Cricket

Former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad recently summed up the Rohit Sharma -led side bitter-sweet 2023 in international cricket. Taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Prasad pointed out how India dominated other team during the recently concluded World Cup on home soil, but fell on the final hurdle, losing the final to Australia. Prasad also rued India's defeat in the World Test Championship (WTC) final to the same opponents. It's been more than a decade since India last won an ICC trophy, and a fan asked Prasad whether the Indian team is the "new chokers of world cricket". While highlighting India's back-to-back Test series wins in Australia, Prasad refused to give the team the "chokers" tag. However, with India's ICC title drought extending for a further year, Prasad feels there is something wrong with Indian cricket. "Sir Do You also Think That Team India Has become New CHOKERS of World Cricket ?? as we have Just Lost 10th Con...

In the past decade or so, the franchise cricket has definitely impacted the international circuit with many players choosing to play the cash-rich tournaments rather than being on national duty. At times, players with a national team contract don't hesitate from leaving their side's game for playing in events like the Indian Premier League or the Big Bash League. Reacting to a user's query regarding the comparison between franchise cricket and Test cricket, former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad came out with a blunt reply. The user asked the question as South Africa named seven uncapped players in their Test squad for New Zealand. More and more newcomers have been included in the squad as the senior players will be missing the series due to SA20 -- a T20 franchise cricket tournament in South Africa. "What is your take on SA sending third grade teams to NZ tests? Have tests become luxury?" asked the user. "Sets a very bad precedent. Sad that it has reached t...

Dynamic Australian opener David Warner called time Monday on one-day international cricket ahead of his farewell Test against Pakistan this week, but kept the door open to play the 2025 Champions Trophy if needed. The 37-year-old will pad up in his 112th and final Test in his home city Sydney on Wednesday, having plundered 8,695 runs at an average of 44.58, with 26 centuries and 36 half-centuries. At a press conference at the Sydney Cricket Ground, he also announced his retirement from ODIs, where he has been a fixture since his debut in 2009, helping the team win the World Cup in 2015 and 2023.  "I've got to give back to the family and also on the back of that I'm definitely retiring from one-day cricket as well," he said. "That was something that I had said through the (2023) World Cup, get through that, and winning it in India, I think that's a massive achievement. "So I'll make that decision today, to retire from those forms, which does allow...

Sachin Tendulkar is one of the living legends of the game of cricket. The star batter made his debut in 1989 at the age of 16 and retired in 2013 as one of the best batters in the history of cricket. Tendulkar went on to register numerous batting records to his name during his 24-year long international career. Similar was the performance of West Indies' batting legend Brian Lara , who made his debut a year after Tendulkar and retired in 2007. Former South Africa captain Ali Bacher, who played 12 Test matches for the national side, praised Tendulkar for his batting and personality. He added that Tendulkar was a better player than Lara. "He (Sachin Tendulkar) is a freak, he's from a different planet. I've seen so many of his great innings but for me, it's all about how he is as a person. Jeez, has he ever had an argument? I don't think so. He's just this greatness, this happiness, personified. You know, the Australians believe Brian Lara was better than h...

There is no doubt that the Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the best T20 competitions in the world. Thanks to the kind of quality matches it offers and the players it features, IPL is always the talk of the town. Hence, it is quite understandable that the Indian tournament is often compared to various other marquee T20 events across the globe. During his recent interaction with media, legendary Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram said that IPL is bigger than the Pakistan Super League (PSL). He added that PSL is like mini-IPL of Pakistan. "IPL or PSL," was the question asked to Akram on Sportskeeda . "IPL. I have worked in both. You can't compare the two, IPL is huge. PSL is huge in Pakistan no doubt, it's like mini-IPL of Pakistan," was his reply. When asked to pick one between Kolkata Knight Riders and Karachi Kings, Akram took both. Multiple media reports have suggested that IPL 2024 window will start from March 22 and will go on till May end. The final d...

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has opined that the team management could give a chance to Mukesh Kumar in the second Test against South Africa, starting January 3 in Cape Town. He, however, added that it would be unfair with Prasidh Krishna if he is dropped. Manjrekar also pointed out that had there been the previous management that was during the Ravi Shastri - Virat Kohli era, it would have made changes in the playing XI, saying that the former coach-caption duo was "trigger-happy". "It will be a little harsh to drop Prasidh Krishna after one because, if you look at him, he is not somebody who hits the deck hard. He sort of uses his height. Anything that he pitches up is a bit floaty. The only ball that has a bit of pace and strength are short balls," Manjrekar on ESPNCricinfo . "If Mukesh Kumar plays, I don't think too many people will be unhappy. They will be looking at how he is bowling in the nets and think if it is fair on Prasidh Kris...

Australia head coach Andrew McDonald on Saturday showered praise on David Warner and said that he is probably the greatest all-format Aussie player. Speaking to cricket.com.au ahead of the third Test match against Pakistan, McDonald said that Warner's retirement from the Test format would be a great loss for the Aussie squad. The Aussie head coach added that it would be hard to find the left-handed batter's replacement. "In time, he will probably go down...but probably at the moment as it sits, he is probably our greatest ever all-three format player. He is going to drop out of one of those formats in terms of Test match cricket. He will be a loss. I know that people have been gunning for him for a period of time, but for us internally, we have seen the great value in what he brings to the table, hence why we have kept picking him. He repaid a bit of that faith in the first Test match. He's going to be hard to replace. Someone who strikes at 70 averaging 45, and most e...

New Zealand vs Bangladesh 3rd T20I Live Updates: Bangladesh aim to win the series while New Zealand eye a 1-1 finish as the two teams take on each other in the third and final T20I at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui on Sunday. Bangladesh won the first game by 5 wickets in Napier to take a 1-0 lead before heavy rain forced the second game between hosts New Zealand and Bangladesh to be called off Friday, with the home team on 72-2 after 11 overs. ( Live Scorecard ) from NDTV Sports-Cricket https://ift.tt/KNZ9gVM

Former England cricket team skipper Michael Vaughan called the Indian cricket team "one of the most underachieving sports teams in the world" following their heavy loss in the first Test match against South Africa in Centurion on Thursday. India were completely outplayed by the hosts and it meant that their wait for a Test series win in South Africa continues following the defeat.  “Do you think, in terms of cricket, India are one of the most underachieving sports teams in the world?” Vaughan asked fellow expert and former Australia cricketer Mark Waugh during their discussion on FOX Sports. Waugh did not give a direct answer with Vaughan continuing - “They haven't won much in recent times. I think they are (an underachieving side). They don't win anything. When was the last time they won something? With all the talent they have, all the skill set.” People here might be abusing Michael Vaughan for this but he's absolutely correct. With the amount of talent an...

Rahmanullah Gurbaz's century powered Afghanistan to clinch a 72-run win over United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the first T20I match at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday. After winning the toss, UAE opted to field first but their decision did not go in their favour after the hosts' bowling attack failed to keep a check on Afghanistan's run rate in Sharjah. Afghan opener Hazratullah Zazai (13 runs from 16 balls) failed to make a mark but Gurbaz (100 runs from 52 balls) shined against the UAE bowling attack to post 203/3 for the Afghans. Ibrahim Zadran (59 runs from 43 balls) also played a crucial role by making a solid partnership with Gurbaz. Maiden T20I Century! A Magnificent Innings By Gurbaz #UAEvAFG pic.twitter.com/RKkVCbaG5Q — FanCode (@FanCode) December 29, 2023 On the other hand, Muhammad Jawadullah, Junaid Siddique and Aayan Khan were the only wicket-takers for the host. In the run chase, Vriitya Aravind (70* runs from 64 balls) played an unbeaten knock in the sec...

Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik feels India pacer Mohammed Shami 's injury has proved to be a huge setback for the team in the ongoing first Test against South Africa in Centurion. Dean Elgar led South Africa's charge after India were bowled out for 245 in the first innings. Elgar scored 185 as the Indian pacers struggled to pick wickets at regular intervals, allowing South Africa to take a sizeable lead in the first innings. Shami was ruled out of the two-match series due to an ankle injury. "The man has grown in stature as a bowler and as a leader of the pack. He is an able lieutenant to Jasprit Bumrah . You can imagine with the upright seam on this kind of pitch. I promise you, he would have definitely gotten a few wickets. The Indian team really misses him," Karthik said on Cricbuzz. Karthik also suggested that Bumrah and Siraj did not get enough support from debutant pacer Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur , who were pretty expensive in the first...

Jasprit Bumrah lacked support from other end as there was no reason to concede 400 plus runs on a bowling friendly track where South African speedsters showed how to go about the job, a dejected Indian skipper Rohit Sharma said on Thursday. India lost the opening Test inside three days by an innings and 32 runs after scoring 245 and 131 in the two innings but the game-changer certainly was being taken for 408 runs by South Africa in their first innings. Save Bumrah, who took four wickets and to an extent Mohammed Siraj , Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna got pasting of their lives. "This was not a 400-run wicket and we gave too many runs. We sprayed the ball all around, but it happens. One can't depend on one particular bowler (Bumrah), the other three pacers also needed to perform their roles, we could learn from how South Africa bowled," Rohit said after the match. He admitted that although there wasn't lack of effort but Bumrah couldn't alone keep the p...

Australia vs Pakistan 2nd Test Day 4 Live Updates: Resuming at 187/6 on Friday, Australia will aim to extend their lead over Pakistan in the ongoing second Test on Day 4 at Melbourne Cricket Ground. The side that leads by lead by 241 runs will be banking on set batter Alex Carey to take the innings forward. After scoring 318 in their first innings, Australia had bundled out Pakistan for 264, taking a lead of 54 runs. ( Live Scorecard ) from NDTV Sports-Cricket https://ift.tt/C6hQDST

India skipper Rohit Sharma had no qualms about admitting that his team was simply not good enough to challenge South Africa, putting the blame for the embarrassing innings and 32 run loss in the first Test on the lack of collective effort. India put up a shoddy show both with bat and ball as they were bundled out for 131 in 34.1 overs in their second innings after they allowed South Africa to score 408 in 108.4 overs in their first essay. The visitors had scored 245 in the first innings. "We were not good enough to win. Having been put in to bat, KL (Rahul) batted well to get us that score but then we didn't exploit the conditions with the ball and then again didn't show up today with the bat," said Rohit during the post-match presentation. "If we have to win Test matches, we have to come together collectively and we didn't do that. Guys have come here before, we know what to expect and everyone has their own plan. "Our batters were challenged and we ...

After the 2023 ODI Cricket World Cup, the next marquee ICC event is less than six months away. The 2024 T20 Cricket World Cup will take place in June in the West Indies and the USA. India's wait for a first ICC Trophy since 2013 got extended by a year when they lost to Australia in the ODI World Cup final at home. The 2024 T20 World Cup is another chance for India to end that drought. In an engaging discussion Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir , both members of India's 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup-winning teams, deliberated on India's chances at the T20 World Cup.   On the question, "Biggest threat to India In T20 World Cup?", Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir gave interesting replies.   "Afghanistan, in those conditions can be very very dangerous. Australia, because they have got impact players, and England because they play T20 cricket the way it should be played," Gautam Gambhir said.  "I have different angle. I think South Africa sh...

Australia vs Pakistan 2nd Test Day 3 Live: Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon put Australia in the driving seat of the second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday to leave Pakistan tottering at 194-6, still 124 runs behind on day two. At stumps, Mohammad Rizwan was on 29 and Aamer Jamal not out two after Cummins took the crucial wickets of Abdullah Shafique (62) and Babar Azam (one), then Agha Salman (five). Lyon chipped in by removing Imam-ul-Haq (10) and Shan Masood (54), while Josh Hazlewood bowled Saud Shakeel for nine as Pakistan's dream of a first Test win in Australia since 1995 faded. ( LIVE SCORECARD ) Here are the LIVE updates of Australia vs Pakistan 2nd Test Day 3: from NDTV Sports-Cricket https://ift.tt/z2EbDok

Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) is unlikely to offer No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen Ul Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi for the next two years, putting their participation in the Indian Premier League 2024 season in doubt. According to a release issued by the ACB, the board has decided to delay the annual contracts for year 2024 for these players having formed a "dedicated committee to thoroughly investigate the matter", after they expressed a desire to be released from their central contracts from January 1. "The insistence on not signing the central contract for these players was their involvement in commercial leagues, prioritizing their personal interests over playing for Afghanistan, which is regarded as a national responsibility," the ACB said on its website. "By opting for their release, the Afghanistan Cricket Board has decided to take disciplinary measures against these players," the board added. Afghanistan are also set t...

Former Indian cricket team head coach Ravi Shastri said on Tuesday that the Rohit Sharma -led side has the perfect chance to win their first Test series ever on South African soil because of the absence of a single cricketer. Shastri referenced the brilliant record of former Proteas cricketer Vernon Philander and said that the fact that he is not part of the team automatically gives India the advantage. The fast bowler enjoyed a tremendous run of form against India during his playing career and in the five Test matches that he played at home, he ended up taking 25 wickets at an average of 18. "This is India's best chance, you know why? Because this bloke is not playing," Shastri said pointing towards Philander during the pre-match show for Star Sports. "We would have beaten South Africa at least twice when I came here but for this fellow. We've seen Rabada's record, and Ngidi's record. Take a look at his record as well against India. He always gets th...

Australia vs Pakistan 2nd Test Day 2 Live:  A stubborn Marnus Labuschagne weathered a storm to help steer Australia to 187-3 on a rain-disrupted opening day of the second Test in Melbourne on Tuesday against a probing and resilient Pakistan attack. At stumps, he was unbeaten on a glacial 44 off 120 balls and Travis Head was not out on nine after nearly three hours' play were lost to rain. Pakistan's bowlers found plenty of movement in the overcast conditions and were rewarded with the wickets of David Warner (38), Usman Khawaja (42) and Steve Smith (26). ( LIVE SCORECARD ) Here are LIVE updates Australia vs Pakistan 2nd Test Day 2 from NDTV Sports-Cricket https://ift.tt/LXE25Ws

With an aim to register their maiden Test series win in South Africa, India will face the Proteas in the 1st Test of the two-match series, starting December 26 at SuperSport Park in Centurion. Veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be back in the team alongside pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah as India will restart their quest for the historic series win. India have played a total of 8 Test series in South Africa. Out of that, they lost 7 and drew 1. Under the captaincy of Rohit, the Indian team will aim to turn the tables this time. Mohammed Shami has been ruled out of the series while Ishan Kishan has opted out due to "personal reasons". Here is what we think could be India's playing XI for 1st Test against South Africa: Rohit Sharma (c): It will be the first game for the India skipper post the Cricket World Cup 2023 final heartbreak. He will aim to forget the past and march into the first Test with added energy as India continue their quest to clinch their mai...

During the first Test between India and South Africa at Centurion, a much-anticipated Boxing Day affair, Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah will be wearing the whites for the first time in around one and the half years. The first Test of the two-match series will be starting from Tuesday at Centurion. Bumrah, who last played a Test for India against England at Birmingham in July last year as a captain, will be playing his first Test in a long while after struggling with injuries that kept him out for much of this year. With 128 wickets in 30 Tests with the best bowling figures of 6/27, Bumrah has a reputation and numbers by his side. In just six Tests in South Africa, Bumrah has taken 26 wickets at an average of 24.38, with the best figures of 5/42. Besides these great overall numbers, this pacer also has great numbers in 'Boxing Day' Tests played in Australia and South Africa. India has never lost a Test match with Bumrah throwing down his rocket-like deliveries on the pit...

Cricket is a team sport, but yet every day, every month and every year, we find some select faces who stand out in a crowd of hundreds of players out there representing their national flag on the pitch. 2023 was no different. While the year will be remembered for Australia completing a three-peat of ICC World Test Championship, The Ashes and ICC Cricket World Cup, India's dominant run at home that concluded with heartbreak of a World Cup final loss, the aggression of South African cricket team, England's 'Bazball' school of Test cricket and failing down of old, World Cup winning empires like Sri Lanka, England and West Indies, certain individuals caught the eye of fans with their performances. Let us look at some of the best players of this year: Virat Kohli (India) The star batter from India had quite a redemption arc in 2023 following an underwhelming run from 2020-22. Virat broke records day and night, left and right, sometimes even on some off days with the bat. B...

A video is going viral on social media in which TV presenter Jatin Sapru could be seen making a funny plea to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor Gautam Gambhir . "Prabhu 2-3 crore dedo (God please give me two to three crore rupess)," Sapru says in the hilarious video, leaving everyone around in splits. The 15-second clip has surfaced online with majority of the people reacting to it with laughing emojis. "Good one," wrote a user. "Wow great memories," was also among the comments on the video. Watch the clip here: After Auction Scenes pic.twitter.com/zB8BWfGY57 — football (@RealFIMDBIMD) December 24, 2023 Gambhir-mentored KKR bought Australia pacer Mitchell Starc for Rs 24.75 crore in IPL 2024 auction, making the pacer the most expensive player in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The left-arm fast bowler became the second player to breach the 20-crore mark after team-mate Pat Cummins was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 20.5 cror...

The manner in which an invincible-looking Indian team lost the Cricket World Cup 2023 final to Australia hurt millions of fans. The painful exit from the tournament ended what was most likely the last chance for the likes for Virat Kohli , Rohit Sharma and a few other seniors to add a World Cup title to their name. As Rohit and Kohli return for their first assignment since the World Cup final, head coach Rahul Dravid spoke about the 'disappointment' and the need to 'move on' before India's next assignment, which is the 2-match Test series against South Africa. "It's happened in the past, yes it's disappointing, but we have moved on from it. Now you have got something ahead of you. Players are good at that (moving on). We are forced to do that, we learn how to do that from the time we are kids. Every time you get out, you are disappointed, you have another innings to play, you have to perform in the next innings, so you can't let the disappointmen...

As the Indian cricket team gears up for the ultimate test in South Africa, a country where it has never won a series in the longest format, the debate over the team's best XI has engaged social media, with fans contemplating if India should go with two spinners or just one. When it comes to SENA countries, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja haven't played together a lot, and ahead of the first Test, former India opener Gautam Gambhir feels only one of the two spinners will get the team management's nod. In a chat on Star Sports, Gambhir picked his XI for the opening Test between India and South Africa. At the top of the batting order, Gambhir went with Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal as the opening pair while Shubman Gill came in at the No. 3 spot.  As has been the case in Tests, Virat Kohli took the No. 4 spot while KL Rahul came in at the No. 5 spot as the wicket-keeper batter in the team. Gambhir feels only one of Jadeja or Ashwin will take the No. 6 sp...

The 17th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) is hardly three months away from its start. The mini auction took place on December 19 in Dubai and now all the teams are gearing up for the upcoming season. While Chennai Super Kings (CSK) MS Dhoni will be a part of the tournament in 2024 as well, the fans still wonder whether he would be continuing his stint even after the end of the upcoming season. Keeping the curiosity intact among the fans, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan said that only Dhoni could say if it is going to be his last edition. "That I do not know. See, as far as the captain is concerned, he will answer you directly. He does not tell us what he is going to do," Viswanathan said as quoted by The Indian Express . Dhoni went through a knee surgery in early June this year. Currently, the player is going through rehab and he is expected to be match-fit well ahead of IPL 2024. "He is doing well now. He has started his rehab. He started working in the gym. And, pro...

The Indian cricket team is currently gearing up for the two-Test series against South Africa, starting on December 26. The white ball-leg of the tour saw many young faces getting a chance as the veterans were rested. However, for the Test series, all the big boys are back including the likes of Rohit Sharma , Virat, Jasprit Bumrah , Ravichandran Ashwin among others. India have never won a Test series in South Africa, and according to former South Africa pacer Fannie de Villiers this is India best chance to clinch their maiden series win in the Rainbow nation.  Though pace is expected to dominate the contests, all eyes will be on Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja to show the spin magic. Ahead of the first Test in Centurion, Ravichandran introduced a special person in video vlog on Saturday.     "Sir should we introduce you as 'Paapa' or 'R Venkatesh'?" Ashwin asked the person on his YouTube Channel. "Paapa Venkatesh is good enough," came t...

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to host its 17th edition. The marquee T20 event was started in 2008 and since then it has been a huge success. IPL gives India's domestic players an opportunity to brush shoulders with top international cricketers. This, in turn, hugely helps the domestic players to learn and improve. Hence, there is no surprise that IPL has seen the rise of many Indian stars over the years. Former India batter Gautam Gambhir has opined that it would have been a "worst decision" if Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had not started the tournament. In a Q&A session on Sportskeeda 's YouTube channel, Gambhir was asked, what if the BCCI had never started the IPL.  "I think it would have been the worst decision made by BCCI because IPL is the best thing that has happened to Indian cricket," told Gambhir. As per several media reports, the window to organise IPL 2024 is from March 22 to May end. The final dates for the 1...

West Indies explosive all-rounder Andre Russell, who also plays for Kolkata Knight Riders in Indian Premier League, has vowed to arrive in the 2024 T20 World Cup "looking like a UFC fighter" following their T20I series win over reigning champions England. The experienced all-rounder returned to international cricket after two years of absence. The last time he represented the West Indies was at the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE. Russell was the leading wicket-taker for the hosts with seven wickets in the five-match series and was influential with the bat as he scored at a strike rate of 169.35. He expressed his hope of returning to the team. "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. It means a lot, to be honest, getting the call-up to come back and join the West Indies team. I've been working for the last two years, waiting on a call-up," he ...

Suryakumar Yadav is all set to miss the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan starting January 11 due to an ankle injury sustained during the recent series against South Africa. The 31-year-old twisted his ankle while fielding against South Africa in Johannesburg and there could be a suspected tear that could take six weeks to heal. "Surya has reported to NCA for rehab work and the Medical Science team as of now has ruled him injured. He won't be able to play against Afghanistan which starts in three weeks time. Since he is unlikely to be selected for Tests, he will possibly play for Mumbai in Ranji Trophy in February to check his fitness before playing in the IPL," a BCCI source told PTI on condition of anonymity. It has also been known that chances of Hardik Pandya recovering from his ankle injury looks unlikely at the moment. "There is no update on Hardik's fitness status as of now and one can say there remains a big question mark of him being...

Legendary South African batter AB De Villiers believes that Royal Challengers Bangalore are still missing a quality spinner even after the IPL 2024 Auction. While reviewing RCB's performance in the auction, De Villiers pointed out that RCB released Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga ahead of the new season but they failed to buy a proper alternative who can prove to be a 'X factor'. He also mentioned veteran India spinner Yuzvendra Chahal who was released by RCB in 2022 and Gujarat Titans star Rashid Khan while making his point that spin bowling is a department which has been a problem for the franchise. "One or two incredible spinners I would say, X factor. Spinners. We need a leg spinner like Rashid Khan. We got rid of Yuzvendra Chahal not long ago. We missed him over the last few years, I think. And I think that's still the missing link, So we'll see it. They also released Wanindu Hasaranga after last season." "So I don't know what the plans...