Cricket

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reappointed Shahid Aslam as the batting coach of the national white-ball squads, effective immediately. Aslam, a qualified coach, has previously worked with the Pakistan team in various capacities, including assistant coach, fielding coach, and assistant manager.Aslam's appointment comes after the team's recent struggles in the ODI series against Australia, where Pakistan's batting lineup failed to perform consistently. The PCB has identified the need for a dedicated batting coach to address these issues and improve the team's performance in the upcoming white-ball series against Zimbabwe and South Africa.Aslam's return to the coaching staff is based on the recommendation of interim white-ball coach Aaqib Javed, who was appointed by the PCB in November 2024. Javed, who is also the senior national selector, has left to join the players in Zimbabwe, where they will play three ODIs and three T20Is before moving on to South Africa for another white-ball rubber.Aslam's appointment is expected to provide stability and expertise to the team's batting unit. He has a proven track record of working with young players and developing their skills. His experience in the High Performance Centre in Lahore will also be valuable in identifying and nurturing future batting talent.The PCB's decision to bring back Aslam is a sign of their commitment to improving the team's performance in white-ball cricket. The upcoming series against Zimbabwe and South Africa will be crucial for Pakistan as they prepare for the ICC Champions Trophy in early 2025.

Gujarat Titans have appointed former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel as their assistant and batting coach for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Patel brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the Titans, having played 17 years of international cricket for India.As assistant coach, Patel will work closely with head coach Ashish Nehra to provide strategic guidance and support to the team. His insights into batting techniques and strategies will be invaluable in enhancing the players' skills and performance.Patel's appointment is a significant boost for the Titans, who are looking to build on their impressive debut season in the IPL. The franchise reached the playoffs in their first year, and they will be hoping to challenge for the title in 2023.Patel's experience as a mentor and talent scout will also be beneficial to the Titans. He has a proven track record of developing young players and helping them reach their full potential.This is Patel's first coaching role in the IPL, but he has a strong understanding of the game and the league. He will be a valuable asset to the Titans as they look to make a deep run in the tournament.

Rajasthan Royals have appointed former India batting coach Vikram Rathour as their new batting coach, reuniting him with Rahul Dravid at the franchise. Rathour, a former India opener and selector, played a key role in India's Men's T20 World Cup victory in June this year.Rathour's appointment marks a significant move for the Royals, who are looking to strengthen their batting lineup. During his tenure as India's batting coach from 2019 to 2024, Rathour played a pivotal role in the development of several young batters, including Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and KL Rahul."It's a privilege to be part of the Royals family," said Rathour. "The opportunity to work again with Rahul, and now with a talented group of young cricketers, is hugely exciting. I look forward to contributing to the team's vision and working toward our goal of developing top-class players for the Royals and for India."Dravid, the Royals' head coach, expressed his delight at Rathour's appointment. "Having worked closely with Vikram for many years, I can confidently say that his technical expertise, calm demeanor, and deep understanding of Indian conditions make him a perfect fit for the Royals," said Dravid. "Together, we've built a strong rapport, guiding India to key successes, and I'm thrilled to reunite with him."Rathour's appointment is expected to bolster the Royals' batting unit, which has struggled for consistency in recent seasons. The franchise will be hoping that Rathour's experience and expertise can help them develop a more formidable batting lineup and challenge for the IPL title.

Ian Bell, the former England batter, has been appointed as Sri Lanka's batting coach for their upcoming tour of England. The tour will feature three Tests, commencing on August 21st. Bell's role will commence on August 16th and continue until the conclusion of the series.Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) CEO Ashley De Silva expressed the rationale behind Bell's appointment: "We appointed Ian to bring in a person with local knowledge to help the players with key insights on the conditions there. Ian has a wealth of experience playing in England, and we believe his inputs will be invaluable to our team during this crucial tour."Since retiring from playing in 2020, Bell has accumulated extensive coaching experience. He has served as batting coach for the England men's U-19 and England Lions teams, assistant coach at Hobart Hurricanes, consultant batting coach at Derbyshire, and assistant coach of the New Zealand men's side ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup. Most recently, he held the position of assistant coach at Melbourne Renegades in the BBL and is currently the coach of the Birmingham Phoenix side in the Men's Hundred.England batter Jamie Smith, who works with Bell at Phoenix, shared his thoughts on the appointment: "He's reminded me a few times that he's going to be in the opposite camp in this series."Sri Lanka will be hoping that Bell's expertise will guide them to their first Test series victory in England since 2014. The team, led by Dhananjaya de Silva, will face England in three Tests: Manchester (August 21-25), Lord's (August 29-September 2), and the Oval (September 6-10).

Former Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik, who recently announced his retirement from all formats of the game, has embarked on a new chapter in his career as the batting coach and mentor of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Karthik will be responsible for guiding the team's batsmen and sharing his vast experience and knowledge.Karthik's appointment comes after he announced his retirement on his birthday, bringing an end to a successful playing career. He was an integral part of RCB in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he played a crucial role as a finisher. In the previous IPL season, he witnessed RCB's remarkable turnaround, as the team reached the playoffs despite losing seven of their first eight matches. However, their journey ended in the Eliminator against Rajasthan Royals.Throughout his IPL career, Karthik has represented six different teams, including Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Lions, Kolkata Knight Riders, and RCB. He also captained KKR for a period.Karthik's most significant contribution came in IPL 2022 for RCB, which earned him a recall to the Indian team. He was part of India's squad for the T20 World Cup 2022 but was later dropped.Karthik made his international debut in 2004 and has scored one century in Tests. He was also a member of India's victorious T20 World Cup team in 2007.

India's batting coach, Vikram Rathour, has acknowledged the challenges faced by star batsman Virat Kohli during the ongoing T20 World Cup. However, Rathour believes that Kohli's struggles have provided an opportunity for the team's less experienced players to step up and make valuable contributions.Despite India's unbeaten run in the tournament, Kohli has struggled to find his rhythm, particularly during the powerplay. In the match against Afghanistan, he managed only 24 runs off 24 balls."I'm not happy. I would love it if he gets going and scores more runs," Rathour said. "But yeah, it is good when you are challenged at times."Rathour pointed out that the team's success has been due to the contributions of other players, such as Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav. Pant played a key role in the victory over Afghanistan, while Yadav's half-century proved to be the turning point in the match."The guys who are not getting too much of batting in India sometimes, they are the ones who put up scores today and our middle-order came to play," Rathour said.India is set to face Bangladesh in Antigua on Saturday. Rathour believes that the team's depth and the conditions in the Caribbean will give them an edge in the upcoming encounter."We've always had depth as a team," Rathour said. "But yeah, these conditions maybe suit us more because we can afford to play two or three spinners at times."Rathour also emphasized that India will not take Bangladesh lightly."They're a good unit. They have a lot of guys who can spin the ball and they are good in certain conditions," Rathour said. "But again, in this format I think every team is a tough team."

Virat Kohli's recent string of low scores in the ongoing T20 World Cup has not raised any concerns for India's batting coach, Vikram Rathour. Rathour emphasized that Kohli has been performing exceptionally well in practice sessions and is more motivated than ever as the Super Eight approaches.Despite being the highest run-scorer in the IPL, Kohli has managed to score only 1, 4, and 0 in his recent matches against Ireland, Pakistan, and USA, respectively. However, Rathour believes that these dismissals are not a cause for concern."He (Kohli) has been batting superbly from the tournament that he came from (IPL). Couple of dismissals here, doesn't change anything, he is batting really well," Rathour said.Rathour expressed confidence that India's top batter will deliver when it matters the most. "Actually, it's good that he is a little hungrier, he is really keen to do well and really switched on. It's a good space to be as a batsman, I think."The batting coach also addressed questions about the team's strategy of playing four all-rounders, including Shivam Dube and Axar Patel. Rathour suggested that the team will be flexible based on conditions."Again, we need to be a flexible team. We need to look at the conditions that are in front of us and be ready to deal with those. So as a team, we are going to be really flexible, I think."Rathour acknowledged that some game time in Florida ahead of the Super Eights would have been beneficial, but he expressed confidence in the team's ability to adapt to the tight schedule."Again, not ideal. It would have been great if we could have gotten a game today. But now this is what it is. So, we look forward to having a couple of good practice days in Barbados and getting into the game. So again, now the matches will happen simultaneously after one day.""So, as a team I think we are ready. We are used to this kind of schedule. We have done it in the past and I am sure we will do it really well this time as well."Rathour also commented on the issue of the ground in Florida not being fully covered, raising concerns to the ICC."This question should be asked to the ICC people. I won't be able to answer that. I don't know the reason why it was not covered and why it didn't have enough covers to cover the whole ground."Regarding the challenging New York drop-in strip, Rathour downplayed its impact on the team's performance."It's good. You should be able to play on all types of wickets. We have the skills to play in all types of conditions and do well. So, we have got the difficult wickets. Hopefully, we will get good wickets in the tournament.""And if we get turning wickets, we have 4 spin options, we have enough fast bowlers as well. So, whichever conditions come, I think we are really equipped to deal with that," he added.

Arshdeep Singh, India's lethal pacer, is not content with his bowling prowess alone. He aspires to become a reliable lower-order batter, a goal he is diligently pursuing with the guidance of batting coach Vikram Rathour.In India's emphatic seven-wicket victory over the spirited USA team in the T20 World Cup group stage, Arshdeep wreaked havoc with the ball, claiming four wickets for a mere nine runs. This performance propelled India into the Super Eight stage with their third consecutive victory."We are constantly learning and striving to improve in all aspects of the game, including bowling, batting, and fielding," said Arshdeep, who was named Player of the Match. "You never know when the team needs those runs, even if it's just two or four. So, you have to give your all. I'm working hard with Vikram Bhai to enhance my batting skills as well."In the high-voltage clash against Pakistan on June 9, Arshdeep batted at No. 9, scoring nine runs off 13 balls before being run out. The left-arm pacer revealed that he insisted on batting ahead of Jasprit Bumrah in that match."Jassi Bhai (Bumrah) was supposed to go before me, but I asked Rohit (Sharma) and went in. They were surprised, but I told them I would go up regardless," he said. "I'm confident about my batting. Whether it's fielding or bowling, I'm always trying to improve."Regarding the tournament, Arshdeep emphasized the importance of adapting to the varying conditions across different venues. India played their first three games in one location and will now travel to Lauderhill, Florida for their final Group A match against Canada on Saturday. The tournament will then shift to the Caribbean."Adapting to the conditions and situations is crucial," he said. "If the wicket offers assistance, we try to take early wickets and restrict the opposition to a low total. If we bat first, we aim to score as many runs as possible to give our bowlers a good chance to defend."The 25-year-old expressed satisfaction with his bowling performance against USA, which helped India restrict them to 110/8. When asked about the team's mood after three consecutive wins, Arshdeep said they are trying to maintain a steady mindset regardless of results."The emotions stay the same... We try to be stable, whether we win or lose, and whether we have a good or bad day," he said.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the legendary Indian cricketer, is experiencing a remarkable resurgence in his final IPL season, according to Chennai Super Kings batting coach Mike Hussey. Dhoni, who recently stepped down as CSK captain, is batting at an unprecedented strike rate of 255.88, showcasing his explosive form.Hussey believes that Dhoni's current state of mind is contributing to his exceptional performance. "He's just in a wonderful place in his career," Hussey said. "He's comfortable, happy, and enjoying his cricket."Despite facing different bowling strategies designed to counter his finishing prowess, Dhoni continues to evolve and improve. "He'll continue to evolve and make himself better," Hussey said. "He's making it harder for bowlers to bowl to him."Hussey also expressed confidence in Rachin Ravindra, a young Kiwi batsman who has faced some recent setbacks. "He's going well," Hussey said. "He's just one inning closer to that big score."Ahead of CSK's home match against Lucknow Super Giants, Hussey emphasized the importance of moving the ball quickly and dismissing key batsmen like KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock early on. "Rahul has been a fantastic player for a long time," Hussey said. "He's very difficult to bowl to."While CSK will play three consecutive home games, Hussey is taking a cautious approach. "Wins are important at any time of the tournament," he said. "But it's dangerous to think too far ahead."