Kohli, Suryakumar named in "Most Valued Team" of 2022 T20 World Cup
Melbourne (PTI): Tournament's leading run-getter Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav were on Monday named in the "Most Valuable Team" of ICC 2022 T20 World Cup.
Indian superstar Kohli ended as the tournament's most prolific batter with 296 runs at a stunning average of 98.66.
Kohli kick-started his campaign with a pivotal 82 not out against arch rivals Pakistan to anchor his side to a heart-thumping final-ball four-wicket victory.
And further knocks of 64 not out against Bangladesh, 62 not out against the Netherlands and 50 against England in the semi-finals helped round off an individual competition to savour for one of the greatest white-ball batters of the modern era.
Fellow Indian Suryakumar finished as the tournament's third highest run-scorer with 239 runs overall.
Three half centuries -- 51 not out against the Netherlands in Sydney, 68 against South Africa in Perth and 61 not out off just 25 balls against Zimbabwe in Melbourne -- helped haul his side into the semi-finals as he scored at a staggering strike rate of 189.68 in his six innings.
Another Indian, Hardik Pandya was named as the 12th man of the side.
"Players from six different teams have been named in the Upstox Most Valuable Team of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022," the ICC said in a statement a day after England won their second world title in the shortest format.
Captain, wicketkeeper and opening batter Jos Buttler, fellow opener Alex Hales and seamer Sam Curran all made the cut for England.
New Zealand star Glenn Phillips and Zimbabwe ace Sikandar Raza occupy the No.5 and 6 positions in the playing eleven. Phillips' stunning century against Sri Lanka catapulted his team to a comfortable 65-run victory in Sydney.
Another innings of 62 against England helped him reach a total of 201 runs at an average of 40.20.
For Raza, 219 runs and 10 wickets, proved pivotal assets for Zimbabwe with both bat and ball.
He scored a polished 82 off his 48 balls in his country's opening game against Ireland in Hobart, before further batting contributions against Scotland, Netherland and India -- bolstered by a brilliant three for 25 as Zimbabwe stunned Pakistan in Perth -- rounded off a tournament to remember.
Completing the middle order is Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan, who grabbed an impressive 11 wickets at an average of just 15.00.
And he was similarly impressive with the bat, striking a solid 92 runs at an average of 24.50 to help fire his side to the final in Melbourne.
Sam Curran and Anrich Nortje line up at No.8 and 9, with the former being crowned Player of the Tournament after a series of spellbinding bowling displays.
The left-arm seamer claimed remarkable figures of 3 for 12 off his four overs in the final after getting his tournament underway with a similarly scintillating five for 10 against Afghanistan.
Another bowler who starred was pace ace Nortje, who functioned as a vital weapon in South Africa's armoury after finishing with a tournament-best average of just 8.54.
Nortje conceded just 94 runs while in the process of taking his 11 wickets as four scalps against both Bangladesh and Pakistan helped him become one of the competition's most fearsome bowlers.
Rounding off the side at No.10 and 11 are fellow pace bowlers Mark Wood and Shaheen Shah Afridi, who took nine and 11 wickets respectively for England and Pakistan.
Despite being ruled out of the semi-finals and final through injury, Wood's consistency throughout the Super 12s -- spearheaded by three wickets against Afghanistan and Ireland -- saw him finish the tournament with an average of just 12.00.
And for Afridi, who also suffered an unfortunate injury in Sunday's final, his figures of four for 22 against Bangladesh and three for 14 against South Africa helped him emulate his new-ball heroics in last year's tournament as Pakistan were narrowly denied in Melbourne.
Taking his place as 12th man is Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who starred with both bat and ball by racking up 128 runs and eight wickets.
The dangerous middle-order ace blasted 63 against England in the semi-finals after also took key wickets against Pakistan, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe throughout the Super 12s.
The Team in batting order: Alex Hales, Jos Buttler, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Glenn Phillips, Sikandar Raza, Shadab Khan, Sam Curran, Anrich Nortje, Mark Wood, Shaheen Shah Afridi. 12th man Hardik Pandya.
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Karnataka Leadership row: All eyes on Siddaramaiah''s trip to Delhi to attend CWC meet
Bengaluru (PTI): All eyes are set on Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s trip to Delhi to attend the Congress Working Committee meeting.
The meeting comes in the midst of the leadership issue in the state, where Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar’s supporters are interested in seeing him as the next CM soon. About his visit to Delhi, Siddaramaiah told reporters in Davangere, “I am going for the CWC meeting today but I don’t go to Delhi frequently.”
Chief Minister had recently said inside the Karnataka Assembly that the party high command appears to be on his side and he would complete his five-year tenure.
Before leaving for New Delhi for the CWC meeting, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge told reporters that all the confusion would be sorted out.
“I will speak there. Why will I speak here?” Kharge said.
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As the reporters asked him when the confusion over leadership in the state would be sorted out, he said, “It will be sorted out. You don’t need to worry about it.”
Shivakumar on Wednesday dismissed speculation about a possible change of guard in the state after Makara Sankranti, saying such talk exists only in the media and not within the party or government.
Shivakumar, who was in Delhi, said he is not meeting anyone during this trip.
"Kharge is in Delhi. I think Rahul Gandhi came yesterday, and I don't want to disturb him," he said.
Asked about the change of guard in Karnataka, he told reporters, "The speculation is only in the media. There is no speculation within the party or anywhere in the government. The media is only speculating about things."
Speaking about his current role, the Deputy CM said, "I would love to be a party worker rather than (holding) any position in the party. That is permanent for me," adding that he has been working for the party since 1980, completing 45 years of service.
Congress MLA from Ramanagara, H A Iqbal Hussain, a Shivakumar loyalist, has even predicted that there will be a leadership change in the state on January 6 or 9.
Sources in the Chief Minister’s Office told PTI that leadership change may not figure in the CWC meeting in New Delhi.
“The information we have is that this is only about drawing strategies for the upcoming Assembly elections in the country,” a source said.
Besides Siddaramaiah, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu will also be attending the meeting,” he added.
