Sanjoy Manjrekar appreciates Shubman Gill’s ‘Kohli-like’ aggression
India’s newly appointed skipper, Shubman Gill, has come a long way as a leader. In the three Tests against England so far, Gill has shown tremendous form. Additionally, in such an aggressive manner, the skipper is trying to guide his team on the field, has created similarity with Virat Kohli’s aggressive style, maneuvering the team as well as creating a buzz, whether Gill is showing the aggression to draw attention and publicity. But Sanjay Manjrekar, the former India cricketer, claims the captain is not doing it only for attention. Manjrekar said in a chat on JioHotstar that if somebody wants to build a brand by saying, “We are Indians, we are not less than anyone. This thought process will naturally draw attention. But Gill’s aggression is not to draw attention and mileage.” Manjrekar added, “Virat Kohli is different when compared to Gill. If Virat Kohli had come out to bat, he would have scored a hundred, but look at Shubman Gill’s body language. The man who batted like Bradman was so tentative in those nine balls that he seemed like he had gotten a pair. This is a clear sign that his aggression is not natural.” According to Manjrekar, Gill’s on-field altercation with England opener Zak Crawley remained a big talking point throughout the match. Some even thought England were charged by the incident and as its reflection, India find themselves 1-2 behind in the 5 match series.
Hamza Shaikh’s ton forces India to a draw in the first Youth Test
Chasing a target of 350, England’s innings ended on 270 for the loss of seven, frustrating the visitors’ push for a win that would have given them a 1-0 lead in the two-match Youth Test series. England U-19 captain Hamza Shaikh led from the front with a fighting century of 112 off 140 balls with 11 fours and two sixes, as the hosts held India U-19 to a tense draw in the first Youth Test. Chasing a stiff target of 350 England U-19 were in trouble at 62 for three in the 14th over and are in danger of a collapse but the hosts put on a fought back through the partnership with Ben Mayes who struck a steady 51 off 82 balls (3x4s) and wicketkeeper-batter Thomas Rew who chipped in with a brisk 50 off just 35 balls (8x4s), frustrating the visitors’ push for a win that would have given them a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. With an hour left on the final day, India gave itself hope by pulling off two run outs in successive overs — first removing the prized wicket of Shaikh and then sending back Ekansh Singh in the next over. But Ralphie Albert (9 not out of 37 balls) and Jack Home (7 not out off 36 balls) showed calm composure in a pressure situation where India threw everything at them with closing fielders all around them, but the English pair held their nerves to survive the final overs and secure a hard-fought draw. Vihaan Malhotra was the highest scorer, with a 63 off 85 balls in the Indian innings. India U-19, led by Ayush Mhatre, had earlier claimed the five-match Youth ODI series 3-2.
Stuart MacGill breaks silence after cocaine case, says he is anxious only about his children
In his first interview after his conviction in the drugs case, former Australian leg-spinner Stuart MacGill has said that he gets “very anxious” and has been struggling to get work and is worried about the mental impact on his kids. ‘”I don’t care what people are saying about me, but I do care what was happening to the kids, and I know it has been very difficult for them,” MacGill told the Howie Games podcast. MacGill had to serve a community sentence after being convicted of a cocaine deal. The 54-year-old McGill had been accused of facilitating a cocaine deal between his partner’s brother and a dealer. MacGill was the link for a $330,000 exchange for a kilogram of cocaine and had arranged for a meeting under his restaurant on Sydney’s north shore. However, the former Test leg-spinner had denied knowing that a deal would take place and admitted that he regularly purchased half a gram of cocaine for $200 from the dealer. “I am very lucky because depression has never been a big thing for me. I get anxious. I won’t lie about that. I get very anxious. People talk about the half-full, half-empty situation – well, I’ve always said I’m neither of them, I’m completely empty. And the reason I say that is because if today is the worst day of your life, tomorrow is going to be slightly fuller.” MacGill, who took 208 from 44 Tests for Australia, said he is leaning on the skills learnt from playing cricket to try to get his life back on track. “If you hit rock bottom, there is sunshine ahead,’ MacGill said. If anything particularly bothers me, I just don’t think about it. I learned that through playing Test cricket. If you have a bad day, don’t buy a paper. If you have a good day, buy every paper in the stand.” He worries about the mental impact of the legal troubles on his children. “My kids have had to put up with it. I can just turn the media off, but… it is very difficult for kids to turn social media off.”
King Charles pays tribute to late Arun Jaitley, receives the ‘book on partition’ from BCCI
Indian men’s and women’s cricket teams met King Charles III at St James’s Palace in London on Tuesday, where the monarch displayed remarkable knowledge about the players’ personal lives and their recent match performances. BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla, who was also present at the get-together, presented a book on the partition of India in 1947 to King Charles. Shukla expressed delight, revealing that Charles also paid tribute to the late Arun Jaitley and his family. Charles, at the same time, looked curious about Akashdeep’s sister’s illness. Regarding cricket, he also noticed that if India had a regular batsman on the pitch on the fifth day, they would have been able to win the match. In that meeting, the Indian team also met British Actor Idris Elba before their royal encounter. After the meeting, the Indian skipper Shubman Gill said, “ It was amazing to meet King Charles III, and he was very kind and generous to call us. We had some excellent conversations.” Gill added, “King Charles III told us the way our last batsman got out in the previous Test match was quite unfortunate, the ball rolling on the stamp.” Harmanpreet Kaur also shared her experience of meeting the king: “It was a very nice experience. We came to England so many times, but this was our first time that we could meet the King.” The Indian women’s team won the T-20 series 3-2. Now they are preparing for the upcoming three-match ODI series starting in Southampton.
