India captain Rohit Sharma praised Mohammed Shami as a stalwart of white-ball cricket during a press conference announcing India's squad for the ICC Champions Trophy and the ODI series against England. Shami returns to the ODI setup after more than a year, having recovered from ankle surgery. He was also named in the T20I series squad against England.
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West Indies women snapped their nine-match losing streak against India with a resounding nine-wicket victory in the second T20I. Hayley Matthews' unbeaten 85 overshadowed Smriti Mandhana's elegant 62 as the West Indies chased down India's 159/9 with ease.
Shubman Gill hit a resilient century in the Ranji Trophy match between Punjab and Karnataka, scoring 102 off 171 balls. Despite his efforts, Punjab lost by an innings and 207 runs. After a poor first innings score of 55, Punjab reached 213 in their second innings with Gill's ton as the highlight before being bowled out.
Rishabh Pant missed India's training due to viral fever and KL Rahul will continue as the preferred wicketkeeper for the Champions Trophy match against Pakistan. Coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed that Rahul is the first-choice, following his strong performances, including a confident display against Bangladesh, securing his position in the playing XI.
India's Arshdeep Singh attributes his T20 cricket success to continuous improvement and constructive criticism. Playing for Punjab Kings in IPL 2025, Arshdeep supports new captain Shreyas Iyer's player-centric approach. With 99 international T20 wickets, he thrives on high-pressure situations and emphasizes patience and learning from mistakes to achieve success.
Ravichandran Ashwin recounted an incident during the Border Gavaskar Trophy involving Virat Kohli and fast bowler Akash Deep. Kohli's advice to bowl straight led to Akash losing his rhythm, giving Steve Smith the opportunity to score a century. Ashwin emphasized the importance of understanding a bowler’s mindset. Later, Ashwin announced his retirement from international cricket.
Beth Mooney's unbeaten 96 and Harleen Deol's 45 set up a strong total for Gujarat Giants, leading to an 81-run victory over UP Warriorz in the Women's Premier League. Gujarat's bowlers, including Deandra Dottin and Kashvee Gautam, dismantled UP's batting lineup, moving the Giants to second place in the points table.
Sunil Gavaskar praiseed Jasprit Bumrah's leadership qualities, suggesting he could soon become India's full-time Test captain. Gavaskar appreciated Bumrah's ability to lead without putting undue pressure on teammates. Despite India's series loss to Australia, Bumrah's outstanding individual performance and effective leadership were highlighted.
Delhi Capitals opener Shafali Verma emphasized the significance of the Women's Premier League in improving her cricket skills and adapting her batting approach. Shafali has demonstrated remarkable growth by interacting with international players and plans to focus on scoring runs to regain her ODI squad position, starting with their WPL 2025 campaign against Mumbai Indians.
Steve Smith has been cleared to rejoin the Australian squad for the Sri Lanka Test series after recovering from an elbow injury. He will start batting practice later this week in preparation for the first Test in Galle. This comes as a significant development for Australia as Smith takes over as captain due to Pat Cummins' absence.
India's U19 women's cricket team secured a resounding nine-wicket victory over Pakistan in the U19 Women's T20 Asia Cup. Sonam Yadav's exceptional bowling figures of 4/6 restricted Pakistan to a mere 67/7. G Kamilini's unbeaten 44 then steered India to a comfortable win in just 7.5 overs, setting the stage for their final group match against Nepal.