Usman Khawaja helps Australia register one-day series win in India

Agencies
March 14, 2019

Mar 14: Usman Khawaja struck his second century in three matches as Australia defeated India by 35 runs in their final one-dayer to seal a come-from-behind 3-2 series victory at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium on Wednesday.

Opener Khawaja strengthened his claim for a place in the World Cup squad with an elegant 100 to steer Australia to 272-9, though the tourists had looked on course to cross 300 at one stage.

Adam Zampa (3-46) and his fellow bowlers then skittled India for 237 in exactly 50 overs to register their third successive victory as Australia overcame a 0-2 series deficit.

Khawaja raised 76 with skipper Aaron Finch to give Australia a strong start after the tourists elected to bat. Finch made 27, failing to convert a solid start into a big knock as he lost his off-stump to Ravindra Jadeja.

At the other end, Khawaja needed 48 balls to reach his half-century, his fourth score of 50 or more in the series.

The left-hander hit Kuldeep Yadav for two sixes and his 10 boundaries included a couple of excellent pull shots off Mohammed Shami.

Khawaja took a single off Yadav to bring up his hundred but fell soon after to Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3-48), triggering a mid-innings collapse for Australia who had been cruising at 175-1 in the 33rd over.

Virat Kohli took back-to-back catches to dismiss Khawaja and Glenn Maxwell, and Shami sent back Peter Handscomb for 52.

Marcus Stoinis, returning from a thumb injury, contributed 20 and Jhye Richardson made a breezy 29 down the order.

India lost Shikhar Dhawan early in their chase. Rohit Sharma`s 53-run stand with skipper Kohli (20) briefly calmed nerves in the Indian dressing room before their top order caved in spectacularly.

Kohli was undone by extra bounce from Stoinis, Rishabh Pant perished in the slips, and Vijay Shankar holed out in the deep in an unnecessary show of aggression having hit the previous ball for a six.

India`s chances of victory were effectively snuffed out with Rohit`s dismissal, which summed up the hosts`s somewhat muddled approach to a tricky chase.

With plenty of overs left and only the bottom half of the order to come, Rohit needlessly charged out of his crease attempting an ugly hoick off Zampa.

The right-hander not only missed the ball but also lost his bat which slipped out of his palms, leaving Alex Carey with a simple stumping.

The late belligerence of Kedar Jadhav (44) and Kumar (46) injected some excitement but India could not avoid defeat in their final ODI series before this year`s World Cup in England and Wales.

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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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