Youngsters’ attitude has been impressive: VVS Laxman | Cricket News – Times of India

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NEW DELHI: Former Indian batsman expressed his admiration for the way India came back twice in the T20I series against England, the deciding match of which will be played on Saturday.
In his column for the Times of India, Laxman wrote, “This T20 series has already assumed the hue of a classic, nothing separating India and England going into Saturday’s decider. On the best batting surface so far, India adopted the blueprint that has catapulted them to No. 2 in the rankings, playing the percentages, putting up a competitive total and then defending superbly, with Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur excelling.”
India claimed an eight-run victory in the fourth Twenty20 international on Thursday that levelled the five-match series at 2-2. Shardul Thakur claimed three wickets while Hardik Pandya and Rahul Chahar took two each as India kept England to 177/8 in their chase of 186.
“One of the primary reasons for defeats in the first and third matches was the loss of three wickets in the first six overs. Asked to bat again, India’s approach was more commonsensical. There was no frenzied attempt to collar the high-quality England attack, but when the ball was there to be hit, the batsmen did so uninhibitedly,” Laxman added.
Suryakumar Yadav hit Jofra Archer for a six over fine leg on the first ball he faced in an international innings. Yadav smashed 57 off just 31 balls and his knock included three sixes and six fours.
“Suryakumar Yadav was the undisputed star, his first hit in international cricket reaffirming his class and pedigree. He has had to wait a long time for his opportunity but made an instant impact with a spectacular hooked first-ball six off Jofra Archer. That, and the inside out drive over extra-cover off an Adil Rashid googly, spoke volumes of his trust in his strengths and his self-belief. Over the last few months, the attitude and composure of newcomers has been the most significant development in Indian cricket, with Suryakumar the latest addition to that glittering list,” Laxman opined.
Shreyas Iyer (37) and Rishabh Pant (30) made useful contributions and scored briskly in the end to provide India enough runs to defend.
“Shreyas Iyer too played a special innings down the order. The Delhi Capitals captain knows he may not always get to bat at his preferred position for the national team, and has clearly worked on expanding his repertoire. His pyrotechnics, steeped in orthodoxy, lifted India to a par score when they might have liked 15 more,” Laxman wrote.
Indian pacers’ change in pace has played a crucial role in both their wins. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur mixed their deliveries well to trouble the hard-hitting English batsmen.
“Bhuvneshwar Kumar got India off to a cracking start with a maiden first up, and Jos Buttler‘s wicket in his second over, but England seemed on course with Jason Roy, and then Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes teeing off. When Shardul packed off Stokes and Eoin Morgan off successive deliveries, India were back in the hunt. No praise can be too high for Hardik Pandya, who only went for 16 in his four overs and picked up two wickets in a game where the scoring rate was well in excess of nine. Credit to him for having put in the hard yards following major back surgery, and to bowling coach B Arun for ensuring Hardik retains his zest for bowling. I still feel India should consider an extra bowling option,” Laxman added.
Laxman expressed his displeasure on Suryakumar Yadav’s controversial dismissal in the 4th T20I. Yadav’s pull shot sailed to deep square leg where Dawid Malan took a tumbling low catch. As England celebrated, on-field umpire K N Ananthapadmanabhan gave the soft signal of ‘out’ before sending the decision to TV umpire Virender Sharma.
According to the rules, on-field umpires give a ‘soft signal’ based on their intuition when there is a tight call, making a decision before asking the TV umpire to look at it again from different angles in slow motion. TV umpires must uphold the soft signal decision unless they have conclusive evidence to overturn it.
Replays of Thursday’s incident suggested the ball might have touched the grass but Sharma was not fully convinced and hence upheld Ananthapadmanabhan’s decision.
“I believe there must be a rethink on the soft signal as a whole. How can the on-field umpire state with any certainty that a catch has been taken cleanly 70 yards away when even technology leaves itself open to interpretation,” Laxman signed off.

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India vs England: Improvisation and luck: Audacious shots played in the India-England T20I series so far | Cricket News – Times of India

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NEW DELHI: India and England — two of the biggest T20I batting powerhouses in world cricket currently have showcased some exemplary shots in the first three T20Is of the five-match series.
Although the three matches played so far at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad have not been very high-scoring affairs, even on a tricky surface, some of the power hitters and stroke makers have managed to play some audacious and at times very lucky shots that have gone for boundaries.
While batsmen trying to negate the spin with reverse sweeps has been a common sight in the series, some of the more innovative shots too have been out on display by players from both sides.
Outwitting the bowlers and rendering the field placements null and void, batsmen have found unique ways of scoring runs.
TimesofIndia.com here takes a look at some of the most out of the box shots played by the batsmen in the series so far:
1st T20I – Rishabh Pant reverse scoop off Jofra Archer
When Rishabh Pant came up with his reverse-scoop for the first time in the recently concluded Test series against England legend James Anderson, the whole world was in awe of the swashbuckling batsmen. Tillakaratne Dilshan, who was the first batsman to play the scoop shot over the wicket-keeper called it ‘outrageous’. But when Pant did the same to one of the fastest bowlers in the world — Jofra Archer — in the first T20I, it was really something to behold — a reverse-scoop off a bowler bowling at over 90 miles/hour.
So impressed was the cricketing fraternity with the audacity of Pant’s shot that he was praised by multiple cricketers.
‘Greatest shot that’s ever been played in cricket’, ‘incredible’, ‘absolutely fearless’, were some of the words said by the greats of the game said about the shot that Pant played off Archer’s thunderbolt.
The incident happened in the fourth over of the first T20I when Pant took on Archer, changing to a right-handed stance and scooping him over the keeper and the first slip fielder for a boundary. Archer was visibly stunned in his follow through as Pant produced an absolutely extraordinary shot.

Pant played this audacious shot in the first T20I against England – Reuters Photo

1st T20I – Hardik Pandya ramp shot off Ben Stokes
A shot that has been a potent weapon in Hardik Pandya’s armory for quite some time now — the ramp shot that he plays against the pacers’ bouncers. One of the best offensive shots, with minimum of risk involved, Hardik has mastered the ramp shot.
It was in the 15th over of India’s innings in the 1st T20I when Hardik played his trademark shot to perfection off Ben Stokes.
A banged in short ball outside off was perfectly guided to the third-man fence with the timing on that shot doing all the work for Hardik. Although Hardik was off-balance and was on the ground after playing the shot, he had timed the bat-ball connection to perfection.

Hardik has mastered the ramp shot – ANI Photo
3rd T20I – Jonny Bairstow scoop off Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Jonny Bairstow has been one of the most destructive batsmen in the England batting unit in the recent past. Apart from classical strokeplay, it is Bairstow’s outside-the-box thinking while scoring that separates him from the rest.
Finding gaps at will and with an ability to hit any ball to the fence, Bairstow is a pretty difficult batsman to bowl at.
Bairstow during the third T20I vs India showed exactly what he is capable of when he cheekily scooped one of India’s best bowlers, Bhuvneshwar Kumar to the fence.
Although it was a premeditated shot and Kumar, to the best of his ability, tried to stop him by following a moving Bairstow outside off, the swashbuckling batsman managed to collect a boundary.
Bairstow fell while completing the shot, but the job was done.

Bairstow’s scoop against India’s pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar was a premeditated shot – AP Photo
3rd T20I – Virat Kohli ramp shot off Jofra Archer
When it comes to Virat Kohli, classical stroke-making and timing is something the Indian captain is synonymous with. But the run machine, in the recent past has added some new variants to an already wide array of shots, keeping the demands of the shortest format in mind.
A ramp shot that Kohli played off Jofra Archer in the third T20I was a rare sight. But the Indian skipper timed it to perfection while attempting to up the ante during the India innings.
Off the last ball of the 19th over, Archer banged the ball in just a bit outside off to Kohli, who stepped away creating additional room for himself and lifted it over the in-field to collect four runs.

It’s not often that Kohli is seen playing a ramp shot – AFP Photo
3rd T20I – Virat Kohli top edge off Jofra Archer
Luck is not something Virat Kohli depends on to collect his runs. But once in a while, the man with the maximum number of T20I runs in the world (3078) also gets lucky while trying to pull off an audacious shot.
During the third T20I, Kohli surprised himself, along with the England team after a top edge off his bat off Jofra Archer took the ball over the fence behind keeper Jos Buttler.
Attempting a flick off a Jofra Archer 142.2 km/hr delivery, Kohli closed the face of his bat early. Luckily for the Indian skipper, the ball hit the meaty part of the top edge and flew past behind the stumps. The pace of Archer helped the ball go all the way. The ball went high up and also travelled the distance, comfortably sailing over the boundary rope.
Along with Kohli, non-striker Hardik Pandya too enjoyed the shot and they shared a good laugh about it.



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Virat Kohli equals Kane Williamson’s record with consecutive T20I fifties | Cricket News – Times of India

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AHMEDABAD: While Virat Kohli‘s impressive knock on Tuesday failed to prove enough for India to win the third T20I against England, it helped the skipper to achieve a new personal milestone.
Kohli played an unbeaten knock of 77 runs against England, powering his side to a total of 156 runs. This was the skipper’s second consecutive half-century and with this, he drew level with New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson‘s record of most number of half-centuries by a captain in T20I cricket.
Both, Kohli and Williamson, now have 11 fifties as a captain under their belt in the format. In the previous match, with his knock of 73*, Kohli had become the first-ever batsman to complete 3,000 runs in T20Is. Kohli now has 3078 runs in the shortest format of the game in 88 games.
In the third T20I, Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow guided England to an eight-wicket victory. Buttler and Bairstow remained unbeaten on 83 and 40 respectively.
Earlier, Kohli’s unbeaten knock of 77 runs off just 46 balls had helped India post 156/6 in the allotted 20 overs. Down and out going into the last five overs of the innings, Kohli led from the front in all-rounder Hardik Pandya’s company as the duo added 69 runs from 30 balls to take the hosts’ total past the 150-run mark.
Hardik had joined Kohli with the score on 86/5 in 14.3 overs and what followed was nothing short of a master-class on power-hitting. Interestingly, it was Hardik who played second-fiddle in their 70-run partnership off just 33 balls as Kohli went on a hitting spree. This was India’s highest sixth-wicket partnership in T20Is.
Mark Wood rattled the Indian batters as he dismissed the top-order in no time and the hosts were left reeling inside the first six overs.
With the win in the third T20I, England has now gained a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. Both teams will now meet in the fourth T20I on Thursday which will be played at the same venue.

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Ind vs Eng 3rd T20I: India’s top-order wobble hands England eight-wicket win | Cricket News – Times of India

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In recent times, intent has been Team India’s top buzzword, with aggression coming a tight second. Against England in the third T20 in Ahmedabad on Tuesday night, India’s top-order – KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan – failed to channelize the team’s mantra.
In sharp contrast, Virat Kohli funnelled his aggression in the right direction as he raised a well-crafted unbeaten 46-ball-77 (8×4; 4×6) which helped India to 156/6. But his efforts proved to be too little too late. Jos Buttler dished out a classy 52-ball 83* (5×4; 4×6) to see England through to runaway eight-wicket win with 10 balls to spare.
SCORECARD
Jonny Bairstow (40*; 28b; 5×4) played the perfect comrade in arms to Buttler.
While pacers Mark Wood (3/31) and Chris Jordan (2/35) flexed their pace against the home team’s erring batsmen, England opener Buttler tore into the Indian bowling attack. On an easing surface, the wicketkeeper-batsman spelt out his intentions early when he welcomed spinner Yuzvendra Chahal into the attack by dancing down the track to send the ball over long-on for maximum.

Four balls and a wicket (Jason Roy) later, he found the sweet spot again in the same direction and didn’t look back thereafter. He took a special liking to Chahal and Shardul Thakur and made batting seem like a walk in the park. Buttler’s knock was symbolic of England’s thumping victory, which ensured a 2-1 advantage in the five-match series for the visitors.
Earlier, sent in to bat, Kohli saw the team to a reasonable total in the company of Hardik Pandya (17), with whom he shared a 70-run sixth wicket association.

The home side brought in Rohit – in place of Suryakumar Yadav – to open the innings with KL Rahul. Wood, who sat out of the previous match due to injury, was impeccable with his line and length on a surface which didn’t scream seam but was liberal with pace and bounce.
The Indian openers failed to read the conditions and the first to make his way back to the dugout was the misfiring Rahul (0), whose indecisiveness in playing Wood’s allowed the ball to zip through the gate. Both Rohit (15) and last match hero Ishan (4) paid the price for poor shot selection with Rohit falling to a low catch to Jofra Archer at short fine leg.

01:333rd T20I: Buttler show gives England 2-1 lead over India

3rd T20I: Buttler show gives England 2-1 lead over India

India were already in trouble, having slipped to 24/3 at the end of powerplay and a partnership between Kohli and Rishabh Pant (25) was crucial to get out of jail. But an attempt to steal a non-existent third run, with ample encouragement from Kohli, sent Pant back. Kohli then began to resuscitate India’s innings. Where Pandya struggled, Kohli played with authority.
Kohli shifted gears in the 16th over when he top-edged Archer for a six. What followed was a masterclass. Kohli brought up his successive half-century with a boundary off Jordan. Even Wood, who had kept it tight for his first three overs, was not spared as India milked 69 runs off the last five overs, but that failed to change the host’s fortunes.

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In Pics: Buttler stars as England beat India by 8 wickets in third T20I

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Jos Buttler’s blistering 83 not out trumped Virat Kohli’s majestic half-century as England beat India by eight wickets in the third T20I to go 2-1 up in the five-match series. (PTI Photo)

The hosts will need to address issues while batting first. Far too often they have lost T20I matches while batting first and skipper Kohli alluded to it in his post-match press-conference.
“Yes, we wanted to bowl first too and toss was a factor. But if you lose the toss, embrace what has been asked from you. The England bowlers attacked the right lines and lengths and with their pace, they became more potent,” Kohli said.
India would also like to take a look at the combinations and their tendency to try out too many things against a team that is on top of the world rankings and joint favourites for the World T20 which is scheduled to be played in India in October.
They have less than two days to salvage the series as the fourth T20I will be played at the same venue on Thursday evening.

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KL Rahul is a champion player and he will continue to open: Virat Kohli | Cricket News – Times of India

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AHMEDABAD: India captain Virat Kohli on Tuesdaythrew his weight behind struggling opener KL Rahul, calling him “a champion player” who remains the best candidate along with Rohit Sharma for the opening slot in the shortest format.
Rahul has been in woeful form with scores of 1, 0, 0 in his last three T20Is.
Kohli, who was dismissed for naught in the fourth Test and the first T20I against England before he turned it around with unbeaten scores of 73 and 77, said it is a matter of few balls.
“I was going through a lean patch two days back. He (KL Rahul) has been a champions player. He’ll continue to be one of our main players along with Rohit at the top of the order,” Kohli said in the post-match presentation.

“It’s a matter of five-six balls in this format.”
Kohli, who pulled India out of trouble with a 46-ball knock, said it was tough facing the new ball, especially with pacer Mark Wood hitting the 90 plus miles per hour.
“You don’t want to play knocks which don’t help the team in any way. It was a bit difficult to bat against the new ball. Their bowlers were hitting good areas,” he said.
“The England bowlers attacked right lines and lengths and with their pace they became more potent.
“We got one little partnership, it was important for me to bat deep. The case was to get set and try to get a decent total. We lacked intensity in the second half.”
Talking about Pandya, Kohli said,” We want to give Hardik a bit more responsibility with the ball; we know what he can do with the bat.”
England skipper Eoin Morgan praised his bowlers for their “exceptional” display.

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In Pics: Buttler stars as England beat India by 8 wickets in third T20I

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Jos Buttler’s blistering 83 not out trumped Virat Kohli’s majestic half-century as England beat India by eight wickets in the third T20I to go 2-1 up in the five-match series. (PTI Photo)

“When you look at conditions tonight, Adil started well and when the pacers came on, the carry that we saw was a bit of a surprise for us. I thought the first half of our bowling was exceptional,” he said.
“The wicket stayed similar, throughout all the games, and if you lose early wickets at the top that raises a question. It’s just a dynamic of T20 cricket.”
Jos Buttler blasted an unbeaten 83 to take England overhaul the target of 157 in 18.2 overs.
“Jos is a world-class player and he has averaged upwards of 50 and striking at 150 at the top. There’s very little you have to say to Jos. He’s been in incredible form and he’s a great leader within our group,” Morgan said.
The England skipper received his 100th cap on Tuesday from Buttler and Morgan said he was moved by his words.
“It nearly got me to tears [getting the 100th cap from Buttler]. He’s a great friend of mine and our families are close. His words warmed my heart and I’m very grateful for that.”
Adjudged Man of the Match for his whirlwind innings, Buttler said: “It was nice to spend time in the middle and I always like to not out at the end.”
“It just felt like a good time to attack [at the top]. It was nice to chance my arm a bit. The first six off got me up and running and gave me confidence.”

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India vs England: Hoping for turning pitches in T20I series, says Eoin Morgan | Cricket News – Times of India

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AHMEDABAD: England limited-overs skipper Eoin Morgan has said that he is hoping to see turning pitches for the upcoming five-match T20I series against India.
India and England would be locking in five T20Is, beginning Friday at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The pitches in the recently-concluded Test series came a huge debating point, but Morgan said that the pitches would not be exactly the same as they were in Tests, but he indeed expects them to take spin.
“We’ve been in great form in T20 cricket. We’ve had some confidence along the way and picked up some serious wins over the last two years, which is great. But also we need to develop our game and go into a World Cup with as few weaknesses as possible. I think having the strongest squad available to us, which doesn’t really happen that often, allows us to play around with any plans we might foresee using in the World Cup as well,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Morgan as saying.
“I wouldn’t say we’re hoping for similar pitches to the Test series. I’d say we’re hoping for turning pitches. We know when we play on a really flat surface, our batting department is equipped, our bowling department is still learning and it’s more challenging the better the wicket we play on. But in low-scoring T20 games we do need to get better, so we’re looking forward to the challenge,” he added.
Further talking about pitches, Morgan said: “Day four or fay five-Test pitches aren’t going to be ideal playing a T20 game on, but a turning pitch like we witnessed in 2016 – where 120 plays 90; very low-scoring games in this day and age – it’s an area we need more experience in because we’ve not played in a lot of games like that.”
“Would we welcome the learning experience that extreme conditions could bring? Yes. It’s not the sole purpose for being here, but we are going to use it that way. I think this tour is going to be a challenge for everybody – batting, bowling, and fielding – but one that we’re really looking forward to,” he added.
Earlier this week, England head coach Chris Silverwood had said that a final call on Jofra Archer’s availability in the T20I series will be decided by the medical team, but Morgan has now suggested that the pacer has fully recovered from his elbow injury.
“I am hopeful Jofra will be fit for the whole series. If the game was tomorrow he’d be fit. We obviously have two days of training to come through, but hopefully, he’s good. Obviously, we’re playing five games on the same ground. We don’t know yet if we’re playing on the same surfaces twice or a number of times. But I imagine our team selection will evolve as we see it,” said Morgan.
“Game on game, if we think of anything that might arise down the line that we think is worth running through or simulating here, we’ll do it. Everybody’s available for selection,” he added.
England’s T20I squad: Eoin Morgan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Jason Roy, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jofra Archer, Chris Jordon, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley

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Michael Vaughan warns Test cricket a ‘joke’ if England rotate in Ashes | Cricket News – Times of India

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LONDON: Former captain Michael Vaughan fears Test cricket will become a “joke” if England rotate players in and out of their side during the 2021/22 Ashes in Australia.
England coach Chris Silverwood has suggested the team could continue with the controversial rest-and-rotation policy they used in Sri Lanka and India.
Joe Root’s team beat Sri Lanka 2-0 before losing their four-match series in India 3-1.
A number of players including Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali all missed matches at some stage of the tour programme.
Many observers felt the rotation policy made the already tough task of winning a series in India even more difficult.
But England are set to play a gruelling schedule of up to 17 Tests in 2021, as well as limited-overs matches including a Twenty20 World Cup.
Team management argue rotation is necessary to prevent player burnout, especially when so many fixtures will be played in bio-secure bubbles during the coronavirus pandemic.
“If they need rest, you get it before the Ashes,” Vaughan said on his BBC radio programme.
“Test match cricket is becoming a joke if that (players being rotated) happens. You make sure you get your best players available for every single Ashes Test match.”
Vaughan is also concerned by the possibility that players, including Buttler and Stokes, could miss the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s on June 2, depending on how long their franchises are involved in the T20 Indian Premier League.
“This is where it gets frustrating for England supporters, and many in the game, that these players will go and play in the full IPL,” he said.

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India vs England: Stokes was swearing at me, so Kohli intervened, says Siraj | Cricket News – Times of India

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AHMEDABAD: On a wicket where the Indian spinners bowled beautifully, pacer Mohammed Siraj picked the important wickets of England skipper Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow on the opening day of the fourth Test at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday.
While Siraj was impressive with the ball, he was also involved in a verbal duel with England all-rounder Ben Stokes which also saw skipper Virat Kohli getting involved. Speaking after the end of the day’s play, Siraj said that Stokes was swearing at him and Kohli handled it well.

“He (Stokes) was swearing at me, so Virat intervened and handled that well,” Siraj said.
Tempers flared in the first session on Day 1 as Kohli and Stokes clashed in the middle with umpire Nitin Menon having to intervene. The chat between Kohli and Stokes heated up at the end of the 13th over.

Virat Kohli, left, interacts with Ben Stokes. (AP Photo
The Indian skipper was visibly unhappy with something Stokes said to Siraj and as a result, he decided to have a lengthy chat with the England all-rounder.
After the final ball of the 12th over, Stokes came down the wicket and he had a word with Siraj. Kohli was not happy with the turn of events and decided to take it up with Stokes. In the end, on-field official Menon had to intervene to separate Kohli and Stokes.

In the very next over, Siraj was also seen in an aggressive mood and he had a go at Stokes.
India bundled out England for 205 and then reached 24/1 at stumps on Day 1.
Commenting on his bowling effort, Siraj said: “We planned to bowl patiently and keep bowling at the same spot. Virat bhai told me that we have only two fast bowlers so we will keep rotating, and we will be well-rested. When I started bowling from the Reliance end, there was a little extra bounce and good movement from that end after I switched.”
“When I play in Australia or when I play here, I will put my effort on every ball otherwise it’ll affect the team, and it’ll release the pressure. I just want to bowl every ball giving my 100 per cent,” he added.

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