Aus vs SL | Uncapped Nuwan Thushara in doubt for Australia tour

'I have no complaints against MS' - Harbhajan Singh opens up on his relationship with Dhoni

Former international Harbhajan Singh has been quite vocal about the reasons for his ouster from the Indian team. The veteran off-spinner recently announced his retirement from international cricket after serving the country for a very long period. While Harbhajan was a vital member of India's white-ball squad till the 2011 ODI World Cup, he went out of favour post-2012. The former Indian cricketer even emphasised on the lack of support from selectors during the end stages of his international career. Bhajji's statements after his retirement also hinted at a rift between him and the then-Indian skipper MS Dhoni. In an interview with News18, Harbhajan came up with a witty reply when asked about his rapport with Dhoni. "Very nice. I am not married to him!" he said. Harbhajan then took the cases of other star cricketers as examples and shed light on his earlier statements. "See, everyone interprets a quote differently. I just wanted to convey that a lot of things could have been better post 2012. (Virender) Sehwag, me, Yuvraj (Singh), (Gautam) Gambhir could have retired playing for the Indian team since all of them were active in IPL as well. It is ironical that the Champions of the 2011 team never played together again! Why? Only a few of them played in the 2015 World Cup, why? Elaborating further on his relationship with Dhoni, Harbhajan cleared that they are still good friends. "No, not at all. I have no complaints against MS. In fact, he has been a good friend all these years," Harbhajan mentioned. However, the 41-year-old questioned the BCCI and selectors of that time. Harbhajan accused them of not performing their duties well. "I have a complaint to the BCCI, the sarkar (government) of that time. I call BCCI as sarkar. The selectors of that time didn’t do justice to their roles. They didn’t allow the team to be united. What was the point of bringing in new guys when the greats were still around and delivering? I once confronted the selectors on this and their reply was it wasn’t in their hands and then I asked why they are the selectors, then?" the ‘Turbanator’ concluded.

IPL 2022 | Watch Lucknow Super Giants reveal their Garuda inspired team logo

One of the two new entrants in the Indian Premier League from this season onwards, Lucknow Super Giants revealed their logo through a video released on their official handles on various social media platforms. The logo is said to be inspired by the ethos of Indianness as it had Garuda, the mythical bird, which according to the franchise, ‘is a protector and enthroned with the power to move swiftly’. The Lucknow team further said that Garuda is omnipresent in every Indian culture and sub-culture. Talking about the tri-colour derived from the Indian flag, the team in its press release said, “The tri-colour wings of the entity, symbolically represent Lucknow Super Giants’ Pan –India appeal.” Talking about the other elements of the logo, the bat and ball, the team said, “The body of the bird has been formed by a blue coloured bat to signify the game of cricket. There is a red ball with an orange seam too. It is like an auspicious ‘Jay tilak’.” In the end, the team also disclosed its motto saying, that the identity as a whole is endowed with strong positive energy to soar higher and attain success. The release also mentioned Lucknow Super Giants as a team for every Indian, a team that unites the nation.

IND vs WI | Shimron Hetmyer fails to make the cut once again

West Indies star middle order batsman, Shimron Hetmyer has once again made himself unavailable after not being able to meet fitness standards set by the coaching team. Hetmyer’s fitness has become a matter of concern for the national team, with coach Phil Simmons stating previously that it was disappointing to see Hetmyer continuously let himself and his teammates down. West Indies will be coming off an exceptional victory against England in the T20I series and the selection has given enough weightage on that part. T20I Squad Kieron Pollard (c), Nicholas Pooran (vc), Fabian Allen, Darren Bravo, Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell, Dominic Drakes, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Akeal Hossein, Brandon King, Rovman Powell, Romario Shepherd, Odeon Smith, Kyle Mayers, Hayden Walsh Jr.

BPL 2022 | Faf du Plessis leads Comilla Victorians to a hat-trick of wins

South African stalwart and a renowned journeyman across T20 leagues in the world, Faf du Plessis was at his best as he led Comilla Victorians to their third win in a row in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League 2022. The South African hit a 55 ball 83 to help his side post an above-par total of 183 against home sid Chattogram Challengers. Faf’s efforts were aided by fellow batters Cameron Delport and Liton Das who also scored precious 51 and 47 respectively. Defending that total, the Victorians bowlers were up to the mark, especially Nahidul Islam who picked up three key wickets of Kennar Lewis, Sabbir Rehman and former skipper Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Other bowlers including Mustafizur Rahman, Tanvir Islam and MD Shohidul Islam also picked two wickets each to make sure that no breathing space was given to the Challengers’ batters as the entire team was bowled out for 131 in only the 18th over. Chattogram’s English import Will Jacks top-scored with 69 off 42 balls while other batters were not even able to get into double digits. Apart from Jacks and Mehidy (10), bowler Mrittunjoy Chowdhury was the only player to get into a double-digit score with the bat. He scored 13 off 12 balls. Victorians, who have played only three games in the tournament so far, have won all of them and are currently sitting at the top of the table with six points. Challengers, who have played six games, the most by any team so far, also have six points are placed at the second position.