Category: Sports

Indian cricket is buzzing with news as veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement after the recent Brisbane Test against Australia. This has led to rumors about other players, like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, potentially retiring too, especially after they struggled in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.

Recently, in a match in Melbourne, Rohit had a tough time, scoring just 9 runs while chasing 340 to win the match. Over the entire series, he only scored 31 runs in five innings, which averages out to only 6.20—making it the worst for a visiting captain in Australia. His performance has been weak for several months, with only 164 runs at an average of just over 10 since September.

While Kohli managed to score a century in Perth, his performance dipped in the following matches with scores of 7, 11, 3, 36, and 5. Despite their struggles, former India coach Ravi Shastri offered different views on their futures. He believes Kohli still has the potential to continue playing for a few more years, but he feels it might be time for Rohit to consider retiring.

Regarding Kohli’s form, he has had trouble with balls outside off stump, getting out six times out of seven attempts against this type of delivery in the current series. Shastri noted that while Kohli has been tested, he still batted well and showed promise despite his dismissals. He warned that Kohli should rethink his strategy, especially against Australia’s strong bowling attack.

In a thrilling day of cricket at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia’s bowlers took control, leaving India struggling at 33 runs for 3 wickets at lunch on Day 5 of the fourth Test. India needs a huge 340 runs to win, and with their top players falling quickly, things looked tough for them.

Australia was all out for 234 runs early today. Pat Cummins was sensational, taking 2 wickets in one over. He first got Indian captain Rohit Sharma out for just 9 runs, catching him off a thick edge to Mitchell Marsh. Just 5 balls later, Cummins struck again, removing KL Rahul for a duck, as Usman Khawaja made a sharp catch in the slips.

Virat Kohli, who faced mixed reactions from the crowd after a previous incident with Australian bowler Sam Konstas, came to bat but was dismissed quickly. He tried a risky drive off Mitchell Starc and got caught for just 5 runs.

At lunch, the only bright spot for India was Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was still batting but had scored only 14 runs off 83 balls.

Earlier today, Jasprit Bumrah ended Australia’s innings by taking Nathan Lyon’s wicket for 41 runs. Bumrah had an amazing match, taking 5 wickets for 57 runs, bringing his total wickets in the series to 30 at a superb average of just 12.83. Mohammed Siraj also did well, taking 3 wickets for 70 runs after a rough first innings.

Now, India faces a big challenge, needing 307 more runs to achieve an unlikely victory with much of their batting lineup already gone.

Match Scores:
– Australia: 474 & 234 all out
– India: 369 all out & 33/3 after 26.1 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 14; Pat Cummins 2/10)

In Melbourne, Australia, India is struggling to win the fourth Test match against Australia. They need to chase a record number of runs to take the lead in the series. After scoring 369 runs and allowing Australia to make 474 runs in their first innings, India controlled Australia well in their second innings, putting them at 228 runs for 9 wickets. However, they were frustrated by the last-wicket partnership between Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland.

To put this in perspective, no team has successfully chased more than 332 runs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The only time a team managed to chase over 300 runs was back in 1928 when England scored 332 runs. Australia won the toss and chose to bat first. Some key players for Australia included Steve Smith, who scored 140 runs, Marnus Labuschagne with 72 runs, and Usman Khawaja, who added 57 runs.

For India, Jasprit Bumrah took four wickets, while Ravindra Jadeja grabbed three. India lost two early wickets in their first innings but managed a strong recovery thanks to a partnership between Yashasvi Jaiswal (82 runs) and Virat Kohli (36 runs). Later, Washington Sundar (50 runs) and Nitish Rana (114 runs) helped India reach 369 runs.

In Australia’s second innings, they struggled to start, at one point being 91 runs for 6 wickets. Labuschagne and Cummins helped lift the score to 228 runs. Now, India faces the big challenge of chasing a record total to win the match on the final day.

Former India cricket coach Ravi Shastri has some straight talk for Virat Kohli as he works to regain his batting confidence during the important Boxing Day Test. Kohli played well in the first innings at the MCG, but a mistake after teammate Yashasvi Jaiswal’s run-out caused him to get out for 36 runs by hitting the ball outside off-stump. Kohli’s recent performance has raised concerns among fans and experts. Although he scored a century in Perth, he has struggled to score significantly since then, often getting caught behind the stumps.

Shastri, who once coached Kohli, urges him to ignore outside opinions and focus on patience and discipline while batting. “Just bat like you did in the first innings,” Shastri told Star Sports. “Forget the noise around you—what others say doesn’t matter. Leave the balls outside off-stump, make the Australian bowlers pitch to your strengths, and be patient.”

He believes if Kohli can remain patient and disciplined, he will score many runs in the coming years. “Kohli will score a lot of runs if he takes this approach,” Shastri added.

As the final day of the match approaches, Kohli is key for India’s chances of winning. So far in this series, he has scored 162 runs with an average of 32.40. With India chasing a big target, fans hope Kohli will step up and help the team in this tough situation. Kohli is known for performing well under pressure, making this a perfect opportunity for him to find his rhythm again.

After taking a break from Test cricket for three years, Mohammad Abbas made a fantastic return to the Pakistan cricket team in the first Test against South Africa. He took seven wickets, including six in the second innings, almost leading Pakistan to victory in Centurion. Despite a late fight from South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen, who helped their team win by two wickets, Abbas’s performance on day four was impressive. He finished with amazing bowling figures of 6 wickets for 54 runs in 19.3 overs.

Abbas’s comeback drew attention because many fans and former players, including Mohammad Amir, had wanted him back in the team for quite some time. Amir expressed his thoughts on social media, saying it was wrong for the coaches to leave Abbas out of the team due to his pace. Amir highlighted that it took Abbas three years to get back to playing Tests.

During the match, Abbas bowled for 15 consecutive overs, showing great skill and determination. He got important wickets, turning the match around for Pakistan. His efforts helped reduce South Africa’s score from 96 for 4 to 99 for 8. Fans had been eagerly waiting for Abbas’s return, as he has been fantastic in First Class cricket, with an average of just 20.63.

Even though Abbas bowled throughout the morning session and faced tough batsmen, he remained steady and consistent. Unfortunately, Jansen and Rabada fought back, putting together a 51-run partnership that guided South Africa to victory and secured a spot in the World Test Championship finals.

After this exciting match to wrap up the year, the next match in the series will be on New Year’s Day in Cape Town. While South Africa has already reached the WTC finals, Pakistan is hopeful and looking to start 2025 strong after this encouraging performance in Centurion.

Melbourne, Australia: Indian all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy is on cloud nine after his amazing performance in the fourth Test against Australia. He scored a fantastic 114 runs when India batted, helping the team reach a total of 369 runs in reply to Australia’s first innings score of 474 runs. Nitish was thrilled to share the field with his idol, Virat Kohli, especially after Virat praised him for his brilliant innings.

Nitish said, “I grew up watching Virat. Playing with him and receiving his appreciation after I scored a hundred is a moment I’ll cherish forever.”

So far in the series, Nitish has been the highest run-scorer for India, with 293 runs in four matches, averaging 58.60. He also took three wickets. He explained how he faced Scott Boland, a skilled bowler known for his accuracy. “I stepped out of the crease to change his line and length, which helped me play better,” he shared.

Nitish joined the Indian team after impressing everyone in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he scored 303 runs. He shared that while he is happy with his batting, he still needs to improve his bowling. “Fitness is key for me as an all-rounder, so I’ve been pushing myself hard for the last few years,” he added.

In the match, Australia batted first and scored 474 runs with significant contributions from players like Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. India’s innings started rocky at 51/2 but was stabilized by a century partnership between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli. Despite some setbacks, a solid performance from Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar helped India reach 369. In the second innings, Australia faced some trouble but managed to make 228 runs by the end of the day.