First up, a surprise call-up for KS Bharat to the ODI setup following concussion issues with Rishabh Pant. Virat Kohli reminisces his Under-19 winning days while Narendra Hirwani has a few tips up his sleeves for Kuldeep Yadav followed by Anil Kumble’s stance on four-day Tests. Lastly, BCCI has acknowledged the T20 specialists in their annual central contracts list for the first time.

Here is a look at those stories in detail.

#1 KS Bharat called in as cover for Pant

As per the reports, Andhra Pradesh wicket-keeper batsman has been called in as cover for Rishabh Pant for the remainder of the ODI series against Australia. Pant, who was hit on the head by a quick bouncer from Pat Cummins, is still under assessment at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore.

Bharat had earlier been drafted into the Test squad for the historic day-night Test against Bangladesh, received a call-up for the ODI squad this time around. 26-year-old Bharat has been piling on runs in the domestic circuit and has scored 4143 runs in 74 first-class games at an average of 37.66.

He came into the selector’s radar in the 2014-15 season where he scored 758 runs at 54.11 and was picked up by IPL franchise Delhi Daredevils. But the highlight of his career remains his 308-run innings against Kerala in 2014, which made him the first wicket-keeper batsman to score a triple ton in the Ranji Trophy.

Full article: India vs Australia 2020: Srikar Bharat called in as cover for Rishabh Pant

#2 Virat Kohli talks about U-19 WC triumph

Indian captain Virat Kohli reflected his winning Under-19 WC campaign as a leader, stating how the age-group tournament helped him take his game to the next level. Kohli also stressed the importance of the tournament being aired live on TV which boosted morale as budding cricketers.

Kohli finished as the third-highest run-getter and later played the IPL and was eventually drafted into the Indian side. According to Kohli, players like Ravindra Jadeja and Manish Pandey also benefitted from the tournament.

Full article: Winning Under-19 World Cup was a stepping stone for me, reveals Virat Kohli

#3 Narendra Hirwani feels a few tweaks would help Kuldeep Yadav

Former Indian leg-spinner Narendra Hirwani believes that struggling Indian leggie Kuldeep Yadav doesnn’t require much alteration in his bowling and just needs to attack the stumps at better lengths.

He further stated that Yadav only needs a good balance, a mix of traditional leg-spin and different varieties in the same over to get his groove back again. Yadav was played quite easily by Aaron Finch and David Warner which put the leggie in a spot of bother going ahead in the series.

Full article: India vs Australia 2020: Narendra Hirwani feels a few tweaks would help Kuldeep Yadav to regain his white-ball form

#4 KXIP coach Kumble feels the current generation of players want five-day Tests to stay

Head coach of IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab, Anil Kumble has stated that the current crop of Indian players advocate the idea of going with the traditional five-day format for Test cricket rather than the proposed four-day Tests.

Reiterating the statements of Indian captain Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri, Kumble stated that domestic cricketers preferred the grind of the longest format as it challenges a player completely.

He also spoke about the importance of good performances in the Ranji Trophy in the lives of domestic cricketers as a criterion for selection in the national side. As per Kumble, Ranji Trophy should be held as a priority by state players rather than being lured in by the domestic cash-rich leagues all around the globe.

Full article: Kings XI Punjab head coach Anil Kumble feels current generation of players wants five-day Test format to stay

#5 BCCI considers T20Is as a criterion for central contracts

T20I specialist players like Shardul Thakur, Navdeep Saini, and Deepak Chahar have benefitted from BCCI’s new criteria of rewarding T20 players with Annual Central Contracts.

In the recently announced contracts for the 2019-20 season, BCCI acknowledged the T20 specialists and rewarded them with annual contracts for the first time. According to the sports highest body, at least 10 T20Is have been kept as a compulsory yardstick for a player to be considered for the central contract, with an eye on the T20 WC to be held in Australia this year.

Full article: BCCI considers T20Is as a criterion for central contracts for the first time

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