Junior Digest

June 29,2024: India produced a brilliant performance to defeat South Africa by just seven runs in a dramatic men’s T20 World Cup final, ending a long 13-year wait for the cricket-obsessed nation since its last World Cup win.

It was a nail-biting finale in Bridgetown, Barbados as India set a total of 177 to win – the highest ever score in a men’s T20 final – but South Africa matched it run for run, even pulling ahead at points before some exceptional bowling from India and an outstanding catch from Suryakumar Yadav restricted the Proteas right at the end.

Victory sparked jubilant and emotional celebrations for India after a year of heartbreak for many of its players who lost to Australia in the finals of both the ODI Cricket World Cup and World Test Championship.

India was under pressure early in its innings as some sharp South African bowling reduced it to 39-3 after five overs. But with Axar Patel and talismanic batter Virat Kohli at the crease, India rebuilt.

Together, they put on a 72-run partnership as Axar lofted several sixes over the boundary before a moment’s hesitation allowed Quinton de Kock to run him out at the non-striker’s end and he departed with 47 off 31 balls.

Shivam Dube walked out to the middle and added a quickfire 27 while at the other end, Kohli ticked along and reached a half century – even as he struggled to find the boundary for much of the game. Perhaps spurred by the knowledge that he was playing in his final T20 match for India, as he revealed in his post-match interview, Kohli accelerated in the final three overs to score 76 off 59 balls – a match-changing innings.

He departed in the 18th over, and India lost several late wickets as it chased any possible runs to set a total of 176-7.

Jasprit Bumrah, who has already enjoyed a phenomenal tournament and was named its best player after the match, gave India the perfect start as he bowled Reeza Hendricks in only the second over and South Africa found itself 12-2 shortly afterwards.

But there was still time for the game’s momentum to shift once more as De Kock and rising star Tristan Stubbs sprinted towards a 50-run partnership before Stubbs was bowled by Axar, much to the frustration of De Kock.

South Africa continued to build steadily and almost found itself in a match-winning position when Heinrich Klaasen produced an astonishing performance in the 15th over, hitting Axar for 24 runs and racing towards a half century in just 23 balls, the fastest ever in a men’s T20 World Cup final, according to Opta.

He was finally out after edging Hardik Pandya to Rishabh Pant, giving India a lifeline.

With the match poised on a knife-edge, India’s captain Rohit Sharma sent Bumrah in to bowl his final two overs well ahead of schedule and the star bowler repaid his captain by stymieing the run rate and taking the wicket of Marco Jansen for good measure.

Then, as the tide turned towards India, it seemed as if David Miller had hit a six for South Africa in the penultimate over but for a brilliant catch from Suryakumar Yadav on the boundary, where he caught the ball, threw it up in the air and caught it again as he jumped back inside the ropes.

That gave India the platform it needed and it held on to take the victory by the narrowest of margins.

Dubai, Jan 24,2023: Suryakumar Yadav on Wednesday won the ICC Men’s T20I Cricket of the Year award for the second year in a row.

With his eclectic mix of shots, Suryakumar dominated 2023 with an average that closed in on 50 and a strike rate exceeding 150.

The backbone of India’s middle order got starts throughout the year, delivering several match-winning contributions. This is the second consecutive year that the India batter has taken this award home.

He overcame the challenge of Sikandar Raza, Alpesh Ramjani and Mark Chapman to take the award home.

Looking to go back-to-back after winning the accolade in 2022, Suryakumar did not fall foul to second-year syndrome, dominating again in the shortest format.

Yadav’s first innings of just seven to start the year against Sri Lanka was a mere speed bump in another prolific year, making scores of 51 (36) and 112 not out (51) in the next two matches. Consistent scoring in 20s to 40s continued, before an innings of 83 (44) against the West Indies in Providence proved his class. He ended the series against the West Indies with a knock of 61 (45) in Florida.
Yadav flourished despite the burden of captaincy, taking the reins of a young side towards the end of the year.
Suryakumar made half-centuries against Australia (80 off 42 balls) and South Africa (56 from 36 balls), before posting an even 100 against the Proteas off just 56 balls in their final T20I of the yearin Johannesburg.
With a range of his inside-out drives and clever play behind the wicket, Suryakumar’s knock of 112
off 51 balls against Sri Lanka in January included nine sixes and seven fours, equating to almost a boundary every three deliveries.
His first boundary came off just the fourth ball of his innings, and it took just 45 balls to reach three figures.
The effort was the second-fastest hundred for India in men’s T20Is behind Rohit Sharma’s 35-ball effort against the same opponent in 2017, and India were clear 91-run winners.

Nov 19,2023:Australia have pulled off an upset by beating hosts and undefeated tournament favourites India by six wickets to win the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in Ahmedabad and extend their staggering record of title wins to seven.

The calm but experienced Australian side sailed to a comfortable win despite losing three early wickets in their run chase at a packed Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday evening.

Middle-order batter Travis Head scored 137 runs from 120 balls and Marnus Labuschagne scored 58 from 110 balls as Australia cruised home.

It brought a trophy to captain Pat Cummins and his team, who were not deemed favourites to win when the tournament began more than six weeks ago.

Indeed, Australia and India opened their campaigns against each other in Chennai on October 8, when star India batter Virat Kohli combined with KL Rahul to steer his team’s chase of a moderate total and get their first win of the tournament.

India were in a similar situation in Ahmedabad, where Kohli (54) and Rahul (66) once again came together for a rescue act. However, India’s batting collapse on the biggest stage saw them put up a paltry target of 241 at the end of 50 overs.

Australia’s bowlers, led by Mitchell Starc’s brilliant display of fast bowling with figures of 3-55 in his 10 overs, kept the Indian batting powerhouse at bay with regular dismissals. Captain Cummins ended with figures of 2-34 in 10 overs, while fellow seamer Josh Hazlewood had 2-60 in his 10 overs.
Rohit’s India ‘tried everything’

India’s captain Rohit Sharma began the innings in his typically attacking fashion, scoring 47 runs from 31 balls. But apart from Kohli and Rahul, no other Indian batter threatened the Australian bowlers on a pitch that offered a balance between bat and ball.

Following the loss, Rohit said his team “tried everything” but fell short.

“When KL [Rahul] and Kohli were batting, we were looking at 280 [runs].”
“Australia stitched up a good partnership to win the game and took the game away from us.”

Rohit refused to blame the pitch for his side’s batting display, though he said it “definitely improved under the lights”.
‘Top of the mountain’

Australia last won the title at home in 2015. Their seventh title widens the gap between the rest of the title-winning countries, including India, who have two, along with the West Indies.

Pakistan, Sri Lanka and England have each won the title once.

Australia captain Cummins said his team saved their best for last, as “a couple of big-match players stood up”.

He heaped praise on Labuschagne and Head, saying they “showed some character” to lead the chase on the biggest stage.

“He [Head] takes the game on and put some pressure back on India,” he said.

The win marks the end of an incredible year for Australia, who beat India in the World Test Championship final in England before retaining the Ashes.

Cummins said his team were brave and took the game on at times.

“This year will be a year we remember for a long, long time,” he said.

“We’ve pretty much spent the whole Australia winter away from home … [We] have had a lot of success, but this pips it all – this is top of the mountain.”

Nov 2,2025: The Indian women’s cricket team beat South Africa by 52 runs to win their first-ever ICC Women’s ODI World Cup in Navi Mumbai last night. Deepti Sharma and Shafali Verma starred with both bat and ball to help India secure a tense win after South Africa had won the toss and elected to bowl.
Chasing 299, South Africa looked well set at one stage to get to the target, but Deepti Sharma’s breakthrough sparked a dramatic collapse. After she dismissed Annerie Dercksen, the Proteas crumbled from 209 for 5 to 246 all out. Deepti Sharma had turned the tide for India with a brilliant spell that yielded three crucial wickets, including that of South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt. Deepti bagged 5 wickets for 39 runs from 9.3 overs.
Shafali Verma created memories of a lifetime by scoring 87 in India’s 298 for 7 and then grabbed a couple of crucial wickets to restrict the Proteas Women to 246. Shafali was declared the Player of the Match, while Deepti Sharma won the Player of the Tournament award.

The victorious Indian team was given an all-time high prize money of around 37.3 crore rupees, which indicates a 239 per cent growth over the last time. The tournament’s success and India’s championship win have tremendously boosted the visibility and growth potential of women’s cricket nationwide and internationally.

President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have congratulated Team India on their remarkable victory in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 Final.

In a social media post, the President said this watershed moment will take women’s cricket to even higher performances. Praising the players for their determination and inspiring performance, she said, the girls have made India proud.

In his message, the Prime Minister described it as a spectacular victory that will motivate future champions to take up sports. Mr Modi said their performance in the final was marked by great skill and confidence. The Prime Minister said the team showed exceptional teamwork and tenacity throughout the tournament.

Dubai [UAE], November 14,2021: Mitchell Marsh and David Warner played knocks of 77 and 53 respectively as Australia lifted its maiden T20 World Cup title here at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.
In the summit clash, Australia outclassed New Zealand by eight wickets with seven balls to spare while chasing a target of 173.
Chasing 173, Australia got off to a bad start as the side lost its skipper Aaron Finch (5) in the third over of the innings as he was sent back to the pavilion by Trent Boult. Mitchell Marsh joined David Warner in the middle and the duo took the team’s score to 43/1 after the end of the powerplay.
Warner took a special liking to Kiwi spinners Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner, and the left-handed batter brought up his half-century in the 11th over of the innings. However, the introduction of Trent Boult paid dividend straight away as he clean bowled Warner (53) in the 13th over, reducing Australia to 107/2.
Marsh continued with his carnage and he smashed Ish Sodhi for 16 runs in the 14th over, bringing up his half-century and Australia needed just 48 runs to win from six overs. In the end, Marsh and Glenn Maxwell (28*) guided Australia home by eight wickets.
Earlier, Kane Williamson played a brilliant innings of 85 runs as New Zealand posted 172/4 against Australia Asked to bat first, New Zealand openers Martin Guptill and Daryl Mitchell put on 28 runs for the first wicket, however, this partnership was broken by Josh Hazlewood in the fourth over as he sent Mitchell (11) back to the pavilion. After the end of the powerplay, New Zealand’s score read 32/1.
Kane Williamson and Guptill found the going tough as Australia bowlers managed to maintain a stranglehold over them in the middle overs. However, in the 11th over, Williamson changed the tempo of the innings as he smashed Mitchell Starc for 19 runs. But in the very next over, Adam Zampa dismissed Guptill (28), reducing New Zealand to 76/2.
Williamson smashed two back-to-back sixes off Glenn Maxwell and he brought up his half-century in the 13th over of the innings. The Kiwi skipper decided to go after Starc and in the 16th over bowled by the left-arm seamer, Williamson managed to score 22 runs, and New Zealand was looking in firm control at 136/2. Glenn Phillips departed after playing a 16-run knock and in the same over, Hazlewood dismissed Williamson (85), pegging New Zealand back. In the final two overs, the Kiwis managed to add 23 more runs, taking the score past the 170-run mark.
Brief Scores: New Zealand 172/4 (Kane Williamson 85, Martin Guptill 28; Josh Hazlewood 3-16) vs Australia 173/2 (Mitchell Marsh 77*, David Warner 53; Trent Boult 2-18).

Mumbai, January 12,2024: Star batter Rohit Sharma will remain Indian captain till the ICC Champions Trophy this year, said sources in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Also, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is being discussed as India’s next captain, added the sources.
Rohit’s captaincy has been a mix of memorable highs and some extremely disappointing lows. Be it a 10-match winning streak during the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup at home, which concluded with a loss to Australia in the final or India’s redemption with an ICC T20 World Cup title win in 2024 at Barbados, Rohit’s captaincy has given fans plenty of positives. Under him, team also made it to the final of the ICC World Test Championship 2023, where they lost to Australia.
However, since the second half of 2024, luck seems to have deserted the ‘Hitman’ both as a batter and captain. In the 2024/25 Test season which started with the home series against Bangladesh, Rohit scored just 164 runs in eight matches and 15 innings at an average of 10.93 with the best score of 52. During the recently-concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he could make just 31 runs in three Tests with best score of 10. His form struggles were such that he opted out of the final Test at Sydney.
As a captain, Rohit touched some embarrassing lows as of late. Just before the Test series against Australia, India lost their first home Test series in 12 years, to New Zealand by 0-3. This was also their first-ever whitewash in a home Test series of three matches or more.
After India won the first Test against Australia at Perth by 295 runs under the captaincy of Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit returned to the side after the birth of his second child. However, on his return, India lost the pink-ball Test at Adelaide, managed to draw the third Test at Brisbane, but lost the Boxing Day and New Year’s Test at Melbourne and Sydney respectively.
In the 2024 calendar year, Rohit lost six Tests, including four matches at home. This led to a decline in Rohit’s Test record as captain, winning 12 and losing nine, while three ended in a draw.
On the other hand, Bumrah has so far led in three Tests, winning one and losing two.

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Barbados, June 30,2024: In a momentous announcement that echoes through the annals of cricket history, Rohit Sharma has joined Virat Kohli in retiring from T20 internationals after India’s mesmerizing World Cup triumph over South Africa on Saturday.

Rohit, a colossal figure in India’s cricketing saga, revealed he would continue to grace the fields in One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Test cricket.

“This was my last [T20I] game as well,” Rohit declared in a poignant post-match press conference. “There’s no better time to bid adieu to this format. I’ve cherished every moment. I began my India career in this format, and it’s poetic to conclude it with a World Cup win.”

Reflecting on the exhilarating victory, Rohit’s emotions ran deep: “I wanted this so badly. It’s hard to articulate. This was an immensely emotional moment for me. I was desperate for this title in my life, and I’m ecstatic that we finally crossed the line.”

Rohit exits T20 internationals as its highest scorer, with a staggering 4231 runs in 159 matches, and he holds the record for the most centuries (five) in T20 internationals. His illustrious career bookends two T20 World Cup titles: the inaugural one as a player in 2007 and now as a triumphant captain in 2024.

The retirements of both Rohit and Kohli from the T20I format were anticipated. Neither had featured in T20Is since India’s semifinal heartbreak in the 2022 T20 World Cup and only resumed playing T20Is in January this year, their eyes set firmly on the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Rohit’s farewell tournament saw him emerge as the second-highest run-scorer, amassing 257 runs at a scintillating strike rate of 156.70, a testament to his mastery in challenging batting conditions in the USA and the West Indies. He was instrumental in providing India with explosive starts, delivering crucial half-centuries in their last Super Eight game against Australia and the semifinal against England.

Rohit Sharma’s retirement from T20 internationals marks the end of an enchanting chapter in cricket, his legacy destined to inspire generations to come.

Dubai, Nov 3,2021: Former India Captain Rahul Dravid is all set to don the mantle of head coach of Team India, replacing Ravi Shastri, after the ongoing T20 World Cup in Dubai.

The Cricket Advisory Committee comprising Sulakshana Naik and RP Singh on Wednesday unanimously appointed Dravid.

“It is an absolute honour to be appointed as the new Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team and I am really looking forward to this role. Under Mr Shastri, the team has done very well, and I hope to work with the team to take this forward,” Dravid was quoted as saying by the BCCI.

The BCCI had invited applications for the said position on October 26 to appoint Ravi Shastri’s successor, whose term gets over after the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup.

“Having worked closely with most of the boys either at NCA, U19 and India A setup, I know they have the passion and desire to improve every day. There are some marquee multi-team events in the next two years, and I look forward to working with the players and the support staff to achieve our potential,” he added.

The former India captain will take charge from the upcoming home series against New Zealand.

Congratulating Shastri, B Arun (Bowling Coach), R Sridhar (Fielding Coach) and Vikram Rathour (Batting Coach) on a successful tenure, BCCI said under Shastri, the Indian Cricket Team adopted a bold and fearless approach and performed creditably both in home and away conditions.

India climbed to the top position in the Test format and made it to the final of the inaugural World Test Championship in England, the Board said.

India became the first Asian team to win a Test series in Australia (2018-19) and followed it with another series win in 2020-21, BCCI said.

“India were also the first team to win all 5 T20Is in a bilateral series when it blanked New Zealand 5-0. Under Shastri and his team’s guidance, India won all their seven Test series at home,” it added.

Welcoming Dravid as the Head Coach, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly said Rahul has had an illustrious playing career and is one of the greats of the game and hoped that his new stint will take Indian cricket to new heights.

Dravid has also served Indian cricket as Head of National Cricket Academy (NCA) with distinction, he said.

New Delhi, May 4: BCCI on Tuesday postponed the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 indefinitely following a rise in cases of COVID-19 within tournaments’ bio-bubble.

The announcement came after Sunrisers Hyderabad’s wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha tested positive for COVID-19 along with Delhi Capitals’ spinner Amit Mishra.

In a media statement, the IPL said the decision was ‘unanimously’ taken by the tournament’s Governing Council along with the top brass of the BCCI

“The BCCI does not want to compromise on the safety of the players, support staff and the other participants involved in organising the IPL. This decision was taken keeping the safety, health and well-being of all the stakeholders in mind,” the cash-rich league said in a statement.

“These are difficult times, especially in India and while we have tried to bring in some positivity and cheer, however, it is imperative that the tournament is now suspended and everyone goes back to their families and loved ones in these trying times.

The BCCI will do everything in its powers to arrange for the secure and safe passage of all the participants in IPL 2021,” it added.

Earlier on Monday, Chennai Super Kings bowling coach L Balaji along with Kolkata Knight Riders bowlers Sandeep Warrier and Varun Chakravarthy had also tested positive for the virus.

The spread of infections had also led to postponement of two IPL matches earlier.

The tournament began on April 9 and ran smoothly for about a month before KKR’s COVID-19 cases caused the problem on Monday.

India recorded over 3.57 lakh new covid-19 cases in the 24 hours ending 0800 hrs on Tuesday, taking the total infections past the 2 crore mark.

Colombo [Sri Lanka], February 19,2021: Sri Lanka pacer Dhammika Prasad, who last played in 2015 against West Indies, has retired from international cricket at age of 37.
Prasad was a key cog in the bowling wheel of Sri Lanka before a shoulder injury hindered his cricketing career. The right-arm fast-medium bowler had made comeback in first-class cricket but wasn’t able to play for Sri Lanka.
Prasad played an integral role in Sri Lanka’s first series win in England in 2014. His second-innings five-wicket haul has been the highlight of his short career.
Prasad scalped 75 wickets in the longest format of the game and finished with 32 ODI wickets in 24 games. Sri Lanka spinner Rangana Herath on Thursday remembered Prasad’s heroics against England.
“We had never won a series in England, and when Dhammika took wickets on that fourth day in Leeds, it set us up for victory and that was a remarkable thing,” ESPncricinfo quoted Herath as saying.

“When he and I bowled together, I knew he would be putting pressure on the batsman from the other end – either keeping the runs down, or threatening their wickets,” he added.
Herath also spoke about Prasad’s heated argument with Indian pacer Ishant Sharma in 2015. “I also remember something to laugh about. In 2015, when we played India at home, he had a heated argument with Ishant Sharma on the field,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Herath as saying.
“At the time we all thought it would be something that went on for a long time. But that same evening, we saw him and Ishant having a coffee together at the hotel. They hadn’t waited for the end of the match – they made up that evening itself,” he added.
Former Sri Lanka skipper praised Prasad’s eagerness to bowl at any stage of the game. “Generally fast bowlers like to bowl with the new ball first thing in the day when the conditions suit them, but Dhammika was someone you could call on anytime,” said Atapattu.
“He’d want the ball at all times of the day, no matter what condition it was in. If it was 5pm, and he was bowling with an old ball, and there was a batsman batting on 150, he’d still take the ball, because he wanted to get that breakthrough for the team. Those are rare qualities from a cricketer,” he added.
Prasad wants to feature in Sri Lanka’s domestic arena before entirely quitting cricket.

Brisbane, Jan 19,2021: Riding on Rishabh Pant’s swashbuckling 89 not out, India created history on Tuesday as they became the first team to beat Australia in a Test match in Brisbane in 33 years after winning the series-deciding fourth and final match by 3 wickets at the Gabba.

Australia had not been beaten at the Gabba since falling to Viv Richards’ all-conquering West Indies side by nine wickets in November 1988.

Australia had won the first Test in Adelaide while India struck back with victory in Melbourne. The third Test in Sydney had ended in a draw.

With 2-1 series triumph, India also retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India had won a historic Test series Down Under two years back and now the team is cherishing back-to-back series victory.

Resuming at four for none on the final day, the injury-depleted India overhauled the target of 328 in the fourth innings to with 18 balls to spare in a thrilling encounter thanks to brilliant knocks from Shubman Gill (91), Rishabh Pant (89 not out) and Cheteshwar Pujara (56).

India rode on superb partnerships between Pujara-Gill (114 runs), Pujara-Pant (61) and Pant-Washington Sundar (53) to cross the finish line in a historic Test which went down to the wire.

India’s 329 for seven also smashed the 69-year-old record for the biggest run-chase at the Gabba, set by Australia who scored 236 for seven to beat the West Indies in 1951.

It is also India’s third highest successful run chase behind the 406 (vs West Indies Port of Spain 1975/76) and 387 (vs England Chennai 2008/09).

New Delhi, Sep 9: India on Wednesday announced their 15-member squad for the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, beginning on October 17 in the UAE and Oman, with off-spinner R Ashwin making a return to the white-ball squad after a lay-off.

The 34-year-old Ashwin last played a T20I in July 2017 against West Indies before being sidelined from white ball squad following the Champions Trophy.

However, he captained the Punjab team in the IPL in the 2018 and 2019 seasons, bagging 10 and 15 wickets respectively. Ashwin shifted base to Delhi Capitals in 2020 and picked up 13 wickets at an average of 30.07 and an economy of 7.66 in his first season for the side.

Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel and Varun Chakaravarthy were rewarded for their consistent performance in the IPL. Also making the squad was Suryakumar Yadav, who has done consistently well in IPL.

Meanwhile, the wrist-spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav were left out for the multi-team event. Varun Chakravarthy, who has impressed in the IPL, has also been selected in the 15-member side, with Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar and Axar Patel making up the spin department.

Shikhar Dhawan, who recently captained the limited-overs side in Sri Lanka, was a notable absentee while the selectors also chose to leave out Prithvi Shaw. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul are the main openers while skipper Virat Kohli is also an option at the top of the order.

Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur will be the reserves for the Indian team.

Meanwhile, former Indian captain MS Dhoni will serve as mentor for the team during the course of the tournament.

Jay Shah, the BCCI Honorary Secretary, revealed the thinking behind appointing Dhoni, the former India captain who led the side to the inaugural T20 World Cup trophy.

“As far as Dhoni is concerned, I spoke to him when I was in Dubai.He was okay with the decision, and he agreed to be a mentor for team India, for the T20 World Cup only, ‘ said Shah.

“I spoke to the captain (Virat Kohli) and vice-captain (Rohit Sharma) as well as Ravi Shastri (the head coach), and that’s why we reached the conclusion,’ he added.

Kohli’s side will open their campaign in a Super12 encounter against Pakistan in Dubai on 24 October.

Apart from Pakistan, India have been pooled with Afghanistan and New Zealand in Group 2, as well as two sides who progress from Round 1 of the tournament, beginning on 17 October.

The top two teams in each group of the Super12 stage progress to the semi-finals, with the final set to be played in Dubai on 14 November.

Full squad: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Ishan Kishan, Rahul Chahar, Varun Chakravarthy

Standby players: Shreyas Iyer, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar.

Islamabad, May 6,2023: Pakistan’s men’s cricket team defeated New Zealand on Friday night by a big margin of 102 runs to become the world No.1 team in the One-Day International (ODI) format of the game.

In the fourth day and night match of the ongoing series, the Pakistani team set a huge total of 334 runs at the board off 50 overs with the help of a century by captain Babar Azam at the National Stadium in the country’s southern port city of Karachi.

Shan Masood and Agha Salman also made 44 and 58 runs respectively before IftikharAhmed and Shaheen Afridi played quick and blistering knocks to raise the team total to 334 runs.

Matt Henry was the only New Zealand bowler who created some disturbance forPakistani batting by taking three wickets for 65 runs off 10 overs.

Chasing the target required the visitors to maintain the required run rate bykeeping wickets intact but the Pakistani fierce bowling line rattled through the opponents’ batting line with Will Young and Tom Blundell losing their wickets within two overs after a sedate start with low strike rate.

New Zealand captain Tom Latham and Mark Chapman were the only batsmen who resisted Pakistan’s dominating bowling, but once they got out, their team lost consistent wickets before going all out at 232 runs.

Pakistani captain Babar Azam was named Player of the Match for his century,and he also became the quickest player to make 5,000 ODI runs in just 99 matches.

With the victory, Pakistan took the lead of 4-0 in the series and also reached the top ranking of the ODI with 113 points. Pakistan will have to win the fifth and final match of the series to consolidate its top position.

New Delhi, Jun 9: Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag on Wednesday launched CRICURU – India’s first experiential learning website and app aimed at redefining the cricket coaching experience in the country.

CRICURU claims to be a pioneer in AI-based cricket coaching in India and offers a personalised learning experience to its users. The curriculum for each player is developed personally by Virender Sehwag along with Sanjay Bangar, former Indian player and batting coach of the Indian cricket team (2015-19).

With international cricket attaining new heights in terms of technology-led innovation, Sehwag believes there was a need for India to join the bandwagon and offer a similar experience for aspiring cricketers.

‘At CRICURU, our aim is to develop an ecosystem to democratise cricket learning in India and bridge the existing gaps. Our curriculum is designed meticulously giving access to coaching experts from across the globe to offer an uninterrupted coaching experience for aspiring cricketers at par with international standards of cricket,’ said Sehwag, Founder of CRICURU at the launch.

‘CRICURU also gives parents an opportunity to become partners with their children as they work towards attaining the required skill set for a professional career in cricket,’ he added.

An AI-enabled mobile-web-based application, CRICURU is designed to help youngsters learn playing cricket through master classes of 30 handpicked player-coaches from across the globe like AB de Villiers, Brett Lee, Brian Lara, Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Harbhajan Singh, Jonty Rhodes, with about four hours of curated video content with each coach, where learning is evaluated using customized AI led technology.

The experiential learning website that brings learning alive through immersive videos, interactive augmented reality and engaging simulations.

With proprietary features like coaching videos, AI/ML analysis, and Dial-A-Coach, featuring a niche of sports learning AI/ML-based video bank of cricketing legends and engaging simulations, CRICURU aims to create an affordable expert cricket coaching platform.

‘The vision behind CRICURU is to offer access to cricket coaching for people living anywhere across the country, even Tier 2 and 3 cities which can be easily accessed from the comfort of your homes. With smartphone and internet penetration on the rise this just makes it more accessible for aspiring enthusiasts,’ said Sanjay Bangar, co-founder of the app.

CRICURU is a combination of demonstrations and interviews where your CRICURU shares his experience and learning with you.

Each class includes extensive pre-recorded video content and the videos can be paused, fast-forwarded, and re-watched as many times as one would like.

The app is available on both iOS and Android devices and users can log on to www.cricuru.com to subscribe for a duration of 1 year. The subscription fees starts from Rs 299 for a duration of one year.

New Delhi, Sep 19,2021: Following his decision to step down as Team India’s T20 captain, Virat Kohli on Sunday decided not to continue as Royal Challengers Bangalore after the IPL 2021 ends next month, RCB released a social media statement to confirm Kohli’s decision.

In a video tweeted by RCB, Kohli announced that he will continue to play as an RCB player until he plays his last IPL game while thanking his fans for all the support.

“Hello everyone, the whole RCB family, the amazing fans of Bangalore and to all those who have supported us. I have an announcement to make,” Kohli said in the video. “This will be my last IPL as captain of RCB. I’ll continue to be an RCB player till I play my last IPL game. I thank all the RCB fans for believing in me and supporting me.”

Kohli added that he has been shouldering a lot of responsibilities over the years and requires space to be fresh for his future ahead.

“I want to be able to be committed to the responsibilities that I am fulfiling and I felt I needed the space to be fresh, to regroup and be absolutely clear in how I want to move forward. It’s been a great journey of nine years, with moments of joy and frustration, happiness and sadness,” he said.

Kohli has been facing the heat over the last one week after reports of disharmony in the dressing room and BCCI’s distrust in his captaincy ability has been making the rounds. The board has already signed up MS Dhoni as the mentor of the team during the upcoming T20 World Cup with Rohit Sharma all set to take charge after the tournament.

Also, the future of Ravi Shastri as the head coach of the team is also in doubt after the coach was blamed by some quarters of causing the COVID-19 outbreak in the team; leading to eventual cancellation of fifth England vs India Test.

London [UK], April 15,2021: India skipper Virat Kohli has been named Wisden Almanack’s ODI cricketer of the 2010s. Kohli made more than 11,000 runs in the period, averaging over 60 and scoring 42 hundreds.
The decade began with him winning the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011, and he added a Champions Trophy title two years later, top-scoring in the final. In five global ICC 50-over tournaments in the decade, Kohli and India never fell before the semi-final stage.
Apart from this, England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been named Wisden’s Leading Cricketer in the World in 2020. West Indian all-rounder Jason Holder, Pakistani wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Rizwan, England’s emerging stars Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley, and Kent’s 44-yr old Darren Stevens have been named as the Five Cricketers of the Year.
Australia women cricketer Beth Mooney has been awarded as the leading women cricketer. West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard was named as the leading T20I cricketer in the world.
Earlier in the year, Kohli was named as the ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade and the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Decade.
“My only intention was to make winning contributions for the team and I just strive to do that in every game. Stats just become the byproduct of what you want to do on the field,” Kohli had said after winning the award.
Kohli was also named the skipper of ICC’s Test Team of the Decade.
Test Team of the Decade: Alistair Cook (England), David Warner (Australia), Kane Williamson (New Zealand), Virat Kohli (c) (India), Steve Smith (Australia), Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka), Ben Stokes (England), Ravi Ashwin (India), Dale Steyn (South Africa), Stuart Broad (England), James Anderson (England).
In 2019, Kohli had surpassed MS Dhoni to become India’s most successful Test skipper. After winning the Test against West Indies, Kohli had scripted his 28th Test win as captain.

Raipur,Mar 22,2021: India Legends emerged champions in the first edition of the Unacademy Road Safety World Series T20 after beating Sri Lanka Legends by 14 runs in the final at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium on Sunday night.

In a repeat of the World Cup 2011 final versus Sri Lanka which the Men in Blue won under MS Dhoni, this win came under the captaincy of Sachin Tendulkar.

All-rounder Yusuf Pathan starred in the team’s victory with an unbeaten 62 and two wickets for 26 that restricted Lanka to 167/7 in 20 overs, chasing a target of 182. Sanath Jayasuriya scored the highest 43 while captain Tillakratne Dilshan failed to click this time, scoring just 21.

Earlier, Yuvraj Singh and Yusuf went on a rampage by slamming half centuries to see India Legends put up a challenging total of 181 for the loss of four wickets in 20 overs.

Yuvraj got an entertaining 60 off 41 balls with four boundaries and as many sixes while Yusuf remained unbeaten on 62 in 36 balls with four hits to the ropes and five sixes. Other than the two big men, captain Tendulkar got a classy 30 which included five boundaries.

For Lankans, none of the bowlers were impressive as Rangana Herath, Sanath Jayasuriya, Farveez Maharoof and Kaushalya Weeraratne took one wicket each. The tournament’s leading wicket-taker and Sri Lanka’s match-winner Dilshan returned empty handed, giving away 25 runs in two overs.

India got an unexpected slow start to the innings. They lost their first wicket in the third over itself. Virender Sehwag was bowled by Rangana Hearth while going for a big shot after hitting the left-arm spinner out of the park in the previous ball. In the next over, Tendulkar swept Dilshan for back to back boundaries, taking back the control before S Badrinath was out leg before wicket to the left-arm orthodox of Sanath Jayasuriya.

Coming next, Yuvraj got a classy boundary on the on off Dhammika Prasad before the two went silent for the next few overs. Once Dilsan came in, Yuvraj smacked Dilshan for two sixes and by the end of 10th over India were 77 for two. In the 11th over, Maharoof got the scalp of Tendulkar who went for a lose shot that went into the hands of wicket-keeper Upul Tharanga.

Post Tendulkar’s wicket, the two big hitters went on a rampage where they executed some big shots whenever it was pitched in their zone that left Sri Lanka hapless and helpless.

In the 16th over, Yuvraj and Yusuf hit Prasad for 22 that had two sixes and as many fours. Yusuf followed it with three sixes in the next over of Kulasekara. A while later Yuvraj was dismissed by Kaushalya Weeraratne in the 19th over, but it was enough for Yusuf with brother Irfan to take the team past 180.

Brief scores: India Legends 181/4 in 20 overs (Yusuf Pathan 62 not out Yuvraj Singh 60, Sachin Tendulkar 30) beat Sri Lanka legends 167/7 in 20 overs (Sanath Jayasuriya 43, Chinthaka Jayasinghe 40, Kausalya Weeraratne 38;Yusuf Pathan 2/26, Irfan Pathan 2/29) by 14 runs.

Melbourne, Dec 29,2020: India produced a clinical performance to beat Australia by 8 wickets in the second Test and level the four-match series 1-1 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, here on Tuesday.

Chasing a target of 70 for victory India got off to a poor start with Mitchell Starc getting rid of opener Mayank Agarwal for 5 in the 5th over. In the next over, Pat Cummins sent back Cheteshwar Pujara for 3 to leave the visitors in a spot of bother at 19 for 2.

However, Shubman Gill (35 not out) and Rahane (27 not out) kept their composure and batted positively to take India to victory in the Boxing Day Test.

Earlier, India wrapped up Australia’s second innings for 200 in the opening session of the fourth day.

Australia lost their last 4 wickets in the extended first session on Tuesday, managing to add just 67 runs to their overnight score of 133 for 6.

India had taken a 131-run lead on the third day as hosts scored 326 in reply to Australia’s first innings total of 195.

Cameron Green (45) and Matthew Wade (40) were the top-scorer for the hosts.

For India, debutant pacer Mohammed Siraj (3/37) took three wickets while Jasprit Bumrah (2/54) and Ravindra Jadeja (2/28) and Ravichandran Ashwin (2/71) took two wickets apiece.

India had lost the pink-ball Test in Adelaide last week in which they were bowled out for a record low of 36 in their second innings.

The third Test is scheduled to be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 7.

Brief Scores: Australia: 195 and 200 in 103.1 overs (C Green 45, M Wade 40, M Labuschagne 28; M Siraj 3/37, R Jadeja 2/28, J Bumrah 2/54)

India: 326 and 70 for 2 in 15.5 overs. (S Gill 35 not out, A Rahane 27 not out; M Starc 1/20, P Cummins 1/22).