Test series win in Australia bigger than World Cup victory: Virat Kohli

Agencies
January 7, 2019

Jan 7: Indian skipper Virat Kohli termed his team's historic 2-1 Test series win on Australia soil as his "biggest achievement" which will give the current team a "different identity".

Eight summers back at the Wankhede Stadium, Kohli was the youngest member of a star-studded team led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni which lifted the 2011 World Cup. However, this series win Down Under will, according to him, remain on "top of the pile".

"By far this is my best achievement. Has to be on top of the pile. When we won the World Cup, I was a young player. I saw the others getting emotional. This series will give us a different identity as a team. What we've been able to achieve is something to be really proud of," Kohli said in the post-match presentation ceremony.

It was at Sydney that Kohli was provided with permanent Test captaincy and it is at the very ground that he created an epic chapter in the Indian cricket history.

"Our transition started here when I became the captain for the first time. Only one word to say, I'm proud. To lead these players is an honour and a privilege. They make the captain look good. Definitely deserve to enjoy this moment," the elated skipper said after India clinched their first-ever Test series win in Australia.

He was all praise for Cheteshwar Pujara, one of India's stand-out performer in the series apart from Jasprit Bumrah. The skipper also praised young Mayank Agarwal and Rishabh Pant, who scored 77 and 159 runs, respectively to help India post a mammoth total of 622-7 declared in the first-innings of the Sydney Test.

"Want to give a special mention to Pujara. He's one guy always willing to accept things. He's the nicest man around. Special mention to Mayank Agarwal too. To come in on Boxing Day and play like that against a high quality attack. Someone like Rishabh as well, coming into his own and dominating attacks," he said.

The bowling attack has performed well throughout the year and Kohli got another opportunity to laud their efforts.

"We knew once the batsmen score, our bowlers are lethal. The way the bowlers have dictated terms in this series. And not just this one, the previous two tours as well. I've not seen happen in Indian cricket. They don't look at a pitch and think there's nothing for us. It's a revelation for Indian cricket and a learning for the other bowlers back home."

"They (pacers) definitely deserve to be here and breaking record of the great West Indian fast bowlers (aggregate wickets in a calender year) is no mean feat," the skipper reminded.

Kohli termed this win as a stepping stone for a team which is still young in terms of average age.

"Definitely, this is just the stepping stone for us. The average age in the team is quite low. The most important thing for us have been belief. Our intent has always been good, and that is to take Indian cricket forward. We had that in SA and in England, and when you're working in the right direction then God knows you're honest. We want to do the best for Indian cricket, and this is outstanding, but it's just a stepping stone," he said.

The skipper had words of encouragement for the Australian team which has struggled throughout the series.

"Australia are always going to be competitive. Every team goes through a transition, and their dominance kept world cricket exciting for so many years. I'm sure they'll regroup as a side and play some exciting cricket in the future."

After a hard grind of 19 days of Test cricket, the skipper said that the team deserves to unwind.

"Celebrations are going to run long into the night I can assure you. Now we've got no more Test cricket and no more alarms in the morning. Crowds have been outstanding. They've never let us feel we are playing away from home. They've come in numbers in every stadium," the skipper signed off.

With the win, Kohli has become the first Indian and Asian captain to lift a trophy Down Under.

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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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