Goodwill gesture
Former India captain MS Dhoni has always been known for making unusual decisions which keep his fans and people astonished. Dhoni's move has always been unpredictable and recently, the Ranchi stumper has again amused people as he has been playing with different logos of different brands. While he is mostly remembered for playing with the ‘Reebok’ or the ‘Spartan’ stickered bat early in his career, in the ongoing edition of the World Cup, Dhoni has been seen playing with the SG, the SS, the BAS logo on his bat. In the last two matches against England and Bangladesh, Dhoni was seen coming in to the crease with a bat having the SG logo. However, in the later parts of his innings, Dhoni switched back to the BAS logo bat when he was required to go for some big hits. Going into the depth of the matter, sources and friends close to the charismatic player, who is presently under fire for his slow knocks, told IANS that Dhoni is playing with different company logos as a goodwill gesture and moreover, the stumper is not charging a single penny for it.
Azhar bats for Jadeja
Former skipper Mohammad Azharuddin wants to see all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja included in India's semi-final line-up to add muscle to the team's faltering middle-order batting. Azhar suggested that Jadeja, who is yet to feature at the World Cup, would be a useful addition with his left-arm spin and powerful batting. "Maybe try Jadeja, he is a utility player," Azhar, who is the only Indian captain to lead the team in three World Cups (1992, 1996, 1999) said. "In the last game (against Bangladesh) I thought maybe Jadeja could have played because you had a very thin batting line-up. "Jadeja on these (English) wickets with the ball holding up and not coming on to the bat will be a force to reckon with. He is also a good fielder and a lusty batsman. They should try him against Sri Lanka."
Hat-trick of records
India's vice-captain Rohit Sharma has justified his tag as one of the best limited overs batsmen thus far at the ongoing tournament. While India are already through to the semifinals and Sri Lanka are out of contention, Rohit can set his eyes on breaking three major World Cup batting records. If he can get to three figures against Sri Lanka, he will surpass Sangakkara who had slammed four tons in the 2015 World Cup. Rohit is also currently third on the list of highest run-getters in the group stage of World Cup. However, the two players above him are not too far away — Mathew Hayden had second 580 runs in the group stages of the 2007 World Cup while Sachin Tendulkar had amassed 586 runs in 2003. Rohit is now 42 runs away from surpassing the master blaster. Finally comes the big record of most runs ever scored in a single World Cup. Rohit is currently fifth on this list and is 129 runs away from record holder Sachin Tendulkar's tally of 673 runs in the 2003 World Cup. If he scores a big century against Sri Lanka on Saturday, Rohit can surpass that record despite playing two matches less than the legendary former batsman.