Cricket

If only numbers were to be taken into consideration, Virat Kohli would unarguably be India’s go-to player with the bat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy starting next month. Kohli has been prolific against the Aussies over the years, scoring over 1300 runs Down Under in Tests at an average of 54.08. But, despite possessing 8 hundreds and 5 fifties under his belt against Australia (overall in Tests), Kohli’s name isn’t giving the veteran of Indian cricket much confidence. In the ongoing 3-match Test series against Australia, Kohli hasn’t even accumulated 100 runs in 4 innings. While he has been named in the Indian team for the Australia assignment, former BCCI selection committee chief MSK Prasad is quite concerned with his form. While Kohli is a big name in world cricket, Prasad feels India will miss the calmness of Cheteshwar Pujara in Australia. “Hundred percent. If you look at the way he performed in the 2018 series, on one side he brought aggression into batting and on the other side (Cheteshwar) Pujara was holding the fort. So we are missing the combination those two had, caution with aggression,” he said on Star Sports. “Pujara was playing solidly on one side and Virat got aggression from the other end. The way Virat batted, he inspired everyone else. So the form of the most premier batter is definitely a cause for concern, that too with the ICC Test Championship and the points system that’s there,” the former India selector explained. In the last 10 innings, Virat has only scored 245 runs at an average of 27.22. His return to form will be crucial to India’s hopes of beating Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under. With the team’s World Test Championship qualification chances also in balance, Kohli’s return to form become more crucial than it has been of late.

Former cricketer Basit Ali disclosed that Gary Kirsten was dissatisfied with Mohammad Rizwan’s appointment as Pakistan’s white-ball captain, as he had preferred a different candidate to lead the team. In the past 24 hours, Pakistan cricket has experienced considerable upheaval—from Rizwan’s appointment as white-ball skipper and Kirsten’s resignation as T20I and ODI coach to the subsequent appointment of Jason Gillespie as all-format head coach. Following the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) acceptance of Kirsten’s resignation, Basit revealed that the former South African cricketer had believed he had “full authority” over such decisions and had favored a player outside the current limited-overs setup to lead Pakistan. “It all started when Rizwan was made captain. Kirsten wanted a different player to lead, someone who wasn’t on the current side. He thought he had full authority, but he doesn’t realize that the PCB chairman can change overnight in our country,” Basit said on his YouTube channel. On Sunday, Rizwan succeeded Babar Azam as Pakistan’s white-ball skipper when the PCB announced squads for the Australia and Zimbabwe series. The experienced wicketkeeper will now lead the side in white-ball cricket, with Salam Ali Agha named his deputy for the upcoming away tours. Within 24 hours of Rizwan’s appointment, the PCB confirmed Kirsten’s resignation. This marked the end of his six-month tenure without having managed Pakistan in a single ODI match—a format in which he holds significant expertise. Kirsten’s main assignment had been the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and USA, where Pakistan faced an early exit in the group stage after losses to India and the USA. The story has not been edited by 24x7sportshub and is published from a syndicated feed.

Former Indian cricket team spinner Harbhajan Singh has witnessed a transition in Indian cricket between 2011-2013 when stalwarts like Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman retired with Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, current coach Gautam Gambhir and him being phased out. “Look age is a factor for some in this team but then Virat and Jaddu are extremely fit guys. Yes, age, fitness and form are criteria but the questions crop up once you start losing. The onus obviously comes on seniors in the team. It happened in that phase,” he recalled. But he absolutely detests the theory that certain players can’t be replaced. “Kaun kehta hai bharpai naahi hoti. Bharpai bilkul hoti hai. Gavaskar saab gaye, Tendulkar saab aaye, Tendulkar saab gaye, humein Kohli mila aur bhavishya mein bhi aisa hoga. (Who says you can’t get replacements? You got replacements in past and you will get in future). The game will move on and we will get replacements.” Are there enough talents in domestic cricket? “Of course there’s talent in domestic cricket. How did you get Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and now Sarfaraz Khan. It is from domestic cricket only. It is about getting right opportunities at right time.” “If you get chance at right time, you can become Virat Kohli or else you could be Amol Mujumdar or Amarjeet Kaypee,” said the man with 700 international wickets. “It took Virat 15 years to become what he has become. So you need to look at the talent and may be have an idea that, yes, this boy, if persisted with, can become a match-winner for a decade. “When we were playing, we heard that Rohit is an enormous talent. How did people know? Because of domestic cricket, and even after first few years of inconsistency, the system backed him. So we will get replacements.” But does he see transition happening? “Not immediately, as you have a big Australia series and WTC final at stake. But yes, this Australia series will be a make or break for many in the team,” he concluded.  (This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Cricket competitions of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games could take place on the East Coast of United States in order to cater to the massive audience in India and also tap into the huge domestic market of the sport in the host country, according to the host committee chair Casey Wasserman. Cricket will be making a re-entry into the Olympic roster after 128 years in the T20 format and though the venues have yet to be confirmed, it is likely the men’s and women’s competitions would take place on the East Coast because of the more favourable time zone compared to the West Coast for Indian viewers. New York, on the East Coast, hosted several preliminary-round matches of the T20 World Cup earlier this year, which it co-hosted with the West Indies. The East Coast is nine-and-a-half hours behind India and the country’s viewers can catch the action live, but Los Angeles is 12-and-a-half hours behind which could be detrimental from a viewership point. Wasserman said during a Business of Sports Summit in Austin, Texas, that the LA28 organisers would like to maximise cricket viewership in India, according to website ‘sportico.com’. Wasserman, who headed the successful LA28 bid and became president of the Organizing Committee, wasn’t specific about which venue on the East Coast could host cricket matches. Cricket is among six sports, along with baseball, softball, flag football, squash and lacrosse, added to the LA28 Olympic roster. It was in the Olympic Games once before, in 1900. It is likely that pre-existing infrastructure could be used to achieve “more than USD 150 million in savings and new revenue to help maintain a balanced budget (for the Olympics),” Wasserman has said earlier this year, according to ‘Sportico’. The three venues that hosted the T20 World Cup in the US, which India won to break the title drought, were Dallas, Fort Lauderdale and a temporary stadium built on Long Island outside New York City. It is not unique for host nations to organise Olympic competitions far away from the main centre. During the Paris Olympics, surfing events were held in Tahiti, sailing in Marseille, shooting in Chateauroux and soccer all across the country.

Opener Fakhar Zaman is “upset” after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) omitted him from the list of centrally contracted players, but is not thinking of retiring from international cricket. Apart from getting dropped from the contract list on Sunday, Zaman, the only Pakistan batter with a double hundred in ODIs, was also not included in the squad for the upcoming white-ball series in Australia. “Look, he is obviously upset and disappointed because the selectors and board have apparently applied different sets of rules while taking fitness tests and clearing players,” a source close to Zaman said. The source said Fakhar, who has been carrying a knee niggle which first surfaced in 2022, was unhappy because while he did fail to clear the 2km sprint test in given time, some other players had also not met the required time but still were yet picked in the team. “He feels clarity is required from the selectors on why some players are being favoured,” the source added. On Sunday, the PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told the media that Zaman’s tweet over Babar Azam’s selection was a breach of the board’s code of conduct for players but it was not the only reason to elbow him out. Naqvi also cited poor fitness standards of Zaman as a reason to look past him for the moment. “The matter of him breaching the code of conduct will be looked into by a committee but he has apparently responded to the show cause notice sent to him,” Naqvi said. “But primary reason is that he has not been 100 percent fit in recent times and has failed fitness tests. The selectors have told him to rehab and clear the fitness tests,” the PCB chief had said. But another school of thought believes that some PCB officials have not taken kindly to Zaman being critical of their performance when the board held a cricket connect meeting last month. They believe that Zaman has been punished for his openness in that meeting.  (This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has raised doubts over Rohit Sharma‘s retention by Mumbai Indians ahead of the India Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction later this year. However, the spinner, who has won three IPL titles under Rohit’s captaincy for Mumbai, feels that the opening batter will be retained after winning the T20 World Cup 2024. Other than Rohit, the veteran cricketer believes captain Hardik Pandya, pacer Jasprit Bumrah, batter Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma will be retained by the franchise to keep their core group intact before the mega auction. “Mumbai Indians is a team that hasn’t played well in the last two to three years. They’ve been a champion team, a very good team, and as far as I know, they will definitely think of building a team for the future. But that doesn’t mean they won’t add experienced players this year. Last year, they made Hardik Pandya captain, and I think he will definitely be retained. Jasprit Bumrah will be retained, Suryakumar Yadav will be retained, and the question remains whether Rohit Sharma will be retained,” Harbhajan told Star Sports about the potential IPL retentions for Mumbai Indians. The 44-year-old picked Nehal Wadhera as Mumbai’s final pick under the uncapped category to complete their six retentions before the deadline of October 31. “He has just won the World Cup as a captain, so I think he should be retained, and he will be. That will make four players, and if there’s a fifth player, then Tilak Varma will be retained. Tilak Varma is one of those players who will be very useful for Mumbai Indians in the future to win matches. When it comes to bowling, I don’t think there’s anyone else they would want to retain, so Nehal Wadhera could be a good option for them. He is an uncapped player, so he should be picked,” he added. In the IPL 2024, five-time champions Mumbai Indians finished at the bottom of the table under Pandya’s captaincy. They won just four games out of 14 league stage fixtures and stayed at the bottom half of the table throughout the season.

With the IPL 2025 mega auction retention deadline coming on October 31, it’s the time where all ten teams will be firming up their retention plans. Kolkata Knight Riders, the IPL 2024 winners, are also in the process of finalising their retention list. But sources have told IANS that the retention status of their title-winning captain Shreyas Iyer is lining on unsure currently, as other players like West Indies duo of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine, along with middle-order batter Rinku Singh, wrist-spinner Varun Chakaravarthy and uncapped fast-bowling all-rounder Harshit Rana, who recently got a call-up for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, are ahead in contention of being retained by the franchise. While Narine and Russell were at their all-round best as the franchise’s stalwarts, Chakravarthy was a key figure in the spin-bowling department, picking up 21 wickets at an economy rate of 8.04. Those performances paved his way for being back into the Indian team for the T20Is against Bangladesh this month and is selected for next month’s South Africa series. Rinku, despite making only 168 runs in 14 games this year, has been with the team since 2018 and has been credited as a find of the franchise ever since he found his groove as a finisher. Rana, who has been with the franchise since 2022, had a breakthrough 2024 season by picking 19 wickets. On the other hand, Shreyas scored 351 runs in 14 innings at a strike-rate of 146.86 while leading KKR to their third IPL title in May this year. The right-handed Mumbai batter has been with the team since 2022, though he missed the 2023 season due to a lower-back injury. If circumstances cause Iyer to enter the mega auction pool, then franchises in search of a captain will have a chance of roping in Iyer to their respective sides and give him the leadership role. To be fair, Kolkata were bound to have a problem of plenty in terms of retentions mainly because of the players they have. Apart from the above-mentioned six names, KKR also had the services of Mitchell Starc, Phil Salt, Venkatesh Iyer and an uncapped player in all-rounder Ramandeep Singh, who recently got a call-up to the Indian team for the T20Is against South Africa next month. As per the IPL retention rules, each team can retain a maximum of five capped players and a maximum of two uncapped players.

Former Indian cricket team skipper MS Dhoni is considered to be one of the best wicket-keepers in the world and his reaction time behind the stumps has earned him a special status among the cricket fans. Dhoni has recently found himself in news following speculations over his IPL future and he has all but confirmed that he will be playing in the 2025 season. In a recent event, Dhoni shared a hilarious conversation with wife Sakshi where he got schooled over the rules of cricket. The couple engaged in a chat over stumping that ended with Sakshi saying that Dhoni does not know the rules properly. “Ghar mein baithke we were watching a game. Toh ek match chal raha tha, one-day international tha, Sakshi bhi thi saath mein. Usually main aur Sakshi cricket ke baare mein baat nahin karte. Bowler ne ball daala. It was a wide, batsman ne step out kiya, toh woh stump ho gaya. Umpires usually review le lete hain ki third umpire decide karega. My wife started, ‘Out nahin hai.’ Jab tak usne bola out nahin hai, batsman ne chalna start kar diya tha. You just see they will call him back. Wide ball mein stump ho hee nahin sakta hai (We were at home watching a game and there was an ODI going in. Sakshi was there with me. We don’t talk about cricket when we are together. Bowler bowled a wide ball, batsman stepped out and was stumped. But my wife said it’s not out. By that time, the batsman had started walking back. But she kept saying the umpires will call him back as there can be no stumping in wide,” Dhoni said. Sakshi Dhoni#MSDhoni pic.twitter.com/gabPVC3Iwb — Chakri Dhoni (@ChakriDhonii) October 27, 2024 “So, maine kaha wide mein stumping hota hai, no ball mein nahin hota. She was ‘Tumko kuch nahin pata hai’. You just wait third umpire will call him back. Jab tak yeh baat ho rahi hai woh bechara batsman already boundary line tak paunch gaya. She is like ‘No no, they have to call him back. Finally jab out hua aur next batsman aa gaya, ‘There’s something wrong’ (I told her in case of a wide there is stumping but not when there is a no ball. But she said you just wait the third umpire will call him back. By this time, the batsman had already reached the boundary line. Finally when the new batsman arrived she said, “There’s something wrong,” he added at the event leaving the attendees in splits.

Bangladesh left-arm spinner Taijul Islam said that he is prepared to take the Test captaincy role after playing international cricket for a decade amid uncertainty over Najmul Hossain Shanto’s leadership future. Currently, Shanto leads Bangladesh across formats and is likely to leave his role after the ongoing home Test series against South Africa. Shanto has informed the Bangladesh Cricket Board of his decision to step down and is awaiting approval from board president Faruque Ahmed, who is currently abroad and expected to return soon. Asked about Shanto’s decision, the spinner said he was unaware of the development but pitched himself as his successor in the red-ball format. “I haven’t heard anything on this matter (regarding Najmul quitting from captaincy). It’s not part of our role; I’m not fully informed on this,” Taijul told reporters at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium on Monday. “Having played for 10 years, I’m fully prepared (for captaincy). “This is a team game. The most important thing is that the team remains in good condition. Some players may be affected by outside events, while others can continue their role with calmness,” he added. Taijul explained how he keeps himself away from outside noise and focuses on his task. “I try to stay relaxed and focus on my work. But within a team, I can’t say how each person reacts; everyone’s mindset is different. We’re not involved in management or board meetings,” he said. With the second Test against South Africa beginning on Tuesday, Taijul stressed on winning the match to level the series 1-1 after the visitors won the opening match by seven wickets. “Our goal remains the same: we’ll play to win. As for the match conditions, we’ll understand them once the game unfolds. But the focus will be on playing as a team, whether it’s batting, bowling, or fielding. We’ll do our best to win,” he said. “Every match is an opportunity. From that perspective, I think this is another chance for the batters. We haven’t performed on the level as expected as a team, although some have had individual performances in different matches. If we can build two or three partnerships in a game and one or two players score a century, our target will be much bigger and everyone’s working hard and is fully committed,” the spinner added. Being the senior player in the team, Taijul expressed his willingness to share knowledge with other members if they are interested while adding that they have high-quality spinners in their possession. “(Being a senior player) I can implement things, but how much someone takes from me matters—whether as a teammate or the people of my country. I feel that when different situations arise on the field if a spinner is bowling, for example, field positioning or how to set up a batter, the captain sometimes asks me, and I try to help,” the 32-year-old said. “Nayeem’s record is quite good. Just because he didn’t get wickets in one match doesn’t mean he won’t perform well in the future. This can happen in a game or two, but he’s likely to deliver good performances ahead. Miraz did well against India and Pakistan, and Nayeem has also performed well previously in Chattogram and Mirpur,” Taijul added. The story has not been edited by 24x7sportshub and is published from a syndicated feed.

In red-hot form, Australian white-ball wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis is “in the mix” to make his Test debut as a specialist batter in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy next month, hinted chief selector George Bailey on Monday. India, unbeaten in the marquee series on the previous four occasions, will face Australia in a five-Test series beginning in Perth on November 21. “There’s no doubt that the form is really fantastic at the moment… the ability to jump back into domestic cricket and dominate has been fantastic,” Bailey told reporters. “I think in different series at different times of the year, he would firmly come into the mix purely as a batter the way he’s been going.” “If the right opportunity opened up throughout the summer, in the spots where we think he’s most capable of performing, I think he’d be firmly in that conversation as well.” The 29-year-old, who is Australia’s incumbent keeper in ODI and T20Is, has scored four centuries in last seven Sheffield Shield matches. But with Australian Test wicketkeeper Alex Carey in rich form, Inglis has emerged as a specialist middle-order batter, but not for the vacant opening slot, Bailey said. Australia’s move to promote Steve Smith at the top following David Warner’s retirement did not work out and with Cameron Green ruled out of the India series because of a back injury, there’s a vacancy alongside Usman Khawaja. However, Bailey has ruled out Inglis for the opener’s role. “I’ve spoken to Josh on this. Not in the short term, I don’t think that he’s someone that we would be looking to place at the top of the order,” Bailey said. Inglis, in fact, is one of the contenders to lead Australia’s T20I side in the upcoming three-match series against Pakistan. All-format players, including regular T20 skipper Mitchell Marsh, are sitting out of the Pakistan series to prepare for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. “We’ve been really clear that we are prioritising the preparation for individuals around the Test summer and that will be the first time that we get that group together,” said Bailey. “So, rather than switching guys in and out and becoming quite messy, it was just deemed more appropriate for a number of reasons to separate them out.” This will be Australia’s first Test series in the ongoing WTC cycle since defeating New Zealand 2-0 in a two-match away series in March. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)