Author: Staff Reporter

India’s former all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes that India’s Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill must now “cement” his place in the T20I team. Gill missed the second Test and the ODI series against South Africa due to a neck spasm but has returned for the T20I series starting December 9 in Cuttack. On JioStar’s ‘Follow the Blues’ show, Pathan said Gill needs to make a mark at the top of the order. Pathan said: “Shubman Gill should cement his place at the top of the order in T20 cricket. We believe in all-format players. We have seen how well he…

India’s Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill has shared details of his recovery journey after being sidelined for weeks due to a painful neck injury sustained during the first Test against South Africa on November 15. In a video shared by the BCCI, Gill spoke about his injury lay-off and road to recovery ahead of the start of the T20I series against the Proteas. “I’m feeling much better. From the day I came here until today, I’ve had quite a few skill sessions and some training sessions, so I feel much, much better now,” Gill told BCCI Tv. “From recovery…

Former India batter Murali Vijay lauded former captain MS Dhoni for his impact on Indian cricket. Vijay said no one can replace Dhoni’s leadership style as he has natural instincts and a fearless approach that changed Indian cricket. Speaking on Taruwar Kohli’s YouTube channel, Vijay said no one can replicate Dhoni’s personality. He said, “Dhoni is natural and very unique. Those personalities you cannot replicate. Anybody cannot come and do what he is doing. The way he has dominated and taken the game, he was a very strong person.” Vijay praised Dhoni’s power-hitting and bold choices, saying, “The way he…

Australia’s stand-in captain Steve Smith has opened up about Nathan Lyon’s unexpected omission from the second Ashes Test in Brisbane. Smith clarified that there is nothing against Lyon, and the decision was taken to strengthen their batting lineup. Speaking after Australia’s big eight-wicket win in the second Test at Brisbane, Smith told Fox Sports, “It could have gone a few different ways, and it’s certainly nothing against Nathan. He’s a freak.” Smith said that the selectors wanted extra batting from the lower order, stating, “He’s (Lyon) been our spinner for such a long time, but the extra batting and the…

England great Geoffrey Boycott has severely criticised the England team for their poor show in the ongoing Ashes 2025/26 series. Boycott wrote in The Telegraph that England will not be able to win any small tournament with the way they are playing. He also called England’s performance in the Brisbane Test a “horror show”. He wrote, “After just six days of Ashes cricket, England need a miracle. Brisbane was a horror show: irresponsible batting, bowling too short, too wide or too full and catches dropped. With this sort of batting and bowling, they couldn’t win an egg cup, let alone…

India’s speedster Umran Malik does not want to compromise on his strength, which is pace. On the sidelines of a match against Hyderabad in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Malik told ESPNCricinfo: “Every fast bowler in the world knows that injuries are going to be a part of his career. But speed is my natural aspect. How can I compromise with that? Speed is my biggest strength, and I want to continue to maintain that strength.” Malik, who plays for Jammu and Kashmir in the domestic circuit, is on his comeback path after being out of action for a long…

England were criticised heavily by experts for not having enough preparation for the Ashes 2025/26 series after their poor performance in the first two matches. However, England head coach Brendon McCullum said that they might have trained “too much”. McCullum said to BBC’s Test Match Special: “Not from a preparation point of view. If anything, we’ve probably trained too much to be honest. We’ve had five intense training sessions leading into this game, and that’s something as a coach you’ve got to make sure you’re aware of. I think sometimes there’s a tendency to want to overdo things to try…

Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar said that the places of veteran batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the ODI team should never have been questioned. Bangar asserted that Rohit and Kohli have been match-winners for India for a long time and should be treated differently from any young player. “I don’t think the places of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the team should ever have been in question,” Bangar told JioStar. “Look at what they have done over so many years. They have retired from two formats, so it’s obvious they might take just a couple…

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar believes Virat Kohli can surpass Sachin Tendulkar’s world record of 100 international centuries. Recently, Kohli smashed back-to-back centuries against South Africa in the first two ODIs and remained unbeaten on 65 runs in the series decider. Those two hundreds took his overall tally to 83. When asked if Kohli can break Tendulkar’s record, Gavaskar said: “Why not? If he plays for three more years, he needs 17 more centuries. The way he is batting — in a three-match series he has scored two tons. So, going forward into the New Zealand series in January, if…

Arshad Khan has set a new record for the best bowling figures in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The left-arm pacer finished with extraordinary figures of 6/9 against Chandigarh at the Jadavpur University Ground in Kolkata. Previously, this record was held jointly by Gujarat’s Arzan Nagwaswalla and Hyderabad’s T. Ravi Teja, who both took 6/13 in the 2023 edition of the tournament. DS Punia, who played for Services, stands third on the list with 6/14, followed by Baroda’s Swapnil Singh, who took 6/19. Arshad struck twice in his first over against Chandigarh, bowling Arjun Azad for a duck and trapping…