Author: WebDesk

Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has opened up about Rohit Sharma’s remarkable physical transformation ahead of his comeback series against Australia, starting on October 19. A close friend of Rohit and also his coach, Nayar was one of the key personnel behind Rohit’s impressive transformation. He was regularly seen with Rohit in the gym and on the training ground. Having observed Rohit’s fitness journey from close quarters, Nayar shared: “Initially, we realised that there were 12 weeks before the Australia series. The thought process was to do something different. Since we had time on our hands, it wasn’t about…

South Africa Test captain Temba Bavuma has been included in the 16-member squad for the second four-day match of the series, which will be played from 6–9 October. These two multi-day matches are part of the build-up to the Test series between India and South Africa. Bavuma is currently nursing a calf injury that has kept him out of action during the ongoing Test series in Pakistan. The World Test Championship-winning skipper sustained the injury during the recent white-ball tour of England. While announcing the squads for the Pakistan tour, head coach Shukri Conrad provided an update on Bavuma, saying:…

Kerala vs Maharashtra The first session was almost entirely ruined by rain, with a delayed start to Day 2 in Thiruvananthapuram. Maharashtra resumed on 179/7 and were bowled out for 239. A gritty 59-run stand between Vicky Ostwal and Ramakrishna Ghosh helped the visitors to a respectable total. Rajneesh Gurbani’s dismissal gave pacer M.D. Nidheesh his five-wicket haul. Gurbani and Mukesh Choudhary started well with the new ball for Maharashtra. Mukesh created pressure from one end, and Gurbani reaped the rewards by removing Baba Aparajith and Akshay Chandran. Jalaj Saxena dismissed Rohan Kunnummal with the fourth delivery of his first…

The Lucknow Super Giants have roped in Kane Williamson as a strategic advisor ahead of the next IPL season, while Carl Crowe has joined the team as spin-bowling coach, the franchise confirmed on Thursday, October 16. Williamson, who was part of the Durban Super Giants, a sister franchise of LSG, was not retained for the upcoming SA20 season. Having been part of the Super Giants family, Williamson has now been given a role in the coaching staff – something he has never done in his career until now. Speaking about his new role, Williamson said: “I’m really excited to be…

Out-of-favour India player Ishan Kishan underlined the importance of the Ranji Trophy after he smashed an unbeaten 125 on Day 1 of India’s premier first-class tournament against Tamil Nadu in Coimbatore. Captaining Jharkhand, Ishan led from the front and helped his team recover from 154/6 to end Day 1 on 307/6. The left-hand batter constructed his innings beautifully alongside Sahil Raj, who made 77. “You need to understand the importance of the Ranji Trophy,” he told The Indian Express. “You need to understand the importance of these matches when you play against big teams.” Having last played a Test match…

Afghanistan batter Ibrahim Zadran has been fined 15% of his match fee and handed a demerit point by the ICC for breaching the code of conduct during the third ODI against Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi on 14 October. After being dismissed for 95 in the 37th over of Afghanistan’s innings, Ibrahim struck a piece of equipment near the dressing room with his bat in frustration. As a result, he has been given a demerit point and a deduction in match fees. Ibrahim was found to have breached Article 2.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support…

India have been fined five per cent of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate during their ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup league match against Australia in Visakhapatnam on Sunday. According to a release from the ICC Media Zone, Match Referee Michell Periera of the Emirates ICC International Panel imposed the sanction after India were found to be one over short of their target once time allowances were taken into consideration. Under Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which pertains to minimum over-rate offences, teams are fined five per cent of…

England batter Joe Root feels ready to end his century drought in Australia in the upcoming Ashes series, which begins in Perth on November 21. So far in his career, the Yorkshireman has played 27 Test innings in Australia but is yet to reach the three-figure mark. The former England captain has nine fifties to his name Down Under, with a highest score of 89. Root led England in the last two tours of Australia. This time, he is part of the team as a specialist batter, with no added pressure of captaincy. “I feel I’m in a different place…

India head coach Gautam Gambhir, on Tuesday, lashed out at trolls for targeting Harshit Rana, calling it a shameful act. In recent times, Harshit, who has played two Tests, five ODIs and three T20Is, has found himself at the centre of criticism from former cricketers and fans. Speaking at the post-match press conference following the series whitewash over the West Indies in Delhi, Gambhir said that those targeting the 23-year-old, simply to gain views on their social media platforms, should be ashamed of themselves. “Look, it’s shameful if you can’t even spare a 23-year-old just to run your YouTube channel,”…

Ahead of the three-match ODI series against Australia, which marks the return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, India head coach Gautam Gambhir refused to guarantee the two batting stalwarts a place in the team’s plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup. On his birthday, Gambhir addressed the media soon after India completed a series whitewash over the West Indies on Tuesday. When asked whether Rohit and Kohli remain in the plans for the next ODI World Cup, Gambhir said: “The 50-over World Cup is still two and a half years away. I think it is very important to stay…