Category: Sports

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.

Nitish Kumar Reddy, a 21-year-old cricketer, has shared his exciting story about how he went from dreaming of playing cricket with his hero, Virat Kohli, to actually debuting for Team India last month in Perth. Reddy grew up looking up to Kohli and often thought about how old he would be when he got a chance to play alongside him.

His lifelong dream came true last month when Kohli himself gave him his first Test cap before the 1st Test against Australia. India won that match by a huge 295 runs and took the lead in the series. After the game, a photo of Reddy and Kohli went viral. In the picture, Reddy is taking a selfie while Kohli is sitting a bit away and isn’t looking at the camera. Reddy called it his “safety photo.” He said, “I took this picture because Kohli is so famous. I wanted a photo just in case I didn’t get another chance. It reminds me of all my childhood dreams.”

During the Test match, Reddy couldn’t help but focus more on Kohli’s performance than his own. He shares, “I was so excited watching him get closer to his hundred runs. I didn’t even realize I was close to scoring my first fifty runs; I just wanted to see him make his 81st hundred. It was a special moment.”

Reddy also talked about how he felt nervous around the senior players at first. But KL Rahul helped him feel more comfortable. Reddy said, “I was a bit scared at first about talking to the other players, but I felt good talking to KL bhai. He gives great advice.” One piece of advice that stuck with Reddy was when Rahul told him, “When you go out to play, everything moves quickly, so don’t rush; take your time.” He found this helpful before his debut match because everything did happen so fast!

India is leading the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 1-0 and is all set to play against Australia in the second Test. This match in Adelaide will use a pink cricket ball, just like the one in the previous game. India played strongly in Perth, winning even without their captain, Rohit Sharma, who was away for paternity leave.

Rahul Dravid, a former Indian cricket player and coach, shared his memories about a fantastic partnership he had with VVS Laxman during the 2003-04 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Dravid remembered a moment when he accidentally got the captain, Saurav Ganguly, run out. He said, “I thought, ‘I made a mistake getting the captain out; I need to do something great now.’”

During that match, Dravid scored an impressive 233 runs, and he and Laxman built a huge partnership of 303 runs together. When India needed to reply to Australia’s big score of 556 runs, they managed to post 526 runs, thanks to both players’ amazing performances.

Dravid praised Laxman, saying they had a good understanding after playing many matches together. He explained, “As our partnership grew, batting became easier as the ball got softer.”

He also showed excitement for the current Indian wicketkeeper, Rishabh Pant. Dravid said, “His performances in Test cricket are incredible! After Dhoni retired, everyone wondered who would replace him, and Pant has really stepped up.”

In that memorable match, India eventually won by chasing down a target of 230 runs, with Dravid scoring a vital 72 runs in the second innings. Today, Dravid is the Director of Cricket for the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL and played an important role in the recent auction in Jeddah.

In November 2015, Adelaide hosted the first-ever day-night cricket Test played with a pink ball. It was an exciting match where Australia edged out New Zealand by three wickets on the third day. At that time, many people were unsure if the pink ball would hold up well during the game. There were even talks about players wearing colored uniforms because it was an experiment to attract more fans back to Test cricket.

Fast forward nearly ten years, and pink-ball Tests have become quite normal. The pink ball now comes with an extra layer of shine, and pitchers prepare the field like they would for a regular red-ball game, leaving less grass on the pitch. Players are ready for the challenges that come with the new ball and the tricky twilight hours. Fans expect that these matches won’t last the full five days, especially in Adelaide.

Adjusting to a different color ball can be tricky for teams, as Rohit Sharma mentioned while preparing for a match at the Oval, “We know that when we arrive in Adelaide, we’ll play a day-night Test. But we aren’t going to complain; we’ll just focus on the game.”

India doesn’t play day-night Tests often, but they face the same challenges that Australia does. As assistant coach Abhishek Nayar noted, “Our team always thinks about strategies, whether it’s with a pink ball or red ball. The biggest change comes from our mindset.”

KL Rahul pointed out that batters sometimes struggle to see the ball clearly, saying it feels harder than the red ball. He shared, “It seems to come at you quicker, and it also seams around more. But I’m excited because it’s my first pink-ball game.”

Wicketkeeper Alex Carey from Australia added that the changing light can affect how he sees the ball, making it look a bit blurry. “I must focus on watching the ball closely. The pink ball adds a great challenge to the game,” he explained.

So far, every pink-ball Test has produced results, mostly because the pink ball behaves very differently. Data shows that when Australia plays during the day in Adelaide, they score an average of 41.14 runs while the opposing team averages only 29.95. In contrast, in day-night Tests, Australia’s average drops to 38.81, but the opposition’s average falls all the way down to 20.29.

Interestingly, when looking at bowling, Australia’s bowlers don’t usually shine in day games but do exceptionally well in day-night matches, averaging just 21.11 runs compared to their opponents’ 43.09.

This year, the game may take a different turn because India’s bowling attack is just as strong as Australia’s, and their batting seems to be in better shape than the host team. While things may change quickly, India remains confident based on their recent performances in Perth.

GQEBERHA, South Africa – On the first day of the second Test match against Sri Lanka, South African captain Temba Bavuma and his teammate Ryan Rickleton helped their team recover after a tough start. After losing the toss and being asked to bat, South Africa found themselves at 46-3 early on. But Bavuma, playing calmly, formed a strong partnership with Rickleton, adding an impressive 133 runs for the fourth wicket.

Bavuma was looking good and close to scoring his century when he was out for 64. He tried to hit a fast, rising ball but ended up gloving it to the wicketkeeper. This was a disappointing end for Bavuma, as he has now scored 23 fifties in Test cricket but only three centuries.

Ricketon, who stepped in to play after Wiaan Mulder got injured in the first test, reached his first Test fifty. He was not out at 72, with David Bedingham supporting him on one run. Earlier, Sri Lankan bowler Lahiru Kumara took his 100th Test wicket by bowling out Aiden Markram for 20 runs. Kumara also dismissed Tristan Stubbs, catching him for just 4 runs.

South Africa’s Tony de Zorzi was out for a duck, falling to a leg-before-wicket decision that he tried unsuccessfully to review. Markram, struggling with his recent form, got out by playing a risky shot that ended up hitting his wicket. Stubbs, who scored well in the last match, also tried to play aggressively but was caught by the Sri Lankan keeper.

Both teams are eager for victory to help their chances of reaching the World Test Championship final next year. South Africa won the first Test match last week by a significant 233 runs.