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Former cricketer of Team India Aakash Chopra feels Rohit Sharma continuing his dismal run against Kagiso Rabada put paid to India’s hopes of staging a fightback in the first Test against South Africa. Rabada bowled Rohit for a duck as the hosts bundled out the visitors for 131 in their second inning to complete a comprehensive inning and 32-run win in Centurion on Thursday, December 28. It was the seventh time the Proteas pacer had dismissed the Indian skipper in Test cricket. Reflecting on India’s second-inning collapse in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra pointed out that Rabada’s continued domination of Rohit dashed India’s hopes of getting off to a good start. He said, “Kagiso Rabada has Rohit Sharma’s number in his back pocket; it seems like that. He has dismissed him so many times and gotten him out here as well. It was with a bouncer in the previous inning, and it was a very good ball in this inning. It pitched, went away, and hit the top of off, and Rohit Sharma was...

Dr. Ali Bacher was instrumental in exposing BCCI to the whole new world of commercialization of the game’s broadcast, but the former Cricket South Africa president doesn’t like only three boards “marginalising” others in order to enjoy complete hegemony. It is no secret that India, Australia, and England cricket boards decide the cricket calendar, and Bacher, who brought Proteas cricket to mainstream, post-apartheid, isn’t amused at all. During an exclusive interview while watching the India and South Africa opening Test, Bacher said, “When I was the chairman of the ICC’s development committee, my objective was to spread the game. It’s not happening today. Cricket today is dominated by India, Australia, and England. South Africa has been marginalised, Pakistan has been marginalised, and the West Indies have been marginalised. That’s not good,” Bacher, now 81, told PTI. “You need to grow the game. The problem is that the finance of world cricket is dominated by India, and 70 percent of ...

Former skipper of South Africa cricket team Faf du Plessis explained why Indian batters find it difficult to negotiate the Proteas conditions. India have never won a Test series in South Africa, and it will be an achievement that the Rohit Sharma-led side will look to finally conquer when they take the field in the Test series starting December 26 in Centurion. Faf explained that South African pitches provide an extra bounce in comparison to Indian pitches, and that creates an 'additional risk' for Indian batters. Faf said, "It's the bounce. There is almost one full hand of extra bounce here, compared to what they usually face in India. They are used to hitting the ball up there, but with the bounce on offer and lateral movement, there is additional risk at play if you haven't done it before and are not used to the lift. The key to doing well in South Africa is to leave well and be there for a long period.” The former South African skipper also gave a suggesti...

Former cricketer of team India Aakash Chopra was surprised by the Gujarat Titans’ decisions at the IPL 2024 auction after the one-time champs had a fairly decent day at the event. Having traded Hardik Pandya to the Mumbai Indians for Rs 15 crore, GT entered the auction with the team with the highest purse (Rs 38.15 crore). However, the team barely made heavy purchases, forcing Chopra to question the surprising strategy. In his latest video on YouTube, Chopra pointed out that GT went into the auction as the most favorable side, having just 8 slots to fill and Rs 38.15 crore in their purse. The former cricketer believes that GT did not manage to secure their first-choice picks at the IPL auction, citing the team’s decision to pull out after an intense bidding war for Mitchell Starc and Harshal Patel. Aakash Chopra said, “I was surprised by the fact that they went very far (in the bidding war) for Harshal Patel, then they pulled out. They went the distance with Mitchell Starc as well and ...

The all-rounder of the West Indies, Andre Russell, has said that he will be looking like a UFC fighter by the time the T20 World Cup rolls around next year. Russell was part of the West Indies team that beat England by four wickets in the fifth and final T20I to clinch the five-match series 3–2. While speaking after the end of the series, Russell pledged that he would be looking like a UFC fighter in the 2024 T20 World Cup, insisting that the series win meant so much for the team. The West Indies had failed to qualify for the recently concluded ODI World Cup in India, and a T20I series win against the T20I World Champions would’ve boosted the team’s morale. Russell said, “I’ll be in better shape; to be honest, I’ll be looking like a UFC fighter. This series win means so much. It [makes me] want to push myself to the limit. We have a lot of cricket to play, and that’s good. When you’re playing cricket and in competition, your body is active, and you’re not just sitting at home waiting f...

The Batting Legend of India Sunil Gavaskar was rallying behind Sanju Samson even before the power-hitter converted his well-crafted half-century into triple-digit figures against Aiden Markram’s South Africa on Thursday in Paarl. The legendary Indian cricketer also advised free-scoring Samson to be cautious with his shots after his mistimed stroke almost created a wicket-taking opportunity for the Proteas in the 3rd One Day International at Boland Park. Known for his explosive batting style, Samson played a classical ODI knock to earn praise from former Indian skipper Gavaskar. Gavaskar said, “The standout for me from this inning was his shot selection. In the past, he has gotten out despite getting started. Today, you couldn’t fault him at all; he was biding his time, waiting for the bad ball, and then getting a hundred.  I think this hundred is going to change his career. One, he will get more opportunities because of this hundred.” Gavaskar further added, “Secondly, I think he w...

Former wicket-keeping batter of team India Parthiv Patel has said that batter Shahrukh Khan was the best buy for the Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2024 auction held at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on Tuesday, December 19. The 2022 champions and the runners-up from last year released eight players, namely Pradeep Sangwan, Odean Smith, Alzarri Joseph, Dasun Shanaka, Yash Dayal, KS Bharat, Shivam Mavi, and Urvil Patel, ahead of the retention deadline. They also lost captain Hardik Pandya after he was traded to the Mumbai Indians in an all-cash deal. While speaking, Patel said GT have shown faith in Shahrukh, insisting the Tamil Nadu hard-hitting was their best buy of the auction. GT shelled out Rs 7.40 crore for Shahrukh after he was released by the Punjab Kings ahead of the retention deadline last month. Patel said, “The biggest gap they had to fill was the one left by Hardik Pandya. I feel they have shown faith in Shahrukh Khan there. He can bat both ways at №5 or №6. He is an experienced p...

Amid the cryptic posts from Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah, respectively, on the Hardik Pandya announcements that the franchise made  captaincy preceded by his trade from the Gujarat Titans  over the last month, many reports in social media have claimed that all is not well at the Mumbai Indians.  Some reports even claimed that the likes of Rohit Sharma, whose captaincy tenure at MI was brought to an end after a glorious 10 years that comprised five IPL titles, and a few others like Bumrah and Surya were not happy with the change in captaincy. The reports came with a hint that there could be a possible trade that might land at least one Rohit, Surya, or Bumrah to a different team. Mumbai Indians categorically denied the rumors and also discarded claims that a few franchises approached them for trade on Rohit. One of the teams reportedly was the Chennai Super Kings, but franchise CEO Kasi Viswanathan crushed the talk with a strong response. Speaking on the sidelines of the IPL ...

Former cricketer of team India Sunil Gavaskar backed Mumbai India's decision to replace long-time captain Rohit Sharma and gave over the captaincy to Hardik Pandya, as he feels that the franchise needs some fresh thinking after underwhelming showings in recent editions. Gavaskar said, "The decision taken by the Mumbai Indians is for the benefit of their team. In the last two years, Rohit's contributions with the bat were scarce. He used to score heavily, and two seasons ago, if I'm not wrong, MI finished last. Last year, they qualified for the playoffs, but the Josh [spirit] that we are used to seeing in him has been missing. Perhaps he is tired of playing non-stop cricket or captaining India.” Pandya led his previous franchise, the Gujarat Titans, to back-to-back finals, winning the first one and finishing as runners-up in the second. But Gavaskar strongly feels that it was the right time for the franchise to go for fresh leadership. Gavaskar added, ...

The spinner of Indian cricket team Ravichandran Ashwin believes that the pace duo of Australia Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc can end up fetching prices above INR 14 crore in the upcoming Indian Premier League 2024 auction. The Rajasthan Royals cricketer took to social media to make various predictions about the auction, and he thought that both Starc and Cummins could go for massive money after their Cricket World Cup 2023 triumph on Indian soil. He also tipped all-rounder Shahrukh Khan, who was released by the Punjab Kings, to fetch a price between INR 10 and 14 crores in a proper bidding war. Watch the  video  here. For Rachin Ravindra, Ashwin showed that he expects the bids to be around INR 4 and 7 crores, while in the case of pacer Harshal Patel, he showed a range of INR 7 to 10 crores in the video. Gerald Coetzee was put in the same bracket as Harshal, while Ashwin believes Rovman Powell will get INR 4 to 7 crores.  

On Thursday, Brandon King of the West Indies scored an unbeaten 82 runs, and skipper Rovman Powell blasted a quickfire 50 as the West Indies defeated England by 10 runs to take a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-five T20 international series in Grenada. West Indies opener King produced a superb knock that included eight fours and five sixes from 52 balls as the hosts recovered from a perilous 54-4 to finish on 176-7 at the National Stadium in St. George's.  England, who won the toss and decided to bowl first, were restricted to 166-7 in response to a disciplined bowling performance by the hosts.Sam Curran top-scored for the tourists with 50 off 32 balls, but England were always struggling to reach the required run rate against the West Indies bowling. Alzarri Joseph finished with figures of 3-39 off four overs, while spinner Gudakesh Motie frustrated England's batsmen with an economical 1-9 from four overs. Man-of-the-match King said afterwards, "I think it was import...

On this day in 2003 The Indian cricket team scripted one of the most iconic victories in the history of cricket against Australia in the second Test in December 2003. The Adelaide Oval witnessed a special outing as Team India, under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly, thrillingly got the better of Australia by four wickets. The Indian bowling unit did a commendable job bowling out the Aussies for 196, but the visitors would not have emerged victorious had they not showcased emphatic batting in the first innings. It was on this day back in 2003 that Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman stitched together a solid 303-run partnership to guide India to a mammoth total of 523. Needless to say, Dravid and Laxman’s remarkable batting paved the way for a memorable Indian victory. Having dominated the first two days, the Australian cricket team folded for 556 runs in the first inning. Ricky Ponting came up with a stunning knock of 242 in the first inning to gain an upper hand for Australia. India’s respons...

Despite defeat against South Africa, the captain of team India, Suryakumar Yadav, praised the batting unit of the Proteas and stated that the way the hosts beautifully batted in the first 5–6 overs of the chase took the game out of the visitors’ grasp. South Africa chased down the revised target of 152 runs to beat India by five wickets in a rain-curtailed match in the second T20I of a three-game series at St George’s Park in Gqeberha on Tuesday. South Africa registered an incredible win to take a 1–0 lead against India. In the post-match presentation ceremony, SKY said, “That is the brand of cricket that we wanted to play. The message was loud and clear. Irrespective of what the situation is, you have to go out and enjoy yourself, and we will see what happens.” He further added that “it was tough. I told the boys that we are coming out of our comfort zone; we have to do something different. This situation can come in the future as well, so you have to be prepared as well.” “They batte...

The English cricket team has officially declared their squad for the highly anticipated five-match Test series against India, which starts next year. The highlight of the squad is the comeback of veteran bowler James Anderson, who brings a wealth of experience to the team. With his inclusion, Anderson is poised to add another chapter to his illustrious career as he embarks on his sixth Test tour to India. And along with that, Anderson is set to become the fifth oldest player to play a Test match on Indian soil if he plays one on the upcoming tour. At the age of 41, James Anderson is set to become the oldest fast bowler to compete in a Test match on Indian soil, a testament to his exceptional fitness and enduring skill. This landmark achievement places him in a league with some of the most seasoned players to have graced the cricket fields of India. Throughout cricket history, only a handful of players like John Traicos, Amir Elahi, Harry Elliott, and Vinoo Mankad have played Test crick...

The star-studded bowling line-up of Australia showered praise on the star batter of Pakistan, Babar Azam, with a handful of them labelling the right-handed batter as a "class layer." With each passing day, the hype around the game continues to build up for the highly anticipated series between two cricketing giants. The series will kick off on December 14 in Perth, when Pakistan will square off against Australia in the first Test of the three-match series. Ahead of the clash, the former Pakistan captain received a lot of praise from Aussie bowlers, with Pat Cummins stating that sending Babar wouldn't be an easy task for them. Cummins said in Cricket Australia's video posted on Instagram that, "So he's going to be hard work.” Experienced fast bowler Josh Hazlewood called Babar a "class player" and added, "He has been for a long time. He sort of burst on the scene in ODI cricket and then changed his game to be strong in the Test arena as well....

Former opener of Indian cricket team Aakash Chopra believes that fast bowler Umran Malik should be considered for the T20 World Cup 2024 squad after he was not considered for the upcoming South Africa tour. Chopra pointed out that Umran was given some chances in the past, and it will be surprising if he is not considered even once in the future. India will face South Africa in three T20Is, three ODIs, and two Test matches. Umran will be representing Sunrisers Hyderabad in the upcoming Indian Premier League in 2024, and it can be a great platform for him to prove his mettle against quality batters. Aakash said on his YouTube channel, “I feel he should be considered. You had kept him on the team until some time ago. You had played him; it was either against the West Indies or Ireland. Since then, he has been missing. You keep someone with so much love at one point and then suddenly disappear; that's not good.” He further added, “Keep him in the scheme of things at least. In fact, he ...

Ones, twos, threes, fours, and sixes are common scoring figures on a single delivery in cricket. But getting a player to ‘score’seven’ is extremely rare. In the practice Test between Australia’s and Pakistan’s players, Matt Renwshaw did the unthinkable as he reached his half-century by scoring a ‘7’. It wasn’t, however, all skill from the Australian batter, as luck did favour him in a big way, pushing him to the 50-run mark in a manner that became a talking point on social media in no time. Renshaw played a fine show on the fifth delivery of the 78th over, bowled by Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed, driving the ball to deep extra cover while sending Mir Hamza on a lengthy chase. Hamza was able to prevent the ball from touching the boundary, but what happened next wasn’t expected. Hamza threw the ball to the non-striker’s end, where former Pakistani skipper Babar Azam collected the ball. Watch the video here. Renshaw, who had already taken three runs by then, got the opportunity to extend his ta...

T20 World Cup 2024 is only six months away, and the preparations are on in the Indian camp for the mega event as they’re desperate to end their ten-year-long ICC Trophy drought. Ahead of the T20 extravaganza, there are widespread discussions around the future of batting stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the T20I side. According to reports, the BCCI wants Rohit Sharma to lead the side in the World Cup. However, the same is not the case for Kohli, as he’s not the preferred №3 batter for India in T20Is anymore. It is to be noted that both Kohli and Rohit haven’t played a single T20I since India’s humiliating ten-wicket loss against England in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2022. According to a report, the selectors and the board want a player who can attack the opposition right from the word go at number 3. Hence, they’re looking at wicketkeeper batter Ishan Kishan to fulfil that role in the team during the World Cup. The report further states that Kohli will be considered fo...

On Monday, the trailer for “Grand Theft Auto 6” was released on social media as a surprise, and the first look at the popular video game franchise has already gone viral on social media. The official handle of Jio Cinema took to social media to share AI-generated pictures of some Indian cricket team stars in the looks of GTA 6 characters.  The posts on social media platform X featured Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Hardik Pandya. KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja look like the characters in the popular game franchise. The users were quite impressed with the pictures, and some of them came up with interesting comments. The video game will be set in fictional Vice City, reminiscent of Miami, and appears to feature the first playable female character in the franchise. The early release of the trailer, prompted by a leak of it online, came on the eve of Tuesday’s scheduled first glimpse of GTA VI. Rockstar Games, the company behind GTA, said in a post on X, “Our trailer has leaked, so pleas...

  Former spinner of Australia Brad Hogg feels while trading in Hardik Pandya was a good move from the Mumbai Indians, Cameron Green's move to Royal Challengers Bangalore could turn out to be a poor one. MI traded in Hardik for an undisclosed fee from the Gujarat Titans, while the five-time champions traded Australia all-rounder Green to RCB for a sum of Rs 17.5 crore. Hogg feels that instead of buying Green, RCB should've invested their money in improving the quality of their bowling department. Hogg said in a video on his Instagram handle, "Is he worth it? RCB, I am looking at their line-up. I think this is a poor choice. There's nothing against Green's talent. He was good for the Mumbai Indians last year. But if you look at RCB's list, they spend a lot on their batting line-up. They don't have enough cash there to spend on enough quality bowlers. If you want to win the IPL, you need quality bowlers to defend totals and set the game up. I think this is a p...

Any match between the India and Pakistan cricket teams is a closely watched affair. It’s a match where reputations are made and destroyed. Virat Kohli is a player who has seen many matches between the two teams, often dominating the arch-rivals. However, during the tour of Pakistan to India in 2012–13, Virat Kohli was dismissed three times by the same bowler. That bowler was the left-arm pacer of Pakistan, Junaid Khan. The veteran has recalled that he warned the Indian cricket team before dismissing him. Junaid Khan got Virat Kohli out three times in the ODI series that Pakistan won 2–1. He dismissed Virat Kohli for 0 and 6 in the first two ODIs at Chennai and Kolkata, and then scalped Kohli for 7 in the final game too in Delhi. Junaid said, “I have taken wickets of so many batsmen, but people always remember Virat Kohli’s wicket. We have played in the U-19 World Cup; we know each other. It was my comeback series, and I was playing against India for the first time. I got Kohli in the f...

Former cricketer of Indian Cricket Team Aakash Chopra says that the Indian selectors have picked a good team only for the sake of it for the three ODIs against South Africa. The Men in Blue will play three T20Is, three ODIs, and two Tests in their multi-format tour of the Rainbow Nation starting later this month. With most seniors rested for the ODIs, a slightly weakened 16-member squad has been chosen, with KL Rahul set to lead the team. In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that the selectors wouldn't have thought too much before picking the ODI squad. He said, "I feel the selectors are saying they would make a team just because you have to play, or else the ODI squad is totally beyond my understanding. I feel they have just filled in the blanks, saying that not much ODI cricket is going to happen, so why should you break your head over it too much?" The former India opener questioned the selection of Yashasvi Jaiswal for T20Is and Tests but not in ODI...