Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir expressed his happiness after India won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 by defeating New Zealand in the final. Highlights include excellent performances by Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, Varun Chakravarthy, and Kuldeep Yadav. Rohit Sharma was named Player of the Match, while Rachin Ravindra and Matt Henry also earned notable accolades.
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India captain Rohit Sharma's performance with the bat in the Champions Trophy was defended by head coach Gautam Gambhir, emphasizing the skipper's intent rather than the amoutn of runs he has scored. Gambhir highlighted Rohit's fearless approach at the top of the order as having a positive impact on the team’s dressing room.
Virat Kohli and Steve Smith, two contemporary cricket legends, are striving to regain their past form amidst declining averages. Historical figures like Ricky Ponting, Mahela Jayawardene, and Hashim Amla also saw their averages drop towards the end of their careers. Their experiences highlight the difficulty of maintaining peak performance and timing retirement well.
South Africa's sports minister, Gayton McKenzie, urged the national men's cricket team to boycott Afghanistan at the upcoming Champions Trophy in Pakistan to support Afghan women who face severe repression under Taliban rule. McKenzie argued for solidarity, echoing concerns from activists and organisations about the Taliban's restrictions on women's rights in Afghanistan.
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.
Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has successfully acquired the Oval Invincibles franchise in The Hundred for £123 million, outbidding other competitors. This addition makes it the sixth global cricket team under their ownership, which already includes franchises such as Mumbai Indians in IPL and WPL, MI Cape Town, MI New York and MI Cape Town.
Former Australian cricketer Stuart Clark believes Virat Kohli and Sam Konstas will laugh off their shoulder-barging incident after the Boxing Day Test. While Konstas's debut inning seemed uncharacteristic, Clark is eager to see his approach in the second innings. Clark also defends Rishabh Pant's shot selection and expresses confidence in India's ability to save the Melbourne Test.
India's batting woes continued as they suffered a 1-3 series defeat against Australia in the Border Gavaskar Trophy, leading to their elimination from the World Test Championship final race. At the post-match press conference on Sunday in Sydney, India's head oach Gautam Gambhir emphasized the importance of fairness and honesty within the team.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru have had a strong start to this IPL season under new captain Rajat Patidar, securing wins against Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings. They face Gujarat Titans next at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, wary of the Titans' potent bowling and batting line-ups.
The tradition of awarding the 'fielder of the match' continued as India triumphed over the 2023 ODI World Cup champions Australia in the Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final. Shreyas Iyer was honoured with the medal for his exceptional run out of Alex Carey. Ravi Shastri presented the award amidst humorous moments in the dressing room.
Australia is poised to reclaim the Border Gavaskar Trophy after a decade, leading 2-1 against India in the current Test series. A win or draw in the final Test in Sydney would seal their victory. India's loss to Australia in Melbourne has nearly ended their chances of reaching the World Test Championship final.