EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE THE HINDU DELHI MONDAY, JULY 8, 2019 SPORT 17 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Rahul justifies the faith reposed in him... and how! BCCI raises banner issue Except for the blip against England, India has had someone delivering at critical moments throughout the tournament with ICC had a problem when Shikhar has now settled down into Dhawan left with a fractured consistent yields. He had an PRESS TRUST OF INDIA left­thumb. erratic stint in the blue shade LEEDS In Rahul, the management too. Just when he was reso­ Aircraft flying over the had a readymade solution — lutely clinging to his Test Headingley Stadium albeit from the longer for­ whites came the intense with anti­India banners mat, and he wasn’t a left­ scrutiny following the mis­ is “unacceptable”, a hander like his injured pre­ ogynistic remarks linked to miffed BCCI has said decessor. Additionally, he him and Hardik Pandya in a while raising concerns needed to strike a chemistry Koffee with Karan episode. over the safety of its with Rohit. players with the ICC. In the face­off involving Back to the basics Minutes after the K.C. Vijaya Kumar Manchester Pakistan, there was an initial An apologetic Rahul got back India­Sri Lanka match issue of running between the to the drawing­board of so­ began, a plane Strong teams seize the tip­ wickets but Rohit and Rahul cial etiquette. Slowly he carrying the message ping­point moments and al­ got their ‘yes’ and ‘no’ in or­ winged back and the recent ‘Justice for Kashmir’ ways have a player who deliv­ der and shared a 136­run Indian Premier League flew above the ground. ers a critical performance. partnership. Rahul scored a helped him lure the right at­ After half­an­hour, India did that all through the 57 and subsequently etched tention. He amassed 593 for another aircraft flew World Cup, though there was 30, 48, 0, 77 and 111. He also Kings XI Punjab and was over the stadium with a blip against England. The built two massive alliances placed second below David a banner ‘India Stop triumph over Sri Lanka at with Rohit: 180 against Ban­ Warner of Sunrisers Genocide, Free Headingley in Leeds on Sa­ gladesh and 189 in the joust Hyderabad. Kashmir.’ turday falls into the template featuring Sri Lanka. Promptly, Rahul gained Midway into India’s of unerring dominance. While Rohit seemingly the selectors’ nod for the run chase, a third The cricketers from scores hundreds for fun, Ra­ World Cup while the wheels aircraft was seen with a beyond the Palk Strait re­ hul had to wrestle with a of fortune unravelled for Am­ banner ‘Help End Mob vived themselves through a string of soft dismissals after bati Rayudu, who retired Lynching.’ ton from Angelo Mathews, laying the base. “I am not go­ with a sense of unspoken “This is completely but Virat Kohli’s men never ing to break my head over it,” hurt. Cricketing fates run on unacceptable. We have slackened. And when it was the Karnataka player said, slender threads and Rahul is written to the ICC time to chase, openers Rohit but he was conscious of the aware of his fresh lease. expressing our Sharma and K.L. Rahul aberration, be it a tame shot concern. If this kind of struck centuries and sealed to covers or a cute reverse The flaws incident is repeated in the contest. sweep that found the fielder The lanky player has an array the semifinals, it will at short fine­leg! of strokes and even tried a be really unfortunate. Indelible imprint mini­helicopter shot on Sa­ The safety and security The ability to leave an indeli­ Sterner tests turday. But he has a tenden­ of our players is ble imprint starts from the Finally, he maximised on a cy to get carried away and paramount,” said a very top. While Rohit has foundation and his ton Fighting back: Rahul has wrestled with a string of soft dismissals after laying the base.* REUTERS can be tentative around the BCCI official. gleaned all the attention, it is against Sri Lanka augurs well off­stump. Once these flaws “We are incredibly important to acknowledge for India as it gears up for the Tuesday. Rahul. Unlike his famous na­ But he did the hard yards at trees yawned. are rectified, Rahul should disappointed this has Rahul’s contribution. A suc­ sterner tests starting with the Ever since he burst mesake the reticent Rahul the National Cricket Acade­ A nervous Test debut fol­ become a permanent entity happened again,” the cessful opening pair is diffi­ semifinal against New Zea­ through the ranks in Benga­ Dravid, the Mangaluru­bred my’s gym and nets till the lowed by an extreme mix of in India’s ODI playing eleven ICC had said in a cult to replicate and India land at Old Trafford here on luru, it hasn’t been easy for lad had an extrovert­streak. next­door Cubbon Park’s poor scores and big knocks even after Dhawan returns. statement. Rohit has a template: Bangar ‘I don’t take praise or criticism seriously’ Match officials for semifinals Special Correspondent On some pitches, slower balls work, on some they don’t: Bumrah Leeds PRESS TRUST OF INDIA Sanjay Bangar stressed that Special Correspondent Five­bowler strategy: Eve­ LEEDS India is in a good space and Leeds rybody is taking a lot of res­ The English duo of Richard primed to perform in the After strangling batsmen ponsibility and that’s a good Illingworth and Richard World Cup semifinal. He during India’s last league sign for us. In most of the Kettleborough will officiate praised Rohit Sharma’s con­ game involving Sri Lanka in games, only five bowlers in the first semifinal bet­ sistency and also backed the the World Cup clash at Hea­ have bowled and it’s been ween India and New Zea­ middle­order. India’s batting dingley here on Saturday, going like this throughout land at Manchester on coach spoke at Headingley speedster Jasprit Bumrah, the campaign. Tuesday. here on Saturday after Virat self­effacing as ever, down­ Variations in play: It de­ Australian Rod Tucker Kohli’s men defeated Sri played his achievements pends on the size of the will be the third umpire, Lanka by seven wickets. while speaking in the ICC boundary and what end you Englishman Nigel Llong Excerpts. mixed media zone. are bowling from. Some­ the fourth official and Rohit the class act:The se­ Excerpts. times you have a longer former Australian player cret behind his great pro­ Team before self: I don’t boundary on one side, so­ David Boon the match refe­ gress in ODIs is that he un­ Making his presence felt: Hardik Pandya has played some take praise or criticism se­ metimes you don’t. So you ree. derstands his game and has good knocks in the middle­order. * REUTERS riously. My focus is on prep­ analyse that. On some pitch­ The second semifinal a template which he follows aration, execution and what es, slower balls work, on between Australia and En­ and it has given him success. Rahul and giving him the Hardik (Pandya), Mahi (M.S. I can do for the team. As far some they don’t and you gland at Edgbaston on On a tour, based on the con­ space that is required. From Dhoni) and Rishabh (Pant) as the bowling unit is con­ bowl length balls. Thursday will be officiated ditions and the country we the team’s point of view, have got some knocks under cerned, we are happy that Hardik Pandya’s value: by Sri Lanka’s Kumar Dhar­ are playing, we interact as to these contributions are very their belt. So they are in everybody has contributed He has been bowling well. masena and Marais Eras­ what tweaks could be ad­ critical. good nick. and taken wickets, be it Har­ Even in the IPL he worked a mus of South Africa. ded. But all credit to him be­ Middle­order blues? I New Zealand in the se­ dik (Pandya) or (Mo­ lot on his bowling. He is still New Zealand’s Chris Gaf­ cause he has worked hard don’t think so because mis: We played in New Zea­ hammed) Shami. I have also Cool customer: Jasprit Bumrah has bowled exceptionally well adding new things and is faney will be the third um­ and for any batsman to get whoever has got to bat, ob­ land and played five games taken wickets. at the death. * REUTERS open to new ideas and pire and Pakistan’s Aleem five hundreds (in the World viously they haven't got to against them. So we know Bhuvneshwar’s off­day: changes. He contributes in Dar the fourth official. Cup) is very special. It is not bat for longer periods of what they are capable of and Some days some bowlers team. He was clear in his ex­ the pitches are getting slow­ the field and also with the Ranjan Madugalle of Sri just about his personal suc­ time except for the Afghanis­ what their strengths are and can go for runs. We bowl a ecution just that some days er but today (Saturday) it bat. Overall as a package, it’s Lanka will be the match re­ cess; he is also helping K.L. tan game. Apart from that, we will keep an eye on that. lot of difficult overs for the batsmen play well. Overall, was not that bad. a positive sign. feree. Go with both wrist-spinners: Kumble Warner, Carey heroics not enough for Australia AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE David Warner marked his Shreedutta Chidananda The one against South Africa MANCHESTER first match against South No regrets: Duminy Bengaluru was exceptional.