Virat Steps down from Captaincy; NZ-Pak Tour Called Off and more | This Week in Cricket
After yet another eventful week in the cricketing world, which saw some groundbreaking headlines, I’m here with another installment of the “This Week in Cricket” series; which from now on will be covering all major and minor headlines from the bygone week, all put into one. Here’s all you need to know to stay in touch with the cricketing world right now.
Virat Kohli to step
down from iT20 and IPL captaincy: As
previously speculated by the Times of India, Virat Kohli is indeed stepping
down from captaincy from the shortest format of the game. The 32-year-old took
to Instagram to reveal it himself and thanked the BCCI officials for giving him
the opportunity to lead the side for almost 5 years. Virat disclosed that arriving
to the decision was tough and it took quite some time but following a lot of contemplating
and discussions with head coach Ravi Shastri and vice-captain Rohit Sharma, he
decided to step down as India’s iT20 captain post the T20 World Cup which is to
be held in UAE next month. It is still undecided as to who is to take the
captaincy baton from Virat. While most fans and experts alike feel Rohit is the
top contender for India’s leadership duties, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Shreyas
Iyer also stand as probable contenders. Virat Kohli is hailed as one of the
modern-day great captains in T20i cricket with an impressive 27 wins and just
14 losses in the total 47 games he has led the men in blue.
In a shocking turn of
events, Virat Kohli also revealed that he has decided to step down from RCB’s
captaincy post IPL 2021 in a video released by RCB’s official Twitter handle. ”It
wasn’t an easy decision but one that has been well thought of and is in the
best interest of this wonderful franchise” the Delhi born said. Virat proudly
said that he will continue to represent RCB on the field till the day he decides
to hang up his boots. Virat has led RCB for the past 9 seasons in 132 games,
winning in 60 and losing in 65 of them, while 3 games were tied.
New Zealand-Pakistan
Tour called off due to security reasons: Just minutes before the first ODI Match between
Pakistan and New Zealand at Rawalpindi to be held on the 17th of
September, 2021, the Blackcaps pulled themselves out of the tour due to alleged
“security reasons.” Arrangements for the team’s departure were quickly made as
New Zealand hurriedly left the country. New Zealand Cricket (NZC) issued a
statement which said the team will not continue with the tour following an “escalation
in the New Zealand Government threat levels for Pakistan.” The Tom Latham led
side were scheduled to face Pakistan in three ODIs at Rawalpindi before moving to
Lahore for a 5-match T20 series. This is another fatal blow for the Pakistan
Cricket Board resulting in Millions of Dollars-worth of losses owing to TV
rights and advertisements. Following the events, England’s tour of Pakistan
which was supposed to happen in October this year is also being considered by
many as ‘doubtful’.
IPL 2021 returns with
fans back to stadiums: The
second leg of the Vivo IPL returned to the UAE from the 19th of
September with 5-time champions Mumbai Indians taking on 3-time winners Chennai
Super Kings in a battle of the behemoths in Dubai. The match marked the first
IPL match to be held with fans in over 2 and a half years owing to the covid-19
crisis worldwide. Vaccinated fans over the age of 16 can buy tickets from IPL’s
official website iplt20.com and also
from PlatinumList.net as limited seating is available in all three host
stadiums, abiding by the Covid-19 protocols and the UAE Government Regulations.
Anil Kumble, VVS
Laxman among others in race to be India’s next Head Coach: Following a bitter fall-out with captain Virat Kohli
owing to a defeat in the Champions Trophy Finals to Pakistan back in 2017 that
led to Anil Kumble resigning from his post as head coach, life may come full
circle for ‘Jumbo’ as the Saurav Ganguly led BCCI may offer the role of head
coach to Anil Kumble once again once Ravi Shastri’s tenure as head coach ends
post T20 World Cup. Along with Kumble, the BCCI may approach VVS Laxman for the
role as well, given he’s done a decent job as mentor of the Sunrisers
Hyderabad. “Anil Kumble’s exit needs course correction. The manner in which the
CoA succumbed to the pressure of Kohli and removed him, wasn’t the best example
set. However, it also depends on whether Kumble or Laxman are ready to apply
for the job,” a senior BCCI source privy to development told PTI.
Zimbabwe beat Scotland
in series finale: After
a couple of exciting low scoring games which left the series levelled at 1-1,
both the teams gave it their all in the final t20i match. Following a thrilling
game which saw highs and lows, Zimbabwe emerged victorious as they chased the 178-run
target given to them in the final over. At the end of it, you may feel that the
deserving team won, although Scotland may not quite approve of it. The level of
competition in the series was unmatched as both the sides gear up to outperform
the rest in the qualifiers, eyeing an entry at the World T20 Cup in UAE next
month.
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