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Giants have just two points from three games but a win on Saturday will put them back in contention for playoffs

Shashank Kishore11-Mar-2023

Big picture: Giants eye back-to-back winsGujarat Giants were in the news for all the wrong reasons at the start of the WPL.First the mystery around Deandra Dottin’s “medical condition”, which was followed by her rebuff on social media. Then Beth Mooney’s injury in their tournament opener, followed by long suspense over her availability.Then, Sneh Rana was named stand-in captain before a social-media gaffe that suggested Harleen Deol might be the new captain sent tongues wagging. Some teams go through that much drama over an entire season. But, that’s all in the past.Rana has been firmly handed the reins, Laura Wolvaardt has come in as Mooney’s replacement, and there seems to be a settled look about the team that an emphatic victory can bring about.Sophia Dunkley, who may have not played had Mooney been fit, set the stage alight with an 18-ball half-century in their previous game, while Harleen and D Hemalatha have shown spark in each of the three games they’ve played. If S Meghana can fire at the top of the order, the collective batting might they have could challenge Delhi Capitals as they aim for back-to-back wins.Royal Challengers Bangalore losing a fourth straight game has meant the gulf between them and the other four teams has become bigger. If Giants win on Saturday, they will firmly be back in contention for the playoffs.Capitals have one of the most well-rounded units in the competition, but they were given a massive reality check by Mumbai Indians. Meg Lanning battled hard, but the rest of the batting unit collapsed around her. That said, they would rather have that one off game out of the way now than during the knockouts.Shafali Verma’s approach has largely been refreshing, far different to the diffidence we saw at the T20 World Cup. Jemimah Rodrigues, who helped deliver their opening win, has been putting together key contributions. But there is a soft underbelly to their lower middle order. In Minnu Mani, Taniya Bhatia and Radha Yadav, there’s not much batting depth beyond the superstars. There in lies a chance for Giants.Players to watch: Pandey and MeghanaRemember that devious inswinger to clean bowl Alyssa Healy from a couple of years ago? That’s the version of Shikha Pandey the Capitals would love to see with the new ball. So far, there has been little swing and movement on offer for her. And without those two elements, Pandey has struggled a bit. She takes great pride in reinventing herself every time she is challenged, so how she bounces back against Giants could be worth watching.S Meghana has the reputation of being an explosive batter in Indian domestic cricket. So far, opportunities to exhibit that with the Indian team have been rare, because of the presence of an established top order in Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues. That has meant she has mostly been in the reserves. Now is her opportunity to bring that explosive game to the fore and show the selectors what she can potentially offer going forward.Likely XIsDelhi Capitals: 1 Meg Lanning (capt), 2 Shafali Verma, 3 Jemimah Rodrigues, 4 Marizanne Kapp, 5 Alice Capsey, 6 Jess Jonassen, 7 Taniya Bhatia (wk), 8 Shikha Pandey, 9 Radha Yadav, 10 Tara Norris, 11 Titas Sadhu/Minnu ManiGujarat Giants: 1 Sophia Dunkley, 2 S Meghana, 3 Harleen Deol, 4 Ash Gardner, 5 D Hemalatha, 6 Annabel Sutherland, 7 Sneh Rana (capt), 8 Kim Garth, 9 Sushma Verma (wk), 10 Tanuja Kanwar, 11 Mansi JoshiQuotes”You can’t go out there and look at 180 right from the start. You get yourself into a bit of trouble if you do that.”
“Sneh Rana has had very good support from her vice-captain, her deputy Ash Gardner – both of them worked together. Sneh has done well because she also has the experience of leading Indian Railways in the domestic season.”

ذكرت تقارير إعلامية اليوم الإثنين، أن مدافع نادي مانشستر سيتي، مانويل أكانجي قد يرحل إلى أحد الأندية الإيطالية خلال الساعات المقبلة، وذلك على غرار اهتمام إي سي ميلان بضم الدولي السويري.

أكانجي يعتبر خارج خطط مدرب مانشستر سيتي، بيب جوارديولا، هذا الموسم، حيث ابتعد الدولي السويسري عن المشاركة بشكل أساسي مع النادي الإنجليزي منذ بداية الموسم.

اقرأ أيضًا .. تطورات صفقة انتقال دوناروما إلى مانشستر سيتي

وأشار صحفي شبكة سكاي سبورتس، فابريزيو رومانو، إلى أن نادي إنتر ميلان دخل قائمة الفرق المهتمة بالتعاقد مع أكانجي قبل ساعات قليلة من إغلاق سوق الانتقالات الصيفية الجاري.

وأضاف رومانو في حديثه، أن إدارة إنتر ميلان ترى أن أكانجي هو البديل المثالي لبنجامين بافارد في الفريق، حال رحل الدولي الفرنسي عن النيراتزوري هذا الصيف.

وأوضح الصحفي الإيطالي، أنه من الصعب بعض الشيء إتمام انتقال أكانجي إلى إنتر ميلان، حيث في المقابل لا يوجد أي احتمال حقيقي لمغادرة بافارد صفوف الأفاعي.

وأكد رومانو، أن نادي أوليمبيك مارسيليا مهتم بشكل طفيف بضم بافارد وبنظام الإعارة فقط، في حين تبقى أقل من يوم على نهاية الميركاتو الصيفي، بالتالي ليس من السهل ضم أكانجي.

أكانجي كان قد ارتبط بالتوقيع مع إي سي ميلان، قبل أن تتعثر الصفقة، وكذلك ارتبط بالانضمام إلى جالطة سراي، لكن يبدو أن ابن الـ30 عامًا هو من رفض التوقيع للنادي التركي مثلما تشير التقارير.  

Bad weather aids rearguard but double-century stand had already saved innings defeat

ECB Reporters Network06-May-2024Glamorgan 221 (B Root 51, Bess 4-25, Moriarty 4-74) and 372 for 7 (Northeast 142*, Ingram 113) drew with Yorkshire 519 for 7 dec (Bean 173, J Root 156, Brook 65) In-form duo Sam Northeast and Colin Ingram hit superb final-day rearguard centuries to help Glamorgan secure a Vitality County Championship draw against frustrated Yorkshire at Headingley.South African veteran Ingram and unbeaten captain Northeast continued their excellent starts to the season with patient scores of 113 and 142, completing a double-century partnership for the fourth wicket in their side’s second innings.Yorkshire had claimed a first-innings lead of 298 just after lunch on day three and would have been confident of forcing a first win of 2024 at the fifth attempt as Glamorgan started the day on 171 for three.But, when thunder and lightning intervened just before 4.20pm, they were 372 for seven with a lead of 74. No more play was possible.Pre-season Division Two title favourites Yorkshire have now gone five games without a win to ensure a slow start to their promotion bid.They were thwarted by Northeast, who is the leading run-scorer in the country with 561, and who hit 15 fours in 336 balls.While Yorkshire claimed 16 points from their fourth draw, added to a defeat, Glamorgan took 10 from their fourth successive draw.There remains plenty of time left for Yorkshire – nine games to be precise – to get on a roll and secure a top-two finish.But they have to find a way to take 20 wickets in a match, something they haven’t done at Headingley since June 2021, a run of 15 Championship fixtures.Glamorgan started the day 127 runs behind, with Ingram 43 and Northeast 46.The pair ended the day amongst the top three run-scorers in the division having shared a 210 stand – their county’s highest ever fourth-wicket partnership in first-class meetings with Yorkshire. Ingram has 467 runs to his name.While this used pitch showed signs of turn throughout the four days, it failed to deteriorate as much as Yorkshire would have hoped in Harry Brook’s last of five early-season appearances before England’s T20 World Cup preparations.Left-handed Ingram and 2021 Yorkshire loanee Northeast were watchful against the spin of Dom Bess and Dan Moriarty and the seam of Ben Coad and Matthew Revis, the latter two taking a mid-morning new ball.Yorkshire used four spinners in all, with part-time offies Joe Root and Adam Lyth employed as well as they raced through the overs. They claimed two wickets apiece.Ingram took Revis for three successive boundaries to move into the eighties and went on to complete his second century of the season, off 202 balls, just before lunch.Glamorgan reached lunch at 277 for three, trailing by only 21, and Northeast reached his latest century during the early stages of the afternoon.By that stage, the Welshmen were in front, and what had been an unlikely draw at the start of the day had turned into a highly likely one against a home attack hurt – literally – by the absence of injured fast bowler Matthew Fisher.He had suffered a left ankle injury whilst fielding just before tea on day three and failed to take the field again.Ingram and Northeast each reached three figures for the second time this season. Northeast’s previous hundred was his record-breaking 335 against Middlesex last month – the highest ever individual score posted at Lord’s.Northeast raised his bat early in the afternoon off 226 balls.Just moments before, Ingram had picked out mid-off against Root’s off-spin to fall as the first wicket of the day, leaving the score at 304 for four in the 100th over.Glamorgan had a lead of five runs by then, with the hard work done.Root forced Chris Cooke to play on and Lyth trapped Tom Bevan and James Harris lbw either side of tea, leaving Glamorgan at 370 for seven with a lead of 72.But the weather intervened for happy Glamorgan, whose captain was outstanding.

Jamie Vardy's search for a new club continues, after reports that Genoa manager Patrick Vieira rejected a move for the 38-year-old ex-Leicester man.

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• Vieira "vetoes" move for Vardy
• Premier League legend was nearing Serie A move
• Veteran departed Leicester at end of season

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Vardy was nearing a move to the Serie A side on a free transfer before Vieira pulled the plug on the signing, report Mail Online. Arsenal icon Vieira has managed Genoa since November 2024, leading the Italian club to 13th in Serie A in his first season. He was reportedly "unconvinced" with Vardy and "overruled" the move.

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  Vardy departed Leicester City on the expiry of his contract after 13 years at the club, where he had a picture-perfect record of exactly 200 goals in 500 games and won the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Championship title twice. There have been links between free agent Vardy and Rangers, Nottingham Forest, Como and Wrexham among others, but a move to Genoa is now off the table.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Rangers are now viewed as the favourites for the 38-year-old's signature. Vardy may be followed to Ibrox by former Leicester teammate Conor Coady as the Scottish giants look to build under new manager Russell Martin and owners 49ers Enterprises, who recently completed a takeover of the club.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR VARDY?

  If Vardy does move to Rangers or elsewhere, he will be confident in his ability to score goals and torment defences wherever he goes. Despite his veteran age in a football sense, Vardy's professional career famously started far later than normal as he only played in the Football League for the first time aged 25. This may indicate he still has some time left, meaning Genoa and Vieira may yet live to regret their decision not to bring him in.

Sophie Ecclestone, England’s No.1-ranked white-ball spinner, has been withdrawn* from this winter’s Women’s Big Bash League in Australia after sustaining a dislocated right shoulder while warming up for Manchester Originals’ match against Southern Brave on Wednesday.Ecclestone, 24, appeared to be in considerable pain after the incident at Old Trafford, and required assistance to walk off the field and back up to the home changing room. She was pictured in a sling on the team balcony before being taken to hospital for scans and further assessment, with the ECB confirming the nature of the injury on Saturday morning.Related

• Perth Scorchers WBBL retention decision over Kapp and Devine likely to shape the draft

• Brave head to third successive final as Wyatt, Bouchier secure victory

• Knight and Ecclestone among England stars in WBBL draft

• Mahika Gaur, Bess Heath earn maiden England call-ups for Sri Lanka series

• Deandra Dottin warns West Indies to get their house in order

Despite the personal setback for Ecclestone, the injury will not immediately unsettle England Women’s preparation for the upcoming three T20Is and three ODIs with Sri Lanka. Head coach Jon Lewis had opted to rest Ecclestone for the limited-overs matches to manage her workloads after the first eight months of the year.Ecclestone’s stellar performances this summer helped England to an 8-8 draw in the women’s Ashes. She took 5 for 129 and 5 for 63 in the one-off Test before taking 10 wickets split evenly across the ODI and T20I components of the series. Her Hundred season finishes with seven dismissals at 13, and an economy rate of 6.50.However, her injury is a blow for the WBBL, for which she had been one of a number of England players to enter the tournament’s inaugural draft, which takes place on September 3. Her 20 wickets at 17.90 were a key factor in Sydney Sixers’ run to the final during the 2022-23 season. As the No.1-ranked bowler in both white-ball formats, she had been expected to be in high demand.*09.00 BST, August 26 – This story was updated following the ECB’s confirmation of the injury

Liverpool have made contact to sign a £40m+ striker instead of the heavily linked Alexander Isak to replace Darwin Nunez this summer.

Liverpool eyeing multiple signings despite successful season

The Reds and Arne Slot may have plenty of work to do this summer, despite being on course to lift the Premier League title in the Dutchman’s first season in charge at Anfield.

Trent Alexander-Arnold looks on course to sign for Real Madrid, whereas Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah are also out of contract at the end of the current campaign.

Related Sky Sports: Arne Slot holds talks to sign £40m+ "monster" for Liverpool

He’s a top priority for the Dutchman.

Posts ByCharlie Smith Mar 25, 2025

Salah has starred in the final third once again, and his brilliance has arguably carried the likes of Diogo Jota and Nunez. Both Jota and Nunez have been linked with Anfield exits of their own this summer, meaning FSG may need to splash the cash on a marquee attacker.

Newcastle star Isak, who scored against the Reds at Wembley earlier this month, has been heavily linked with a move to Merseyside. However, his asking price could be in excess of £100m, and it looks as if Liverpool have identified a cheaper alternative.

Liverpool make contact over £40m+ Joao Pedro move

According to Caught Offside, Liverpool have been in contact with the agents of Brighton & Hove Albion striker Joao Pedro, as Nunez’s Anfield exit is looking ‘increasingly likely’.

The Brazilian has caught the eye of Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain this season, but it is Liverpool who have started preliminary talks over a move to Anfield. The report states that Pedro could cost around €50m (£41.8m), ‘nearly half of what is required for Isak’.

Pedro, 23, made the move to the Seagulls from Watford in 2023 and has gone from strength to strength on the south coast. In total, the forward has made 65 appearances for Brighton, scoring 28 goals and registering 10 assists.

Joao Pedro’s 24/25 stats

Games

25

Goals

8

Assists

7

Minutes played

1,838

As can be seen, most of his assists in a Brighton shirt have come this season, and he was hailed by Alan Shearer earlier in the campaign after his starring display against Bournemouth.

Shearer said on Pedro: “He was superb today and they just edged it in those forward positions.

“This for me is a brilliant centre-forward goal. The way he follows it up and he is expecting the rebound to get there. He reacts before anyone else does and then he gets his reward. His hold-up play was superb at times when he had to keep hold of the ball and bring his team-mates into play.”

By the looks of things, a Liverpool move for Pedro will be one to keep an eye on, and it’ll be interesting to see if any other interested side make contact over the coming months after Liverpool’s opening talks.

Zimbabwe crushed USA by 304 runs, registering the second-biggest margin of victory by runs in ODIs. USA ran into a side that has been in red-hot form in this World Cup Qualifier as Zimbabwe feasted on runs to put up their highest-ever total in ODIs, surpassing the 351 they made against Kenya in 2001.After seeing off the new ball, Zimbabwe went all guns blazing in the final 35 overs and were led by their stand-in-captain Sean Williams who was an unstoppable force on the day as he raced to his hundred in a mere 65 deliveries, sending the jam-packed crowd into raucous applause.Related

• Sikandar Raza clubs Zimbabwe's fastest ODI century in crushing win over Netherlands

• Sean Williams stays cool in Harare heat

• Van Beek slams record 30 runs in Super Over against West Indies

Williams romped to 174 off 101 deliveries as the hosts put up an impregnable total of 408. While he started to cramp up in the last ten overs, he was aided by useful contributions from the opening wicketkeeper-batter Joylord Gumbie, the in-form Sikandar Raza, and then Ryan Burl.Once again, USA let themselves down in the fielding department. Nostush Kenjige had Gumbie and Raza dropped off his own bowling, and they both feasted on the errors as nothing went in USA’s favour on a forgettable day. The dropped chances proved too costly in a game where they were lacking the services of their main men and death overs specialists Ali Khan and Saurabh Netravakar – who were both struck down by flu.Gumbie and Williams put on a 160-run partnership for the third wicket to lay down the platform for Zimbabwe. Williams was the aggressor, milking the spinners for runs, especially the debutant Usman Rafiq, who leaked 40 runs in four overs.Sikandar Raza scored 48 runs and took two wickets on the day•ICC/Getty Images

Raza then came in and hit five fours and two sixes en route to his 27-ball 48 before Burl clubbed 47 off 16. One hit away from equalling AB de Villiers for the fastest ODI fifty, Burl was caught at deep midwicket off Jessy Singh in the 48th over.In reply, USA snapped under the scoreboard pressure. They were bundled out for a paltry score of 104 as Richard Ngarava, who ran riot with a scorching spell upfront, coupled with Raza took two wickets apiece while Brad Evans, Luke Jongwe, and Burl grabbed one each.Ngarava sent both openers back early. He got Steven Taylor capitulating to a vicious snorter on off that he nicked through to the keeper and in his very next over, he beat Sushant Modani’s cut as Zimbabwe’s opening burst proved too hot to handle for a depleted side that was reeling from a flu outbreak in the camp.USA captain Monank Patel got out in single figures after miscuing a drive to mid-on where Williams pocketed a low catch, and thereon the game became a point of discussion about records as USA’s resistance quickly petered out due to the loss of wickets at frequent intervals. There were as many as three run-outs in the innings and two mix-ups in the tenth over by Brad Evans; both Aaron Jones and Shayan Jahangir were involved in a terrible botch-up.Zimbabwe made four changes coming into the game, with Innocent Kaia, Jongwe, Evans and Tadiwanashe Marumani replacing Blessing Muzarabani, Craig Ervine, Clive Madande and Tendai Chatara, but continued in the same manner as they have in the World Cup Qualifier, and will be riding high on confidence going into the Super Sixes stage.

Brydon Carse records maiden first-class hundred before Durham take 15 wickets in day

ECB Reporters Network28-Apr-2023Brydon Carse gave the England selectors a quiet nudge ahead of the Ashes by scoring his maiden first-class century and taking three wickets to put Durham on the verge of victory in their LV= Insurance County Championship Division Two match against Derbyshire.Carse began the day needing 23 runs to reach his maiden ton and rocketed through the gears to secure his hundred from 113 balls before Durham declared on 452 for 9. The home side then ran through the Derbyshire line-up as Matthew Potts and Ben Raine reduced the visitors to 6 for 4. Luis Reece top-scored with 56, but his team were made to follow-on after being skittled for 165.Potts and Raine made further breakthroughs early on to leave Derbyshire in a world of trouble at 7 for 2 second time around. Durham maintained their patience to edge their way towards their second win of the season, reducing the visitors to 92 for 5 at stumps, still boasting a dominant 195-run lead at Seat Unique Riverside.Carse began the day 77 not out with his team positioned on 410 for 8, and he signalled his intent to get to three figures by dispatching Zak Chappell’s first ball of the day to the fence.Derbyshire skipper Leus du Plooy challenged Carse to penetrate the field, and the allrounder found the gaps to surpass his previous best of 91 made last week against Glamorgan before reaching his maiden ton with a nudge into the leg-side.Carse almost forgot to complete a second run in the midst of celebration, but comfortably made it back to acknowledge his delighted team-mates. He ended the Durham innings by clubbing Ben Aitchison over long-on for a huge six, securing maximum batting points.Durham declared 10 minutes before lunch to leave the Derbyshire openers with an awkward over to see out, but Raine made the breakthrough to remove Billy Godleman. Matters would only get worse for the visitors after the interval.Potts produced a sensational over to clean bowl Haider Ali and Wayne Madsen in the space of four deliveries before Derbyshire’s top order was left in tatters when Raine pinned Brooke Guest lbw for 2. Durham’s new-ball pair struck again as Matthew Lamb and du Plooy continued the Derbyshire procession.It was then the turn of Carse. He delivered a brute of a ball that rose sharply off the deck and Chappell could only fend meekly into the hands of Graham Clark at short-leg. Carse notched a second to remove Aitchison before Reece and Sam Conners offered a semblance of resistance with a final-wicket stand of 68, Reece top-scoring with 56 unbeaten. Matt Parkinson, on loan from Lancashire, claimed his first wicket to end the Derbyshire innings still trailing the hosts by 287.Scott Borthwick enforced the follow-on, and Godleman continued his day to forget as he collected a pair, lasting only two balls before he was pinned lbw by Raine. Potts was equally effective at removing Haider for the second time in the day as Derbyshire’s openers again failed to emerge beyond the second over intact.Madsen survived two dropped chances to put on 44 with Guest, but Carse produced another gem of a delivery to find his outside edge. In need of stability from their skipper, du Plooy gave his wicket away on 14, clipping a tame on drive straight to Potts, while Guest fell just before stumps for 35 to leave the visitors with a mammoth challenge to avoid an innings defeat after losing 15 wickets on day two.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is said to be worried Ruben Amorim will walk away from his Manchester United rebuild after sending out 'mixed messages'.

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• Ratcliffe concerned about Amorim's future
• Ready to back manager this summer
• Needs assurances of commitment

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Per , Ratcliffe is ready to give Amorim his support this summer as he looks to fund United's revival, but the INEOS chief is said to be concerned about the Portuguese's commitment. Amorim has already said that his United team would perhaps be better off losing the Europa League final this week, as they prepare to face Tottenham Hotspur in Bilbao, because he does not believe his squad is currently cut out for the Champions League.

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  Amorim has also claimed that he may step aside, although before their clash with Chelsea, he said he would not quit, and Ratcliffe is concerned about his mixed-messages, and wants to be sure that he will see out the remaining two years of his contract. United, though, sit 16th and have failed to win back-to-back games in the league under Amorim, in what has been a remarkably awful campaign.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  United need to win the Europa League for financial reasons but also to wash away the memories of what has been a truly chaotic campaign. They are said to have interest in Wolves striker Matheus Cunha and Ipswich Town's Liam Delap, while also targeting a goalkeeper and a defender.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  United play Spurs in Bilbao on Wednesday. Tottenham are 17th in the Premier League, and have arguably endured an even worse season than United.

“As a captain, my job is to create a culture where the player can play without fear and not be blamed for failing”

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Nov-20223:51

Hardik: ‘Batters will have to chip in with the ball in T20s’

India fielded a total of 12 players in their three-T20I series in New Zealand, which they won 1-0 after a washout and a rain-hit tie, which meant no game-time for Sanju Samson, Shubman Gill, Kuldeep Yadav and Umran Malik. Hardik Pandya agreed that it was harsh on the ones who missed out, but said that in a short series, as this was, the team management’s hands were tied.Related

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Shastri: 'No harm in identifying new T20I captain'

“This is my team, firstly. The coach [VVS Laxman, in this case] and I will pick the team we feel is right,” he said after the series. “And there’s a lot of time, everyone will get a chance, and when they do, they will get an extended run. But it’s difficult since this was a short series. If it had been a long series, more players would have got a chance.”It was a short series, and I don’t believe in chopping and changing much, and I won’t in the future either. So it was simple, and had to do with what the team needed. I wanted a sixth bowling option. We got that here. Deepak (Hooda) bowled, and if batters chip in (with the ball) as he did. Eventually, in T20 cricket, there will be opportunities. And in a game, even if things are not going your way, you can mix things up by bringing in new bowlers, and surprise the batters.”Samson, especially, and Gill might have expected an outing or two in New Zealand in the absence of the top three from the recent men’s T20 World Cup, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli. Gill has never played T20I cricket, but Samson has, and has a T20I average of 44.75 in the past 12 months, his runs coming quickly. In ODIs in the same period, he averages 82.66.How does he deal with players who have to warm the bench for long stretches?”It’s not difficult, but about how you handle it,” Hardik said. “It’s simple for me – I have the same sort of equation with all the players, and when I can’t pick a player, he knows it’s not personal. It’s got to do with the situation. I am a peoples’ person. So if anyone needs me, I will be there for them. Everyone knows that if they feel anything at all, my doors are always open for them to come and have a chat with me, because I understand how they are feeling.Only one match could be completed, but VVS Laxman and Hardik Pandya will take the result•Associated Press

“If they are sitting out… Sanju Samson, for example: we wanted to play him, but for whatever reason, we couldn’t. But I can get into their shoes and understand how they are feeling. As a cricketer, it is difficult, whatever one might say. You are in the Indian team, but you are not getting a chance in the XI, so that’s difficult. At the end of the day, I can say whatever I want, but those will just be words. It will still be difficult for them to deal with. But if I can create a healthy environment, where the players can come and speak to me if they are feeling bad, or go and speak to the coach, if I remain the captain, I think it won’t be a problem. Because my nature is such that I make sure everyone is together.”After India’s semi-final exit at the World Cup, their somewhat conservative approach at the top of the batting order came in for criticism. There has been some talk of Hardik taking over the T20I captaincy, his leadership of Gujarat Titans in their first season of the IPL in 2022, where they won the title, having pushed his case.”What I have tried to do is… if you have reached the international level, you have obviously done well and achieved success at the levels below,” Hardik said. “As a captain, my job is to give the players as much freedom as possible, and create a culture where the player can play without fear and not be blamed for failing.”That was our approach at the World Cup, too, but since we didn’t win, what we couldn’t do well was highlighted. But, going forward, it will be about not playing in any one way; the effort will be to enjoy the game, play without fear. If you think you want to smash the first ball, go ahead; the management will back you. We want players to play with freedom.”