Category: Sports

Last year, India faced a surprising defeat in Test cricket at home against New Zealand. This was a big shock because New Zealand had never won more than one Test match in India before, with their last victory all the way back in 1988. They ended up beating India 3-0 in a series that many thought India would win easily.

Former Sri Lankan cricket captain, Arjuna Ranatunga, who led his team to victory in the 1996 World Cup, believes his team could have defeated India too if they played in India. He said that with great bowlers like Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralidaran, it would have taken his team just three days to win.

Rohit Sharma’s India was expected to reach the World Test Championship final for the third time in a row at the start of the series. Instead, they struggled and lost to Australia later, which meant they missed the final for the first time ever.

Before this loss, India had just achieved an incredible victory against Bangladesh, smashing 285 runs for 9 wickets in less than 35 overs, even after a lot of rain had affected the match. This win was their 18th straight Test series victory at home, breaking the record of 10 series that Australia held.

The government of Odisha asked the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) on Monday to explain why the floodlights failed during the second ODI match between India and England on Sunday at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. This failure caused a 35-minute pause in the game while India was trying to chase a score of 305 runs.

The incident happened at the start of the seventh over, with India’s openers, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, doing well and scoring 48 runs off 37 balls. Suddenly, one of the floodlights went out, leaving both teams upset. The umpires had to ask the players to leave the field.

In a letter to OCA, Siddhartha Das, the Director of Sports in Odisha, stated, “This incident led to about 30 minutes of match delay, which upset players and fans. We want OCA to explain why this happened, identify who is responsible, and tell us how they plan to stop this from happening again.” OCA has 10 days to respond.

What caused the floodlight issue? According to an Indian Express report, the problem occurred when the generator for that floodlight stopped working. This raised concerns about whether Cuttack could host international matches, especially since it was the first ODI held there in six years. OCA secretary Sanjay Behara explained, “When one generator failed, we tried to use the second one. But it took time to move the second generator because the players’ vehicles were blocking the way.”

Shardul Thakur shone in the Ranji Trophy with an amazing six-wicket haul during the quarterfinal match against Haryana. The fast-bowling all-rounder, who has been out of the Indian cricket team, is showing he deserves to return for the upcoming test series. The 33-year-old star has been performing well with both bat and ball for Mumbai in recent Ranji Trophy matches, catching the eye of the BCCI selectors and coaches due to his important contributions.

In the quarterfinal, Shardul’s impressive bowling helped Mumbai take control of the game. He claimed the first wicket by getting Haryana opener Lakshhya Dalal out for 34 runs. Later, he took down the last five batters for Haryana, completely changing the game’s momentum. Shardul bowled with great accuracy, which troubled the Haryana batsmen and led to several leg-before-wicket dismissals.

Mumbai managed to dismiss Haryana for 301 runs, after scoring 315 in their first innings. Fans on social media praised Thakur’s performance and suggested he should be picked for the upcoming tour to England in the summer. After a tough season in limited-overs cricket, where his economy rate was high, Thakur found his form again in the Ranji Trophy.

He explained that the conditions were challenging during the T20 and one-day tournaments. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he took 10 wickets in seven matches, and in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he was one of the top wicket-takers, finishing with 15 wickets in nine matches, but his economy was high.

Since the Ranji Trophy resumed, he has been outstanding, taking eight wickets in his last game against Meghalaya, including a first-innings hat-trick. His fantastic bowling helped Mumbai win by an innings and 456 runs, putting them at the top of their group.

Shardul Thakur received the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his four-wicket performances in both innings and for scoring 84 runs in the first innings. He showcased his hitting ability with a remarkable 84 runs off just 42 balls.

With his six-wicket haul against Haryana, Shardul has now taken a total of 30 wickets this season, with an average of 23.95 and best bowling figures of 6 for 58. In nine innings with the bat, he has scored 396 runs at over 40 runs per innings, including one century and three fifties.

Virat Kohli, the famous Indian cricketer, seems to be getting closer to former England captain Kevin Pietersen. Pietersen is in India for commentary during the ODI series between the two teams. They have been seen chatting and laughing together several times during their matches.

During one game in Nagpur, Kohli, who was injured at the time, showed Pietersen his hurt knee that kept him from playing in the first match. They enjoyed a funny moment that made them both smile. On another occasion, while fielding near the boundary, Kohli was spotted laughing and talking with Pietersen, who was watching from the sidelines.

People on the internet are curious about why these two are talking so much. Some think Kohli might be interested in learning about real estate prices in London, where he has spent a lot of time since the birth of his son, Akaay. Kohli’s childhood coach even mentioned that Kohli plans to move to London soon, leaving India behind. Since Kohli has a home there, asking about property prices makes sense.

During the second ODI, Aakash Chopra, a former Indian opener, mentioned on air that Kohli could be asking Pietersen about good neighborhoods in London. Pietersen responded thoughtfully, saying, “Never assume things,” hinting that their chats might be about something different.

Later, Pietersen revealed that they were talking about golf, a sport he loves. When another former Indian cricketer, Suresh Raina, guessed this, Pietersen agreed, adding that he has told Kohli to start playing golf because it’s a fantastic game.

Kohli spent a lot of time in London last year, including when he and his wife, Anushka Sharma, welcomed their second child. After some matches in India, Kohli briefly traveled to the USA and West Indies for the T20 World Cup before returning to the UK. After that, he quickly came back to India and has been here since.

India has scored two wins in a row against England in their ODI series at home. This series is seen as a warm-up for the upcoming Champions Trophy, starting in less than two weeks. Captain Rohit Sharma has returned to his best form, but one decision by the coaching staff has raised some eyebrows.

In both matches held in Nagpur and Cuttack, India won by four wickets. However, the coach made a surprising choice by sending left-handed batter Axar Patel to bat at No. 5 instead of the more experienced KL Rahul. Fans on social media expressed their confusion, and former cricketer Dodda Ganesh criticized this strategy.

Ganesh took to X (formerly Twitter) to question this decision, saying, “Axar Patel at No. 5 again? I’m shocked. Why would you send a strong batter like KL Rahul to No. 6? If the team has a poor start, would you really feel comfortable sending Axar to bat on a tricky pitch? This experiment makes no sense!”

In the first match, Ganesh had also raised concerns about Rahul being moved down. He tweeted: “KL Rahul performs best at No. 5, yet the team keeps moving him down the batting order. It’s ridiculous. What’s the point of sending Axar to No. 5?”

Regarding their performances, Axar had a good run, scoring 52 runs in Nagpur and 41 not out in Cuttack, and also took a wicket in both games. Meanwhile, KL Rahul, batting at No. 6, only made 12 runs in total. Rahul has batted at this position just two other times in his career, scoring 54 runs overall at an average of 18.

India’s cricket captain, Rohit Sharma, thrilled fans at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack with an explosive innings of 119 runs against England on Sunday. He hit his 32nd One Day International (ODI) century in just 76 balls, helping India to successfully chase down the target. Rohit hammered 12 fours and 7 sixes during his knock.

After Rohit got out, Axar Patel came in to bat, and this sparked a conversation by cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar about new cricket rules. In March 2022, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) changed a rule allowing batters to cross when a ball is caught in the air. Now, if a batter gets out caught, only the new batter coming in will face the next delivery. Gavaskar questioned why this rule was changed and suggested that the MCC should include people with international playing experience, like former cricketers Rahul Dravid and Ricky Ponting, in their decision-making.

Gavaskar argued that for any cricket rule to change, there should be a good reason behind it. He pointed out that the MCC has made several changes over the last few years for valid reasons, such as banning saliva during the COVID-19 pandemic and clarifying the rules around “Mankading.” However, he questioned the need for changing the crossing rule, suggesting that it was an important part of the game’s excitement.

In Cuttack, India’s cricket team surprised everyone by only using two main fast bowlers in their match against England. Hardik Pandya joined the bowling attack early, around the sixth over. India had quite a few spin bowlers to choose from with Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Varun Chakravarthy. In fact, England faced quite a lot of spin in their first ten overs of batting.

England ended their innings with a total of 304 runs, but this was still the lowest score at the Barabati Stadium since 2011. At one point, they were looking strong, reaching 200 runs for the loss of just 3 wickets by the 35th over. However, they slowed down, which hurt their chances of a big finish. Two reasons for this included their struggle to score when the ball wasn’t coming fast, and Jadeja’s great bowling, which stopped their run flow.

Ravindra Jadeja was the star for India, taking 3 wickets for 35 runs. While other bowlers were giving away runs, Jadeja was accurate and tricky with his spin. He bowled different kinds of balls that made it hard for the batsmen. Not only that, but he also got rid of England’s important players, Ben Duckett and Joe Root.

Duckett, who was looking very strong, got out at a critical moment. Jadeja made him play a wide ball that he couldn’t resist, leading to an easy catch for Hardik Pandya.

Joe Root fell to a surprising delivery from Jadeja. It was a slow ball that didn’t leave him any chance to hit a big shot. When Joe tried to drive the ball, it went straight to Virat Kohli, leading to one of the simplest dismissals in his career.

These key wickets changed the game’s flow. Duckett seemed ready to score big when he got out, and that seemed to shake England’s confidence. Even though it wasn’t a difficult pitch to bat on, Jadeja’s skills shone through, making him the difference-maker for India.

India’s bowling wasn’t perfect that day. England scored 181 runs off fast bowling and 121 runs off spin. Although Chakravarthy took a wicket, neither Axar Patel nor he bowled tightly. But Jadeja’s performance gave India the edge they needed to win the day.

Rohit Sharma, the captain of the Indian cricket team, made his fans super happy by scoring a century against England in the 2nd ODI in Cuttack. He hit his hundred in just XX balls, proving all his critics wrong. After struggling to find his form, Rohit played like his usual powerful self, showing he can still dominate. This was Rohit’s first ODI century since he scored against Afghanistan in the 2023 World Cup and his first international century since scoring 103 against England in Dharamsala last year.

Rohit had a tough time recently, even getting out without scoring in Australia during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In the last match in Nagpur, he got out trying to play a fancy shot. But against England, Rohit was on a mission to silence his critics. With people questioning his future, hitting a century was perfect timing, especially with the Champions Trophy coming up. The last time India won it, Rohit had just started opening the batting and played big roles in matches. They need him to do the same this time around to win two ICC trophies in a row.

From the moment Rohit faced his first delivery, it was clear he was back in form. Although the ball stayed low, he defended it well. Soon after, he hit his first four with a lucky edge. If that wasn’t enough to show he was back, he then smashed a six with a great shot. The crowd and commentators knew he was ready to shine again.

Rohit kept going strong. He hit his 58th ODI fifty by cutting the leg-spinner, Adil Rashid, and showed no signs of slowing down. Chasing a target of 305 runs, Rohit and Shubman Gill formed a solid partnership, adding 136 runs as openers. Rohit was in control, but things slowed down a bit when Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli got out.

Batting on 88, Rohit hit his sixth six off Mark Wood, and then another one when he was at 96, reaching his century with style. He celebrated simply by raising his bat and then hitting a reverse sweep for another four runs shortly after.

Ryan Rickelton, a wicket-keeper batsman from Johannesburg, South Africa, is thrilled to join the Mumbai Indians (MI) cricket team for his first Indian Premier League (IPL) season. He looks forward to learning from famous players like Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah.

Rickelton recently helped MI Cape Town win their first SA20 title by scoring a quick 33 runs off 15 balls. At the IPL auction, he was bought by Mumbai Indians for ₹1 crore, which is approximately $120,000. He expressed his excitement, saying, “I’ve always wanted to play in the IPL, and MI is a fantastic team. I can’t wait to start!”

During the past season, he was the top scorer in the SA20, accumulating 336 runs in just eight games with an impressive strike rate of 178.72. This achievement followed his remarkable performance of 259 runs in a Test match against Pakistan earlier this year.

Rickelton noted, “Playing alongside stars like Rohit, Hardik, and Jasprit will be an amazing learning experience for me.” He credits his recent success to the supportive environment created by the MI coaching staff, especially bowling coach Mitchell McClenaghan, who plays a crucial behind-the-scenes role in developing players.

He also highlighted the talent of young South African players and how opportunities like the SA20 help them grow. “Having mentors from abroad and different coaching styles has really helped us improve our games,” he added.

With high hopes for this season, Rickelton is ready to make the most of his IPL debut.

UP Warriorz have chosen Deepti Sharma, a talented all-rounder, as their new captain for the third season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL). Deepti has been part of the UP team since the very first season and will be taking over the captaincy from Alyssa Healy, who can’t play this year due to an injury.

The exciting news was shared by former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina, who is also from Uttar Pradesh, during a live show while India played a match against England in Cuttack.

This season, the WPL will have matches in Lucknow, which is the home ground for the UP Warriorz. They will play against the Gujarat Giants on March 3, the Mumbai Indians on March 6, and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru on March 8 at their home stadium.

In their first season, UP Warriorz made it to the playoffs, and now, under Deepti’s leadership, they aim to do even better.

Deepti is excited about being named captain. She said, “I feel honored to lead the UP Warriorz, which is from my home state. We have a strong team, and I am sure we will give our fans an entertaining game this season. I can’t wait to play in Lucknow and hope to inspire young female athletes.”

Jinisha Sharma, the Director of Capri Sports and team owner, expressed her confidence in Deepti. She said, “Deepti is a top player in Indian cricket, and we are happy for her to lead us this season. Her sharp mind and skills make her the perfect captain for our team. We believe she will help us play fearless and exciting cricket, making our fans proud.”

The UP Warriorz will start their WPL Season 3 journey against the Gujarat Giants on February 16 in Vadodara.