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T20 World Cup Not Against Pak But Kohli Hopes Hardik Will Bowl At Some Stage In The Tournament

T20 World Cup | Not against Pak, but Kohli hopes Hardik will bowl at 'some stage' in the tournament

India and Pakistan will be up against each other in the T20 World Cup clash on Sunday (October 24, 2021) in Dubai. Captain Virat Kohli has put his weight behind Hardik Pandya and has said that the right-hander has a lot to offer as a batter as well.

Kohli also suggested that Hardik who had undergone a back surgery in 2019 is getting closer to a stage where he can bowl a couple of overs in the tournament.

“Hardik (Pandya) is getting to the stage where he can bowl a couple of overs at some point during the tournament,” Virat Kohli told reporters on Saturday.

“What he brings at No 6 as a batter is something we can’t create overnight,” said Kohli.

“Have backed him always there as a batter. We know the value he brings in, he is a specialist at doing that, can play an impact innings,” he added.

When asked about the encounter against Pakistan, the right-handed batsman said that the Babar Azam-led team is a strong one and the Men in Blue would need a strong plan and execution.

“Pakistan are a strong team, we need to come up with a strong plan and execute it well,” he said.

Both India and Pakistan will begin the World T20 2021 campaign on Sunday.

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Virat Kohli

There is no confirmation on Rahul Dravid becoming India coach: Sourav Ganguly

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly has cleared the air on Rahul Dravid’s appointment as the next head coach of the Indian team. Ganguly has said that there is no confirmation that Dravid will take over the reigns from Ravi Shastri as of now. “There is no confirmation (On Dravid becoming coach),” Ganguly said while talking to Aaj Tak. The former left-handed batsman further added that Dravid has asked for sometime to make the decision on whether he wants to take up the job or not. “If he wants to apply, he will apply, the process has to happen. For now, he is the coach of NCA and I believe NCA has a big role to play in Indian cricket. I have spoken to him earlier about this as well and he was not that interested and I feel the situation is still the same. He has asked for some time, let’s see what happens,” Ganguly added. Shastri’s tenure as the head coach of the Indian team will end after the conclusion of World T20 2021. Dravid has had a past experience of coaching the India U19 and ‘A’ teams and has been instrumental in giving some good results. In fact, the U19 side made it to the finals in the 2016 edition of the World Cup under Ishan Kishan’s captaincy while lifted the 2018 trophy under Prithvi Shaw’s leadership while Dravid was the coach of the team. The former India captain was also named as the head coach of the Indian team for the Sri Lanka tour while the regular coaches were in England for the Test series and the WTC final.

T20 World Cup | IND vs PAK: Pakistan announce 12-man squad

The much-awaited high-voltage encounter between India and Pakistan in the World T20 2021 is set to take place on Sunday (October 24, 2021) in Dubai. Pakistan have announced the 12-man squad for the clash. While the side would be led by Babar Azam, it will have the services of experienced lads, Mohammad Hafeez and Shaoib Malik as well. Mohammad Rizwan is set to keep the wickets while Shadab Khan will be Babar’s deputy. "Pakistan has decided to go with a combination of senior and experienced cricketers in the clash against India," a source had told Geo News earlier this week. This would be the first match of the tournament for both India and Pakistan. The Pakistan side has never won a match against The Men in Blue in a World Cup. India defeated Pakistan in the final of the inaugural edition of the World T20 in 2007 while Pakistan lifted the trophy in the 2009 edition. SQUAD: Babar Azam (C), Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Fakhar Zaman, Haider, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif, Shadab Khan (VC), Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Shaken Afridi, Haris

Boys dreamt of playing against India or Pakistan in a World Cup, and it's happened: Namibia coach

Namibia created history in Sharjah on Friday after they marched into the Super 12s stage of the World T20 2021 riding on a brilliant win against Ireland. Coach Pierre De Bruyn has expressed delight at the side’s qualification. "You know, it's ultimately a dream that's come true for these players. They were six-seven year old boys dreaming of playing against India or Pakistan in a World Cup, and it's happened,” he said. Bruyn further added that getting the ODI status in the year 2019 also helped the team gain some confidence and build the team. “In 2019 April, that's when we qualified and got our ODI status. That made a big difference,” he added. "Albie (Morkel) and myself, we started together in January 2019. It's been a great journey with Albie,” the coach said. Namibia chased down a target of 126 runs in less than 19 overs after captain Gerhard Erasmus notched up an unbeaten fifty while all-rounder David Wiese too chipped in with some valuable runs after he struck a 14-ball 28* during the course. The side will now begin the Super 12s fixtures against Scotland in Abu Dhabi on October 27.

T20 World Cup: Maheesh Theekshana likely to be rested for Bangladesh match due to side strain

Sri Lanka mystery spinner Maheesh Theekshana is likely to be rested from the first match of the Super 12s stage against Bangladesh on Sunday after he picked up a side injury during the Netherlands game Friday in Sharjah. "The physios have said the decision might be probably to leave him for the next game," Bhanuka Rajapaksa, the middle-order batter, said. "We don't want to risk it by playing him and then him not playing in the rest of the series. For the moment he will be missing the next game as far as I know. It's not 100% decided yet, but most probably, he will miss the first game and then play the rest of the games." The Sri Lankan bowlers ripped through the Netherlands batting line up on Friday after bundling them out for 44 in just 10 overs. Theekshana scalped a couple of wickets at the cost of three runs in one over. The Asian side later chased down the target by 8 wickets in less than 8 overs. Sri Lanka have joined Group 1 in the Super 12s stage and will begin the campaign against Bangladesh in Sharjah on Sunday. They will then travel to Dubai to take on Australia and will be back to Sharjah for the next two fixtures against South Africa and England respectively. The Lankan lions will play the final group match against defending champions West Indies in Abu Dhabi.