IPL 2021 suspension | Players from Bangladesh, Australia, South Africa begin their journey back home

Biggest Abu Dhabi T10 edition yet to be held in Nov-Dec this year

The Abu Dhabi T10, a franchise-based 10 overs a side tournament will have its biggest edition this season in terms of duration. The management announced that the fifth edition of the league would be held from November 19 to December 4 in the United Arab Emirates’ capital. The 15-day tournament to be held at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, would be the longest in duration. The tournament has been stretched due to the extended weekend holiday caused by UAE's 50th National Day Celebration, which falls on December 2. Speaking at the time of the announcement, Shaji Ul Mulk, Chairman of Ten Sports Management (TSM), owners of the T10 League, said."It is most heartening to see the world's top cricketers in this hugely popular format.”The upcoming cricketers can seize the advantage of the platform to rub shoulders with the best in the business," he added. The fourth edition of the tournament, held after a lot of rescheduling caused by the pandemic in 2020, ran from January- February this year. Northern Warriors defeated Delhi Bulls to emerge as champions. The idea behind keeping the league in October-November is the fact that the T20 World Cup, scheduled in 2021, to be originally hosted by India, might be shifted to UAE as well and it is supposed to be finished by November 15.

Players struggle to handle pressure when they start playing international cricket: Pujara

India’s Test mainstay Cheteshwar Pujara has said that he does yoga and mediation to stay positive. The right-handed batsman added that once an individual is in a negative zone, everything around him becomes negative. "Once you are in a negative zone, everything around you becomes negative. I do yoga and try meditation, I do my prayers everyday which helps me to remain in a positive mindset," he said in a Youtube interview on 'Mind Matters’. Pujara further explained that in his earlier days, he wasn’t really able to handle the pressure but things have changed now. "There was a time when I felt I cannot handle the pressure. When I had issues in my younger days, I used to go to my mother and cried in front of her," he said. Pujara was recently bought by CSK in the mini auctions held in Chennai earlier this year but the right-hander admitted that he used to get disappointed when he went unsold for so many years before finally getting picked. "It was tough, it's never easy to be left out and to be unsold in the IPL. It hurt me,” he said. Talking about shifting mindset from domestic to international cricket, players do find it tough to handle the pressure and should consult sports psychologists. "I have seen many domestic players finding it difficult to handle pressure when they go to international level,” Pujara said.

James Anderson points to Roger Federer, Chris Thompson to dismiss suggestions of slowing down

One of the greatest pace bowlers to ever play the Test matches, England’s James Anderson has said that he gets frustrated when people suggest him to slow down due to his age in order to continue executing his plans and performance for his side. "The thing that frustrates me the most... And it happens in this country more than most: you get to a certain age and people begin saying you have to start slowing down or you’re losing the ability to do your job. But I’m not sure from my own experience that’s the case," Anderson said to The Guardian. Instead, he draws inspiration from stalwarts of other sports who have not dropped their guard down and improved their performances with age. He pointed towards the success of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Tom Brady, Roger Federer, Chris Thompson while dismissing those suggestions of slowing down in order to fight an ageing body. "And you draw comfort from seeing people across other sports, like Zlatan Ibrahimovic getting another contract at Milan [aged 39], Tom Brady winning his seventh Super Bowl at 43, Roger Federer [39] overcoming injuries or Chris Thompson qualifying for the Olympic marathon at 40. It makes you think, why should I start slowing down?" Anderson added. However, Anderson said he will miss Test cricket the most after his retirement. He said the fact that Test cricket seeks intensity over five days takes players on a rollercoaster of emotions which he will find hard to substitute when his playing days will be over for England. "Do you know what, that’s the bit I’ll miss the most? There is nothing like it. Cricket has moved away from the image of cucumber sandwiches and big teas. It’s intense and Test cricket is five days of having to cope with that. It takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions and challenges you physically as well. It’s amazing. I just love it. I know I won’t ever be able to find a substitute for it. When I do eventually retire, hopefully, it will be when I have had enough and so I enjoy whatever comes next. I know it’s going to be different. But that’s life,” Anderson added. Addressing the question if he is seeking to achieve any personal milestone, Anderson said that he is not aspiring for any specific personal goal and instead he is working towards contributing to the growth of the highly competitive England team. "There’s no real goals for me, personally. I honestly don’t look at the number of wickets I want to take or anything like that. I just look at the talent we’ve got in the England Test team and I feel I can still offer something on and off the field. And I love being a part of that growth." Anderson is the most successful pace bowler to have played the longest format with 614 scalps from 160 Test matches at an astounding average of 26.46 runs per wicket and strike rate of 55.9 balls per wicket.

Virat Kohli starts Covid-19 relief movement

India skipper Virat Kohli had returned to Mumbai after the IPL 2021 was suspended for an indefinite time with immediate effect earlier this week. There had been COVID-19 cases within the franchise team that led the BCCI to take the decision as a precautionary measure. Now, Kohli has begun the process of working towards providing relief to those affected by COVID-19. Rahul N Kanal, a member of Yuva Sena, the Shiv Sena's youth wing posted a picture on social media that said, “Meeting our Captain...Respect and love for the movement he has started working on for COVID relief... No words just Respect and Prayers for all his efforts !!!" Earlier, Virat’s better half and Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma had said that the couple was planning for the same and would be executing something very soon. The Royal Challengers Bangalore which is led by Kohli had also pledged to provide financial support to contribute for the infrastructure related to oxygen support. The RCB players had to don a blue jersey in solidarity with the country's frontline workers but the suspension of the tournament put a halt on the team’s plans. The country has seen a sudden rise in the COVID-19 cases. KKR’s Sandeep Warrior and Varun Chakravarthy, SRH’s Wriddhiman Saha, DC’s Amit Mishra and CSK’s bowling coach L.Balaji had tested positive for COVID-19. The Bangalore-based franchise was having a decent run in this IPL after they had won five of the seven matches that they had played.