Cricket now

Virat Kohli ( PC- ICT instagram account/ BCCI) Virat Kohli didn’t open his account in the third ODI against West Indies on Saturday, but his recent form has caught the attention of former South Africa batter AB de Villiers, who was also Kohli’s teammate at RCB. Kohli was dismissed for 0 after facing just one ball, a few days after smashing an unbeaten 139 in the opening ODI in Thiruvananthapuram. That innings included nine sixes and underlined the approach that De Villiers believes has taken Kohli into another phase of his career. De Villiers, who is set to feature in the World Championship of Legends, described Kohli’s current run as his ‘third peak’. He compared it with the batter’s previous strong phases between 2012 and 2014 and 2016 and 2019. “It’s an incredible run of form,” De Villiers was quoted as saying by The Hindustan Times. “We’ve seen this kind of form in 2012 to 2014 and then again 2016 to 2019 and now this is a third peak for him, really taking his game to the next...

The Australian Test team in frame. An injury to Josh Inglis has forced selectors to bring Nic Maddinson and Sam Harper into their Test squad for the upcoming Test series against South Africa. Due to a fractured finger sustained during the ODI series against South Africa, Inglis has been ruled out of the series opener in Durban. Two players have been added to the squad after Cameron Green also suffered an abdominal strain in the third ODI in Potchefstroom. ‘Flexible’ Maddinson gets a surprise recall, while Harper, the uncapped wicketkeeper-batter, very recently scored a hundred for Australia A against India A in Puducherry to impress the selectors. “Sam gives us wicketkeeping cover as Josh continues his recovery, while Nic provides flexibility throughout the batting order,” chairman of selectors George Bailey said. The three-match Test series will be played between 9 and 31 October, with matches set to be played in Durban, Gqeberha and Cape Town. Potchefstroom will host a two-day ...

Indian men’s cricket team with their gold medals. (PC: RevSportz) India retained their Asian Games cricket gold medal after beating Pakistan by 19 runs in a high-scoring and tense final in Nagoya. Despite limited preparation and persistent rain disrupting their time in Japan, India held their nerve when it mattered most to defend the title they won at the previous Games in Hangzhou. After posting 211, India were pushed hard by Pakistan, but their bowlers produced the decisive moments as the game tightened. For captain Shreyas Iyer, the victory was about refusing to be overwhelmed by the occasion and trusting the work the team had managed to put in. “This is definitely a huge occasion when you are playing Pakistan in the final,” said Shreyas. “The whole country is watching and you have that kind of pressure. “But I told my teammates, let’s not get carried away by the occasion. We need to stick to what we have been doing right. Even though we didn’t get much opportunity to practise, ...

  Image :RevSportz Boria Majumdar in Nagoya It was the Asian Games final and the stakes were high. The stands were full, tickets were selling at a premium in Nagoya, and fans from across the world had come to watch this one game. Why? Because it was India versus Pakistan, after all. Understandably, there was tension. But Pakistan, for a while now, has not been a match for India, and the difference in quality was once again on show in Nagoya. As I watched, I kept going back to the days when Pakistan versus India was a signature cricketing clash. I grew up on India-Pakistan cricket. Pakistan was a force, and a win against Pakistan was an occasion to celebrate. Not anymore. The hype today is largely artificial and the celebration more of an afterthought. We need to somehow sustain the rivalry because it sells and offers an attractive headline. But in real terms, Pakistan are in terminal decline, and there is little sign of it stopping. Take today’s clash. India raced to 8...

Head coach Daren Sammy in Guwahati. (PC: Debasis Sen) West Indies head coach Daren Sammy is in agreement with what Gautam Gambhir said the other day about ODI cricket being heavily tilted in favour of the batters, with the conditions being too harsh for the bowlers. The last ODI between India and West Indies in Guwahati produced over 800 runs, with both teams scoring more than 400 runs each. India completed a record run chase of 406 inside 44 overs. Although India won, Gambhir highlighted a major concern, saying, “This is not cricket, this is only batting.” Sammy feels that the luck factor has been missing for the bowlers in the series, before pointing to Gambhir’s statement and agreeing with it. “Maybe we have not had the luck of bowling first, where you could bring whatever reverse swing or whatever there is in drier conditions. But yes, it has been a really bat-vs-bat contest, as Gautam (Gambhir) said,” Sammy quipped. “We need to continue to try to find ways to put the Indian ba...

India men’s cricket team will look to defend their gold medal. (PC: BCCI) The Indian team batting coach at the Asian Games, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, downplayed the hype of the Pakistan game ahead of the final, scheduled to be played on Saturday, October 3. For the consecutive year, India and Pakistan will lock horns in a final of a multi-national event. India are the defending champions. The gold medal is on the line. Up against are the arch-rivals. As it’s the final, the stakes are even higher, but Kantikar stressed on sticking to the same methods and not changing a lot only because the opposition is Pakistan. “This is one more international game that my team will be playing and it’s for an Asian games gold. So that’s the importance of the game. For international players each and every game is important, everything is scrutinised. Everything is closely watched. So, I think it’s as important as all the other games,” Kanitkar said at the pre-match press conference...