cricTicks

With a majority of Test team players turning out for their state teams in the Ranji Trophy, legendary India batter Sunil Gavaskar said he hopes for this initiative to become an exercise and is not just reduced to being a box-ticking exercise. Since the time Ranji Trophy's second leg began on January 23, players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Prasidh Krishna, Devdutt Padikkal and Kuldeep Yadav have turned out for their respective state teams. “The India team players may have participated in the Ranji Trophy simply to tick the box of ‘must dos' that the BCCI had insisted on and by doing that they brought new energy to the National Championship. “Even though they may not have made a successful return to the tournament, their very presence would have enthused their teammates and their opponents. Meeting and spending time with them would give the teammates so much to learn from them as to how to be success...

Pacer Jagjit Singh led the way with excellent figures of 6/51 as Chandigarh comfortably defended a small target to register a 54-run win over Chhattisgarh in their Elite Group D Ranji Trophy match here on Sunday. Chhattisgarh were bowled out for 122 after being set a victory target of 177. With this result, Chandigarh went level with Saurashtra and Tamil Nadu on 25 points in the Group D standings but still missed out on qualification for the quarterfinals owing to fewer bonus-point wins this season. Resuming the fourth and final day on their overnight total of 222 for four, Chandigarh kept losing wickets at regular intervals before being bowled out for 299 in their second innings. Pacer Ravi Kiran ended with impressive figures of 5/63, and was the main factor behind his team bowling out Chandigarh for less than 300. Captain Manan Vohra, who was dismissed on the third evening, remained the top-scorer in Chandigarh's second innings with his 54-run knock, while Mayank Sidhu and Amr...

Harshit Rana coming in as a 'like for like' concussion substitute for Shivam Dube in the fourth India vs England T20I grabbed attention on Saturday. The latter, 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. The decision to play Rana in place of Dube almost drew similar reaction from several former cricketers, who felt that it was not a 'like for like' replacement. Just retired Ravichandran Ashwin also gave his take on  the issue. "The game is done. India capture yet another series at home. T20I has been a real juggernaut of a win. But my question is, whether we forgot it was an international game and played an IPL match? Because today all the discus...

Hina Munawar, a police officer with a strong background in security and operations, has been named as the first female team manager for the Pakistan men's cricket team ahead of the Champions Trophy. Munawar, who has served in the Frontier Constabulary in the high-risk Swat area, has been appointed as the Operations Manager for Pakistan's Tri-Nation series and the Champions Trophy which begins on February 19 in Karachi. While senior retired bureaucrat Naveed Akram Cheema will continue as team manager, Munawar's appointment has sparked curiosity among cricket fans, experts, and media. After passing the Civil Superior Services exam, Munawar transitioned into various law enforcement and security roles. "Perhaps her appointment is aimed at streamlining operations within the team and between players and the board, as she has worked in strategic and leadership roles, helping to streamline various operations," said a source close to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Mu...