Ruturaj Gaikwad relishes maiden India call-up, underlines 'limited opportunities'

Humbled by the opportunity to lead my country: Shikhar Dhawan

The All India Selection committee has announced the squad for the Sri Lanka tour and opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan would be leading the side which is slated to play three ODIs and as many T20Is. Dhawan expressed his delight in a Twitter post. “Humbled by the opportunity to lead my country. Thank you for all your wishes,” tweeted Dhawan. The left-handed batsman has played 34 Tests, 145 ODIs and 65 T20Is for India. While Dhawan would be leading the side, fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been named as his deputy. The squad has some new faces as well. Nitish Rana, Devdutt Knight Riders batsman Nitish Rana, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Devdutt Padikkal, Rajasthan Royals' Chetan Sakariya, Chennai Super Kings’ Ruturaj Gaikwad and K Gowtham have received the call-up. The series will commence with the first ODI taking place on July 13 at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, Colombo with all the fixtures taking place at the same venue. The T20I series will begin on July 21. India’s squad: Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Prithvi Shaw, Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suryakumar Yadav, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Rana, Ishan Kishan (Wicket-keeper), Sanju Samson (Wicket-keeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, K Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Vice-captain), Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini, Chetan Sakariya Net Bowlers: Ishan Porel, Sandeep Warrier, Arshdeep Singh, Sai Kishore, Simarjeet Singh

Peshawar vs Quetta Preview: Experienced troops to engage in known combat

The Pakistan Super League (PSL) has already provided some interesting and exciting encounters since it resumed on June 9 in Abu Dhabi and another clash of similar sorts can be expected when Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators take on each other on Saturday. The reason behind expecting a thriller is the zeal and the hunger that the two teams would have when they face each other. Just going back in time a bit when the PSL was suspended due to the rise in Covid-19 cases within the franchises. Quetta had played five matches till then and suffered defeats in four of them and were bottom placed with just two points under their belt. Another aspect that the Gladiators would be striving for a win against Zalmi is the last match that the two sides played against each other. It was a high-scoring encounter in Karachi that saw Zalmi chase down a big target of 199 runs by 3 wickets and as many balls to spare. The memories of that match would still be very fresh in the minds of Quetta players and they would look to turn the tables on Saturday. Peshawar on the other side were having a decent time in the first leg of the tournament but had a horrible start to the second leg on Thursday when they were defeated by Lahore Qalandars. Standing at the losing end is probably fine and is part and parcel of the game but never when you reduce your opponent, batting first to 25/4 and then giving away the match. This is exactly what happened with the Wahab Ritz-led side. Despite picking up early wickets while bowling first, Zalmi bowling unit were taken on by Ben Dunk (48 off 33) and Tim David (64* off 36). Later, James Faulkner too chipped in with a 7-ball 22 to help his side put up a brilliant score of 170/8 in 20 overs. Qalandars eventually won the match by 10 runs. Nevertheless, this is not the end of the world and the tournament has just resumed. But the Peshawar side definitely needs to keep a check on the way they gave away the runs against Lahore to get themselves back in the hunt. They have three wins and as many defeats in the six PSL matches so far in the competition. Match Details Match: Quetta Gladiators vs Peshawar Zalmi, Match 19 Date and Time: 12th June 2021, at 9:30 PM IST Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi Pitch Report The track in Abu Dhabi might be slow. The batsmen need to begin the proceedings cautiously and not go for big shots straight away. The spinners would play a key role in the middle overs while the dew can also be a major factor in the later stage of the game. Still, if you win the toss, elect to field first. Team News Peshawar Zalmi: Peshawar won’t be looking to make many changes in their playing XI but the captain Wahab needs to rejig his on-field planning. For instance, the decision of giving the ball to Fabian Allen against Ben Dunk despite having an idea about the latter’s strike-rate against the left-arm spinners. Allen eventually returned with an economy rate of 12 in three overs. The think tank still has time to make a note of such mistakes and get the side bank on track. Talking about the squad, Peshawar have experienced customers like Shoaib Malik, Wahab himself, David Miller, Karan Akmal in the ranks who can chip in with crucial contributions when required. In fact, Malik did try his best to take his team over the line but unfortunately he was hit wicket for 73 off 48 and failed to take his team over the line. Quetta Gladiators: Quetta have probably acquired the services of one of the finest all-rounders in the world especially in t20 format, Andre Russell. He is mighty dangerous with the bat when he is on song, can chip in with crucial overs and is a spectacular fielder. The Caribbean cricketer is a perfect example of a three-dimensional player who has the ability to win matches for his side single-handedly. Apart from the West Indies all-rounder, Gladiators are ‘blessed’ to have two of the most experienced lads not just in their own setup but in the PSL, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Faf du Plessis. The two have led their national sides and do have an idea about how to get their sides out from a tricky situation. Faf had shown his class for CSK in the now suspended IPL with the bat while Sarfaraz on the other hand might be more popular for his ‘yawning’ photo that went viral during the World Cup 2019 but no one can take away the fact that he is one of the most successful captains that Pakistan had. His captain’s trophy cabinet has an U19 World Cup and the ICC Champions Trophy. The wicket-keeper’s experience as a skipper would play a vital role in how Gladiators fare. Probable XI Peshawar Zalmi Kamran Akmal (wk), Imam ul Haq, Haider Ali, Shoaib Malik, David Miller, Sherfane Rutherford, Wahab Riaz, Fabian Allen, Umaid Asif, Mohammad Irfan, Rovman Powell Quetta Gladiators Usman Khan, Faf du Plessis, Cameron Delport, Sarfaraz Ahmed (c&wk), Azam Khan, Andre Russell, Mohammad Nawaz, Zahid Mehmood, Mohammad Hasnain, Usman Khan Shinwari and Jack Wildermuth Fantasy XI Sarfaraz Ahmed, Azam Khan, Shoaib Malik (VC), Faf du Plessis, Haider Ali, Andre Russell (C), Mohammad Nawaz, Wahab Riaz, Umaid Asif, Mohammad Hasnain and Zahid Mehmood

Explained | What is Soft Signal and why does it divide opinion?

The debate around the soft signal from the on-field umpires has been reignited once again. The debate comes to fore after one of the umpires in the second Test between England and New Zealand, Richard Kettleborough signalled not out to an attempted catch by Zak Crawley off the edge of Devon Conway’s bat. As soon as the umpire signalled it a bumped ball, England vice-captain and the bowler affecting the particular dismissal, Stuart Broad, questioned the decision. The decision was then retained as the third umpire could not find ‘conclusive evidence’ needed to overturn the ‘soft signal' made by the on-field umpires. For a long time now, the logic behind the International Cricket Council’s decision to bring in soft signal provision has been questioned and it is not dying anytime soon. A school of thought suggests that the rule must be amended to allow the third umpire to have full authority to make decisions on the evidence he gathers from slow-motion replays and different angles produced by broadcasting cameras. The question is what exactly is the soft-signal and how does it affect the decision-making process overall? What is a soft signal? The ICC explains the soft signal by putting the onus on the umpires standing in the match. The rule states that, in case the on-field umpires need assistance from their colleague upstairs, they would have to come to a decision themselves (out or not out) and then refer it upstairs for further checking. The thought behind this is that the on-field umpires are best placed to see the action and then make an educated decision when it comes to the 50-50 decisions on the field. The downside of this ruling is that this brings an inherent umpire’s bias into play and unless the third umpire has conclusive evidence to suggest otherwise, the on-field decision is deemed final. ICC's stance “Should both on-field umpires require assistance from the third umpire to make a decision, the bowler’s end umpire shall firstly take a decision on-field after consulting with the striker’s end umpire, before consulting by two-way radio with the third umpire. Such consultation shall be initiated by the bowler’s end umpire to the third umpire by making the shape of a TV screen with his/her hands, followed by a Soft Signal of Out or Not out made with the hands close to the chest at chest height. If the third umpire advises that the replay evidence is inconclusive, the on-field decision communicated at the start of the consultation process shall stand,” says the ICC explaining the protocol that governs the soft signal rule. Problems of soft signal The rule has come under severe scrutiny in the wake of many close calls in the outfield and sometimes also in the slips, like in the ongoing Test between England and New Zealand. The school of thought that is not so sure of the soft signal process and its authenticity demands amendments in the rule. They argue that the on-field umpires cannot see the minute details of close catches in real-time and hence the third umpire, who is equipped with all the modern-day technology should be empowered to make a decision based on evidence and process. MCC's stance The Marylebone Cricket Club, too, had taken cognisance of the controversy surrounding the soft signal and had opined that for catches beyond the limit of the 30-yard circle, on-field umpires should be given an extra option of calling ‘unsighted’ instead of making an ‘explicit’ signal of out or not out. “The committee felt that the soft-signal system worked well for catches within the 30-yard fielding circle, but that catches near the boundary often left the umpires unsighted. It was proposed that, for such catches, the on-field umpires could give an ‘unsighted’ instruction to the TV umpire, rather than the more explicit soft-signal of Out or Not out,” The MCC had said in its statement earlier this year. As per media reports, the ICC was mulling revoking the soft signal provision for the World Test Championship Final between India and New Zealand but fair to say, the rule, like many other rules of the game, has only left common people fazed and searching for logic.

WATCH: Riled up Shakib Al Hasan rips out stumps, abuses umpire; apologises later

Bangladesh's star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has apologised publicly on his social media handle after making headlines for all the wrong reasons earlier in the day. A couple of visuals from the Dhaka Premier League went viral over social media where Shakib was seen abusing the umpire over an unfavourable decision. Not a one-off incident, Shakib was seen losing his cool twice during a Dhaka Premier League match. In the first instance, the left-handed batsman was seen having a heated argument with the umpire after the latter turned down an LBW appeal from the bowler and was then caught on the cameras while disrupting the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Later in his apology note, Shakib said that an experienced player like him should have known better in that situation and that he sorry for ruining the match for everyone. The incident took place in the DPL match between Mohammedan Sporting Club and Abahani Limited in Dhaka. Batting first, Shakib-led side Mohammedan Sporting Club scored 145/6 in 20 overs. The left-handed batsman top-scored with 37 off 27 while Mahmudul Hasan remained unbeaten at 30 off 22. Aks Swadhin picked up a three-wicket haul for his Abhani Limited side while Tanzim Hasan Sakib returned with a couple of scalps to his name. The Bangladesh player earlier pulled out of the ongoing Pakistan Super League to play the DPL and will in most likelihood not be a part of the remainder of the Indian Premier League. The Bangladesh Cricket Board has strictly said that they won't be granting No Objection Certificates to their players with the T20 World Cup on the line. Shakib has had a tumultuous time over the past couple of years, first getting banned for not revealing a corrupt approach to the integrity officers and then later in his public rift with the BCB.