Category: Cricket

In the exciting fifth and final match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2024 held in Sydney, young cricketer Sam Konstas found himself at the center of yet another controversy. This time, it was during a tense moment between him and Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah.

On Day 1 of the match, as Usman Khawaja was batting and Bumrah was ready to bowl, Khawaja took his time to ensure it was the last over of the day. Bumrah didn’t like the wait, and he showed his frustration. Meanwhile, Konstas, who was batting at the non-striker’s end, decided to stir things up by chatting with Bumrah, trying to throw him off his game.

Just as things were heating up, the umpires had to step in to cool them down. However, Bumrah got the last laugh; he bowled Khawaja on the very next ball! In a moment of celebration, Bumrah ran toward Konstas and stared him down, joined by his teammates. The cameras also caught Virat Kohli, running from the slips to join in the celebration and also confront Konstas. Prasidh Krishna was seen laughing at the whole situation.

Criticism of Sam Konstas
Former Australian cricketer Tom Moody criticized Konstas and urged senior players like Pat Cummins and Steve Smith to guide him better. He noted on social media that Konstas still has a lot to learn but hopes that his team will help him without crushing his confidence. Moody also pointed out that Khawaja had everything under control and didn’t need any distractions, which might have contributed to his dismissal.

In the previous Test match, Konstas had another run-in when he bumped into Kohli, and later, he was seen mocking Kohli and Indian fans by copying the shoulder bump at the request of Aussie fans.

On the first day of the fifth India-Australia Test match at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Friday, a record 47,566 fans filled the stands! This was the highest number of spectators ever for an opening day of a Test match between India and Australia at this venue. The excitement for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series continues to grow, with many people coming out to watch. Cricket Australia shared this amazing news on Twitter, announcing that more than 45,000 people entered the SCG on Day 1.

By lunchtime, 45,465 fans were already there, breaking the old record of 44,901 set during the 2003/04 series. Cricket Australia also mentioned that this huge crowd is the largest for a Test match in almost 50 years, reaching back to 1976. It’s clear that cricket fans in Australia are thrilled to see these teams face off!

On the first day of the exciting final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, things were pretty calm until the very last over. In the third over of Australia’s innings, Indian captain Jasprit Bumrah and Australian player Sam Konstas had a fiery argument. It all began when Bumrah was ready to bowl but got annoyed because Usman Khawaja was taking too long to get ready. Konstas jumped in to talk to Bumrah, which really upset him. This fiery moment was captured on video and quickly went viral, getting over 50,000 views on X in just 10 minutes!

The current Border-Gavaskar Trophy series between India and Australia is getting really exciting! In the final match at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Australia is looking to win and prove themselves. Recently, the series has been full of fun and sometimes intense moments between players from both teams.

One funny moment happened on day one, right before lunch, when Indian player Shubman Gill was chatting with Australian players Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith. As Nathan Lyon was getting ready to bowl the last over before the break, Gill was taking his sweet time to fix the pitch. Smith, who was in the slip position, got annoyed and said, “This is bull,” and then told Gill, “Oi, let’s play.”

Gill wasn’t happy with him talking and quickly replied, “You take your time, Smithy, nobody says anything to you.” Labuschagne, who was close by, laughed and backed up Smith by saying, “Yeah you do!”

In the end, Smith had the last laugh. After the chatter, Gill tried to block the last ball of the over, but instead edged it to Smith, who caught it easily. Gill scored 20 runs off 64 balls but will feel bad about getting out just before lunch.

Gill was back in the team to replace Rohit Sharma, batting at number three, while Jasprit Bumrah took on captain duties. India is hoping to win in Sydney and keep the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

There are serious problems brewing inside Team India, and it’s worse than we initially thought. These issues didn’t just pop up after the recent loss in Melbourne; they’ve been building even before the team arrived in Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The tension among captain Rohit Sharma, head coach Gautam Gambhir, and the players is creating a rift that could hurt the team in the future. Under the previous coach Rahul Dravid, players were kept in the loop. They were informed about their selection or exclusion clearly, unlike during the Virat Kohli-Ravi Shastri era, where communication was often lacking. For instance, Wriddhiman Saha found out he was no longer in the team when he was told that KS Bharat would take over as the wicketkeeper after Rishabh Pant.

Breaking bad news is tough, but Dravid handled it well, even if it made him unpopular at times. However, with Rohit and Gambhir now in charge, it feels like the team has taken a step back.

When Shubman Gill was left out of the Playing XI in Melbourne and Ravichandran Ashwin watched Washington Sundar play instead of him in Perth, it showed the cracks in the team’s communication. Although Rohit and Gambhir claimed they talked about these decisions, both Ashwin and Gill displayed confusion and disappointment, telling a different story.

An Indian player expressed frustration about the lack of communication: “I ran into a reserve player at a kebab shop late one night. He asked me if Rohit had mentioned him to me. He looked downcast and said, ‘Nobody says anything to me. Not the captain or the coach. I don’t know what’s going on.’” This comment highlights how some players feel left out and uncertain about their positions in the team.

The three reserve players on tour are Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, and Khaleel Ahmed. Of these, Saini has played in the last Test series in Australia, while Mukesh has appeared in three Tests.

The Indian cricket team has faced challenges after losing in the fourth Test in Melbourne. The team arrived in Australia last November with some tension, which didn’t go away even after a thrilling win in the first match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth.

Right now, there’s a noticeable rift between captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir. Rohit even chose to rest for the important fifth Test in Sydney. According to a report from The Australian, the team hasn’t been united for a while. After a disappointing first innings where they were bowled out for just 150 runs, Jasprit Bumrah, who was the captain in Rohit’s absence, delivered an impressive bowling performance that helped India bounce back. Players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli also stood out in the second innings, allowing India to win by a huge margin of 295 runs, marking their biggest overseas victory.

Surprisingly, this victory didn’t seem to bring the team closer. There were no celebrations, and they didn’t hang out together afterwards. Instead, they split into small groups and went their own ways. A few players, along with some assistant coaches, chose to dine at Nobu, a fancy Japanese restaurant, while coach Gambhir stayed in his hotel. Although a senior support staff member even offered to buy drinks to celebrate, the players weren’t interested and opted for their own plans instead.

After the win in Perth, things took a turn for the worse. India lost by 10 wickets in the following day-night Test. If it weren’t for the rain, they might have lost in the third Test as well. The situation got more intense during the MCG Test when India lost seven wickets in just over 20 overs, leading to a loss. Gambhir had a serious discussion with some players, emphasizing that performance is the key to staying in the team.

In the end, this led to Rohit Sharma sitting out the final Test after a tough series where he scored only 31 runs in five innings. The year 2024 became the least successful for Rohit in Test cricket, as he managed just 619 runs in 26 innings across 14 matches, with an average of only 24.76 runs.

In Sydney, former Indian cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri believe that Rohit Sharma might have played his last Test match. This idea comes after Rohit decided to rest for the final Test of the series against Australia, which started on Friday. The 37-year-old captain has not scored many runs recently, just 31 runs in his last five innings over three Tests.

Sunil Gavaskar shared his thoughts during lunch on the first day of the Match, saying, “This could mean India won’t make it to the World Test Championship finals, and this Melbourne Test is likely Rohit’s last.” He pointed out that the next cycle of World Test Championship will begin with the series against England, and the selectors might want younger players for the future.

Ravi Shastri agreed, suggesting that Rohit could decide to retire from Test cricket after this series. He noted that Jasprit Bumrah mentioned at the toss that Rohit chose to rest, believing the team would perform better with Shubman Gill playing instead. Shastri commented, “It takes courage for a captain to say he will sit out when he’s not in form.”

Rohit’s recent performance has been disappointing, as he has only crossed 20 runs twice in his last eight matches. With India behind 1-2 in the series, they need to win this final Test to keep the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which they have held for ten years, and to stay in the race for the World Test Championship finals against South Africa. If India doesn’t qualify, they will head to England for a Test series in June.

Shastri mentioned, “If there were home games coming up, Rohit might think about continuing, but it’s possible he will retire after this Test.” He added that India has many young and talented players waiting for their chance.

At the toss, stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah praised Rohit’s leadership by taking a rest. Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar also applauded Rohit for thinking of the team, but he didn’t understand the secrecy around the decision, saying, “It’s typical of Rohit Sharma to do what’s best for the team, but this should have been clearer at the toss.”

On the other hand, former Australian captain Mark Taylor suggested a different view, saying a captain shouldn’t “opt out” of a crucial Test match. He feels Rohit has been dropped due to his poor performance, stating, “It doesn’t mean he is out forever; it just means he’s not playing this Test because of his form, and that’s part of sports.”

After their loss in the previous Boxing Day Test, Rohit admitted that his poor performance had been “mentally disturbing,” calling it frustrating when he can’t perform well.

India’s cricket captain Rohit Sharma has been dropped from the playing lineup for the fifth Test against Australia in Sydney. Jasprit Bumrah will lead the team in his place. The decision to remove Sharma comes after he has struggled to score runs recently. In 2024, he made only 619 runs, averaging just 24.76. In his last 12 innings, he managed only 142 runs, with a very low average of 11.83. He missed the first match of the Border-Gavaskar series but played three games, scoring only 31 runs in six innings.

During the series, Sharma tried different batting positions but could not find his form. In the Sydney Test, India won the toss and chose to bat first. However, the team got off to a shaky start, losing both openers, KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, early in the game.

Besides his batting issues, Sharma’s captaincy has also been under fire, as India has won only once in the last six matches he led. They suffered a 3-0 whitewash at home, putting their chances to reach the World Test Championship final in jeopardy. With age being a factor, many believe this might be Sharma’s last Test match.

Sharma has played 67 Test matches for India, scoring 4,301 runs with an average of 40.57. His journey as an opener began in 2019, where he excelled, averaging over 90 that year. However, his recent performance has declined significantly.

Ahead of the match, India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir spoke to the media, discussing the performance and team selection. He mentioned that performance is key to being part of the team. On the day of the match, Sharma watched the practice from the sidelines, not participating actively.

India Playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (w), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah (c), Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj
Australia Playing XI: Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (w), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland

In Sydney, Australia, former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar spoke about Rohit Sharma not playing in the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. During the toss, star Indian bowler Jasprit Bumrah announced that Rohit decided to rest for this important match. Manjrekar shared his thoughts on X, saying it was “typical” of Rohit to do what’s best for the team. However, he didn’t understand why there was confusion about the decision, as it wasn’t discussed at the toss.

India’s batting has been a worry leading up to this game. With senior players not performing well, younger players have had to step up and score runs. Australia’s fast bowler Mitchell Starc had some injury issues in the previous match, but he is ready to play in Sydney. Rohit Sharma has struggled in this series, scoring just 31 runs in five innings, which is very low. He faced criticism after his poor performance in a recent series against Bangladesh as well.

In the Sydney Test, Jasprit Bumrah won the toss and chose to bat first against Australia. The teams are as follows:

Australia: Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland.

India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj.

This article was generated from an automated news feed without changes to the original text.

There seems to be trouble in the Indian cricket team. Head coach Gautam Gambhir tried to cover it up during a press conference before the last Test match in Sydney, but his answers raised more questions instead of clearing things up.

When reporters asked about captain Rohit Sharma’s position in the team, Gambhir didn’t give a clear answer. He stated, “Rohit is fine, and the head coach is here, so that should be enough.” But when asked about the final team selection, he was vague, saying it would depend on the pitch conditions.

Rohit seems to be having a tough time lately. He skipped giving a speech at an event with the Australian Prime Minister, even though he was present. Gambhir had to step in and speak for him.

Rohit has not been performing well as a player. Last year, he averaged just 24.52 runs in 19 matches with only one century. His ranking has dropped to 40th in Test cricket. Under his captaincy, the Indian team has struggled, losing five out of six matches.

Gambhir did mention he talks to both Rohit and Virat Kohli about how to win games but didn’t want to reveal too much. He said that internal discussions should stay private and not be shared publicly.