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Akash Deep during the practice session. (PC: Debasis Sen) A fit and recharged Akash Deep is all set to start bowling from Monday, at the Centre of Excellence (CoE), in Bengaluru. The fast bowler from Bengal was in headlines for his impressive performance during the recently-concluded tour of England. The 28-year-old pacer had to skip the ongoing Duleep Trophy matches after being advised to take precautionary rest by the BCCI medical staff for an impact injury he suffered during the fifth and final test at The Oval. “I am feeling fresh and recharged now. I had a break after returning from England which was much needed. I am going to start my training at the CoE from Monday. I am not looking too far ahead of the series against the West Indies at home. First and foremost, I need to stay fit. Fitness is something which is in your control and I need to work on that aspect. Performances can vary but fitness is something that is under your control,” said Akash in an interaction with RevS...

KL_Rahul (PC: KL_Rahul/X) Former India cricketer Suresh Raina believes that KL Rahul still has what it takes to be part of India’s T20I setup. Rahul, who last played the shortest format for India in the 2022 T20 World Cup, has been out of the squad since then, with selectors preferring a more aggressive approach through young batters like Abhishek Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, and Shubman Gill. But Raina strongly feels Rahul’s experience and quality are too valuable to ignore. “He scored the runs. See, KL Rahul has a temperament. People think T20 is a very fast game where you only need to hit shots, but the class, temperament, and game awareness he possesses don’t come overnight. He has worked a lot, so I think he will come back,” Raina said on Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube channel. Rahul has already proved his capability in the IPL this year. Playing for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025, he scored 539 runs in 13 matches at a strike rate of 149.72. He also showcased flexibility...

Arshdeep is yet to make his Test debut. (PC: BCCI) India pacer Arshdeep Singh has revealed that he has been following Mohammed Siraj’s advice of enjoying the “boring” phases of red-ball cricket in order to succeed in the game’s oldest format, following his success in white-ball cricket. Over the past few years, Arshdeep has made a name for himself in white-ball cricket and has become an indispensable part of India’s T20I setup. Despite claiming 113 international wickets in 72 matches, Arshdeep is yet to make a mark in red-ball cricket. Although he has not played many first-class matches since making his India debut, Arshdeep received a Test call-up on the back of his impressive performances in the white-ball formats. The Punjab-based pacer is still learning the nuances of the longest format before making his Test debut. “In Test cricket, or red-ball cricket, there are times when the day gets boring,” Arshdeep said. “In the session after lunch, the ball often doesn’t do much. So...

Akash Deep (L), Smt. Shyama Shaw being felicitated by Shri Aroop Biswas, Shri Firhad Hakim and CAB president, Snehasish Ganguly (RevSportz/CAB) More than 200 trophies and awards were up for grabs at the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) Annual Awards Ceremony 2025, held at the Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium, Kolkata, on Saturday. Along with the trophies and medals, a cumulative prize money pool of Rs 2 crore was distributed among the winners and teams. Players across different age categories — men and women — were felicitated for their achievements at the national and domestic stages. Apart from players, officials, ground staff and office bearers employees were also honoured during the evening. The event was inaugurated with a speech from CAB president Snehasish Ganguly, followed by the Mayor of Kolkata, Firhad Hakim, and West Bengal Sports Minister, Aroop Biswas. In his address, the Sports Minister urged the Bengal cricketers to end the long wait for Ranji Trophy glory. “While growi...

Ayub (PC:X)   Pakistan defeated UAE by 31 runs in the second match of the ongoing T20I tri-series in Sharjah. Saim Ayub was the star of the night for the Men in Green, delivering an all-round performance with a blazing fifty and a wicket with the ball. After winning the toss, Pakistan elected to bat first. Ayub top-scored with a brilliant 69 off just 38 deliveries, hitting seven fours and four sixes at a strike rate of 181.58. He was well supported by Hasan Nawaz, who played an explosive knock of 56 from 26 balls, laced with two fours and six sixes at a strike rate of 215.38. Their contributions powered Pakistan to a total of 207 all-out in 20 overs. For UAE, Junaid Siddique and Saghir Khan both impressed with three wickets each. Chasing 208, UAE suffered a setback in the sixth over when they lost their second and third wickets on consecutive balls. However, Asif Khan tried to bring his team back into the contest. He built two crucial partnerships — a 54-run stand with Dhruv...

Irfan Pathan. Images: X Boria Majumdar It’s now more than two decades since Irfan Pathan announced himself as an all-rounder of genuine promise. Though he couldn’t quite live up to the early potential, he still played a huge part in India winning the first T20 World Cup in 2007. Now a commentator with coaching ambitions, Irfan spoke exclusively to Boria Majumdar, RevSportz editor-in-chief, about coaching and mentoring youngsters, his own playing journey and the prospects of Kohli, Rohit and Shami making it to World Cup 2027. Boria: Tell us a bit about the side of Irfan Pathan that makes time out of his busy schedule to help youngsters make a comeback, helps them get IPL contracts and much more? And what it means to you. Irfan: Boria Bhai , it’s not like only I do this. A lot of cricketers do it as we are a cricketing community. If you get a call as a cricketer and someone says they need help, then you try to sort it out. One makes time because time is priority. I don’t think a...

Dewald_Brevis (PC: BCCI/IPL) AB de Villiers has thrown his full support behind South Africa’s young star Dewald Brevis, praising his breakthrough performances this year while also clarifying earlier remarks he made about the youngster. Brevis, who impressed during South Africa’s recent white-ball series in Australia, is fast becoming one of the most exciting batting prospects in world cricket. Speaking on his YouTube channel, de Villiers said: “I purely just wanted to say that a lot of teams missed out, and I think that was the message from me. People, organisers of the IPL franchises, the owners, whoever, the scouts, I felt got it horribly wrong in that main auction, not picking him up. What a fantastic opportunity they had.” The former South African captain pointed out that both his old IPL side, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Brevis’s former team, Mumbai Indians, made a mistake in letting him go. “I think teams like RCB, obviously, he was at MI before, they decided to let g...

Agha (PC:X) Pakistan kicked off their T20I tri-series campaign with a 39-run win over Afghanistan in Sharjah. Skipper Salman Agha was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 53 runs off 36 balls. After winning the toss, Pakistan opted to bat first. However, their top-order could not provide a solid start, as they were reduced to 83/4 in 11.1 overs. Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, and Fakhar Zaman all got starts but failed to convert them into big scores. The innings was steadied by a 53-run fifth-wicket stand between captain Agha and Mohammad Nawaz (21 off 11). Later, useful contributions from Mohammad Haris (15 off 13) and Faheem Ashraf (14 off 5) helped Pakistan post 182/7 in 20 overs. Agha remained unbeaten on 53 at a strike rate of 147.22. For Afghanistan, Fareed Ahmad claimed two wickets, while Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Azmatullah Omarzai took one each. In reply, Afghanistan lost Ibrahim Zadran for just nine runs, but Rahmanullah Gurbaz (38) and Sed...

Irfan_Pathan (PC: X) Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan believes that Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness and workload management should be approached differently, especially during high-pressure match situations. In an exclusive conversation with Boria Majumdar on RevSportz, the former all-rounder explained why Bumrah is so crucial and how his use on the field can directly influence the outcome of a game. Pathan began by praising Bumrah’s unmatched ability and variety with the ball. “One thing is that a guy like Jasprit Bumrah is very unique. They are like treasure with the kind of skill they have. I was the first one to say that the kind of skill he has is the best skill we have ever had. If you talk about the history of Indian cricket, he is the guy who can bowl inswing, outswing, bouncer, dipping slow one, yorker with a new ball et cetera. He started with inswing. He is now doing outswing with a beautiful wrist position, and the kind of record he has is outstanding.” Reflecting on th...