Cricket
Vijay Hazare Trophy: Vidarbha, Haryana Enter Semi-Finals Exploiting his rich vein of form, Karun Nair slammed his fourth successive hundred, fifth in total of this edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, as Vidarbha outclassed Rajasthan by nine wickets to move into the semifinals of the premier domestic 50-over tournament in Vadodara on Sunday. Vidarbha will face Maharashtra in the semifinal on Thursday while the other last-four match will see Haryana, a two-wicket winner over Gujarat, facing Karnataka on Wednesday. However, the day s protagonist was Karun, who continued his red-hot form in this iteration of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, striking his fifth hundred overall - a whirlwind unbeaten 82-ball 122 (13x4, 5x6) - which was also his fourth successive ton in the last five innings.
He is now on par with former Karnataka teammate Devdutt Padikkal, former Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara and ex-South African batter Alviro Petersen as batters with four successive List A hundreds.
The record for most consecutive List A hundreds currently stands in the name of Tamil Nadu s Narayan Jagadeesan, who smashed five centuries on the trot in the 2022-23 edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
The 33-year-old Karun now has 664 runs from eight matches at an astonishing average of 664.
In the day s match, Karun had able support from fellow centurion Dhruv Shorey (118 not out, 131b, 10x4, 3x6) as they added 200 runs for the unbroken second wicket in just over 29 overs, propelling Vidarbha past the target of 291 in 43.3 overs.
Coming in at one down, Karun just had to build on the splendid 92-run start to the chase given by Shorey and Yash Rathod (39) and he did that job to perfection.
Earlier, several Rajasthan batters made starts but none of them actually converted them into a bigger score.
Kartik Sharma (62, 61b, 2x4, 4x6) and Shubham Garhwal (59, 59b, 5x4, 4x6) were the main run-getters and then there were scattered scores such as a 31 (14b) by Deepak Chahar, a 45 (49b) by Deepak Hooda and a 32 (45b) by skipper Mahipal Lomror.
Medium pacer Yash Thakur (4/39) helped Vidarbha restrict their rivals to a sub-300 total.
Haryana squeeze through
Haryana survived a fine spell by India leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi (4/46) as they made heavy weather of the chase of a seemingly easy 197 set by Gujarat.
Earlier, Hemang Patel made 54 (62b) but Anuj Thakral and Nishant Sindhu took six wickets equally between them to derail Gujarat.
Himanshu Rana, who made 66 off 89 balls, anchored Haryana s chase and they then rode on bits and pieces contribution from the rest of the batters to reach home.
However, Gujarat skipper Axar Patel, who is in the India squad for the T20I series against England, had a poor outing, making just three with the bat and going wicketless in 10 overs in which he conceded 41 runs.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
14-Year-Old Ira Smashes 346, Sets Record For Highest U19 Score By An Indian Fourteen-year-old Mumbai opener Ira Jadhav became the first Indian to score a triple hundred in Under-19 cricket, when she made a 346 against Meghalaya in the U19 Women s One Day Trophy in Alur, Bengaluru on Sunday. Ira, a student of the Sharadashram Vidyamandir, the alma mater of Sachin Tendulkar, Vinod Kambli and Ajit Agarkar made her runs in 157 balls with 42 fours and 16 sixes. This is also the highest score in Youth List A matches by an Indian but the world record in the segment stands in the name of Lizelle Lee of South Africa, who made 427 in 2010 in a domestic match.
Jadhav, who went unsold in the previous Women s Premier League auction, however has been named among the standbys for India s U19 T20 World Cup squad for the tournament to be held in Malaysia.
An admirer of India batter Jemimah Rodrigues, Jahdhav s triple hundred and her 274-run stand for the second wicket with skipper Hurley Gala (116, 79 balls) powered Mumbai to a mammoth 563 for three.
Meghalaya were bowled out for a mere 19, an inning that contained six ducks, as Mumbai recorded a massive 544-run victory.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Punjab Kings Announce New Captain For IPL 2025: We Had Identified... Punjab Kings have named Shreyas Iyer as captain for the IPL 2025 season. In an unparalleled move, the announcement was made by Bollywood superstar Salman Khan on the reality TV show Bigg Boss on Sunday. Iyer, Shashank Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal were present on the sets of the show with Salman to make it more exciting for the fans. The 30-year-old expressed gratitude to the Punjab Kings management and vowed to repay the faith. I am honoured that the team has reposed its faith in me. I am looking forward to working again with Coach Ponting. The team looks strong, with a great mix of potential and proven performers. I hope to repay the faith shown by the management to deliver our maiden title, Iyer said.
Head coach Ricky Ponting said, Shreyas has a great mind for the game. His proven capabilities as captain will enable the team to deliver. I have enjoyed my time with Iyer in the past in IPL, and I look forward to working with him again. With his leadership and the talent in the squad, I am excited about the seasons ahead.
Punjab Kings CEO Satish Menon added, We had identified Shreyas as our captain and were delighted with the auction result. He has already proven himself to master the format, and his vision for the team aligns perfectly with our goals. With him and Ponting joining hands again, we are confident our team has a solid leadership group to guide us to our first title.
In 2024, Iyer had a banner year. He was part of the Mumbai team that won the Ranji and Irani trophy. He captained Kolkata Knight Riders in their victorious 2024 IPL campaign. Under his leadership, Mumbai won their second Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Iyer was expected to be named Punjab Kings captain in IPL 2025 after being acquired for a staggering Rs 26.75 crore during the IPL Mega Auction in November last year.
Punjab came into the auction having retained just two players - Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh - and a maximum purse of Rs 110.5 crore, aiming to build from scratch with new head coach Ricky Ponting in charge. They snapped Arshdeep Singh after deciding to exercise their Right-to-Match (RTM) card against the Sunrisers Hyderabad s final bid of Rs 18 crore.
Kings broke the bank for Iyer and bagged him for a whopping Rs 26.75 crore, the second most expensive purchase of the auction after Rishabh Pant, who was sold for a jaw-dropping price of Rs 27 crore to Lucknow Super Giants.
The auction has gone great. It probably couldn t have gone much better, to be honest. It s been a lot of work and a lot of team effort. The analysts have done a terrific job, providing me with much information on the local players. Obviously, I know a lot about the overseas guys, Ponting said after the auction.
Punjab Kings squad: Shreyas Iyer (c), Shashank Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Nehal Wadhera, Harpreet Brar, Vishnu Vinod, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur, Marco Jansen, Josh Inglis, Lockie Ferguson, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harnoor Pannu, Kuldeep Sen, Priyansh Arya, Aaron Hardie, Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Xavier Bartlett, Pyla Avinash, Pravin Dubey.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
2nd ODI: Rodrigues Ton Sets Up Series-Clinching Win For India vs Ireland A collective batting performance headlined by Jemimah Rodrigues maiden hundred formed the cornerstone of India s commanding 116-run win against Ireland in the second women s ODI in Rajkot on Sunday as the hosts took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. India scored a massive 370 for five riding on three half-centuries and a ton before restricting Ireland to 254 for 7 in the stipulated 50 overs. It was the elegant skipper Smriti Mandhana, who was first off the blocks with an attacking 73 off just 54 balls, while Rodrigues first hundred (102 off 91 balls) ensured a smooth finish for the hosts.
Newcomer Pratika Rawal (67 off 61 balls) and seasoned Harleen Deol (89 off 84 balls) also made merry on a sub-par bowling attack.
Ireland batted steadily but never had the firepower to surpass a gigantic Indian total. Save Christina Coulter Reilly s 80, there wasn t much fight from the other batters as off-spinner Deepti Sharma emerged as the pick of the Indian bowlers with figures of 3 for 37. Seamer Titas Sadhu got 1 for 48 in 10 overs.
Earlier, India s total was based on two big stands -- 156 off 19 overs between Mandhana and Rawal and 183 off 28 overs between Rodrigues and Deol.
In all, Indian batters smashed an astounding 44 boundaries and three sixes in 50 overs.
As far as Rodrigues was concerned, her record has been one that flattered to deceive with just six half-centuries across 40 games.
But once she got the boundary off medium pacer Arlene Kelly, the relief was palpable as she did a mock guitar-playing act with her willow.
It has been a long wait to get this hundred. Glad that the team gave me a role at No. 4 and I could deliver, Rodrigues told broadcasters Star Sports at the innings break.
Today, the important thing for me was to be till the 50th over. Getting runs is not a problem, I am good at that, but being till the end was important and glad I could do that. She said during their 183-run stand, it took some time for her and Deol to assess the nature of the track.
Having Harleen there, initially we took time to assess the conditions. I know I can accelerate but while I took time, Harleen spoke to me to keep believing.
We can t take any team lightly, we have followed domestic cricket here, 390 has been chased, she said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Never Seen Him... : Ex-India Star Debunks Big Myth About MS Dhoni Former India player Robin Uthappa has debunked a big myth regarding legendary captain MS Dhoni in a recent interview. There had been a belief that Dhoni loved to drink milk. During the start of his international career, some media houses even claimed that the player drank around four litres of milk everyday. While speaking on the matter, Uthappa, who has been teammates with Dhoni, cleared that he never saw the player drinking milk. During the interview, he also talked about an irritating habit of the cricketing great.
I have never seen him drinking milk. I have never seen him drinking milk ever, Uthappa said on The Lallantop.
We talk regularly. He doesn t keep his phone which is a very bad and irritating habit. You can t reach him. Even after being such close friends, we need to inform his manager that we are coming. When we sit with him, it is like time hasn t gone by. There can be 20 people sitting there, but you connection with him will be the same.
Recalling his first meeting with Dhoni, Uthappa said, The person I met in 2004 for the first time in Mumbai, I was introduced to him in Taj President Hotel during the Challenger Trophy. I met him for the first time, S Sriram introduced me to Dhoni. He was a Tamil Nadu senior and he was my good friend, and he was good friends with Dhoni. That s how we met. The man I met in 2004 is still the same, when I sit and talk with him, the level of friendship is different.
MS Dhoni is among the greatest captains ever India produced. The legend retired from international cricket as the only skipper to win all three major ICC white-ball titles - T20 World Cup (2007), ODI World Cup (2011) and Champions Tropy (2013).
Talking about Robin Uthappa, he played 46 ODIs and 13 T20Is for India from 2006 to 2015.
India s CT 2025 Squad: BCCI Vice-President Says Team To Be Announced After... After India announced their squad for their upcoming five-match T20Is against England, the entire focus has shifted to their yet-to-be-announced team for ODIs against the side and the Champions Trophy 2025. While India s one-dayers against England begin on February 6, the ICC event is set to start on 19th of the month. The wait for the squads to be announced continues and BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla has given a big update on that. During an interaction with media on Sunday, Shukla informed that the selection meeting for the Champions Trophy will be held on January 18 or 19.
India play their Champions Trophy opener against Bangladesh on February 20. Under the hybrid model, India will all play their games in Dubai while the other league games will be played in host country Pakistan.
Star batter Rohit Sharma will remain Indian captain till the ICC Champions Trophy this year, claimed an ANI report.
Also, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is being discussed as India s next captain, the report added.
Rohit s captaincy has been a mix of memorable highs and some extremely disappointing lows. Be it a 10-match winning streak during the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup at home, which concluded with a loss to Australia in the final or India s redemption with an ICC T20 World Cup title win in 2024 at Barbados, Rohit s captaincy has given fans plenty of positives. Under him, team also made it to the final of the ICC World Test Championship 2023, where they lost to Australia.
However, since the second half of 2024, luck seems to have deserted the Hitman both as a batter and captain. In the 2024/25 Test season which started with the home series against Bangladesh, Rohit scored just 164 runs in eight matches and 15 innings at an average of 10.93 with the best score of 52. During the recently-concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he could make just 31 runs in three Tests with best score of 10. His form struggles were such that he opted out of the final Test at Sydney.
As a captain, Rohit touched some embarrassing lows as of late. Just before the Test series against Australia, India lost their first home Test series in 12 years, to New Zealand by 0-3. This was also their first-ever whitewash in a home Test series of three matches or more.
(With agency inputs)
Abused Kapil Dev, Wanted To Put A Bullet Through His Head : Yograj Singh Yuvraj Singh s father Yograj Singh has made a chilling revelation from his playing days. Yograj, who played one Test and 6 ODIs for India during 1980-81, said that he once wanted to kill Kapil Dev for the then captain dropping him from the team. Giving details of the incident in a recent interview, Yograj revealed that he went to the former India catpain s house with his pistol but changed his mind, showing mercy on latter s mother. Yograj also said that he abused Kapil.
When Kapil Dev became captain of India, North Zone, and Haryana, he dropped me for no reason, Yograj said on YouTube channel Unfiltered by Samdish , as quoted by India Today.
My wife (Yuvi s mother) wanted me to ask Kapil questions. I told her that I would teach this bloody man a lesson. I took my pistol out, I went to Kapil s house in Sector 9. He came out with his mother. I abused him a dozen times. I told him because of you I have lost a friend and what you have done, you will pay for it.
I told him, I want to put a bullet through your head, but I am not doing it because you have a very pious mother, who is standing here. I told Shabnam, Let s go.
That was the moment I decided I would not play cricket, Yuvi will play.
Yograj also claimed that late India player Bishan Singh Bedi, who was the chief selector back then, didn t want him in the team.
These guys, including Bishan Singh Bedi, they plotted against me. I never forgave Bishan Singh Bedi. The man died on his bed, he said.
When I was dropped I spoke Ravindra Chadha, one of the selectors. He told me that Bishan Singh Bedi (the chief selector) didn t wanted to pick me because they thought I was Sunil Gavaskar s man and because I was playing cricket in Mumbai. I was very close to Gavaskar.
BCCI Confirms Starting Date For IPL 2025 - Everything You Need To Know The 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 will begin on March 23, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Vice President Rajeev Shukla confirmed on Sunday. All 10 franchises have already picked the squad of their liking during the mega auction, which was held in Jeddah on November 24 and 25. After the end of the auction, there were speculations about the possible date when the cash-rich league would commence. Rajeev Shukla, who attended the Special General Meeting (SGM) in Mumbai, revealed the date of IPL 2025 while speaking to reporters and said, IPL is going to start from March 23.
Last season, the IPL 2024 kickstarted on March 22 when the Royal Challengers Bengaluru took on Chennai Super Kings and the finale was held on May 26 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
Kolkata Knight Riders, who emphatically won the 2024 season, are the defending champions this year.
While interacting with the reporters, Shukla also confirmed that the venues for the WPL have been finalised and will be declared soon.
IPL 2025 teams:
Mumbai Indians squad:
Batters: Suryakumar Yadav (retained), Rohit Sharma (retained), Tilak Varma (retained), Bevan-John Jacobs
Wicketkeepers: Robin Minz, Ryan Rickelton, Krishnan Shrijith
All-rounders: Hardik Pandya (pace; retained), Naman Dhir (spin; RTM), Will Jacks (spin), Raj Angad Bawa (pace), Vignesh Puthur (spin)
Spinners: Allah Ghazanfar, Karn Sharma, Mitchell Santner
Fast bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah (retained), Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Ashwani Kumar, Reece Topley, Satyanarayana Raju, Arjun Tendulkar, Lizaad Williams
Chennai Super Kings:
Batters: Ruturaj Gaikwad (retained), Rahul Tripathi, Shaik Rasheed, Deepak Hooda, Andre Siddarth
Wicketkeepers: Devon Conway, MS Dhoni (retained), Vansh Bedi
All-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja (spin; retained), Shivam Dube (pace; retained), R Ashwin (spin), Sam Curran (pace), Rachin Ravindra (spin; RTM), Vijay Shankar (pace), Anshul Kamboj (pace), Jamie Overton (pace), Ramakrishna Ghosh (pace)
Spinners: Noor Ahmad, Shreyas Gopal
Fast bowlers: Matheesha Pathirana (retained), Khaleel Ahmed, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Mukesh Choudhary, Gurjapneet Singh, Nathan Ellis
Royal Challengers Bengaluru:
Batters: Virat Kohli (retained), Rajat Patidar (retained), Tim David, Manoj Bhandage, Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chikara
Wicketkeepers: Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma
All-rounder: Liam Livingstone (spin), Krunal Pandya (spin), Swapnil Singh (spin), Romario Shepherd (pace), Jacob Bethell (spin), Mohit Rathee (spin)
Spinners: Suyash Sharma, Abhinandan Singh
Fast bowlers: Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal (retained), Rasikh Salam, Nuwan Thushara, Lungi Ngidi
Kolkata Knight Riders:
Batters: Rinku Singh (retained), Rovman Powell, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Luvnith Sisodia, Ajinkya Rahane
Wicketkeepers: Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz
All-rounders: Venkatesh Iyer (pace), Andre Russell (pace; retained), Sunil Narine (spin; retained), Ramandeep Singh (pace; retained), Anukul Roy (spin), Moeen Ali (spin)
Spinners: Varun Chakravarthy (retained), Mayank Markande
Fast bowlers: Harshit Rana (retained), Vaibhav Arora, Anrich Nortje, Spencer Johnson, Umran Malik
Punjab Kings:
Batters: Shreyas Iyer, Shashank Singh (retained), Nehal Wadhera, Harnoor Singh Pannu, Priyansh Arya, Pyla Avinash
Wicketkeepers: Josh Inglis, Vishnu Vinod, Prabhsimran Singh (retained)
All-rounders: Glenn Maxwell (spin), Marcus Stoinis (pace), Marco Jansen (pace), Harpreet Brar (spin), Azmatullah Omarzai (pace), Aaron Hardie (pace), Musheer Khan (spin), Suryansh Shedge (pace)
Spinners: Yuzvendra Chahal, Pravin Dubey
Fast bowlers: Arshdeep Singh (RTM), Lockie Ferguson, Yash Thakur, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Kuldeep Sen, Xavier Bartlett
Lucknow Super Giants:
Batters: Aiden Markram, David Miller, Ayush Badoni (retained), Himmat Singh, Matthew Breetzke
Wicketkeepers: Rishabh Pant, Nicholas Pooran (retained), Aryan Juyal
All-rounders: Abdul Samad (spin), Mitchell Marsh (pace), Shahbaz Ahmed (spin), Yuvraj Chaudhary (spin), Rajvardhan Hangargekar (pace), Arshin Kulkarni (Pace)
Spinners: Ravi Bishnoi (retained), M Siddharth, Digvesh Singh
Fast bowlers: Mayank Yadav (retained), Mohsin Khan (retained), Akash Deep, Avesh Khan, Akash Singh, Shamar Joseph, Prince Yadav
Delhi Capitals
Batters: Jake Fraser-McGurk (RTM), Harry Brook, Tristan Stubbs (retained), Faf du Plessis, Karun Nair
Wicketkeepers: KL Rahul, Abishek Porel (retained), Donovan Ferreria
All-rounders: Axar Patel (spin; retained), Ashutosh Sharma (spin), Sameer Rizvi (spin), Darshan Nalkande (pace), Vipraj Nigam (spin), Ajay Mandal (spin), Manvanth Kumar (pace), Tripurana Vijay (spin), Madhav Tiwari (pace)
Spinners: Kuldeep Yadav (retained)
Fast bowlers: Mitchell Starc, Mukesh Kumar, T Natarajan, Mohit Sharma, Dushmantha Chameera
Gujarat Titans:
Batters: Shubman Gill (retained), Sai Sudharsan (retained), Rahul Tewatia (retained), Sherfane Rutherford
Wicketkeepers: Jos Buttler, Kumar Kushagra, Anuj Rawat
All-rounders: Rashid Khan (spin; retained), Washington Sundar (spin), M Shahrukh Khan (spin; retained), Mahipal Lomror (spin), Nishant Sindhu (spin), Arshad Khan (pace), Jayant Yadav (spin), Glenn Phillips (spin), Karim Janat (pace)
Spinners: Manav Suthar, Sai Kishore
Fast bowlers: Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gerald Coetzee, Gurnoor Brar, Ishant Sharma, Kulwant Khejroliya
Sunrisers Hyderabad:
Batters: Travis Head (retained), Abhinav Manohar, Aniket Verma, Sachin Baby
Wicketkeepers: Heinrich Klaasen (retained), Ishan Kishan, Atharva Taide
All-rounders: Abhishek Sharma (spin; retained), Nitish Kumar Reddy (pace; retained), Kamindu Mendis (spin)
Spinners: Adam Zampa, Rahul Chahar, Zeeshan Ansari
Fast bowlers: Mohammed Shami, Pat Cummins (retained), Harshal Patel, Simarjeet Singh, Jaydev Unadkat, Brydon Carse, Eshan Malinga
Rajasthan Royals:
Batters: Yashasvi Jaiswal (retained), Shimron Hetmyer (retained), Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi
Wicketkeepers: Sanju Samson (retained), Dhruv Jurel (retained), Kunal Singh Rathore
All-rounders: Riyan Parag (spin; retained), Nitish Rana (spin), Yudhvir Singh (pace)
Spinners: Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Kumar Kartikeya
Fast bowlers: Jofra Archer, Sandeep Sharma (retained), Tushar Deshpande, Akash Madhwal, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kwena Maphaka, Ashok Sharma.
Not Doing Any PR : Ex India Star Fumes Over Pant s Omission From T20Is India s squad for the T20Is against England did spring a few surprises, with the names of top players like Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, and Yashasvi Jaiswal missing. The trio wasn t given the nod by the selection committee, with some younger players preferred for the 5-match assignment. While it is being said that the three stars were rested after a gruelling 5-match Test series against Australia, former India cricketer Aakash Chopra isn t happyto see Dhruv Jurel being preferred over Pant for the shortest format side.
Team India picked Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel as the two wicket-keepers in the team, with the former a certain pick in the playing XI. Chopra feels Jurel wouldn t be able to get game-time against England unless the management decides to bench either Nitish Kumar Reddy or Rinku Singh.
You have picked Dhruv Jurel on pure potential. You cannot play him in the starting XI. There is no room for him. If you want to play him, you have to bench either Rinku Singh or Nitish Kumar Reddy, which will not be right for either of them, Aakash Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel.
You have picked him but not Rishabh Pant. It can t be that Rishabh Pant is not in your scheme of things. So early in his career, have you taken this call? I am not doing any PR. I think Rishabh Pant is an asset. He is a generational talent, he stated further.
Chopra urged the BCCI to keep investing in Pant, even in the white-ball formats.
You should invest in him. If he is not in your scheme of things, maybe he has been given rest. Rishabh Pant is not a sure-start name for the Champions Trophy. Even if picked, he is not guaranteed a spot in the playing XI, said Chopra.
You could have picked him. It would be nice if the selectors could give some clarity to Rishabh Pant. When you are going through transition, it is important to keep everyone in the loop and give everyone some clarity, he added.
If Yuvraj Died And India Won The World Cup, I Would ve Been Proud : Yograj One of the finest middle-order batters in the history of the game, Yuvraj Singh s commitment to Indian cricket remains unparalleled. Despite battling cancer, Yuvraj played a crucial role in India s triumph at the 2011 World Cup. He was also named the Player of the Series for his exemplary performances over the course of the tournament. It was only after the conclusion of the tournament that Yuvraj was diagnosed with cancer. His career with the Indian team never saw the same heights afterwards.
Entire India sings praises of Yuvraj even today for what he did for the country in the 2007 ICC World T20 and 2011 World Cup. His father Yograj Singh, in a podcast, said that he would ve been proud even if Yuvraj had died during the World Cup as India lifted the title.
For our country, if Yuvraj Singh had died from cancer and had won India the World Cup, I would have been a proud father. I still am very proud of him. I have told him this over the phone as well. I wanted him to play even when he was spitting blood. I told him, Don t worry, you won t die. Win this World Cup for India, Yograj said on Unfiltered by Samdish podcast.
While Yuvraj is one of the finest finishers Indian cricket has seen, his father still feels the southpaw couldn t fulfill the potential he had.
Yuvraj Singh, if he had worked even 10 percent like his father, he would have become a great cricketer, Yograj said.
In the 2011 World Cup, Yuvraj scored 362 runs at an average of 90.50 and a strike-rate of 86.19, playing a crucial role in the team s title-winning show. He had a few appearances for India the following years after recovering from lung cancer before hanging up his boots in 2019.
Tamim Accuses Hales Of Verbally Abusing 18-Year-Old, BPL Spat Gets Ugly Former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal was involved in a heated altercation with England opener Alex Hales at the end of a Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2025 game. In the aftermath of the altercation, both Hales and Tamim have shot fire at the other via the media. Hales, part of Rangpur Riders, accused Fortune Barishal skipper Tamim of being very rude , bringing up allegations of drug abuse, while the latter then defended his actions, stating that Hales had verbally abused 18-year-old cricketer Iqbal Hossain Emon.
Hales accused Tamim of making a personal attack, stating that Tamim had brought up use of drugs. Hales was banned from representing England at the 2019 World Cup after failing a recreational drugs test. It was this matter that Hales said Tamim had brought up in a rude manner.
He was asking if I was embarrassed for getting banned for drugs for England, and he was asking if I was still taking drugs. He was very, very rude. It s a real shame really because if anything happens on the field that just ends on the field, but to get personal and that too after the game, I think is pathetic, to be honest, said Hales on Bangladesh-based Channel 24.
Tamim Iqbal was furious with Alex Hales after Fortune Barisal s loss.#BPL2025 #bplt20 #Cricket pic.twitter.com/Pnv9iq3XIS
— Mominul Islam (@MominulCric) January 9, 2025On the other hand, Tamim hit back and defended his actions. The former Bangladesh skipper said that he had only reacted in that manner after Hales had verbally abused Barishal s 18-year-old player Iqbal Hossain Emon.
If you watch the celebration video, Hales kept looking at me and mocking me. It seemed like he wanted a fight, explained Tamim, speaking on journalist Riasad Azim s YouTube channel.
Later, when he again insulted Emon, I had to stand up for my teammate, and I have no regrets about doing so. We both exchanged words, Tamim added.
Tamim stated that while had little idea about Hales instance of being banned for drugs use, he had no choice but to defend his 18-year-old teammate.
All I knew is that he (Hales) has faced many allegations in England, and has not been liked by his own team. It s not like he s very clean and calm. That s what their media says, Tamim said.
If someone is going after me, or going after an 18-year-old guy, I will always stand up, regardless of how I am portrayed on TV, he added.
I told him Be a man, if you want to say something, tell it to my face. Don t make these kinds of gestures , shared Tamim.
Rangpur Riders had scripted a sensational victory over Fortune Barishal, with Rangpur captain chasing down 30 runs in the final over, sparking wild celebrations.
Samson Over Pant : Ex-India Star Weighs In On India s CT Squad Former cricketer Harbhajan Singh feels Axar Patel is ready to fill in Ravindra Jadeja s shoes for the all-rounder role for India. He also pondered India s wicketkeeping options and felt Sanju Samson being picked ahead of Rishabh Pant could be a possibility for the Champions Trophy. After months of uncertainty, the Champions Trophy is almost a month away from returning after seven years. Speculations have been building around the possible players who could feature in the list of players that the BCCI decides to put its faith in.
Jadeja, an all-rounder who has delivered in all spectrums of the game for years, is now facing a scenario where he could be axed from the squad.
With the recent surge of Axar Patel, there are high chance that only one out of the two could be on the plane to Dubai. If such a scenario arises, Harbhajan wants Axar to be in Dubai with the Men in Blue ahead of the seasoned all-rounder.
I have chosen Axar Patel over Ravindra Jadeja. I think Axar is ready to fulfil the role that Jadeja has done for so many years, Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.
Another dilemma that India needs to address is the wicketkeeping options. Rishabh Pant was considered to be the hot pick in the department before a life-threatening accident in 2022 kept him out of action till 2024.
During that period, India tried out many players in the position but never got the satisfaction or confidence. Since Pant made his return, Sanju Samson has become a hot prospect in the white-ball format.
After Rohit Sharma retired from T20Is, Sanju grabbed the opportunity with both hands. While opening for India in the shortest format of cricket, he showed his class against Bangladesh on home turf with a century.
The experienced batter then went on to etch his name in the history book by becoming the first batter to tonk three centuries in T20Is in a calendar year.
With Pant going through a long tour of Australia, Harbhajan feels it won t be a big thing if Samson is preferred for the Champions Trophy over the explosive southpaw.
I think one among Sanju Samson or Rishabh Pant should be picked. I feel Sanju should be preferred because he had played in South Africa. Rishabh played well in Australia, but it was a long tour, so if he is rested, it s not a big thing, Harbhajan added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Gavaskar, Kambli Felicitated At Opening MCA s 50th Anniversary Celebrations Some of Mumbai s cricketing heroes, including legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar and former player Vinod Kambli, was on Sunday felicitated by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) on the opening event of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Wankhede Stadium. The main event will be held on January 19 at the Wankhede Stadium. Gavaskar was the first Mumbai captain to be felicitated on Sunday. He was presented a momento by MCA President Ajinkya Naik. It is indeed a very big honour for me to be here at this iconic venue that has given Indian cricket so much, the 2011 Cricket World Cup being the icing on the cake. And to be part of the start of the celebrations of 50 years of Wankhede Stadium, Gavaskar said.
As an opening batter, I couldn t miss the start so I am here. I want to wish the MCA all the best and also want to express my deepest sense of gratitude for giving me opportunities since school cricket.
I am what I am because MCA lifted me and helped me to take those steps and subsequently supported me even when I was playing for India...I want to thank you all for having me here. Former India batter Vinod Kambli, who was recently discharged from a local hospital after being admitted to the ICU on December 21 due to health complications, was also present on the occasion. He was seen escorted by other people as he is still recovering from his ailments.
After his felicitation, Kambli spoke about his playing days at the iconic Wankhede Stadium.
I remember I smashed my first double hundred here against England and then went onto score many more hundreds in my career, he said.
If anyone wants to play for India like me or Sachin (Tendulkar), then I would advise that you should keep working hard and never leave doing that because that s what Sachin and me did since our childhood days. Former India opening batter Wasim Jaffer was seen greeting Kambli. Former MCA President Vijay Patil was also felicitated.
Other cricketing legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma and Dilip Vengsarkar will also be part of the MCA s grand celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the Wankhede Stadium.
The other stalwarts who are expected on the occasion are former India skippers Ravi Shastri, Ajinkya Rahane, current T20 skipper Suryakumar Yadav and former national women s team captain Diana Edulji.
The main event will also feature Mumbai s legendary men s and women s players from domestic and international cricket.
The MCA will release a coffee table book on January 19, while a commemorative postal stamp will also be issued.
MCA will also felicitate the groundsmen and members of the Mumbai team, which played the first first-class match at the Wankhede Stadium in 1974.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
1st Time In 48 Years: Jemimah Inspires India Women To Historic ODI Feat Jemimah Rodrigues scored her maiden century in 50-over cricket as Indian top order pulverised a listless Ireland to post a mammoth 370 for 5 in the second Women s ODI in Rajkot on Sunday. It was the elegant skipper Smriti Mandhana, who was off the blocks in a flash to score 73 off just 54 balls, laid the foundation while Rodrigues first hundred ---102 off 91 balls - ensured a smooth finish for the hosts. Newcomer Patika Rawal (67 off 61 balls) and seasoned Harleen Deol (89 off 84 balls) also made merry of a sub-par bowling attack.
Notably, this is the first time in India Women s 48-year ODI history that they have touched the milestone of 370 runs. The side first played an ODI game back on January 1, 1978 against England.
Indian total was based on two big stands -- 156 off 19 overs between Mandhana and Rawal and another 183 off 28 overs between Rodrigues and Deol.
In all, Indian batters smashed an astounding 44 boundaries and three sixes in 50 overs.
As far as Rodrigues was concerned, her record has been one that flattered to deceive with just six half-centuries across 40 games.
But once she got the boundary off medium pacer Arlene Kelly, the relief was palpable as she did a mock guitar playing act with her willow. It has been a long wait to get this hundred. Glad that the team gave me a role at No. 4 and I could deliver, Rodrigues told broadcasters Star Sports at the innings break.
Today, the important thing for me was to be till the 50th over. Getting runs is not a problem, I am good at that, but being till the end was important and glad I could do that. She said during their 183-run stand, it took some time for her and Deol to assess the nature of the track.
Having Harleen there, initially we took time to assess the conditions. I know I can accelerate but while I took time, Harleen spoke to me to keep believing.
We can t take any team lightly, we have followed domestic cricket here, 390 has been chased, she said.
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Saikia Appointed Secretary, Prabhtej Named Unopposed Treasurer Of BCCI Former first-class cricketer Devajit Saikia has been announced as the replacement of Jay Shah -- who took over the role of ICC Chairman last year -- as the new secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India during the Special General Meeting (SGM) on Sunday. On the other hand, Prabhtej Singh Bhatia was elected as the Treasurer of the Indian Cricket Board. BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla confirmed both appointments after the General Board Meeting. Devajit Saikia elected new BCCI secretary and Prabhtej Singh Bhatia elected as BCCI treasurer, he told the media.
Saikia is a former first-class cricketer, having represented Assam in the 1990-91 season, scoring 53 runs in four matches. He brings with him experience in cricket administration, having been the BCCI joint secretary and secretary of the Assam Cricket Association (ACA). After the election of the former BCCI secretary to the position of International Cricket Council (ICC), he was the acting interim secretary of BCCI.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) held a special general meeting of its board on Sunday during which the new secretary and treasurer of the body were elected, sources from the board said.
Notably, Jay Shah, the previous BCCI secretary, took over as the chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) from December 1 onwards.
Shah, a former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary, started his tenure as ICC chief on December 1. He brings extensive experience in cricket administration, having started his journey in 2009 with the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA).
During his tenure, he oversaw the development of the world s largest cricket stadium, the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. India also successfully held the 2023 Cricket World Cup in its entirety for the first time.
In the first major decision under the chairmanship of Jay Shah, the International Cricket Council (ICC) finally put an end to the Champions Trophy 2025 hosting rights issue just two days back, deciding that the upcoming event will be played in Pakistan along with another neutral venue.
Also, the hybrid model has been decided for all ICC events in the 2024-27 cycle which will be held in India or Pakistan.
Ashish Shelar, the previous BCCI treasurer was recently elected as the Member of Legislative Assembly after the recently concluded Maharashtra elections, as a part of the Mahayuti alliance comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and the Shiv Sena.
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Shami Won t Play For India vs England In All T20Is. Here s Why Nearly 14 months after he last played an international game, veteran seamer Mohammed Shami on Saturday returned to the Indian team for the upcoming five-match T20I series against visiting England. The 34-year-old Shami s last outing for India was the 2023 ODI World Cup final against Australia at Ahmedabad on November 19, after which he was out of the team for a long time due to an ankle injury for which he underwent surgery in the UK last year.
Shami s rehabilitation process was a long and arduous one and a swelling on his knee then prevented him from joining the Indian team for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, leaving Jasprit Bumrah to shoulder the bulk of the pace bowling load.
Suryakumar Yadav will lead the 15-member team in the series starting in Kolkata on January 22.
It is understood that Shami has been picked because he will also be a part of the Champions Trophy squad and will be gradually working on his bowling load. He is not going to play all five games against England.
From the team that played against South Africa in an away series in November, Ramandeep Singh was replaced by the find of the BGT trophy, Nitish Kumar Reddy, while Avesh Khan and Yash Dayal made way for Shami and Harshit Rana, respectively.
Wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma was dropped with Dhruv Jurel making the cut. All the players who were picked for the Bangladesh home rubber and South Africa away series have been dropped because the top T20 stars were back then busy with the red-ball season.
The four spinners in the squad are Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakravarthy and Washington Sundar.
Incidentally, Shubman Gill, who was made the vice-captain after the last T20 World Cup, hasn t found a place in the team.
Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal will open the innings followed by Tilak Varma and skipper Surya.
Hardik Pandya and Rinku Singh are expected to bat at No. 5 five and No. 6, respectively, and they will be followed by Axar in the batting order.
The two pacers for the first couple of games will be Arshdeep Singh and Shami, with Pandya as the third seamer. The two wrist spinners -- Chakravarthy and Bishnoi -- will come into the equation to complete the expected playing XI.
The T20I series against England starts with the first T20I in Kolkata on January 22, followed by matches in Chennai (Jan 25), Rajkot (Jan 28), Pune (Jan 31) and Mumbai (Feb 2).
India and England will then face off in a three-match ODI series from February 6.
Team: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel (vc), Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel (wk).
Shakib, Litton Axed As Bangladesh Name 15-Player Squad For Champions Trophy Bangladesh have left their experienced duo of Litton Das and Shakib Al Hasan out of the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 squad. Bangladesh released a statement to announce the 15-member squad for next month s highly-anticipated tournament. The high-profile axing of players comes on the back of Litton s dry run of form. In the ODIs, the wicketkeeper batter has struggled to post a single fifty in his last 13 innings. During this run in the last seven innings, he has been dismissed for single-digit scores six times.
Shakib s exclusion comes amid his suspension from bowling in ICC events. Due to an illegal bowling action, the 37-year-old was suspended from bowling in top-flight cricket. He recently failed the second test of independent assessment of his action.
Apart from Litton and Shakib, other notable exclusions in Bangladesh s squad are all-rounder Afif Hossain and the pace duo of Shoriful Islam and Hasan Mahmud.
Experienced middle-order batter Mahmudullah has retained his place in the squad. Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Rishad Hossain will be the two frontline spinners for Bangladesh.
Najmul Hossain Shanto has returned to the ODI fold as the skipper of the side after missing the West Indies tour due to a hamstring injury last November. Other notable returnees in Bangladesh s squad include Mushfiqur Rahim, Towhid Hridoy and Mustafizur Rahman.
The most notable inclusion in Bangladesh s squad features Parvez Hossai Emon, who has been handed his maiden ODI call-up. The 22-year-old wicketkeeper has seven T20I outings under his belt, scoring 88 runs at an average of 12.57.
Young prodigy and pace gun Nahid Rana, who made his debut in the format in the recent series against the West Indies, has been included in the squad. In three ODI appearances, the Bangladesh tearaway has four scalps, averaging 31.50 with an economy of 4.72.
Bangladesh will face the last edition s finalist in their campaign opener in Dubai on February 20.
Bangladesh squad for Champions Trophy: Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Towhid Hridoy, Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Parvez Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan, Nahid Rana.
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Australia Pacer Richardson Decides To Undergo Another Shoulder Surgery Australian quick Jhye Richardson has opted to undergo shoulder surgery, which will bring an end to his season, leaving him in a race against time to be fit for the Ashes. Contracted with Cricket Australia, Richardson has undergone two surgeries on his right bowling shoulder since initially dislocating it while fielding in an ODI in March 2019. Richardson s last surgery was in 2020, but since then, he has endured multiple dislocations. He dislocated his shoulder again while high-fiving a teammate in celebration of a wicket during a Sheffield Shield match in November.
Following his decision to undergo surgery, the 28-year-old will remain unavailable for BBL side Perth Scorchers, who are in contention for the playoffs. He was also part of Australia s squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the final two Tests against India.
Richardson has been plagued by injuries since making his international debut in 2017. Along with his shoulder issue, the right-arm seamer has suffered from recurring hamstring problems.
Due to his injury woes, the fielding aspect of the game has become a major challenge for Richardson. He has been limited in the outfield because he struggled to throw the ball. Even executing a dive has been a mounting task for Richardson due to his shoulder concern.
After careful consideration and many discussions with my medical team, I ve made the decision to undergo shoulder surgery to improve stability and reduce the risk of future injury. For the past few years, I have been limited by my shoulder in the field and know how increasingly important it is to be capable to back up my teammates, Richardson said in the statement as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
While it s a tough call, especially as it means I won t be able to finish the season with the Scorchers, this is the best option to set me up for a strong and healthy return to cricket. The timing of the surgery is crucial to ensure I have the best possible build-up, including Shield cricket leading into next summer. I ll be giving everything I ve got to the rehab process, determined to come back as the best version of myself, he added.
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Shaheen Afridi Sidelined From West Indies Series, Test Future Under Clouds The future of Pakistan s premier fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi in red-ball cricket has come under a cloud after he was sidelined for the two-Test series against the West Indies at home. Shaheen has now either been dropped, sidelined or “rested” for eight out of Pakistan s last 12 Tests since early 2024. The left-arm pacer with 116 wickets from 32 Tests was also not selected for the two-Test series in South Africa with the selectors giving the explanation that they wanted him fresh for the ICC Champions Trophy starting February 19.
Interestingly, the Pakistan Cricket Board didn t hesitate to issue a NOC to Shaeen to go and play in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League at the same time the Tests were on in South Africa.
Even before the South African tour where Shaheen played and performed well in the T20 and ODI series, the selectors had sidelined him for the last two Tests against England at home last year and before that a Test each against Bangladesh at home and in Sydney in Australia early 2024.
In the latest setback for Shaheen, the selectors announced a 15-member squad for the two Tests against West Indies without Shaheen and also without regular pacers Naseem Shah and Mir Hamza, Muhammad Abbas and Aamir Jamal all who played in South Africa series which Pakistan lost two nil.
A source close to the selectors said that Shaheen and Naseem were both being nursed through to the Champions Trophy which begins February 19.
“The selectors want Shaheen and even Naseem at their best in the Champions Trophy as it is a 50-overs competition and we are defending champions,” the source said.
But he had no reasonable answer when reminded that Pakistan had never won a Test series in South Africa and last won a Test there in 2006. A series win or even a Test victory with Shaheen in the side on pace friendly pitches would have been a big boost for Pakistan before the ICC event.
The source insisted that the selectors had deliberated upon having Shaeen in the Test squad for the South Africa series but decided to give him a break because of the hectic cricket calender.
“But for the West Indies series there was no purpose taxing him out since both teams are out of this cycle of the World Test Championship final contention and the selectors are planning to have spin pitches in Multan. Shaheen, still only 24 years of age, has himself in a recent interview made it clear he was ready to play Test and all formats for Pakistan.
He also dismissed suggestions he had asked the selectors to rest him for the South Africa.
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Watch: Female Fan s Epic Reaction On Spotting Virat Kohli In Public Star India batter Virat Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma were recently spotted at the Gateway of India in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Kohli had an abysmal run in the recently-concluded Border-Gavaskar series against Australia. In the five-match series, which India lost 1-3, Kohli scored only 190 runs in nine innings, despite a century in the opening match. Despite his on-field struggles to get runs, Kohli still holds a huge fan following, which never fails to praise and acknowledge the presence of the star batter.
As Team India is gearing up for the upcoming white-ball series against England and the Champions Trophy 2025, Kohli is enjoying some family time in Mumbai.
In a video going viral on social media, the former India skipper was spotted with his wife and Bollywood actress Anushka at the Gateway of India. Seeing the star batter standing among them, one of the female fans got super excited and her reaction became the highlight of the video.
VIDEO OF THE DAY...!!!!
- The reaction from the Girl when she saw Virat Kohli was priceless [Manav Manglani] pic.twitter.com/Vu0cN1qquF
Earlier, Kohli and Anushka, along with their children, also visited the renowned priest Premanand Maharaj in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh.
Notably, both Virat and Anushka are dedicated followers of Lord Krishna and have been spotted numerous times during prayers and events, related to the Hindu God.
While meeting Maharaj, Anushka said, Pichli baar jab hum aaye they to mann mein kuch sawaal they. Mujeh laga ki puchungi lekin jo bhi baitha tha wahan pe, un sab ne kuch na kuch waisa sawaal kar liya tha. Jab yahan pe aane ki baat kar rahe they, main aapse mann hi mann baat kar rahi thi. Agle din main Kanti Vartalap kholti thi aur koi na koi wo sawaal puch raha hota tha. Aap bas mujhe prem bhakti de do. (The last time I came, I had a few questions in my heart. I wanted to ask those questions but someone else more or less covered it. When I was thinking about coming here, I was talking to you inside my mind. The next day, I would open ‘Kanti Vartalap and those questions would ve been asked by someone. Now, all I want is your blessings.)
Seeing the devotion of the couple, Maharaj got emotional and said, These guys are very brave. To devote yourself to God after achieving such fame in the world is quite a difficult thing. We think that your (Anushka s) devotion towards God would have an impact on him (Kohli) as well.
Kohli, along with Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja announced their retirement from the shortest format after India s win at the T20 World Cup 2024. However, the trio can be seen in the ODIs against England and the highly-anticipated Champions Trophy 2024.
