English
EspañolIndia vs Zimbabwe: ‘Late-entrant’ Abhishek Sharma looks to regain form
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
That wasn’t all, however. As Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan went in to bat at two adjacent nets, Abhishek Sharma — India’s shining light of the top-order — chose to bowl left-arm spin.
Batters came and went but Abhishek stood there beside the nets, talking to the spinners, trying to understand the turn that could be on offer from the black-soil pitch that will be used for the match against Zimbabwe on Thursday.
Finally, after almost 100 minutes of practice was over, Abhishek took up the bat. He didn’t play any of the Team India spinners or pacers, it was only the practice bowlers.
Abhishek has been in wretched batting form after getting three ducks to start off. In the 12-ball 15 that he scored in Ahmedabad, there were seven false shots.
Given the situation the team is in at the moment, it is highly unlikely that he will be dropped. Probably what the team management was trying to do was to allow him to play some not-so-good bowling, so that Abhishek could connect his shots and get some form and confidence back. As the nets were folding up, Abhishek batted for half-an-hour and did connect, coming up with the kind of the crisp shots he is known for.
A few landed in the Chepauk stands as well as he tried to work on his game against off-spin, something that has been bothering him of late.
Rinku unlikely, maybe it’s Sanju time? Sundar likely to sit out
As Rinku’s absence was noticed and news filtered in that he had headed back home to be with his father, who is battling cancer, the left-hander’s possible alternatives came into focus.
Axar Patel should walk into the squad given his versatility with bat and ball. In that case, if Sanju has to play, the only player that can miss out is Washington Sundar. Washington was picked for the South Africa game but didn’t exactly shine with the ball or bat. Sanju’s inclusion could also mean that Ishan Kishan comes in at No. 3, a position which isn’t exactly unfamiliar to him. That could force the likes of Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav to come down by a slot.
Surya works on his range-hitting
Surya’s strike-rate hasn’t exactly been spectacular. Against South Africa he scored a 22-ball 18 that pushed India back. Tuesday’s session suggested that he was trying to get his hitting range right. He was dismissed quite a few times by India’s front-line spinners at the nets, but that was not stopping him from going for his shots. ‘SKY’, quite clearly, is trying to come out of his shell and the Zimbabwe bowling on a batting friendly pitch may provide him with the opportunity.
UMBC hosts Tabales and Bryant
Bryant Bulldogs (8-19, 4-9 America East) at UMBC Retrievers (18-8, 11-2 America East)
Baltimore; Thursday, 6 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Bryant visits UMBC after Ty Tabales scored 21 points in Bryant's 79-67 loss to the Binghamton Bearcats.
The Retrievers have gone 11-2 at home. UMBC is 4-1 in one-possession games.
The Bulldogs are 4-9 in America East play. Bryant allows 72.6 points to opponents and has been outscored by 8.0 points per game.
UMBC averages 74.8 points per game, 2.2 more points than the 72.6 Bryant gives up. Bryant averages 64.6 points per game, 3.7 fewer than the 68.3 UMBC allows.
The teams meet for the second time in conference play this season. Bryant won 79-74 in the last matchup on Jan. 15. Timofei Rudovskii led Bryant with 22 points, and DJ Armstrong led UMBC with 20 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jah'likai King is scoring 14.1 points per game and averaging 3.6 rebounds for the Retrievers. Anthony Valentine is averaging 12.5 points and 3.8 rebounds over the last 10 games.
Rudovskii is scoring 12.3 points per game with 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists for the Bulldogs. Keegan Harvey is averaging 15.2 points and 6.4 rebounds over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Retrievers: 9-1, averaging 75.0 points, 33.0 rebounds, 10.3 assists, 4.9 steals and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 45.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 63.0 points per game.
Bulldogs: 3-7, averaging 67.3 points, 29.5 rebounds, 11.4 assists, 5.3 steals and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 41.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 75.1 points.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
SIU-Edwardsville Cougars take on the Western Illinois Leathernecks on 3-game losing streak
Western Illinois Leathernecks (5-24, 1-17 OVC) at SIU-Edwardsville Cougars (17-12, 10-8 OVC)
Edwardsville, Illinois; Thursday, 8:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: SIU-Edwardsville enters the matchup with Western Illinois after losing three straight games.
The Cougars are 8-5 on their home court. SIU-Edwardsville has a 1-3 record in games decided by less than 4 points.
The Leathernecks are 1-17 against OVC opponents. Western Illinois averages 10.7 turnovers per game and is 5-5 when winning the turnover battle.
SIU-Edwardsville scores 70.9 points per game, 5.8 fewer points than the 76.7 Western Illinois gives up. Western Illinois has shot at a 40.7% rate from the field this season, 1.2 percentage points above the 39.5% shooting opponents of SIU-Edwardsville have averaged.
The teams square off for the second time this season in OVC play. SIU-Edwardsville won the last matchup 66-61 on Dec. 22. Ring Malith scored 24 points points to help lead the Cougars to the win.
TOP PERFORMERS: Tyler King is averaging 9.1 points for the Cougars. Darrion Baker is averaging 1.3 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
Lucas Lorenzen is scoring 15.3 points per game with 4.2 rebounds and 0.9 assists for the Leathernecks. Francis Okwuosah is averaging 9.3 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 51.5% over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Cougars: 6-4, averaging 66.3 points, 31.4 rebounds, 12.1 assists, 6.3 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 44.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 64.9 points per game.
Leathernecks: 1-9, averaging 64.2 points, 25.0 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 4.5 steals and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 40.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 81.4 points.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
UNC Wilmington hosts N.C. A&T following Middleton's 24-point showing
North Carolina A&T Aggies (11-15, 4-11 CAA) at UNC Wilmington Seahawks (24-4, 13-2 CAA)
Wilmington, North Carolina; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: N.C. A&T visits UNC Wilmington after Trent Middleton scored 24 points in N.C. A&T's 102-82 win over the Elon Phoenix.
The Seahawks are 14-2 on their home court. UNC Wilmington scores 77.0 points and has outscored opponents by 9.9 points per game.
The Aggies have gone 4-11 against CAA opponents. N.C. A&T has a 4-7 record in games decided by 10 or more points.
UNC Wilmington is shooting 44.5% from the field this season, the same percentage N.C. A&T allows to opponents. N.C. A&T has shot at a 45.6% rate from the field this season, 5.1 percentage points greater than the 40.5% shooting opponents of UNC Wilmington have averaged.
The teams meet for the second time in conference play this season. UNC Wilmington won 87-78 in the last matchup on Dec. 30. Nolan Hodge led UNC Wilmington with 24 points, and Lewis Walker led N.C. A&T with 23 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Hodge is shooting 40.8% and averaging 14.9 points for the Seahawks. Patrick Wessler is averaging 15.1 points over the last 10 games.
Walker is averaging 19.2 points and 5.3 rebounds for the Aggies. Middleton is averaging 13.6 points over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Seahawks: 8-2, averaging 74.6 points, 33.3 rebounds, 12.3 assists, 5.0 steals and 2.0 blocks per game while shooting 43.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 69.8 points per game.
Aggies: 4-6, averaging 72.8 points, 31.0 rebounds, 10.3 assists, 5.3 steals and 3.7 blocks per game while shooting 45.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 76.0 points.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Eastern Washington hosts Northern Colorado following Wisne's 38-point game
Northern Colorado Bears (18-10, 8-7 Big Sky) at Eastern Washington Eagles (11-17, 9-6 Big Sky)
Cheney, Washington; Thursday, 9 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Northern Colorado visits Eastern Washington after Brock Wisne scored 38 points in Northern Colorado's 78-77 victory against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks.
The Eagles have gone 6-3 in home games. Eastern Washington is ninth in the Big Sky in team defense, allowing 79.7 points while holding opponents to 47.8% shooting.
The Bears are 8-7 in Big Sky play. Northern Colorado is 7-2 when it turns the ball over less than its opponents and averages 11.0 turnovers per game.
Eastern Washington averages 7.5 made 3-pointers per game, 1.0 more made shot than the 6.5 per game Northern Colorado gives up. Northern Colorado averages 9.8 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.0 more made shots on average than the 7.8 per game Eastern Washington gives up.
The teams meet for the second time in conference play this season. Northern Colorado won 74-71 in the last matchup on Jan. 31. Ring Nyeri led Northern Colorado with 23 points, and Alton Hamilton IV led Eastern Washington with 17 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Isaiah Moses averages 2.1 made 3-pointers per game for the Eagles, scoring 17.8 points while shooting 43.5% from beyond the arc. Kiree Huie is averaging 13.1 points and 5.2 rebounds over the last 10 games.
Quinn Denker is scoring 18.4 points per game with 5.2 rebounds and 7.2 assists for the Bears. Wisne is averaging 17.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Eagles: 7-3, averaging 78.8 points, 30.4 rebounds, 14.1 assists, 5.2 steals and 3.7 blocks per game while shooting 49.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 73.3 points per game.
Bears: 7-3, averaging 80.6 points, 35.2 rebounds, 16.4 assists, 3.4 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 49.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 75.7 points.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.