Kapil Dev courts controversy with his choice of Most Valuable Player in current Indian team

Former Indian cricketer Kapil Dev has courted controversy with his choice of Most Valuable Player in current Indian team. He disagrees with cricketers from VVS Laxman to Sourav Ganguly and feels that the Most Valuable Player tag should go to Rsvichndran Ashwin rather tan Virat Kohli.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 21 September 2016.

Practically every former Indian cricketer has loads of admiration for Virat Kohli because the 27-year-old's work ethic, along with his golden run with the bat, has deeply impressed many of Indian cricket's biggest names. Since he is the captain of India's side, it automatically makes him the most important member of the team.
However, the World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev is of the opinion that the legendary all-rounder, Ravichandran Ashwin is the most valuable member of the current Indian side. Kapil Dev says that Harbhajan Singh bowled so well and claimed more than 400 Test wickets and, all of a sudden, Ashwin came on the scene and began taking wickets and, also, scoring runs.
Off-spinner Ashwin has always been a potent weapon with the ball and his improvement in batting is what has taken everyone by surprise. In the Test series against West Indies, the Tamil Nadu cricketer has hit two tons in yet another man-of-the-series performance. And, in the forthcoming New Zealand series, he will be skipper Kohli's biggest trump card.


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1st test in Antigua - India beat West Indies by an innings and 92 runs

Indian cricket comes of age as they deliver an innings defeat to West Indies on their home ground in Antigua. Batting first India posted a massive total of 566 for 8 with captain Virat Kohli scoring 200 runs with Ravichandra Ashwin chipping in with a 113.
West Indies was unable to overhaul that score in site of getting two innings. They could score 243 in 1st innings and 231 in 2nd innings.
India won by an innings and 92 runs with Ashwin being declared Man of the Match for his 113 run knock in 1st innings and haul of 7 wickets in 2nd innings.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 25 July 2016.

It was an all-round performance by both the batsmen and the bowlers. While Umesh Yadav 4/41 and Mohammad Shami 4/66 were the main bowlers in 1st innings, it was Ashwin (7/83) all the way in 2nd innings.
As to West Indies, it was only Carlos Braithwaite who put up some resistance - he scored 74 runs in 1st innings and followed it up 51 in 2nd innings. K Braithwaite captured 3/65.


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1st test Antigua advantage India - scores 302/4 with captain Virat Kohli on 143 not out

The first day of the 1st Test match in Antigua against West Indies was advantage India with India scoring 303/4 and Captain Virat Kohli remaining not out on 143. This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 21 July 2016.

Captain Kohli scored an unbeaten 143 off 197 balls on day one of the opening Test match of the four-match series at North Sound, Antigua - this helped India post a score of 302 for the loss of four wickets at stumps. Virat Kohli in the company of Shikhar Dhawan put on 105 runs for the third wicket. Kohli reached a personal milestone of 3000 Test runs in his 73rd innings, the eighth Indian batsman to achieve the feat. He reached his 13th Test fifty off just 75 balls.
Shikhar Dhawan also looked set for his fifth Test century, but an ill-advised sweep shot led to his dismissal on 84 in the last over before tea.
As to the bowling of West Indies - on a slow Antigua track, 28-year-old fast bowler Shannon Gabriel extracted enough pace and bounce to unsettle India's opening duo of Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan. Murali Vijay (7) departed to a rising delivery from Gabriel. Other 3 wickets were taken by legspinner Devendra Bishoo (3/108).


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IPL9 - Cutting helps Hyderabad lift the trophy for the first time, Bangalore outplayed

It was a glorious T20 match for Hyderabad when they lifted the IPL Trophy for the first time. It was a battle among equals and Bangalore finally faltered and lost by 8 runs. Ben Cutting was declared the Man of he Match for his blistering knock of 39 not out off just 15 balls and his capturing of 3 wickets. He had hit four huge sixes and three fours.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 30 May 2016.

David Warner, the captain of Sun Risers Hyderabad won the toss and decided to bat first. He, along with Shikhar Dhawan, put up 63 runs by the seventh over when Dhawan fell at an individual score of 28 off 25 balls with the help of a six and three fours. Warner raced to his ninth fifty of the season in the ninth over in just 24 balls hitting three sixes and five fours and fell when his score was 69 off 38 balls (three sixes and eight boundaries). SRH finally posted 208 runs on the board for the loss of 7 wickets.
In reply, Chris Gayle and Virat went all out to score the necessary runs and the duo added 114 for the opening wicket to set a perfect platform to chase down the big target. But, Cutting cut into Kohli's dreams - he got the prized wicket of the Gayle in the 11th over. Gayle had hit eight sixes and four boundaries in his quick-fire 76 off 38 balls. Kohli also did not last long - he fell victim to Barinder Sran. Kohli had smashed two sixes and five fours for his 35-ball 54. Then wickets fell in heaps - RCB were reduced to 148/3 in 13.5 overs and finally folded up for 200 runs.
For RCB, it was their third defeat in as many finals of IPL.


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IPL9 - unstoppable Virat Kohli scores his 4th ton: a record

It was a rain curtailed match of IPL9 between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab. After losing the toss, the RCB was sent in to bat by KXIP and, it turned out to be a nightmare for them. Virat Kohli hit his 4th century of IPL9 (113 runs off 50 balls). There were sixes galore with the openers Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle hitting eight sixes each to post a massive total of 211 for 3 wickets in the allotted 15 overs.
This has been reported in oneindia.com dated 19 May 2016.

RCB captain Virat Kohli scored his fourth century in the ongoing IPL season and became the only batsman to score more than 800 runs in a single edition. His tally now stands at 865 runs from 13 matches. Incidentally, he had sustained injuries that required multiple stitches due to his split webbing on left hand. It happened during the last match against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Kohli had hit 12 fours and eight sixes while his opening partner Chris Gayle smashed a scintillating 32-ball 73 with the help of four boundaries and eight sixes. The duo posted a whirlwind 147-run opening stand to lay the foundation for a huge score. Thanks to Kohli and Gayle's blitzkrieg, the Royal Challengers Bangalore scored 211/3 in 15 overs in the rain-curtailed match.


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IPL9 - Virat Kohli posts his 3rd century to set up a record

Virat Kohli, captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) has set a new batting record in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. He became the first batsman in the history of IPL to score three centuries in a single edition. This has been reported in oneindia.com dated 14 May 2016.

Virat Kohli went great guns and scored 109 off only 55 balls against Gujarat Lions and registered his 3rd century in IPL 2016. The right-hander, in an incredible display of hitting, blasted 8 sixes and 5 fours. The 27-year-old had previously hit a ton against the same opponent. In Rajkot on April 24, he hit 100 not out. His second hundred (108 not out) of the tournament came against Rising Pune Supergiants on May 7. AB de Villiers too crossed the three-figure mark. The South African blazed his way to an unbeaten 129 from just 52 balls with 12 sixes and 10 fours. As a result of Kohli and De Villiers' record 229-run partnership off just 16 overs, for the 2nd wicket, RCB posted a mammoth 248/3 in 20 overs. RCB won by a record 144-run margin as Gujarat were all out for 104 in 18.4 overs.


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IPL9 - Dhoni has lost his magic touch - Pune loses to Bangalore by 13 runs

It is gradually becoming clear that M S Dhoni, the captain of Rising Pune Supergiants is losing his magic touch because it was yet another loss - this time to Royal Challengers Bangalore by 13 runs at Pune. RPS won the toss and asked RCB to bat first. The openers AB de Villiers (83) and Virat Kohli (80) posted a sizeable total of 185 for three. In reply, Ajinkya Rahane (60), MS Dhoni (41) and Thisara Perera (34) did put up fighting knocks, but ended up on the losing side - they fell short by 13 runs.
This has been reported in cricbuzz.com dated 22 April 2016.

RPS had lost the previous two matches batting first after winning the toss and their inability to put up a defend able score. This time they again won the toss and opted to field first - the result was no different. The reason - dropping a vital catch by Ravichandran Ashwin, the trusted fielder in the slips, in the first over of Ishant Sharma - Ishant had a miserable day conceding 47 runs in just 4 overs without a wicket. RCB managed to put up a huge formidable score that required more than 9 runs from the word go.
To make matters worse, RPS opener Faf DuPlessis gifted away his wicket, Kevin Pieterson twisted his ankle after facing the first ball and Steven Smith got run out trying to steal a single.
In the end, it was another loss for RPS - they are now placed at 7th position in the table of 8 teams in the IPL9 points table. Obviously, RPS has to rework its strategies and go in for a change in team composition. A B deVilliers was declared the Man of the Match.



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Virat Kohli, the dependable, steers India to the semifinals of World T20

It was a do-or-die situation for India as they took on Australia in he World T20 match at Mohali and, a defeat would have meant the end of the road. But - dependable Virat Kohli steered the Indians to victory with 5 balls to spare. It was a familiar situation with Kohli and Dhoni at the crease for putting the finishing touches to a tough match when a slip would have meant disappointment. This has been reported in hindustantimes.com dated 28 March 2016.

Batting first, the Aussies got off to a fantastic start scoring 63 runs in the first 6 overs but, then, the Indian bowlers put the squeeze on and the Australians kept losing wickets at Tuareg intervals. They ultimately finished with 160 runs on the board - a far cry from a 200+ score that they would have expected with the sort of beginning they had.
In reply, Indians took off on a shaky start with both openers going out cheap and Virat Kohli came to the crease. And, it was tugh gong for him - he lost Suresh Raina soon and, when Yuvraj Singh pulled his hamstring muscles , Kohli had to continue with the game with a limping partner Yuvraj and watch the asking rate rising. It was then that his captain M S Dhoni came to the crease after the fall of Yuvraj's wicket and Kohli's innings gained momentum. He found gaps in the field at will and left the Australians stunned.
Virat Kohli scored 82 (9x4, 2x6) not out and was the obvious choice for the Man of the Match.
India will now face West Indies in the semi-final in Mumbai on March 31 while New Zealand play England the previous day in Delhi.


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At one point of time there were serious doubts as to whether the World T20 match can be held at Eden Gardens because of heavy downpour. But, thanks to the ground staff and latest equipment in the form of soppers, the play was made possible. Only, it became a 18-over game instead of the 20-overs and Indian captain M S Dhoni chose to field first.
Pakistan managed to post 118 runs on a pitch that appeared to be unplayable at times due to the ball taking spin. However, the score of 118 was inadequate as was proved by India scoring the win in the penultimate over, thanks to a huge 6 by Dhoni which he followed up with a single to make the winning run.
Virat Kohli was, without doubt, the man of the match. In two back-to-back innings against Pakistan, he had scored 49 in the Asia Cup last month and, at the Eden Gardens, he scored 55-not out. This has been reported in ibnlive.com dated 20 March 2016.

Incidentally, this was a Indo-Pak encounter of a different kind because stalwarts of both countries were present as were big names like Amitabh Bachhan, Anil Ambani, Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, and Imran Khan. They were felicitated by the CAB and Amitabh Bachhan sang the national anthem.


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India is known to be the master of playing spin bowling but they met their nemesis at Nagpur in the form of New Zealand who outplayed India on all fronts to score a thumping victory. Set to score 127 to win, India folded up meekly for 78 and could not even play out the allotted 20 overs. It was a miserable performance by the batsmen. M S Dhoni top scored with 30 while Virat Kohli made 23 runs and Ravichandra Ashwin scored 10 - they were the only three batsmen to score in double digits.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 15 March 2016.

For New Zealand, it was five matches, five wins and they maintained their 100% success rate over India in Twenty20 internationals. They struggled to score 126 runs but defended it successfully, thanks to their spin trio. Mitchell Santner scalped 4/11 while Ish Sodhi returned figures of 3/18. Obviously, New Zealand read the pitch better than India and spun their way to victory, thanks to failure of the Indian batting stalwarts to deliver.
New Zealand struggled to cope with the tough conditions after Kane Williamson opted to bat. They had dropped Tim Southee and Trent Boult and accommodate three spinners which was a masterstroke.


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India wins Asia T-20 because M S Dhoni struck exactly when required

India won the Asia T-20 final at Mirpur in Bangladesh because M S Dhoni came to the crease just when required. And, the opportunity came when Shikhar Dhawan lost his wicket. If he had not gone out and Dhoni did not enter the scene, the result could have been quite different because with the number of balls reducing and the asking rate climbing, it was necessary to go in for the big hits.
And, captain Dhoni did just that.
With the flurry of his bat, he scored an unbelievable 20 runs in just six deliveries - 2 sixers, one boundary, a single and a 3!! And, thus, it came to pass that India lifted the Asia Cup trophy without losing a single match in the tournament in a rain curtailed 15-over match.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 7 March 2016.

India won the toss and asked the hosts to bat first and they posted a total of 120 in the allotted 15 overs. With an initial asking rate of 8 runs per over, the Indians took the field and appeared to have lost momentum when in the 13th over, they lost the 2nd wicket. They had plenty of wickets on hand but the time was running out and the stadium was tense.
It was at such a time that captain Dhoni entered the scene once Shikhar Dhawan went out after scoring 60 runs. It was a do or die situation for the seasoned Dhoni and he just went ahead playing his strokes as if he had been at the crease from the beginning.
Dhoni has been criticized on a number of counts but it is a fact that he does not hesitate to take the bull by its horns and play the game the way he only can. Let us now wait for the T-20 World Cup and his performances.


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Asia T-20 - India beat Pakistan hollow at Dhaka - Virat Kohli Man of the Match

Any cricket match between India and Pakistan, the arch rivals, is usually one full of excitement and one expects nail biting finishes but the Asia T-20 at Dhaka was a totally different kettle of fish. It turned out to be a sad display of cricket and set to bat first, Pakistan managed to score just 83 runs in 17.3 overs - they could not play out the full quota of 20 overs. This has been reported in ibnlive.com dated 27 February 2016.

Pakistan had players like Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, and Umar Akmal in the team and failed miserably to put up a decent definable score. For India, they began on a bad note and were tottering at three for eight in 2.4 overs when Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh joined forces to take India home. Virat Kohli missed out on another 50 but he and Yuvrah Singh stitched 68-run partnership after Mohammad Amir's fiery spell. India finally cruised home to a five-wicket win in 15.3 overs over Pakistan in their second Asia Cup T20 match in Dhaka and, with this win, India are top of the table with four points in two matches. Hardik Pandya was the pick of India's bowlers, finishing with 3 for 8 while Ravindra Jadeja captured 2 for 11.


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M S Dhoni comes in for criticism after 3rd successive loss to Australia

#msdhoni #ViratKohli #RavindraJadeja ODI Cricket is an unpredictable game and, India's captain M S Dhoni has come in for criticism after the 3rd loss on the trot in Australia against Australia. He has failed miserably in his daredevil batting - he has scored just 53 runs in last three ODIs while Virat Kohli has started the new season with a bang. He scored a century in the 3rd ODI.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 18 January 2016.

In view of these consecutive losses, questions ae being asked as to whether he should hand over the baton to Virat Kohli who is already captain of the longer version of the game and take over captaincy of all formats of the game. In the 3rd ODI, India was in a commanding position but frittered away the advantage - they let the match slip out of their hands as Glenn Maxwell hammered a 96-run knock.
Captain M S Dhoni came under criticism for his move to remove Ravindra Jadeja from the bowling attack soon after he had dismissed Steve Smith and George Bailey in quick succession. That was a mistake for which India paid the price. 2015 was a forgettable year for Dhoni. After losing the the ICC World Cup 2015, India lost an ODI series vs Bangladesh, another against South Africa and a T20I series against South Africa. And, all these lsses were under his leadership.
Known as a finisher, he appears to have lost his touch. He smashed 23 runs off 8 balls in the third ODI, but, his overall performance is a matter of concern. Compared to this, Virat Kohli is the rising star - he has two half-centuries and one century in the last three ODIs.
Obviously, the selectors have a genuine problem on hand because the ICC World Twenty20 is just few months away - the million dollar question is: will Dhoni remain captain or will there be a change of guard?


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India evens ODI series 2-2 at Chennai – Virat Kohli hits a century

#INDvsSA #ViratKohli #abdevilliers #SureshRaina It was another interesting ODI at Chennai between South Africa and India – and, thanks to some useful batting, India managed to put up a score of 200 for 8. Virat Kohli scored a century, it was his 23rd, and that laid the foundation of a 35-run win for the home team.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 22 October 2015.

It was an innings that Virat Kohli will cherish because he was desperate to end a run of 12 completed innings without a century dating back to India's World Cup opener on March 15. It was his first against South Africa and, his 138 was key to India's series-levelling victory at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Suresh Raina also chipped in with a 53 and appeared to have returned to form after his failures in the earlier ODIs of the series.
However, AB de Villiers could have spoiled India’s show because he also hit a century and his awe-inspiring 112 threatened to seal the series for South Africa. But, the series is now level at 2-2, with the last ODI scheduled at Mumbai – it would be a contest worth looking forward to.
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#RohitSharma #ViratKohli #RavichandranAshwin #INDvsSA Put in to bat by the visiting South Africans, the home team struggled to a score only 92 runs and could not even play put the allotted 20 overs. With two runouts of Rohit Sharma (22) and Virat Kohli (1) and inability to open accounts by Ambati Rayudu, Harbhajan Singh Bhibaneshwar Kumar and Mohit Sharma, it was a miserable showing by a team known for its brilliant batting power.
It all came to naught and, understandably, the huge crowd at the Barabtri Stadium was disappointed – and, they expressed their anger by throwing bottles on the field.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 6 October 2015.

India could play for only 17.2 overs and the visitors overhauled it in 17.4 overs – thus, they won not only the match but, also the 3-match series. Incidentally, this was India's second lowest T20 score after their 74 against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in February 2008.
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (3-24) was the only wicket taker and he tried his best to defend a low score, but such a low score is difficult to defend.
The behavior of the crowd tarnished India's image at the cricket venue.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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#INDvsSL #ViratKohli #RavichandranAshwin #cheteshwarpujara It was the sweet smell of success for Virat Kohli and a series win for India at Colombo as they heat the home team to break a 22-year-old jinx on Sri Lankan soil. It was an emphatic 117-run win over the hosts in the third and final cricket Test, thanks to Ravichandran Ashwin who captured a total of 21 wickets in the 3test series.
This has been reported in thehindu.com dated 1 September 2015.

In spite of disturbance due to rains and the failure of some of the batsmen, India succeeded in setting a rather daunting victory target of 386. The contribution of Cheteshwar Pujara with his 145 not out helped the cause.
In reply, Sri Lanka could score only 268 despite Captain Angelo Mathews valiant century. He scored a fighting 110 and shared 135 runs for the sixth wicket with Kusal Perera (70). There appeared a glimmer of hope for Sri Lanka to be able to save the match but, the dismissal of Perera shortly before tea put an end to their hopes.
This was India’s first overseas series victory since June, 2011 against the West Indies and was the first win for India’s new test captain Virat Kohli. India had last won a test series in Sri Lanka in 1993 under the captaincy of Mohammad Azharuddin.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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India won the 2ns test match at Colombo comfortably by 278 runs. Set to score 412 for a win, the home team could not bear the pressure and succumbed to the inevitable. This victory was a special one for Virat Kohli, the captain of India Test team and also for Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara because it was his last match and ended a 15-year illustrious career.
This has been reported in ibnlive.com dated 24 August 2015.

For the Indians, batsmen who scored centuries were Lokesh Rahul (1st innings - 108) and Ajinkya Rahane (126 in 2nd innings) while for the Sri Lankans, the only centurion was Angelo Mathews (1st innings – 102).
Bowlers Ravichandra Ashwin (3 for 76 and 6 for 42) and Amit Mishra (3 for 43 and 3 for 29) took 5 wickets each – and Sri Lanka folded up at 134 in 2nd innings giving India a fantastic win of 278 runs. There were clouds in the sky but, in the final tally, the rain gods did not pose any problem and the game ended as expected.
This win keeps alive India's hopes of carving a win in Sri Lanka after 23 years - the last time India won a Test series in Sri Lanka was in 1993 and, there are possibilities that the new look India team will win the series.
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India wins 3rd ODI at Mirpur – Bangladesh lose the chance of a whitewash

#INDvBAN #SureshRaina #ShikharDawan #ViratKohli #Mirpur Bangladesh could not do the whitewash and India beat the home team at Mirpur by 77 runs to win the 3rd ODI and but lose the series 2-1. If only they had played a proper game and had not been overconfident in the previous games, the result could have been different.
Bangladesh won the toss and asked India to bat first. India put up an impressive score of 317 for loss of 6 wickets and Bangladesh fell short by 77 runs.
This has been reported in hindustantimes.com dated 24 June 2015.

Some long partnerships helped India go past the 300 run mark. There was Dhoni's 93-run stand for the fourth wicket with Ambati Rayudu (44 off 49) and Dhawan's 75-run partnership for the second wicket with Virat Kohli (25 off 35).
Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (69 runs off 77 balls) and opener Shikhar Dhawan (75 off 73) played to their potentials.
Man of the Match was Suresh Raina who had put an all-round effort with both the bat and the ball – he scored 38 before ending with career-best figures of three for 45.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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#IPL8 #CSKvsRCB #MikeHussey #AshishNehra Chennai Super Kings defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore at Ranchi to move ahead to the finals and their opponent now will be the Mumbai Indians – they will clash at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 22 May 2015.

Dhoni won the toss and elected to bowl first and Ashish Nehra took three of the prize wickets of Virat Kohli, AB De Villiers and Dinesh Karthik to put RCB on the back foot. Hard hitting Chris Gayle hit Suresh Raina for two consecutive sixes and then gave a return catch to Raina to ensure that RCB does not get to a too big score.
It was a game more of holding ones nerves and there were dropped catches and misfielding on both side. The tension was evident from the facial expressions.
Finally the RCB could score 139 runs and it was left to CSK to score 140 to win and move on to the finals which should have been an easy task but proved difficult and dragged on to the last ball of the innings. Mike Hussey top scored with 56 runs and Dhoni added 26 runs.
Ashish Nehra was adjudged the Man of the Match.
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BCCI says ‘No’ to Dhoni and Kohli – they have to go to Bangladesh

There were rumors that M S Dhoni and Virat Kohli wanted to take a break and not go to Bangladesh but BCCI has not agreed. The players announced for the tour include both of them – while Kohli would be captain of the test squad, Dhoni would be captain of the ODI matches.
This has been reported in zeenews.com dated 21 May 2015.

Mashrafe Mortaza, the captain of the Bangladesh team, is a happy man because India has announced full-strength squads for its tour next month. During last year’s Bangladesh tour, India had rested both Dhoni and Kohli and the team was led by Suresh Raina.
Mohammad Shami has been left out due to injuries and Harbhajan Singh has been recalled after a gap of two years. As per this year’s itinerary, the Indians would arrive in Bangladesh for a Test and three ODIs on June 7. There would be only one test match and it would be played at Fatullah’s Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium. It will begin on June 10. The day-night ODIs will be held at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on June 18, 21 and 24.
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