Category: Sports

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.

Centrion, South Africa — In a thrilling finish, South Africa’s bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen secured a nail-biting two-wicket victory over Pakistan in the first test match on Sunday. This win has also guaranteed the Proteas a spot in next year’s World Test Championship final.

With South Africa needing 148 runs to win, Jansen hit a crucial boundary against the tough fast bowler Mohammad Abbas, who had an amazing bowling performance of 6 wickets for 54 runs. After trailing at 99-8, Rabada and Jansen formed a strong partnership, scoring 51 runs together without losing a wicket. Rabada finished off the match scoring 31 runs off 26 balls, hitting five boundaries.

This match was significant for South Africa, who had started this championship cycle with a defeat against New Zealand. However, they bounced back by drawing with India and winning against West Indies, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, putting them at the top of the table.

Captain Temba Bavuma and Aiden Markram initially faced a tough challenge with the team struggling at 27-3, needing 121 more runs to win. Bavuma scored 40 runs but controversially was given out, despite evidence showing he may not have hit the ball correctly.

Abbas was impressive, bowling 13 overs straight and taking three wickets in quick succession. After Bavuma’s dismissal, South Africa faltered but managed to regroup with Rabada and Jansen leading the charge to victory.

This win also means Pakistan hasn’t won a test match in South Africa in almost 18 years!

Former Indian cricket captain Sunil Gavaskar shared his strong feelings about Indian cricket and explained why he criticized Rishabh Pant recently. During a crucial moment in the Boxing Day Test against Australia, Pant got out after playing a risky shot that many, including Gavaskar, found careless. Gavaskar called the shot “stupid” and suggested that if Pant didn’t think before playing, he shouldn’t even go back to the dressing room.

This clip of Gavaskar’s criticism got a lot of attention online, reaching over 8.5 million views. While commentating, Gavaskar expressed his love for cricket and explained, “This game has made me who I am. When I see a player like Rishabh make these mistakes, it frustrates me. The ego took over and he tried to show off after just being hit.”

Gavaskar pointed out that at that moment, Pant should have thought more about his shot choices. He got out after scoring just 28 runs when India needed him. Gavaskar reminded everyone that there were fielders positioned to catch the ball, especially on such a big ground.

He said he knows Pant can play well in a more traditional way, and he’s seen him score runs using proper shots in the past. While he admitted he would have cheered if Pant had hit a six, he felt that Pant went too far in trying to be flashy and careless, and it cost him his wicket.

As the Test match continues, all possible outcomes are still on the table, with good performances from Australia helping them lead by over 330 runs

In the fourth Test match at Melbourne, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, and Scott Boland did a great job of helping Australia in the last session of Day 4. Together, they batted for more than 200 balls and scored 91 runs. Their strong performance put Australia in a strong position with a lead of 333 runs, ending the day at 228/9 in their second innings. Cummins scored 41 runs off 90 balls, while Lyon is still batting with an unbeaten score of 41 off 54 balls. Boland faced 65 balls and has nine runs.

Earlier that day, India showed some fight as Jasprit Bumrah took four of the first six Australian wickets, reducing their score to 91/6. Mohammed Siraj, despite not taking wickets in the first innings, also helped by taking three wickets to back Bumrah. India finished their first innings at 369 all out, which meant Australia had a lead of 105 runs.

On Day 3, when India struggled, young debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy stepped up heroically and scored a memorable century. After restricting Australia to 474 runs in their first innings, India started positively with Yashaswi Jaiswal, but quickly lost five wickets. Reddy saved the team from disaster, making 100 runs from 171 balls and forming a strong partnership with Washington Sundar. They worked hard to prevent a follow-on, and India ended Day 3 with 358/9.

Despite losing three wickets quickly on Day 2, the team’s efforts on Day 3 helped them stay in the game.