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Rohit Sharma 's request to the BCCI for a break from white-ball cricket in South Africa despite being offered T20 captaincy has been accepted, while Jasprit Bumrah has been named his deputy for the two Tests starting December 26. Virat Kohli 's request for a break from limited-overs games too has been accepted as Suryakumar Yadav and KL Rahul will lead the national team in T20Is and ODIs respectively. However, it is understood that Hardik Pandya is no longer an automatic choice for T20 captaincy in the T20 World Cup next year if Rohit decides to play the shortest format. "Rohit has been offered T20 captaincy but he is in UK on a holiday and wants an extended break after four months of gruelling season till end of the World Cup. But as captain, he has the highest respect for the dressing room and if he agrees to lead India in T20 World Cup, he will lead," a BCCI source told PTI on condition of anonymity. After the T20 World Cup in 2022, Rohit had actually been re

Dominica will be unable to meet the deadline for completing the construction work of their stadiums and the government on Thursday announced its decision to withdraw from hosting their allotted matches of the T20 World Cup next year. Windsor Park was shortlisted to host one group match and two Super Eight games as Dominica was one of seven countries in the Caribbean shortlisted to host the T20 World Cup. The T20 showpiece is being co-hosted by the West Indies and the USA from June 4-30 next year. "Several tangible actions were taken both at the Windsor Park Sports Stadium and at the Benjamin's Park including the commencement of upgrading and enhancement of the practice and match venues, various assessments and the creation of additional pitches where necessary," a statement from the Dominica government's read. "However, the implementation timelines submitted by the various contractors revealed that it would not be possible to complete these works within the sti

Cricket can sometimes present pretty awkward moments. Some of them can be funny while others can be dangerous. But a video has gone viral on social media which can safely be termed as a mixture of both. In the video, a bowler, training in the nets, takes on the bind-fold challenge. He is a spinners and goes about his job with the blind-fold on pretty confidently. While the start of his run-up is prefect, the end is not. It could have very well led to serious injury.  In the middle of his run-up, the bowler loses direction and goes on to crash into a tree, quite some distance away from the crease. He crashes hard and in the background some people can be heard laughing. he escaped serious injury and removed the blindfold himself.  pic.twitter.com/nH6Le6F5KD — Out Of Context Cricket (@GemsOfCricket) November 29, 2023 Talking about cricket, the India vs Australia T20I series is on. While India won the first two T20Is, Australia struck back and won the third T20I. Former Indian field

Former India opener player Gautam Gambhir applauded the contract extension of Rahul Dravid as Team India's head coach and believes it is promising news for the national side as the "T20 World Cup is around the corner." The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday announced the extension of contracts for Dravid and the support staff of Team India (Senior Men). Dravid's second stint with Team India will be the tour of South Africa from December 10, which will have three ODIs and T20Is each and two Tests. The red-ball leg will start from December 26. Following that will be a five-match Test series against England at home, before the ICC T20 World Cup in June in West Indies/USA. Gambhir expects Team India to continue its domination and play good cricket. The former opener emphasises that the T20 format is different it will be challenging and hope that Rahul and the supporting staff can deliver. Batting coach Vikram Rathour, fielding coach T Dilip and bo

India skipper Suryakumar Yadav hailed all-rounder Glenn Maxwell for his record-breaking ton against the Men in Blue in the third T20I at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. Maxwell's destructive mood spoiled the party for the Indian team in his 100th T20I game and made it even more special with an unbeaten 104 off 48 balls. He became the joint fastest Australian player to complete a century in the history of T20Is joining Aaron Finch and Josh Inglis . After the match, Surya sang praises of Maxwell calling his innings "insane" and said, "We just wanted to get Maxi out quickly (laughs), that was the plan. But when you're defending 222 with so much dew you have to give something to the bowlers. I felt like how we played at Trivandrum, there was heavy dew, they lost wickets early but wickets in hand for them meant they were always in the game. I told the boys in the drinks break to get Maxwell out quickly but that was insane." Surya went on to talk ab

Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell equalled India skipper Rohit Sharma 's record as he struck an unbeaten 47-ball ton to keep the series alive for Australia, helping the Baggy Greens clinch a victory in Guwahati in the third T20I against India on Tuesday. With the 47-ball hundred, Maxwell also equalled the record set by Aaron Finch and Josh Inglis (earlier in the series) for the fastest ton by an Australian in men's T20Is. Maxwell also equalled Rohit Sharma's record for the most centuries in men's T20Is with his fourth hundred in the format. Maxwell's previous T20I ton had also come against India in Bengaluru in 2019 in another mammoth run-chase that Australia successfully accomplished. Maxwell arrived at the crease in the final over of the powerplay after opener Travis Head provided the ideal start in the run-chase. Marcus Stoinis 's struggle in the middle overs put the onus on the experienced all-rounder to recreate his World Cup heroics against Afgha

It was Glenn Maxwell show yet again at an Indian cricket ground. This time the venue was the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati and Indian cricket team was at the receiving end. India posted a huge 223-run target for Australia. While the visitors lost wickets at regular intervals, they stayed in chase with Glenn Maxwell playing the lead role. The Australia star scored 104* off just 48 balls, with eight fours and eight sixes. But what he did in the last over by Prasidh Krishna is going to be remembered for a long time to come.  Australia needed 21 runs off six balls to win. On the first ball of the last over by Prasidh Krishna, Australia captain Matthew wade hit a boundary and then took a single. The equation was then 16 needed off four balls. Maxwell first hit a six and then three straight fours to take Australia to their first win of the five-match series.  MAXWELL DOES IT AGAIN bounce back in the #IDFCFirstBankT20ITrophy and HOW! #INDvAUS #JioCinemaSports pic.twitter.com

Hardik Pandya, who made his return to the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians (MI), on Monday reflected back on his journey with the five-time champions. After tasting success with Gujarat Titans in the past two years, the experienced all-rounder on Monday returned to the franchise where his career began in 2015."I am back. Rohit, Bumrah, Surya, Ishan, Polly (Pollard), Malinga. Come on let's begin. Obviously, the feeling of coming back to Mumbai is very special for a lot of reasons. How my cricketing journey started in 2015 with MI, them noticing me in 2013...when I look back...how my span of 10 years has been something very special. It has not sunk in yet that finally, I am back where my whole cricketing journey started. I have achieved all the possible things. They have been the most important part of my life," Hardik said in a video posted by MI on X Watch talk about his happy homecoming, teaming up with his and resuming his journey with #MumbaiIndia

Team India thrashed Australia by 44 runs in the second T20I of the five-match series on Sunday in Thiruvananthapuram. The main architects of India's victory were opening batters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj, who scored 53 and 58 runs respectively and propelled India to a whopping total of 235/4. Later, the hosts restricted Australia at 191/9 with Ravi Bishnoi and Prasidh Krishna taking three wickets each. It was a memorable match for Jaiswal, who brought up his half-century in just 24 balls.  After the match, Jaiswal spoke about the tragic mix-up which handed Gaikwad his diamond duck in the first T20I on Thursday. In the first match, Jaiswal and Gaikwad were caught in a mix-up while trying to take a double. Resulting which, Gaikwad had to depart without even playing a ball.  Jaiswal revealed that he admitted his mistake and went on to apologize to Gaikwad. He also praised his co-opener for being "humble" and "caring". "It was my mistake in the last ga

After a rollicking 25-ball 53 against Australia, Yashasvi Jaiswal said on Sunday that being “fearless” while playing his natural game is his mantra for success. Fifties by Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan had pushed India to 235 for four, and eventually to a facile 44-run victory over Australia in the second T20I here. “It's really special for me. I was trying to play all my shots. I was trying to be fearless as I was sure of my decisions,” said player-of-the-match Jaiswal during the post-match presentation. The left-handed opener said head coach VVS Laxman and captain Suryakumar Yadav have backed him to play his style of cricket. “I have been told by Surya bhai and VVS sir to go and play freely. I have been asked to express myself. “For me, I think I can develop (as a cricketer) and I am not thinking about anything else. I am still learning,” said Jaiswal. “I am trying to develop all my shots. The mental stuff is something I am working on as it is important at this level

Indian cricket team all-rounder Hardik Pandya completed a sensational move from Gujarat Titans to Mumbai Indians ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, according to sources. The news came as a surprise for many fans as Pandya was named in the retention list submitted by Gujarat Titans on Sunday. November 26 was the deadline for the IPL franchises to submit their retention lists and although many reports claimed that Pandya will be returning to MI, he featured in the GT list. However, multiple sources confirmed that his move to MI was completed as part of an all-cash deal. This was possible because although the retention deadline had ended, the trading window will close on December 12. In this period, all trades between the IPL franchises will be valid and as a result, Pandya's trade to MI was completed despite GT naming the all-rounder in their list of retained players. Pandya had joined Gujarat Titans as their captain in 2022 and led them to title in the maiden season i

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad gave a telling manifestation of their talent with twinkling fifties, the catalyst of India's 44-run win over Australia in the second T20I in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday. India are now leading the five-match series 2-0. Opener Jaiswal led the charge of India's young brigade with a sparkling 53 off 25 balls, guiding India to a massive 235 for four in the company of Ishan (52 off 32 balls) and Gaikwad (58 off 43 balls). Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi (3/32) then muffled the Australian top-order with two quick blows, and the visitors were eventually limited to 191 for nine despite aggressive knocks by Tim David (37 off 22 balls) and Marcus Stoinis (45 off 25 balls). Pacer Prasidh Krishna grabbed three wickets to accentuate Australia's fall as they lost five wickets for 16 runs. Australia needed to score at 11.8 runs per over to hunt down India's total. Openers Matthew Short and Steve Smith made an urgent beginning, procuring

England batter Joe Root has opted out of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, announced his franchise Rajasthan Royals on Saturday. "England batter Joe Root will not be taking any further participation in the IPL, it was confirmed on Saturday," said a statement from the team. Root, one of the most decorated international cricketers for England, made his foray into the IPL set up last season, when the Royals picked him at the 2023 mini-auction. He made his IPL debut in the 2023 edition, playing 3 matches for the franchise. Root scored 10 in only one inning he played. Kumar Sangakkara , Royals' Director of Cricket, said, "During our retention conversations, Joe informed us of his decision to not take part in IPL 2024. Even in a short span of time, Joe was able to create such a positive impact on the franchise and the players around him. His energy around the group and the experience he brought to the Royals will be missed. We respect his decision totally and wish him su

Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif urged all-rounder Imad Wasim to reverse his retirement from international cricket. The 34-year-old all-rounder brought curtains down his cricket career on Friday with a post on social media stating that he feels it is the right time to retire. Latif on Saturday took to X, labelling Wasim as Pakistan's "best spinner" and urging him to reverse his retirement from international cricket. "Imad Wasim should withdraw his retirement decision, Pakistan team's best spin bowler is Imad and can help a lot in batting. In the World Cup, if the most effective player of the team will not be there, it is not a loss for Imad, it is a loss for Pakistan. Mohammad Hafeez wants them to bring Imad back. If you want to play leagues, then separate from the central contract, but keep yourself available for the Pakistan team," Rashid wrote on X. ... pic.twitter.com/hmrIUPdAB0 — Rashid Latif | (@iRashidLatif68) November 25, 2023 Wasim made

The players' auction ahead of the 2024 edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL) will be held on December 9 in Mumbai, the BCCI announced on Friday. The second edition of the WPL could take place in February-March next year. Mumbai Indians are the defending WPL champions, as they had beaten Delhi Capitals by seven wickets in the final on March 26 at the Brabourne Stadium earlier this year. Mumbai were led by Harmanpreet Kaur , while the recently-retired Meg Lanning captained Delhi in 2023. The five franchises -- Mumbai, Delhi, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz -- had retained 60 cricketers, including 21 from overseas, ahead of the auction. A total of 29 players were released from contract from the existing squads. These are the following players from the five WPL franchises who were retained and released from the squads: Delhi Capitals: Retained Players: Alice Capsey , Arundhati Reddy , Jemimah Rodrigues, Jess Jonassen , Laura Harris , Marizanne

Suryakumar Yadav will take some time before he can let the heady feeling of being the India captain sink in but when he is out there with the willow, he believes in keeping the baggage of leadership in the dressing room. Surya made his senior India captaincy debut with a two-wicket victory over Australia in the first T20 International in Vishakhapatnam on Thursday and also headlined the 209-run chase with a superb 80 off 42 balls. "I think it's a proud moment, whenever you play cricket, you think of representing India, it will take some time to sink in but very proud," Surya said at the post-match presentation ceremony. "I left the (captaincy) luggage in the dressing room. I just tried to enjoy my batting, whether I am batting 10 or 40 balls," said Surya when asked how to compartmentalise batting and leadership. Rinku Singh , all of six T20Is 'old' scored 22 not out off 14 balls and finished the game when it was just slipping out of hand. "The

Some of India's World Cup heroes, including Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj, opened up after the heartbreak at the last hurdle following a glorious run in the showpiece. Spinner Kuldeep Yadav on Thursday admitted that the pain of World Cup final defeat to Australia will linger and push him to work harder for the "next opportunity". Reactions from Mohammed Siraj and KL Rahul followed, as the players tried to cope up with the six-wicket loss to Australia in the summit clash in Ahmedabad on November 19. "Our journey from Chennai to Ahmedabad ended in a disappointing result, but we take pride in our achievements over the six weeks. Despite the pain, we're determined to work harder for the next opportunity," Kuldeep said in a post on 'X'. "While the pain of defeat lingers, we must move forward; life continues, and healing takes time," said the wrist spinner. He said dealing with the setback was tough. "The Cup was beautiful, but it see

Skipper Suryakumar Yadav shrugged off the disappointment of a World Cup final defeat with a captain's knock but it was Rinku Singh's composure that took a young Indian team to a thrilling two-wicket victory in the opening T20 International in Visakhapatnam on Thursday. This was India's highest successful chase in T20 Internationals. The skipper was in belligerent mood making a mockery of a 209-run chase with 80 off just 42 balls but Rinku's 22 not off 14 balls saved India from the blushes.  India needed 14 off 12 balls after Surya departed but Axar Patel bungled big time and the likes of Ravi Bishnoi and Arshdeep Singh also were run-out in a jiffy. With a single needed off the final delivery, Sean Abbott was deposited into the stands by Rinku but to everyone's delight, it turned out to be a big no-ball and hence the maximum wasn't counted. India thus won with a ball to spare. However, what stood out was Rinku's fearlessness and the sense of occasion and e

Former Pakistan cricket team all-rounder Abdul Razzaq took aim at the Indian cricket team following their loss in the Cricket World Cup 2023 final against Australia and he said that India's defeat meant that 'cricket won'. In a recent interaction, he was asked about the World Cup final and he went on to accuse India of using home conditions to their advantage and said that a win for India over Australia would have been 'a sad moment for cricket'. Razzaq earlier courted controversy for his comment about the Pakistan team which contained a reference to Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai. The former cricketer faced a lot of heat for his comment and later, he tendered an official apology for his comment. “ Agar sahi baat kare toh aaj cricket jeeti hai. Aap conditions ko apni taraf utilise karke, ye kabhi bhi nahi aisa hota. Agar aaj India jeet jaati toh fir cricket jo hai naa vo India ki taraf ho jaati. Cricket ne bataya ki mai vo cricket hu jo brave hote hai, jo strong

Legendary South Africa cricketer AB De Villiers picked his Team of the Tournament for Cricket World Cup 2023 and it included five players from the Indian cricket team. Besides the duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma , Shreyas Iyer , Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja also found a place. De Villiers' choice of Indian players was slightly different from the International Cricket Council (ICC) Team of the Tournament which had KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah with Iyer missing out. Australia's star performer in the World Cup final - Travis Head - also found a place in the team selected by AB De Villiers. The other players were Rachin Ravindra , Glenn Maxwell , Adam Zampa ,  Gerald Coetzee and  Dilshan Madushanka . However, De Villiers did not include a single wicket-keeper in his Team of the Tournament. Rohit had a good outing in the competition with explosive knocks at the top of the innings and he finished Cricket World Cup 2023 with the maximum number of sixes. He also broke

The Cricket World Cup 2023 final saw the tables turn as the Indian cricket team, unbeaten in 10 matches in the tournament, suffered a defeat at the hands of Australia, a team they had already beaten once in the league stage. India were touted as the favourites to go the distance in the tournament, end their 12-year wait of winning an ODI World Cup title. But, it was the Australian team that emerged triumphant. Speaking of the result, former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir , said that the best team actually went on to win the World Cup, contrary to the statements some other experts have been making. Many believe that the Indian team was the best side in the tournament but a solitary defeat in the final prevented them from winning the title. Gambhir, however, doesn't think so. "A lot of people might not like it. I heard some of the experts saying that the best team has not gone on to win the World Cup. That's absolutely not true. That's one of the bizarre statements th

Rohit Sharma must have felt very lonely as he walked up the long staircase of the Motera Stadium while shaking hands with whoever came in his way on the catastrophic Sunday night. A World Cup final defeat like this might have felt like a stab in the chest. He needed to quickly leave that arena. While it may appear that the world has collapsed around Rohit Sharma, now is the time more than ever that the Indian cricket team needs him at the helm for at least two more years in longer formats. When Rahul Dravid's captaincy stint ended in 2007, Dhoni was a ready replacement in the team and when Dhoni departed, there was already a succession plan in form of Virat Kohli. And Rohit was ready to take the mantle from Kohli. But in a team where the youngsters are years away from taking the leadership role, the selectors will have no choice but to continue with Rohit. Listening to coach Rahul Dravid, you get an idea how invested he was in his team and perhaps the reason, every ounce of emot

Australia continued their exceptional record in the Cricket World Cup as they claimed their sixth title after beating India by six wickets in the Cricket World Cup 2023 final. Travis Head played a sensational knock after a disciplined performance from the bowlers as Australia ended the Rohit Sharma -led side's unbeaten run in the competition. As the champions, Australia won USD 4 million as prize money while India received USD 2 million as runners-up. The two semi-finals - South Africa and New Zealand - won USD 800,000 while the six other teams who did not reach the semi-finals received USD 100,000. The teams also received separate prize money for respective wins in the group stage. Here's a look at how much the Top 4 teams won at the end of Cricket World Cup 2023: Australia (7 wins in the group stage) - USD 4.28 Million India (9 wins in the group stage) - USD 2.36 Million South Africa (7 wins in the group stage) - USD 1.08 Million New Zealand (5 wins in the group stage)

Well before the names of the two teams in the Cricket World Cup 2023 were final, the 'pitch talk' had taken over the chatter around the tournament. From the semi-final onwards, there were plenty of discussions around the nature of the pitch that will be seen in the knockout matches of the World Cup. Seeing India pay the price of a slow and sluggish wicket at Ahmedabad in the final against Australia, the great Ricky Ponting called out the hosts' 'tactical blunder' when it comes to preparation of the pitch for the final. It was Australia skipper Pat Cummins who won the toss and chose to field first. When India skipper Rohit Sharma was asked about his preference, he said he would've wanted to bat first. While both captains got what they wanted to from the toss, it was the Australian side's assessment that paid dividends. "It was very, very sub-continental conditions today," said Ricky Ponting while commentating during the match. "A wicket pr

The Pakistan cricket fraternity showered the Indian team with praise for their incredible run to the final of World Cup, with the legendary Wasim Akram saying their cricket "is in a good place" despite the loss to Australia in the title clash. Australia ended India's run in the final with a six-wicket victory to extend their dominance in the tournament. "Obviously they must be shattered to lose the final but in cricket these things happen. India had one bad day, and unfortunately, it came in the final," Akram said. "You look at their structure, the money for players, the well thought out programs and the back up talent and they really just need to continue doing these things. Their cricket is in a good place," he added. Akram said as a former player he knows how mentally tough the Australians are in knockout match. "I was captain when we played them in the 1999 World Cup final and although we had beaten them in the league stage, in the final t

Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh expressed happiness with his team's ICC Cricket World Cup title win, posting a picture with his father, legendary batter Geoff Marsh who has also lifted the gold with Aussies back in 1987. Marsh took to Instagram to post a picture of him holding the trophy with his father. "2023 and 1987," said the caption of Marsh's story. Mitchell Marsh had a solid Cricket World Cup. In 10 matches, Marsh scored 441 runs at an average of 49.00, with a strike rate of over 107. He scored two centuries and a fifty in the tournament, with the best score of 177*. He ended up as the tenth-highest run-scorer in the tournament and also took two wickets. The all-rounder also won the 2015 Cricket World Cup with Australia. In that tournament, he featured in just three matches, scoring 31 runs with the best score of 23. He also took five wickets in the tournament, a five-wicket haul against England. Geoff was also the star of the 1987 World Cup winning t