Kohli unhappy with quality of balls, bowling of Nadeem & Sundar

Agencies
February 9, 2021

India skipper Virat Kohli (Photo Courtesy: IANS)

Chennai, Feb 9: India skipper Virat Kohli on Tuesday lashed out on the quality of balls as well as the uneconomical bowling of spinners Shahbaz Nadeem and Washington Sundar following team's 227-run defeat in the first Test against England here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

England, after winning the toss, posted a massive first-innings score of 578, riding on a 218-run knock from skipper Joe Root and notable contributions of 87 and 82 from Dominic Sibley and Ben Stokes.

"It (wicket) was flat and slow. The quality of balls honestly wasn't something that we were pleased to see because that has been the issue in the past as well. Just for the ball to get destroyed in 60 overs is not something that you experience as a Test side and it is not something any Test side could be prepared for. That was the reality of the first two days. But having said that, it is no excuse. England played better than us, they deserved it (to win)," said Kohli while speaking to the media after the match.

India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Monday had too complained about the balls, saying they were tearing through the seam after 40-45 overs.

Kohli added that while Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Ashwin bowled well, both left-arm spinner Nadeem and off-spinner Sundar leaked far too many runs.

"If you talk about fast bowlers and Ashwin, they bowled consistently in good areas. The three of them. But I think if Washy (Washington Sundar) and Shahbaz (Nadeem) would have bowled those economical spells, the pressure created would have been more. The situation would have been different. The opposition would have scored 80-90 runs less," said the Indian skipper.

"Plus, if you see from the batting point of view in first innings, if you have add 70-80 runs more, the match reaches in an equal stage.

In reply to England's 578, India managed 337, thus conceding a massive 241-run lead.

"The Test shifted in their favour when we batted in the first innings. We were looking to bat long and were not able to do that. I don't think there was enough application shown by us as a batting unit. (It's) something that we take a lot of pride in. When you get big runs on the board even when the wicket is flat, the opposition is invariably put under pressure," said Kohli.

The two teams will next face each other in the second Test at the same venue beginning from Saturday.

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News Network
March 22,2024

IPL.jpg

The start of the world’s most lucrative cricket tournament in India is presenting investors with another big opportunity to cash in on the sport, months after the world’s most populous nation hosted the Cricket World Cup.

The eight-week long Indian Premier League begins March 22 for its 17th season. Since its inception, the fast-paced cricket tournament has become a corporate juggernaut to rival the National Football League in the US and the English Premier League in value.

Just as October’s Cricket World Cup boosted consumption in India for months, fans are expected to flock to restaurants, pubs and food delivery platforms over the duration of the tournament. This year’s IPL also coincides with general elections that will last for six weeks starting April 19, a period when companies are expecting higher food and drink sales as people flock to rallies and other events.

“There’s going to be a lot of spending,” said Madan Sabnavis, chief economist at Bank of Baroda. “IPL, as well as the election, gives a three-month corridor with enhanced economic activity.”

Stocks in India such as McDonald’s franchise operator Westlife Foodworld Ltd. and peer Sapphire Foods India Ltd. gained ahead of the first match on Friday, as well as hotels and beverage makers. Packaged-food companies could also stand to benefit from the IPL craze, said Sachil Bobade, an analyst at investment firm Dolat Capital Market.

The IPL ecosystem was valued at $11 billion (Rs 91,721 crores) in 2023, including the value of media rights and sponsorships, according to Indian valuation consulting firm D&P Advisory.

The league is also attracting record sums of money from sponsors and broadcasters. Conglomerate Tata Group won the title sponsorship rights of the tournament in January for a record 25 billion rupees ($300 million). Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s media venture secured the digital streaming rights in 2022 for five years for $2.7 billion, while Walt Disney Co. paid roughly the same for TV rights.

“There was a serious amount of bidding even this year,” said Vinit Karnik, head of entertainment, esports and sports at media agency GroupM South Asia. “I see growth in IPL in double digits year-on-year,” he adds.

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