I have always considered commentary as a great privilege, but never an entitlement. It is up to my employers whether they choose to have me or not & I will always respect that. Maybe BCCI has not been happy with my performance of late. I accept that as a professional.
Yuvraj Singh -
1) All time great one day batsman.
2) Batsman with the greatest bat swing ever.
3) Most impressive International debut I have seen from an Indian batsman.
4) A very selfless batsman.
Enjoy your second innings Yuvi!
#YuvrajSingh
When Virat got to his 100. He had only 36 runs in boundaries. Bulk of the runs came through sheer hard running between the wickets. In hot conditions not too many batters can pull that off. Viratโs fitness is a huge part of his greatness! Itโs like no other batting great!!๐๐๐
For a man who got almost a 1000 runs in one IPL season at a SR of 150 to get a Test hundred with just 5 fours in it shows the depth of Virat the batter! One of the mentally toughest batters ever!๐๐ผ๐๐ผ๐๐ผ
Pakistanโs strength - Top class bowling attack. In Afridi and Rauf they have two of the best T20 fast bowlers in the world. Spinners who can bat. Shadab being one of the best T20 all rounders in the world.
When the Pakistan cricket team wins like this on a big stage, itโs not just beating the opposition, itโs also beating all the odds stacked against them. ๐๐๐
Australia have 9 Test match regulars in their one day side. India have 10. Both teams in the finals. Shows 50 overs cricket, as a format, is closer to Tests than T20s.
Slowly and steadily he comes into form over the last few weeks and now reaches his pinnacle on the big stage like true champs do! Well done Virat! ๐๐ผ๐๐ผ๐๐ผ
If there was any team that had the ability to stop Indiaโs winning run. It was England. Dhoniโs approach in the last few overs however was baffling. ๐ค
Hats off to Indian fans in Ahmedabad! Huge cheer & applause when Rohit Sharmaโs name was announced at the post match. Sporting fans will always help create great teams! ๐๐๐
Amidst all the IPL build up, letโs not ignore two brilliant wins for Pak in SA. Two sensational batting performances too, by Babar Azam (103) in the first game and Fakhar Zaman ( 193 ) in the second. ๐๐๐
#SAvPAK
When Rizwan started cramping up, SriLanka would have known they were in trouble.
What a game! What a win for Pakistan! ๐๐๐
#ICCCricketWorldCup
#PAKvSL
Last night we saw an event thatโs never happened before in 146 years! Tonight this!
Maxwell!!!! ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
Itโs ok for Virat to get out, itโs ok for Rohit to get out, not ok for people like Rahul and Karthik to get out like this...too much time has been invested in them for limited returns.
#ICCCWC2019
Seemingly impossible that only Jadeja the fielder could have made possible. Not just the accuracy of the throw but the sheer speed of the throw was the key to that run out. Absolutely brilliant!
๐๐๐
Trying to predict Indian team for the semis. Letโs see how many I get right. Do send yours too. Will retweet a few.
Rohit
Rahul
Virat
Pant
Hardik
Dhoni
Jadeja
Bhuvi
Shami
Kuldeep*
Bumrah.
*If pitch is not a turner.
In this game, we have seen great captains that lead from the front & win on the big stage, seen tough Test batsmen, seen excellent keepers, seen great finishers, but one man doing all of this? Unlikely to see that again. There wonโt be another Dhoni.
#DhoniRetires
Only if you predicted a 2-1 result in favour of Ind before series began do you have the right to have a go at the foreign experts who had written Ind off. Letโs focus on a great Indian cricket triumph! Not attack respectable cricketers who went as per cricket logic.
My issue with Rahane the captain is Rahane the batsman.
After that 100 in Melbourne his scores are - 27*, 22, 4, 37, 24, 1 & 0. After a 100, class players carry their form & carry the burden of players out of form.
#INDvENG
Greater possibility of Samson hitting a six in that form than new batsman in Morris hitting a four. Right call by Samson to keep strike last ball I thought.
Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar and now Virat Kohli, amazing all time great batsmen that the Indian waters keep producing. ๐
Many happy returns Virat!
India needs a no 4 & 5 who is from the Virat mould of batting. One who can score at a strike rate of 80/90 even when building an innings, taking zero risks by putting balls in the gaps & running the hard singles & twos.
This Indian team now has whatโs called the โswagโ. And that too on the biggest world stage. Makes me feel so proud as a former India player to see this. ๐๐๐๐
#IndianCricketTeam
Took him 4 games ( Incl warm ups ) to get used to English conditions and now he is a champion in these conditions too. Take a bow Kuldeep!๐๐๐๐๐๐
#INDvPAK
#Kuldeep
And guys, thatโs a wrap on whatโs been a fantastic World Cup! Thanks so much for your company & also for the love, even if it may have come in bits and pieces.๐
Itโs amazing that we start visualising a Rohit double hundred the moment he goes past 100...we are not wrong to do that, are we? ๐๐๐๐๐๐
#RohitSharma
Fantastic innings from Virat! Kept looking to maximise returns on every ball he faced in the innings. He has got T20 hundreds before, loved the template he used to get this one! ๐๐ผ๐๐ผ๐๐ผ๐๐ผ
#IPLonStar
India under Virat in NZ reminds me of Pakistan under Imran. Strong self belief as a team. Pakistan under Imran found different ways of winning matches, often from losing positions. That only happens when the self belief is strong.
Even after todayโs win a few issues that need to be addressed for India to become a fool proof team. Rahul still not convincing as opener, Shami as death bowler is a concern now & the Dhoni conundrum
#teamIndia
Different pitches, different oppositions, plus the world cup stage...5 hundreds!... with a possible 2 games to go is just ridiculously brilliant!
#RohitSharma
While talking about Bhuviโs injury, Virat said we have Shami in the reserves, just in case. I could see the pride in his eyes when he said that.
Indian cricket ( bowling ) has never been healthier.
#BCCI
#IndianCricket
Loving the fact that Shreyas Iyer is batting at 5 & that he scored 71 at a strike rate of of 104 with just 5 fours and 1 six...the Virat Kohli way.๐๐๐๐
#INDvWI
Respectfully disagree with Gavaskar Sir with his views on Indian selectors & Virat being retained as capt. No, Ind did not put in a โmuch below par WC performanceโ, they won 7 lost two. Last one very narrowly. And integrity a far more important quality as selector than stature.
You can see what CSK are good atโฆin the field. But why do they win so much?
Itโs because of what we canโt see, the intangibles. Letโs call it โcultureโ. Thatโs what makes CSK special, the culture they have created within their camp. ๐๐ผ๐๐ผ๐๐ผ
#IPL2023Final
Had Sanju Samson got a blazing 100 in 80 balls, you would have said well done Sanju! But that he came into bat in the 5th over & got his 100 in the 44th over & played to the team needs, seemingly against his nature, my admiration for Samson has grown considerably today! ๐๐๐
Dear coaches,
train your batsmen at the non strikers end, to keep watching the bowler till he releases the ball. Mankading is a legitimate mode of dismissal. Be wary of it.
As far as โspiritโis concerned, thatโs for after the game, that you can pour in your glass.๐
Not the first time that we have seen Rohit take up the mantle to win the game game on his own when Virat gets out early. India so fortunate to have such batsmen.๐๐๐๐๐๐
#INDvSA
#ICCCWC2019
Saw another facet of Virat Kohliโs batting greatness tonight. The ability to rise from a batting low to finish on an absolute high!
All during the course of one T20 innings. And once he was back in control, ensured that he was there to take the team over the line. ๐๐๐๐๐๐
It started 4 days back but the World Cup came alive today!
Not just an unexpected result but a thriller too!
Well done Pakistan!! ๐๐๐
#ICCWC2019
Pakistan, I think, have lost that link of senior, great players passing on their cricket wisdom and their own confidence onto the younger players.
#INDvPAK
#ICCCWC2019
In defeat, letโs not forget the performance of Jasprit Bumrah. Another absolutely sensational performance with the ball.๐๐๐๐๐๐
#bumrah
Top class keeper. The best finisher this game has seen. Above all, a captain who led from the front & through his own conduct gave his team a deep rooted confidence that they could win on the big night. A true Indian great!
Happy Birthday Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
We must also recognise Hardik Pandya who is having a very good WC with both bat and ball. Although I believe his best with the bat is still to come.๐๐
#CWC2019
If Dhoni brought calmness under pressure to Indian cricket that it never had, Virat is bringing a never say die attitude to Indian cricket that it never had.
#INDvSA
Well done Virat! Love it when an iconic player goes out of his way to do whatโs right. Great gesture with regards to Steve Smith.๐๐๐๐
#ICCCWC2019