chase. The in-form Abhinav Manohar (Impact Player) joined Ullal, and the duo breathed life into the innings, putting together a 70-run partnership in just 43 balls.
However, Ullal fell short of his first half-century of the season, leaving the Shivamogga Lions at 123/5 in 15.1 overs. Manohar also narrowly missed his milestone, holing out to K Gowtham off Karthik CA. Manohar’s 26-ball knock included four sixes and three fours, adding valuable runs to the total.
Karthik CA struck again two deliveries later, dismissing Shivraj S and leaving the Lions in deep trouble. With 47 runs needed from the final 18 balls, Ashok D tried to keep the chase alive by smashing a six and a four off Vidyadhar Patil, but perished in the same over, effectively ending Shivamogga’s prospects. Shivamogga Lions finished at 151/9 in 20 overs, enduring their sixth consecutive loss.
Batting first, Mysore Warriors faced an early challenge as Sharath HS unleashed a menacing spell. He struck in the powerplay, dismissing Karthik SU (8), and then returned in the seventh over to remove CA Karthik (30), who smashed three sixes in a 34-run stand with Karun Nair (45) and Harshil Dharmani (0).
Nair continued in fine touch and peppered the boundary with six fours and two sixes during his 23-ball stay before falling to Ashok D in the 11th over.
Kishan Bedare (17) steered the innings, forming a 28-run partnership with Nair and adding another 29 runs with Sumit Kumar (28) before being caught and bowled by Bharath Dhuri, leaving the Warriors at 116/5 in 16.1 overs. The depth of Mysore’s batting lineup came to the fore as Manoj Bhandage and J Suchith launched a late assault.
Vasuki Koushik, tasked with the 18th over, began with a six and a four from Sumit Kumar. Bhandage then took charge, hammering three consecutive sixes off Koushik in the same over before falling as Sharath’s fourth wicket in the 19th ending a blistering 23-run cameo off just seven balls. J Suchith, carried on the momentum, smashing two sixes and a four in an 8-ball flurry, pushing the Mysore Warriors to a competitive 179/7 in their 20 overs.
Brief scores: Mysore Warriors 179 for 7 in 20 overs (Karthik CA 30, Karun Nair 45, Sumit Kumar 28; Sharath HS 4-29) beat Shivamogga Lions 151/9 in 20 overs (Nihal Ullal 46, Abhinav Manohar 46 runs; Vidyadhar Patil 3-29, Karthik CA 3-31) by 28 runs.
–IANS
ab/
Castle Rock (Colorado), Aug 22 (IANS) Indian Americans Sahith Theegala and Akshay Bhatia who failed to make it to the Top-10 last week at the St Jude Championships, the first of the three Play-offs events, will be looking for a better showing as they move towards the finale at the Tour Championships after that.
Last week Hideki Matsuyama, after leading by five at one time, had to birdie the last two holes to win the St Jude Championships. He became the first Asian to win a Play-off event and it was his 10th PGA Tour win, the highest from the continent.
Last week Bhatia was T-12, Rai was T-16 and Theegala was way behind in T-46, but all three have entered the second of the three Play-offs events.
World No, 2 Xander Schauffele, a two-time Major winner in 2024, was tied second last week with Viktor Hovland, while World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was fourth last week, though World No. 3 Rory McIlroy had a poor week in T-68 place.
Among Asians Korea’s Si Woo Kim has all to play for at the BMW Championship, the second of three FedExCup Playoffs events, in Colorado this week, with two big goals providing the drive for him to step up his game.
The four-time PGA TOUR winner tees up at Castle Pines Golf Club with the intention of breaking into the top-30 of the FedExCup points list and qualify for the Playoffs Finale, the TOUR Championship next week. Kim is presently ranked 44th after last week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship.
A strong week is also required for Kim to keep alive his hopes of earning a spot in the International Team to face the U.S. Team in the Presidents Cup in Royal Montreal next month. Currently 14th on the team roster, the top-6 after this week’s BMW Championship will secure automatic spots, with captain Mike Weir naming six more picks after the TOUR Championship.
Compatriots Sungjae Im and Byeong Hun An, who are 10th and 15th respectively on the FedExCup rankings, are virtually assured of teeing up at the TOUR Championship, which will use a staggered-scoring format based on positions after this week.
Irrespective of how his week plays out, Kim is pleased to secure his top-50 status, which guarantees starts in all eight Signature tournaments next season.
–IANS
hs/
New Delhi, Aug 22 (IANS) The packed schedule of men’s county cricket in 2025 will remain largely unchanged, despite concerns raised by the majority of players over the impact on their physical well-being.
According to a survey conducted by the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) earlier this season, more than 80 per cent of players expressed fears that the current schedule is too demanding and poses risks to their health.
However, despite these concerns, the 2025 schedule is set to continue as usual. Each county will still compete in a minimum of 14 County Championship matches, eight Metro Bank Cup fixtures, and 14 Vitality T20 Blast games. The changes for next season will be largely cosmetic, offering little relief for players concerned about the gruelling calendar.
The PCA has been advocating for adjustments that would spread out the T20 fixtures across the week, aiming to reduce tight turnarounds and introduce more consistent three-day breaks between Championship games.
“There’s definitely room for improvement in 2025 compared to 2024,” said Daryl Mitchell, the PCA’s interim chief executive, in an interview with ESPNcricinfo. “The schedule can definitely be managed better. Certainly, the Blast was very much looked at through a commercial lens, trying to squeeze as many games as possible into Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. Utilizing the majority of the week is probably the way forward, trying to spread them out to give that time for recovery, travel, and preparation.”
The T20 Blast, in particular, has been the main point of debate when it comes to scheduling. The timing of the knockout stages has been a significant concern. In 2023, these stages were held immediately after the group matches in July, allowing counties to retain their overseas players. This year, however, the knockout stages will be pushed to September, giving clubs an extended six-week window to market and sell tickets for home quarter-finals.
While these adjustments offer slight improvements, the overall schedule remains packed, leaving many players apprehensive about how much more they can push themselves physically in the long term. Despite the calls for change, it appears that any significant reduction in the number of fixtures is unlikely in the future, with commercial considerations still driving much of the decision-making process around county cricket.
–IANS
hs/
New Delhi, Aug 22 (IANS) After ending his T20I career with an elusive T20 World Cup title in Barbados, captain Rohit Sharma revealed that it was his dream to transform the team without thinking too much about the results.
Rohit-led Indian team ended the decade-long ICC title drought after beating South Africa in the final of the T20 World Cup 2024 to lift their second title in the format. In 2023, the Men in Blue failed to win the World Test Championship and 2023 ODI World Cup under Rohit’s leadership after losing to Australia in the finals.
The swashbuckling opening batter also credited the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah, former head coach Rahul Dravid and chief selector Ajit Agarkar for their support in transforming the team and creating a fearless culture in the squad.
“It was my dream to transform this team and not worry too much about stats and results and also to make sure that we create an environment where people can go out and play freely, without thinking too much. I got a lot of help from my three pillars Jay Shah, Rahul Dravid and chairman of selector Ajit Agarkar. That was critical for me to do what I did. Obviously, not to forget players who came in at different points in time and helped the team to achieve what we have achieved today,” Rohit said in a video posted by BCCI on X.
On Wednesday, Rohit was awarded ‘Men’s International Cricketer of the Year’ while Dravid was accorded the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ at Ceat Cricket Rating Awards 2023-24 in Mumbai. India’s batting stalwart Virat Kohli was named the ‘Men’s ODI Batter of the Year’ while on the bowling front, Mohammed Shami was awarded the ‘ODI Bowler of the Year’.
The 37-year-old batter finished as the second-highest run-getter in the T20 World Cup with 257 runs including three half-centuries and at a strike rate of 156.70. He played a major role in providing solid starts for the team on the slow pitches of the USA and the West Indies.
After lifting the title, Rohit joined Kohli to announce his retirement from the T20I. With 4,231 runs, Rohit is the leading run-getter in the format behind his teammate Kohli (4188 runs). Both batters will continue to play the other formats of the game. The duo last featured for India in the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka earlier this month.
–IANS
ab/
Gotemba (Japan), Aug 22 (IANS) A year after being the youngest ever to make the cut at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, Kartik Singh, now 14 years of age, is the highest ranked among the four Indians set to take part in the 15th AAC to be held in Japan.
As of date Kartik is the highest ranked Indian at 199 while the other three players to have received the invitation for this prestigious event are Krishnav Nikhil Chopra and Vedant Sirohi, both past participants in the event and Rakshit Dahiya will be in the four-player team.
Kartik Singh has also been named to the 2024 Junior Presidents Cup team. A regular winner in junior and amateur events, Kartik will spearhead the Indian challenge.
Apart from India’s Kartik Singh, there are seven others named to the 2024 Junior Presidents Cup International Team. They are Joshua Bai, Warut Boonrod, Xihuan Chang, Rayhan Latief, Khanh Hung Le, Thangwin Lee, Anh Minh Ngyuyen,
As many as 113 players have been confirmed for the Championship, which will be held October 3-6, 2024, at Taiheiyo Club Gotemba in Gotemba, Japan. A full list of confirmed players can be found. The field will be 120 with a few more names to be added by the Organisers.
India’s best ever placing has been second place by Rayhan Thomas, who was runner-up in Sentosa, Singapore in 2018. The Dubai-based Indian Rayhan has since turned professional, and last week won his first pro title on India’s Professional Tour of India Tour.
Krishnav, who plays college golf in the US, is the son of former India cricketer turned commentator, Nikhil Chopraa, who often takes the role of a caddie for his son.
Created in 2009, the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship was established by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), The R&A and the Masters Tournament to further develop amateur golf in the Asia-Pacific region.
The champion will receive an invitation to compete in the 2025 Masters Tournament and The 153rd Open, while the runner(s)-up will gain a place in Final Qualifying for The Open.
The confirmed list which has players from 38 APGC member organizations is highlighted by defending champion Jasper Stubbs of Australia and four players representing China inside the top 100 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking: Wenyi Ding (No. 4), Xihuan Chang (No. 36), Xiangyun Bai (No. 61) and Paul Chang (No. 97).
Ding finished runner-up to Stubbs in the 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur while Xihuan Chang reached the semi-finals of the U.S. Junior Amateur in July.
Other top-100 participants include Vietnam’s Anh Minh Nguyen (No. 68) and Japan’s Rintaro Nakano (No. 78).
Notable past competitors include 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, a two-time winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur, and 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith. Over the Championship’s 14-year history, the Championship has served as a springboard to some of the world’s top players, including Matsuyama, Smith, Cameron Davis, Ryan Fox, Si Woo Kim, Satoshi Kodaira, Kyoung-Hoon Lee, Min Woo Lee, Keita Nakajima and C.T. Pan. Collectively, alumni of the Asia-Pacific Amateur have gone on to win 27 tournaments on the PGA Tour to date and more than 130 across the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour.
As the host nation, Japan will lead the list of up to 43 APGC member nations represented with 10 players in this year’s field. A player from Japan has won four of the 14 editions of the Championship (Matsuyama/2010, 2011; Takumi Kanaya/2018; Nakajima/2021).
–IANS
hs/
Pushpa 2 earns RS 1085 CR in pre-release collection- BJP opposes Nawab Malik’s candidacy
- Lee Hsien Yang seeks refuge in United Kingdom
- 17 workers are feared trapped following the collapse of a building in Bengaluru
- Nilesh Rane switches party to contest an election
- Investors’ wealth eroded by a massive Rs 9.19 lakh crore
- MVA seat sharing to be fixed in a day or two
- Sensex plunges to 2-months low by 930.55 points
- Testing times for the airlines due to hoax threats
- MLA Vinesh Phogat disagrees with Sakshi Malik’s claims
-
Video2 years agoPM Modi Attacks Congress in Karnataka with “Kerala Story”
-
Politics2 years ago
Siddaramaiah & DK Shivakumar sworn in as Chief Minister & Deputy CM respectively
-
Cricket2 years ago
CSK players rejoice 5th IPL title with their families (Pics)
-
Entertainment2 years ago
Karan Deol weds his longtime Girlfriend Drisha Acharya (Pics)
-
Entertainment2 years ago
Urvashi Rautela dazzles on Cannes 2023 red carpet (Pics)
-
Sports7 years agoHistory Of Official FIFA WORLD CUP Match balls
-
Entertainment2 years ago
Sunny Leone gets ready for Kennedy premiere in Cannes (Pics)
-
India2 years ago
Ashwini Vaishnaw: Railway Board recommends CBI probe in the Odisha railway disaster
