Steve Smith

the significant role played by former Indian skipper MS Dhoni in that season.

New Delhi, March 30 (IANS)

Former India captain Anil Kumble, who served as a mentor of Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2013 season, has revealed that the then newly-appointed captain of the team Rohit Sharma was not afraid to say what he had to say, used to reached out to the experience players but took his own decisions.

Bringing home the trophy five times for Mumbai Indians, Rohit is the most successful captain ever in the history of the TATA IPL. A prolific run-getter as well, Sharma has been around since the inaugural edition, having represented the Deccan Chargers in the first three seasons.

Since then, he has been an integral part of the Mumbai set up and will look to win them a historic sixth title as he leads the team in the 2023 edition.

"He was not afraid to say what he had to say. He had plenty of experience around him and he reached out to them as well but then but took his own decisions. That's what you want from a captain," said Kumble on JioCinema's Insiders Preview show.

The 52-year old Kumble also spoke about Rohit leading a new team in 2017.

"2017 was a new team and the kind of captaincy we saw from him in terms of defending low scores, that's when your true leadership comes out," he said.

Meanwhile, former India pacer Zaheer Khan emphasised on how a captain's role is the most important.

"The captain's role is of utmost importance, the way he is thinking and taking decisions in crucial stages in a cool manner and the right decisions, and if it doesn't go your way, how he is handling the situation. It is a long tournament and every game's performance can have an impact in the next game," Zaheer said.

"Rohit has the ability and personality to absorb pressure very well. The way he communicates in a cool way, not just with players but also in press conferences, I think that is his biggest strength," he added.

prodigy Litchfield rewarded with Ashes call-up for Australia

New Delhi, March 29 (IANS)

When the reigns of captaincy were handed over to Steve Smith ahead of the 2017 edition of the IPL, the spotlight was on how the Australian cricketer would lead a side that had MS Dhoni, one of the most successful IPL captains, as its member.

However, with the constant support and guidance of Dhoni, Smith successfully led the franchise to the finals of the tournament, narrowly missing out on the title by just one run. Now, as Smith returns to the IPL 2023 as part of the expert panel on Star Sports, he fondly recollects his experiences of working with Dhoni and leading a team with the legendary Indian cricketer as his teammate.

In an interview with Star Sports, Smith spoke about his experience of captaining the Rising Pune Supergiants in the 2017 IPL and

Smith, who was initially daunted by the idea of leading a team that had Dhoni in it, expressed his gratitude towards the legendary cricketer for his guidance and support on and off the field. He also spoke about the valuable lessons he learned from Dhoni's calm and composed demeanor, which he has since tried to emulate in his own leadership style. "Of course, you know he's been able to achieve so much over such a long period of time, he's going to go down as one of the best leaders to play the game for sure. So, you know, when I got the call to say that they wanted me to captain, it was a little bit daunting. But that season, MSD was just wonderful. You know, he helped in any way that he could and, he's a terrific guy. It was a great experience being able to captain him, but also very daunting as well," Smith said.

He also spoke on the emotions he went through when he got selected as the captain of the RPS team and how he felt leading a side which had MS Dhoni in it.

"Yeah, I, I didn't really know what to expect initially, you know, MS had captained every team he played for, obviously throughout the IPL with Chennai, every season should I say. But yeah, when they came and asked me, I was a little bit shocked first, and then I didn't really know what to say. It was like, have you spoken to MS about this? This is a little bit strange from my side, but after we sorted everything out, MS was just wonderful. And the way he helped me and helped guide that team that year was incredible. And yeah, I couldn't thank him enough." Smith recalled how it was to work on the field with Dhoni, he said, "Well, it was a while ago now, but yeah, look out on the field. He was someone that I was bouncing ideas off. You know, being behind the stumps, he's got a great, great view of the game. He understands the angles really well and obviously playing in India also, you know, it's his home and he understands those conditions as well as anyone would. So, you know, I would've been stupid if I wasn't trying to get as much knowledge as I could out of him in the middle. And yeah, he was very helpful and certainly helped us achieve what we did that year."

"I think just the calmness that MS shows, we saw it throughout his career, just how calm he was. It didn't look like he was flustered by any emotions or anything like that. something that I learned off of MS."

Melbourne, March 29 (IANS)

Teenage batter Phoebe Litchfield has been rewarded for her recent white-ball form by winning a place in Australia's 15-player squad for their Ashes tour of England.

Australia will play one Test match, three T20Is and three ODIs in the multi-format women's Ashes series, to be held in England from June 22. The Meg Lanning-led have held the women's Ashes since 2015 and won by 12-4 margin in 2021/22 at home.

Litchfield, the 19-year-old batting prodigy, who caught attention by hitting back-to-back halfcenturies in her first two ODIs against Pakistan in January, is the only addition to the Australian squad who secured a recordextending sixth T20 World Cup title in South Africa in February.

"Following the success of the side at the recent T20 World Cup, the focus now turns to the exciting challenge of retaining the Ashes away from home. We've been fortunate to have a consistent side across all formats over the past couple of years and as a result we have selected a similar group to the squad which won the T20 World Cup in February.

Phoebe Litchfield has taken her game to the next level in the past 12 months, we view her as a longterm player for Australia and it's pleasing to reward her progress with selection in an Ashes squad," said Shawn Flegler, CA's Head of Performance (Women's Cricket) and National Selector on Wednesday.

Litchfield replaces allrounder Heather Graham, who has instead been named in the Australia A squad, which includes a mix of senior and developing young players. Australia A will play three T20s and three 50-over fixtures which run concurrently to the women's Ashes.

In addition, Australia and England will each play a three-day warmup match against England A and Australia A respectively, in preparation for the Test match which begins on June 22 at Trent Bridge.

Courtney Webb, the 2022-23 WNCL Player of the Year, has been selected alongside tearaway pacer Tayla Vlaeminck, who is continuing her rehabilitation from a significant foot injury suffered in early 2022.