The Australia and Perth Scorchers opener revealed she took an indefinite break because “people couldn’t see behind closed doors where I was really struggling”

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jun-2019Australia opener Nicole Bolton has spoken about her battle with mental health following her return to action after a five-month break and said if it hadn’t been for stepping away from the game she may have been forced to retire.When Bolton started her indefinite break in the middle of the fourth edition of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) in January, citing personal reasons, an air of concern hung over her withdrawal. It wasn’t, after all, a drop in form that had triggered the decision; she had just smashed a fifty for the Scorchers against Sydney Thunder and picked up 2 for 26. However, that Player-of-the-Match performance also brought the curtain down on Bolton’s season.More than five months on from the start of that hiatus from competitive cricket – she was unavailable for selection for the three-match home ODI series against New Zealand in February – which ended with a recall to Australia’s Ashes squad, Bolton revealed that her pull-out had been down to “alarm bells” around her mental well-being that nearly forced her to consider retirement.ALSO READ: Nicole Bolton relieved after bouncing back from first-baller ahead of Ashes“Personally a few things happened to me away from cricket which was a bit of a challenge in itself,” Bolton told . “There is still a lot of stigma around mental health, depression and anxiety. I don’t think I’d be sitting here talking to you if I didn’t take a break. I potentially would have retired to be honest.””It was what people couldn’t see behind closed doors where I was really struggling. Physically my body started to fail me in a sense. It was like alarm bells because I was like ‘this isn’t normal’.”A battle that has been faced by some of Bolton’s top-flight competitors such as England’s Sarah Taylor and Kate Cross, posed her a similar challenge: to speak up. And Bolton admitted she “wasn’t completely honest” with the Perth Scorchers team doctor, to whom she had only described symptoms of potential burnout.”I was almost covering up how I was really feeling,” Bolton said. “I didn’t want to rush it. It was something I knew that if I was going to take the time off, I had to do it properly. If that meant never coming back to play for Australia, then that’s what it meant.”During her time away from the game, Bolton found a confidant in the Australia and New South Wales men’s allrounder Moises Henriques, who had taken leave from the Big Bash League in late-December 2017 due to mental-health reasons.”He doesn’t know the role that he’s played, but it’s unbelievable really,” Bolton said of Henriques, who would try to lift her with words of encouragement on WhatsApp.Nicole Bolton gets set to play a sweep•Getty Images

At the time, Bolton’s decision to step away from the game was met with support by her club and national team-mates, including the likes of Meg Lanning and Ellyse Perry.”You speak to anyone around the country in women’s cricket and she would have had an impact on them in some way or another,” Perry, the Sydney Sixers captain had said. “She’s a great mate of mine and I know she’s got a huge amount of support from everyone. She won’t be a stranger, that’s for sure.”Bolton’s Scorchers and Australia captain, Lanning, echoed Perry. “It’s a family at the Scorchers and we’re right behind her,” Lanning said. “She knows that so hopefully she can get into a good spot and we’ll see what happens from there.”The support from her colleagues has been palpable since her return to the Australia squad for the multi-format seven-match Ashes, which starts next month and will kick off a busy international season that includes a tour of Sri Lanka in September, a tri-series involving England and India in January next year, leading up to the home T20 World Cup in February-March. There’s also the first standalone WBBL, running from October to December, on the domestic calendar.”Coming back into the squad, they were just rapt and even the staff were pumped,” Bolton said. “I never once felt alone, I knew I had the support I just needed a bit of help to get there. To be picked to play for Australia again I think is a massive achievement.”You get so caught up in the pressure and expectations and it can just grind away at you. Now I feel like I’ve got other things going on in my life that if cricket is not going well, well it’s okay. In time, I hope I can share my experience and maybe help someone else. It was an important time in my life and I’m glad I’ve been able to come through it.”

New Zealand concede pitch turned ‘more than we though it would’ as Babar Azam and Harris Sohail take game away

Melinda Farrell at Edgbaston 26-Jun-2019New Zealand are arguably the best side when it comes to reading pitches in tournament play but on a slow Edgbaston track that turned considerably there were admissions after their loss to Pakistan that they had missed a trick by picking just one frontline spinner and omitting Ish Sodhi from the team.In the absence of Sodhi’s legspin, New Zealand turned to the part time offspin of Kane Williamson to partner Mitchell Santner, as they tried to defend 237 and break up the key partnership between Babar Azam and Haris Sohail. After the match, Santner admitted they were deceived by pitch and thought it would offer more for the pace bowlers.”Obviously there was a bit of turn out there, probably more than we thought there would be,” Santner said. “Obviously at the toss, only going with one spinner, we thought it might be a bit better than that.Babar Azam shouts to Mohammad Hafeez•Getty Images

“It’s the spinner’s role to take wickets on a surface like that but I think credit has to go to the way Pakistan batted throughout the middle. That partnership through the middle there was pretty special. There were a couple of chances there but it’s about trying to build up pressure from both ends and stuff like that, but the way they were able to manipulate the field, and get their ones, when you’re only chasing 230, is the way to go about it.”I think we fought pretty well to the end and I guess they only got it in the last over. It was obviously a tough surface and we just had to stick at it. If we could put a couple on it, a couple of wickets on throughout that chase it might have been a little bit different.”After New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat, James Neesham made an unbeaten 97, his highest ODI score. He was one of eight bowlers used by Williamson, highlighting the desperation with which New Zealand were seeking a breakthrough.Watch on Hotstar (India only) – Neesham’s 97 not outBefore their previous match at Edgbaston, a final-over win against South Africa, New Zealand had spoken to Warwickshire captain and former Black Cap Jeetan Patel for advice on the pitch. Colin de Grandhomme has also played for the Birmingham Bears in the past two seasons.But Neesham suggested the information they gleaned before playing Pakistan was not especially accurate.”I think we can only obviously work on what we’re told leading into the game,” Neesham said. “We probably selected the team based on the information we had. In hindsight, it’s easy to say an extra spinner would have been useful, but I think with the balls we had, the quality we had at the bowling crease was enough to defend that total, and unfortunately, it just didn’t fall our way today.”

He is set to return to top-flight cricket by the end of the year after he met with the PCB and both parties agreed on a roadmap for his return

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Aug-2019Sharjeel Khan is set to return to top-flight cricket by the end of the year. The update comes after he met the PCB and both parties agreed on a roadmap for his return following, for the first time since he was banned, Sharjeel offering an “unconditional apology” for “irresponsible conduct that brought embarrassment to everyone” and asking for forgiveness.Sharjeel did not specifically address what he was apologising for, even evading repeated media enquiries on the matter after his statement had been submitted. But it appeared enough of an admission of guilt for the PCB, which announced that Sharjeel’s suspended sentence would be waived and he would undergo complete rehabilitation to allow him to reintegrate into the game.”I offer my unconditional apology to the Pakistan Cricket Board, my team-mates, fans and family for the irresponsible conduct that brought embarrassment to everyone,” Sharjeel said in a statement. “I request for forgiveness and assure I will show more responsibility in my future actions.”I remind all cricketers to strictly and religiously follow the PCB Anti-Corruption Code as breaching it will only earn momentary gains but the consequences will be severe and last for rest of the career. I have agreed on the future course of action with the PCB, including helping it in its education sessions on anti-corruption. I will soon return to club cricket but will not rush into domestic cricket as I have been away for nearly 30 months and need time to reclaim my fitness and form.”PCB agreed to waive Sharjeel’s suspended sentence following his ‘unconditional apology’•Umar Farooq/ESPNcricinfo

According to a PCB statement, the rehabilitation includes attending and delivering lectures on the PCB anti-corruption code, as well as visits to orphanages as part of his social responsibility, before he takes part in “integration sessions” with the national squad.Sharjeel, 29, was banned in 2017 from all forms of cricket for his role in the spot-fixing scandal that marred the PSL’s second edition. On the opening night, Sharjeel and Khalid Latif, playing for Islamabad United, were charged with five major breaches of the PCB’s anti-corruption code and were found guilty on all five counts by a three-man tribunal. Sharjeel was handed the minimum mandatory punishment on each of his charges. Latif received a five-year ban, with no chance of a waiver before the period ended.Whether Sharjeel’s suspended sentence would be waived was in doubt as recently as last week, when, with his ban set to expire, the player appeared not to have admitted his guilt, shown remorse for his actions, or taken part in any rehabilitation programmes.During his ban, Sharjeel maintained his innocence and denied all charges, appealing against the ban before an independent arbitrator, and then in court, only to have it rejected. Since then he has been weighing his options, and finally chose to write to PCB chairman Ehsan Mani, requesting him to use his discretion to waive the remainder of the ban.That appears to have been accepted, with the statement from the cricketer a part of the deal. The PCB also confirmed that the rehabilitation and reintegration would run side-by-side. It represents something of a departure from norm, where reintegration into cricket only becomes possible after the player has completed his rehab, but the PCB’s stance has softened in the wake of Sharjeel’s apology.Lt Col (R) Asif Mahmood, director of the PCB’s security and anti-corruption unit, said, “We met Sharjeel today in which he showed remorse and regret for his actions. The PCB never takes pride in penalising its players, but it has a non-negotiable and zero-tolerance approach to matters relating to corruption.”I hope this serves as a reminder to all those who think they can get away with violating rules as the PCB is vigilant and committed to eliminate the menace of corruption from the game.”

PTI reported that Dravid will be meeting Justice DK Jain in person in Mumbai on September 26

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Aug-2019Rahul Dravid, who was recently appointed head of cricket at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru by the BCCI, has been asked to appear before the board’s ethics officer Justice (retired) DK Jain over allegations of conflict of interest. According to , Dravid will meet Justice Jain in person in Mumbai on September 26.Allegations of conflict of interest against Dravid were brought up by Sanjeev Gupta, a life member of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association, who said that the former India captain should not be on the BCCI payroll because he was a long-term employee of Chennai-based India Cements, the company owned by former board president N Srinivasan that also owns Chennai Super Kings.In response, ESPNcricinfo understands that Dravid had written to Justice Jain explaining that he had suspended his employment with India Cements and was getting no pay. That then got him the full backing of the three-member Committee of Administrators (supervisory authority of BCCI) to remain in his NCA role.Along with Dravid’s case, Justice Jain will also hear one pertaining to Mayank Parikh, a senior official in the BCCI’s operations wing, who owns six cricket clubs in Mumbai – both Gupta and the CoA had pointed out that, as per the BCCI constitution, one cannot operate cricket clubs and be employed by the state cricket association or the board.Also read: Conflict-of-interest rule has to be ‘practical’, says Sourav GangulyThe conflict of interest issue has been in focus of late, with a number of high-profile former cricketers being questioned. Sourav Ganguly, who is caught up in it as well, said last week that the BCCI had to make the conflict of interest rule more “practical” and allow people to perform multiple roles. VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar are among the other big names in Indian cricket to have found themselves in similar situations of late.”I wouldn’t say an exception be made to the rule [for celebrated former players but] the rule has to be practical,” Ganguly said at an event in Mumbai. “And what is conflict of interest? Today Rahul Dravid is appointed NCA head and there are issues about his conflict of interest of his job with India Cements. So you’ve got to be practical on that.”You never know whether you will become NCA head or not, three years later you may not remain NCA head, but these [other] jobs are permanent and these jobs remain with you. So it has got to be practically solved – even when you do commentary or coaching, I don’t see it as a conflict of interest.”Ganguly’s roles came into question since he is both president of the Cricket Association of Bengal and part of the coaching staff of IPL team Delhi Capitals, while also doing media work as a commentator and columnist.

Suzie Bates leads with bat and ball as Vipers secure title shot against Western Storm

Matt Roller at Hove01-Sep-2019Southern Vipers overcame a mid-innings wobble to edge past Loughborough Lightning and advance to the final of the Kia Super League in a nerve-jangling run chase at Hove.Suzie Bates and Danni Wyatt had started the Vipers’ chase of 144 with real intent, as they took the score to 71 for 0 off the powerplay.But Loughborough spinners Sarah Glenn and Kirstie Gordon both struck in the middle overs to cause a hiccup and, as scoring became harder, only a crucial 22-run stand for the sixth wicket snuck the Vipers over the line and into the final.”That was probably our best bowling and fielding performance of the tournament, and that set us up really,” said Tammy Beaumont, the Vipers captain. “Danni and Suzie were exceptional in the powerplay. Danni is seeing it beautifully at the moment and Suzie is so experienced and then the middle order managed to see us home.”We did so well with the ball. At one stage I thought we were going to be chasing 160 on what was a good wicket so to keep them to 143 was an outstanding effort.”Loughborough’s attack laid claim to being the best in the competition when at full strength, but they were two bowlers short and it showed in a ragged powerplay. Kathryn Bryce (Scotland) and Hayley Matthews (West Indies) were both on international duty, and Shabnim Ismail, the overseas replacement fast bowler, missed the final group game and was unavailable as a result.Ismail had originally been reported as unavailable due to visa problems, though according to Kate Cross, the Lancashire seamer on , they were largely of her own making: as it turned out, she had failed to apply for one.It meant that Lightning were at least one bowler light, and when Wyatt and Bates decided to attack early on, they had few answers. Wyatt thrashed 19 off the second over, bowled by Jenny Gunn, and Bates followed suit as the pair put on 71 in the powerplay alone.Quick wickets then pegged the Vipers back. Gordon bowled Bates with a delivery that was little short of a slow left-armer’s dream, pitching on middle and spinning away from the bat to hit the top of off, before Wyatt was smartly stumped by England opening partner Amy Jones off Glenn’s legspin.Beaumont cut a frustrated, busy figure in her innings of 24, which also accounted for Maia Bouchier via a sloppy run-out, and after slashing four boundaries she chopped a Gunn slower-ball onto her stumps to leave the Vipers reliant on their lower-middle order.Fi Morris struggled for timing in a scratchy, 16-ball 7, and Paige Scholfield and Amanda-Jade Wellington endured a nervy couple of overs where they could only scrap singles and the Lightning turned the screw. But Wellington’s reverse-swept four off Glenn left them needing single figures, and Scholfield then charged down to deposit a length ball for another boundary over midwicket to seal the win.Loughborough’s innings of 143 was a frenetic affair, which jagged and veered rather than ebbing and flowing, and looked not far short of a par score on a wicket that offered something for the spinners.Lauren Bell, a tall, wiry seamer who bowled with good pace and found prodigious swing, struck twice early. First, Jones – who had put a miserable Ashes series behind her by scoring 300 runs at 37.50 in the tournament – was perhaps fortunate to survive a convincing lbw appeal, before attempting to ramp a ball that moved in from outside off and succeeding only in playing it onto her off stump.Then Bell struck again inside the powerplay to remove the dangerous Chamari Atapattu, trapping her lbw from around the wicket. While Bell is still a raw talent, as evidenced by the five wides and two no-balls she bowled, the makings of a future England player are there for all to see. She touched 70mph, and has regularly been part of their academy squads – at 18, she has a bright future.Skipper Georgia Elwiss led the rebuilding job alongside Georgia Adams after the powerplay, and the pair added 55 in 6.1 overs, but when Elwiss flicked a Tash Farrant ball out to Wyatt at midwicket, she decided to take on one of England’s best fielders and was duly run out coming back for a second run.From there, things only got more frenzied. Mignon du Preez’s international career has seen her play the role of accumulator, but she has struck at comfortably over 140 this season, and whacked a pair of sixes before holing out to Wyatt to end a tumultuous 11-ball innings of 21.Gunn and Abigail Freeborn both did their best to keep things moving, but Bates cleaned up the tail in her final over, with Wyatt claiming her third catch at deep midwicket before Gordon’s stumps were rearranged.Western Storm did the double over both sides in the group stage, and will be confident of getting past the Vipers in the final, but flashes of form from Wyatt and Bates will have made it clear that they will need to strike early with the ball.

An introduction of the four office bearers whom Ganguly will work closely with in the coming months

Vishal Dikshit23-Oct-2019Among the five newly elected office bearers who are set to take over their positions in the BCCI, Sourav Ganguly is the only one who needs no introduction. The other four, from different state associations, with varying backgrounds, are familiar with cricket administration but the fans might not be familiar with them. So, here’s an introduction.Jay Shah, secretary (from Gujarat Cricket Association)The youngest office bearer in the new BCCI administration by a distance, 31-year-old Jay Shah has been with the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) since 2009 and is Indian home minister Amit Shah’s son. Jay, an engineer, was elected as an executive board member in the Central Board of Cricket, Ahmedabad, in May 2009, and he took over as the joint-secretary of the GCA in September 2013.Ahmedabad’s Sardar Patel Stadium, host to IPL and international matches, has been under renovation since 2015 and is expected, when complete, to be the biggest stadium in India.Arun Singh Dhumal, treasurer (from Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association)Elected president of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) last month, Arun Singh Dhumal is also the younger brother of former BCCI president Anurag Thakur, the current Indian minister of state for finance and corporate affairs.Dhumal, 44, brings with him three years of administrative experience at the HPCA, having served as the vice-president from 2012 to 2015, during Thakur’s stint as president, before he had to step down because of the Supreme Court of India’s intervention following the Lodha Committee’s recommendations on administrative reform. Dhumal then led the three-member ad-hoc committee that was set up to lead the HPCA until the association adopted a new constitution in line with the Lodha reforms.HPCA

As the HPCA’s vice-president, Dhumal oversaw the association’s day-to-day cricketing operations and the development of the stadium in Dharamsala, which started hosting international matches in January 2013. Dhumal has also represented HPCA at BCCI meetings in the past.Jayesh George, joint-secretary (from Kerala Cricket Association)Jayesh George has the most varied experience among the new BCCI office bearers. At the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA), he has held the posts of joint-secretary, treasurer, secretary and, most recently, president after the state elections last month.George started as a wicketkeeper-batsman for Swanton Cricket Club in Ernakulam, where former India quick Tinu Yohannan also played, and became part of the KCA as a district representative in 2005. He was then an office bearer from 2013 to 2018 in three different capacities: joint-secretary, secretary and treasurer.He has also been the manager of India A teams on overseas tours of Australia and New Zealand recently. At 50, he is the oldest of the BCCI’s five office bearers.Mahim Verma, vice-president (from Cricket Association of Uttarakhand)Mahim Verma first aspired to be a professional cricketer but an accident in his youth forced him to turn to cricket administration to stay in the sport.His father, PC Verma, was the secretary of the Cricket Association of Uttarakhand (CAU), and Mahim took over as the joint-secretary in 2009. He held that position for 10 years until last month, when he was elected as the secretary unopposed, only weeks after the association got BCCI affiliation. Verma, 45, now hopes to bring more international cricket and IPL games to Uttarakhand.”It is like a dream come true, a few weeks ago we were running around to get BCCI affiliation for CAU,” Verma told the last week. “But now they have rewarded Uttarakhand cricket in a big way by appointing me as the vice-president of BCCI.”

Bowling coach expects team to adopt a ‘horses for courses’ approach to choose between Ashwin and Jadeja

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2019Jasprit Bumrah’s injured back might not require surgery “as of now”, according to India bowling coach Bharat Arun. India’s fast bowling spearhead is, however, unlikely to play a part in the remainder of India’s home season, which features limited-overs series against Bangladesh, West Indies and Sri Lanka over the next three months.Earlier in October, Bumrah visited the UK with the National Cricket Academy’s chief physiotherapist Ashish Kaushik, and consulted specialists to treat the back problem. The BCCI hasn’t made public the nature of Bumrah’s problem, except saying in a press release that the injury was “minor”.ALSO READ: ‘Is it Ashwin and Jadeja or Jadeja and Ashwin?'”Fast bowling is an unnatural activity. Despite our best efforts there can be no guarantees. We expect Bumrah to be back sooner than later, hopefully in time for the New Zealand Test series that is our next big challenge,” Arun told the . “As of now, he doesn’t need surgery.”Bumrah’s absence hasn’t affected the performance of India’s fast bowling group, though, with Umesh Yadav stepping up to join Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma to form a solid combine against South Africa in the recent Test series.Arun, who has been working with the bowlers since 2015, was particularly impressed with Umesh’s comeback – he picked up 11 wickets in two Tests, a majority of those a reward for attacking the stumps.”He’s strong and quick and now he is bowling in better channels, making the batsman play around the off stump,” Arun said. “He’s got reverse swing, has a nasty short ball. He and Shami, who is fast, accurate and dangerous, are a potent combination.”Arun also conceded that there might be no immediate end in sight to the battle between R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja to be the No. 1 Test spinner. Chances are the team management will go in for a “horses for courses” approach should they have to pick just one of the two.While their performances have been neck-and-neck with the ball, the team management has in the past considered Jadeja’s batting and fielding contributions as a valuable add-on, especially overseas.”He’s among the best spinners in the world, top class, and is approaching 400 Test wickets,” Arun said of Ashwin. “In fact, Ashwin went to England and Australia as our No. 1 spinner and then ran into fitness issues. Ravindra Jadeja grabbed his chance, giving us control with the ball, solidity with the bat and fielding brilliantly.”Away from home, if we have to pick one of the two in the eleven, it will be horses for courses looking at the conditions and the opposition. Then we have Kuldeep Yadav who picked five with his wrist spin in his last Test, in Sydney. We have an embarrassment of riches.”

Also, Saha undergoes ‘successful right finger surgery’ after picking up fracture in pink-ball Test

Shashank Kishore27-Nov-2019A week after being left out of India’s T20I squad without playing a game against Bangladesh, Sanju Samson has been called in again as an injury replacement for regular opener Shikhar Dhawan for the three T20Is against West Indies starting on December 6.Dhawan injured his left leg, which the BCCI’s medical team described as a “deep cut on his left knee”, during a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy game for Delhi against Maharashtra last week. Dhawan still “needs some more time for his stitches to come off and his wound to heal properly”, the BCCI said in a media release.In Dhawan’s absence, it is more than likely India will slot in the in-form KL Rahul at the top of the order with Rohit Sharma. Rahul has been key to Karnataka’s excellent run in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy – the domestic T20s – having aggregated 225 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 145.16, with a highest 84 off 48 balls against Punjab, as of November 26.Samson featured in just four of Kerala’s six matches in the Mushtaq Ali Trophy, finishing with one half-century. Prior to that, he struck the highest individual score (212*) in Vijay Hazare Trophy – the domestic one-dayers – history. It was also his maiden List A hundred, which helped him earn a national recall after four years.Samson, whose only appearance for India came in a T20I in Zimbabwe in 2015, was set to take part in Rajasthan Royals’ conditioning camp for their local players in Talegaon in the first week of December. Since finishing his commitments in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Samson has been training under his personal coach Biju George, the former fielding coach of the India women’s team, in Thiruvananthapuram.Meanwhile, wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha underwent surgery in Mumbai on Tuesday for a fracture on his right ring finger. The 35-year-old, who was lauded for his wicketkeeping during India’s inaugural day-night pink-ball Test in Kolkata, picked up the injury during the game.He was subsequently referred to a hand and wrist specialist, who suggested a “surgical fixation of the fracture”. The BCCI termed the surgery “successful”, and Saha is expected to commence rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. It’s as yet unclear how long Saha’s injury will take to heal.India’s next Test assignment is a tour of New Zealand in February.India’s squad for West Indies T20Is: Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma (vice-capt), KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sanju Samson

The ODI series win against Australia means the team will hit the road on a happy note, the India captain said

Varun Shetty20-Jan-20201:32

Need to put NZ under pressure from the get-go in their conditions – Kohli

India will focus on starting their T20I series against New Zealand, which will kick off the month-long, all-format tour of the country, with “intensity”, Virat Kohli said on the eve of their departure to Auckland.In the short ODI series at home against Australia, India batted first with mixed results in the first two matches, before sealing the third one in a chase. One way or other, Kohli said, India wanted to go into the New Zealand series with clarity and purpose.”We want to bat well when we bat first and in case we’re defending a low total, we should be able to do that as well,” Kohli said. “[…] Clarity of mind is really crucial because we’re playing in conditions that are not ours, so we have to take even more intensity into that series to put the home team under pressure, set that sort of template from game one and build from there.”We can’t afford to ease into the series after two games, because then it keeps getting tougher and tougher, so we’ll look to make a mark in the first game that we play, play expressive cricket and be sure of what we want to do.”ALSO READ: ‘The last six or eight months have been a revelation’ – KohliIndia lost their first ODI against Australia by ten wickets before coming back to win the series 2-1. Kohli said that during the huddle ahead of the final ODI against Australia in Bengaluru on Sunday, the team discussed going to New Zealand on a happy note, and beating a team like Australia was vital ahead of a tough tour.Virat Kohli expects a lot of intensity from the Indians on the tour of New Zealand•BCCI

“It’s important. We spoke of that at the huddle, that this is the last game we’re playing in the series and if we win, you go on a tour on a happy note,” Kohli said. “If you lose, it can go under the radar, you can brush it aside as ‘oh it’s just one loss’, but when you win and win under pressure – the last two games were tough wins – it boosts your confidence which we’re carrying forward, so looking forward to the New Zealand tour.”India last toured New Zealand almost exactly a year ago and began with a 4-1 win in the ODI series, but New Zealand won the T20I series that followed. That tour came in the lead up to last year’s ODI World Cup, and the number of matches in each format are reverse this year, with the T20 World Cup scheduled for later in the year.”[On the last tour] we were very positive in how we played, very sure of what we wanted to do,” Kohli said. “The thing about playing away is if you’re able to put the home team under pressure, you can enjoy your cricket. You have to win at home, there’s that sort of feeling. So if you bring out your A game, you can really put them under pressure.”That’s what we did last year, squeezed them in the middle overs, picked up wickets, and the spinners were outstanding. Looking forward to take that same intensity into the series. We’ve played really well in 2020, want to continue that.”

He however said the two parties are “still a long way from agreeing anything”

Mohammad Isam06-Jan-2020Ottis Gibson became the second person to be linked with the Bangladesh bowling coach’s job, after former South Africa seamer Nantie Hayward had applied for the role earlier this week. Gibson confirmed that he is having discussions with the BCB but did not reveal any more details.Gibson is currently the head coach of Cumilla Warriors, the BPL side that is managed by the BCB. He is working closely with chief selector Minhajul Abedin, board director Naimur Rahman and a few other BCB coaches.”I am not going to deny that a discussion is going on,” Gibson said. “We are still a long way from agreeing anything. We will see. Of course I love cricket and coaching bowling. If there’s an opportunity to help young fast bowlers, I will look at that opportunity.”I know some of the players. Al-Amin is in our team. I pride myself on forming relationships quickly with players. I have no problem coming in and trying to help young and experienced bowlers. If the opportunity is there, I will definitely look at it.”Hayward, Sylhet Thunder’s bowling coach, has also applied for the job that was vacated by Charl Langeveldt, who cut short his two-year contract by taking up the South Africa job last month.