Category: Sports

Rohit Sharma’s retirement rumors are back, as former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar thinks Rohit probably won’t play in the 2027 ODI World Cup. He shared this on the eve of India’s important game against Pakistan in the 2025 Champions Trophy, which is crucial for India’s chance to reach the semifinals.

On an interview with ESPNCricinfo, Manjrekar said he doubts Rohit will be around for the 2027 World Cup, hinting that the Champions Trophy might be his last tournament. He believes Rohit should enjoy his game against Pakistan without thinking it’s a farewell, but rather focus on showcasing his skills.

“I feel that if Rohit has decided he won’t continue, it’s unlikely that he will play in the 2027 World Cup. This could very well be the last tournament for him,” Manjrekar explained. He wants Rohit to play freely, tapping into his batting talent rather than treating it like a goodbye match.

Rohit Sharma had a strong start in the Champions Trophy. In India’s first match against Bangladesh, he scored 41 runs off 36 balls, helping India win by six wickets. Before the match, he downplayed any worries about his form after he had an impressive century in a recent ODI series against England.

“During the 2023 World Cup in India, fans really admired Rohit for being a selfless captain. He could have scored a hundred but chose to give the team a good start instead,” Manjrekar added.

Karachi, Pakistan – In an exciting cricket match, South African player Ryan Rickleton scored his first-ever century in One Day Internationals (ODIs), helping his team reach 315 runs after 50 overs against Afghanistan at the National Stadium in Karachi on Friday.

The South African captain, Temba Bavuma, won the toss and decided to bowl first. Opening batsmen Ryan Rickleton and Tony De Zorzi began the innings, but their partnership ended with Zorzi getting out for just 11 runs in the sixth over, bowled by Mohammad Nabi. Bavuma then joined Rickleton at the crease.

The South African team quickly reached 50 runs in the 11th over, and by the 15th over, Rickleton scored his second fifty, showing strong batting skills. The team passed the 100-run mark in the 20th over, and Bavuma scored his own fifty in the 25th over. Unfortunately, Bavuma was out after scoring 58 runs off 76 balls, including five boundaries, also thanks to Nabi.

Next, Rassie van der Dussen came in to bat. In the 35th over, Rickleton proudly celebrated his maiden century but was run out the very next over, finishing with 103 runs. After Rickleton, Aiden Markram joined van der Dussen on the field.

By the 42nd over, van der Dussen completed his half-century before getting out off Noor Ahmed’s bowling. The South African team crossed 250 runs shortly after with David Miller and Markram batting well. Miller was out in the 48th over thanks to a fantastic catch by Rahmat Shah.

Markram finished his own fifty in the 49th over, helping the South African team cross 300 runs before the innings wrapped up at 315 runs for 6 wickets in their 50 overs.

For Afghanistan, Mohammad Nabi was the standout bowler, taking 2 wickets for 51 runs in 10 overs. Fazalhaq Farooqi, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Noor Ahmed each took 1 wicket.

Score Summary: South Africa 315/6 in 50 overs vs Afghanistan.

Former Indian cricket captain Anil Kumble believes that Virat Kohli should relax more instead of feeling pressure to score runs. In the recent ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 match against Bangladesh, Kohli only scored 22 runs before being dismissed by spinner Rishad Hossain. Since the 2023 ODI World Cup, he has struggled with his form, scoring just 137 runs in six matches.

Kumble noticed that Kohli was trying very hard to perform well and believes it’s making things tougher for him. He said, “When players have been successful for a long time, they feel the urge to keep performing well, and that can lead to extra pressure.”

In Kohli’s last six innings, he has been out mostly to spin bowlers, particularly left-arm spinners. Kumble suggested that Kohli should look at Rohit Sharma, who scored 41 runs rapidly in the same match, as an example. Kumble pointed out that Rohit plays with freedom because he knows his teammates are also doing well.

Kumble advised Kohli to focus on enjoying the game rather than worrying about the score. He emphasized that Kohli is a strong player against spin but has fallen into the habit of trying too hard to score runs. Instead, Kohli should focus on playing naturally by rotating the strike and building his innings gradually.

Pakistani cricket star Babar Azam is facing heavy criticism after his slow performance in the opening match of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 against New Zealand. Babar scored 64 runs off 90 balls, but his slow batting with a strike rate of just 71.11 didn’t help Pakistan chase down New Zealand’s total of 321 runs, leading to a 60-run defeat in Karachi.

Fans and cricket experts are disappointed, including former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. He expressed concern about Babar’s lack of “intent” or aggression while batting, especially when other players like Salman Ali Agha and Khushdil Shah were hitting the ball hard. During the first 10 overs, Pakistan struggled with just 22 runs for 2 wickets, putting themselves under pressure from the start.

Ashwin, who praised Babar’s talent, said it was hard to watch him play so defensively. He pointed out that Babar didn’t use the right shots to score runs and seemed to play it safe rather than taking risks. Ashwin noted that even a player like Fakhar Zaman, who was injured, was ready to take more risks than Babar.

Babar’s slow start and poor shot selection have left Pakistan in a tough spot in the tournament. They now must win their next match against India to keep their chances alive. Fakhar Zaman has been ruled out of the tournament, and Imam-ul-Haq is his replacement.

Ashwin summarized Babar’s performance by saying, “It was bad play.” He believes that with only three matches in this tournament, Babar needs to be more aggressive and take chances to help his team.

Babar Azam’s slow innings in Pakistan’s Champions Trophy 2025 opener against New Zealand has brought him a lot of criticism. He scored 64 runs off 90 balls, but Pakistan lost the match by 60 runs while chasing a target of 321 runs. Many experts noticed that Babar seemed to play without much effort during the game.

Things got even more heated when an Indian TV host called Babar ‘Bobzy’ during a discussion about his performance. While this nickname is used by some of Babar’s fans in Pakistan, former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag looked confused and asked, “Who is Bobzy?” This moment caught attention, and it seemed like the anchor was making fun of Babar’s popularity among his supporters.

The clip got a lot of shares online, with fans unhappy about what they thought was a mean joke at their star player’s expense.

Aside from that, Babar’s struggle to score well is a big topic right now. He has not made a big score since his last ODI century against Nepal in August 2023. The pressure is on him to perform better, especially since Pakistan needs to win their next two matches in the tournament, including a vital one against India.

On the other hand, India started their Champions Trophy campaign with a strong six-wicket win over Bangladesh. Pakistan’s match against India is coming up on February 23 in Dubai, and all eyes will be on Babar to see if he can improve his game.

Rohit Sharma tried hard to forget his dropped catch during a recent match. He hit the ground with his hands, apologized to bowler Axar Patel, and was really upset for at least two overs. The commentators even teased him, wondering if there should be a fine for how hard he was scolding himself. But why was he so upset about a drop catch? Because it was a special moment—Axar was on the verge of getting his very first hat-trick in cricket.

Only four Indian bowlers have achieved a hat-trick in One Day Internationals (ODIs). And there was only one previous hat-trick in ICC Champions Trophy history, done by Jerome Taylor from the West Indies in 2006. So, a hat-trick is very rare!

Axar had worked hard to set it up. He outsmarted Bangladeshi batter Jaker Ali, getting him to edge the ball. Rohit put two slips in place, hoping to catch it. But he mistimed his dive and the ball fell to the ground. Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, who was commentating at the time, remarked that a dropped catch while going for a hat-trick would be remembered for a long time.

Rohit was clearly frustrated with himself. He shook his head so much that viewers started to feel dizzy! He scolded himself saying, “He’s giving gaalis (swear words) to himself,” noted Gavaskar.

What made matters worse for India was that if Rohit had caught the ball, Bangladesh would have been 35/6. Instead, Jaker Ali and Towhid Hridoy built a huge 154-run partnership, turning the game around for Bangladesh and helping them set a strong score.

India’s fielding also got sloppy as the game went on. While Virat Kohli made some great catches early on, after Rohit’s drop, things went downhill. Hardik Pandya missed a catch off Kuldeep Yadav’s bowling, giving Hridoy another chance. And later, Ravindra Jadeja fooled Jaker Ali, but KL Rahul couldn’t catch the ball, missing a stumping chance. There were also too many boundaries given away late in the game, allowing Bangladesh to finish with a decent total.

Big news for Pakistan’s cricket team: they will not have their star player, Fakhar Zaman, for the important match against India. Fakhar hurt his knee while playing against New Zealand in their first match on Thursday. He tried to keep playing but looked really uncomfortable, especially during his batting. He scored only 24 runs off 41 balls and had to get help before he got out.

After the game, Mohammad Rizwan, the captain, said he didn’t know how serious Fakhar’s injury was but confirmed he was in pain. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had earlier said they were watching his muscle sprain closely. However, it now seems that Fakhar’s injury is serious, which means he not only misses the game against India but might also not be ready to play against Bangladesh next week. A reliable source has told Hindustan Times that Fakhar is “almost ruled out” of the tournament.

This news is a relief for the Indian team because Fakhar was the one who scored a century in the 2017 Champions Trophy final and helped Pakistan win against India. He scored 114 runs, leading Pakistan to a big score that India couldn’t match.

To make things worse for Pakistan, they are also missing another player, Saim Ayub, from the tournament. There were concerns about Haris Rauf’s fitness too, but he showed up ready to play against New Zealand.