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India registered a thrilling victory over England in the fourth T20I match on Friday in Pune. Asked to bat first, India struggle a bit but managed to post 181/9 in 20 overs with Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube hitting half-centuries. Later, England got a terrific start but eventually fumbled against India's bowling lineup and got bundled out for 166. With this 15-run victory, India gained an unassailable 3-1 lead over England in the five-match series. Despite this win, India also sparked a small controversy during the match. After the first innings, Shivam Dube did not take the field as he got hit by a short delivery from Jamie Overton while batting. In his place, pacer Harshit Rana came as a concussion substitute and made his T20I debut. Rana made immediate impact in the game and walked away with the figures of 3/33. However, Rana coming-in as the replacement of Dube left many former cricketers, including England skipper Jos Buttler unhappy. Former England skipper Michael Va...

Talented pacer Harshit Rana , who has played two Tests, quite surprisingly made a surprise entry into the India playing XI in the fourth T20I against England in Pune on Friday. Though initially not named in the XI, Rana was called upon to replace allrounder Shivam Dube as a 'like-for-like' concussion substitute after the latter was struck on the helmet in the final over of India's innings. Dube, who scored 53, was hit on the helmet in the penultimate ball of the Indian innings by a Jamie Overton delivery. Following the mandatory concussion test, Dube was cleared to play. However, he was run out on the final delivery of the innings. Dube is a pace allrounder, while Rana has so far played the role of  specialist fast bowler in the Indian cricket team. Rana, who had recently played in the opening Test against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, came in to bowl in the 12th over and made an immediate impact, dismissing Liam Livingstone for 9. Rana finished with three w...

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has heaped massive praise on ex-opener Virender Sehwag . According to Ganguly, Sehwag is the greatest India opener after Sunil Gavaskar . Sehwag, who played for India from 1999 to 2013, was one of the most fearless batters the world of cricket ever witnessed. He played 104 Tests and 251 ODIs, scoring 8586 and 8273, runs respectively. In 19 T20Is, Sehwag scored 394 runs. He was part of the Indian team that won the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 Cricket World Cup. Ganguly made the statement in the trailer of "The Greatest Rivalry - India vs Pakistan", a documentary series on the cricketing rivalry between India and Pakistan. The documentary is set to premiere on Netflix on February 7. "After (Sunil) Gavaskar, the greatest opener is Virender Sehwag," said Ganguly. Ex-India opener Sehwag made his ODI debut against arch-rivals Pakistan in 1999 and played his first Test against South Africa in 2001. He is the only Indian batter to hav...

Amid rising concerns over the readiness of Champions Trophy venues in the country, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has said that the iconic Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore would be handed over to the ICC on February 11, a little over a week before the start of the ODI showpiece. The PCB posted a video of the new-look stadium on 'X' and wrote, "Under the lights, it's a sight to behold!...We can't wait to welcome fans, officials and teams for the tri-nation series and Champions Trophy." The mega-event begins on February 19. A Board source told PTI that the stadium will be handed over to the International Cricket Council (ICC), "for branding and other stuff on February 11" after Pakistan's tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa. The ICC had set January 31 as the deadline for the handover of all three stadiums -- Gaddafi Stadium (Lahore), National Stadium (Karachi) and the Rawalpindi Stadium -- which will host the global event in Pakistan. The ...

After failing to do so in the 5th and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney, Australia stand-in skipper Steve Smith finally breached the 10,000-run milestone in Tests, on Day 1 of the first match against Sri Lanka. After completing 10k runs in the longest format of the game, Smith also brought up his 35th Test ton, 17 of which have come away from home. In doing so, Smith managed to surpass India great Virat Kohli in the list of batters with the most away centuries in Test cricket. Kohli held the No. 1 spot, with 16 away tons to his name in Tests but lost the spot to Smith on Wednesday.  Missing the chance to reach the mark in his home city of Sydney during the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, Smith brought up the five-figure milestone in Australia's first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, playing his signature flick toward mid-on, setting off for one before raising his bat to acknowledge the applause. The moment was marked by an ovation from the Australian group...

India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has had a curious journey of late. In and out of the national team over his injury issues, Hardik 'the all-rounder' has become a more reliable player for the team ever since he took up his role as a bowler more seriously. Especially in the T20 format, Hardik has been bowling a lot more consistently of late, hence becoming indispensable to the team's balance. Indian pace great Zaheer Khan , highlighting Hardik's importance as a seamer, feels that the all-rounder himself has also understood how important his role as a bowler is. Hardik is also a part of India's ICC Champions Trophy squad where his role as an all-rounder will be crucial to the team's ambition of lifting the title. While it isn't yet known if Hardik can bowl 10 overs in a match, Zaheer is just happy to see the all-rounder enjoying his role as a pacer more than before. "That's what we've been saying... that if Hardik the bowler comes to the party, t...

India skipper Suryakumar Yadav admitted his team failed to mop up the England tail after having the visitors on the mat and credited "world-class" spinner Adil Rashid for making life difficult for his batters during their 26-run loss in the third T20I in Rajkot on Tuesday. India had reduced England to 127/8 in 16 overs but allowed the visitors to post 171/9 in 20 overs. In their chase of 172, the hosts managed just 145/9, falling short by 26 runs. "I felt there would be a little dew later in the day. I feel we had the game in our hands when Hardik and Axar were batting. Credit goes to Adil Rashid, he bowled really well. That's why he is a world-class bowler. He didn't allow us to rotate the strike," Suryakumar said during the post-match presentation. "I feel you always learn something from a T20 game. I felt when we were bowling around 127/8 to 170, I think that was too much at the end. We've got to learn from the batting point of view. Got to go ...

Virat Kohli , former Indian cricket team captain, trained at the Arun Jaitely Stadium in New Delhi on Tuesday ahead of Delhi's Ranji Trophy game against Railways starting Friday. The match marks Kohli's return to Ranji Trophy for the first time since 2012, after BCCI's diktat made it mandatory for all India stars to play domestic cricket. While domestic cricket matches rarely see much fan interest, the return of Kohli for this particular game saw a greater number of media-persons turn up at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground. According to a report in The Indian Express , seeing the presence of many journalists and camerapersons outside the Virender Sehwag gate at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, a 'shocked' Delhi police sub-inspector Pradeep Rana alerted his superior: " Sir do log hi hai jyada security lag sakti hai, kuch aur log bhej do (We'll need more security for today, please send more force)." Just like Rishabh Pant did in the last game against Saurashtra...

India spinner Kuldeep Yadav expressed gratitude to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) team for his recovery after groin surgery. Kuldeep took to social media to post an emotional message ahead of his return to competitive cricket. "Recovery takes a team. Grateful to the NCA and its team for all the work behind the scenes," he wrote on X. The left-arm spinner has been named in India's squad for the three-match ODI series against England and next month's ICC Champions Trophy. He last played for India in the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru. Kuldeep recently posted a video of his bowling in the nets at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, promising his much-awaited return to the white-ball format. The 30-year-old is gearing up to lead the spin attack in the upcoming ODIs against England and the eight-team marquee tournament. He will be supported by all-rounders Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja. Kuldeep, a left-arm unorthodox sp...

The Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Arun Dhumal on Monday confirmed that the 2025 edition of the league will kick off on March 21. A total of 182 players were sold for Rs. 639.15 crores during the mega auction, held over two days in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in November last year. Dhumal also confirmed that the final schedule will be announced in the next few days, in consultation with all the stakeholders. "See, the IPL season will start in March. The time is set for March 21. And the schedule will be released in a few days," Dhumal told reporters at the third edition of the Sansad Khel Mahakumbh. He also added that there have been no major changes in the IPL rules, but he is hopeful that two to three matches will be held at the Dharamshala Cricket Stadium. "Definitely, many national matches are being organised here in Bilaspur. Next time too, Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, Vijay Hazare trophy, whatever the matches will be played, Bilaspur will definitely get an offer. I...

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has showered big praise on youngster Tilak Varma , comaring his match-winning abilities to that of legendary wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni . Manjrekar's remarks came after Tilak single-handedly took India to a win over England in the second T20I on Saturday, despite wickets falling at the other end. Manjrekar highlighted how Tilak managed to keep his composure till the end, something which Dhoni used to during his playing days. Needing 166 to win, Tilak's 55-ball 72 steered India home with four balls to spare. "Absolutely. The confidence he has that he will be able to see India through the very end and even in this run chase, there was no panic around the 18th over. Even in the 19th over, you could see that India wasn't getting the boundary that could take the pressure off. But he was quite happy to virtually be there till the end. It seems the guy who is confident and being the man who can take his team through, just like we had a...

Tilak Varma on Saturday gave a brilliant example of his growing prowess in the Indian T20I team as he played a mature knock of 72* to rescue his side to a second successive win against England in Chennai. He stitched crucial partnerships with the lower order to take India to victory. Among the lower order batters, Washington Sundar scored 26 while Ravi Bishnoi scored crucial nine runs off five balls. Arshdeep Singh also looked like making a significant contribution with the bat before perishing while attempting to go after Adil Rashid . After the dismissal the camera turned towards India coach Gambhir and his ice cold reaction went viral. There was a mild hint of smirk too. India were eight down after that and the match could have England's way from there. However, Tilak and Ravi Bishnoi saved the day. Gambhir Face pic.twitter.com/40mYmfGhcG — Nikita. (@bae_stvrrie) January 25, 2025 Arshdeep getting out, trying hitting six, we have seen this before Arshdeep singh dhoni #...

Former Pakistan cricketer Rashid Latif claimed that Indian senior duo Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are being targeted for their red-ball form and are forced to play domestic cricket ahead of the crucial white-ball assignments. India Test and ODI captain Rohit turned up for Mumbai in their ongoing Ranji Trophy match against Jammu & Kashmir. He scored three and 28 runs in the match. On the other hand, Kohli will join Delhi's squad for the match against Railways at Arun Jaitley Stadium from January 30. Other than the star duo, members of the Test squad that faced a 1-3 defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia are also featuring for their respective state sides for the latest round of Ranji Trophy matches. The other notable players include Yashasvi Jaiswal (Mumbai), Rishabh Pant (Delhi), Ravindra Jadeja (Saurashtra) and Shubman Gill (Punjab). According to former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter, Rohit and Kohli should focus on their upcoming white-ball assignment...

In what was a rare sight, Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane was called back by the on-field umpires almost five minutes after he entered the dressing room, following his dismissal. Rahane was recalled from the dressing room as the third umpire revealed that the bowler had overstepped. The incident happened on Friday, the 25th over of Mumbai's second innings on day 2 at the Bandra Kurla Complex Cricket Ground. J&K pacer Umar Nazir bowled a short-pitched delivery to Rahane, who managed to glove it to the keeper Kanhaiya Wadhawan. While Rahane had walked back to the dressing room after the dismissal, the umpires, to everyone's surprise, recalled the former India captain minutes later, after coming to a conclusion that Nazir had indeed overstepped As soon as the no-ball was confirmed, umpires recalled Rahane and asked  Shardul Thakur to go back to the dressing room. As the Mumbai captain returned to the middle, the on-umpire told him that he had asked him to wait for the no-bal...

Former all-rounder Irfan Pathan has backed India's move to delay Mohammed Shami's much-anticipated international return following a prolonged injury lay-off, saying the team think tank and the veteran pacer will make the "right call at the right time". Shami, who has proved his fitness in practice sessions and domestic cricket for Bengal, was not included in India's playing XI for the first T20I against England here on Wednesday. All eyes were on Shami's return after a 14-month injury lay-off, but India opted for three spinners instead, a decision that paid off as they bowled out England for a meagre 132 before cruising to the target in 12.5 overs with seven wickets in hand. Irfan said Shami is experienced enough to take an honest assessment of his body. "When you've been such a seasoned campaigner and are among India's top 10 bowlers, you understand your body's limits well," said Irfan at a promotional event here. "Shami always p...

Madhya Pradesh (MP) all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer fought an injury on Thursday to return to bat for his side on Day 1 of the Ranji Trophy game against Kerala at Thiruvananthapuram. India all-rounder Iyer, who was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for a massive sum of Rs 23.75 crore at IPL 2025 auction in December last year, first came out to bat when MP were reeling at 49 for 4. Playing just three balls into his innings, he twisted his ankle and fell on the ground. The pain he was going through was quite visible and such serious was the injury that the batter had to be carried off the field. The match continued with MP eventually being reduced to dire straits, and Iyer came back to bat again and ended up scoring crucial 42 for his side. Iyer's courageous act was praised by fans on social media with his IPL franchise KKR even putting up a post for him. Fighter hai apna Iyer Venkatesh Iyer | #TeamMan | #AmiKKR | #RanjiTrophy pic.twitter.com/IMdYL8ZmbR — KolkataKnightRiders (@KKR...

Former Australian cricketer Brad Hogg said that star India batter Virat Kohli 's poor performance in recent times could be because of "drama off the field" more than things happening on the field and added that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)'s new policy on families during international tours could put more stress on the veteran batter. Virat, who could just make 190 runs in 10 innings during the recently-concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy, was among players who came under scrutiny after the 1-3 series loss to Australia. Virat ended the last year with just 655 international runs in 23 matches and 32 innings, averaging 21.83, with a century and two fifties to his name. His best score was 100*. Following the team's collective failure, BCCI introduced a new policy for players, touching on several aspects like luggage, family involvement in tours, playing domestic cricket etc. As per the new policy, the player's family time during away tours has ...

The jury is still out on his coaching methodology as far as traditional formats are concerned but India's young T20 stars, including opener Abhishek Sharma gave a thumbs up to embattled Gautam Gambhir after the hosts blitzed past England by seven wickets in the opening match here on Wednesday. The 24-year-old struck 79 off just 34 balls to help India chase down a small target of 133 in just 12.5 overs at the Eden Gardens. "I wanted to express myself but special mention to captain ( Suryakumar Yadav ) and coach (Gambhir), the freedom they have given us as youngsters is tremendous," Abhishek said at the post-match presentation ceremony. While there were talks about Gambhir not being on same page with senior players during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Abhishek swore by the dressing room atmosphere. "Never seen an environment like this, express yourself, hit your shots, even from the first ball," Abhishek added. Asked about his plan, he revealed that it was a si...

After India's disastrous Border Gavaskar Trophy, the murmurs surrounding the Indian dressing room has refused to die down. From allegations on discipline to 'leaks' to calls for a total transition, Indian cricket had a roller-coaster ride since the first week of this year. There were even reports that Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir 's performance will be reviewed after the Champions Trophy 2025, starting next month. In the midst of this, came a suggestion that Indian cricket team can opt for two different coaches.  "I think so. I think that's a good option," Monty Panesar , who has 167 wickets in Tests and 24 wickets in ODIs for England, told Times of India. "I think maybe the workload is too much for Gambhir...He's just transitioned into a coach. Sometimes it can be difficult for some of the senior players who actually will be thinking, 'Well, I was his teammate a few years ago, now he's telling us how to play cricket'. It can be ...

Former cricketer Madan Lal on Tuesday said that he is feeling "very happy" to see Indian men's cricketers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli taking part in the second part of the Ranji Trophy. India captain Rohit Sharma will take part in the upcoming second phase of the Ranji Trophy for Mumbai. Kohli has also confirmed his availability for Delhi's Ranji Trophy match against Railways, according to sources in Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA). Virat's last appearance in the Ranji Trophy dates back to November 2012 against Uttar Pradesh, in which he was dismissed for 14 and 42 runs in both innings by pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Speaking to ANI, Madan Lal said that senior players like Rohit and Virat's presence in the first-class cricket will help other cricketers to grow. "I'm so happy that all these players (Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli) are going to play first class. You need to play matches in the tournament which has made you the player. You shou...

India will begin the new year with a T20I series against England at Eden Gardens, which will be their first series after the embarrassing defeat to Australia in the Border Gavaskar Trophy series Down Under. Before the series, India's head coach Gautam Gambhir visited the famous Kali Temple at Kalighat to pray for his team's success. Gambhir has always had a special connection with the city of Kolkata having captained and mentored the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their two Indian Premier League (IPL) titles in 2014 and 2024 respectively. The India head coach was seen taking blessings and praying at the holy temple on the eve of the first game. The Kalighat Kali Temple in Kolkata is regarded as the holiest Shaktipeeth of the 51 Shakti Peethas of India, where the various parts of Devi Sati's body are said to have fallen, in the course of Shiva's Rudra Tandava. Kalighat represents the site where the toes of the right foot of Shakti or Sati fell. VIDEO | Team India hea...

India all-rounder Axar Patel has been given a new responsibility - being the vice-captain in T20I cricket. However, while T20I cricket is in a healthy state for the country, Test cricket has seen a tumultuous few months, culminating in a 1-3 loss for India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and questions being raised over Gautam Gambhir 's support staff, with reports stating that assistant coaches Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate were under scrutiny from the BCCI. However, Axar has reiterated faith in the team management and also stated that he wasn't aware of team happenings in the Australia tour. Axar also stated that being vice-captain comes with the responsibility of having to take strong calls at times. Speaking at a press conference ahead of India's five-match T20I series against England, Axar backed the support staff. "Regarding support staff, I wasn't with the team for the last three months so I don't know what happened in Australia but here the s...

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Monday refused to read much into Virat Kohli's prolonged lean run and hailed the batting maestro as the "greatest white-ball player" and "once-in-a-lifetime cricketer". Kohli struck a second innings century in the opening Perth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but then managed only 85 runs in the next seven innings. With seniors such as Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma failing to deliver, India lost the series Down Under 1-3. "Virat Kohli is a once-in-a-lifetime cricketer. To score 81 international centuries in a career is something unbelievable. For me, he's probably the greatest white-ball player the world has seen," Ganguly said during a Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) felicitation programme for the state's players. Reflecting on Kohli's struggle after the Perth century, Ganguly said even he was surprised to see him not build on that hundred in the remainder of the series. "I was really s...

The implementation of the 10-point policy guidelines for the Indian cricket team has begun with the BCCI communicating to the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) that no separate vehicle should be arranged for any player as all are required to travel by the team bus. The Indian team is in Kolkata for the T20I series-opener against England at the Eden Gardens on January 22. After the Australia series debacle, the BCCI has come out with a 10-point SOP. As per the SOP, "all players are required to stay for the entire duration of scheduled practice sessions and travel together to and from the venue. This rule ensures commitment and fosters a strong work ethic within the team." India skipper Rohit Sharma has already expressed his reservations on certain clauses but it is understood that BCCI has already put at least one of the 10 clauses in force. The 10-point 'policy document' outlining the new guidelines was shared with all state cricket boards, hosting the India-Engla...

India's squad for the upcoming ODIs against England and the Champions Trophy 2025 were announced on Saturday and some of the selections left everyone shocked. Batter Shubman Gill was named as skipper Rohit Sharma 's deputy in the series over all-rounder Hardik Pandya . Apart from this, another big shock came in the form of Sanju Samson 's exclusion from the squad. Despite giving breakthrough performances in both ODI and T20I cricket in 2024, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul were chosen over Samson as India's wicketkeeping options for the tournament. Samson hammered three centuries in five T20Is he played in 2024. In his last ODI appearance for India, which came against South Africa in December 2023, he scored 108 runs.  Despite these stats, he has been snubbed from India's ODI squads while he has found a spot in the five-match T20I series against England. Samson's position in the Indian team has always been an inconsistent one. However, the wicketkeeper-batter ha...

India captain Rohit Sharma on Sunday said that magnitude of T20 World Cup victory dawned on him only after witnessing a sea of blue ready to welcome him and his band of men at the Wankhede Stadium last July. At the twilight of his international career, the Indian captain wouldn't mind getting immersed in a deluge of fans one last time if he can regain the Champions Trophy that he won in 2013. On Sunday, as Mumbai Cricket Association's grand celebrations concluded for the completion of Wankhede Stadium's 50 years, Rohit said sharing the joy of another such victory with the crowd here would be his wish. "When I woke up the next day after the celebration here that's when we realised," Rohit said when asked at what point he truly realised India had won the World Cup. "Because looking at what happened the previous day, when we did the parade with so many people on the roads watching the team, the next day I realised what we did was very, very special." ...

Amidst rumours of Team India batter Rinku Singh and Priya Saroj getting, the bride's father Tufani Saroj cleared the air and said that both of them have expressed their desire to get married but the engagement hasn't taken place yet. There had been several reports roaming on the internet claiming that Samajwadi Party MP Priya Saroj was engaged to Rinku Singh. To clear the air, Tufani Saroj, father of Priya, who's also a sitting MLA from the Samajwadi Party, spoke to ANI and said that both Rinku Singh and Priya Saroj sought their parent's permission. He also confirmed that the engagement has not taken place yet and only the initial talks have taken place. "Both the children have expressed their desire to get married and have sought our permission for the same. The engagement has not taken place yet. Initial talks have taken place in this regard," Tufani Saroj told ANI. Since the conclusion of the T20 World Cup, Rinku has become a regular in the format but is ...

Team India announced their 15-man squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 on Saturday, choosing to ignore Karun Nair despite his red-hot form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Nair has slammed 752 runs in seven innings in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and made a serious case to be a late inclusion. However, the selection committee headed by Ajit Agarkar did not pick Nair even for the ODI series against England, instead maintaining continuity. This decision came under tremendous flak from one of Virat Kohli 's former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) teammates. Shreevats Goswami , who played at RCB with Kohli from 2008 to 2010, and also played under Gautam Gambhir at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2011, was livid with the decision to leave Nair out. Karun nair not getting picked is like going against your own rule of making domestic cricket mandatory.  for him! #ChampionsTrophy2025 — Shreevats goswami (@shreevats1) January 18, 2025 Goswami implied hypocrisy on part of the BCCI making ...

Reports surrounding the Indian dressing room and Gautam Gambhir have been at an all-time high, with some claiming recently that India batter Sarfaraz Khan was pointed at by the head coach for causing the 'leaks'. In a BCCI meeting between Gambhir, captain Rohit Sharma , chief selector Ajit Agarkar and other officials, Gambhir apparently put the blame on Sarfaraz for causing the dressing room leaks, as per a video report by News 24 . While there has been no confirmation or proof regarding this, former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has explosively stated that such reports are not good for the team. "The media is strong everywhere in Asia, be it Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Pakistan or India, you get news. But this is the first time I'm hearing such news (of team division and grouping) from the Indian camp," said Basit Ali, speaking on his YouTube channel. Ali urged Gambhir to stop the "blame game" if any of the allegations are indeed true. ...