Category: Cricket

Everyone thought that the young Indian team, led by Mohamed Amaan, would win the U19 Asia Cup final. But the match took a surprising turn, and India lost to Bangladesh by 59 runs at the Dubai International Stadium. The Indian batsmen struggled to chase a small target of 199 runs, which allowed Bangladesh to celebrate a big win.

Surprisingly, many fans in the stadium were cheering for Bangladesh rather than India. Throughout the match, loud chants of “Allahu Akbar” filled the air as fans supported the defending champions. In the final minutes of the game, Bangladesh’s captain, Azizul Hakim Tamim, encouraged the crowd to cheer even louder. Fans joined in, which even caught the attention of commentators. Former Sri Lankan bowler Roshan Abeysinghe commented, “Is he trying to energize the crowd? Wow. Well done.” Former Indian player Atul Wassan added, “They know how to entertain the fans. This shows their growth.”

In the final match, India won the toss and decided to let Bangladesh bat first. Bangladesh was all out for 198 runs in 49.1 overs, with Md Rizan Hossan scoring the most at 47 runs. For India, bowlers Yudhajit Guha, Chetan Sharma, and Hardik Raj took two wickets each. At one point, many thought India could easily reach the target.

But sadly, none of the Indian batters played well when it mattered most. Young player Vaibhav Suryavanshi, only 13 years old, only managed 9 runs. India quickly fell to 92/7 in the 27th over. Hopes were still alive while captain Mohamed Amaan was batting on 26, but after he got out in the 32nd over, it was clear India would not win.

In the end, India got bowled out for just 139 runs in under 36 overs, giving Bangladesh a well-earned victory by 59 runs. This win marks Bangladesh’s second straight Asia Cup title!

Jacob Bethell was seen as a risk when he made his England debut at number three against New Zealand in Christchurch last month. But captain Ben Stokes felt proud after Bethell helped secure a series win on Sunday. The 21-year-old, who usually batted at number four in first-class matches, scored 50 runs in Christchurch and followed it up with an impressive 96 in Wellington, helping England win by 323 runs.

Stokes spoke about Bethell’s batting position during the post-match press conference, saying, “I know people were concerned about him batting at three because he’s young and doesn’t have much experience. But Coach Brendon McCullum and I felt that since he has so much talent, we should let him play under tough conditions. Batting higher gave him confidence, allowing him to perform well in the second match.”

Bethell got his chance to play because wicketkeeper Jamie Smith was unavailable, and his replacement Jordan Cox was injured. As a result, Ollie Pope moved down from number three to keep wicket. Despite this change, it worked out well for Pope, who scored 77 runs in the first test and 66 in the second, helping build strong partnerships with Harry Brook.

The only sad part for Stokes was that Bethell didn’t get his first century at Basin Reserve. Stokes said, “I felt really sorry for him missing out on three figures. I told him, ‘It’s only four runs, right?’ And he replied, ‘Yeah, but it would have been awesome if I hit that shot through the covers to get it.’ Class act!” Stokes believes Bethell has proven himself and shown why everyone rates him so highly.

South Africa needs five more wickets, while Sri Lanka is chasing 143 runs as the thrilling final day of the second Test arrives. At the end of the fourth day, Sri Lanka scored 205-5, trying to reach a target of 348 runs to win the match and tie the series. South Africa aims to find the remaining batsmen to claim a 2-0 victory.

Sri Lanka’s captain, Dhananjaya de Silva, and Kusal Mendes showed great partnership, both not out on 39 runs, giving their team hope. They maintained a quick scoring rate, but they need to chase down more runs than any team has previously managed at this venue—Australia’s 271-8 against South Africa in 1997.

Both teams are eager to win. Sri Lanka needs this win to stay in the race for a spot in the World Test Championship final at Lord’s in June. If South Africa wins, they will move to the top of the standings, ahead of Australia.

After getting South Africa out for 317 runs post-lunch, Sri Lanka played aggressively but lost two openers—Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne—before tea. Karunaratne was out for just 1 run, and Nissanka scored 18 runs before chasing a wide ball and getting caught by the bowler Dane Paterson. Paterson also got Dinesh Chandimal out for 29 runs in the last session.

Spinner Keshav Maharaj got veteran Angelo Mathews out for 32 runs. The attacking Kamindu Mendes scored 35 runs quickly but got caught by wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne off another Maharaj delivery.

Earlier, Prabath Jayasuriya took five wickets for 129 runs—his first five-wicket haul outside of Sri Lanka. Temba Bavuma topped South Africa’s score in their second innings with 66 runs. He began the day with 48, achieved his 24th fifty, but was eventually out by Jayasuriya.

South Africa won the first Test against Sri Lanka by 233 runs in Durban.

Former Indian cricket captain Sunil Gavaskar believes that Rohit Sharma should go back to opening the batting in the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. In the last match, Rohit played at No. 5, which was the first time he didn’t open for India since 2019. Unfortunately, he only scored three and six runs, and India lost the match by 10 wickets.

India chose to keep KL Rahul as an opener with Yashasvi Jaiswal because Rahul had done well in the first Test. However, he only scored 37 and seven in this match. Gavaskar pointed out that Rahul only opened because Rohit was not available for the first Test. “Rohit should return to his regular opening position. Rahul should be moved back to No. 5 or No. 6,” Gavaskar said on Sports Tak.

Gavaskar explained that while Rahul did well in the first Test, his recent scores don’t justify continuing at the top of the order. He believes if Rohit starts well, he could score a big century later in the match.

After the pink-ball Test in Adelaide, Rohit felt that India was about 30-40 runs short in their first innings. “It was a disappointing week for us. We didn’t play well, and Australia played better cricket,” Rohit said in the press conference after the match. He also mentioned that India missed several chances to take wickets, making it hard to win.

Josh Hazlewood is getting ready to return for the third Test in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India, taking place at the Gabba in Brisbane. He missed the pink-ball Test in Adelaide because of a side injury, and many were unsure if he would make it back in time. However, Hazlewood has recovered quicker than expected. On Monday, he was seen bowling strongly at the Adelaide Oval, looking pleased with how he felt. Hazlewood has taken 278 wickets in his Test career so far.

Australia, who tied the series by winning 10 wickets in Adelaide, would greatly benefit from Hazlewood’s presence in Brisbane. Former captain Ricky Ponting prefers Hazlewood over Scott Boland, who performed well in Adelaide. Ponting said, “Even though Boland bowled brilliantly, I would still choose Hazlewood for Brisbane.”

Hazlewood’s history at the Gabba is quite impressive; he has played 8 Tests there, taking 37 wickets with an average of 23.75 and two five-wicket hauls. His return could be crucial, especially since Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are struggling for runs. After the Adelaide victory, captain Pat Cummins said Hazlewood is on track and just needs to bowl again to check how he feels. If Hazlewood plays, it might mean not all current players can stay in the team, making it tough for whoever has to make space. In Hazlewood’s absence, Boland took five wickets in the Adelaide match, even getting Kohli out in the second innings.

Venkatesh Iyer, a talented cricket player, just became one of the most expensive picks in IPL history! He was chosen by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for ₹23.75 crores during the big auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Venkatesh always dreamed of returning to KKR and felt sad when they didn’t keep him in the team before the auction.

KKR’s CEO, Venky Mysore, shared that Venkatesh told him he would be disappointed if KKR didn’t buy him back. During the auction, KKR and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) both wanted him fiercely. Venkatesh explained, “It was exciting to see the paddles raised for me, but I was grateful to KKR for believing in me.”

Before the auction, Venkatesh spoke with Venky Mysore, who explained that due to the retention rules, KKR couldn’t keep him but wanted him back. Venkatesh said, “If there’s a chance to bring me back to KKR, please do it!” His wish came true, showing how much the team trusts him.

Now, with such a high price tag, many think Venkatesh could become KKR’s captain. Some reports suggest that Ajinkya Rahane will lead instead. When asked about it, Venkatesh mentioned, “I want to be a leader in any team I play for. You don’t need a captain title for that. If I get to captain KKR, it would be an honor.”

During the last IPL season, he scored 370 runs with a great average and even hit a century against the Mumbai Indians. Overall, he has played 50 IPL matches and scored 1,326 runs, along with taking three wickets.

In three out of four innings during the current tour of Australia, the highest-run scorer for India has been Nitish Reddy. It feels odd, but it’s true. Over the last ten innings, India has scored less than 200 runs six times, including a shocking total of just 46 runs. This is a worry, and it’s real.

Since their series against New Zealand in 2021, the average runs for India’s top players in tough countries like South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia (known as SENA) has dropped to only 27.94. It’s disappointing, but it’s true.

Despite this, India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, isn’t too scared about their batting problems. “I wouldn’t say worry,” Rohit commented after being asked about the team’s struggles. He admitted that they didn’t bat well in their recent matches but added that they chose to play in tough conditions to improve their skills.

The big question now is whether India’s batsmen can perform well in tough situations or if they only do well when conditions are easy. The team often encounters collapses that lead to defeats.

When India batted first in Adelaide, it seemed like the perfect opportunity. However, they fell short at 180 runs, which Rohit thought was 30-40 runs below what they needed. After that, it became hard for them to comeback. This isn’t just a single game issue; their top-order players haven’t been consistent lately and often need help from bowlers or lower-order batsmen.

The team’s batting averages keep dropping, making it hard to predict how they will perform. They swing between two extremes: great runs like in Perth and very low scores like in Adelaide. There seems to be no middle ground.

Rohit stated, “I am not too worried about this one game. Every player wants to score runs to help the team. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, it just doesn’t work out.”

While the team is putting in a lot of practice, results are what really matter. Rohit believes that they need to improve how they plan and think about the game, especially during Test matches. Every team goes through tough times, but it is important to learn from them.

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar expressed his disappointment with the team, saying, “You can’t just be in your hotel rooms. You’ve come here to play cricket, so practice even if it’s not all day.” Gavaskar acknowledged that the team was indeed practicing after the match.

Test cricket is changing, and so are the ways to play it. It is still possible to succeed with different playing styles, similar to stars like Rahul Dravid or Cheteshwar Pujara. However, following their strategies could help the current team as they face questions about their performance, especially after the loss in Adelaide. Rohit needs his batsmen to step up and prove they can perform at a high level. It may sound strange, but it’s true.

In the big U19 Asia Cup final on Sunday, India lost to Bangladesh by 59 runs. After a strong performance from the bowlers, who kept Bangladesh to 198 runs in 49.1 overs, it seemed like India was in a good position to win. But when it was time for the batters to play, they struggled a lot and couldn’t build on the bowlers’ good work.

Chasing a target of 199 runs, India got all out for just 139 runs in 35.2 overs. None of the main batters could make a big score. Even the youngest IPL star, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, only scored 9 runs off 7 balls. India faced early trouble, losing Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre for just 24 runs in five overs.

As the match went on, Bangladesh put a lot of pressure on the Indian batters, making it hard for them to score runs and take singles. C Andre Siddarth tried to help with a score of 20 off 35 balls, but he got out in the 12th over, which was a big moment in the match as it gave Bangladesh the upper hand.

Iqbal Hossain Emon was outstanding for Bangladesh, taking three crucial wickets that hurt India’s chances. Mohamed Amaan tried to hold on, scoring 26 runs off 65 balls, but it wasn’t enough. Hardik Raj also added 24 runs late in the innings, but India folded quickly. Azizul Hakim made things worse for India by taking 3 wickets for just 8 runs in 2.2 overs.

Earlier, Rizan Hossain scored 47 runs, while Mohammad Shihab James hit 40 and Farid Hasan made 39 runs for Bangladesh. Despite struggling, Bangladesh managed to score near 200 runs while using most of their overs.

From India, Yudhajit Guha performed best with 2 wickets for 29 runs. Chetan Sharma and Hardik Raj also contributed with 2 wickets each. Kiran Chormale gave away just 19 runs in 7 overs and took 1 wicket, while Karthikeya and Mhatre each took 1 wicket.

Rohit Sharma is facing a tough time as both a Test player and captain. His recent return to the Indian cricket team came with a loss at the Adelaide Oval during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Fans and experts are questioning his decisions and strategies, especially after India lost 3-0 to New Zealand at home. This latest defeat marks four straight losses for Rohit as captain, putting him in a challenging group of Indian captains with this unfortunate record.

With his current streak of losses, Rohit joins famous captains like Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, both of whom have also lost four Test matches in a row. Sachin Tendulkar and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi hold an even tougher record with more consecutive losses. On the flip side, India won the first match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy under Jasprit Bumrah’s leadership, but Rohit’s four losses in five matches put him under pressure.

Back in 2020-21, Kohli went through a tough phase of losing four matches, including a significant defeat in Adelaide. He later bounced back and led the team to some victories. Similarly, MS Dhoni faced this problem twice in his career. Once was during India’s difficult tours of England in 2011 and 2014, close to his retirement.

In 1959, one of India’s early captains, Datta Gaekwad, lost four matches in a row when cricket in India was still developing. In a brief captaincy in 1999-2000, Sachin Tendulkar experienced five consecutive losses before stepping down. An all-time negative record is held by Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, who lost six matches in a row in 1967-68.

Fans are hoping Rohit can turn things around and avoid getting close to this record, as the Indian team seeks a positive result in the upcoming third Test at the Gabba.