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Indian cricket team skipper Rohit Sharma continues to be a target for critics after the team's loss against England in the opening match of the 5-Test series in Hyderabad. India were undone by Ben Stokes ' men, with Rohit's leadership skills being blamed for many on-field decisions. Former England captain Michael Vaughan , taking a direct swipe at Rohit's captaincy, asserted that the Indians wouldn't have lost the series opener if Kohli was still leading the team. Vaughan's comments come in after several other former cricketers have also criticised Rohit's captaincy. While Rohit is leading the Indian team in all three formats of the game, Kohli wasn't even a part of the playing XI for India's first Test against England in Hyderabad. The star batter pulled out only a couple of days before the start of the series due to a personal reason.  In testing times during the Hyderabad Test, Rohit didn't have Virat to consult certain on-field decisions w...

Former Indian cricket team spinner Harbhajan Singh suggested huge changes in the bowling attack as he picked the playing XI for the second Test match against England starting February 2. Harbhajan said that Sarfaraz Khan should be handed his Test debut in the absence of KL Rahul with all-rounder Washington Sundar replacing the injured Ravindra Jadeja . He also advised Rohit Sharma to go with four spinners in the bowling department with Kuldeep Yadav replacing Mohammed Siraj . That means that Jasprit Bumrah will be playing as the only specialist pacer in the team picked by the former Indian cricket team star. "I think Sarfaraz should be played at No. 5. He has been scoring a lot of runs in domestic cricket and even for India A in the matches against England Lions," Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel . Harbhajan said that the decision to play Kuldeep Yadav or Mohammed Siraj will depend on how the wicket looks in Vishakhapatnam. Reports suggest that the track can be f...

As Sarfaraz Khan earned his maiden Test call-up for the second match between India and England in Vizag, younger brother Musheer is taking Under-19 World Cup by storm, having already slammed two centuries in the tournament. After his ton took India past New Zealand in the Super Six clash of the World cup, Musheer revealed how Sarfaraz called up to inform him about his selection into the Indian team for the second Test against England. Musheer, understandably, couldn't be happier for his elder brother. "My brother called me yesterday and he said that he has been selected in the Indian squad for the second Test. I want to congratulate hi for this," said Musheer after scoring a centrury against New Zealand on Tuesday. Speaking of his own heroics in the U19 World Cup, Musheer said that he is quite confident of doing well, having already slammed two hundreds in the tournament. "It feels really good that I have scored two centuries and I want to continue batting well. ...

Out-of-favour India opener and current Karnataka skipper Mayank Agarwal was rushed to a local hospital after falling ill just before his New Delhi-bound flight was about to take off, an incident that shocked cricket fraternity as the player lodged an official police complaint alleging foul-play. He is believed to be out of danger after drinking from liquid from a pouch which he thought was water and was kept on his seat while travelling by IndiGo airlines. In fact, Agarwal lodged a formal complaint with the police through his manager. "Mayank Agarwal, an international cricket player. Now he is stable and his vitals are normal. But his manager has lodged a specific complaint under NCCPS (New Capital Complex Police Station) to investigate the matter," SP West Tripura Kiran Kumar told PTI. Asked about details, the top cop also said: "His manager said that when he was sitting in the airplane, there was a pouch in front of him. He drank a little bit not much but suddenly the...

Down 0-1 in the 5-match Test series against England, the Indian cricket team has its task cut out as it heads into the second match in Vizag. While Virat Kohli was already set to miss the second match due to a personal issue, injuries to KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja have trimmed the Indian team even further. England coach Brendon McCullum , analysing the hosts' situation ahead of the Vizag encounter, said that he is disappointed as the trio of Jadeja, Rahul and Kohli will not be playing the second Test. "Obviously, Jadeja and KL Rahul and Virat Kohli, he is obviously not playing the next game as well. You want to play against the best. But it's disappointing for the Indian side. But they have also got an incredible talent pool to pick from. So it becomes a bit more difficult, we will do our homework on them," McCullum was quoted as saying by India Today. England produced a heroic performance in the series opener despite trailing by 190 runs in the first innings. ...

Following England's 28-run win over India in the first Test match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday, former cricketer Monty Panesar said that Rohit Sharma was 'clueless.' Speaking exclusively to ANI, Monty said that England's win over India was very "big" and that no one imagined it would have been possible. He added that the hosts need to stop giving so much freedom to the English players. The former England spinner also said that if Virat Kohli was in the team then he would have charged the visitors. He added that England would still play with the fear of failure in the upcoming four Test matches. "It is a very big victory, no one even imagined this was even possible. Everyone thought that England would lose after a 190 deficit but Ollie Pope had a brilliant inning one of the best innings we have seen in a long time and Rohit Sharma was clueless. India need to stop giving the freedom that the England players are getting....

West Indies' dramatic triumph against Australia at The Gabba on Sunday turned the cricket world upside down, with rookie pacer Shamar Joseph running riot with the ball, bagging a 7-for in the second innings. Seeing West Indies secure their first Test win in Australia in over 2 decades, not just the team's players, their fans but also some legends of the game went emotional. A crying Brian Lara was hugged by former Australia wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist while the legendary Carl Hooper was spotted crying inconsolably with his face towards a wall after the end of the match. Hooper, who played 102 Tests and 227 ODIs for the Windies, was completely out of words, with his tears explaining the emotions he was going through at that moment. Here's the video: What it means to Carl Hooper! @abcsport #AUSvWI pic.twitter.com/5TlnhWezRS — Ben Cameron (@BenCameron23) January 28, 2024 West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite couldn't stop hailing Joseph following the team...

Veteran Indian cricket team wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik was not pleased with Rohit Sharma 's 'defensive' approach on Day 4 of the first Test match against England on Sunday. Resuming at 316/6, Ollie Pope ended up scoring 196 as India were given a target of 231. Karthik said that India were very defensive in their approach from the start of the day and although it was understandable to be conservative in their tactics against Pope, he pointed out that against tail-enders like Tom Hartley , Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja should have had attacking fielders to create pressure. "India have been too defensive. I can understand being defensive to Pope but to Tom Hartley, Jadeja and Ashwin should get attacking fielders and not so many sweepers," Karthik said on JioCinema. Legendary India cricketer Ravi Shastri also echoed similar sentiments as he said that it is 'unknown territory' for Rohit and Co for a visiting side to score over 400 runs ...

Amid the ongoing first Test against England in Hyderabad, former India captain Anil Kumble reserved high praise for veteran spin-twins Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin . Both the players have picked more than 500 wickets between them in Test cricket, bagging three each in the first innings against England. In the 49 Tests they have played together, India have won 35 games while losing just four in the process. On Ashwin and Jadeja surpassing him and Harbhajan as India's most successful Test bowling pair, Kumble hailed the achievement as "incredible".  "The pressure on these two spinners right from the first test match when they came together to the 41st has not changed, and to have been through those pressure moments and come out with match winning performances, either by Ashwin or Jadeja or both is incredible," said Kumble. "Sometimes both of them have picked up five-fers. If someone has picked up five in the first, then the other guy picks five...

Former England cricket team skipper Michael Vaughan took to social media to praise Ravindra Jadeja for his all-round performance in the ongoing Test match in Hyderabad. Jadeja took three wickets to bowl out England in the first innings on Day 1 of the first Test and the all-rounder ended Day 1 with a gritty half-century. Vaughan was in awe of the Indian cricket team all-rounder and ended up saying that he is the 'best all-rounder in the world at the moment". "He has to be the best allrounder in the world at the moment @imjadeja," he posted on X (formerly known as Twitter). KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja hit half-centuries to put India in command of the opening Test against England on Friday with a lead of 175 at stumps on the second day in Hyderabad. Jadeja remained unbeaten on 81 and took charge after Rahul's 86 to steer the hosts to 421-7. He and fellow left-hander Axar Patel , on 35, were batting in a partnership of 63 at the close of play. "It was a...

Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya has begun bowling full tilt after rehabilitation from his ankle injury, clearly indicating that he is on course for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League where he will captain Mumbai Indians. Pandya, who sustained an ankle injury during World Cup last year, was seen bowling here in a video footage shared on his Instagram. "I feel good to be back. My journey started 17 years back at this same ground," said Pandya, who was seen sending down a few deliveries while also doing some running drills and exercises. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hardik Himanshu Pandya (@hardikpandya93) "I am giving it all I got, every single day." Pandya, who was named Mumbai Indians captain in place of highly-successful Rohit Sharma on December 15 following a high-profile trade from Gujarat Titans, has been out of action after sustaining the injury in November during World Cup clash agai...

Australia vs West Indies 2nd Test Day 3 Live Score Updates:  West Indies look to strengthen their position on Day 3 of the second Test match against Australia. At stumps, West Indies were 13-1 with a lead of 35 runs but they lost the wicket of Tagenarine Chanderpaul . Earlier, West Indies were all out for 311 in the first innings and in reply, Australia declared at 289-9 late in the night session. ( Live Scorecard ) Follow Australia vs West Indies 2nd Test Day 3 Live Score Updates here - source https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/australia-vs-west-indies-2nd-test-day-3-live-score-updates-4938492

The newly-appointed acting chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Shah Khawar on Friday said frequent changes in the board are not responsible for the national team's poor on-field performances in the last one year. Addressing the media on Friday, Khawar asserted that there were several other reasons for the team's below-par showing. "I don't think changes in the board in the last one year have affected the team. It might be a minor reason, but there are other other factors and once the new board of governors is formed and the new chairman takes charge, they will look into this," he said. Khawar also insisted that there was no interference from the government in the cricket board's affairs. "It is a wrong impression that the ministry of inter provincial coordination or government interferes in cricket affairs or is taking decisions," he said. "The patron in chief of the board, as per powers vested in him and laid out in the PCB constitu...

Legendary South Africa cricket team star AB De Villiers took a sly dig at England's 'Bazball' approach while praising India for their batting display on Day 1 of the first Test match in Hyderabad on Thursday. Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja took three wickets each to bundle out England for just 246 before posting 119/1 in 23 overs. Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal began the innings in aggressive fashion and De Villiers said that more than 'Bazball', it was a good reading of the situation by the openers. "India batting at 8/9 rpo (runs per over) at the start of their innings here. You don't have to call it brave, bold or bazz ball, it's literally just playing the situation. Identifying moments in a Test match where u can get ahead in the game is what it's all about. When the momentum shifts, u adapt and absorb for a period and wait for that moment again," De Villiers posted on X (formerly Twitter). And ultimately, if you don'...

India picked a total of three spinners for the ongoing first Test match against England at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad but Kuldeep Yadav still failed to make a cut into the team. On the other hand, Ravindra Jadeja , Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel were the ones who were included for the game. At the toss, Rohit informed that the team management had to take call between Axar and Kuldeep Yadav but the former got preference due to his batting ability. "It was a tough one (to leave out Kuldeep Yadav), we thought a lot about it. Axar (Patel), whenever he had played, he has done well and bats really well in these conditions. He got some really good score the last time we played against Australia. Probably the reason we went with Axar," said Rohit Sharma after England skipper Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to bat first. Meanwhile, Rohit put a lot of trust in his team and said the at the side is up for the England challenge. "A good series, I am p...

There continues to remain mystery behind India stalwart Virat Kohli 's decision to pull out from the first two Tests against England. Kohli decided to withdraw over 'personal issues' as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) advised against speculation on the matter. AB de Villiers , Kohli's former teamamte at Royal Challengers Banglore and a close friend, admitted that he too doesn't know what reason behind his exit is. But, he plans to find out soon. De Villiers said that the reason behind Kohli's withdrawal could be because he wanted some time off or it could be a family issue. De Villiers plans to soon find out be he isn't going to reveal it to the public as his friendship with Kohli is too important to him. "No one knows what has happened yet. I am sure we will get to know soon. If Virat talks about personal reasons, there must be a very good reason for that. Maybe he is also tired. He has been playing a lot of cricket. Could be family ...

The delay in issuance of an Indian visa to rookie England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir snowballed into a major controversy on the eve of a much-hyped Test series between the two countries with visiting skipper Ben Stokes calling the turn of events "frustrating" and a British government spokesperson demanding "fair" treatment for the youngster. The 20-year-old, who plays for Somerset in the English county, was forced to head back to England from the team's Abu Dhabi training base after a prolonged wait to secure an Indian visa. His family is of Pakistani heritage. Bashir, who is a shock inclusion in the squad with a mediocre 10 wickets from just six first-class games, was never in contention for a place in the squad for the opening Test starting here on Thursday. "When I first found the news out in Abu Dhabi, I did say we shouldn't fly until Bash gets his visa," Stokes said in the pre-match press conference. "But that was a little bit tongue i...

India skipper Rohit Sharma on Wednesday hinted that the Test career of veterans Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane might not be revived as the focus has shifted to giving more opportunities to younger players. Once Virat Kohli decided to skip the first two matches against England, the possibility of including either Pujara or Rahane to the India Test squad was discussed widely but if one is aware about the thought process of current selection panel headed by Ajit Agarkar , they are not in a mood to look back. As it turned out, India opted to bring in Rajat Patidar as Kohli's replacement. Rohit explained the rationale behind the decision to bring in Patidar. "Look, actually, we did think about it (going back to a senior player). But all these younger players, when are they going to get their opportunity? That's something we thought, I thought as well," Rohit said during his pre-match press conference. However, Rohit said leaving out some of the senior pros w...

West Indies skipper Hayley Matthews on Wednesday was named the ICC Women's T20I Cricketer of the Year and became just the second women's cricketer from the Caribbean to get the honour. Before Matthews, former skipper Stafanie Taylor was crowned with the coveted accolade in 2015. Matthews was sensational with her skills from the bat and the ball. She defeated competition from Australia's Ellyse Perry, England's Sophie Ecclestone, and Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu. "I have been really blessed to have a pretty good year with West Indies wearing those colours, performing really well and helping the team," Matthews said, according to ICC. "Growing up I saw many of my idols getting these type of awards a lot, so to be able to come out as a player with this award is special for me," she added. The No.1 ranked ICC Women's T20I all-rounder embarked on a journey that saw her produce a remarkable performance for the ages against Australia in a bilat...

Bangladesh bowler Maruf Mridha on Tuesday received a reprimand from the ICC for using "abusive language" during his team's U-19 World Cup match against India in Bloemfontein last Saturday. Mridha was found to have breached Article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to "using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during an International Match." In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to Mridha's disciplinary record, for whom it was the first offence in a 24-month period, the ICC said in a press release. The incident occurred in the 44th over of India's innings when, after dismissing the batter, Mridha pointed aggressively to the changing room twice, giving the batter a send-off. Mridha admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Shaid Wadvalla of the international panel of ICC matc...

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday announced the Men's Test Team of the Year 2023 with five Australian players and two Indian spinners featuring in the eleven. Australia's World Test Championship-winning captain Pat Cummins was crowned as the skipper of the team while Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja found their way into the team. Usman Khawaja's rich vein in form saw him feature in the ICC Men's Test Team of the Year for a second consecutive year. He ended 2023 as the highest scorer in Tests, becoming the only batter to get past the 1000-run mark. The left-handed batter amassed 1210 runs in 13 matches at an average of 52.60, which included six centuries and six fifties. Sri Lanka's Dimuth Karunaratne was named the other opening batsman despite having played only six matches in 2023. During Sri Lanka's away series against New Zealand, the experienced batter scored three fifties in four innings and amassed 207 runs. Overall, he scored 608 ...

Indian cricket team star batter Virat Kohli opted out of the first two Tests in the upcoming five-match series against England citing 'personal reasons' on Monday. Kohli and wife Anushka Sharma were both invited for the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha ceremony in Ayodhya but they ended up not attending. However, a lookalike of Kohli was mobbed by fans for selfies and the video of the entire incident has gone viral on social media. The video showed that fans were excited to catch a glimpse of the Virat Kohli lookalike and there was a huge crowd gathered around the individual who wanted to meet him and take selfies. Meanwhile, Kohli has pulled out of the first two Tests against England due to personal reasons which "demand his presence and undivided attention", the BCCI said on Monday. The BCCI urged the fans and media to refrain from speculating about the exact reason for his forced break before the five-match series begins in Hyderabad on January 25. The Board said it ...

Shubman Gill has got an admirer in India-origin Snehith Reddy, a member of the New Zealand U-19 World Cup team, who copied the Indian opener's batting and celebration style. Snehith took off his helmet, raised his bat and bowed down to the crowd, similar to the trademark celebration of Gill, after reaching his century against Nepal in an U-19 World Cup match at Buffalo Park on Sunday. "We were talking before the game, the boys, on what the celebrations are gonna be. I decided the Shubman Gill bow is my celebration, it was special," Snehith said later. "One of my favourite players, I love the way he makes contact with the ball, his timing is exceptional and I tried to copy that to my batting a little bit," he said in a video footage uploaded by the ICC. A moment shared with family ? Enjoying the occasion Shubman Gill's influence New Zealand's Snehith Reddy reflects on his #U19WorldCup century pic.twitter.com/szYB81B0yi — ICC (@ICC) January 22, 20...

Former Pakistan cricket team captain Shoaib Malik left the sporting world stunned as he shared the pictures of his wedding with actress Sana Javed. The announcement confirmed the rumours of his divorce from Indian tennis star Sania Mirza, whose family also confirmed the same in a social media post a day later. But, not many are aware that Sania wasn't Shoaib's first wife. Sania and Shoaib tied the nuptial knot in 2010 and also have a son named Izhaan Mirza Malik. But, Shoaib had reportedly married another woman, whom he had to divorce, before starting a new life with the Indian tennis ace. Right before Shoaib was to marry Sania in 2010, a controversy erupted where a woman named Ayesha Siddiqui from Hyderabad claimed to have married Shoaib in 2002.  While Shoaib had denied the allegations, Ayesha, also known as Maha Siddiqui, decided to file a police complaint and also showed video proofs of their wedding.  It was then reported that the two reached a settlement where the Pa...

The world of social media stood still for a bit as former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik decided to marry actor Sana Javed, sharing their wedding pictures on social media on Saturday. While the rumours of Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik's divorce had been afloat for a few months, the two never released a statement on the matter. However, a day after Shoaib shared his wedding pictures of his third wedding, Sania's family confirmed her divorce from Shoaib, saying that they were legally separated for 'some months'. While several fans in India were shocked upon hearing the news, the reactions were pretty similar in Pakistan too. Taking to his Instagram handle, the former Pakistan all-rounder shared several pictures of his nuptials with the divorced Pakistani actress. Sana, too, took to her social media handles to share dazzling images from their 'Nikaah' ceremony. The newlyweds shared the images from the wedding ceremony with the caption, "And We created you in ...

Amid doubts over his T20I future, India captain Rohit Sharma dazzled with a century in the third and final game against Afghanistan on Wednesday. Rohit, who registered back-to-back ducks in the first two T20Is, smashed 121 off 69 balls to help India post 212/4. India were 21/4 before Rohit and Rinku Singh 's unbeaten 190-run partnership put the hosts in the driver's seat. After Afghanistan levelled the scores to force a tie-breaker, Rohit once again bailed India out of trouble, smashing two sixes to take the game into a second Super Over. In the second Super Over, the Indian skipper scored 11 runs in the first three balls before he and Rinku were dismissed. Needing 12 to win, Afghanistan lost back-to-back wickets to concede the series 0-3. After India sealed the series, Rohit took to Instagram and shared some pictures from the game with a captioning, reading: "Loved it". Reacting to his performance, former India all-rounder Suresh Raina dropped a comment on his p...