BY SACNILK

Check out the World Test Championship 2021-23 points table. The top two teams, who will play the final at the Lord's will be decided according to the percentage of points won by a team. Standings SNTeamSeries PlayedMatchesWonLostDrawnPointsPCT (%) 1. Australia (Q) 6 19 11 3 5 150 66.67 2. India (Q) 6 18 10 5 3 127 58.80 3. South Africa 6 15 8 6 1 72 55.56 4. England 6 22 10 8 4 124 46.97 5. Sri Lanka 6 12 5 6 1 64 44.44 6. New Zealand 6 13 4 6 3 60 38.46 7. Pakistan 6 14 4 6 4 64 38.10 8. West Indies 6 13 4 7 2 54 34.62 9. Bangladesh 6 12 1 10 1 16 11.11 ## WTC Points Distribution Explained -## In the WTC 2021-23 format, each team will play six series (3 Home, 3 Away). Departing from a system where every series carried 120 points, the teams in WTC2 will now get 12 points for a win, 6 points for a tie, and 4 points for a draw. Rankings in WTC 2 will be determined by the percentage of points won.## 2-match series - Win/Tie/Draw - 12/6/4 | Total points - 24## 3-match series - Win/Tie/Draw - 12/6/4 | Total points - 36## 4-match series - Win/Tie/Draw - 12/6/4 | Total points - 48## 5-match series - Win/Tie/Draw - 12/6/4 | Total points - 60## Follow for more...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, August 7, 2021: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced case rewards for the Indian athletes who won medals in the Tokyo Olympics 2020. India won 7 medals including 1 Gold, 2 Silver, and 4 Bronze medals, making it the country's most successful outing in the history of the Olympics games. ## "Our athletes have made the country proud by finishing on the podium at @Tokyo2020. The @BCCI acknowledges their stellar efforts and we are delighted to announce cash prizes for the medallists", BCCI secretary Jay Shah tweeted. ## Our athletes have made the country proud by finishing on the podium at @Tokyo2020. The @BCCI acknowledges their stellar efforts and we are delighted to announce cash prizes for the medallists. pic.twitter.com/1nxST0vURy— Jay Shah (@JayShah) August 7, 2021 #### Jay Shah took announced INR 1 crore to the Gold medal winner, Neeraj Chopra. Chopra becomes the first athlete and the only second individual after Abhinav Bindra to win the Gold medal for India in the Olympics history. He won Gold in the Javelin throw on the final day of the games.## Shah also announced INR 50 lakh each to Mirabai Chanu and Ravi Kumar Dahiya who won Silver medals, INR 25 lakh each for the Bronze medalists, PV Sindhu, Bajrang Punia, and Lovlina Borgohai while INR 1.25 crore to the Indian Men's Hockey team for winning the Bronze medal. ## INR 1 Cr. - 🥇 medallist @Neeraj_chopra150 lakh each - 🥈 medallists @mirabai_chanu & Ravi Kumar Dahiya25 lakh each – 🥉 medallists @Pvsindhu1, @LovlinaBorgohai, @BajrangPunia INR 1.25 Cr. – @TheHockeyIndia men's team @SGanguly99| @ThakurArunS| @ShuklaRajiv— Jay Shah (@JayShah) August 7, 2021 ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, July 16, 2021: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the group for the forthcoming Men's T20 World Cup 2021, to be hosted by the BCCI in Oman and the United Arab Emirates from 17 October to 14 November. ## Hosts India has been placed in Group 2 of the Super 12s stage with arch-rivels Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan, and two qualifier teams. England, Australia, South Africa, West Indies, and two more qualifier teams will form Group 1 for the tournament. India, Pakistan in the same group means both teams will face-off for the first time in more than two years, their last fixture having come in the 2019 50-over World Cup.## The ICC announced the make-up of the groups - both for the first round and for the Super 12s stage - for the big-ticket tournament, which will be the first multi-team, a global event organized by the ICC since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic early last year. However, the schedule of the tournament is yet to be announced. ## Both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will have to go through the qualifying tournament. Sri Lanka has been placed in Group A with Ireland, Netherlands, and Namibia while Bangladesh will face Scotland, Papua New Guinea, and Oman in Group B. The groups were formed according to T20I rankings as of March 20, 2021.## Group 1 - England, Australia, South Africa, West Indies, Winner Group A, Runner-up Group B## Group 2 - India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Runner-up Group A, Winner Group B## Group A - Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands, Namibia## Group B - Bangladesh, Scotland, Papua New Guinea, Oman## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, July 15, 2021: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed the points structure for the 2021-23 World Test Championship cycle. Departing from a system where every series carried 120 points, the teams in WTC2 will now get 12 points for a win, 6 points for a tie, and 4 points for a draw. ## Same as the first WTC, the top 9 teams in the ICC ranking will play 6 series each: 3 home and 3 away, with the teams' rankings in WTC 2 will be determined by the percentage of points won. The championship will kick-off from August with England taking on the runner-up of WTC 1, India in the 5-match series. ## "We received feedback that the previous points system needed to be simplified", the ICC's acting chief executive Geoff Allardice said in a statement. "The Cricket Committee took this into consideration when proposing a new, standardized points system for each match. It maintained the principle of ensuring that all matches in a WTC series count towards a team's standing while accommodating series varying in length between two Tests and five Tests". ## "During the pandemic, we had to change to ranking teams on the points table using the percentage of available points won by each team, since all series could not be completed. This helped us determine the finalists and we were able to complete the championship within the scheduled time frame. This method also allowed us to compare the relative performance of teams at any time, regardless of how many matches they had played", he added. ## Day-night matches can be included in a series by participating teams but four-day Test matches won't be a part of the championship. Teams will lose one championship point for every over they are found short.## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, July 13, 2021: After Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, and Mohammad Azharuddin, one more biopic on Indian cricketing legend, Sourav Ganguly, is on the cards. Having remained one of the hottest topics for months, Sourav Ganguly has finally agreed to the biopic on him. ## According to reports, the biopic is going to be a big-budget film, amounting to Rs 200 crore to Rs 250 crore. In an interview with News 18 Bangla, Ganguly confirmed the news saying, "Yes, I have agreed to the biopic. It will be in Hindi but it is not possible to reveal the name of the director now. It will take some more time for everything to be finalized". ## A big production house has reportadly met with Ganguly more than once to discuss the further course. It is said that the makers have also decided who will portray Dada on the big screen. Reports claim that Ranbir Kapoor is the top contender for the role. Two more actors are also being considered. ## While the script of the film is still being written, the film will reportadly capture the entire journey of Sourav Ganguly. From his days as a young cricketer and becoming the captain of the Indian National team to his historic win at the Lords and finally becoming the president of the BCCI, the film will cover all facets of Sourav Ganguly's life.## Sourav Ganguly is known for transforming the Indian cricket team into the world-beaters. He is regarded as one of the finest captains in the history of Indian cricket who led the national team to some of the most famous wins. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, July 3, 2021: Indian cricket team captain, Virat Kohli is the most followed celebrity in India on Instagram. Currently, he has 132 million followers on the photo and video sharing platform and is ranked number 20 in the world. Meanwhile, HopperHQ has released its 'Instagram Rich List' for the year 2021, and Virat Kohli is the only Indian in the top 20. ## According to HopperHQ, Virat earns $680,000 - that's approximately ₹ 5 crores for each sponsored Instagram post. He was at number 23 last year and jumped to 19th position in 2021. The Royal Challengers Bangalore captain placed 19th on the list, just above American singer-songwriter Demi Lovato. ## Among the other Indians, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, with a following of 65 million on Instagram, made it to the 27th spot in this rich list. The actress, who has the second-highest number of followers among the Indians on Instagram, charges $403,000 (around ₹ 3 crores) for every promotional post she makes on the app. ## HopperHQ's Instagram Rich List includes 395 celebrities, sportspeople, and influencers. Last year, it was wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson had topped the list. This year, he lost the top spot to Cristiano Ronaldo who gets Rs. 11 crores per post with 295 million followers on the app. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, June 29, 2021: The International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed on Tuesday (June 29) that ICC T20 World Cup 2021 will be played in the United Arab Emirates and Oman from October 17 to November 14. It was earlier scheduled to be held in India but due to the covid-19 pandemic, it has been moved out of the country. The BCCI, however, will still be remained the host of the tournament. ## "Our priority is to deliver the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 safely, in full, and in its current window. Whilst we are incredibly disappointed not to be hosting the event in India, the decision gives us the certainty we need to stage the event in a country that is a proven international host of multi-team events in a bio-secure environment", said acting ICC CEO Geoff Allardice. ## "The BCCI is looking forward to hosting the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 tournament in UAE and Oman. We would have been happier hosting it in India but considering the uncertainty due to the COVID-19 situation and the importance of a world championship, the BCCI will now continue to host this tournament in UAE and Oman", said BCCI president Sourav Ganguly.## For matches to be played, four venues, which have been shortlisted are - Dubai International Stadium, the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, the Sharjah Stadium, and the Oman Cricket Academy Ground. ## The first round of the tournament, comprising the eight qualifying teams, will be split between Oman and UAE. The four teams progressing to the Super 12s round will be joined by the eight automatic qualifiers. The eight teams competing in the preliminary stage are Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland, Namibia, Oman, and Papua New Guinea.## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Southampton, June 23, 2021: After coming second on two back-to-back occasions in ODI World Cups in 2015, and 2019, New Zealand finally got their hands on the ICC trophy. The number one Test side in the world beat India by 8 wickets in a rain-affected six-day inaugural World Test Championship final at Southampton to clinch an ICC title after 21 years. ## Reacting to the same, the cricket fraternity took to social media and congratulate New Zealand on the ultimate glory. ## THEY'VE DONE IT! Ross Taylor hits the winnings runs and the BLACKCAPS win the ICC World Test Championship FINAL by eight wickets over India at the Hampshire Bowl. New Zealand's ultimate duo do it in the ultimate Test! #WTC21 #BACKTHEBLACKCAPS pic.twitter.com/hUmEi3fB9v— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) June 23, 2021 ## Congrats @BLACKCAPS on winning the #WTC21. You were the superior team.#TeamIndia will be disappointed with their performance.As I had mentioned the first 10 overs will be crucial & 🇮🇳 lost both Kohli & Pujara in the space of 10 balls & that put a lot of pressure on the team. pic.twitter.com/YVwnRGJXXr— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) June 23, 2021 ## A contest worthy to be called a Final.The pendulum kept swinging both ways throughout the game but it was NZ who showed why they are the number 1 test side.Congratulations to the @blackcaps!Well played #TeamIndia, proud today and always! @bcci#WTCFinal #INDvNZ— DK (@DineshKarthik) June 23, 2021 ## Humility, hard work, dedication to the team and the fans. World champions in so many ways.Gather ye rose buds while ye may..........@BLACKCAPS pic.twitter.com/475Q3wz4mg— Grant Elliott (@grantelliottnz) June 23, 2021 ## Congratulations @BLACKCAPS. Quality performance. Deserved win 👏🏻— Sir Vivian Richards (@ivivianrichards) June 23, 2021 ## You cannot thank @BCCI enough for their commitment to test cricket and the way they leading our favourite format into the future.@BLACKCAPS congrats, the people’s champions! #TestCricket #BCCI #IndiaVsNewZealand #WTC2021Final— Graeme Smith (@GraemeSmith49) June 23, 2021 ## Missed being 50-over champions 2 years ago in the same country, but winning the inaugural World test Championship in style, many congratulations @BLACKCAPS , absolutely worthy champions. Happy for Kane Williamson and @RossLTaylor #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/TNnkLvaMsO— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) June 23, 2021 ## Congrats NZ on #WTC21 win. Their bowling had so much variety and no visible weak link. The colour of clothes and ball might change, but NZ's consistency is admirable. @BLACKCAPS— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) June 23, 2021 ## Congratulations NEW ZEALAND winning the test championship final .Absolutely top class effort from team India from last 2 years and being in the final . 👍👍👍@BLACKCAPS @BCCI 🙌🏻🙏— Rashid Khan (@rashidkhan_19) June 23, 2021 ## Good guys don’t always finish last….New Zealand have finally ended the two-decade ICC trophy drought. Even-stevens in the first innings but totally outplayed India in the second innings. Well done, 🇳🇿 #WTCFinal— Wear a Mask. Stay Safe, India (@cricketaakash) June 23, 2021 ## So proud of this group of men. 5 years ago this result would have been unimaginable. Enjoy tonight lads! @blackcaps— Jimmy Neesham (@JimmyNeesh) June 23, 2021 ## Congratulations @BLACKCAPS !!!A small nation but what a great one. 👏👏👏 #WTC— Brendan Taylor (@BrendanTaylor86) June 23, 2021 ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Chandigarh, June 19, 2021: Legendary Indian track and field sprinter, Milkha Singh has passed away on June 18 due to covid-19 complications. The four-time Asian Games gold medallist had tested positive for the covid-19 earlier, was shifted out of the Covid-ICU after being tested negative a couple of days ago. ## While the family is yet to come to terms with the passing away of Milkha Singh's wife, 85-year-old Nirmal Kaur, who succumbed to Covid-related complications at a private hospital in Mohali on Sunday, the legendary athlete lost a valiant battle after developing fever and a dip in oxygen saturation level from Thursday night in the medical ICU of the PGI hospital. ## On the demise of Milkha Singh, the sports fraternity led by Sachin Tendulkar, Virendra Sehwag, P.T. Usha, among others pay tribute to the 91-year old. ## Rest in Peace our very own ‘Flying Sikh’ Milkha Singh ji. Your demise has left a deep void in every Indian’s heart today, but you shall keep inspiring several generations to come. pic.twitter.com/ImljefeUEN— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) June 19, 2021 ## Dark clouds of sadness prevail with the demise of my idol and inspiration Milkha Singhji. His story of sheer determination and hard work inspired millions and will continue to do so. As a tribute to him, students of Usha School paid homage to the legend. Rest in Peace 🙏 pic.twitter.com/mLBQQ2ge3v— P.T. USHA (@PTUshaOfficial) June 19, 2021 ## The great man #MilkaSingh ji has left us in body, but the name Milkha will always live on as being synonymous with courage and will-power.What a man. My sincere condolences to his family. Om Shanti 🙏 pic.twitter.com/AW2FbM3zg1— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) June 19, 2021 ## RIP #FlyingSikh. You were an absolute legend #MilkaSingh pic.twitter.com/1QG1Gsq8im— ದೊಡ್ಡ ಗಣೇಶ್ | Dodda Ganesh (@doddaganesha) June 18, 2021 ## Heartbreaking to hear that flying Sikh legend Milkha Singh sir is no more. The nation will always remember you sir and seek an inspiration from your life forever. RIP #MilkhaSingh sir pic.twitter.com/wnASq5QUUf— Hima (mon jai) (@HimaDas8) June 18, 2021 ## “After winning World Championship U20 title and medal in Asian Games, I still remember a call from #MilkhaSingh sir that “Hima just keep on working hard, you have ample time and you can win a Gold medal for our country at a global level”“I will try to fulfill your dream sir”— Hima (mon jai) (@HimaDas8) June 19, 2021 ## Very sad,heartbreaking to hear flying sikh Sardar Milkha singh ji is no more.. 🙏🙏 waheguru 🙏🙏 #RIPMilkhaSinghji— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) June 18, 2021 ## Had the honour of meeting you and you blessed me so many times .. the kindest and warmest 🤲🏽 RIP Milkha Singh sir .. the world will miss a legend like you .. #MilkhaSingh— Sania Mirza (@MirzaSania) June 18, 2021 ## We may not have seen you compete, but every time we ran fast as kids, we ran 'like Milkha Singh'. And for me, that will always be the legend you leave behind. You didn't just run, you inspired. Rest in peace, sir. #MilkhaSingh pic.twitter.com/SbwrqJJHx9— Sunil Chhetri (@chetrisunil11) June 19, 2021 ## 🙏🙏🙏 #MilkhaSingh #legend pic.twitter.com/VrCQJSaJiL— Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) June 19, 2021 ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, June 13, 2021: Ahead of the World Test Championship Final between Indian and New Zealand, the International Cricket Council (ICC) inducted 10 players from five different eras, dating back to cricket's early days, into the Hall of Fame for their contribution to Test cricket. ## "The 10 legends of the game to be inducted have all made a significant contribution to the history of Test cricket, and join an illustrious list of ICC Hall of Famers, taking the total number to 103 as a result of this intake", the ICC said in a statement.## Among the 10 players, former India all-rounder Vinoo Mankad has also made the cut into the list of Hall of Famer. Manked played 44 Tests for India and scored 2109 runs with 5 hundred and 6 half-centuries between 1956 and 1959. He is famous for his world record-setting opening partnership of 413 runs with Pankaj Roy in 1956, a record that stood for 52 years. ## Manked was a slow left-arm orthodox bowler and took 162 wickets at an average of 32.32, including eight five-wicket hauls. He is one of three cricketers to have batted in every position during his Test career. ## Apart from Manked, Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara, and Zimbabwe's Andy Flower - two of the most prolific wicketkeeper-batsman in Test history, also included in the list. Sangakkara becomes the only second Sri Lankan after Muttiah Muralitharan whereas Flower becomes the first player from Zimbabwe to make it to the Hall of Fame. ## Among the other inductees are Aubrey Faulkner of South Africa and Monty Noble of Australia for the early era (pre-1918), Sir Learie Constantine of West Indies and Stan McCabe of Australia for the inter-war Era (1918-1945), Ted Dexter of England for the post-war Era (1946-1970). Desmond Haynes of the West Indies and Bob Willis of England were inducted from the ODI era (1971-1995). ## "Vinoo Mankad's legacy has been to tell the aspiring Indian cricketer to believe in oneself", former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar said on Mankad's induction. "He was a great proponent of self-belief. He was the one who kept saying to me that you need to keep scoring runs and keep at it. When you get a 100, let that be the knock on the selector's door. If it is unheard, then score that double hundred and let that knock be even louder". ## "You can have the best technique, but if you do not have the temperament to support it you will not succeed, you have to keep hanging in there and have that self-belief. That was the greatest lesson I learned from him", Gavaskar added. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, June 10, 2021: The All-India Senior Selection Committee picked the Indian squad for the 3-match ODI series and the 3-match T20I series against Sri Lanka scheduled in the month of July. All matches will be played at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, Colombo.## With regular players are in England for the WTC Final and 5-match test series against England, Shikhar Dhawan has been named the captain of both the ODI and T20I series for the Sri Lanka tour. Dhawan remains the only senior player apart from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya, who is not a part of the test squad currently. ## Meanwhile, the absence of regulars means, Devdutt Padikkal making the cut in the limited-overs series for the first time. The left-hander has been in rollicking form in white-ball cricket in the domestic circuit as well as the IPL. Maharashtra and CSK opener Ruturaj Gaikwad has also been handed his maiden call up along with medium-pacer, Chetan Sakariya who impressed one and all in the first half of IPL 2021. ## India's squad - Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Prithvi Shaw, Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suryakumar Yadav, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Rana, Ishan Kishan (Wicket-keeper), Sanju Samson (Wicket-keeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, K Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Vice-captain), Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini, Chetan Sakariya. ## Net Bowlers - Ishan Porel, Sandeep Warrier, Arshdeep Singh, Sai Kishore, Simarjeet Singh## The white ball tour will start with three ODIs, taking place on July 13, 16, and 18, followed by three T20Is on July 21, 23, and 25 in Colombo. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, June 10, 2021: The inaugural season of The Hundred will see as many as five Indian woman players' participation. The captain and vice-captain of India's T20I team, Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana will headline India's participation along with Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, and Deepti Sharma. ## Harmanpreet will be part of the Manchester Originals while Mandhana has been signed up by Southern Brave. Deepti will represent the London Spirit and Rodrigues will play for the Northern Superchargers. Shafali replaces New Zealand all-rounder, Sophie Devine in the Birmingham Phoenix franchise. Devine has opted out due to logistical difficulties. ## Beth Barrett-Wild, Head of The Hundred Women competition expressed her joy at being able to get the Indian stars on board for what is undoubtedly ECB's most ambitious project to date.## "They're a hugely exciting group of players and they'll bring a lot to the competition," said Beth adding, "I can't wait for July 21, I can't wait for the whole competition, and I can't wait for fans to see these world-class players doing what they do best". ## Harmanpreet said, "It's very exciting that I'm going to get to play in the first-ever game of The Hundred. It will be special to make history, especially with a women's match on such a big ground. We've played in front of some large crowds in India and it's always a great experience for the players". ## Stay tuned...