Comfortable To Be In The Shadow Of Shane Warne: Nathan Lyon

by Shambhu Datta Mishra

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

The veteran of 129 Test matches and 530 wickets, Lyon revealed that the tall figure of Warne made it difficult to establish himself in international cricket

The greatest leg-spinner of all-time, Warne, had retired from international cricket in 2007 with a massive tally of 708 Test wickets

New Delhi, Sept 16: Australia spinner Nathan Lyon has accepted to live with the fact of being constantly compared to legendary bowler Shane Warne throughout his career. The 36-year-old, who once felt pressure because of the comparison, has now found peace with it.

The veteran of 129 Test matches and 530 wickets, Lyon revealed that the tall figure of Warne made it difficult to establish himself in international cricket.

The greatest leg-spinner of all-time, who passed away at the age of 52 in 2022, had retired from international cricket in 2007 with a massive tally of 708 Test wickets. However, Lyon, who made his Test debut in 2011, felt the enormous pressure of filling Warne's boot early in his career.

"I probably struggled with it early doors because you would be trying your hardest every game, but I feel like the media and the Australian public were asking, 'who's the next spinner? We need a spinner to do what Shane Warne did on the last day,'" Lyon told Sky Cricket.

"And I'm 10 matches into my first-class career. I'm never going to be able to do what Warnie did. Warnie's once-in-a-generation, he's the greatest to play the game in my opinion.

"I still feel in the shadow of Shane Warne now and I'm 129 Test matches in with 530 wickets. The thing is, I'm happy with that, and I'm comfortable with that now. A lot of us felt the pressure of Shane Warne's shadow... and it probably took me a good five, six, seven years to understand that pressure is a privilege. And if you've got pressure, you're doing OK, enjoy it," the spinner added.

Lyon will be in action in the much-anticipated five-match Test series against India, scheduled to be played from November 22 in Perth.

(IANS)

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Formidable India Aim To Begin Home Season On A High Against Confident Bangladesh

by Shambhu Datta Mishra

New Delhi, Sept 18: Amidst a crazy heatwave in Chennai, a formidable Indian side will be aiming to begin its international home season on a high against confident Bangladesh in the Test series opener at the MA Chidambaram Stadium Thursday.

While India are returning to red-ball action after a gap of six months and last defeated England 4-1 in January, Bangladesh come on the back of a remarkable 2-0 series win over Pakistan, their first series victory over the side in Test cricket, in Rawalpindi, indicating that they won’t be just mere pushovers this time around.

Bangladesh’s recent good form and India’s home domination has led to anticipation about how this Test series would pan out, as compared to chatter around its previous editions being of lopsided affairs.

The red-soil pitch will bring good bounce and carry, but with soaring temperatures in Chennai, spinners will come more into picture.

India will be welcoming back Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul into Test cricket action after varying long periods of absence. Their return means Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel will be warming the bench. Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja along with Kuldeep Yadav will be the key in leading India’s charge with spin, while their valuable batting runs would also be an aspect which will be the difference between a good total and a winning score.

For Bangladesh, they come with a dash of belief in their abilities and confidence to continue their good work after the historic triumph in Rawalpindi. With Chennai set to aid spinners, it means either Taijul Islam or Nayeem Hasanis are likely to enter the playing eleven.

With head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe stating Bangladesh have all bases covered, it means they have all the ingredients in their arsenal – crafty spinners, exciting pacers and gritty batters – to surprise India in Chennai. The task may be improbable, but with nothing to lose, Bangladesh will be buoyed to shine bright under unforgiving Chennai heat, provided India immediately hits the ground running as a dominant force at home.

The Squads

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Dayal.

Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Kumer Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Nahid Rana, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Jaker Ali Anik.

* Match starts at 9:30am on JioCinema (digital) and Sports18 (TV)

(IANS)

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IPL 2025 Mega Auction To Take Place In November End Or Early December: Sources

by Shambhu Datta Mishra

New Delhi, Sept 18: The mega auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 will be held in November end or early December, BCCI sources informed Wednesday. The rules and regulations for the same will be released by Board for Cricket Council of India (BCCI) in a couple of days, they said.

The IPL has held two large auctions in the past 10 years, with four-year intervals in between. The first major auction was held in 2014, then in 2018--when the Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings made their comeback after a two-year suspensions.

About developments related to the mega auction, sources close to BCCI confirmed to IANS that auction is likely to be scheduled in November end or early December . "IPL 2025 auction will take place in November end or early December this year. Rules of it will be out in couple of days," BCCI sources told IANS.

The 2021 mega auction was forced to be postponed by one year due to the Covid-19 outbreak. In both cases, teams added an extra year to the contracts of their players.

Like the 2022 auction in February and the 2023 and 2024 auctions in December, the upcoming IPL mega sale is most likely going to be a two-day affair.

In the last mega auction held in 2022, the IPL teams were permitted to retain up to four players. With the end of the three-year cycle approaching, there are differing opinions among franchises about the optimal number of retained players. While some teams argue for a larger retention cap, possibly up to eight players, others are comfortable with the existing limit of four or five.

(IANS)

Comfortable To Be In The Shadow Of Shane Warne: Nathan Lyon

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