Author: Staff Reporter

India all-rounder Deepti Sharma on Tuesday, December 23, created history by becoming the world’s top-ranked T20I bowler for the first time in her career. The International Cricket Council (ICC) updated its rankings, which saw Deepti topple Australia’s Annabel Sutherland to claim the number one spot. This achievement comes on the back of Deepti’s impressive performance in the opening T20I match against Sri Lanka. The off-spinner picked up one wicket while conceding only 20 runs in her four-over spell. Her contribution helped India register a comfortable eight-wicket win. Courtesy of her economical spell, Deepti earned five rating points from the match.…

Former India spinner Amit Mishra believes that Rishabh Pant is at a stage of his career where he needs to modify his game. Speaking on the Men’s XP podcast, Mishra said that cricket has evolved and opposition teams now analyse every detail, which makes it important for players to adapt their game accordingly. “I have very high expectations from Rishabh Pant. Given the kind of player he is, he will also have to modify his game. Now, you can’t really call him a youngster anymore — he has been in the team since 2018. That’s what I’m saying: after a…

Former England batter Geoffrey Boycott has strongly criticised England head coach Brendon McCullum after the team’s disappointing performance in the ongoing Ashes 2024–25 series against Australia. While acknowledging the impact McCullum and captain Ben Stokes initially had on England cricket, Boycott feels the aggressive approach needs to stop. “A lot of credit should go to Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes for what they have done for our cricket, but it is obvious that Bazball has run its race,” Boycott wrote in his column for The Daily Telegraph. Boycott explained why a change is needed and said, “Hubris has taken over…

Former India batter Robin Uthappa said that he thought at least Shubman Gill would be a part of India’s 2026 T20 World Cup squad. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Uthappa added that, in the worst-case scenario, he felt Gill might lose his vice-captaincy but would still make the squad. “Indian cricket is a strange place. You would think there would be some semblance of predictability. It’s a great side, a fantastic side, no doubt. But hearts are broken for sure. I empathise with them. You’ve got to feel bad for Shubman Gill. He’s the captain of the Test and ODI…

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have begun preparing their players for the upcoming 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL). Although the new season is still three months away, the franchise has decided to send some of its bowlers to South Africa to train with their sister franchise, Durban Super Giants (DSG), during the SA20, which begins on December 26. Frontline pacers such as Avesh Khan and Mohsin Khan are the most likely to travel to South Africa, while players like Naman Tiwari could join later. These bowlers will work with Bharat Arun, who is part of the Durban Super Giants coaching staff.…

Karnataka’s Krishnappa Gowtham on Monday announced his retirement from competitive cricket at the age of 37. Gowtham, who made his debut for Karnataka in the 2011–12 season, ended his 14-year cricketing career with 395 wickets across formats and 2,785 runs to his name. The Bengaluru-based cricketer made the announcement at a press conference at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Monday, December 22, in the presence of his family, officials from the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), and members of the media. Speaking at the press conference, Gowtham read out a heartfelt statement, saying, “I would like to let…

Amit Mishra opened up about his playing days under MS Dhoni, dismissing the myth that his career would have flourished if Dhoni had not been the skipper at that time. Speaking on MensXP, Amit said that he made several comebacks under the legendary captain, and those would not have been possible without Dhoni’s backing. “People say if Dhoni was not there, my career would have been better. But who knows, if he was not there, maybe I would not even have been in the team. I came into the team under him only. And I kept making a comeback. He…

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin praised Jacob Duffy for his excellent performances this year and alsoapplauded Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for picking him at a low price at the IPL 2026 mini-auction. Reacting to Duffy’s stunning performances against the West Indies, Ashwin lauded him on X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, “What a cricketer Jacob Duffy is turning out to be. 2025 has been his coming-of-age year. 23 wickets at 15.43, 40.3 strike rate and MOS in the Tests against Windies. He’s also the current #2 ranked T20I bowler, with a sensational 2025 in T20s with 57 wickets at 18.9, 7.89…

Australian batting all-rounder Cooper Connolly shared his excitement about joining Punjab Kings (PBKS) for IPL 2026. He also spoke about working under PBKS head coach Ricky Ponting, the former Australia captain who won five ICC trophies. During a virtual media interaction, Connolly revealed that he had no prior discussion with Ponting or anyone from PBKS. Answering a question from NDTV, he said, “No, there was no kind of communication between me and him (Ponting) before the auction. I was quite nervous and didn’t know which team was going to bid for me. I was just sitting there and watching the…

India’s former captain Rohit Sharma recently shared his views on how tough it is to play cricket in Australia. His comments came after England were seen struggling in the ongoing Ashes series. Rohit explained why Australia is the most difficult place for visiting teams. Speaking at an event in Gurugram, Rohit said, “Australia maine khelna sabse difficult hai, aap England ko puch hi sakteho,” which means, “Playing in Australia is the most difficult, you can ask England about it.” Rohit took the example of England’s performance in the 2025–26 Ashes series. England have lost the first three Tests, and the…