Author: Staff Reporter

Jemimah Rodrigues, who was the star for India in the semi-final of the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 against Australia, recently shared a vivid memory from India’s 2023 Test against Australia at the Wankhede Stadium, when Australian captain Alyssa Healy sledged Richa Ghosh and the Indian wicketkeeper-batter gave a stunning reply. Speaking to Gaurav Kapoor on Breakfast with Champions, Jemimah said: “I’ll tell you what happened. Richa and I were batting together, and I kept talking to her — between overs as well — saying things like ‘Good shot’ and ‘Well done’. From behind the stumps, Alyssa Healy joked,…

Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Smriti Mandhana praised Nadine de Klerk for her all-round performance, which led them to a thrilling three-wicket win against Mumbai Indians in the opening match of the WPL 2026. Speaking at the post-match presentation, Smriti said: “Yeah, I think for the first match of the WPL, it was a thriller. And RCB are known for playing thrillers. Last year, we were on the receiving end of these matches, so I’m happy that we pulled it off. Brilliant from Nadine to finish the match like that. Everyone was pretty positive. We were having a laugh. Even when…

India batter Ruturaj Gaikwad has created history by becoming the batter with the highest average in List A cricket. He overtook Australian legend Michael Bevan during the Vijay Hazare Trophy match between Maharashtra and Goa on January 8 in Jaipur. Gaikwad finished unbeaten on 134 off 131 balls, an innings laced with eight boundaries and six maximums. After yet another memorable knock in a 50-over game, his List A average has risen to 58.83, surpassing Bevan’s long-standing record of 57.86. The right-handed batter now has 5,060 runs in List A cricket at an impressive strike rate of 102.20. The Chennai…

Former England batter Kevin Pietersen has suggested bringing back Andy Flower as the coach of the England cricket team. Pietersen shared his thoughts on X and wrote: “This is a WILD thought. I reckon one of my wildest. Can England bring back Andy Flower now that he’s changed and in line with the modern-day player? He gets Test Cricket. I’ve been told by many players that he’s changed his ways since our drama. He’s winning leagues so really does get the modern day player. VERY IMPORTANT! Wild, I know! Thoughts?” England suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat to Australia in the…

Former England captain Michael Atherton believes England’s humiliating 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia will stay with Ben Stokes and the team for a long time. Atherton feels the tour exposed serious problems in England’s preparation and planning. Highlighting England’s mistakes, Atherton said the players would be left with lasting regret. “For me, it’s the magnitude of the errors. I don’t think there is any worse thing for an athlete to feel than not giving yourself the best chance to succeed, whether that is through preparation or how you played. England have not given themselves the best chance to be at…

England head coach Brendon McCullum is ready to make changes to his coaching style as the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) reviews England’s poor performance in the recently concluded Ashes series. The Ben Stokes-led England team lost the series 4–1 Down Under. A fourth straight series defeat on Australian soil has forced the ECB to conduct a comprehensive review of the team’s results, preparation and players’ behaviour. Commenting on the review, McCullum said he is open to change but made it clear that he expects to retain the authority of a head coach. “Whatever you do in life, I…

Mumbai Indians (MI) women’s head coach Lisa Keightley has shared her thoughts on working with captain Harmanpreet Kaur. She highlighted Harmanpreet’s importance in the MI set-up because of her leadership aura, competitive nature, and ability to inspire the entire team. In the latest episode of “Backstage with Boria”, Keightley shared her excitement about working with Harmanpreet. “About Harmanpreet Kaur, I haven’t worked with her before and it’s my first time. The qualities that I have seen in her from afar are that she is competitive, she loves to win, generally performs well on the big stage,” Keightley said. She further…

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has expressed his admiration for teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi following his remarkable run of performances across domestic and age-group cricket. Ashwin highlighted Vaibhav’s recent scores and took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to praise the young batter’s extraordinary consistency. He wrote: “171(95), 50(26), 190(84), 68(24), 108*(61), 46(25) & 127(74) today. These are just some of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s scores in the last 30 days across domestic & U19 cricket. Enna thambi, indha adi podhuma, illa innum konjam venuma? ( what’s all this brother? Is this sample enough or are you going to raise the bar…

India legend Jhulan Goswami reflected on the importance of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), suggesting that it is a great opportunity for domestic players to learn from overseas players. In the latest episode of “Backstage with Boria”, Jhulan termed India Women’s maiden ODI World Cup triumph in 2025 as “a watershed moment for women’s cricket.” She said: “The World Cup win was a watershed moment for women’s cricket. Our girls played phenomenal cricket in that tournament. Talking about WPL, that started in 2023 – the franchises coming together to support women’s cricket in our country was a blessing in itself.…

India star batter Abhishek Sharma’s recent struggles in the Vijay Hazare Trophy have become a major concern ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup. The left-handed batter is a vital cog in India’s T20 setup, but his domestic form is raising questions about his batting consistency. So far this season in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Abhishek has failed to make a significant impact. In the latest match against Mumbai, he scored just eight runs before being dismissed by Siraj Patil. Even against Maharashtra, he scored 48 runs off 45 balls but failed to convert it into a big hundred. In…