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Tag: MCG

  • Ajinkya Rahane’s Name Engraved On MCG Honours Board After “Batting Masterclass”. Watch

    India’s stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane not only led the team to a memorable win in the second Test of the series against Australia on Tuesday, but also joined an elite list after his batting masterclass in the Boxing Day Test. The middle-order batsman added another feather to his cap as his name was engraved on the MCG Honours Board for the second time, after he hit a masterful hundred in the first innings. “Following a batting masterclass in the Boxing Day Test against Australia, #TeamIndia captain @ajinkyarahane has his name engraved on the MCG Honours Board for the second time,” Indian Cricket Team captioned the video on Instagram.

    Rahane was also the inaugural winner of the Mullagh Medal after he won the Man of the Match award in the second Test. The Boxing Day Test Player of the Match medal has been named in honour of trailblazing Indigenous cricketer Johnny Mullagh

  • T Natarajan could make his Test debut at the SCG

    Thangarasu Natarajan’s stocks continue to rise. The left-arm seamer from Tamil Nadu who made his ODI and T20I debuts during the limited-overs leg of India’s ongoing tour of Australia, may earn his maiden Test cap in the third Test, which will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). India won the second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground by eight wickets to square the series 1-1.

    TOI has learnt from reliable sources in the BCCI that the 29-year-old Natarajan, who took two for 70 on his ODI debut and then scalped six wickets in the three-match T20 International series at an economy rate of 6.91, is set to replace fast bowler Umesh Yadav, who suffered a calf injury and could bowl only 3.3 overs in the second innings of the second Test at the MCG. Yadav has been ruled out of the third Test.

  • How Cricket Stars Reacted To India’s Comeback Win At MCG

    Indian cricket fraternity, led by Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, on Tuesday hailed the national team for the “resilience and character” it showed to redeem itself after the Adelaide debacle to win the second Test in Melbourne. India, led by Ajinkya Rahane, levelled the four-match Test series 1-1 after defeating Australia by eight wickets in the second match at the MCG. Rahane led from the front with a match-winning 112 in India’s first innings.

    “To win a Test match without Virat, Rohit, Ishant & Shami is a terrific achievement. Loved the resilience and character shown by the team to put behind the loss in the 1st Test and level the series. Brilliant win. Well done TEAM INDIA,” tweeted Tendulkar.

    Kohli, who returned home on paternity leave after leading the side in the first Test, praised Rahane and the team for the win. “What a win this is, absolutely amazing effort by the whole team. Couldn”t be happier for the boys and specially Jinks who led the team to victory amazingly. Onwards and upwards from here,” Kohli said in a tweet.

  • Game ended on day three, Australia got a two-run lead

    By the end of the third day of the second Test match being played in Melbourne MCG between India and Australia, Australia have scored 133 runs losing 6 wickets in 66 overs. At this time, Australia has a lead of just 2 runs.

    On the second day of this match, India batted well and had a lead of 82 runs. The Indian team, playing ahead of 277/5, scored 326 runs losing all wickets in 115.1 overs on the third day of the match. In this way, India has a lead of 131 runs. In response, Australia scored 133 runs in their second innings, losing 6 wickets in 66 overs. At this time Pat Cummins returned unbeaten after scoring 15 and Cameron Green 17.

    After trailing in the first innings by 131 runs, the first blow to the Australian team came in to bat in the second innings, which was in the form of Brans, who scored 4 runs and was caught by Umesh Yadav at the hands of Rishabh Pant. The second blow to the Kangaroo team came in the form of Marnus Labushane, who scored 28 runs and was caught out by Ajinkya Rahane off R Ashwin.

    Australia suffered the third blow in the form of Steve Smith, who became clean bowled by Jaspreet Bumrah after scoring 8 runs. Australia got the third blow in the form of Matthew Wade, who scored 40 runs and was dismissed by Ravindra Jadeja. The 5th wicket fell as Travis Head of the Kangaroo team, who scored 17 runs and was caught out by Mayank Agarwal off Mohammad Siraj. Australia got the sixth blow in the form of captain Tim Paine who scored 1 run and was caught by Pant off the ball of Ravindra Jadeja.

  • Australian batsman doubtful to play in third test match also

    Australian left-handed opener David Warner is yet to recover from his injury, which makes him doubtful to play in the third Test of the ongoing four-Test series between India and Australia. Warner was actually injured while fielding in the second match of the three-match ODI series against India, after which he was ruled out of the third ODI and the three-match T20 series and did not fully recover from the injury. Both were out of the first Test matches. In the absence of Warner, the Australian team is facing trouble in the opening.

    Australian coach Justin Langer shared information about Warner’s injury on Sunday, saying, “We saw Warner doing batting practice. Warner also batted in the MCG this afternoon and he is doing well in batting practice, but there is still problem in his muscles. We know how much the team will benefit from his presence. “In the absence of Warner, the Australian team has failed to form a major partnership in terms of openings, which the coaches are very disappointed with.

    Coach Langer said, “We are unable to catch the match. If you look at the first Test and the first innings of this match, then we have failed to form a partnership. We have to improve a lot in this matter. “Langer said in an interview with Ricky Ponting,” No one can be more professional than Warner and he is doing everything he can to overcome the injury. He said that the Australian team is not able to score much in their innings, due to which the bowlers have to work harder.

    He said, “Warner is running between the wickets and we hope that he will recover soon but only time will tell when he will be fine.” We still have a few days to go for the start of the third Test match. “The third Test match between India and Australia is to start in Sydney on January 7.

  • Former Cricketers Praise Ajinkya Rahane’s Smart Captaincy After India Dominate Day 1

    After being pushed against the wall after a humbling defeat in the series opener, the Indian team bounced back and dominated the opening day of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Saturday. Stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane lost the toss but the Indian bowlers were on song throughout the day and restricted the hosts for 195 all out on one of the most batting-friendly tracks in Australia. While the bowlers deserve all the praise for their hard work, the Indian skipper, who marshalled his troops with great authority, deserves an equal praise. Throughout the day, Rahane attacked with close-in fielders and made some wise bowling changes that worked wonders for the team.

    Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag was among many who praised Rahane’s bowing changes and “smart fielding placements”. Taking to Twitter, Sehwag also praised the bowlers for job well done on Day 1 and giving India a solid start

  • Melbourne Cricket Ground On Standby To Host 3rd Test Amid Sydney Covid Outbreak

    The Melbourne Cricket Ground has been confirmed as a back-up venue for the third Test between India and Australia, which is slated to be held in Sydney. Amid a COVID-19 outbreak in Sydney’s northern beaches, Cricket Australia announced the MCG as a back-up venue for the third Test from January 7, even as they work towards ensuring that the match is played at the Sydney Cricket Ground as per the original schedule. If CA has to shift venues, it would see the MCG host back-to-back Test matches, with the Boxing Day Test set to take place there starting December 26.

    “We have always maintained that scheduling a full summer of cricket during a global pandemic would require agility, problem-solving and teamwork like never before,” Cricket Australia’s interim CEO Nick Hockley was quoted as saying in a statement by

  • Concerns Arise About Preparations of Pitch for India’s MCG Test

    The surge in coronavirus positive cases in Adelaide and South Australia has left quite a few involved in the organisation of the India-Australia series in a spot of bother. Not only has the situation caused changes in personnel, emergency airlifts but also led to concerns around the pitch for the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

    MCC chief executive Stuart Fox is concerned that they might not get to trial the pitches before the Test.

    As is the tradition in Australian cricket, the MCG is set to host the Boxing Day Test but could also be awarded the opening Test against India depending on the situation in Adelaide.

    Cricket Australia is confident Adelaide will retain the day-night clash but it remains unclear what restrictions and protocols will be in place once the South Australian government lifts a six-day lockdown next week.

    It was the coronavirus spike that led to the Sheffield Shield games being moved from the MCG and the same problem albeit in a different city has resulted in trial matches for the drop-in pitches to be cancelled. The MCC however does hope that a trial game can still be squeezed in before the Tests get underway, reported the Sydney Morning Herald.

    “It is a concern for me because I would like to give them every opportunity to trial the pitches but we [were to have had] a Test event the other day and Cricket Victoria were supporting us, we were meant to have players and a two-day game and we had the pitch ready to go but the game got cancelled the night before and that was really, ultimately, the result of the situation in South Australia,” Fox explained on RSN radio.

    “I think it demonstrates how vulnerable we still are day by day. Ideally, we would love to have a game and we are still working on that but, ultimately, it may not happen.

    “Matt is in a good spot. He produced a really good pitch last year that got a really good rating and he knows his trade. He is year three in and he is starting to deeply understand our pitches compared to where he was.”

    While Matt Page, the curator looks for ways to get past this hurdle, Australia’s Pat Cummins has said that the bowlers would like quick and bouncy pitches to unsettle the Indian batting, which will be without Virat Kohli after the first Test.Read Full Article