Nagendra, Author at Sportzwiki

Nagendra

I am a sports enthusiast. Primarily a football fan these days post the golden era of Indian cricket.

Cricketers who turned politicians
Cricketers who turned politicians
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Top 10 Cricketers Who Turned Politician

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Cricketers are some of the most influential characters across the world as they inspire people with their hard work, passion, and determination to fight in order to achieve their success. This has made many youngsters look up to the players as their idols for inspiration. Here we look at some of the cricketers who have turned to politics after ending their glorious chapter in cricket.

Here we look at some of the cricketers who have turned to politics after ending their glorious chapter in cricket.

Top 10 Cricketers Who Turned Politician

10. Nawaz Sharif

Top 10 Cricketers Who Turned Politician
Pakistan’s prime minister Nawaz Sharif has in fact played first-class cricket in Pakistan. However, he represented Railways in his only appearance against PIA back in 1973-74 and had scored a duck in that innings.

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5 Myths In Indian Cricket Which Have Been Proved Wrong
5 Myths In Indian Cricket Which Have Been Proved Wrong
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5 Myths In Indian Cricket Which Have Been Proved Wrong

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A myth is something that is widely held but false belief or idea. It is always a never-ending story as people keep on circulating it as they believable fancy stories. Here we look that 5 of those myths which were actually wrong but became very popular over the years.

5 Myths In Indian Cricket Which Have Been Proved Wrong

1. Australia stopping follow-on after epic Eden test

5 Myths In Indian Cricket Which Have Been Proved Wrong 1

One of the greatest test matches ever played, Eden Gardens was surely a milestone in Indian cricket as the stories of that match will be told even in the coming generations. The myth, however, was that then Australian captain Steve Waugh has never enforced a follow-on after the epic test match. But the truth is that Steve Waugh has enforced seven follow-ons after the epic Eden test and has won all seven of them quite comfortably.

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Tom Banton, Hary Gurney, Michael Vaughan
Photo Credit: Getty Images.
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ICC World Cup 2019: Only 86 England Fans At Edgbaston Including The Team- Michael Vaughan

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Former England skipper Michael Vaughan mocked English support in the game against India. India and England are currently playing at Edgbaston, Birmingham.

The match is a must win one for the hosts. Despite this, it appears that England supporters did not turn out when compared to their Indian counterparts. The 44-year old took a sly dig on the English supporters via his Twitter handle.

“So far we have counted 86 England fans at Edgbaston .. Including the team & management .. #CWC19,” he tweeted.

Birmingham has a strong Indian community in and around the city. This has helped India gain the upper hand against hosts on Sunday. Even in the other games in this world cup, India enjoyed tremendous support.

When and Where to Watch, ICC World Cup 2019, Warm-up fixtures,
Photo Credit: Getty Images.

It is a commendable effort by Indian cricket fans to outdo the hosts in their own backyard. It is quite evident that India has lot of support in world cups despite the venue, but this is quite an achievement to outdo home supporters by a huge margin.

The Michael Vaughan’s tweet sums up the situation perfectly at Edgbaston today. On the other hand, England need to win this game to ensure that their semi final hopes remain firmly in their own hands.

However, a win against England today will also seal the semi final place for India. But India are in a much comfortable position at the moment as they still have two games to go after the match against England.

Both the teams are considered the best ODI teams in the world for quite sometime now.

Rishabh Pant
Pant boasts about a good record. Photo Credit: Getty Images.

India made a change for this crucial game. Talented Rishabh Pant is drafted into the team while Vijay Shankar made way. Apparently, Vijay Shankar has a toe niggle. On the other hand, England also made two changes to their starting lineup.

Jason Roy made his way back into the side after his hamstring injury against West Indies. Moeen Ali was also dropped against India in favour of Liam Plunkett. The game was dubbed to be the best match of the tournament before the world cup began.

However, considering England’s woeful form, the same context was not seen prior to the match. But India and England are undoubtedly the best ODI teams in the world. The spectators are in for a very good match with quality cricket.

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Virat Kohli, ICC World Cup 2019, Afghanistan, Gautam, Gambhir
Photo Credit: Getty Images.
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ICC World Cup 2019: Rishabh Pant Brings In Lot of Fearlessness- Virat Kohli at Toss

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Indian skipper Virat Kohli was full of praise for Rishabh Pant at the toss during the game against England. The talented youngster was drafted into the team in place of Vijay Shankar.

India and England are playing an important game on Sunday. The hosts will need to win the match in order to have their semi final chances in their own hands. On the other hand, India are on a roll after winning all the matches they played in the tournament so far.

After winning the toss, England captain Eoin Morgan chose to bat first. He made two changes to the side that faced Australia. Opener Jason Roy came back in and Liam Plunkett was brought back in place ofc. Despite losing the toss, Virat Kohli was optimistic. He feels chasing after the first game against South Africa is key for their campaign.

Jasprit Bumrah, Virat Kohli, India, Cricket World Cup
Photo Credit: Getty Images.

“Never a problem.. Love chasing. But honestly we would have batted first today. We haven’t chased after the first game in the tournament, so it’s a good challenge for us. We haven’t really focused on the opposition in this tournament, that’s why we have been consistent.

Meanwhile, captain Virat Kohli also revealed that there is one change in the team. Talented Rishabh Pant was drafted into the team after Vijay Shankar is unfit. The all rounder had suffered a toe injury last week and it appears that he is still carrying the niggle.

Rishabh Pant is going to make his world cup debut against England.

Rishabh Pant, Shikhar Dhawan, ICC World Cup 2019
(Photo by Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)

“We do have one change.  Vijay Shankar has a toe niggle, Rishabh Pant is in. He brings in a lot of fearlessness. He has a small boundary. Once he gets to 20, then it’s a different ball game.”

On the other hand, there has been lot of indications over Pakistan fans supporting India today. If India wins against England, there will be a good chance for Pakistan to progress to semi finals. Also, if India can win against England, it blooms the qualifying chances for Bangladesh and Sri Lanka also. Virat Kohli was quick to acknowledge that it is a rare thing to see Pakistan fans cheering for India.

“To be honest I haven’t seen what’s been happening outside. But I do believe the Pakistani fans will be supporting us, which is a rare thing (smiles).”

Here are the lineups for England vs India

India: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli(c), Rishabh Pant, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni(w), Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah

England: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan(c), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler(w), Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood

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England, India, Stats Preview
Image Credit:L Google
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ICC World Cup 2019: Match 38, England vs India – Match Prediction

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India and England are set to lock horns in an exciting contest on Sunday. Both the teams are considered the best ODI teams over the past two years. Incidentally, they are also holding the top two ODI rankings for a considerable time now.

However, only one team managed to get the results while the other is in clinging position right now. Both India and England were considered as the tournament favorites before the start of the world cup.

But the hosts have faltered in their way losing to Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Their recent loss to Australia is another huge setback to their semifinal qualification. With three losses to their name already, England have to win their last two games in order to qualify for knockouts.

Joe Root
Getty Images

However, the task is not going to be easy for the hosts. They are set to play India and New Zealand in the final two league games. On the other hand, India are playing some impressive cricket in recent weeks.

Despite losing Shikhar Dhawan to injury and having Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the sidelines, India are not short of options on the bench. KL Rahul is doing a great job as an opener, while Mohammed Shami lit the world cup with his bowling.

In fact, Mohammed Shami is the most economic bowler in the ongoing world cup.

Mohammad Sham, Sheldon Cottrell
Getty Images

He also managed to take 8 wickets in just 2 matches. With this, India team management are in a selection dilemma. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is back bowling in the nets during training session. However, considering Shami’s impressive form, the team management should give Bhuvneshwar more rest in order to heal properly from his hamstring injury.

India are the only side in the tournament that are still unbeaten. Albeit the game against New Zealand, the men in blue won all their games. The game against Black caps was abandoned after a washout.

Match Prediction

Both India and England are the best ODI teams in the world. England are in for a must win clash. However, losing this game also still leave them with a chance to qualify for semis if other results go their way.

Jason Roy, Brad Hogg
Photo Credit: Getty Images.

But the hosts need to win this game at all costs and are willing to take risks as well. Captain Eoin Morgan has revealed that both Jason Roy and Jofra Archer could be risked for the game if they are close to fitness.

It is desperate times for England as they are looking for desperate measures. On the other hand, India are playing unbelievable cricket at the moment. No team came close to winning against India, apart from Afghanistan.

Despite the big names in England team, it is going to be very tough for them to beat India in their current form. Prediction is England will give a tough fight but India prevails.

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Virat Kohli, ICC World Cup 2019, Afghanistan, Gautam, Gambhir
Photo Credit: Getty Images.
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ICC World Cup 2019: Virat Kohli Backs Vijay Shankar Ahead of England Clash

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Indian skipper Virat Kohli has backed all rounder Vijay Shankar at number 4 ahead of their match against England. The talented all rounder has come under the hammer after some ordinary knocks with the bat in the last three games.

Vijay Shankar was brilliant on his World Cup debut against Pakistan. He was very good with the ball but was decent with the bat. However, despite looking good in his innings against Afghanistan and West Indies, Vijay Shankar got out very early. He scored 29 and 14 respectively in those two matches.

But India’s Virat Kohli thinks it is only a matter of time before Vijay Shankar gets a big knock in this World Cup. The 30-year old believes that Vijay Shankar might need some luck to score a big score. He also insisted that Shankar’s batting does not lack anything despite his low scores.

“It’s a strange one because he had a decent game against Pakistan. I think against Afghanistan on that pitch he looked really assured. Shot selection, again, we discussed with him for that game. Last game, again, he came out, he looked really good, and he got a beautiful ball from Kemar Roach.

Vijay Shankar, 2019 World Cup, 3D Glasses
Vijay Shankar (Image Credit: Google)

“So you can’t really sit down and pinpoint things. But I personally felt he looked really solid. There’s not much that needs to be tinkered. Sometimes in cricket you just need a bit of luck to get over from 30 to 60, and then you play a defining knock for the team. He’s very close to that, and we’re very confident he’s going to end up playing that kind of knock for us,” he added.

Vijay Shankar provides the much needed balance to the side with his all round skills.

With both Hardik Pandya and Vijay Shankar, India have two genuine all rounders and more options in their bowling department. Although, he did not bowl after Pakistan match, Shankar is rated highly by the team management and Virat Kohli.

Vijay Shankar, ICC World Cup 2019
Credits: Twitter

The Indian cricket team are undoubtedly the best bowling lineup in the world cup. They were clinical in their bowling displays and got all their bases covered.

Meanwhile, India also have Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik in the bench. In case of any changes to the middle order, the duo will surely be in contention. However, with Virat Kohli’s trust in Vijay Shankar, it looks like the latter should feature against England on Sunday.

India are the only unbeaten side in the world cup so far. On the other hand, England had a tough time after their back to back losses to Sri Lanka and Australia. It is a must win game for the hosts but India will look to continue their unbeaten streak as tournament favorites.

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Karun Nair. Image Courtesy: AFP
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Indian Cricketer Karun Nair Gets Engaged with his Long time girlfriend

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Indian cricketer Karun Nair has announced his engagement on his Twitter handle. The 27-year proposed his longtime girlfriend named Sanya Tankariwala.

The talented batsman joins the long list of Indian cricketers who are on a roll at the moment. Over the past one year or so, many Indian cricketers tied knot. Karun Nair will soon join the long list of active Indian cricketers who got married.

Meanwhile, Karun Nair is only the second Indian cricketer ever to score a triple hundred in Test cricket. He achieved the milestone after Virender Sehwag at Chennai against England. However, Nair is currently not in national team contention.

He is playing well in the domestic tournaments and should be back in the national team pretty soon. On the other hand, Karun Nair did lot of hard work in Indian domestic circuit to climb all the way to Indian cricket team.

But in his personal life, he is having some wonderful time. He was seen with Sanya Tankariwala for quite sometime now. Karun Nair apparently from the picture looks like he is on a vacation.

He took the perfect moment to propose his long term girlfriend. In such picturesque environment and a wonderful sea behind, the duo will now soon be a couple.

Karun Nair had to go through hardships to reach Indian cricket team.

Nair had came into contention for Indian cricket team after scoring tons and tons of runs for Karnataka in domestic tournaments. On the other hand, his performances in Indian Premier League also caught the eye of the selectors.

After making his debut against England in 2016, Nair scored scored an unbeaten 303 in the final match of the series. However, he soon found himself out of the team after playing against Australia in 2017.

Indian Cricketer Karun Nair Gets Engaged with his Long time girlfriend 2
Triple centurion Karun Nair kising the helmet.

Despite the setback, Nair ensured that he went back to domestic cricket and scored ample runs. This helped him get back into the team for the one off test match against Afghanistan. He was also in the squad for India to the five match test series against England.

But he was unable to break into the team despite some ordinary batting in the middle order. Soon he was dropped from Indian test team again. Karun Nair continues his exploits with Kings XI Punjab in Indian Premier League and Karnataka in domestic tournaments.

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Nuwan Pradeep
Nuwan Pradeep. Image Courtesy: Getty
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ICC World Cup 2019: Sri Lanka Pacer Nuwan Pradeep Ruled Out With Chicken Pox

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Sri Lanka fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep is ruled out of world cup after suffering from chick pox. This is a huge blow for Sri Lanka, who is clinging on to their hopes of making it to semi finals.

The team had managed six points from seven games in the ongoing world cup. However, their loss to South Africa on Friday completely complicated their world cup hopes. Sri Lanka will now depend on other results to qualify for the knock out games.

On the other hand, the team should also win their remaining two matches to stay in contention. Nuwan Pradeep is an important player in Sri Lankan bowling unit. The loss of Pradeep will definitely be a big blow for Sri Lanka with two group matches still remaining.

Nuwan Pradeep
Twitter

Seamer Kasun Rajitha is named as replacement for Pradeep for the reminder of the tournament. Meanwhile, Nuwan Pradeep took five wickets in the ongoing world cup. However, he played only three matches in the event.

“Fast bowler Pradeep has been infected with chickenpox, which has ruled him out of further participation in the event,” the International Cricket Council said in a statement.

Sri Lanka need to win their last two matches against India, West Indies to stay in contention.

The 1996 champions had a mixed world cup so far. They are only team to have two games which were abandoned. Due to this, they got two points from the games but this effected the number of wins, which is the primary factor in case of a tie in points.

Mahela Jayawardene, England, Sri Lanka, ICC World Cup 2019
Photo Credit: Getty Images.

After the loss to South Africa, their fate is no longer in their own hands. Pakistan, Bangladesh are on seven points with two games left. On the other hand, England earned eight points so far with two games remaining.

In case, if Sri Lanka manages to win against both West Indies and India in their final two matches, they will need to rely on other results as well. Although, the expectations were low on the team this summer, the team proved they have potential in some of the matches.

Sri Lanka  play West Indies in Chester-le-Street on Monday and India in Leeds on July 6. It is going to be an exciting finish to the tournament if the fourth place race goes down the wire. At the moment, England, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are all in with a chance to qualify for semi finals.

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Former Indian Cricketer Rakesh Shukla Passes Away At 71

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Former Indian cricketer Rakesh Shukla passes away at 71 on Saturday in New Delhi. The bowling all rounder represented India in 1 test match during his career.

However, he is one of the best cricketers to represent Delhi at domestic tournaments. He also represented Bihar at domestic level. Rakesh Shukla is a very handy player with the bat at lower middle order.

Rakesh Shukla played his lone test match against Sri Lanka at Chennai in 1982. In the game, he managed to pick two wickets in the second innings. However, he did not get a call back into the national team. He is one of the very few cricketers who represented India in just one test match.

Despite all this, he is one of the most loved cricketers among his teammates for his nature.

“I learnt my lessons from my seniors and it is my duty to pass on the knowledge to the current generation,” Shukla often say.

Rakesh Shukla learned a lot from his brother Anand, who is also a leg spinner. However, over the years he earned a lot of respect for the way he beat batsmen through flighting the ball.

Former Indian Cricketer Rakesh Shukla Passes Away At 71 3
Rakesh Shukla (File Photo) – SHANKER CHAKRAVARTY

“He was not afraid of flighting the ball. What I loved most about him was his spirit to fight. No batsman could challenge him on a help pitch. He was a match-winner,” said his long time Delhi teammate Madan Lal.

“I had many partnerships with him. He could bat sensibly and also guide his partner,” remembered Madan.

He was mostly remembered for helping Delhi chase 705 against Karnataka in 1982 Ranji Trophy.

Captain Mohinder Amarnath and Gursharan Singh hit centuries to ensure that the platform is laid for the record chase. However, it was Rakesh Shukla who did the finishing job for his side coming at No.9 to bat.

Coming in at 548, he scored an unbeaten 69 along with Rajesh Peter (67 not out). The duo put up an impressive 118-run partnership on the day to give a memorable win to Delhi. This match is still cherished in the domestic circuit and the result had definitely turned some heads across the country back then.

He played 121 first class career matches during his career which ended in 1985/86 season. However, despite doing good job in the domestic competitions, he was not considered for the national team against after the game against Sri Lanka.

Shukla always loved training youngsters for the upcoming generations of Indian cricket. He ran an academy at YMCA in Delhi.

 “Cricket teaches you to live life honestly. You must respect the laws of the game and never show dissent on the field,” was his philosophy.

The loss is definitely huge for Indian cricket and can only hope that his name remains in Indian cricket history for the efforts he made towards the game.

Jason Roy
Getty
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ICC World Cup 2019: Jason Roy Preparing To Play Against India- Eoin Morgan

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England captain Eoin Morgan has revealed opener Jason Roy is in contention for the game against India. The hosts are currently in a tricky position in the ongoing world cup after losing to both Sri Lanka and Australia.

The addition of Jason Roy would be a huge boost to reduce their batting woes. However, the captain insists on taking risk if the player proves his fitness. In the absence of Jason Roy, James Vince played as an opener for England against Australia. But he should be making for Jason Roy against India on Sunday.

On the other hand, Jason Roy has been out of the side since suffering a hamstring injury against West Indies. The talented opener chased the ball during fielding and pulled his innings pretty early in the match. He did not come out to bat against West Indies and has been recovering since.

Jason Roy, Brad Hogg
Photo Credit: Getty Images.

“Jason is preparing to play,” Morgan said. “Provided he gets through today’s practice and tomorrow morning unscathed, we think he might be fit to play.

“It depends on the significance of the risk,” he said. “If it’s going to rule him out long-term, absolutely not. If it’s a couple of weeks, yes.”

The game against India is a must win match for the hosts. After losing to both Sri Lanka and Australia consecutively, they need to win against both India and New Zealand to ensure that they qualify for the semi finals.

Jason Roy should make way if he proves his fitness. Even if he is not at 100 percent, England might be tempted to make his play against India. And that is the kind of risk England should take to salvage their world cup campaign at the moment.

Jofra Archer remains another injury concern before the game against India.

Archer has been the star with the ball for England in this world cup. His impressive skill set coupled with unplayable pace made him the missing piece in their team. However, the talented youngster is currently suffering from side strain.

Jofra Archer, ICC World Cup, Injury
Getty

He managed to prove his fitness on the match day against Australia. But he is once again a doubt for the match against India. Meanwhile, captain Eoin Morgan has confirmed that the team are willing to take the risk if it is a short term injury.

Morgan also revealed that Archer has been playing with the side strain for the last three games. However, if the risk is too high, the youngster could be rested to ensure he remains fit for the later matches.

“We’re going to see how he comes through [Saturday],” England captain Morgan added of Archer.

“It’s the same thing he’s been playing with for the last three games. Again, the same thing applies. If it’s a long-term risk, no, if it’s a short term-risk, yes.”

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