Author: Staff Reporter

Former Indian player turned commentator Ravi Shastri has backed Sanju Samson to become a regular part of the playing eleven after he played an impressive innings in the fifth T20I against South Africa in Ahmedabad. Samson got his chance in the playing eleven after vice-captain Shubman Gill was ruled out due to injury on 16 December in Lucknow. Reacting to Samson’s innings, Shastri voiced his opinion, saying, “When you see him batting like this, you sometimes think, why is he not in the side in the first place? Why should it take an injury to bring him in? He is…

India U19 defeated Sri Lanka U19 comfortably by eight wickets with 12 balls to spare in the first semi-final to qualify for the final of the ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup 2025, despite failures from two big names, Ayush Mhatre and Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Aaron George and Vihaan Malhotra stole the show with unbeaten fifty-plus scores to guide India to victory. India U19 won the toss and opted to field first. The Indian bowlers maintained pressure from the beginning and struck thrice within the first six overs. Chamika Heenatigala and captain Vimath Dinsara then added 45 runs off 36 balls to…

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has shared an instance from his captaincy where he revealed how he stood against the BCCI selectors to ensure Anil Kumble was picked for the 2003 tour of Australia, despite Kumble not being part of the 2001 Test series due to a shoulder injury. At the time, the selectors were planning to move on without Kumble, but Ganguly believed the senior leg-spinner was too important to be left out. In a conversation with Harsha Bhogle on ‘The Captain’s Calm’, Ganguly said, “In the 2003 tour of Australia, Anil Kumble stood up, and he finished the…

ICC No. 1 T20I bowler Varun Chakravarthy has opened up about how he is preparing for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. He said his focus is on building confidence, discipline, and mental strength. Speaking on ‘Follow The Blues’ on JioHotstar, he said, “It is very important to keep putting pressure on yourself to get ready for the World Cup. You have to challenge yourself even when there is no challenge. If a match feels easy, you have to create that pressure mentally and start challenging yourself.” Chakravarthy said his plan is to understand the opposition well. “Confidence, bowling the…

Former India batter Robin Uthappa believes that managing the workload of injury-prone Jasprit Bumrah is very important, as he has a “demanding” action. Speaking on JioStar’s *Cricket Live*, Uthappa said that fast bowling is the toughest skill in the sport. “He is an absolute match-winner, and managing his workload is crucial,” the wicketkeeper-batter said. “Fast bowling is probably the toughest skill in the sport, and Bumrah does it at high pace with a demanding action. You want to protect that, but at the same time, you want him to play enough cricket. We’ve seen glimpses of his brilliance, and hopefully…

India’s former captain Kapil Dev shared his views on the role of a head coach in modern-day cricket. He said that coaches today are managing players rather than coaching them. His remarks came at a time when India head coach Gautam Gambhir is already facing criticism following India’s 0–2 home Test series loss to South Africa. Speaking at the Indian Chamber of Commerce ICC Centenary Session, India’s first World Cup-winning captain explained how the meaning of the word ‘coach’ has changed over the years. “Today that word called a coach… ‘coach’ is a very common word today. Gautam Gambhir can’t…

Wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis was bought at the IPL auction by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for INR 8.6 crore. However, the Western Australian has confirmed that he will miss part of the season due to his wedding in early April. IPL 2026 will take place between March 26 and May 31. “Well, I sort of watched a lot of it [the IPL auction], and I was pushed back in the pecking order,” Inglis said while speaking to ABC Sport. “I don’t have full availability this year. I’m getting married in early April, so I didn’t really expect to go, to be…

Ishan Kishan and Kumar Kushagra led Jharkhand to their first Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title as they beat Haryana by 69 runs in a high-scoring final in Pune. Haryana won the toss and elected to field. Jharkhand lost their first wicket early, with Virat Singh managing just two runs. Kushagra then joined Kishan at the crease, and the duo stitched together a destructive partnership of 177 runs off just 82 balls, taking Jharkhand close to the 200-run mark. Later, Anukul Roy and Robin Minz added an unbeaten 75 runs off 29 balls to help Jharkhand post a massive total of…

Lucknow Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka has revealed how strongly captain Rishabh Pant wanted to bring Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana into the LSG squad during the IPL 2026 mini-auction. Goenka also revealed that Pathirana was their top priority, but due to a limited budget, they had to step back. Speaking to broadcaster JioStar, Goenka confirmed that Pant and the team management were keen on Pathirana. He said, “Yes, our captain and vice-captain were both very keen on Matheesha Pathirana, as was I. We were also very interested in Anrich Nortje. Pathirana was our priority, and we went up…

Indian Premier League chairman Arun Singh Dhumal has clearly dismissed the possibility of Indian players featuring in overseas T20 leagues. He said there is no chance in the near future, highlighting that workload management remains the biggest concern. Dhumal stressed that allowing active Indian cricketers to play abroad could put extra pressure on players and hurt the national team. Explaining his point, Dhumal highlighted the heavy schedule of Indian players. “You look at the workload our players have. The BCCI has made a rule for the international players that they must play domestic cricket as well,” Dhumal told journalist Vimal…