'MS Dhoni's Fate To Be Decided During Champions Trophy'

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's fate will be decided by the 2017 Champions Trophy, says his childhood coach Keshav Banerjee. The International Cricket Council (ICC) showpiece event will be held from June 1 to 18 in England and Wales. India are the defending champions with Dhoni leading the team to the title in 2013 at Edgbaston, by beating hosts England by five runs in the final at Birmingham. "At the moment, his sole focus is on the Champions Trophy. If he's successful there, he would go on till the World Cup 2019," Banerjee said in Kolkata on Monday at the launch of an Under-14 tournament.
One of the best finishers of the world and India's most successful captain, Dhoni still has a sharp brain despite the drop in success ratio, Banerjee felt.
"It's natural that with age, you would not hit the same strike rate. But his will power and game-analysing sense are the two qualities that make him special. He's out there playing domestic one-dayers (Vijay Hazare Trophy) to keep himself in shape ahead of the Champions Trophy."
Having surprised everyone by calling it quits from Tests Down Under in late 2014, Dhoni stepped down from limited overs captaincy in January.
"He never liked to be pushed so he called it quits before any one could point fingers at him in the Tests format," Banerjee said.
"He never kept anyone in the loop, even his best friend or parents did not know when he quit Tests."
Banerjee seemed unhappy with the way Dhoni was removed as skipper of Rising Pune Supergiants for the Indian Premier League season 10.
"It appeared to me a decision by the team owners as Dhoni did not have any choice now but to play this season (with Chennai Super Kings being suspended)," he said.
Banerjee's role in shaping up Dhoni's early days as a cricketer was well documented in the biopic 'MS Dhoni: The Untold Story'. A cricket coach at Dhoni's alma mater, Jawahar Vidya Mandir at Shyamali in Ranchi, Banerjee persuaded a then class VI football goalkeeper to become a wicketkeeper. The rest, as they say, is history.
"He was known by his punctuality, discipline and he's still the same, has not changed a bit," he said.
Having seen Dhoni rise from the school level, Banerjee urged the BCCI to encourage cricketers in under-14 age group.
"I know they've big facility (National Cricket Academy) in Bengaluru but we must look after U-14 kids. They need to be nurtured properly. They need some recognition and motivation," he said at the announcement of the 10th edition of Yo Cup organised by Mainland-Sambaran Cricket Academy.

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AB De Villiers claims top spot in latest ICC ODI rankings, Virat Kohli third

Virat Kohli has been dethroned as the top ODI batsman in the world by South Africa’s AB De Villiers after the Proteas claimed the top spot in the latest ICC ODI batsman rankings on Friday.
De Villiers’s 262 runs in the series, including a highest of 85 in the third ODI at Wellington, have helped him overtake Virat Kohli and Australia opener David Warner at the top of the ladder, reclaiming the top spot within two months of losing it to the Indian cricket team captain.
De Villiers is currently four points ahead of Warner and 23 ahead of Virat Kohli. It is for the 10th time that the 33-year-old de Villiers is at the top of the rankings since first taking the spot in May 2010. He has never been ranked outside the top five since September 2009.
The England duo of Alex Hales and Joe Root were also among the major gainers in the batsman list as they reached career-best rankings after an impressive show against West Indies. Root reached the fourth spot after scoring 195 runs in three matches while Hales gained four sports to reach 16th position.
In the bowler’s list, Kagiso Rabada broke into the top five for the first time in his career while his compatriot Imran Tahir continued his domination at the top. Rabada leapfrogged Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood and Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan to reach the fifth position.
England all-rounder Chris Woakes’s seven wickets against the West Indies see him break into the top 10 for the first time as he has moved up nine places to ninth slot while his team-mate Liam Plunkett’s 10 wickets in the series have helped him move up 36 places to 23rd rank.
In the team rankings, West Indies’ task of qualifying directly for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 became tougher as a 3-0 loss to England kept them in the ninth position.

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Indian Board Withdraws Complaint Against Steve Smith, Peter Handscomb Over DRS Row

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday withdrew the complaint filed against Australian captain Steve Smith and Peter Handscomb over the DRS issue. BCCI and Cricket Australia (CA) resolved to restore focus on the ongoing India-Australia series amidst the increased attention that emanated during the course of the 2nd Test match in Bengaluru. The Indian board's CEO, Rahul Johri, and his Cricket Australia counterpart James Sutherland met at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai and, in discussing the matters at length, agreed to bring back the focus of the cricketing world to the game and the much-anticipated 3rd Test match in Ranchi.
India captain Virat Kohli and Smith will meet prior to the Ranchi Test and commit to lead their teams by example and play the rest of the series in the right spirit, demonstrating that the players from both teams are true ambassadors for their respective countries.
"India has always cherished a contest with Australia and over the years, the performances of both, the teams and the players, are testimony to the level of competitiveness that exists between these two teams. While having responded officially to one such incident which happened in the last Test, together, we believe that the focus of the teams and the joy they provide to the fans, should not be diluted and it is imperative to ensure that the rest of the series, which promises a great cricketing contest, not be compromised," Johri said in a statement.
"BCCI will withdraw the complaint filed with ICC with an expectation that the two captains will meet prior to the Ranchi test and commit to lead their teams by example and play the rest of the series in the right spirit."
Sutherland, in his statement, said: "A series between India and Australia is bound to generate considerable excitement for fans in both the countries. On the field the two teams are fierce competitors who represent their countries with pride. As we have seen this week in Bangalore, with so much at stake, tensions can bubble over. We are half way through what has already been a riveting series - and there is still much to look forward to. In discussing the relevant issues in depth, we have agreed that it is in the best interests of the game to put these differences aside and clear the way for the focus to be on the cricket, and the remaining matches of the series.
Smith was seen seeking the Australian dressing room's advice after being adjudged leg before wicket during his team's second inning in the match which India won 75 runs. The issue had become huge as Indian skipper Kohli had given Smith a very animated send-off from the field and had then stated during the post-match press conference that the Australians had done the same thing on other instances as well.
Handscomb had later gone on record stating that it was he who had asked Smith to seek advice from the dressing room, while Smith had admitted that he had a 'brain fade' moment on the field, a phrase that subsequently went viral.
Kohli had stopped just short of calling Smith a cheat.
"I have seen it twice while batting. I have seen their players looking upstairs (dressing room). I told the umpires, this had to stop. I don't want to mention the word but it falls in that bracket. I would never do something like that on the cricket field," Virat Kohli had said after the match.
"When he (Smith) turned back, the umpires knew exactly what was going on, because we observed that, told match referee also and the umpires that they have been doing that for the last three days and this has to stop," the India captain added.
The issue kept simmering as Cricket Australia responded to the allegations against Smith, terming them as "outrageous".
The BCCI responded immediately, issuing a statement in support of Kohli and the Indian team and saying that Smith's 'brain fade' comment should be considered to be an admission of guilt.
The Indian board had also filed a written complaint with ICC match referee Chris Broad, but the world body had refused to take any action against either Smith or Kohli. Following that, the BCCI had decided to file a formal complaint.

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India beat Australia by 75 runs, level series 1-1

Bangalore, Mar 7 (IBNS): Brilliant bowling by R Ashwin, who picked up six wickets, helped India bowl out Australia and win the second Test match of the series by 75 runs here on Tuesday.
Needing 188 runs for victory, India bowled out Australia for 112 runs in their second innings.
Steve Smith top-scored for Australia with his 28 runs.
With this win, India level series 1-1.

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Oppo Replaces Star as New Team India Sponsor

New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday announced the Oppo Mobiles India Private Limited as the new team sponsor for the Indian cricket team.
"The mobile manufacturing giant OPPO's association with BCCI will start from April 2017 for a period of five years," a BCCI release said.
Star India - the current official sponsor of Team India's jersey - decided not bid for the renewal of the contract in April 2017 citing lack of clarity after the recent turmoil in the Indian cricket board, a newspaper reported last week.
Star India chairman and CEO Uday Shankar had made it clear to the newspaper that the commitments being asked for are too onerous without any clarity and hence the decision.
"We have been very proud that our name is carried on the jersey of Team India. But given all the uncertainties, we have decided not to bid for it again. The commitments being asked for are too onerous without any clarity," he said.
It is believed that Star's bid was worth Rs19.2 million (US$315,000 approx) per match for bilateral series and Rs 6.1 million (US$100,000 approx) per match for ICC sponsored tournaments. They had won the rights in 2013 after Sahara's bid was found to be ineligible as per a BCCI statement.
The team sponsorship rights allowed Star to be called the official team sponsor as also display a commercial logo on the men's and women's kits.

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