Author: Vaibhav Tripathi

A day after the World Cup squad announcement grabbed the headlines with discussions around Shubman Gill’s exclusion, Jitesh Sharma being overlooked and Ishan Kishan’s return, attention moved to the U-19 Asia Cup final. The tournament had largely remained out of focus for both spectators and the media, as it coincided with other bilateral series such as India versus South Africa and the Ashes. However, the final drew widespread attention as arch-rivals India and Pakistan faced each other once again, with the added significance of the trophy at stake. From the moment the match began at Dubai’s ICC Academy, the final…

Right from the moment he walked out for the squad selection meeting at the BCCI headquarters, Suryakumar Yadav looked in a jovial mood. Even at the press conference, when tough questions were fired at him regarding selection and his form, Suryakumar answered them all with a gentle smile on his face. His body language was upbeat. Typical Surya. He did not look like a player under immense pressure given his current run of form with the bat. When asked a couple of times about his dip in performances during the press conference, Suryakumar asserted that he has been batting beautifully…

India cruised to a seven-wicket victory over South Africa on the back of a superb bowling display to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match T20I series. The bowlers restricted the visitors to 117 on a chilly evening in Dharamshala. The modest target was overhauled inside 16 overs. Abhishek Sharma top-scored for India with a fluent 35 off 18 balls, while Shubman Gill laboured to a run-a-ball 28. India won the toss, which proved crucial, as there was already dew on the ground before the first ball, and batting was expected to get easier as match went on. The first…

The Barabati Stadium in Cuttack witnessed Hardik Pandya’s all-round brilliance as India outclassed South Africa by 101 runs in the first T20I. Pandya’s 28-ball 59 helped India reach a total of 175. Later, with the ball, he claimed one wicket as South Africa were bundled out for 74. In the first half, it was Pandya against the South African bowlers. On a surface where most batters struggled to understand the pace of the wicket, Pandya struck the ball cleanly from the very start. Even though it was his first international game since the Asia Cup, there were no signs of…

Virat Kohli dropped his bat, looked up, and let out a roar of relief and joy. At MS Dhoni’s home ground, the JSCA International Stadium in Ranchi, the century was a statement in itself. After scoring only 74 in three innings on the Australia tour, and with whispers about his ODI future swirling around him, the emotions were raw. His 52nd ODI hundred, a fluent 135 on a sluggish pitch, propelled India to 349. The total was just enough, as India defended it by 17 runs to take an early lead in the series against South Africa. Matthew Breetzke, Marco…

Ayush Mhatre will lead the 15-member India U19 squad for the upcoming ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup, which will be played in Dubai from 12–21 December. The BCCI announced the squad on Friday, November 28. Suryavanshi and Mhatre are two of the most prominent names in the squad. Both young batters lit up last season’s IPL, and they have been retained by the Rajasthan Royals and the Chennai Super Kings ahead of the IPL 2026. Top-order batter Vihaan Malhotra has been named as Mhatre’s deputy. Left-arm pacer Kishan Kumar Singh has been included in the squad, but his participation remains…

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have appointed New Zealand great Tim Southee as the team’s Bowling Coach for the upcoming IPL 2026 season. He replaces Bharat Arun, who parted ways with the franchise earlier this year. Having been part of the Kolkata Knight Riders squad for three IPL seasons during his playing career, Southee joins a revamped coaching staff of the three-time champions. The 36-year-old veteran has been actively involved in coaching roles since announcing his retirement earlier this year. The former New Zealand pacer was also hired by the England team as a specialist skills consultant on a short-term deal.…

Records tumbled one after another as Meghalaya’s Akash Kumar Choudhary etched his name into cricketing history by smashing a blistering 11-ball half-century, laced with eight consecutive sixes, against Arunachal Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy Plate Group. In the Elite Group, Jharkhand’s Kumar Kushagra slammed a double ton, while on his 26th birthday, Prithvi Shaw scored 71 runs. Shreyas Gopal’s all-round heroics have put Karnataka ahead in their game against Maharashtra. Meghalaya vs Arunachal Pradesh Matches from the Plate Group seldom grab the spotlight, but on November 9, Akash Kumar Choudhary turned all eyes towards the ongoing encounter between Meghalaya and…

The opening day of round four of the ongoing Ranji Trophy saw Dhruv Shorey scoring his first century of the season against Odisha. Mayank Agarwal registered his first fifty-plus score of the season against Maharashtra. Uncapped pacers Auqib Nabi (5/35) and M. D. Nidheesh (6/22) starred with the ball for their respective teams. Vidarbha vs Odisha Shorey finally broke the jinx by smashing his first hundred of the season at the VCA Stadium against Odisha. Before this innings, Shorey had made starts in the previous three games but was unable to convert them into big scores. His knock came at…

On a pitch that was on the slower side, India did reasonably well to score 167 despite a mini-collapse. The three spinners and Shivam Dube then led the defence, bowling Australia out for 119 to secure a 48-run win at the Carrara Oval in Gold Coast. With this victory, India go 2–1 up in the five-match series. Chasing 168, Australia got off to a decent start, with Matthew Short leading the charge. India failed to break the opening stand in the first four overs, with Jasprit Bumrah once again going wicketless in his first spell. Axar Patel came on and…