India and West Indies will aim to come out with the final punch and outclass each other when they battle it out in the series decider at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday.With the series closed in 1-1, the Indian hosts will face the West Indies two-times World Champion in the virtual final match at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Hosts will search for eight wins in a row over the West Indies in all their forms after the second T20I loss.The West Indies recovered to put the series on par with a comfortable victory over India in the second T20I in Thiruvananthapuram after Virat Kohli helped the hosts dominate the opening of the series in Hyderabad. Visitors did well to keep the hosts to a manageable total of 170 after winning the toss and decided to bowl first. Lendl Simmons and Evin Lewis achieved a healthy opening of 73 runs before both Shimron Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran led the West Indies to a convincing victory in the end.The Indian fielding was well below average at the first T20I. Dropping catches and many misfields led to say that if performance doesn't improve, the result won't be enough. The hosts are also good chasers, but they have to learn to defend goals.The vice-captain of India, Rohit Sharma, said the hosts did not trust the "very unpredictable" side of the West Indies which was well led by his fellow Indian team mate from Mumbai Indians, Kieron Pollard."They are unpredictable as a team. You never know what can happen on a particular day. Even in the first game, they played very well. It was Virat's brilliance that led us to the goal. With the West Indies, this always expected, said Rohit SharmaOn the other hand, the West Indies will imagine their chances of closing the series after their amazing return. For visitors, Wankhede brings good memories of the ICC 2016 World Cup semi-finals when Windies beat India and won the title.West Indies coach Phil Simmons said the team would rely heavily on Captain Kieron Pollard at the third T20 International Championship to decide the series against India, because his understanding of the field due to IPL exposure would be "invaluable" for bowlers."Kieron Pollard has played a lot at this place, while others haven't played much," Simmons said. "I think the experience they got from here is invaluable especially to Captain (Pollard), because he's been here for 10 years" at pre-match press conference.Here are the squads of both the teams:India: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Sanju Samson.West Indies: Kieron Pollard (captain), Fabian Allen, Brandon King, Denesh Ramdin, Sheldon Cottrell, Evin Lewis, Sherfane Rutherford, Shimron Hetmyer, Khary Pierre, Lendl Simmons, Jason Holder, Hayden Walsh Jr, Keemo Paul, Kesrick Williams.HIGHLIGHTSWith the series locked at 1-1, hosts India take on two-time world champions West Indies in the virtual finalWest Indies bounced back to bring the series to parity with a comfortable victory over India in the second T20IIndia will be eyeing eight successive series win over West Indies across formatsRead More: India's squad for West Indies series: Rohit Sharma's workload, out-of-form Shikhar Dhawan in focus
MELBOURNE, Dec. 31 (PTI) The Australian cricket company said Thursday that the Indian women's team has waited for the resumption of international cricket since the ongoing suspension of the coronavirus outbreak and their scheduled tour of Australia has been postponed for next season for Ind vs Aus.The Indian team, which last played the T20 World Cup Final in March, was scheduled to play three ODI(Ind vs Aus) matches on January 22 in Canberra, January 25 in Melbourne, and January 28 in Hobart.However, the governing body added that the tour(Ind vs Aus) will now be part of preparations for the 2022 World Cup, which have been postponed to March-April due to the pandemic, and will include three Ind vs Aus T20Is.Read What was said on Ind vs Aus Women:"We very much hope that an expanded schedule between the Australian and Indian teams will be presented for the next season, which will be a great result for fans in both countries," Nick Hockley, Acting Executive Director, said in a statement."We initially hoped to play against India this summer, but the impact of the global pandemic made it necessary to postpone it until next season. India lost to Australia by 85 shots in its last international match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground."It would be great to host the Indian women's team once again, which was center stage in the unforgettable T20 World Cup Final at the MCG International Cricket World Cup in March, and do so with a much more expanded schedule than was originally planned," Hockley said.The dates and locations of the postponed tour will be confirmed in due course.Also read: Big Bash 2020-21 Adelaide Strikers vs Perth Scorchers | Preview, probable XI, Much More
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday announced a 16-member squad for the T20I series against New Zealand at home. Rohit Sharma has been named the captain of the T20I side while KL Rahul will be his deputy for the 3-match series, starting November 17. Virat Kohli, who stepped down as T20I captain after India's early exit from the T20 World Cup, has taken a break for the series and will be back for the Tests against New Zealand to be ready in time for the tour of South Africa later this year. Rohit Sharma will join hands with newly-appointed head coach Rahul Dravid, who will take over from the New Zealand Series. India is playing two tests after the T20I series but BCCI has yet to announce the Test team. India have not made complete changes to the squad in the T20I format despite their disappointing performance at the T20 World Cup in the UAE.Also Read- Virat Kohli T20I captaincy record: India Second most successful captain after DhoniWhile Hardik Pandya is not included in 16-man squad, the likes of Ravindra Jadeja and former captain Kohli have been rested. Pace duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami along with leg-spinner Rahul Chahar are the ones who are not part of the T20I squad.Yuzvendra Chahal, Muhammad Siraj and Shreyas Iyer ReturnMeanwhile, Yuzvendra Chahal, whose exclusion from the T20 World Cup squad was widely debated, returns to the squad for the New Zealand series. He has been preferred over Rahul Chahar, who played only 1 match -- the dead rubber against Namibia at the World Cup. Off-spinner R Ashwin has been retained after his impressive performances on his return to the T20I side after a 4-year-gap at the T20 World Cup. Bhuvneshwar Kumar also retains his place in the side while pacer Mohammed Siraj returns to the T20I side for the first time since March 2018. Shreyas Iyer, who was part of the reserve unit at the T20 World Cup, finds his way back to the team after a good start for the Delhi Capitals in the second half of IPL 2021. Deepak Chahar, who was also not part of the India squad at the World Cup, finds his way back into the squad.IPL performances rewardedMeanwhile, the likes of Venkatesh Iyer and Harshal Patel have been handed maiden India call-ups after dream runs in the IPL. While Harshal won the Purple Cap with a record-equalling tally of 32 wickets in IPL 2021, Iyer shone at the top, hitting 370 runs in 10 matches for Kolkata Knight Riders. Avesh Khan who rattled opposition batsmen with pace for Delhi Capitals also got the India call-up as Rahul Dravid's side looks a good mix of youth and experience..@ImRo45 all set to lead #TeamIndia's T20I squad against New Zealand. How excited are you for the home series? #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/wGCe0gBbL2— BCCI (@BCCI) November 9, 2021India squad for T20I series vs New ZealandRohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Axar Patel , Avesh Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj.Full Schedule of India vs New Zealand T20Is1st T20I in Jaipur on November 17 2nd T20I in Ranchi on November 19 3rd T20I in Kolkata on November 21Also Read- PTV sends Rs 100 million defamation notice to Shoaib Akhtar
Why Arshdeep Singh is the rapid-firing run-killer of Indian T20I team?The 25-year-old Arshdeep Singh has vaulted past Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to become India’s highest wicket-taking pacer; he is just five short of surpassing Yuzvendra Chahal's 96.In a country where unbridled expectations are an entitlement for cricket fans, Arshdeep Singh can occasionally shuttle between becoming a leading T20I bowling exponent and just another run-machine (from the wrong end).But it is not for nothing that the left-arm seamer has emerged as a bowling mainstay for India in the shortest format. In only two and a half years and 59 T20Is, the 25-year-old Arshdeep has vaulted past greats Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to become India’s highest wicket-taking pacer. He is only five short of surpassing Yuzvendra Chahal’s 96 at the top.Arshdeep can flood social media timelines for his profligacy at the death on rough evenings, like the recent showing in a defeat to South Africa in Gqeberha. But a review of his nearly 30-month run in the blues suggests he’s been clear of his contemporaries on most accounts.Powerplay surgeOnly 13 T20Is into his career, Arshdeep was up playing a World Cup in Australia. Two years in, he has a title to his name while already becoming India’s highest wicket-taking (27) pacer in the tournament. Despite Bhuvneshwar being phased out of the national squad, India have not struggled for early wickets, with Arshdeep taking up the mantle, even freeing up Bumrah and other seamers to handle the later stages.Since his debut, the Punjab pacer has racked up 37 wickets at an impressive 7.51 economy in the first six. He has dismissed 32 openers in this time, already the sixth-best among all pacers in T20Is.Not bad at the deathDeath-bowling numbers are bound to look inferior when placed aside the inimitable Bumrah’s tally – 41 wickets at a gobsmacking 6.82 economy rate! If one would keep him as the neutral base to judge everybody else, Arshdeep is not far out on the leaderboard. In fact, he’s picked up 46 wickets, nine more than his PP shares, and stands eighth on the all-time list.Though none have registered as many scalps as him between overs 17-20 since his debut, Arshdeep’s slightly alarming 9.11 economy is one of the areas where he needs to put in an acute patchwork. Of the nine bowlers who have picked as many wickets as him at the death, Arshdeep’s economy is the fourth-worst, with only Tim Southee (9.13), Chris Jordan (9.44) and Mark Adair (9.92) behind him.Most Powerplay wickets (1-6) since 2022 (Full-Member Teams)BowlerInningsWicketsEconomyArshdeep Singh (IND)57377.51Fazalhaq Farooqi (AFG)40296.01Shaheen Afridi (PAK)32257.32Tim Southee (NZ)33236.69Most Death Overs (17-20) wickets since 2022BowlerInningsWicketsEconomyArshdeep Singh (IND)48469.11Mark Adair (IRE)413010.96Haris Rauf (PAK)31268.32Tim Southee (NZ)28237.18But that shouldn’t deter Arshdeep too much as he enjoys a gung-ho approach for wickets in the format. With a bowler like Bumrah to plug the gaps at the other end in more intense contests like the World Cup, Arshdeep’s primary target is zeroed in on hunting early wickets.Arshdeep and Bumrah have featured in 10 T20Is (eight in T20 World Cup 2024) together, with both pacers taking 19 wickets each. Arshdeep’s economy rate stands at 7.34 with Bumrah in the XI, a considerable improvement from his career eco. of 8.34.When left to fend without the senior pacer, Arshdeep’s strike rate climbs from 12.0 to 13.6 with a sharper spike in his economy, leaking 8.57 runs per over.Consequently, 73 of his 92 wickets have witnessed batters falling before they have crossed 20. Fifteen of those have directly resulted in ducks in the opponent’s scorecard, making up over 16 percent of his total dismissals. It is only bettered by Bhuvneshwar (19 wickets) among Indians.Most T20I wickets for India (pacers)PlayerSpanInnsWktsBBIAveEconSRArshdeep Singh2022-202459924/918.478.3413.28Bhuvneshwar Kumar2012-202286905/423.16.9619.9Jasprit Bumrah2016-202469893/717.746.2716.95Hardik Pandya2016-202496884/1626.848.2319.55Unsurprisingly, Arshdeep’s brilliant 13.28 strike rate is the best amongst all 11 international pacers who have managed at least as many wickets as him in the format.World leader at 25Not many have succeeded in building an empire of wickets before turning 26 amidst the brutality of T20I batting. Arshdeep’s 92 is only bettered by Shaheen Afridi (96) among quicks. That is a mighty fine achievement when one factors in the next-best Indian pacer – Bumrah – totalled only 51 wickets in 42 appearances (between 2016-19) before his 26th birthday.The Indian system has endured a painstakingly extensive chapter of ignorance to slam-bang batters in T20Is. While the bats have finally gained acceptance, an out-and-out wicket-taker in Arshdeep also deserves his share of credit and patience on the off days in between.
