Indian Premier League franchise Delhi Capitals are looking to expand their presence in Australia as they have had formal discussions with Cricket New South Wales for a ‘potential collaboration’ which could take place as early as Sunday.

According to a report by Cricbuzz, GMR officials who are also part-owners of the franchise are already in Sydney to build the foundations for their negotiations with the New South Wales cricket board. The owner of the GMR Group, Kiran Kumar Grandhi is also set to arrive in Sydney on Sunday.

Cricket New South Wales had earlier approached an unnamed IPL franchise to manage their second team in the Big Bash League, the Sydney Thunder which is currently being captained by the legendary Australian opener, David Warner.

The report quoted an official of the franchise that had previously held talks with CSNW and pointed out that the board did not hold any shares which makes it unclear as to why the Capitals want to collaborate. It is also suggested that the collaboration could be to build a partnership between the two teams in order to use the facilities, but official information is yet to be made available to the public.

The GMR Group have been making acquisitions of late after they brought in the historic Hampshire County in England which is associated with the ECB and could also end up buying the Southern Brave franchise in The Hundred.

SYDNEY: Indian test skipper Rohit Sharma said sitting out the final match of the series against Australia due to poor form does not mean he will retire, adding that critics will not decide when he should walk away from the sport. 

Rohit was dropped after scoring only 31 runs in five innings as India look to draw the final test and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, with pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah replacing him as captain in Sydney. 

Rohit has only one fifty in his last 15 test innings, which include 10 single-digit scores, but the 37-year-old said he had confidence in himself to turn things around.

“This decision is not a retirement decision nor am I going to take myself out of the game,” Rohit told Star Sports broadcaster on day two of the Sydney test. 

“I sat out of this match because I’m not scoring runs. There is no guarantee that runs will not come two or five months down the line. I have seen a lot in cricket. Every minute, every second, every day life changes. 

“I have belief that things will change, but at the same time I have to be realistic as well. So life won’t change by what someone with a mic, pen or laptop writes or says. I’ve played the game for years. 

“They can’t decide when we should retire, when we should sit out, when we should captain. I am a sensible man, a mature man, a father of two kids. So I think I know what I need in life.”

‘I AM NOT IN FORM’ 

With India trailing 2-1 ahead of the fifth and final test, Rohit said he “stood down” after a discussion with the selectors and head coach Gautam Gambhir, who had declined to confirm on the eve of the game if the batter would play. 

The match is finely poised with India at 141-6 in the second innings, leading Australia by 145 runs. 

“The chat that I had with the coach and the selector was very simple – my bat is not scoring runs, I am not in form, this is an important match and we need players who are in form,” Rohit added. 

“The boys are not in great form. So I had this simple thought in my mind – we can’t carry out-of-form players.

“That’s why I thought I should inform the coach and the selector about what’s on my mind. They backed my decision. They said, ‘You’ve been playing for many years, you’re the best judge of what you are doing.'” 

India’s next test series is against England in June when Rohit will be 38.

Australia’s coach Andrew McDonald has claimed that India attempted to intimidate teenager Sam Konstas during the tense fifth and deciding Test at the SCG. McDonald expressed his concerns over the on-field spat between Konstas and India’s captain, Jasprit Bumrah, following the dismissal of Usman Khawaja on the final ball of Day 1.

According to McDonald, the manner in which several Indian players swarmed Konstas in celebration after the wicket was “quite intimidating.”

“My conversation to him was just around whether he was okay,” McDonald said when discussing his check-in with Konstas after the altercation.

“Clearly the way that India celebrated that it was quite intimidating. It’s clearly within the rules and regulations of the game, as there have been no charges laid.”

McDonald also emphasized that while India’s actions were well within the bounds of the game, they still raised concerns about the mental well-being of the young player.

The incident occurred after the Indian team celebrated a crucial wicket in close proximity to the Australian debutant. McDonald’s worries stemmed from the fact that the celebration seemed directed at Konstas.