By K.R. Nayar
From Dubai
International Stadium
Team India cricketers
are always under the microscope. There is no scope for them to miss the roving
eyes of the Indian media. When Shubman Gill was hit on the hand during
practice on Saturday evening, that news became viral within minutes, even
before his pain subsided. Some of the news-hungry reporters, who hover around
the practice area, gave a detailed description of all those who were next to
Gill after the injury and how team colleague Abhishek Sharma offered him some
water even before the physio reached him. It was also reported that he sat on
an ice box with a worried look, although not sure how scribes caught that
look since they are positioned at quite a distance from the practice area.
Whether he was worried or not could be seen only with a zoom camera.
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| Shubhman Gill warming up. Photo ACC |
This
prompted many to rush to the practice venue, with photographers trying to
capture his mood. Interestingly, within minutes, Gill returned to the nets and
batted. Though Gill returned to the dressing room smiling and talking to his
teammates, every reporter and photographer’s focus was on his hand. Such is the
race for breaking news that if an Indian player sneezes, a report may
immediately go out stating he may have caught the flu bug and could be a
doubtful starter!
India’s assistant coach
Ryan ten Doeschate and UAE
India’s assistant coach
Ryan ten Doeschate addressed the pre-match press conference against Pakistan on
Saturday at the Dubai International Stadium. As a player, he has played more
matches in the UAE than anyone else in the Indian contingent. He had
represented Netherlands from 2010 and sparkled in the 2019 T20 World Cup
qualifiers held here. Interestingly, his last ten T20Is were all played in the
UAE, especially at the ICC Academy where the Indian team trains. This reporter
can recall an incident when a scribe had asked the then Netherlands’ team
manager how to pronounce Doeschate’s name before asking him a question. All
that the manager said was: “Call him only Ryan.” Doeschate’s nickname is Tendo,
a name of African origin, as he was born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. He
has a Pakistan connect too, as he used to play for Lahore Qalandars in the 2019
Pakistan Super League.
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| Ryan ten Doeschate speaks to the media. Photo by K.R. Nayar |
Pakistan fans and
Afridi
For many of the UAE’s
Pakistan fans, Shahid Afridi is still their hero. There was a time in the 80s
and 90s in the UAE when most taxi drivers were Pakistanis, and they would come
only to watch Afridi bat at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. They would all leave
the stadium and return to duty soon after he got out. Today, he is represented
by Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi, and hence the chant “Afridi” still
echoes from the stands. Fans love Shaheen even more because he married Shahid
Afridi’s daughter Ansha Afridi in March 2021. A journalist, after sharing some
details about Shaheen Afridi to this reporter, remarked that since she had
married Shaheen, she did not have to change her surname after marriage!
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| Shaheen Afridi... extends the roar for Afridi. Photo: ACC |
Disciplined Mishara
after suspension for indiscipline
When Bangladesh and Sri
Lanka clashed at the Abu Dhabi Zayed Cricket Stadium on Saturday, it was a
battle of Tigers versus Lions. Bangladesh’s cricket team is referred to as
Tigers, and the Sri Lankans are addressed as the Lions. When Bangladesh slipped
to 5 for 53, one wondered whether they would join the UAE and Oman, who were
bowled out for 57 and 67 against India and Pakistan respectively. Unbeaten
knocks of 41 and 42 from Jaker Ali and Shamim Hossain lifted Bangladesh to 139
for 5 before losing to Sri Lanka by 6 wickets. It was a disciplined unbeaten
knock of 46 from Sri Lanka’s player of the match, Kamil Mishara, that gave them
the victory. Twenty-four-year-old Mishara, who came into the limelight with an
unbeaten 250 in an Under-19 match in 2019 in Sri Lanka, was once handed a
one-year suspension for breach of discipline during the 2019 Under-19 Asia Cup
and a bio-bubble violation later on!
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