Category: Sports

Melbourne, Australia – At the end of Day 2 of the fourth Test, Steven Smith was relieved after Australia managed to keep India’s star player, Virat Kohli, in check at the MCG. Smith left the ground with a big smile, feeling confident about Australia’s position in the match.

Before Australia took control, Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal showed off their skills. Jaiswal was aggressive against the Australian bowlers, while Kohli played carefully, avoiding balls that were just outside his off-stump. Kohli faced 86 balls, defending most of them, letting only one get past him that led to his dismissal. He remained calm and confident until an unfortunate mix-up with Jaiswal caused him to get run out for 36 runs.

Smith watched all of this closely. He was happy to see India’s key player out of the game, especially after noticing how dangerous Kohli could be. “He is an amazing player. He did great in Perth and looked really good today. He was smart to leave those balls alone and made the bowlers bowl closer to him,” Smith said in a press conference. “I thought he was giving us a masterclass, but then he caught an edge,” he added.

As India tried to chase Australia’s big total of 474 runs, they ended the day struggling at 164 for 5, still needing 310 runs to win.

India’s cricket team captain, Rohit Sharma, is having a tough time scoring runs. In the recent Test matches against Australia, he batted at No. 6 but went back to opening in the Melbourne game, hoping to improve his performance. Unfortunately, he only lasted five balls in the first innings and scored just 3 runs before getting caught by Scott Boland, thanks to a poor shot against Australia captain Pat Cummins.

Former Indian player Sanjay Manjrekar believes this change was unfair to KL Rahul, who had already shown he could open the innings with good skill and composure in the previous Tests. Manjrekar said Indian cricket often prioritizes big-name players like Rohit over those in form like KL Rahul. He mentioned how this kind of approach doesn’t always make sense for the team’s success.

Manjrekar also expressed sympathy for Rohit, noting he has only scored 152 runs in his last 14 innings. He emphasized that Rohit seems to be struggling to find his form and may have misjudged his shot selection in the Melbourne Test. Right now, India is in a tough spot at 164/5 and still trailing by 310 runs, with Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja batting at the crease.

Steve Smith is showing amazing form during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In a stunning match in Melbourne, he scored his 34th Test century on Friday, hitting 140 runs off 197 balls. His innings included 13 fours and 3 sixes, with a strike rate of 71.07. This performance silenced doubts about his place in the Australian team.

Before this series against India, many fans were unsure if he should play since he had scores of 0, 17, and 2 in the previous games. But then, he bounced back with 101 runs in Brisbane and joined an elite group of Test cricketers. Only six players have more centuries than him: Sachin Tendulkar (51), Jacques Kallis (45), Ricky Ponting (41), Kumar Sangakkara (38), Joe Root (36), and Rahul Dravid (36). He has now matched legends like Brian Lara, Sunil Gavaskar, Younis Khan, and Mahela Jayawardene.

Former Australian cricketer Kerry O’Keeffe praised Smith’s amazing form on Fox Cricket, saying, “One of his favorite shots is hitting the ball back past the bowler. When he does that, you know he’s in top shape.” Smith’s innings ended right after lunch when he hit the ball onto his pad, knocking over his bails. O’Keeffe also compared Smith to tennis star Rafael Nadal, saying, “The MCG is like Roland Garros for Rafael Nadal. This is his backyard; he has four Test centuries here, and he averages in the 80s at the MCG.”

On Day 1, debut player Sam Konstas scored 60 runs off 65 balls, giving Australia a solid start. Usman Khawaja (57), and Marnus Labuschagne (72) also contributed with half-centuries, helping Australia post a big score of 474 runs in 122.4 overs on Day 2.

Meanwhile, the Indian batting lineup struggled after a good start. After Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 82 and Virat Kohli got 36, the team fell apart quickly. They lost both Jaiswal and Kohli in consecutive deliveries after losing Rohit Sharma (3) and KL Rahul (24) early. India ended Day 2 at 164/5, trailing by 310 runs.

Star Indian cricketer Virat Kohli faced some tough moments in the Boxing Day Test against Australia. After he got out, fans booed and jeered at him as he walked back to the dressing room, which made him stop and look back at them for a moment. Kohli’s actions have been a big topic of discussion during this match. Earlier, he had a physical clash with 19-year-old Sam Konstas on the first day, which led to him being fined and receiving a demerit point.

On Friday, Kohli did well by scoring 36 runs before he was caught out by Scott Boland. He was dismissed shortly after a mix-up with Yashasvi Jaiswal, who got run out at 82 runs. As Kohli walked towards the tunnel leading to the dressing room, fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) began to boo him and shout some comments that were caught in a short video clip that went viral.

Kohli appeared to be upset as he glanced at the crowd on his left. He was then guided back to safety by a security person. Many former Indian cricketers also criticized Kohli’s earlier encounter with Konstas as unnecessary

Rohit Sharma, the captain of the Indian cricket team, seems to be struggling with his game. Famous cricket player Sunil Gavaskar commented during a broadcast that Rohit has not been performing well lately and that he may need to step back if he doesn’t score in the upcoming innings. After getting out early again against Australia, many are questioning when Rohit will retire from Test cricket.

Currently, Rohit has only made 155 runs in eight Tests, which is really low for someone of his experience. If India doesn’t do well in the World Test Championship, many believe that Sydney could be his last Test match. There is speculation that the national selection committee chairman, Ajit Agarkar, who is in Melbourne, might discuss Rohit’s future.

With younger players, like KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, showing great form, will Rohit make the smart choice to drop himself from the next Test? In the past, Gautam Gambhir made a similar decision when he felt he wasn’t performing well enough.

Rohit is still a strong player in One Day Internationals (ODIs), with a big tournament, the Champions Trophy, coming up soon. However, his recent form in Tests has been disappointing. He initially struggled with batting at a different position, but then returned to open the innings. Unfortunately, his confidence seems low, and he’s not hitting the ball well like he used to.

Even former Australian captain Ricky Ponting noted that Rohit’s shot selection has been poor. Rohit needs to focus and make better choices while batting, especially against tough teams like Australia. With the team’s success potentially hanging in the balance, it’s time for Rohit to reflect on his performance.

On Day 2 of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), things took an unexpected turn when a fan ran onto the field and tried to hug Indian cricket star Virat Kohli. The fan originally headed towards Indian captain Rohit Sharma but suddenly changed his mind and went for Kohli instead.

In a shocking moment, as the fan tried to wrap his arms around Kohli, the player quickly reacted and hugged the fan back. But before things could get more chaotic, security stepped in and took the fan away from the field. This brief interruption paused the game, but play resumed quickly without any more issues.

This incident happened in a lively atmosphere at the stadium, which was buzzing after Kohli had a heated moment with Australia’s young player, Sam Konstas, on Day 1. Kohli and Konstas had a clash that led to Kohli being booed by the crowd. Kohli was later fined 20% of his match fees for bumping into Konstas. Some Australian media and former players, like Ricky Ponting, felt that Kohli should have been punished more severely.

On Day 2, India’s performance with the ball wasn’t great. They struggled with their bowling and fielding, which let Australia build a strong partnership for their seventh wicket. Steve Smith and Pat Cummins took advantage of this, scoring 112 runs together before Cummins got out just one run short of a half-century. Earlier, Konstas made a splash on his debut by scoring 60 runs. Besides him, Usman Khawaja scored 57, Marnus Labuschagne made 72, and Steve Smith hit a remarkable 140, marking his second century of the series.

As India is getting ready to bat soon, all eyes will be on how the crowd reacts when Virat Kohli comes up to bat at the MCG.

Day 1 of the fourth Test match in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was packed with excitement at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, especially concerning two players: India’s Virat Kohli and Australia’s 19-year-old debutant Sam Konstas. The two got into a heated argument during the first session of the game.

It all happened in the 10th over. As Kohli tried to move past Konstas, they bumped shoulders, leading to a big disagreement between them. Players Usman Khawaja (Konstas’ teammate) and umpire Michael Gough quickly stepped in to calm things down.

Replays showed that Konstas was simply walking back after facing a ball. However, Kohli seemed to come from the side and bumped into him. Former India coach Ravi Shastri spoke out about the incident, saying, “It’s unnecessary. You don’t want to see that.” He felt Kohli should not have acted that way.

Due to this incident, Kohli was fined 20% of his match fee and given one demerit point for what the ICC called “inappropriate physical contact.” Kohli accepted this punishment, so no formal hearing was needed.

Journalist Peter Lalor also shared his concerns about how matches are judged. He thought Kohli should have faced more serious consequences and reminded everyone of a similar incident with South African bowler Kagiso Rabada, who was suspended for making physical contact with a player. Lalor believes the rules should apply equally to everyone, saying, “There should be no physical contact at all in the game of cricket.”

Virat Kohli, a famous Indian cricketer, lost 20% of his match fee and got one demerit point after a heated exchange with Australian player Sam Konstas during the first day of the fourth Test match at the MCG. The incident happened after Kohli and 19-year-old Konstas accidentally bumped into each other on the field.

The situation got tense because they exchanged some strong words after an intense moment in the game. Thankfully, Australian player Usman Khawaja and the umpires stepped in quickly to calm things down.

Kohli accepted the punishment given by Match Referee Andy Pycroft, so there was no formal hearing. The rules, known as Article 2.12 of the ICC Code of Conduct, say that players shouldn’t have inappropriate contact with others during an international match.

Earlier, Konstas had already stirred things up with his fierce batting, scoring 60 runs off just 65 balls, which included some impressive shots that frustrated Indian bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah. At the end of the 10th over, Kohli’s growing irritation peaked when he bumped into Konstas.

The day’s play ended with Australia in a strong position, scoring 311 runs for 6 wickets. In addition to Konstas, Usman Khawaja scored 57, Marnus Labuschagne got 72, and Steve Smith finished the day with 68 runs. Bumrah did well for India, taking three wickets, while other bowlers like Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar took one wicket each.