With lion-hearted determination, I’ll be back in no time: Iyer after successful surgery

Rohit Sharma has a lot of knowledge to share to every cricketer: Suryakumar Yadav

Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma has shown his calibre as a skipper after leading the franchise to five IPL titles, most by any team. MI and India batsman Suryakumar Yadav has hailed Rohit and his captaincy skills and has said that he has been doing an amazing job. “I think he has been doing an amazing job and having 5 titles with Mumbai Indians is a proof of that. Result is in front of everyone,” Suryakumar said on Sports Today. Surya who recently made his T20I debut for India against England added that Rohit is one of the most fun-loving cricketers when is off the field and has a lot of knowledge about the game. “Off the field he is very different, he is very fun guy to be around. On the field everyone has seen him how he handles the situation and how he is there for everyone but off the field I think he is the most perfect guy to be around, he jokes around and even there he has a lot of knowledge to share to every cricketer out here. This is a very good point about him which makes him different.” Yadav has been a mainstay at the Mumbai line-up for some time now, scoring a total of 1316 runs in the last three seasons at a mammoth strike rate of 135. MI are the defending champions of the IPL at the moment having won the trophy in 2019 and 2020 editions respectively and the Rohit Sharma-led side will now be seeking to complete the hat trick of title wins this year. MI begin the IPL 2021 campaign against RCB in Chennai on Friday.

You can always walk up to Rahul Dravid and talk to him: Devdutt Padikkal

RCB opener Devdutt Padikkal who stamped his authority with the bat in the last IPL season for the franchise has credited former India captain Rahul Dravid for helping the youngster to enhance his skills. Padikkal in an interaction with Times of India has said that he has discussions about his batting with the legend and how Dravid’s advice has helped him in improving. “I have spoken with Rahul (Dravid) sir a few times. Whenever I have the chance, I have met him. I met him at the KCA most of the time. He is such a humble person. He is ready to give any kind of advice whenever I need it. You can always walk up to him and ask him anything. He has the solution for everything,” Devdutt Padikkal told Times of India. “He always told me that ‘keep working hard, keep learning and keep improving as much as possible. Whenever I met him, I learnt something new. It is always nice and great talking to him. Whenever I get time, I go and speak with him. I listen to him carefully,” he added. Padikkal who had earlier tested positive for COVID-19 has now recovered and is with the RCB team. The left-handed batsman Padikkal played 15 matches for RCB in the last season and scored 473 runs including five half-centuries. Interestingly, Dravid has himself been a part of the RCB franchise in the earlier editions of the IPL. RCB will begin the IPL 2021 campaign against defending Mumbai Indians on Friday in Chennai.

Separate check-in counters, daily tests: BCCI introduces new plans to fight COVID-19

The rise in the COVID-19 cases in the country and the instances of the same within the franchises has become a cause of concern for the BCCI. Mumbai and Delhi are two of the five venues that are scheduled to host the IPL 2021 matches but both these cities have seen an unprecedented rise in the number of news cases in the past few days. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is now planning to request the Indian Government to have separate IPL security check-in counters at the airports so that the teams can have a secure bio-bubble as per a report in The Indian Express. Apart from this, the board is also planning to conduct tests on a daily basis while the bio-bubble integrity officer will have to ensure that no one leaves the room without a mask. Other than this, the players will have to wear their masks while leaving the ground as well. The protocols also suggest that if a player or a support staff comes in direct contact with a person infected with COVID-19, he/she will have to go under a seven-day isolation period but if the contact had been minimal then the player would be allowed to train after two negative tests. The BCCI is forced to alter the protocols after the franchises have had COVID-19 positive cases within them. RCB’s Devdutt Padikkal and Daniel Sams, KKR’s Nitish Rana, DC’s Axar Patel and MI’s scout and wicket-keeping consultant Kiran More had tested positive. Devdutt and Rana though later recovered and have joined the camps of their respective teams. The IPL 2021 will begin on Friday with RCB taking on MI in Chennai.

Life in bio-bubble is difficult but it makes you strong mentally: Mohammed Siraj

Fast bowler Mohammed Siraj showed his class and calibre with the ball during the Australia tour where India clinched the four-match Test series 2-1 riding on some brilliant performances from the youngsters. The right-arm pacer will now play for RCB in the IPL 2021 scheduled to begin on Friday when the Virat Kohl-led side lock horns with defending champions Mumbai Indians. In a video posted by the RCB, Siraj talks about how he gained confidence and the help he got from the senior players like captain Kohli. “I was a bit low in confidence last year after I had joined the team. But bowling with the new ball and on a single wicket helped me get my confidence back,” he said. “The team members especially Virat Kohli are very supportive,” he added. RCB restricted KKR for 82/8 in 20 overs in one of the matches in last year’s edition. Siraj returned with figures of 3/8 in 4 overs during the course. Mentioning about the same, the pacer said that his performance against the Kolkata-based franchise also helped him a lot. “The performance against KKR also helped me back myself and my abilities and I did gain a lot of confidence after that,” he said. Siraj had lost his father while he was in Australia with the Indian team. Talking about the tragedy, the right-hander explained how his mother and family members supported him in the tour times. “I had a chat with my mother. My mother said that it was my father’s dream that I play for India one day, so I should continue and stay with the team,” Siraj said. “I want to play for India in all the three formats and I will give my 100% in whatever the opportunities come,” he further said. The Indian bowling line up has become one of the most lethal attacks in world cricket. Mentioning about the senior lads like Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma, Siraj said that he does have some discussion about bowling with them. “Jassi Bhai (Bumrah) keeps talking to me when I’m bowling and suggests things which help me in performing in a better way,” he said. “I also shared the dressing room with Ishant bhai (Sharma) . It was a learning experience for me,” Siraj added. Siraj also discussed his future plans and wha all he aspires to achieve for the country during his career. “I want to become the highest wicket-taker for India,” Siraj said. The COVID-19 outburst has forced the players to stay in bio-bubbles. The India and RCB quick bowler admitted that the life in a bio-bubble is difficult. “Life in a bio-bubble is really difficult as you can’t roam around freely. But at the same time, it is also making you strong mentally,” he said.