BCCI plans T20I series against South Africa, New Zealand before T20 World Cup | Cricket News – Times of India

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NEW DELHI: The Indian cricket board (BCCI) will be squeezing in a couple of bilateral T20I series in October to help the Indian team prepare for the T20 World Cup. TOI has learnt that the board is in talks with South Africa and New Zealand in this regard.
“South Africa and New Zealand are scheduled to come to India to play a couple of T20I series before the World Cup. The modalities are to be finalized. The board is aware that the team needs to be in touch with the format before the Cup starts,” a senior BCCI official said.
India and South Africa already have an agreement to play a series in India to compensate for the cancelled series in March last year. India don’t have any T20Is scheduled after the ongoing series against England.
They are slated to travel to England for the World Test Championship final and a five-Test series after the IPL. India come back from England in mid-September. There are doubts over the the Asia Cup too as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will host the remainder of the Pakistan Super League.
India will also host New Zealand for a Test series after the T20 World Cup. The Indian team will then travel to South Africa for a full tour in December-January

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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.
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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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World T20, Ashes loom for Australia after disappointing season | Cricket News – Times of India

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SYDNEY: Australia’s international season came to a close with an emphatic loss to New Zealand in a Twenty20 series decider in Wellington on Sunday, leaving many questions to be answered over the coming months.
Unlike the home Test series loss to India around the New Year, there were mitigating circumstances to the 2-3 defeat at the hands of the Black Caps eight months out from the T20 World Cup in India.
There was no question the squad was weakened by the absence of top players including David Warner and Steve Smith, who were selected instead for the Test tour of South Africa which Australia subsequently aborted due to health concerns.
After coming out of quarantine, Aaron Finch‘s side lost the first two matches but rebounded to level the series before Sunday’s decider.
“I was really pleased with our resilience through the series to bounce back from 2-0 down,” Finch said after Sunday’s fifth T20 loss by seven wickets.
“Even when we lost the second game in particular, we were right there, probably one swing of the bat from pinching it. There was a lot of character from the group.”
The T20 World Cup is the one global cricket trophy Australia have never won and they will be confident of being competitive with a full-strength side in October and November.
Many of the players most likely to take them to a maiden title will head off overseas again next month to hone their T20 skills in the Indian Premier League.
India’s fourth Test victory over England means Australia will not be contesting the newest global trophy in the men’s game with Virat Kohli’s team now set to take on New Zealand in the World Test Championship in June.
The decision not to tour South Africa all but sealed Australia’s fate on that score but there is a blockbuster home Ashes series later this year to look forward to.
The Australians repaired some of the damage done to their reputation by the Newlands ball-tampering scandal in the manner of their retaining the urn in England in 2019.
The leadership of the captain-coach combination of Tim Paine and Justin Langer that orchestrated that feat was, however, increasingly questioned during and after the humiliating home Test series loss to India.
Those questions, as well as a big one over Australia’s middle-order batting, will be thrashed out over the coming months and, for Finch and his New Zealand tourists, there was just one thought as they boarded their charter flight on Sunday.
“It’s been a long summer for a lot of guys who have been in bubbles, I know some guys in WA (Western Australia) haven’t been home for quite a few months,” Finch said.
“We’re all looking forward to getting home and seeing family and stuff.”

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