EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE THE HINDU DELHI THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2019 SPORT 19 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Favourite India will be wary of Windies Test cricket is a great format, The teams figure in their inaugural match of the World Test Championship campaign need to preserve it: Richards INDIA IN WI EXCLUSIVE Press Trust of India Vijay Lokapally North Sound (Antigua) NEW DELHI A perfect combination and a Viv Richards is looking for­ winning start will be fore­ ward to the two­match Test most on skipper Virat Kohli’s series between India and the mind when India takes on West Indies starting at Anti­ the West Indies in its inaugu­ gua on Thursday. He is also ral World Test Champion­ excited about getting to see ship opener here on Virat Kohli in action. Thursday. Richards, who is a panelist On paper, a batting line­ on Extraaa Innings on Sony up that has Kohli, Chetesh­ Pictures Sports Network for war Pujara, K.L. Rahul, Rohit the series, shares his views Sharma and Rishabh Pant in with The Hindu in an email the ranks should be termed interview. Excerpts: clear favourite, but this West How do you view the Indies team, led by Jason forthcoming Test series? Holder, is no pushover. Other than Virat who are the England found that out players you are keen to the hard way at the start of watch? the year when it lost a Test I would love to see the West series 2­1 on some of the Indies. Both the teams have most lively pitches. the same kind of fireworks and the so called seam attack New ball challenge to exploit these conditions, Kohli and head coach Ravi and this is what I would love Shastri, who recently got a to see. We took on England fresh contract, will be wary with their firepower and we of the challenge that can be won and everyone says “Aah, posed by the new ball pair of but India has got the Bum­ Kemar Roach and Shannon rahs, the Shamis and the Ku­ Gabriel along with Jason Hol­ mars and all these other der bowling his steady seam­ guys.” So, we should be pre­ up spells. pared to take some knocks. Evenly matched: Vivian Richards, seen with Ravi Shastri, If there is pace and We got to give some, take says both India and West Indies have the same kind of bounce, Kohli is likely to go some. And that to me would firepower and seam attack. * COURTESY BCCI with four specialist bowlers create some sort of vehe­ in which R. Ashwin and Kul­ mence and it is going to be between India and West milar, we are both so passion­ deep Yadav will be fighting competitive. Indies when you were ate about our leadership, we playing? for the lone spinner’s slot. How relevant is this India- are passionate about how our The three pacers, in all li­ West Indies series in view of In the earlier days, there fieldsmen behave, because kelihood, will be Jasprit Test championship? were a lot of folks who would he is driven and I have always Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Certainly I think that it is a be sorted out if not felt that is why he is the cap­ Mohammed Shami. great format. And to be fair, I equipped. Nowadays, I think tain. This guy leads from the On the batting front, Kohli think this is where the ODI what makes the game easier front and I enjoy that and ap­ wants the opening combina­ and T20 were born from that as the umpire makes a signal preciate that. I made a state­ tion of Mayank Agarwal and particular format. I would on you that’s one or two for ment once, where I had seen K.L. Rahul to make the most not like to see Test match the over (bouncers) and it is him on the long­on boundary of their chances in the series. cricket to disappear. Why be­ too predictable, in my opi­ in a match, and it was an ap­ “We have selected only in Test cricket again,” Kohli Vihari scored just 18 or 20 The teams (from): Wriddhiman Saha (wk). cause, you speak of (Don) nion. Those days, it wasn’t peal for a leg before; he is a two openers, so the idea is to said on the eve of the match. runs, he batted for 85 balls, India: Virat Kohli (Capt.), West Indies: Jason Holder Bradman... I was fortunate in so. The players of today do long way from the square. (Capt.), Kraigg Brathwaite, Dar­ give them four innings, just “At the end of the day, as tells you it is all about team, Mayank Aagrwal, K.L. Rahul, a big way to be around Sunil have an advantage, especially He is hands on. I have so­ Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vi­ ren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, let them go out there and ex­ much as individuals want to and he handled the situation Gavaskar and all the great if you are a batsman. hari, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit John Campbell, Roston Chase, metimes been accused of be­ so well that Pujara and my­ players, and that is why I You always praise Virat. How press themselves. Mayank perform, it is about what you Sharma, Rishabh Pant (wk), Kul­ Rakheem Cornwall, Shane Dow­ ing hard on my players and self could go out there and think we have the T20. It has has done really well, KL [Ra­ can do as a team. If you look dep Yadav, R. Ashwin, R. Jadeja, rich, Shannon Gabriel, Shimron much of yourself do you see the other day I saw him doing play the way we did and Puj­ hul] has performed well in at the Melbourne Test, how Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Keemo evolved and I believe we in him? the same; I thought to myself the past, he is looking for­ [Hanuma] Vihari and ara then went to get that cen­ Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Paul and Kemar Roach. need to preserve this format. I have a lot of respect for Vi­ “man… yeah I have done it ward to making things count Mayank opened and though tury for us.” Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Match starts at 7 p.m. IST Where would you place Tests rat. I see a lot of attitudes si­ too”. Physios and Paytm retains title rights Langer wants Australia to avoid bouncer battle trainers Special Correspondent least 86 international men’s MUMBAI matches in bilateral series England opener Roy passes concussion test; Bayliss hints at batting reshuffle interviewed Paytm has extended its as­ over the next four years, Amol Karhadkar sociation with the Board of BCCI was thrilled with the THE ASHES World Cup winner Roy MUMBAI Control for Cricket in India 57 per cent hike in sponsor­ was assessed after taking the Sixteen physiotherapists (BCCI) as title sponsor for ship amount. blow and was able to conti­ Agence France-Presse and 12 trainers were inter­ international and domestic “The BCCI are proud of Leeds nue batting. But he also re­ viewed on Wednesday by matches in India by agree­ Paytm continuing its long­ quired a follow­up check on the national selection panel ing to shell out ₹326.8 crore standing commitment to In­ Australia coach Justin Langer Wednesday to determine for India’s support staff. for the four­year cycle com­ dian cricket,” stated BCCI has told his side to avoid be­ any delayed symptoms. Team India is set to have mencing October, 2019. CEO Rahul Johri. ing drawn into a bouncer Ollie Pope, a Surrey team­ new appointees for these BCCI made the announ­ Vijay Shekhar Sharma, battle after Steve Smith was mate of Roy's, has been posts as Patrick Farhart cement after bid docu­ the founder and chief ex­ ruled out of the third Test placed on standby. and Shankar Basu decided ments were opened at its euctive of Paytm, said, “We against England. The teams (from): to terminate their associa­ headquarters on are excited to continue our His absence from the third Australia: Tim Paine (Capt.), tion as physiotherapist and Wednesday. long­term association with Test at Headingley, starting Cameron Bancroft, David War­ strength and conditioning Paytm had replaced Mi­ BCCI and the Indian cricket on Thursday, leaves Austra­ ner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus coach. cromax with a bid of ₹2.42 team. Our commitment to lia with a huge hole to fill. Labuschagne, Travis Head, Mat­ Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala, a crore per match in October Indian cricket gets stronger Langer insisted that his thew Wade, Pat Cummins, Pe­ sports medicine expert, 2015. with every season. India side would not be side­ ter Siddle, Nathan Lyon, Josh and renowned fitness When the BCCI opened loves cricket and we at tracked from its goal of be­ Hazlewood, Marcus Harris, coach Ranadeep Moitra the bid documents for the Paytm are the biggest fans coming the first Australian Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, joined the M.S.K. Prasad­ next cycle — October 2019 of it.” team in 18 years to win an James Pattinson, and Mitchell Starc. led selection committee at to September 2023 — While men’s internation­ Ashes series in England. England: Joe Root (Capt.), Rory the BCCI headquarters. Paytm’s parent company al cricket is the draw­card, “We know what our plans Burns, Jason Roy, Joe Denly, The interview process (One 97 Communications BCCI offers extension of are to beat England,” said Ready for action: Jason Roy, left, attends a nets session with Jack Leach and Jofra Archer.* AP Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Jonny will conclude on Thursday Pvt.