Cricket world

Hardik Pandya. Image: Debasis Sen In the high-stakes arena of T20 cricket, where fortunes can flip in a single over, consistency and impact are necessities. Yet, for India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav and vice-captain Shubman Gill, it’s been an area which is yet to come to fruition. Their latest outing in Cuttack against South Africa, a match India won by a whopping 101 runs, served as a stark reminder of this nagging issue. Gill departed after facing just two balls for four runs, while Suryakumar scratched around for 12 off 11 deliveries. Hardik Pandya’s blistering knock and a ruthless bowling display salvaged the day, but as the T20 World Cup looms with only nine matches remaining, the Men in Blue can’t afford to rely on middle-order miracles forever. The duo’s struggles aren’t isolated blips. This is a part of a troubling pattern. Since his reinstatement in the T20I squad from the 2025 Asia Cup, Gill has failed to cross the 50-run mark. His closest brushes with form came against ...

Suryakumar_Yadav (PC:X) India crushed South Africa by 101 runs in the first game of the five-match T20I series at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack to take a 1-0 lead in the series. After the match, India captain Suryakumar Yadav credited the batters for taking the team to a decent score after losing three early wickets. In the post-match presentation, Surya said: “I told at the toss that we were 50-50, but very happy to bat first. I mean, absolutely. At 48 for 3, and then from there getting to 175… the way Hardik batted, Axar batted, Tilak batted, and in the end Jitesh coming in, chipping in and doing his role, I think it was very important. At first, we thought we’d get to 160, but then 175 was unbelievable. I mean, absolutely. I mean, batting first, 48 for 3 and then scoring about 90-91 runs from overs 7 to 15, and then finishing with 40-44 runs in the last five overs to get to 175… I think it was really, really commendable. The way we bowled, the amount of options we had, I think...

Hardik_Pandya (PC:X/BCCI) Ace all-rounder Hardik Pandya played a blistering unbeaten innings of 59 and took one wicket in his comeback match to guide India to a 101-run victory over South Africa in the first T20I of the five-match series at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. In the post-match presentation, Pandya said: “I had to back my shots. At the same time, I realised that the wicket had a bit of spice. You had to be a little gutsy, and it was more about timing the ball, not trying to break it. I was very satisfied with the way I was batting.” Pandya was injured during the 2025 Asia Cup and was ruled out of the Australia series and the ODIs against South Africa. On Tuesday, he came out to bat in the 12th over after the dismissal of Tilak Varma and was involved in three small but useful partnerships to take India to a strong score of 175/6 in their 20 overs. The 32-year-old’s knock came off 28 balls, including six fours and four sixes, at a strike rate of 210.71. Making his comebac...

Salman also confirmed that he will only lead Pakistan in the next year’s T20 World Cup. (PC: PCB) Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha has shed light on how his team may shape their squad for next year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, scheduled to be played in India and Sri Lanka. Under Salman, the Men in Green have fared well, winning five bilateral series out of six, and also reaching the final of the Asia Cup, where they lost to India. That defeat prompted selectors to recall the likes of Babar Azam and Naseem Shah, and the move paid off in the team’s last two T20I assignments. Discussing the team combination and players’ roles, Salman indicated that there would not be any major changes to the squad before the World Cup. “I don’t think there will be any major changes before the World Cup; this will be the combination. All players have been given their roles, and we will move forward with these roles,” Salman said on a Pakistan Cricket Board podcast. “Six matches are left before the T20...

(PC- X) The storyline being pushed right now is one of panic: a broadcaster staring at massive losses, hit by regulatory hurdles on online gaming ads, facing an uncertain future with potential bans on pan masala advertising. That version makes it easy to believe JioStar wants out of cricket. But scratch beneath the surface, and the picture flips. This isn’t retreat. This is a strategic play to reset the economics of global cricket — on JioStar’s terms. The market reality is blunt: there is no saviour waiting to swoop in with a cheque book. Amazon and Netflix don’t see cricket rights as core to their streaming strategy. Sony and Zee have neither the appetite nor the balance sheet to chase the numbers Star once committed to. There is no White Knight who will match the $3.2 billion fee originally agreed with the ICC. JioStar knows it. The ICC knows it. And everyone around the negotiating table understands that India remains the epicentre of cricket’s monetisation ecosystem and JioSta...

Rohit_and_Kohli (PC: X/ICC) Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has praised veteran batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for their dedication to the game, saying that the experienced duo do not need to prove anything at this stage of their careers. “The fact that Rohit has worked on his fitness and come back deserves praise,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. “The fact that Virat is batting as well as he is also shows the kind of work both of them have put in. The idea that both of them still have something to prove is laughable. What do they need to prove? Obviously, it is all messaging. In such long careers, we all have ups and downs; we all have good and bad times.” Rohit and Kohli retired from the other two formats of the game and decided to continue only in the ODI format. Many experts and fans then said that they needed to prove themselves by scoring runs to earn their places in the team. Both answered their critics with the bat. Rohit was the highest scorer in the OD...

Barabati Stadium. Image: Subhayan Chakraborty, Revsportz As you step into the Barabati Stadium, the venue for Tuesday’s T20I series opener between India and South Africa, your eyes will inevitably be drawn to the expansive stretches of concrete stands. When modern seating facilities are a norm across most of the cricket stadiums, this venue has invited strong criticism with regard to lack of spectator-friendly experience. Forget about fan experience, the view from the press box with huge pillars in between is horrible, with the sightscreen blocking a sizeable portion of the ground. The murmurs over the stadium not having bucket chairs have been going around for long. One of the oldest stadiums in the country, Barabati wore a dilapidated look on Sunday, with several temporary works being carried out before the opening fixture of the five-match T20I series.  The BCCI gives each state association significant funds every year. Even a fraction of that would be sufficient to give mo...

  Shubham_Gill (PC:X/ Shubman Gill) Former India captain Sourav Ganguly believes that Shubman Gill should captain India in every format of the game. Speaking on the Captain’s Calm podcast, Ganguly praised Gill for his performance in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England earlier this year. “The other day I was sitting at Eden Gardens, and somebody came and told me, ‘Do you think Shubman Gill should be captain of T20I?’ I said, ‘He should be captain of everything because he’s so good.’ And I asked him-three months ago, that fellow was in England, and he looked like gold: batting, captaincy, got a young team to fight, no Kohli, no Rohit Sharma. And in three months’ time, you’re asking questions. That’s the mindset of people. And it happens to someone who makes decisions all the time… you have to be patient, you have to allow somebody to become better.” Gill was given the Test captaincy after two veterans, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, announced their retirement from the long...

Yashavi Jaiswal Image: X ‘Yashasvi’ Jaiswal, the first part of his name itself translates to ‘success’, continues to live up to it. For him to collect accolades in the cricketing landscape, Jaiswal hasn’t just mastered the art of repeating the fundamentals of batsmanship in the practice arena; he also comes across as a very good listener. We saw glimpses of that in the third ODI between India and South Africa in Vizag, where he cracked his maiden ODI hundred. The connecting thread is that, on the eve of the game, after his net session, Jaiswal had long conversations with the India head coach and the rest of the support staff. Here’s what Gautam Gambhir said about what he wanted Jaiswal to internalise: “If you play 30 overs like one-day cricket and with the quality that Jaiswal has, if he can bat till 30 overs, there is no doubt he will be close to a hundred. Even after that, you have 20 overs left, which you can look at as a T20 match. It is only about finding a template. This was ...

Prema_Rawat (PC: RCB) Name –  Prema Rawat Age –  24 years Team –  Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Price – 20 Lakh   Role –  Right-handed batter, leg spinner Previous WPL experience – 3 matches for RCB in WPL 2024/25, took 1 wicket in two inns, Econ 15.00   T20 Career stats (so far) Batting – 102 runs in 15 inns, Avg 14.57, SR 105.15 Bowling – 38 wickets in 31 inns, Econ 5.54 Recent performances Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, 2025 39 runs in 4 inns, 6 wickets in 5 inns for Uttarakhand India A tour of Australia In the India A tour of Australia, she impressed with 7 wickets in 3 T20s, including two three-wicket hauls. In two 50-over games on the same tour, she added one wicket and played a crucial knock and remained unbeaten on 32 off 33 balls, helping stitch a 68-run stand with Tanuja Kanwar as India A chased down 266 with one ball left. Interestingly, Prema Rawat was also part of the India Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 winning squad’s re...

Jaydon Brooker. Image: Facebook In South Africa, young people taking up two or more sports is a long-standing tradition. Some turn that into a passion and try to shape their destinies by pursuing whichever sport offers a more stable professional career. Jaydon Brooker’s journey is one such example. Brooker, just 20, a Jeppe High School student from Johannesburg, has been passionate about both cricket and hockey for years. At the ongoing Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup, Brooker has been a hero for South Africa so far – six goals in the tournament, showcasing his drag-flicking ability and leading the scoring charts for his nation. Yet the Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup, where Brooker has shone as a top drag-flicker, has served not as a launchpad but as a curtain call for his hockey career. He has decided to leave hockey behind for a professional future in cricket. After the final whistle of the classification match against Malaysia on Thursday, in the humid heat of Tamil Nadu, Jaydon ...

Yashasvi Jaiswal. Image : X This was how Yashasvi Jaiswal, India’s left-hand opener, practiced ahead of the final ODI between India and South Africa in Vizag. Load up, back and across, defend. Load up, back and across, square cut or upper-cut. Load up, back and across, pull stroke. The narrative was crystal clear: Jaiswal was pursuing excellence while facing a throwdown specialist and a net bowler. And his eyes were set on upskilling his horizontal-bat shots. So, how did Jaiswal go about his business in the practice session? Among the three shots he played repeatedly, Jaiswal seemed most comfortable with the pull stroke. One of those even went soaring over the top of the nets. To assuage the fears of Jaiswal’s fans, it wasn’t as if he looked out of sorts when he cracked the cut. But he couldn’t connect with a few of the deliveries offered with width. After about 30–45 minutes of intense practice, Jaiswal took his helmet off and had a long chat with Gautam Gambhir, the head coach. ...

  Andre_Russell (PC:X) Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) CEO Venky Mysore has revealed that it was the team owner Shah Rukh Khan who suggested to offer a coaching role to West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell, after the franchise decided to release him before the IPL 2026 auction.  “I could see he (Russell) was agonising over it, and, so when I shared this with SRK [Shah Rukh Khan, KKR lead owner], it was actually SRK’s suggestion of offering Russell a coaching role,” Mysore told ESPNCricinfo.  Recently KKR released Russel before the IPL 2026 mini-auction. Following the decision, Russell’s name was linked with many franchises. However, the 37-year-old announced his retirement from the tournament before KKR announced him as the ‘power coach’ for the franchise.  Mysore also spoke about the uncertainties that the players face about their future after retirement. “Because, see, a player is thinking somewhere at the back of his mind, what happens after I hang up my boots...

Nathan Lyon (Image: ICC) Australia’s veteran spinner Nathan Lyon’s omission from the ongoing Gabba Ashes day-night Test has raised questions about Australia’s approach. This is his second omission in just a few Tests, which shows changes in team strategy. After reaching the ground, Lyon was told by chair of selectors George Bailey that he would not play. Speaking on Channel 7, he described this as “Absolutely filthy”. He got to know about this during the final huddle between Steven Smith, Andrew McDonald and Bailey. “But yeah, can’t do anything about it. So, yeah, hope I can play my role in making sure I get the guys ready and do whatever I can to make sure that we get the right result here,”he said. Lyon also clarified that he had not yet spoken properly with the selectors about the decision. “To be honest I haven’t really sat down with Ronnie [Andrew McDonald] or George yet. I’m letting things settle down in my own head and trying to make sure that I’m, as I said, doing whatev...

Prasidh Krishna in Ranchi. Image: Debasis Sen Back in 2015, Prasidh Krishna’s maiden first-class game was an eventful one. He didn’t just take a five-for while playing for Karnataka against Bangladesh A but also plucked a wicket with his first ball itself. Six years later, on his ODI debut, the lanky pacer bagged a four-for. However, his first three overs were also expensive, 37 runs came off it. The above-mentioned lines have become a pattern in Prasidh’s career. Be it in Centurion, Sydney, The Oval, Edgbaston or Cape Town, either Prasidh has given away a flurry of boundaries, or alongside being taken to the cleaners, he has also bagged crucial wickets. The Raipur ODI turned out to be another example of Prasidh’s bowling being a version of Jekyll and Hyde, toe-crushers and the heavy ball juxtaposed by hit-me leg-side deliveries and full tosses. On the surface, Prasidh has the required artillery in his quiver to succeed at the highest level. He does get extra bounce and bowls at a...

Team India against Team South Africa in Ranchi. Image: Debasis Sen, Revsportz Dew has made 50-overs cricket an unfair playing field. Anyone who watched the matches in Ranchi and Raipur will know what I’m talking about. Whichever team wins the toss bowls first, and immediately gains an unfair advantage over the opposition. And with India’s toss luck continuing to baffle, South Africa have enjoyed a significant edge in both games. While India did win in Ranchi, they weren’t able to defend 358 in Raipur – something that could indeed be attributed to the dew, which made good bowling almost impossible. That’s what brings me to this piece: Why can’t we move 50-over games back to the day format, as was the case in the 1990s? Or even consider a slightly later start – say 11:30 am – and finish by 7 pm, so that both teams get the same playing conditions? When day-night games were introduced, they were a novelty. Now, they aren’t. Day-night games don’t add much to the sport anymore, and it’s ...

Gaikwad and Kohli (PC: BCCI) India’s former captain Sunil Gavaskar has noticed how Virat Kohli’s guidance made a big difference for young players, especially Ruturaj Gaikwad, during the second ODI against South Africa in Raipur. He highlighted how Kohli’s support helped Gaikwad settle in and score his maiden century. During the post-match show on JioHotstar, Gavaskar said, “The way he and Ruturaj built that partnership was wonderful. Ruturaj’s first ball was a tough one. The bouncer surprised him, a very good delivery from Jansen. He had dismissed Jaiswal off the previous ball, so he followed it up with another sharp bouncer to Ruturaj, and he somehow managed to get it away for four. After that, you could see Kohli immediately walk down the pitch to comfort him.” Gavaskar also explained how Kohli boosted Gaikwad’s confidence. “Ruturaj would have been nervous in his first match. He looked good earlier, and Brevis took a brilliant catch to dismiss him. Sometimes you start wondering ...

Aiden_Markram (PC:X) South Africa pulled off a historic chase as they hunted down the 359-run target in the second ODI in Raipur. Aiden Markram was adjudged the Player of the Match for his superb 110 off 98 balls, which set the foundation for the Proteas. In the post-match presentation, he said: “I always take lessons from the previous game. We knew it is going to swing early and we took up that challenge. If had gotten off to a semi decent start then we could have chased it down. Very similar today and we learned from our mistakes. There was a conservation later in the innings when myself and Temba were set to make a move, I am proud of the boys to get us over the line.” Markram built two important partnerships that acted as pillars of the chase. The 31-year-old added 101 runs off 96 balls with captain Temba Bavuma and 70 off 55 balls with Matthew Breetzke. Markram was eventually removed by Harshit Rana. After his dismissal, Breetzke continued the fight with Dewald Brevis and to...

Kohli_Rohit_India (PC: BCCI) Meeting or no meeting? There seems to be a parallel match going on in Raipur, one in which the interest is even higher. Will the BCCI senior management meet the chairman of selectors and the head coach to discuss the future of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli? While it is perfectly fine for them to meet, the meeting can only have a very limited agenda: domestic cricket. No one in their right mind would want to comment on their places in the side, with Rohit scoring 200 runs in Australia and a stellar 50 in Ranchi, where Kohli led India to victory with a brilliant 135. Both have already done enough to answer any question about whether they still belong. They certainly do, and the hunger and skill are there for anyone to see. As long as they continue to perform, no meeting can discuss or decide their future. It will be entirely up to them to put themselves up for selection, and then it is up to the selectors to pick them or not. As things stand today, they w...

  Kallis (PC:X) South Africa great Jacques Kallis has backed the idea of playing more all-rounders in any team, especially in the shorter format of the game. Kallis told Hindustan Times that playing more all-rounders gives a perfect balance to a team and makes the batting order longer, which helps batters play with a fearless approach. “Yes, 100 per cent. It just gives you a balance to your team. It makes you bat a lot deeper, and you know, it allows you, perhaps you do have a longer batting order with your all-rounders to go a little bit harder up front and in the middle. So it plays a big role in that, you know, as well as balancing it out. So I think in any format, all-rounders are really important. However, particularly in the shorter version of the game, it does play a significant role.” Recently, the Indian team was criticised heavily by experts for playing too many all-rounders. Anil Kumble told JioStar: “Test match cricket requires a different mindset, you can’t rea...

Virat_Kohli (PC:X) India’s veteran batter Virat Kohli played a superb knock of 135 against South Africa in the first ODI of the three-match series at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi. Speaking on Star Sports, South Africa great Dale Steyn explained Kohli’s strong fitness routine, based on a prior discussion he had with the star batter about how he maintains his top physical form. “I actually saw him (Kohli) last night at dinner. I had a chat with him and asked him ‘What do you do, because you play just one format?’, and he said, ‘I live in London now’. He has great facilities at Lord’s, at Surrey, and he goes to practice too. There’s a trainer he works with. He’s always well prepared. When you look at him, he’s in tip-top condition all the time, mentally he is super strong.” Kohli’s innings and his partnership with Rohit Sharma were crucial in helping India put up a big score on the board. He scored his 52nd ton in ODIs, which made him the first male batter to ach...

Virat Kohli (PC: BCCI) South Africa’s all-rounder Marco Jansen has opened up about facing India’s star batter Virat Kohli in the first ODI in Ranchi. Jansen described how tough it is for any bowler when a player of Kohli’s stature and calibre occupies the crease. Kohli smashed his 52nd ODI hundred, which helped India win the first match by 17 runs. Jansen highlighted the challenges of bowling to Kohli. “When you bowl to world-class players, it’s quite difficult to get them out,” he said at the press conference on Sunday. “I always try to get a batter in his first 10 or 15 balls — that’s when they’re still getting used to the wicket.” Once Kohli got a start, Jansen explained, things only became harder for the Proteas bowlers. “But once they’re in and they get on a roll, it’s very difficult to stop them. Everyone here knows how to play — that’s why you go to plan B or C,” he added. It was a good game for Jansen with both bat and ball. First, he picked up two wickets, including that...