Has scored 33 and 59 in his last two matches, his confidence is returning
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Read the full story here: https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/icc/it-looks-like-indias-kohli-is-coming-back-to-his-best-1.90243457
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Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km
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#UAEnews #cricketnews #asiacup2022
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00:00Good evening to all the beautiful people around the world.
00:03Last time when we had the superstar of Sri Lanka, Angelo Matthews, at the show,
00:08at the beginning of the Asia Cup, we were expecting Sri Lanka to do well.
00:12But I'm afraid the result did not go well.
00:14We have Anji back with us to discuss what happened in that match
00:18and what they should do in the match against Bangladesh.
00:21Welcome, Anji.
00:21Thank you, Anish. Thank you for having me.
00:23Our pleasure is all ours, Angelo.
00:26We thought that Sri Lanka is going to play the brand of cricket we know they are up to.
00:31But I'm afraid Afghanistan just blew them away.
00:36Yeah, absolutely.
00:37We knew the threat against Afghanistan.
00:42And it was all in all a disappointing performance by the entire team.
00:47I know they're hurting.
00:48I know everyone's hurting.
00:49The fans, even us, everyone.
00:51You know, just watching that performance was disheartening.
00:58But there's another game tomorrow.
01:02And, you know, you've got to put that aside because, you know,
01:06once in a while you come up with a performance like that,
01:11unfortunate performance like that.
01:13But you've got to, in a tournament like this,
01:16you've got to reshuffle and reshuffle quickly.
01:19And, you know, you've got to put, you know,
01:22wash it away and then take the positives and learn from it.
01:27And obviously play well against Bangladesh.
01:31Easier said than done, Anji.
01:33Like you said that, you know, you've got to wash aside or put aside this defeat.
01:36But as a player, you know, you've experienced sometimes when you have that bad game,
01:41easy to switch it off and say, yeah, let me focus on today's game.
01:45Definitely not.
01:47I mean, you feel hurt and that can stay there for a while.
01:52I know it's easier said than done, obviously, as you said.
01:56But, you know, when you put up a performance like that,
02:01it will hurt you for some time.
02:05But again, as a player, you need to, I mean,
02:09when you switch formats as well, you've got to adapt as soon as possible.
02:13I mean, always you're behind the eight ball.
02:16So you've got to sort of adapt, you know that you haven't done well
02:23and take responsibility and go out there and just not lose confidence
02:28because it can dent your confidence a little bit.
02:32The performance that we had against Afghanistan.
02:34I mean, not taking anything away from Afghanistan.
02:37They played extremely well.
02:38They are a very experienced unit when it comes to playing all around the world.
02:44Most of them are playing in international leagues.
02:47And that has given them that experience to bring in and, you know,
02:53play cricket like that, which we did against Bangladesh as well yesterday.
02:58So they are a very fiery force and you can't take them lightly at all.
03:08And, you know, we saw that it was the fast ball of Fazal Faruqi
03:12who rattled the Sri Lankans, the left arm.
03:14And they have Mustafizur Rahman in Bangladesh.
03:18So you think or worry like how Indians have a problem with the incoming ball?
03:25I think not only the Indians, I mean, almost every team has, you know,
03:31got problems against the new ball coming back in, especially to the left-armers.
03:37And that has always been a case.
03:41And so you got to try and find a way to play with the swing.
03:46And also the bowlers nowadays are very sharp in terms of thinking and execution.
03:54So you got to understand.
03:56So that's why we before a game, we study about the opponent.
04:00We study about their variations and stuff like that.
04:04So, you know, exactly with a new ball, this guy bowls this and he can also bowl,
04:12you know, cutters and, you know, slower balls as well.
04:16So you got to expect it as well, not be surprised at the time.
04:22So I'm sure they've, you know, watched the videos of the Bangladesh.
04:27Obviously, we played a lot against the Bangladesh team.
04:30But, you know, in these conditions, what could the bowler do?
04:34And what will be the variations?
04:36Again, they're playing in Dubai.
04:38And the Dubai wicket seems like it had a little bit of grass.
04:46So the ball nips around a little bit.
04:48So you have to, you might have to change your strategies a little bit.
04:53I mean, it's not like a wicket where you can go after the ball, you know, bowling from ball one.
04:59So you got to try, you got to assess the conditions, assess the wicket a little bit,
05:03give yourself a bit of time to get going.
05:06And obviously, you can't just, you know, hang around there without scoring runs.
05:10But obviously, you have to give yourself a chance
05:13to know what the wicket is going to do.
05:15And then you can obviously take them on.
05:18Angelo Matthews has hit the nail.
05:20You got to give yourself a chance, a little bit of time.
05:23And we saw that in that first three over Sri Lanka were 5 for 3.
05:27And it was difficult to come back.
05:28Anyway, let's come to tomorrow's game.
05:30Bangladesh, they have lost to Afghanistan.
05:33Sri Lanka has lost to Afghanistan.
05:35And you have to say both were clinical wins by Afghanistan.
05:38So it's just a shootout between both the teams?
05:42Yeah, absolutely.
05:43Afghanistan, as I said, they were very clinical with their performances.
05:47And they showed a lot of maturity experience on the field.
05:52And yeah, it's a do-or-die game for both teams.
05:56And you just got to play your best cricket tomorrow on the day.
06:00And do less mistakes.
06:03Because obviously, we will do mistakes.
06:06And everybody tends to do mistakes.
06:09But the team who does less mistakes tomorrow will obviously win.
06:14But I think, once again, losing three wickets in the powerplay was not on.
06:21Because once you lose three wickets, then I get the idea.
06:25I mean, you got to go hard in the first six overs.
06:28But as I said before, the conditions might not suit going hard from ball one.
06:36So you got to give yourself a chance.
06:39Maybe use the pace a little bit.
06:41Play good cricket shots.
06:43And obviously, you can take them on.
06:44But without… I mean, if we can keep to one wicket falling, maybe at best two wickets
06:54in the first six overs, then I think we can capitalize in the middle.
06:58It pushes a lot of pressure on the batters.
07:02If you lose two or three wickets in the powerplay.
07:07We have seen the Sri Lankan squad.
07:09They have enough power at the back end.
07:11In Amika Karunatne, we have a skipper.
07:17Then Bhanuka Rajapaksha.
07:18So it's not that they need to go that gung-ho cricket in the first six overs.
07:22You get 40 in six overs for a wicket.
07:25I think you can always recover for 171, 60 plus if you have wickets in hand.
07:32Absolutely.
07:33We have got the firepower, as you said.
07:35But they came in too early in the last game.
07:38If they had come up maybe around the 14th, 15th over, they can go from ball one.
07:44And I am sure the platform has been set if we had batted well in the first six and also
07:51in the middle overs.
07:52So, which the batters couldn't do, obviously.
07:56But hoping they will do tomorrow.
07:59Obviously, we have our own brand of cricket.
08:02And we shouldn't…
08:02I mean, as I always say, we should play our own brand of cricket.
08:07And we have that smart thinking players in our team.
08:11Where you can obviously hit the gaps, run hard.
08:15And you don't have to muscle the ball all the time.
08:18So you just get that 160 plus on the board.
08:22And then you are giving your bowlers a chance to win the game.
08:25So, you got to be smart.
08:27You got to play smart cricket.
08:30Not that you got to just hang around there by the 20 overs.
08:33That's not what I am saying.
08:35What I am saying is, you understand your strengths.
08:39Understand what you are capable of.
08:42And you don't have to be anyone else.
08:44You just go out there and do what you do best.
08:49Like in both the matches which Afghanistan won against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka,
08:54you saw that the top order just collapsed.
08:56Whereas, when Afghanistan was chasing on a difficult wicket,
09:00they had this boy by the name of Zadran, you know.
09:03I am talking about Ibrahim Zadran, who has been the anchor around whom the other Zadran went hard.
09:10So, they did not lose that wicket.
09:12So, that's a good ploy, I believe.
09:14If it works, it comes off.
09:16Yeah, I mean, each team have their own brand of cricket.
09:19I mean, they have come up with a plan, a clear plan.
09:22And they have been given clear roles.
09:25And you can see that on the field.
09:27So, if sometimes it doesn't happen, maybe another batter will take the anchor role
09:31and the other one will take the bowler's own.
09:34So, that's how you plan going forward in a game.
09:38Because always you cannot expect somebody to do a certain role.
09:43So, you got to adjust.
09:45You got to assess the conditions.
09:48So, you got to be on your toes thinking all the time.
09:51Because you haven't got enough time to sort of sit back, relax and think of what you want to do.
09:58So, you got to make those decisions in seconds.
10:02So, yes, I mean, Ibrahim and the other Zadran both battered extremely well.
10:12I mean, it's so pleasing to the eye to see them bat like that.
10:16I mean, they're playing good cricket shots.
10:19They're not just slogging.
10:21And it looks like Afghanistan are going to be a very dangerous team in this Asia Cup.
10:27You know, they can upset any team.
10:30And I'm sure they'll give a good run for the other teams as well, like the big guns.
10:39So, yes, as I said, I'm sure we have a clear plan.
10:44It's just that we couldn't execute in the last game.
10:47It's an execution.
10:48We can have four or five plans for a game.
10:52But if you don't execute on the field, everything will look like we didn't have any plans.
10:58But I'm sure we have plans.
11:00I'm sure that we are still planning for the Bangladesh team.
11:06And hopefully the guys can execute on the field.
11:09You see any changes coming up tomorrow?
11:11Or you stick to the same squad?
11:14See, it's a bit of a toughie.
11:18In my opinion, maybe Dhananjay De Silva can come into the team in the middle order.
11:25He gives that stability.
11:28And I would like to have that left-hand, right-hand opening combination.
11:33But I can understand why the two right-handers are opening at the top.
11:38Because Patum has been scoring runs in T20s over the past several months.
11:44And Kusal Mendes is lethal up there.
11:47So I can understand the thinking.
11:50I personally would like to have the left-hand, right-hand combination.
11:54And also, I would like to see Dhananjay De Silva coming in.
11:59And maybe Asit Fernando as well from a fast-bowling point of view.
12:06So if you want to get Dhananjay, that would be at the cost of Chamika?
12:15No, no.
12:16I think Chamika gives you a different dimension in the game.
12:23So he's an all-rounder.
12:25So one of the betters.
12:28So the openers probably are either Patum, Kusal, Charita.
12:32One of them.
12:34Yeah.
12:35So Kusal, I think Kusal has to play.
12:39So it's a really tough call.
12:41I mean, really tough call.
12:42Because all of them are in good shape.
12:45And Patum has been scoring a lot of runs.
12:48But it says that Dhanushka batting in the middle order, which is…
12:55I think he's been an opener right throughout.
12:58It's not that…
12:58I mean, we as batters have to sort of have an open mind,
13:05especially when it comes to T20 cricket.
13:08Wherever you bat, you should be able to adjust and adapt.
13:13But it's just that I would like to see Dhanushka batting in the top order
13:19so that it gives that right-hand, left-hand combination up at the top.
13:26So it's a really tough one.
13:28I mean, I'll be thinking really hard.
13:33And if I still think, okay, then I probably might go with the same team.
13:38So it's a very tough call.
13:40It depends on the conditions.
13:42It depends on the opposition as well to make that call.
13:48Right.
13:49Tough call just with one game.
13:50You just can't ask a player to sit out.
13:52But it's a do-or-die game.
13:54We'll have to wait and watch.
13:54We wish Sri Lanka the very best for this match.
13:57And we hope they come out trance against Bangladesh.
14:00Now, coming to India-Pakistan match.
14:02We saw Virat Kohli's comeback, even when I say comeback,
14:05after a 40-days break where he said he did not touch the bat.
14:09Did you watch the innings?
14:10Absolutely.
14:12You know what a champion he is.
14:15The attitude that he brings to the field is unbelievable, isn't it?
14:20I mean, he always wants it.
14:22He always wants that challenge.
14:25He likes to obviously score on the big stage, which he did.
14:30I mean, the start that he got, I thought he would carry on for a few more overs.
14:39But that innings that he played, he showed that he's got back his touch.
14:47He scored some wonderful shots along the ground.
14:52And over as well.
14:54And we are seeing a bit of the old Virat once again.
15:01But wasn't he a little bit anxious to feel the ball where he nicked it and all?
15:04Could have been caught for not?
15:08It happens.
15:08I mean, obviously, it happens to anyone.
15:12You know, you need that bit of Robert the Green as well.
15:15You know, you can't always have luck going the other way.
15:19So, you will get that chance on and off.
15:24And he made it count.
15:26I mean, he got that start.
15:29And he played some wonderful shots.
15:30And I am sure that will give him a lot of confidence going into the next game.
15:35And if you had to sum up India-Pakistan match, where do you think Pakistan lost it?
15:41I thought they could have got a little bit more runs.
15:45It was good bowling month again by the Indians.
15:49And also, see, you can't really pinpoint where it went wrong.
15:58It's just that, you know, both the teams had played really good cricket.
16:08And they had their chances to win.
16:10And it's just that on the day, yeah, India came out best.
16:14You know, it went down to the wire once again.
16:18And we all expected that.
16:20You know, if they play again tomorrow, we don't know who will win.
16:23You know, it's that kind of a contest.
16:26So, yeah, both teams had their chances.
16:29But, you know, I thought India with Jadeja and Hardik playing those two innings was crucial
16:36for India.
16:37India's win.
16:39Jadeja and Hardik were crucial for India's win.
16:42That's all we have for today, my friends.
16:45And we will have Ajanta, or rather, Angelo Matthews soon to understand what is going
16:49to happen.
16:50Rather, we hope Sri Lanka goes into the next round so we can discuss more on Sri Lanka's
16:55prospect in the future.
16:56Thank you, Angelo Matthews.
16:57We'll catch you up soon.
16:59Thanks, Aneesh.