Dhoni, Jadeja pretty sick, both are unwell: CSK Coach
Chennai: Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming said Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja are "pretty sick", an update that could leave fans, slowly gearing up to switch to World Cup mode, worried.
Both players missed CSK's 46-run defeat at the hands of Mumbai Indians on Friday night. Dhoni, their inspirational captain, was ruled out of the game owing to fever.
Shedding light on Dhoni and Jadeja's illness, Fleming said, "They (Dhoni and Jadeja) both are pretty sick... both unwell, virus and bacteria... A lot of teams are struggling at the moment through that."
With 314 runs at an average of above 100 from just seven innings, Dhoni has been leading the batting charts for CSK in the ongoing Indian Premier League.
The World Cup starts May 30 in the United Kingdom, and both Dhoni and Jadeja are part of the Indian squad, which will begin its campaign on June 5 against South Africa.
When CSK played without Dhoni for the first time in IPL 2019, they suffered a six-wicket thrashing by Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 17.
CSK, who have sealed a place in the playoffs, will next face Delhi Capitals in Chennai on May 1.
Fleming said the entire team is looking forward to the four-day break after having played six matches in the last two weeks.
"We're looking forward to the four-day break. It's probably come one day bit too late. But we've got a four-day break now. I think Mumbai benefitted from that (five-day break). We are going to look to do the same now," the former New Zealand captain said
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Nitish likely to file nominations for Rajya Sabha polls
Patna (PTI): Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is likely to file nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha polls on Thursday, according to JD(U) leaders.
Kumar may file his nomination papers at the state assembly around 11 am, they said.
BJP president Nitin Nabin will also file his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha polls.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to be present at the time of filing of the nomination papers.
State minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary had confirmed on Wednesday that Kumar was considering entering the Rajya Sabha, which would bring to an end his tenure as the longest-serving chief minister of the state.
With Kumar likely to step down after leading the ruling NDA to a landslide victory in the 2025 assembly elections, a BJP leader is expected to take over the top post.
If that happens, Bihar will get its first BJP chief minister -- the only Hindi heartland state where the party has not held the office so far.
However, an official announcement regarding Kumar's entry into the Upper House of Parliament is yet to be made.
Five Rajya Sabha seats from Bihar will go to the polls on March 16.
The elections will be held as the tenures of JD(U)'s Harivansh Narayan Singh and Ram Nath Thakur, RJD's Prem Chand Gupta and Amarendra Dhari Singh, and RLM's Upendra Kushwaha are ending.
As per the latest tally in the state legislature, all five seats would now go to the ruling NDA.
Before filing his nomination papers, the BJP president will visit the revered Mahavir Temple here and offer prayers.
