Firstpost Spodcast Episode 185: Hardik Pandya's late cameo guides MI to win, India announce World Cup squad and more

Welcome to Spodcast. Hardik Pandya produced another sensational cameo of 37 runs from 16 balls as he guided Mumbai Indians to a five-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday. Mumbai were chasing a target of 172 and the match was in the balance when Pandya came to the wicket in the 16th over. He turned the game on its head, smashing five boundaries and two sixes on a turning track at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Mumbai required 22 runs from the last two overs but Hardik took just six balls to hit the required runs, smashing left-arm spinner Pawan Negi for two boundaries and two maximums to wrap up the chase with an over to spare. The BCCI announced the Indian squad for the 2019 cricket World Cup on Monday. Ambati Rayudu was left out of the squad while Vijay Shankar found a place. Shankar may play at No 4 for India in the showpiece event. The selectors also included Ravindra Jadeja instead of going with a fourth pacer. Dinesh Karthik was chosen over Rishabh Pant as the second choice wicketkeeper. KL Rahul was also included in the 15-man squad. IPL team Mumbai Indians on Monday suffered a blow after West Indies fast bowler Alzarri Joseph was ruled out of the ongoing tournament due to a shoulder injury. The Antiguan youngster took a bad tumble while trying to prevent the ball from reaching the boundary in the IPL game between Mumbai Indians against Rajasthan Royals on 13 April. In football news, FIFA on Monday slapped a lifetime ban on the disgraced former boss of Brazilian football, Jose Maria Marin, after a US court convicted him of massive corruption. The 86-year-old Marin was one of the key figures swept up in the graft scandal that began with a series of stunning arrests in 2015 which shocked world football. He had already been sentenced to four years in a US prison after a court in New York found him guilty in connection with nearly $6.6 million in bribes from sports marketing companies in exchange for contracts to broadcast major tournaments. Following his May 2015 arrest at a luxury hotel in Zurich, Marin spent five months in a prison in Switzerland before being extradited to the United States. FIFA’s decision confirms that Marin is finished in football. Kenya’s Lawrence Cherono sprinted to victory in the Boston Marathon on Monday, overhauling Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa in the final few metres of the gruelling race to claim a thrilling win. In damp and cold weather, Cherono, Desisa and Kenya’s Kenneth Kipkemoi broke away from the field in the last few miles as the world’s oldest major marathon headed towards a dramatic conclusion. Desisa, the 2013 World Champion and two-time Boston Marathon champion, looked set for another win as he kicked for home in the final 200 metres.