EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE THE HINDU DELHI WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2019 SPORT 19 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Hoping for Our bowlers pretty Rohit cut out to open, says Shastri the skies to India coach all praise for Shami’s resilience; feels Bumrah’s work load has to be astutely managed remain clear good at reverse EXCLUSIVE Amol Karhadkar PUNE The South Africans slogged swing, says Arun S. Dinakar it for well over four hours Visakhapatnam in the searing heat at the Amol Karhadkar Ravi Shastri enjoyed the pan­ Maharashtra Cricket Asso­ PUNE oramic view through the ho­ ciation (MCA) stadium on The nature of Test surfaces tel window as the sun the outskirts here. Rishabh in India have been starkly bounced off the Bay of Ben­ Pant tonked net bowlers la­ different under Virat Kohli gal as he pondered the ques­ ter in the afternoon during and his predecessor M.S. tions put to him. India’s optional training Dhoni. While Dhoni exploit­ The India coach’s answers session. But all through , ed the home advantage with — in an exclusive conversa­ both camps — and the tracks that assisted the spin­ tion with The Hindu — were groundstaff — kept staring ners, Kohli, after following sharp, precise and honest. at the skies, hoping for the that tradition early on, has The big positive for you from heavens not to open up. adopted a fair use policy. the Test here? With the city experienc­ This has helped India’s pac­ B. Arun. * K.R. DEEPAK A fast bowler taking five ing incessant showers in ers come into play in a big wickets in the fourth innings the lead­up to the match, way. in India. and thunderstorms pred­ Arun, India’s bowling coach, stressed that the pac­ Your impressions on Shami. icted ahead in the week ers have the skillset to suc­ To bounce back from perso­ too, MCA’s Riyaz Bagwan ceed in varied conditions. nal issues and bowl the way did his best to put any “I think there is a chance he did was remarkable. He is doubts to rest, stressing on for the pacers on any track relentless, very skilful and at the sand­based outfield provided they have the ne­ you all the time. I would have that dries in no time and cessary skills. hated to face him. the pitch preparation be­ Settled unit: Ravi Shastri says Team India has progressed well with the bowlers capable of picking up 20 wickets ing on course. “Our fast bowlers have How concerned are you in a match. * K.R. DEEPAK Considering the rain, it done quite well abroad and about Bumrah’s stress didn’t come as a surprise in India. On Indian wickets, fracture in the back? Kohli about it. This was his <> [Dhoni] one of our Does the team have an open India has to find a stable No. that the pitch had a tinge of when the ball spins, it also Very concerned. Because he opportunity. greatest players... mind about M.S. Dhoni 4 in the shorter formats with live grass less than 48 becomes conducive for re­ is precious, special, diffe­ Opening is about the whether he wants to returning to the shorter the World Twenty20 next hours before the start of verse swing, and all our rent, and a match­winner. mindset. You got to respect formats? year? the game. But just when bowlers are pretty good at They are taking opinions on come back, that’s for the new ball. A lot of guys in He will go down as one of our wondered whether the ve­ reverse swing,” said Arun on whether he needs surgery. him to decide It is very easy for us to drop India should have opened in greatest players, very, very nue could reverse the poor Tuesday. We have to be careful about Kohli to No. 4. Then you will the last 20 years for the sake Ravindra Jadeja has been high up the list. rating it received for pro­ The second Test against his workload because he have the best No. 4 in the of team balance, but they making strides, with the bat Whether he wants to ducing a rank turner South Africa begins here on flat. Sometimes the outfield plays all three formats. world. But it takes time. didn’t have the stomach for and the ball. come back, that’s for him to against Australia in Febru­ Thursday. is also not great. For a bow­ Hardik Pandya too it. Excellent team­man. Has decide. I have not met him Shreyas Iyer has been ex­ ary 2017, the groundstaff While the Proteas pacers ler to be successful, one underwent a surgery for a realised his potential, which after the World Cup. He has cellent in recent months. He swiftly moved into action. failed to restrict India, Ish­ needs to learn to reverse the back injury recently. Similarities between Rohit is never easy. He has arrived to first start playing and let’s can be a really good No. 4. Soon after a member of ant and Shami oversha­ ball,” said Arun His surgery was successful. and Sehwag? after that astonishing innings see how things go. India’s support staff had a dowed Kagiso Rabada and “I think domestic cricket Both destroyers, both with What convinced the team­ We will know in two weeks’ Winning the Test series in close look at the pitch, the Vernon Philander. contributes a lot as you can the ability to score very big in the World Cup semifinal. management to pick time. Ideally we want him in New Zealand, never easy, will groundstaff was seen see that most exponents of given their tempo. With the ball, he’s accurate. Wriddhiman Saha in the Test every format. be India’s next major scrubbing it and mowing Doing it better reverse swing come from If it starts spinning, he is eleven? Rohit Sharma was great in his How impressed were you lethal. challenge. the grass. Arun felt that plying their the sub­continent because first Test as opener. with R. Ashwin’s bowling in As the No. 1 side we like to go Saha is the best ’keeper in With curator Pandurang trade in domestic cricket they need to adapt.” I would hate to see a player his comeback Test? India now has a varied attack and play against tough teams the world, and at home, Salgaocar keeping a close had helped the host pacers Given the weather condi­ of his quality sitting in the re­ He’s world class. A top­class that can sting. in their backyard. We are where the bounce can be va­ watch, it would be interest­ reverse it better. tions in Pune, it would be in­ serves. off­spinner. But the demands We have the variety to take confident against New Zea­ riable, his ‘keeping is inva­ ing to see if the 22­yard “Our bowlers are pretty teresting to see if the pacers In the West Indies I was of the game are such that you 20 wickets. Runs are impor­ land. Didn’t we beat Austra­ luable. Pant is still young and strip changes its complex­ skilful at reverse swing be­ would be forced to succeed very clear that he should cannot afford to rest on your tant. But 20 wickets are most lia down under after 71 has the time to improve his ion by the time of the toss cause when we play domes­ against the odds, or get fa­ open and had a chat with laurels. important. years? ’keeping. on Thursday morning. tic cricket, the wickets are vourable conditions. Confident India ready for the ODIs Tendulkar’s fangirl has arrived with a bang Mithali is back, will lead the side; Smriti out with toe fracture The 15­year­old Shafali Verma gets to live her dream DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD side. The arrival of expe­ P.K. Ajith Kumar pur, for Velocity. “I am also SA WOMEN IN INDIA JAIPUR Three-match schedule rienced players Marizanne happy that I have been part Kapp and Trisha Chetty to Shafali Verma was nine when of the Indian team that had Ashwin Achal B Oct. 9, Oct. 11 and Oct. 14 the ODI squad serves as she made that short journey Harmanpreet Kaur and Smri­ Vadodara DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD another boost. to Lahli from her home in ti Mandhana,” she said. Having recorded a comforta­ International women’s Rohtak, along with her fath­ “Those three are great ble 3­1 win in the T20Is a few but for 23­year­old Priya Pu­ cricket returns to the Re­ er. She wanted to see her batters.” days ago, the Indian women nia. liance Stadium, nearly 18 idol, Sachin Tendulkar, play­ appear confident heading in­ “Priya has scored consis­ months after big crowds ing his last Ranji match. Favourites to the three­match ODI se­ tently in domestic circuit. created an exciting atmosph­ The Master Blaster didn’t Among the batsmen, A.B. de ries against South Africa This is her chance,” captain ere for the India­Australia disappoint her. He smashed Villiers is her favourite. “I al­ here. The home team, ho­ Mithali Raj said. ODI series. an unbeaten 79 in the second so like Virat Kohli,” she said. wever, has to deal with a big Mithali, meanwhile, The Baroda Cricket Asso­ innings to guide Mumbai to a “I have always had great res­ injury concern. wears the national jersey for ciation officials are hopeful four­wicket victory against pect for attacking batsmen, Elegant opening batter the first time since announc­ of a large turnout once host Haryana, in 2013.