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Left-right combination the reason behind Jurel batting at No. 8, says ten Doeschate

"You could argue we don't want Dhruv Jurel batting at No. 8," ten Doeschate said. "I also think if you look at the blueprint of any of Gauti's [head coach Gautam Gambhir] teams since he has been coaching T20 cricket, it is a big part of how he likes the set-up. The other night, with Dhruv coming in at No. 8, we obviously did not get to see the best of him. But we do believe that it's a big part of strategy in these games."
India are also aware of the perils of their high-intent approach, which has worked in their favour till now. That's why they are not worried about their captain Suryakumar's string of low scores. He was out for a two-ball duck in India's easy chase in Kolkata but then got starts in the other two matches. He hit three fours in his seven-ball 12 in Chennai, and a four and a six in a seven-ball 14 in Rajkot. In his last six innings, he has scored just 52 runs. This is the first time that he has gone six innings without a fifty in T20Is.
"Someone like Surya has set such high standards [set] by himself, and I wouldn't say consistency or predictability is a particularly high marker in T20 cricket," ten Doeschate said. "The job we ask from these guys is to go out and score really quickly and the way the international T20 game has gone, we are allowed for a bit of consistency and a lean patch like he is going through at the moment.
"We always look at how guys are training, how guys are playing in the nets; he played two lovely shots the other night which made me think he's back - one on the leg side and one on the off side. I don't think it's far away. I know he is captain of the team but just in general, Gauti is keen to back these guys and give them a long rope to prove themselves. He is one of the best batters in the world, let alone this Indian team. Certainly not concerned about him, he is a couple of shots away from being back on track and back in form."
One of the challenges in front of Gambhir and his support staff was to oversee a team in transition. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja retired from T20Is after the T20 World Cup win last year while R Ashwin called it quits from international cricket during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. That was after India lost a home Test series for the first time in 12 years - to New Zealand - and then also conceded the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time since 2014-15.
Ten Doeschate said that the results in T20Is - India have lost just three of their 18 matches since the World Cup - don't necessarily mean that the transition has been smoother in this format as compared to Tests.
"It is easy to look at results and say it has been smoother," he said. "The record of this team has been very good and the record of the other two teams [Test and ODI] has not been good. I haven't noticed a big difference myself I wish I could tell you this is vastly different, that is vastly different.
"Maybe a little more of a challenge [of formats] and maybe a bit more of a bigger profile to fill in in the guys who have been playing red-ball and 50-overs cricket in the last few years."
Badgers CB sues NCAA over D-II eligibility issue

Wisconsin cornerback Nyzier Fourqurean sued the NCAA on Wednesday, alleging his five-year eligibility clock shouldn't have been running during his two seasons at Division II Grand Valley State.
Fourqurean also states in the lawsuit that the NCAA is denying him an opportunity to profit from his name, image and likeness by failing to award him additional eligibility with the Badgers.
The NCAA denied his request for a waiver for additional eligibility Wednesday, his attorneys told the court in the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Madison, Wisconsin.
In the lawsuit, Fourqurean's attorneys asked the court to grant a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction that would prevent the NCAA from enforcing its bylaws pertaining to its five-year rule for eligibility, three-year eligibility limits for transfers, and to rule that Fourqurean's first season at Grand Valley State be considered a missed opportunity under NCAA rules because of the death of his father in 2021.
Fourqurean's attorneys asked a judge for injunctive relief from the court because he has until Feb. 7 to declare for the NFL draft. Fourqurean participated in the Hula Bowl, an all-star game that showcases potential NFL draft picks, earlier this month.
The complaint alleges the NCAA violated the Sherman Antitrust Act and other federal laws.
"Said actions include, but are not limited to, preventing college student-athletes like plaintiff that attended Division II schools from competing in a third and fourth year of NCAA Division I football due to prior attendance at a Division II school, therefore limiting their economic opportunities to participate in the NIL marketplace available to Division I athletes, and otherwise unreasonably restrain competition in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act," the lawsuit said.
Fourqurean, a senior from Mentor, Ohio, signed with Grand Valley State out of high school. The 2020 season at the Division II school in Michigan was cancelled because of COVID-19 restrictions.
Fourqurean's father died during the summer of 2021, causing him to miss weeks of offseason training, according to the complaint.
"Combining the setback in summer training/conditioning, the death took a toll on plaintiff mentally as he prepared for his first season of collegiate-level football and his first significant return to football since his senior year of high school in 2019," the complaint said.
Fourqurean played in 155 snaps over 11 games at Grand Valley State in the 2021 season, the lawsuit said. He had four interceptions in 13 games in 2022 and was named a Division II All-American by the Associated Press before transferring to Wisconsin in May 2023.
Fourqurean started five games for the Badgers in 2023 and all 12 this past season, totaling 51 tackles with one interception.
On Dec. 23, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors approved a blanket waiver granting an additional year of eligibility to former junior college transfers, opening the door for a wave of college athletes across all sports to spend one more year in college athletics.
That waiver didn't apply to athletes, like Fourqurean, who transferred from Division II and Division III programs.
According to an NCAA memo, the waiver extends an extra year of eligibility in 2025-26 to athletes who previously "competed at a non-NCAA school for one or more years" and otherwise would have exhausted their NCAA eligibility following the 2024-25 season.
The NCAA's December decision came five days after a federal judge in Tennessee granted an injunction to Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who had sued the NCAA over its eligibility standards, arguing that the organization's rule of counting a player's junior college years against his overall eligibility violates antitrust laws by restricting athletes' ability to profit from their name, image and likeness.
The NCAA has appealed the federal judge's ruling in the Pavia case.
ESPN's Eli Lederman contributed to this report.
Sources: ESPN set to televise ACC through 2036

ESPN has agreed to pick up its option to continue broadcasting ACC sports through 2036, sources told ESPN on Thursday.
The agreement is a critical step toward securing stability for the conference. With the television deal settled, the ACC is now working toward a settlement with Clemson and Florida State that could end those schools' ongoing lawsuits against the conference.
ESPN had until Feb. 1 to pick up the option on a 20-year contract signed in 2016 that helped launch the ACC Network. Had ESPN declined, the partnership would have ended after the 2027 season.
ESPN declined to comment on picking up the option.
After ESPN agreed to pick up the option, a decision the ACC board of directors voted to approve Wednesday, sources said the conference is working on additional "value adds," which could include creating more marquee matchups in football and men's basketball to maximize content on the networks that would help pave the way toward the new revenue distribution model and a settlement with Clemson and Florida State.
Multiple athletic directors told ESPN this could also involve using the ACC's relationship with Notre Dame to strategically create more games against the conference's top-tier teams. Earlier this month, Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua said he was open to playing more games against Clemson in the future. Notre Dame currently plays five to six regular-season football games against the ACC annually and is a member of the ACC in all other sports.
Negotiations surrounding the option ran in conjunction with discussions between the ACC and Clemson and Florida State on a new revenue distribution model aimed at alleviating the schools' biggest concerns over financial disparities with peers in the Big Ten and SEC, both of which have more generous TV contracts signed over the past two years.
Under the proposed plan, a percentage of the ACC's television revenue would be included in a "brand" fund, and that money would then be distributed to schools that annually generate the most revenue for the conference in football and men's and women's basketball -- with Clemson, Florida State, Miami and North Carolina likely at the top of the pyramid, sources told ESPN.
Should that agreement be finalized -- something sources said is not imminent but was closely tied to the ESPN option -- Clemson and Florida State would be expected to drop their lawsuits.
Clemson had been cautious in its legal filings to note that its lawsuit was not a move to leave the ACC but rather to determine the costs of doing so. Though Florida State has been more vocal in its desire to test the waters, athletic director Michael Alford has maintained that the Seminoles never declared their intention to leave the ACC and only wanted to explore their options.
Whether either school would have had a landing spot in the aftermath of a departure remained a point of conjecture, but securing their media rights, which each member school signed over to the league in 2016, would have been a critical part of moving to any other conference.
ACC sources suggested a vote to support the new revenue distribution plan may not be unanimous, but one conference administrator said a cut in distribution would likely be worthwhile if it meant stability in the coming years as college athletics works its way through a volatile series of existential shifts in its amateurism model. Multiple administrators who spoke with ESPN noted the severe impact that the collapse of the Pac-12 had on Oregon State and Washington State, and the observably diminished values of those programs has helped spark interest in negotiating a settlement.
The new brand distribution fund would be in addition to the ACC's "success initiatives," which the league approved in 2023. That pool of money is funded via revenue from the expanded College Football Playoff and additional payouts from ESPN that derive from the conference adding new members Stanford, California and SMU in 2024. SMU agreed to forgo its TV revenue for its first nine years in the ACC in exchange for an invitation to the conference, while Cal and Stanford agreed to take a 30% share.
The ACC's success initiatives, which went into place this year, provide additional revenue to schools that play in the postseason. The brand initiatives would also be accessible to any ACC school, though the biggest names would have a clear leg up. Specific metrics have not been finalized.
Between the brand and success initiatives, it is expected that the ACC schools that maximize both revenue streams could close the gap with Big Ten and SEC schools to as little as a few million annually.
As far back as February 2023, Florida State's Alford started pushing for the ACC television money to be distributed to the teams that bring the most brand value and television ratings. Alford said then, based on a market valuation that he had commissioned, that Florida State contributed roughly 15% of the value in the ACC's media rights deal but received only 7% of the distributions. At the time, the conference had 14 full members.
The ACC has been in litigation with Florida State and Clemson for more than a year, with both schools filing lawsuits in their home states in hopes of extricating themselves from a grant of rights agreement that, according to Florida State's attorneys, could mean paying as much as $700 million to leave the conference. The ACC countersued both schools to preserve the grant of rights agreement through 2036.
Clemson and Florida State have both argued that the ACC television contract, which earns the conference about half of what the Big Ten receives from Fox, puts the schools at a significant financial disadvantage compared with rivals in the SEC and Big Ten, making it impossible to consistently compete for national championships.
As part of the settlement, Clemson and Florida State are asking the ACC to agree to reduce penalties for exiting the grant of rights after 2031, when TV contracts for the Big Ten, SEC and Big 12 are set to expire.

In New York four years ago, Raducanu won three matches in qualifying and seven in the main draw without dropping a set to become the first qualifier in history to win a Grand Slam title.
The stunning nature of that achievement led to many wildcard invitations into tournaments, but there have been times when her ranking was lower that entering qualifying seemed a strong option.
"I think playing qualies is not something that I am against," Raducanu told BBC Sport last August.
"If you get through those two rounds you feel you're adjusted to the court. If you're playing a seed, you have a better eye for the ball, a better feel - it's not that I am against it at all."
World number five Elena Rybakina, Australian Open semi-finalist Paula Badosa and British number one Katie Boulter are among players with main draw entry in Abu Dhabi.
Raducanu will first be in action on Saturday, when qualifying for the WTA 500 event begins.
Davis Cup tie 'great opportunity' for new GB names

Great Britain's Davis Cup qualifying tie against Japan is a "great opportunity" for others in the absence of Jack Draper and Cameron Norrie, says captain Leon Smith.
World number 77 Jacob Fearnley is the highest-ranked Briton in the squad in his first call-up to the team.
Scotland's Fearnley, who had a meteoric rise in 2024, is joined by Billy Harris and doubles specialists Joe Salisbury and Neil Skupski.
British number one Draper has opted to miss the tie to continue his rehabilitation from a hip injury, while Norrie withdrew with illness.
Norrie's replacement, Jan Choinski, is also ill and has been replaced by world number 388 Giles Hussey.
Henry Patten, who won the Australian Open men's doubles title with Harri Heliovaara, is also absent.
Englishman Harris will face Japan's world number 63 Yoshihito Nishioka in the first match at 04:00 GMT on Friday, before Fearnley faces 2014 US Open runner-up Kei Nishikori.
"We would have loved to have had [Cam] here, but I think it's a great opportunity for the others," Smith said.
"I have seen it before in the past in the ties when we haven't had our top players there - it's time for others to take that opportunity, win or lose, and learn from it."
Victory in Miki would see Smith's team advance to the second round of qualifying in September, where they would face either Germany or Israel for a place in November's eight-team Finals.
PSA Ghosting set to give squash players chance to train against top pros

Billed as the worlds first digital sports court, interactiveSquash has added another string to its bow after revealing successful testing of augmented reality (AR) squash training game PSA Ghosting.
Squash players from all over the world and of all levels will soon be able to train against the worlds top players through the game after testing in New York this week.
Established in 2016, interactiveSQUASH is now fully embedded in the world of squash and used by players of all ages and abilities, associations and court operators across the world.
PSA Ghosting, an upgrade to interactiveSQUASHs popular Ghosting game, allows users to learn from the best professionals by chasing ghost targets projected onto the front wall, simulating the movement patterns used in real squash matches that have been captured during TOC.
These targets light up on different areas of the court, prompting players to move to the designated spot and simulate a shot. The game bases the patterns on real-world rallies from TOC and challenges players to react quickly and maintain proper footwork, encouraging efficient movement and technique.
Imagine playing against the worlds best in your home club!
Amazing to see the new PSA Ghosting AR game unveiled by interactiveSQUASH during this weeks J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions in New York
Find out more https://t.co/YC2BgkQMf9 pic.twitter.com/oyba55OmUh
PSA Squash Tour (@PSASquashTour) January 30, 2025
To demonstrate the new game, rallies from Grand Central Terminals stunning all-glass court were projected onto the courts at MSQUASHs Port Chester, New York, facility, where local players tried out PSA Ghosting for the first time.
Among the players to test PSA Ghosting at MSQUASH were siblings Maddox and Savannah Moxham, aged 17 and ranked No.4 in the US in the boys U19 category and aged 15 and ranked No.6 in the US in the girls U19 category, respectively.
Maddox and Savannah, who trained using rallies from last weeks match between former World No.1 Karim Abdel Gawad and former France No.1 Gregoire Marche, explained that they had loved using the system and that training against the worlds best by using the PSA Ghosting game could help them realise their dreams of playing squash in the Olympics.
It was super easy to use for those drills and its fun for all ages. It incorporates a video game aspect to my training, which is super fun and really helpful to my game, Maddox added.
Markos Kern, founder and CEO of interactiveSQUASH, said: The release of PSA Ghosting is an important milestone for us and we are very happy to have an established partner like the PSA on our side to bring this project to life.
Regardless of discipline, everybody wonders how they would keep up with their idols. With our advanced technology, squash players can now compare themselves with the world elite in real-life situations. A truly immersive experience that blends the digital and the physical world and makes sport even more engaging.
Katline Moxham-Cauwels, Co-Founder and CEO of MSQUASH said: We use interactiveSQUASH daily with players of all levels. It enhances the training experience for the youngest players by making it more enjoyable, while also making sessions more focused and intense for advanced players. The technology allows us to transform rigorous training into an engaging game. Players become competitive and forget about the strenuous effort they are putting in.
England centre Lawrence signs 'long-term' Bath deal

England centre Ollie Lawrence has signed a new "long-term" contract with Premiership leaders Bath.
The 25-year-old joined the club in October 2022 following the demise of former club Worcester and at the Recreation Ground under under director of rugby Johann van Graan, Lawrence has developed into one of their most consistent performers.
He has made 44 appearances for the club, scoring 16 tries, and has become a mainstay of Steve Borthwick's England's midfield having initially struggled for form under previous head coach Eddie Jones.
Lawrence is due to win his 32nd cap for his country in England's Six Nations opener against Ireland on Saturday.
He said his time at Bath has helped him "grow as a player on and off the field".
"I believe we have so much potential within this group and I'm excited for what we can achieve over the next few seasons," Lawrence said.
Head coach Cheika to leave Tigers at end of season

BBC Radio Leicester's Adam Whitty
Leicester fans feared this may be the case as time progressed, and with a one-year deal this was always a possibility.
Cheika signed on last minute after Dan McKellar's dramatic exit last year, almost to help the club out, if anything. With his family back home in Australia, he couldn't be a family man there, and a professional sports coach in Leicester.
Tigers did well to get a coach of such pedigree at short notice, and Leicester have made improvements, particularly in their attack, but instability still reigns at Tigers.
Cheika's replacement will be their ninth head coach in nine years - they cannot succeed with churn like that.
The former Wallabies and Argentina head coach had started to expand Leicester's attack and style of play. With a new man in charge, with a new philosophy and style, Tigers can perhaps expect another transition season next year.

Despite giving England a good chance to win their first title for five years, Care has France down as favourites to claim the trophy in March.
The return of star scrum-half Antoine Dupont is key to that prediction.
The 28-year-old is back as captain after representing France at their home Olympics last year, helping them win the gold medal in the men's rugby sevens, scoring two tries in the final.
"I think people forget he didn't play [in the Six Nations] last year," said Care, who won the tournament with England in 2011, 2016 and 2017.
"Having him back this year, I have France down as my favourites for the tournament for that reason. He's that good, he's consistently brilliant.
"[Ireland] are right up there, they really are. It's remarkable to be going for your third in a row, never been done before.
"I know how hard it is to win one, we managed to back it up [with a second] one year, but to do three in a row [would be] unbelievable.
"In England and Scotland you've got two teams who feel like if they get things right they could win it. And then you've got Wales and Italy who will go, 'well, we think we can probably beat anyone on our day'.
"That's why I think the tournament is so unbelievably special. For me it's the most special tournament in the world."
Ireland pick Prendergast at fly-half for England game

Prendergast was seen with a heavily strapped leg in training earlier this week but attack coach Andrew Goodman played down any injury concerns on Tuesday.
After being preferred to Crowley for the win over Australia in November, Prendergast started all four of Leinster's Investec Champions Cup pool games, scoring two tries against Bristol at Ashton Gate.
However, Saturday will be by far the biggest game of the Kildare native's career as he will be expected to orchestrate Ireland's attack against an England side who won last year's encounter at Twickenham.
"We've enjoyed some competitive [training] sessions and it wasn't easy selecting a squad for this week's game given the quality of those who haven't made the final 23," said Easterby.
"Credit to those who missed out on selection for this game, there was obvious disappointment but they all stepped up brilliantly to help prepare the team this week.
"England are a talented squad with quality across their panel and we know that we will need to hit the ground running to deliver a winning performance."
Ringrose's inclusion is the only change to Ireland's backline from the Australia game.
Hugo Keenan remains at full-back while Mack Hansen starts on the right wing after serving his three-game ban for criticising the officials in Connacht's defeat by Leinster in December.
James Lowe, who returned from injury in Leinster's win over Stormers last week, starts on the left wing with Jamison Gibson-Park at scrum-half as expected.