Squad for Bangladesh tour on May 20
Mumbai: The Indian squad for next month’s tour of Bangladesh is to be picked by the national cricket selection panel headed by Sandeep Patil here on May 20. “The meeting to select the Indian team for the tour of Bangladesh featuring one Test and three One-Day Internationals would be held at the Cricket Centre on May 20,” BCCI sources said on Friday. India are to play a one-off Test at Fatullah from June 10-14 and then will engage hosts Bangladesh in a best-of-three ODI series from June 18-24. All the ODI matches are scheduled to be played at Mirpur on June 18,21 and 24 with a reserve day pencilled in. With M S Dhoni having already announced his retirement from Test cricket, it was expected that Virat Kohli — who led the squad in Australia after Dhoni’s announcement at the conclusion of the third Test at Melbourne — will be named as the Test captain. However, there are news reports that Kohli, along with a a few other senior cricketers, have asked the BCCI to be rested for the tour. Meanwhile, the BCCI’s technical committee headed by Anil Kumble is to meet here on May 19 to take a call on the proposed changes in the domestic circuit for the next season. In its bid to push for more results in Ranji matches, the BCCI technical committee has proposed a few changes in the points format and the number of overs bowled per day in the premier domestic tournament.
Virat should play Test, rest in ODIs: Gavaskar
New Delhi: Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar feels that Virat Kohli should lead the national team in the one-off Test match against Bangladesh before being rested for three-match ODI series after having had gruelling five months of international cricket. The Indian team for the tour of Bangladesh will be selected on May 20th in Mumbai and there has been reports that Kohli, who has been playing non-stop since last November in Australia might be rested. “I would want him to play in the Test match and then be rested for the three-match One day series. Actually, the likes of Virat, Ravichandran Ashwin, Umesh yadav, who has bowled a lot can be rested. Ideally as a player, I would want some rest as the kind of workload they have had playing for last four and half months,” Gavaskar said on Friday. It could be a good idea to rest Kohli for the ODIs as Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has retired from longer version will get much need two and half weeks of break before the ODI series starts after the one-off Test at Fatullah scheduled to be held from June 10-14. “Dhoni obviously will get a little bit of break. last year during this time, India sent a an ‘A’ team virtually and yet won the series. But that was one year back and Bangladesh have done well in recent times. They have beaten Pakistan 3-0 in the ODI series and we need to send a strong team. I believe we will see a strong ODI team being sent,” the maestro said.
I did not deceive Pietersen: new ECB head
london: Colin Graves officially took over as the chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Friday — and marked the occasion by reigniting a spat with the country’s most controversial player. Graves chose his first day in the role to respond to claims by Kevin Pietersen that he was deceived about a possible recall by the national team. Pietersen was told on Monday he had no chance of getting back into the England set-up in the short term because there remained a lack of trust between him and the ECB. Pietersen reacted by saying he was misled, having been told by Graves in March that there would be a “clean slate” if he signed for an English county and scored runs. Pietersen scored 355 not out for Surrey this week. “My integrity has been called into question, something I can’t accept,” Graves said in a statement, marking his first comments as ECB chairman. “I didn’t make any promises. There were no guarantees (to Pietersen).” Pietersen wrote in a newspaper column: “I just find it incredibly deceitful what has happened to me.” Graves said: “Kevin was told on Monday, and I completely support the decision. He may not have liked but it allowed him to look at his opportunities.”