Category: Cricket

Travis Head set a new record by scoring the fastest century in a day-night Test match, achieving this in just 111 balls! This amazing feat happened on Day 2 of the second Test in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 at the Adelaide Oval, where Australia faced off against India.

Before this, Travis Head already held the record for the fastest pink-ball Test century, having scored 100 runs in 112 balls against England in Hobart in 2022. Now, he holds three records for the fastest centuries in pink-ball Tests! His other record is a 125-ball century against the West Indies in a day-night Test, also in Adelaide.

Coming to bat after Steve Smith got out, Head played aggressively and made the Indian bowlers nervous. While he was careful against Jasprit Bumrah, who is a strong bowler, he scored freely against others, especially a young bowler named Harshit Rana.

Fastest Centuries in Day-Night Tests:
– Travis Head (Australia) – 111 balls vs India, Adelaide 2024
– Travis Head (Australia) – 112 balls vs England, Hobart 2022
– Travis Head (Australia) – 125 balls vs West Indies, Adelaide 2022
– Joe Root (England) – 139 balls vs West Indies, Edgbaston 2017
– Asad Shafiq (Pakistan) – 140 balls vs Australia, Brisbane 2016

Stay tuned for more exciting updates!

Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma came back to play in the second Test match against Australia, but he didn’t do well with the bat. While KL Rahul had a great time as an opener in the first Test, the team decided to keep the same opening order and let Rohit bat at number 6. Unfortunately, this decision didn’t work out in the first innings, as Rohit scored only 3 runs off 23 balls.

India had a tough time batting, getting all out for just 180 runs in the first innings. Former cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Ricky Ponting had different opinions about Rohit’s batting position. Rohit has been opening for India since 2019, but Gavaskar thought it was smart for him to come down the order because he hasn’t played serious matches for over a month. He mentioned that batting with a pink ball is tricky, and it was good for Rohit to observe the game for a bit.

However, Ricky Ponting disagreed. He felt that Rohit should have opened the batting again since KL Rahul and Shubman Gill have been performing well. Ponting suggested that if things continue like this, Rohit might end up batting at number 6 for the rest of his career, while Rahul and Gill keep their spots.

Rohit is a talented player, but he hasn’t scored many runs against Australia, with just one century in his career against them. He has also struggled in recent months, only getting one half-century in five home Tests. Sadly, Rohit faced a tough time as captain when India lost 0-3 in a home series against New Zealand in November.

Sunil Gavaskar, a legendary Indian cricket player, shared his thoughts on how Virat Kohli got out on the first day of the day-night Test match against Australia at Adelaide Oval. Kohli, who scored a great century in the previous Test, was dismissed again by a short ball outside the off stump. Fast bowler Mitchell Starc bowled a delivery that rose sharply, and while Kohli hesitated about whether to play or let it go, he ended up edging the ball into the slips and was out for just seven runs.

Many people have criticized Kohli for not changing his batting style, especially given the bounce and pace of the pitches. He was out in a similar way during the first innings of the first Test in Perth. Former player Sanjay Manjrekar noted that Kohli’s Test average has dropped from over 50 to 48 partly because of his unwillingness to adjust his technique.

Gavaskar, however, defended Kohli’s approach, highlighting that he has scored over 9,000 runs and 30 centuries in Test matches using the same technique. He said he wouldn’t be too concerned about these two dismissals. “This has happened in Perth and now again. It’s part of the game. Yes, his high back lift might slow him down. But Kohli knows how to bat; he has 30 hundreds to prove it. He wasn’t lucky in Perth or this time. There’s lots of time left in the series,” said Gavaskar on Jio Cinema after the day’s play.

Former Australian player Matthew Hayden commented that Kohli made good decisions in his second innings in Perth. But in Adelaide, he went back to his old batting style, which led to trouble. “Conditions were tricky. In Perth, he was clear about his movements and played well. This time, he went back to his old stance and was caught off guard. He needs to get closer to the ball when it starts to swing,” Hayden explained.

At the end of the first day’s play, Australia was in a strong position, finishing the day at 86-1, while India was bowled out for just 180 runs in their first innings, with Mitchell Starc taking impressive figures of 6-48.

On December 7, England’s fast bowler Gus Atkinson made headlines by taking a hat-trick and helping his team dismiss New Zealand for just 125 runs. This strong performance gave England a first-innings lead of 155 runs during the second Test in Wellington.

After losing their opener, Zak Crawley, cheaply, England’s Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell stepped up, guiding their team to 82 for 1 at lunch. Duckett was not out at 39 runs and Bethell had 34 not out, putting England in a powerful position.

New Zealand started the day in trouble at 86 for 5 in response to England’s 280 runs. Brydon Carse, also a young bowler like Atkinson, quickly added to their troubles by dismissing Tom Blundell for 16 runs with a great ball that hit the top of the off stump.

Things got worse for New Zealand when Nighwatchman Will O’Rourke was given out leg before wicket (lbw) for no runs. Atkinson took charge from his end, taking three wickets in a row. He dismissed Nathan Smith, who tried to play a delivery but only managed to hit it onto his own stumps. Next, he bowled Matt Henry for a golden duck (which means he got out on the first ball he faced) with a bouncer that was caught by Duckett at gully. Finally, Atkinson trapped Tim Southee lbw on his first ball.

This hat-trick was a special moment, being the 47th in the history of Test cricket and the first by an England bowler since 2017. England had won the first Test by eight wickets in Christchurch last week, and now the Black Caps need to come up with a fantastic performance to stop England from winning their first series in New Zealand since 2008. The third and final Test will be in Hamilton soon.

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Mitchell Starc has finally gotten his revenge! He bowled out India’s opening player, Yashasvi Jaiswal, on the very first ball of the Adelaide Test. Starc and Jaiswal’s battle heated up during the first Test in Perth, where Jaiswal teased Starc for bowling “too slow.” But in this match, Starc surprised him with a perfectly swinging ball that sent Jaiswal back to the pavilion without scoring. India lost a wicket right at the start of the game!

After the first day’s play, Starc shared his excitement with ABC Sport. He said, “It’s a nice way to start the game. Get one on target and away we go.” He continued by being proud of his achievement—taking six wickets, his best bowling performance ever! Thanks to his efforts, Australia bowled India out for just 180 runs.

Starc got rid of big names like Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, and others. He noted, “It was a good day overall. We were a bit wide in the first hour, which allowed them to score some runs. After that, we improved a lot and bowled them out well.”

At the end of Day 1, Australia was in a strong position, with the score at 86/1, still needing 94 runs to catch up. Nathan McSweeney was playing well with 38 runs, and Marnus Labuschagne had 20 runs. Starc defended Labuschagne, saying he has been practicing hard since the last Test.

Starc remarked how tough the last session of pink-ball cricket can be, especially against quality bowlers. He praised his teammates for their fight during the game. With a great pink-ball record, Australia hopes to continue their good performance on Day 2 against India.

On Day 1 of the 2nd Test match in Adelaide, Marnus Labuschagne and Jasprit Bumrah had a lively exchange. Playing with the pink ball at night, Bumrah put pressure on the Australian batsmen, including Labuschagne, with his tricky bowling. Bumrah successfully bowled out opener Usman Khawaja after a 10-over wait for a wicket.

In the 13th over, Labuschagne still hadn’t scored when the Indian team, led by Virat Kohli, began teasing him. Bumrah bowled to Labuschagne, who defended the ball well. After collecting the ball, Bumrah shot a look at Labuschagne, but instead of backing down, Marnus said something back, almost challenging Bumrah. Kohli and Rishabh Pant laughed, and even Bumrah smiled as he went back to bowl.

The fun didn’t stop there! Bumrah outsmarted Labuschagne on the next ball and jokingly charged at him. Labuschagne responded with a big smile and shook his head, showing there was no hard feelings. Everyone felt the excitement in that over, and even the commentators agreed that things were heating up.

“This is fierce Test cricket, and Marnus is not backing down,” said Adam Gilchrist during the match, while Kerry O’Keefe added, “It’s a boxing match, isn’t it?”

Together with Nathan McSweeney, Labuschagne kept the Indian bowlers at bay, scoring 61 runs by the end of Day 1, and bringing Australia’s total deficit under 100 runs before stumps.

In a tough first innings against Australia in the pink-ball Test in Adelaide, young cricketer Nitish Kumar Reddy amazed everyone with an unusual shot. With his teammates getting out quickly, Reddy was left to help the lower-order batsmen. Feeling the pressure, he decided to play bravely and pulled off an incredible reverse scoop against Scott Boland.

As the ball came to him, right outside off stump, Reddy skillfully lifted it over the slip fielders. The hit was perfectly timed, sending the ball flying past the boundary for a fantastic six. Reddy couldn’t hide his joy and smiled, while his batting partner, Jasprit Bumrah, laughed at the ridiculousness of the shot. Rishabh Pant, known for his fun shots, would have loved it from the dressing room too.

You can watch the shot here. India ended up getting all out for 180 runs in their first innings, with Reddy the last player out for 42. Earlier, team captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bat first at Adelaide Oval.

India’s innings started poorly, losing Yashasvi Jaiswal on the very first ball to Mitchell Starc. Although KL Rahul and Shubman Gill made a solid 69-run partnership, the team faced a big collapse after Rahul got out. After tea, India quickly lost six wickets, dropping to 82 for 4. Even Virat Kohli, who scored a century in the last Test, could only manage 7 runs this time.

Rishabh Pant scored 21, while Rohit Sharma made only 3. Other players, including Harshit Rana (0), Ravichandran Ashwin (22), and Jasprit Bumrah (0), also fell quickly. Australian bowlers had a field day on the first day of the second Test. Mitchell Starc was the star of the show for Australia, taking six wickets for just 48 runs. Captain Pat Cummins helped by taking two wickets, including that of Rishabh Pant.

In Adelaide, Australian bowler Mitchell Starc shone brightly during his first five-wicket haul, helping to dismiss India for 180 runs on the first day of the day-night Test. At tea, India was struggling at 82 for 4, and they lost the last six wickets for just 98 runs before the dinner break.

Starc, along with fellow bowlers Pat Cummins and Scott Boland, made great use of the pink ball, especially in the second session. Starc used his famous inswingers to dismiss R Ashwin and Harshit Rana, while Cummins cleverly used short balls. Rohit Sharma, batting in the middle order for the first time in six years, was trapped lbw by Boland. Rishabh Pant tried to play aggressively but fell victim to a sharp bouncer from Cummins.

Nitish Reddy, who impressed on his debut in Perth, played a fearless innings. He added crucial runs alongside Ashwin, who replaced Washington Sundar in the lineup. While wickets kept falling, Reddy took bold shots, hitting two fantastic sixes off Starc and Boland, which helped the team score more than 150 runs.

Earlier in the match, Starc struck at important moments, taking out opener K L Rahul and star player Virat Kohli in quick succession, which turned the match in Australia’s favor. This happened after a solid 69-run partnership between Rahul and Shubman Gill. Things got worse when Boland dismissed Gill quickly, leading to India losing their last three wickets for just 12 runs.

Rohit, who had a comfortable place in the dressing room moments before, had to go in to bat at a new spot in the order to allow Rahul to take the opening position. It was a dramatic start, especially since India chose to bat first on a pitch with good grass cover. Young player Yashasvi Jaiswal, who had a great first Test in Australia a few weeks ago, got out on the very first ball, missing a fuller delivery from Starc that swung back just enough to be ruled out LBW.

Gill, back in action after healing from a thumb injury, played confidently, while Rahul took 21 balls to score his first run. Four out of Gill’s five boundaries came off Starc, who sometimes bowled too full or short. Gill’s best shots were his off-drive and cover drive against Starc.

Rahul almost got out without scoring, but Boland overstepped on the first ball he bowled. Known for targeting the off-stump, Boland made Rahul edge a ball that almost took him out. Once Rahul scored, he started playing aggressively, with a beautiful cover drive being the highlight.

Things looked good for India until Starc removed Rahul and then Kohli in quick succession with short balls that surprised them. Gill was bowled out last in the session as he tried to hit Boland but was trapped lbw

When we think about great Test cricket players, two names shine the brightest: Don Bradman and Sachin Tendulkar. Bradman’s batting average of 99.94 from just 52 matches is a record that seems impossible to beat. In contrast, Sachin Tendulkar is known as the complete batter of cricket history. He holds records for the most runs and centuries in international cricket, and was the first player to score a double century in One Day Internationals (ODIs).

In the early ’90s, as Tendulkar was taking the cricket world by storm, a young Indian batter named Vinod Kambli was also making waves. It was 1991, and India needed fresh talent as they were still relying on older stars like Kapil Dev and Mohammad Azharuddin.

Despite a slow start, Kambli’s first year in international cricket took off in 1992 with a brilliant unbeaten century against England. He made his Test debut in Kolkata, which opened the door to a thrilling cricket career.

Kambli quickly became known for his amazing performances. After just seven Test matches, he scored two centuries, including back-to-back double hundreds – 224 and 227 runs – against England and Zimbabwe. His total runs after those seven matches reached 793, giving him an incredible average of 100.4, even better than Bradman’s.

However, despite this fantastic start, Kambli’s career took a downturn. After crying when India lost to Sri Lanka in the 1996 World Cup semi-final, things didn’t go well for him. He struggled to score runs and couldn’t maintain his place in the team. His off-field behavior also became a problem.

Kambli made many comebacks to the Indian team between 1991 and 2000, but by the time he was just 28, his career was over. He played 101 ODIs, scoring 2,477 runs with two centuries.

Sadly, Kambli is often remembered as a player who never reached his full potential, despite starting out so brilliantly.

Nitish Kumar Reddy: From Dreaming of Kohli to Playing Alongside Him

Nitish Kumar Reddy, a 21-year-old cricketer, recently shared his exciting journey from being a fan of Virat Kohli to making his Test debut for India in Perth. Growing up, Nitish always dreamed of playing cricket with his idol, Virat. He often thought about how old he would be when he finally had the chance to play alongside him before Kohli retired.

That dream came true when Kohli gave him his first Test cap before India played Australia. India won the match by an impressive 295 runs, starting the series with a big lead. After his debut, a photo of Nitish taking a selfie with Kohli went viral. In the picture, Kohli was a bit far away and not looking at the camera, but Nitish found it special and called it his “safety photo.” He said, “I took this picture because I might not get another chance. It reminds me of my childhood dreams.”

During the game, Nitish was more excited about Kohli’s performance than his own. Nitish shared, “I was watching Kohli closely as he approached his hundred. I didn’t even realize I was close to my own fifty. I was so thrilled when he scored his 81st hundred—it was an amazing moment!”

KL Rahul’s Helpful Advice

Nitish also talked about how he felt nervous being around more experienced players. But KL Rahul helped him feel comfortable. “At first, I was worried about talking to everyone. I always felt good talking to KL bhai. He gives me great advice,” Nitish explained.

One important tip from Rahul stuck with Nitish: “Macha, when you’re out there, don’t rush. Just take it slow.” This was helpful for him, especially since everything felt so fast during his first match. He was thankful for Rahul’s support.