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Ajinkya — someone who you want to see in the dressing room

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Ajinkya Rahane and Dhawal Kulkarni (PC: ICC, MCA) Dhawal Kulkarni I will start from our U-19 days when I was selected for the Cooch Behar Trophy for Mumbai and Ajinkya was leading the side. That was my first experience with him as a captain. We won that year. If I recall it right, it was 2006-07. From there we were selected to represent India U-19 that toured New Zealand. After that, we were picked for Mumbai Indians in the first year of the IPL. So Ajinkya, also, was part of Mumbai Indians initially. Ajinkya scored runs and I was the highest wicket-taker for Mumbai in that Cooch Behar Trophy. And next year, he was picked for the Mumbai senior team, and also was part of Mumbai Indians. So both of us — Ajinkya made his debut in 2007 in the Ranji Trophy and I made my white-ball debut for Mumbai in the 2007-08 season. That was a fantastic group, the one we were part of. But after that also, we produced so many cricketers who have shown that (winning) attitude. It’s Mumbai cricket’s l...
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“A selfless cricketer, a very caring leader who gets the best out of her players” — Simon Helmot explains what makes Sophie Molineux different

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Simon Helmot and Sophie Molineux (PC: Melbourne Renegades, ICC) With every passing day, Sophie Molineux continues to silence her doubters with her captaincy. Be it for Australia or now, leading Southern Brave in the ongoing Women’s Hundred, Molineux has shown exactly why Cricket Australia backed her to lead the national side. Earlier this year, when Cricket Australia announced Molineux as Alyssa Healy’s successor, questions were raised because of her recurring fitness issues, which had restricted her game time over the previous couple of years for both Australia and the Melbourne Renegades. She had already enjoyed success by leading the Renegades to their maiden WBBL title in 2024. Yet, appointing a player with recurring injury concerns as Australia’s full-time, all-format captain was still a bold call. Australia, after all, are one of the most successful teams in women’s cricket, and the appointment came after they had failed to qualify for the finals of b...
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Rahane announces retirement from all forms of cricket

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Ajinkya_Rahane (PC: X) Ajinkya Rahane, the former India captain, announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on July 30 (Thursday). Rahane, who made his India debut in 2011, played 195 internationals for the country and accumulated over 8000 runs.  Rahane put out a video statement on his instagram account, saying: “The reality of life is that everything has a beginning and everything has an end. When the time comes, we simply have to respect it and move forward. I have always relied on timing in my batting and I have always understood its importance. Today, I feel the timing is right for me to move on and announce my retirement from international cricket and all formats. “From those early days traveling from Dombivli as a young boy just to practice, I gave this game everything I had. Every single day, every innings, every opportunity I got to bat, the dream was always to wear the India cap. I lived by one simple rule: always put my country and my team ahead of...
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India Women’s Players’ Hundred Round-Up: Mandhana’s Magic, Jemimah’s Back-to-Back POTM, Quiet Days for Deepti and Richa

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Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, and Jemimah Rodrigues (PC: ECB, Hundred, Manchester Super Giants) The third round of matches in the ongoing Women’s Hundred saw Smriti Mandhana produce a match-winning knock for Manchester Super Giants, while Jemimah Rodrigues (Southern Brave) claimed her second consecutive Player of the Match award. The other two Indians — Richa Ghosh (Manchester Super Giants) and Deepti Sharma (Sunrisers Leeds) — failed to make a significant impact. Starting with Mandhana, it was an innings fans will remember for the authority with which she batted and the precision of her power-hitting. Chasing 143, the Manchester Super Giants opener began cautiously before shifting gears and playing her shots with freedom, including several towering hits. However, the Super Giants suffered a mini-collapse in the middle overs, losing momentum, and the responsibility for the chase fell squarely on Mandhana’s shoulders. To make matters worse, a dreadful mix-up resulted i...
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Women’s Hundred 2026: London Derby Ends in Dramatic Tie, Third Tied Match in Tournament History

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MI London vs London Spirit, Women’s Hundred 2026 (PC: ECB) The London derby between MI London and London Spirit ended in a dramatic tie at The Oval, becoming only the third tied match in Women’s Hundred history. After posting 151/4, MI London came close to securing their first win of the season. However, London Spirit held their nerve to finish on 151/5, with both teams sharing the points. The previous two tied matches in the tournament came in 2024. The first was between Southern Brave and Northern Superchargers in Leeds, followed by London Spirit and Oval Invincibles at Lord’s. Interestingly, with Oval Invincibles rebranded as MI London this season, London Spirit have now featured in tied matches against the same franchise under different names. Tied matches in Women’s Hundred history  • Southern Brave (100/8) tied with Northern Superchargers (100/7) – Leeds, 2024  • London Spirit (113/9) tied with Oval Invincibles (113/8) – Lord’s, 2024  • MI London (151...
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What worked for Vaibhav in Zimbabwe? His childhood coach opens up

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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi vs Zimbabwe (PC: BCCI) After a rather ordinary start to his international career in England, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi put on a wonderful exhibition of batting during India’s tour of Zimbabwe, notching up a couple of fifties. In an exclusive chat with RevSportz, Manish Ojha, Vaibhav’s childhood coach, shares his thoughts on what worked for the 15-year-old prodigy during the T20I series in Zimbabwe. He also delves deeper into the left-hand batter’s stupendous batting in the 2026 IPL. After a rather modest performance in England, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi proved his worth in Zimbabwe… In the series against Zimbabwe, Vaibhav was more confident, and his mindset looked better. The tour to Ireland and England was his first tour with the Indian team. It takes time for any player to settle into the team environment and then adapt to the conditions. He also has enough experience of playing in Zimbabwe. Last year, in the Under-19 World Cup final, he scored 175 runs...
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Ryan ten Doeschate joins Knight Riders as head of cricket strategy

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Ryan ten Doeschate (PC: BCCI) A day after the BCCI confirmed Ryan ten Doeschate’s departure from the Indian team set-up, Knight Riders Sports that has several T20 league franchises, including Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, announced his appointment as its head of cricket strategy. In his role, ten Doeschate will lead the strategic direction for scouting, player recruitment, squad planning and performance evaluation across the Knight Riders network. He will work closely with the coaching teams to help build a consistent cricketing philosophy and approach across all Knight Riders franchises. As part of his role, he will also serve as assistant coach for Trinbago Knight Riders in the CPL, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the ILT20 and Los Angeles Knight Riders in the MLC. Ten Doeschate’s contract as India’s assistant coach under Gautam Gambhir expired after the white-ball tour of the UK earlier this month. The travel-weary Dutchman wasn’t keen to seek an extension until the 202...
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