Hard work paying off for Pant, says India skipper Kohli
—DCB elections to go ahead tomorrow
NEW DELHI, India captain Virat Kohli has every reason to feel vindicated for sticking with Rishabh Pant after his impressive glovework on a challenging track in the second test against England removed any doubts about his wicketkeeping ability.
Kohli has opted for the explosive batting and match-winning ability of Pant ahead of the assured keeping of veteran Wriddhiman Saha for the test side, with the skipper optimistic Pant’s skills behind the wicket would improve with time.
In Chennai, Pant plucked a pair of one-handed catches out of the air in England’s first innings and delivered two acrobatic stumpings in the second despite the pitch offering significant spin and bounce.
“He has really worked hard, ... when he moves with the gloves you can see that difference in his reactions and reflexes,” Kohli said after India’s series-levelling victory on Tuesday.
“He’s shed a lot of weight and he’s
become quicker on his feet, and it’s showing.
“The way he kept on this pitch with so much turn and bounce was a credit to him for working so hard.
“... we want him to keep improving as a keeper, get stronger and stronger with his skillsets, because we understand how much value he brings to the team.”
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said it was important to focus on the positives with players like Pant if they are to fulfil their potential.
“Rishabh Pant was always going to be a good cricketer, he was always going to improve,” Ashwin, named man-of-the-match award for his allround display, said in a video conference.
“Only if we back them in such a way that they can improve, they will improve faster. But if you are going to find those loopholes and faults, cricketers are going to take that much longer.
“It is more of a mindset issue for us ... We can see a lot of positives, but we tend to choose the negatives. If we see a lot more positives, we will see a lot more champion cricketers.”
The appeal in the matter of Anand Kalladeen et anor v. Roger Harper et al- was yesterday dismissed by the full court.
The Full Court comprising of Honorable Justices Nareshwar Harnanan and Fidela Corbin-Lincoln, ruled that given the urgency of the matter, the court assumed jurisdiction and the stay was refused on the grounds that the substantive appeal was not nugatory and that the appeal related only to the date of the elections.
This was confirmed by Attorney-At-Law for the Respondents, Arudranauth Gossai who told Stabroek Sport that the appeal was unanimously dismissed and costs awarded in the sum of $250,000 to be paid by the Appellants.
Gossai said that the arguments presented by the Appellants were on the grounds that Justice Navindra Singh could not fix a new date and that the time for the submission of delegates was too short.
However, Gossai indicated that the judges agreed that since the matter was decided in June, 2019, the parties should have known and begun preparing their list of delegates.
He added that even in the event that the parties were unaware, when the stay was withdrawn and he filed for a new date on February 1, 2021 that should have been enough notice.
As a result, he related that the path was clear for the Demerara Cricket Board to have its Court-supervised elections tomorrow at the Demerara Cricket Club, Queenstown.
Gossai also disclosed that the Georgetown Cricket Association, East Coast Cricket Board and Upper Demerara Cricket Association had submitted their list of delegates within one hour of the ruling by Justice Singh on February 15, leaving East Bank Cricket Association
Attorney-at-Law Arudranauth Gossai and West Demerara Cricket Association, the two outstanding administrations to submit their list of delegates in compliance with the February 17 deadline set out in the ruling.
The lawyer mentioned that the issue of the Demerara Cricket Board elections in 2020 was brought up but the court viewed it as irrelevant in the context
Gossai described the dismissal as “a significant and remarkable achievement” and contended that it clears the way in “the interest of fairness and transparency.”
Meanwhile, Attorney for the Appellants, Ron Motilall revealed that the matter will be appealed.
“We are appealing the decision of a single judge in the chambers and what we would be going for is leave to appeal in the Court of Appeal,” he told Stabroek Sport.
Also representing the Appellants was C.V. Satram who said that the matter will be pursued all the way to the Caribbean Court of Justice and if elections are held tomorrow, as per the ruling of Justice Singh, an application will be filed to declare the election void.
LONDON, CMC – Offspinner Rahkeem Cornwall has broken into the top 50 in the International Cricket Council Test bowling rankings for the first time, following his nine-wicket haul in the second Test against Bangladesh in Dhaka last weekend.
In the most recent rankings released yesterday, the 28-year-old jumped 16 spots to 49th, joining fast bowlers Jason Holder (11th), Kemar Roach (15th), Shannon Gabriel (19th) and off-spinner Roston Chase (37th) in the top 50.
Cornwall, with only five Tests to his name, was the Caribbean side’s leading bowler in the two-Test series, finishing with 14 wickets at an average of 26.
It was his four-wicket haul in the second innings last Sunday which turned
Nkrumah Bonner the game in West Indies’ favour and handed them a thrilling 17-run victory on the penultimate day.
Left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican, with whom Cornwall formed a formidable partnership in the series, also enjoyed upward movement in the rankings to 59th after gaining
three places.
The 28-year-old finished the series with 10 wickets at 28 runs apiece, and played a key role in the Dhaka result with three wickets in the second innings – the last of which brought West Indies victory.
In the batting charts,
Man-of-the-Series Nkrumah Bonner rose six spots to 63rd, following another outstanding Test where he notched scores of 90 and 38.
Bonner, 32, made his debut in the Chattogram first Test where he managed 86 in the historic run chase that earned West Indies a three-wicket win.
His form in Dhaka meant he ended the series with 231 runs at an average of 57.
He was joined by rookie wicketkeeper-batsman, Joshua Da Silva, who moved into the top 100 by leaping 33 places, following an outstanding performance in the second Test when he top-scored with
92 in the first innings.
Da Silva, 22, who has played only three Tests, is now 78th.
New Zealander Kane Williamson continues to lead the batting charts while Australian speedster Pat Cummins tops the bowling.