India skipper Virat Kohli on Monday said that the ‘Umpire’s Call’ is creating a lot of confusion at the moment and the lawmakers need to look at it so that it does not leave a grey area when a big tournament is being played.

On Saturday, India defeated England in the fifth T20I, and as a result, the hosts won the series 3-2. Now both teams will lock horns in a three-match ODI series, beginning Tuesday in Pune. “Look, I have played in the time where there was no DRS. The umpire made the decision whether the batsman liked it or not, it stayed like that. Vice-versa, if the umpire gave it not out and it was out, it stayed like that. Whether it was marginal or not, according to me, umpire’s call right now is creating a lot of confusion. When you get bowled as a batsman, you do not expect the ball to hit more than 50 per cent into the stumps to consider yourself getting bowled.

“If the ball is shown clipping the stumps, basic cricket common sense, I do not think there should be any debates on that, if the ball is hitting the stumps, it should be out. Whether you like it or not, you should lose the review,” said Kohli during a virtual press conference on Monday.

“If it hits the stumps or missing the stumps, it should not matter how much the ball is clipping because it is creating a lot of confusion. One more factor that needs to be considered is how the fielding team responds to a dismissal that is claimed. This is somewhere defining the soft signals as well. You have to question what the spirit of the game is and what those guidelines are because if things like that happen with the Indian cricket team overseas then you are talking about completely different conversation about spirit of the game.

English county Lancashire on Monday announced the overseas signing of India batsman Shreyas Iyer for the 2021 Royal London Cup.

Iyer will arrive at Old Trafford on July 15 ahead of the start of the 50-over tournament and will remain with the Red Rose for the duration of the month-long group stage. The top-order batsman is regarded as one of the most attacking and fluent stroke players in the Indian ranks and has played in 21 ODIs and 29 T20 Internationals for his country.

About the signing, Shreyas said: “Lancashire is a legendary name in English Cricket with a long-standing association with Indian Cricket. I am extremely humbled and honoured to carry the legacy forward of greats like Sourav Ganguly, and VVS Laxman.”

After winning both the Test and the T20I series, India is all set for the final challenge against England – the three-match ODI series.

In the Test and T20I series, Virat Kohli’s team won after being one-down. During the tour, England always started on a high but failed to maintain their winning run while India learnt from the mistakes and quickly adapted to the conditions. While India completely outplayed England in the Tests, the T20I series had a good ebb and flow to it. The series went to the decider, which the hosts clinched by 36 runs.

The three-match series, beginning Tuesday, will be a part of the ODI Super League.

India last played an ODI series last year against Australia and was beaten 2-1. However, the forthcoming series will have completely different dynamics to it as India will be playing in home conditions and with the confidence of winning the Test and T20I series against England.

India’s squad on paper looks promising as the team has multiple options for each batting position. In the opening slots, India has four options to choose from, namely Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, and KL Rahul.

The squad also has three potential debutants: Suryakumar Yadav, Krunal Pandya, and Prasidh Krishna. Suryakumar took the international stage by storm and successfully proved his credentials in the recently-concluded T20I series.

In the bowling department also, India has all the boxes checked, having a good mix of both pace and spin attack. India has pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Shardul Thakur, and Mohammed Siraj in the squad. Whereas, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Krunal Pandya and Washington Sundar are the spin bowling options for the side.

However, the series won’t be an easy one, given that Eoin Morgan will look to avenge the T20I series defeat. England’s squad too looks pretty much settled.

PUNE: England limited-overs skipper Eoin Morgan on Monday said that the management did not consider resting Ben Stokes for the ODI series against India as the all-rounder was keen to play.

On Saturday, India defeated England in the fifth T20I, and as a result, the hosts won the series 3-2. Now both teams will lock horns in a three-match ODI series, beginning Tuesday in Pune. Before the T20 series had started, Morgan had clearly said that he would want his side to play on turning tracks in order to get best practice for this year’s T20 World Cup. But this was not the case in the T20I series, but the Three Lions skipper hopes that turning tracks would be in store in Pune for the ODI leg.

“I do not know if we will get turning pitches. Historically, Pune has not really turned, it is a high-scoring ground and it is smaller than most. Good outfield and some dew in the evening. I am not expecting the pitch to turn but if it does it will be a really good experience for us,” said Morgan while replying to an ANI query during a virtual press conference on Monday.

England and Wales Cricket Board has been big on rotation policy in the ongoing series against India. Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, James Anderson were all rotated during the Test series against India.

India’s iconic national team striker Sunil Chhetri rues the fact that he, owing to medical reasons, won’t be able to be a part of India’s forthcoming international friendlies. But, he can’t hide his excitement at the Blue Tigers getting a chance to play against exceptionally strong opponents like Oman and UAE in the March FIFA window.

In a candid chat with The Sunday Guardian, the man with 72 international goals, opens up about how Indian football needs to make the most of the chance of getting back to international football. Chhetri also talks about the fact that India have had so much football during the new normal, and also that one “shouldn’t go around labelling the youngsters with tags that end up becoming burdens,” and much more. Excerpts:

Q. Purely from a player’s mental point of view, do the March friendlies bring in solace especially after International football lost over a year?

A. Most definitely. To lose out on International football for an entire year was such a big disappointment. But these are unprecedented times and they aren’t in our control. So, we have little to complain about. That said, I am both excited and grateful about the two friendlies which the Blue Tigers will play this month, and against some quality opposition which only enhances the anticipation. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to be a part of it.

Q. As you said, both Oman and UAE are exceptionally strong opponents, how much does that please you?

A. It pleases me more than I can tell. I’ve always been on about how we need to better ourselves in Asia and that can happen only when we come up against top opponents. Oman and UAE most certainly fit that bill.

When I first heard of the possible opponents, I was extremely excited even though it was just a possibility! I hope we, as a team, make the most of this chance, give a good account of ourselves, and most importantly, learn from the experience.

Q. Indian Football has been leading from the front to bring back live sporting action in India. As the National Team captain, and the ambassador of Indian Football, what’s the pride you gather from all of that?

A. As I said, these are unprecedented times, but despite the circumstances, the fact that we have managed to get so much football in is commendable. We (JSW Bengaluru FC) were in a bio-bubble for five months and trust me, it was difficult! You can only imagine how difficult it must have been to put together the Hero ISL, the Hero I-League, and every other competition. There are countries where football has come to a complete standstill. So to be able to keep it going is something we should all be grateful for.

Q. Looking back, is this the best season of the Hero Indian Super League to you – purely in terms of young Indian players making a mark, and announcing their foothold for the future. What are your thoughts?

A. It’s definitely been a Hero ISL season for the youngsters. There were no illusions about how tough and competitive the season would be — and to see so many unheralded names step up and consistently perform well for their teams was very encouraging.

What is critical though is that we don’t go around labeling the youngsters with tags that end up becoming burdens. There is a lot of promise and I am certain we will do well to harness it.