BCCI has denied having any issue hosting T20 World Cup matches in West Bengal. Tilak Varma is making good progress. Will Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson both play in Trivandrum? India’s batting coach, Sitanshu Kotak, answers. Gautam Gambhir has gotten the backing of an opposition captain. Is Suryakumar Yadav undroppable? And what did Australia do to offend Pakistan?
BCCI shuns virus concerns
Internet doctors are certain that the Nipah virus has overtaken West Bengal. Some even believe that the T20 World Cup can’t go ahead because of the alleged outbreak. However, the BCCI has denied any such speculation. Only two cases have emerged, and these were reported in December last year. “For now, it is only fearmongering. There is no cause for concern,” a senior BCCI official told InsideSport. The official confirmed that Eden Gardens will host all 6 matches it’s supposed to.
Tilak Varma fitness update
Tilak Varma will feature in one last simulation match and is expected to get fitness clearance from the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru on February 3. The next day, he’s expected to play India’s sole warm-up match before the T20 World Cup against South Africa in Mumbai. Read more about it here.
Kotan on Kishan & Samson
India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak is confident that Ishan Kishan, who missed the Vishakhapatnam T20I against New Zealand, will feature in the last match of the series. Asked about Sanju Samson, who’s registered four consecutive low scores, Kotak stated that the management believes in him and wants to keep him in a good frame of mind.
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Bavuma backs Gambhir
Temba Bavuma has advised BCCI to back Gautam Gambhir as India’s Test coach and advised against split coaching. The South Africa Test captain highlighted how the retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin have affected India’s performance, and they’ll take some time to readjust from the transition. Bavuma added that having multiple coaches can confuse players and do more harm than good.
Pakistan insulted by Australia?
Several prominent figures in Pakistan cricket have taken offence to Australia sending their ‘B’ team for a 3-match series in Pakistan. With the T20 World Cup round the corner, the series was set to be the perfect preparation. But players like Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, and Josh Hazlewood haven’t travelled to Pakistan.
Suryakumar Yadav, undroppable?
Munaf Patel has compared Suryakumar Yadav to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. The former Indian pacer stated that Suryakumar holds the same status in T20I cricket as Rohit and Kohli do in ODI cricket. This makes him virtually undroppable. And that’s exactly why India has persisted with him for the last 15 months.
