timesofindia.indiatimes.com - Virat Kohli is tired and running out of time, says former Zimbabwe all-rounder Dirk Viljoen

Virat Kohli is tired and running out of time, says former Zimbabwe all-rounder Dirk Viljoen

Virat Kohli will be back in action at the upcoming Asia Cup. It's fair to say that most, if not all, eyes will be on Kohli, who was rested for the tours of West Indies and Zimbabwe. The upcoming Asia Cup, starting August 27, in many ways will be a testing ground for the selectors to assess Indian talent ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year. The million dollar question is - if Virat doesn't come good with the bat with consistent high scores etc, will his spot in the T20 World Cup squad be in danger? WHAT THE NUMBERS SAYKohli hasn't scored an international century since November 2019, but it would be incorrect and unfair to say that he hasn't been among the runs for his team. Kohli, who has 23,726 international runs in 463 matches (ODIs, Tests, and T20Is), is fourth on the list of Indian Test run getters, since his last international century, after Rishabh Pant (1369 runs in 20 matches), Cheteshwar Pujara (1052 runs in 21 matches) and Rohit Sharma (996 runs in 13 matches). Kohli in this period has played 18 Tests (since November 2019) and scored 872 runs at an average of 27.25, including 6 fifties.

BWF Worlds: Mum's the word for record-breaking shuttler Zilberman

At 25, Belarus-born Svetlana was considered too old to be picked for the Soviet Union's team for the championships when she was in the prime of her career. Now, almost four decades later, she is playing on the sport's highest stage and became the competition's oldest-ever winner when she and Misha won their first-round mixed doubles match on Monday. "They said I was old when I was 25 -- now I am a young woman," Svetlana told AFP on Tuesday.

Sikandar Raza - The Zimbabwean cricketer who almost denied India a 3-0 series win

With 15 needed off 9 balls, Raza, who scored a brilliant 115 off 95 balls, looked to heave Shardul over long-on but failed to connect. Shubman Gill, who was fielding towards long on, ran, dived and plucked a blinder to show Raza the way back to the pavillion. Raza's knock was studded with nine fours and three maximums. He almost won the game for the men in red. Shubman, who was adjudged Man of the Match in the third ODI for his astonishing 130 off 97 balls, including 15 fours and 1 six, rushed to a departing Raza and gave him a pat on his back. Zimbabwe were bowled out for 276, which handed India a 13-run win over the hosts and a 3-0 clean sweep victory. Born in Sialkot (in Pakistan) in 1986, Raza was Zimbabwe's highest-run getter in the match and the third overall in the three-match ODI series. He scored 143 runs in 3 matches at an average of 47.67. The 36-year-old Raza, who made his international debut in 2013 vs Bangladesh in Bulawayo, has played 17 Tests, 120 ODIs, and 58 T20Is for Zimbabwe, scoring 1187, 3626, and 1040 runs, respectively.

It is still too early to compare Babar Azam with one of all-time greats Virat Kohli: Wasim Akram

Virat Kohli has struggled for runs over the past two years but Pakistan legend Wasim Akram feels the former India captain remains one of the all-time greats and comparing Babar Azam with him is still a bit premature. All eyes will be on Kohli when India meet Pakistan in their Asia Cup opener in Dubai on Sunday. Kohli will come into the match with a fresh mind having taken a break for the away series against the West Indies. While Kohli has gone through an extended lean patch with no hundred since November 2019, the much younger Babar seems to be at the peak of his powers and doing well across formats. "First of all let me start by saying that criticism from Indian fans against Kohli has been unnecessary. He is one of the greatest of all times not just this era. He still fit as a fiddle. He is still one of the best fielders in the Indian squad. "As they say class is forever and that is Virat Kohli. Hope he doesn't come back to form against Pakistan but he will come back eventually," said Akram in a press conference organised by Star Sports, the official broadcaster for Asia Cup.

Ben Stokes to decide on IPL 2023 participation based on English calendar, suggests 40-over ODI-format

IPL will depend on the national team's calendar. Stokes, one of the world's leading all-rounders, has already called it quits in 50-over format, in order to strike a better work-life balance and nothing is more important for him than wearing the pristine whites. "It is a case of looking at schedules, looking ahead at what we have got coming up.

Asia Cup: Bangladesh recall batsman Naim, Nurul out

Bangladesh have recalled batsman Mohammad Naim for the Asia Cup starting this week after wicketkeeper-batsman Nurul Hasan and pace bowler Hasan Mahmud were ruled out with injury. Naim, who has featured 34 times in Twenty20 internationals, will join the squad in the UAE from the West Indies where he was playing for Bangladesh "A". Nurul was kept in the squad despite undergoing finger surgery in Singapore last week, in the hope that he would be ready for the tournament when it starts on Saturday.

Experts' take: Why Indian sports governance is in a mess

FIFA dropped a bomb last week, Indian football had no bunker to hide in. The world body found the way things are being run in India's administrative corridors as "serious violation of the FIFA Statutes" and pulled the shutter down on the All India Football Federation (AIFF), putting the 'suspended' label across its face. This effectively meant that, as things stood at that time, India would also lose hosting rights of the FIFA u-17 women's World Cup scheduled to be played from October 11-30 this year. It therefore wasn't a big surprise to learn that the Sports Ministry had moved an application in the Supreme Court seeking an end to the mandate of the Committee of Administrators (CoA), as demanded by FIFA. While banning the AIFF earlier this month FIFA had said that the women's age-group showpiece tournament "cannot currently be held in India as planned." FIFA's decision to take the extreme step was an example of the inevitability Indian sports and sportspersons had been fearing for some time. Like the hockey, judo, equestrian and table tennis federations, the AIFF too was put under a court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA), after the Supreme Court removed the AIFF office-bearers in May this year for failing to bring its Constitution in line with the 2011 National Sports Code and not holding elections that have been due since December 2020.

Krunal Pandya's stay with Warwickshire cut short due to groin injury

The 31-year-old had picked up the injury while batting during Warwickshire's first innings against Nottinghamshire on August 17. The spinner didn't return to the field in the second essay.

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Timesofindia.indiatimes.com Sport News

Virat Kohli is tired and running out of time, says former Zimbabwe all-rounder Dirk Viljoen

BWF Worlds: Mum's the word for record-breaking shuttler Zilberman

Sikandar Raza - The Zimbabwean cricketer who almost denied India a 3-0 series win

It is still too early to compare Babar Azam with one of all-time greats Virat Kohli: Wasim Akram

Ben Stokes to decide on IPL 2023 participation based on English calendar, suggests 40-over ODI-format

Asia Cup: Bangladesh recall batsman Naim, Nurul out

Experts' take: Why Indian sports governance is in a mess

Krunal Pandya's stay with Warwickshire cut short due to groin injury