Sports
Kohli and Rahul hundreds help India post mammoth 356
by Rex Clementine
India complied a strong 356 for two in the epic Asia Cup second round game against arch-rivals Pakistan in Colombo on Monday.
Virat Kohli and K.L. Rahul posted unbeaten hundreds and added an unfinished 233 runs for the third wicket off just 194 balls to give India complete control of the game. It was India’s highest partnership for any wicket in Asia Cups.
This is now the fourth highest total at R. Premadasa Stadium and no team has successfully chased 357 at this venue to win an ODI. It was also India’s joint highest ODI total against Pakistan, equalling the 356 they had posted in Visakhapatnam in 2005.
After rain on Sunday, play was suspended and was extended to Monday’s reserve day. India resumed on 147 for two and took the game away from Pakistan following the audacious batting of Kohli and Rahul.
Rahul, who was returning to the side after injury reached his half-century in 60 deliveries but upped the tempo to complete a run a ball century. It was his sixth ODI hundred and the first since March 2021.
Rahul finished on 111 not out off 106 balls with 12 fours and two sixes.
Kohli, meanwhile, needed 55 balls to reach his fifty but cut loose after that putting Pakistan’s bowlers to the sword.
In the process, the former Indian captain completed 13,000 ODI runs becoming the quickest batsman to do so. The previous record holder Sachin Tendulkar, had required 321 innings for the milestone but Kohli got there in just 267 innings.
Kohli’s hundred came off in 84 balls. It was his fourth consecutive hundred at R. Premadasa Stadium and only Hasim Amla of South Africa had scored four successive hundreds before him at the same ground – Centurion.
It was Kohli’s 47th ODI century.
Kohli finished unbeaten on 122 off 94 deliveries with nine fours and three sixes.
Pakistan’s bowling had looked formidable when these two teams had met in the first-round game in Kandy but in Colombo, India took the attack onto the bowlers dominating the game.
Pakistan’s attack was weakened with Haris Rauf unavailable to bowl. The fast bowler had sent down five overs but wasn’t available to bowl on Monday as he felt discomfort in his right flank.
Pakistan and Sri Lanka have one win each in the Super Four round while India are searching for their first win. Bangladesh is the fourth team in the Super Four stage while Nepal and Afghanistan were knocked out from the first round.
The Rose Bowl, which has been awarded to the winner of ODI series between the women’s teams of Australia and New Zealand since 1985, has now been expanded to include T20Is as well.
New Zealand’s three match T20I tour of Australia, which begins on Sunday at the North Sydney Oval, will be the first T20I edition of the Rose Bowl. The teams will get to face off again for the trophy in March 2027 when they meet again for three ODIs, also in Australia.
For Rose Bowl series that include matches in both white-ball formats, the trophy will go to the team with the most wins overall. In case of a drawn series, the current holder will retain the trophy.
“The Rose Bowl is a prestigious trophy that holds a lot of meaning to current and past players, and it’s a series we’ve always taken a lot of pride in competing in,”Catherine Campbell, NZC’s chief cricket operations officer and a former New Zealand player, said. “With so much T20I cricket now being played, this is a brilliant opportunity to keep the Rose Bowl relevant and to build on the history between us and our Australian rivals.”
New Zealand captain Melie Kerr was excited by the broadening of opportunities to compete for the Rose Bowl.
“We’re all aware of what the Rose Bowl represents and the importance it holds in the White Ferns whakapapa [genealogy],” said Kerr. “Great players and teams have fought for it over the years and we’d love the opportunity to claim our own piece of that history.”
Australia have held the Rose Bowl continuously since wresting it back from New Zealand in 2000. Since that 3-0 win, Australia have won 18 times with one series – in 2008-09 – shared 2-2. Overall, Australia have won 26 of the 31 ODI series played for the Rose Bowl, with New Zealand winning three times and three series drawn.
North Sydney will host all three T20Is of the upcoming Rose Bowl series, on October 18, 20 and 22.
[Cricinfo]
The inaugural Sastralian Premier League (SPL), a T10 cricket tournament aimed at strengthening the cricketing fortunes of Ananda Shasthralaya National School, Matugama, will get underway next month, bringing together eight teams.
Organised by the Old Sastralians Cricket Association in collaboration with the school, the tournament is designed to provide a platform for emerging talent while generating much needed financial support for the school’s cricket development programme.
Each franchise will be required to assemble a squad of 16 players, excluding the captain, with the competition featuring a unique set of regulations aimed at encouraging participation across different age groups.
Cricketers from other schools in the Matugama area will also have an opportunity to showcase their skills under the ‘Guest Players’ category. Each team can recruit up to six guest players, with four required to feature in the playing XI.
In a move designed to nurture the next generation, every team must include two current school cricketers in its squad, with at least one guaranteed a place in the playing XI.
The tournament will also accommodate experienced campaigners, with teams permitted to select five players over the age of 20 and three over 40. The provision to use an ‘Impact Player’ is another feature of the competition.
The eight teams have been divided into two groups. Group A comprises JSD Challengers, Jagath Express, Liveka Power Lions and Rexhill Warriors, while JPI Royals, Five Star Heroes, Marine Titans and Finnk Falcons make up Group B.
A total of 16 matches will be played across November 7, 8 and 15, with November 16 set aside as a reserve day.
Beyond the action on the field, organisers hope the tournament will provide a financial boost to school cricket while forging stronger ties between past and present cricketers.
Squad for the first three ODIs: Shubman Gill [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer [VC], KL Rahul [WK], Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna*, Kuldeep Yadav
Squad for fourth and fifth ODIs: Shreyas Iyer [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan [WK, VC], Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav
[Cricbuzz]
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