CRICKET NEWS

With 9 runs required from the final 2 overs, Sri Lanka had one foot into a victorious result in the 3rd T20I against India on Tuesday, especially as they had 6 wickets in hand. But, India head coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Suryakumar Yadav stumped everyone as they handed over the ball to Rinku Singh , a part-time bowler. However, what happened next was even more surprising. Rinku didn't just keep the flow of runs under check, conceding 3 runs in the 19th over, but also dismissed two Lankan batters. Seeing Rinku deliver an exemplary performance, even coach Gambhir had a big smile on his face. The visual left fans on social media amazed, as seeing the former India opener in a happy mood isn't as common. When in need, call @rinkusingh235 Game-changing over #SonySportsNetwork #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/aGjQNXamFp — Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) July 30, 2024 After Rinku kept India in the game, skipper Suryakumar Yadav took the responsibility of defending 6 runs...

Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner Shah Rukh Khan argued against hosting a mega auction ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 during the IPL owners' meeting at the BCCI Headquarters in Mumbai on Wednesday, according to a report by  Cricbuzz . The report claimed that the Bollywood superstar wanted BCCI to conduct a small auction and that led to a heated argument with Punjab Kings co-owner Ness Wadia. However, SRK has found support in Sunrisers Hyderabad owner Kavya Maran. In a statement released to Cricbuzz after the meeting, Maran spoke against holding a IPL mega auction. "It takes a lot of time to build a squad and as discussed it also takes quite a bit of time and investment for the younger players to mature. It has taken Abhishek Sharma three years to become consistent with his performances. You would agree that there are many such examples in other teams too," she said. Kolkata Knight Riders were the IPL 2024 champions while Sunrisers Hyderabad finished runners...

Whether to have a mega auction for ahead of the upcoming season was the major point of contention in the meeting between the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the 10 franchises of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The meeting of the IPL teams' owners with the BCCI at the latter's headquarters in Mumbai on Wednesday night was inconclusive and with no consensus emerging on the matter. A report in Cricbuzz claimed quite a few people are against holding mega auctions, including Kolkata Knight Riders' owner, actor-producer Shah Rukh Khan, who was fiercely in favour of not holding one. This development was confirmed by Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal to reporters in Mumbai, who added that the house is also divided on the Impact Player rule. "A consensus on the mega auction - whether to have it or not - will eventually determine the number of retentions. If the BCCI decides to do away with the mega auctions, there may not be a requirement for retentions at all,...

Former India cricketer Anshuman Gaekwad, who has served the game in different capacities after his retirement as a player, died on Wednesday after a long battle with cancer. He was 71. Gaekwad played 40 Tests and 15 ODIs for India. Gaekwad, who was also a former India coach and national selector, was undergoing treatment for blood cancer at the King's College Hospital in London before returning back to the country last month. The BCCI gave Rs 1 crore for Gaekwad's treatment and members of the 1983 World Cup-winning team also did their bit to help the cricketer. Gaekwad has also played 205 first-class matches in a career spanning 22 years. He later took over as coach of the Indian team. His glorious moments came at Sharjah in 1998 and in a Test match at Ferozeshah Kotla in Delhi when Anil Kumble took all 10 wickets in an innings against Pakistan in 1999. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first to offer his condolences. "Shri Anshuman Gaekwad Ji will be remember...

Shooter Manu Bhaker continues her sensational run in the ongoing Paris Olympics. The star markswoman first clinched a historic bronze in the women's 10m air pistol on July 28. She became the first woman shooter from India to win an Olympic medal. Two days later, Manu bagged the same honour in the mixed team 10m air pistol event, becoming the first-ever athlete from independent India to have won two medals in a single edition of the Olympics. Manu has now become an inspiration for the budding athletes with her achievements and her recent revelation in an interview further lifts her stature. "I have always known the greats in Indian sports history. In my time, I have always known (PV) Sindhu and Neeraj (Chopra). I have always appreciated them for their hardwork. There was this one time when I made a fake profile to defend Sindhu. Some haters commented and I got so triggered that I made a fake account to defend her on that," Manu Bhaker told Sportstar. Reacting to Bhaker...

India defeated Sri Lanka via the Super Over in the inconsequential third and final T20I at Pallekele here on Tuesday to sweep the series 3-0. Kusal Perera (46, 34b) and Kusal Mendis (43, 41b) guided Lanka's chase of 138 before their innings fell apart in the familiar fashion at the business end. SL ended up at 137/8 after stipulated 20 overs, taking the match to Super Over. For India, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Rinku Singh and skipper Suryakumar Yadav took two wickets apiece. India needed just three runs to win in Super Over. Earlier, SL bowlers produced a tidy effort to restrict India to a modest 137/9. Spinners Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana led the hosts' bowling, sharing five wickets between them, as only Shubman Gill showed some spunk with a 39 in the company of Riyan Parag (26). Brief scores: India: 137/9 in 20 overs (Shubman Gill 39, Riyan Parag 26, Washington Sundar 25; Wanindu Hasaranga 2/29, Maheesh Theekshana 3/28) tied with Sri Lanka: 137/ 8 in ...

No Virat Kohli , Rohit Sharma or Jasprit Bumrah , yet the Indian cricket team continues to march on, securing their second consecutive win of the 3-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. Ravi Bishnoi , much like the first T20I, played an important role in the team's triumph in the second match. Speaking to media in the post-match press conference, Bishnoi only had positive things to say about India's new T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav who has marshalled his troops quite effectively in the island nation. "They play spin really well, but I don't know what has happened to them. They collapsed between the middle overs, and they were known as a good spin-playing team, but I think something has gone wrong," Bishnoi said in the press conference after the 2nd T20I. Bishnoi also revealed that both Suryakumar and Shubman Gill , India's vice-captain in T20Is, have backed him to the hilt. "Suryakumar is doing great captaincy. I have played under him during the Aust...

India captain Suryakumar Yadav, whose captaincy skills were on display during the first T20I against Sri Lanka, stated that he wants to classify himself as a leader and not as a captain. When Sri Lanka's opening duo of Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis inflicted carnage in Pallekele, the 214-run total started turning into a comfortable chase for the hosts. Sri Lanka raced to 84/0 in the ninth over and looked well set to spoil the beginning of Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar's era. With India fielding only five mainstay bowlers, Suryakumar was running out of options. In the ninth over, he brought Arshdeep Singh back into the thick of action, hoping for a breakthrough. The young left-armer delivered and removed Mendis from the crease. The setback didn't stop Sri Lanka from retracting their aggressive approach. However, Lankans were forced to take a step back after Suryakumar introduced Axar Patel in the 15th over. With the pitch offering turn, Axar weaved magic and dismissed ...

Rafael Nadal insists Novak Djokovic will be the favourite when they clash at the Paris Olympics, after the Spaniard battled to victory over Marton Fucsovics in the first round on Sunday. Nadal had left his participation in the singles in doubt until the last minute because of a thigh injury, and was made to work hard for his 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 victory. The 38-year-old -- who has won 14 of his 22 Grand Slam titles on the clay of Roland Garros -- believes old rival Djokovic will be favourite when they meet for the 60th time.  "Situations are completely different for him, for me. He's being very competitive. I was not being very competitive for the last two years, so in that case, I think probably he is the clear favourite," said Nadal, who holds an 8-2 head-to-head advantage over the Serb at Roland Garros.  "I'm going to try my best to bring the best to the court and then let's see how far I can go and how many problems I can create for him."  The latest cha...

Yashasvi Jaiswal and skipper Suryakumar Yadav displayed their wide array of strokes as India took an unassailable 2-0 lead, winning the rain-curtailed second T20I by seven wickets with nine balls to spare in Pallekele on Sunday. Head coach Gautam Gambhir and new captain Suryakumar couldn't have asked for a better start to their new roles as the Indian team played like true T20 World Champions outplaying Sri Lanka in all departments. Despite Shubman Gill 's absence due to neck spasm and another failure in the format for the ever-hyped Sanju Samson (0), Jaiswal (30 off 15 balls) and Suryakumar (26 off 12 balls) didn't even break a sweat in their short but tricky chase of 78 in 8 overs after another fine effort by bowlers had restricted Sri Lanka to 161 for 9. Just when Maheesh Theekshana looked dangerous getting Samson with a carrom ball and squaring up Surya with a doosra, the Mumbai duo decided to bring the sweep shot -- both conventional and reverse -- out of the clo...

Indian cricket team star batter Shubman Gill missed the second T20I encounter against Sri Lanka due to neck spasm on Sunday. Sanju Samson was included in the playing XI in place of Gill and Suryakumar confirmed the reason behind Gill's absence at the toss. "Gill misses out as he woke up with a neck spasm, Samson comes in," Indian cricket team  captain Suryakumar Yadav said. Sanju failed to take advantage of the chance as he was dismissed for a duck by spinner Maheesh Theekshana. Yashasvi Jaiswal and skipper Suryakumar Yadav displayed their wide array of strokes as India took an unassailable 2-0 lead, winning the rain-curtailed second T20I by seven wickets with nine balls to spare. Head coach Gautam Gambhir and new captain Suryakumar couldn't have asked for a better start to their new roles as the Indian team played like true T20 World Champions outplaying Sri Lanka in all departments. Despite Shubman Gill's absence due to neck spasm and another failure in the f...

Having made a winning start to his journey as India's new T20I captain on Saturday, Suryakumar Yadav said he always thought that the game against Sri Lanka was under control despite a good start by the hosts as there was hardly any dew to make life difficult for his bowlers. Chasing a target of 214, Sri Lanka were cruising along at 149 for 2 before losing eight wickets for 21 runs to lose the opening T20I by 43 runs. "We were fortunate that there was no dew. The way we played in the World Cup, that reminded us that the game was still too far," Suryakumar, who also won the 'Player of the Match' award for his 26-ball-58, said. He praised the Sri Lankans for a good batting effort but said he always knew that the track would slow down as the game progressed. "They were playing a good brand of cricket from ball one. They were keeping the tempo, credit goes to them. We know how the wicket plays in the night." His opposite number Charith Asalanka felt that th...

New captain Suryakumar Yadav led from the front with a breathtaking half-century as India comfortably out-batted Sri Lanka by 43 runs in the opening T20 International to start the Gautam Gambhir era with a victory in Pallekele on Saturday. It was India skipper Suryakumar's 26-ball 58 and a 74-run opening blitzkrieg in just six overs between openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill that took India to 213 for 7. Despite a fine batting effort from the Sri Lankans till the 15th over, the Indian bowlers did well enough to bowl out the home team for 170 in 19.2 overs. The Indian bowlers did remarkably well towards the back-end, utilising the slowness of the track to provide the team 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The spinners -- Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi and rookie Riyan Parag -- snared six of the 10 wickets. From 149 for 2, Sri Lanka lost seven wickets for just 21 runs as the final quarter of the match was dominated by the Indian bowlers after a listless first 15. Kusal Mendis (4...

Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik has shared his views on India's potential withdrawal from the Champions Trophy 2025. Ever since Pakistan were awarded the rights to host the Champions Trophy, there has been a debate whether or not India will travel to their neighbouring country. India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral series in over a year. While India's last visit to Pakistan came way back in 2006, the two last played a bilateral series in 2012/13, which was hosted by India. Due to the political differences between the two nations, it has been reported that the Indian government is unlikely to give travel clearance to the team for the tournament in Pakistan. For the unversed, Pakistan visited India last year for the ICC ODI World Cup. Amid the ongoing debate, Malik has urged the Indian team to visit Pakistan and keep politics separate from sports. "Any issues or disputes between the two countries are a separate matter and should be resolved separately in wha...

Shubman Gill is all set to replace Jasprit Bumrah as the Indian cricket team vice-captain in the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh, according to a report by Revsportz. The youngster was reportedly as Rohit Sharma 's deputy in white-ball cricket over the past few games and it looks like Gill will also be given an extremely important role in red-ball cricket. Gill is currently considered as one of the big contenders to take over the captaincy in all formats and this move can be a huge step in that direction. Coming to the series against Bangladesh, the opening Test will be played on September 19 in Chennai, while the second encounter will be played on September 27 at Green Park in Nagpur.  Gill will also be the vice-captain in the both the T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav, the newly-appointed T20I captain, asserted that India will continue to play the aggressive brand of cricket which hallmarked the regime of his predecessor ...

Jason Holder produced a fine all-round display as the West Indies took three late wickets, including both England openers with successive deliveries, in a stirring fightback on Friday's opening day of the third Test at Edgbaston. Holder's 59 helped turn the West Indies' 115-5 into a total of 282 all out as they looked to restore some pride, having already lost this three-match series at 2-0 down. And the towering all-rounder then held two fine slip catches as England slumped to 38-3 at stumps, a deficit of 244 runs. Zak Crawley fell for eight when he edged a loose drive off fast bowler Jayden Seales , with Holder holding a sharp chance to his left at second slip. England were now 29-1 off four overs exactly and next ball Crawley's opening partner, Ben Duckett , played on to Alzarri Joseph . England had sent in Mark Wood as a nightwatchman after Crawley's exit but he fell for a duck when edging Seales low to Holder. Seales had figures of 2-19 in four overs at ...

Pakistan's right to host the ICC Champions Trophy has raised doubts over India's willingness to travel to the country. Due to the political differences between the two neighbouring nations, bilateral cricket between India and Pakistan has been suspended since 2013. If the reports are to be believed, the BCCI is unlikely to get travel clearance from the Indian government for the tournament in Pakistan. However, Pakistan's recent visit to India for the 2023 fifty-over World Cup has sparked discussions over a possible return in favour. As per the initial Champions Trophy, the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore will host all of India's matches, including the one against Pakistan. There have also been rumours that the BCCI has propose a hybrid model similar to the one used for last year's Asia Cup when India's matches were held in Sri Lanka. Amid the ongoing debate, former captain Younis Khan has urged for India to travel to Pakistan, as it is the "only thing left...

It came as a surprise for everybody when the Board of Control for Cricket in India named Suryakumar Yadav as the captain for Sri Lanka T20Is, preferring the top-order batter over Hardik Pandya. Star all-rounder Hardik was the vice-captain of the T20 World Cup-winning Indian cricket team. He looked all set to take over the captaincy role in the format after Rohit Sharma callled time on his T20I career, but the management went ahead with Surya instead. BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar explained that Hardik's consistent injuries, his workload management were the reasons that pushed the board to look beyond him for the captaincy role. Agarkar added that Suryakumar's captaincy abilities and the feedback from players also played a big role in him being appointed the skipper in T20Is. Amidst a lot of other rumours surrounding the new T20I captain's appointment, former India cricketer Pragyan Ojha has pointed out an old Kolkata Knight Riders connection between Suryakumar and newl...

Former India pacer Ashish Nehra has shared his views on the possibility of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli playing till the ODI World Cup 2027. This comes after new India head coach Gautam Gambhir claimed that if the two veterans manage to stay fit, he'll surely have Rohit and Kohli in the planks for the marquee event in 2027. Kohli and Rohit announced their T20I retirements after the T20 World Cup final last month, and will solely focus on ODIs and Tests with two major ICC events scheduled to take place next year. Speaking on Kohli and Rohit's chances of playing in the 2027 ODI World Cup, Nehra said that the duo will have to keep raising the bar. "It involves both physical and mental aspects. It depends on your passion and motivation and in these aspects, there is no dearth at all when it comes to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. It's because of their drive that they have reached where they are today. From here, young guns like Shubman Gill , Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai ...

Andhra Pradesh and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy said that he admires star India batter Virat Kohli and former South Africa cricketer AB de Villiers. Nitish was called-up to the Indian squad after a solid Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season with SRH, for the five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe. Though he could not play due to a sports hernia injury, he has created an impression strong enough to be considered for future series with a 'Emerging Player of the Season' award worthy performance in this year's IPL, scoring 303 runs in 11 innings with two fifties at a strike rate of 143 and taking three wickets with his seam bowling. The 21-year-old is now working his way back to full fitness as the new domestic season starts on September 5 with the Duleep Trophy. Speaking to Star Sports, Nitish said that he has been a huge fan of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for the last 10 years. Nitish recalled when he first met Virat Kohli and only sho...

Hosts Sri Lanka and Bangladesh cruised into the semifinals of the women's Asia Cup T20 tournament with comfortable victories over Thailand and Malaysia in Dambulla on Wednesday. While Sri Lanka thrashed Thailand by 10 wickets in the final group match of the tournament, Bangladesh hammered Malaysia by 114 runs earlier in the day at the same venue. In the first match of the day, Bangladesh rode on opener Murshida Khatun's 59-ball 80 and skipper Nigar Sultana's 37-ball 62 to post a commanding 191 for 2. Opting to bat, Khatun and wicket-keeper Dilara Akter (33) shared 65 runs for the opening wicket before the former joined hands with Sultana to stitch 89 runs for the second wicket to set the foundation for the big total. Bangladesh then restricted Malaysia to 77 for 8 in 20 overs to register a convincing win and a place in the semifinals. In the last group match of the tournament, Thailand could muster only 93 for 7 after opting to bat. Wicket-keeper batter Nannapat Konchar...

Stand-in India skipper Smriti Mandhana was pleased to see the middle-order batters getting some much-needed runs under their belt against Nepal in Dambulla on Tuesday ahead of the women's Asia Cup semifinals. With regular skipper Harmanpreet Kaur skipping the match and India sitting pretty at the top of the group, Mandhana decided to shuffle the batting order to give time to the other batters in the middle during their last group match against minnows Nepal. Mandhana, a regular opener, didn't bat at the top as Shafali Verma (81) and Dayalan Hemalatha (47) opened the innings and smashed their way to 122 in 14 overs to lay the foundation. S Sajana (10) and Jemmimah Rodrigues (28) then took them to a solid 178 for 3, which proved enough as Nepal could manage 96 for nine in 20 overs to suffer a 82-run loss. "As an opener you don't get a lot of games where you don't bat. Much needed game time for all the other batters. The middle order hasn't batted in the previou...

Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa has said that Hardik Pandya should not feel hard done by for not being given a captaincy role for Team India, and should instead look at the bigger picture. Uthappa stated that, knowing Hardik personally, the latter would also think that the decision has been taken keeping the best for Hardik in mind. After the appointment of new coach Gautam Gambhir , Pandya was retained in no leadership roles in the white-ball formats, with his fitness and availability being the major reason behind it, according to chief selector Ajit Agarkar . Uthappa said that not having the burden of captaincy would ensure Hardik a longer international career. "If I was in Hardik's place, I would feel taken care of to a certain extent," said Uthappa, responding to a question by NDTV. "If I am 34 or 35 years old, and I am someone who has been injury-prone throughout my career, and a certain responsibility has been taken away from me with the mindset of ex...

Explosive opener Shafali Verma slammed a career-best 48-ball 81 as defending champions India thrashed minnows Nepal by 82 runs in their final group match to confirm their semifinal spot at the Women's Asia Cup T20 tournament in Dambulla on Tuesday. With India shuffling the batting order, Shafali and Dayalan Hemalatha (47) opened the innings and gave India a flying start after stand-in skipper Smriti Mandhana won the toss and opted to bat. The opening duo smashed its way to 122 in 14 overs to lay the foundation. Jemimah Rodrigues then hit unbeaten 28 off 15 balls, including three fours in the final over, to take India to a solid 178 for three. Nepal needed to achieve the target in or under 10 overs to surpass Pakistan on net run rate and qualify for the semifinals but they could only manage 96 for nine in their 20 overs, thanks to some superb bowling from the in-form Indian attack. Deepti Sharma (3/13) was the most successful bowler for India as she snapped three wickets, while h...

After successfully guiding the Indian team to T20 World Cup 2024 triumph as head coach, Rahul Dravid is reportedly gearing up for a new adventure in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Since his tenure as the head coach of the Indian team came to an end, Dravid has been linked with multiple franchises in the T20 league. Earlier, reports suggested that the batting great could decide to join Kolkata Knight Riders, especially as the franchise saw their mentor Gautam Gambhir leave the team to fill the void left by Dravid in the Indian team as head coach. But, it has now been reported that Dravid is in talks with his former IPL side Rajasthan Royals. "Talks are going on between RR and Dravid, and an announcement in this regard is round the corner," Times of India quoted a source as saying. As Dravid hunts for a new adventure, Gambhir has begun his stint as the Indian team's head coach. He flew to Sri Lanka with the other members of the Indian team ahead of the white-ball ass...

Team India left for Sri Lanka on Monday for the upcoming white-ball series. The series will begin from July 27, with three T20Is followed by three ODIs. In the T20Is, the visitors will be led by star batter Suryakumar Yadav while regular skipper Rohit Sharma will be leading in the ODIs. It came as a huge surprise for everyone as all-rounder Hardik Pandya , who was being touted as the most deserving replacement of Rohit, was chosen over Surya. Not only this, Pandya was replaced as the vice-captain by young batter Shubman Gill . Ahead of the Sri Lanka, newly-appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of the selection committee Ajit Agarkar held a press conference in Mumbai.  On being asked about appointment of Gill as the vice-captain in both T20Is and ODIs, Agarkar praised the young opener, calling him an all-format player who has quality in his game.  "When Hardik did get injured it was a bit of a challenge. Rohit was still around was around, made our life a lot e...

India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been making headlines for months. Since his arrival at Mumbai Indians, as the captain of the franchise, Hardik has found it hard to remain away from headlines. The Baroda-born cricketer became a big talking point among fans and former cricketers again after being snubbed for the role of Team India's captain in T20Is, with head coach Gautam Gambhir and selectors preferring Suryakumar Yadav . Though Surya has also done well as a leader in a handful of games that he has led in, there are some who feel it was 'injustice' to deny Hardik the role. Former India batter Sanjay Bangar admits that Surya has valuable experience as a leader but 'injustice has been meted out' to Hardik, considering he was the front-runner to take the T20I captaincy role after Rohit Sharma 's retirement. Bangar also feels that Hardik would be 'deeply hurt' seeing Surya being crowned the T20I skipper. "I am a bit surprised as far as Hardik n...

England thrashed the West Indies by 241 runs in the second Test at Trent Bridge on Sunday to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in a three-match series. The West Indies, set 385 to win, collapsed to 143 all out as they lost all 10 wickets in 23 overs on the fourth day, with 20-year-old off-spinner Shoaib Bashir taking Test-best figures of 5-41. Earlier, the Yorkshire duo of Joe Root (122) and Harry Brook (109) both made hundreds in England's second innings 425. West Indies had actually led by 41 runs on first innings after making 457 in reply to England's 416. It was an encouraging display by the tourists, who had been twice bowled out cheaply during an innings and 114-run defeat in the first Test at Lord's. But after England paceman Chris Woakes made the initial breakthrough Sunday, they proved powerless to resist Bashir. England batsman Ollie Pope was named player of the match after scoring 172 runs in total, including 121 in the first innings. The third and final Test s...

Contrary to speculations throughout Saturday that Rishabh Pant could be moving out of Delhi Capitals (DC) ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, sources have told IANS firmly that the wicketkeeper-batter will remain with the franchise. Since Saturday morning, various sections of the media have claimed that Pant, also DC's captain, is potentially leaving the franchise. They have also linked him to a move to five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the team of the legendary M.S Dhoni, whose big brother-like relationship and camaraderie with Pant is no secret to the cricketing world. But sources have told IANS that as of now, Pant is still very much with DC and he is in sight to be retained by the franchise alongside Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, who have been vital cogs for the team in the past few seasons. The trio also became Men's T20 World Cup winners via India clinching the silverware in the shortest format at Barbados on June 29. Pant has been with the franchise since ...

Indian cricket team fast bowler Mohammed Shami was a standout performer in the 2019 ODI World Cup but he was not included in the playing XI for the semifinal clash against New Zealand. Shami took 14 wickets in 4 matches at an impressive economy rate of 5.48. The performances included a five-wicket haul against England and a hat-trick against Afghanistan. However, when it came to the semifinal match, Shami was snubbed and India went on to lose the game by 18 runs to crash out of the competition. During a recent interaction on Shubhankar Mishra's  YouTube  channel, Shami opened up about his disappointment and even had a question for then captain Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri . “In 2019 I did not play the first 4-5 games. In the next game, I took a hat-trick, then picked up a five-wicket haul and then four wickets in the next game. A similar happened in 2023. I did not play in the first few games and then picked a fifer, then four wickets and then a five-wicket haul ...

Hosts Sri Lanka started their campaign in the Women's T20 Asia Cup on a positive note, beating Bangladesh by seven wickets in Dambulla on Saturday. After restricting Bangladesh to a modest 111 for eight, Sri Lanka completed the task with 17 balls to spare, reaching 114/3 in 17.1 overs. Opting to bat first, Bangladesh were off to a disastrous start and lost three wickets with just six runs on the board. It soon became 17/4, and then 48/5, before skipper Nigar Sultana steadied the sinking ship with a 48-run knock that came off 59 balls and included six boundaries. Down the order, Shorna Akter contributed a brisk 14-ball 25 as Bangladesh crossed 100. Udeshika Prabodhani (2/20) and Inoshi Priyadharshani (2/17) grabbed two wickets each for Sri Lanka, while there was one apiece for Sugandika Kumari, Kavisha Dilhari and Chamari Athapaththu. As far as Sri Lanka batting was concerned, opener Vishmi Gunaratne was the highest scorer with 51 off 48 balls, hitting seven fours and a six in he...

In a heartwarming gesture, star India batter Smriti Mandhana gifted a wheelchair-bound girl a mobile phone after the team's match at the ongoing women's T20 Asia Cup tournament in Dambulla. Adeesha Herath, who came to the stadium escorted by her mother in a wheelchair, experienced a pleasant surprise as Mandhana came to meet her and presented her a phone. "Adeesha Herath's love for cricket brought her to the stadium, despite all the challenges. The highlight of her day? A surprise encounter with her favourite cricketer, Smriti Mandhana, who handed her a mobile phone as a token of appreciation," Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said in a tweet. Adeesha Herath's love for cricket brought her to the stadium, despite all the challenges. The highlight of her day? A surprise encounter with her favorite cricketer, Smriti Mandhana, who handed her a mobile phone as a token of appreciation pic.twitter.com/iqgL2RNE9v — Sri Lanka Cricket (@OfficialSLC) July 20, 2024 In the v...

Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has lambasted a Pakistan cricket fan and journalist Farid Khan for comparing Pakistan wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan with former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and asking who is better. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Farid Khan, who lists himself as having worked for the Pakistan Cricket Board, Pakistan Super League, Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2024, and T10 Global League, made the comparison of Rizwan with the former India great. " MS Dhoni or Mohammad Rizwan? Who is better? Tell me honestly," Farid, who claims to be Pakistan's most engaging sports content creator on X, wrote in his post. However, Harbhajan was furious with this comparison asking Farid, "What r u (sic) smoking nowadays???" He dubbed the comparison a silly question claiming that Dhoni is the No.1 in world cricket even today and there was none better than him behind stumps". "What r u smoking nowadays???? What a silly question to ask. Bh...