Team India stalwart Virat Kohli is set to play for Delhi in the Vijay Hazare Trophy match against the Railways, confirmed DDCA President Rohan Jaitley. The game is scheduled to be played on January 6 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru. The BCCI's diktat for all centrally-contracted players is to participate in at least two matches of the Vijaya Hazare Trophy. However, Kohli wants to make his appearance in three matches as he gears up for the home series against New Zealand. "As of now, he is playing. Virat has given his availability for three games," the Delhi and Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) President told PTI. The right-hander showcased his exceptional form in the first two matches for Delhi, registering the scores of 131 and 77 runs, respectively. With this, Kohli also achieved the milestone of becoming the fastest batsman to score 16,000 runs in List A cricket. He took 330 innings to reach the feat, and also surpassed Sachin Tendulkar, who achieved the feat in 391 innings. Ahead of the 50-over format series against the "Black Caps", a BCCI source said that while the Indian squad for the ODI series assemble in Vadodara by January 8, there are higher chances of Kohli making his appearance a day earlier and train for the clashes. The three-match ODI series between Team India and New Zealand will begin from January 11, with the first game being played at the Vadodara International Cricket Stadium in Kotambi. Earlier, PTI had reported that star all-rounder Hardik Pandya and lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah will be provided rest for the 50-over format series, considering their workload management by the sports science team. The duo will be crucial for the "Men in Blue" during their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign. Defending champions Team India will open their global showpiece campaign by playing a match against the United States of America (USA) on February 7 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The high-octane match between arch-rivals, India and Pakistan, is scheduled to be played on February 15 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. (With PTI Inputs)
29 December,2025 04:50 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentAustralia's head coach, Andrew McDonald, stated that the selectors have received no hints from veteran opening batsman Usman Khawaja regarding his future. The coach also confirmed that the left-hander will be selected for the fifth and final Test match. Khawaja's future in the Australian team looks uncertain. There are rumours that the cricketer might take a call in the fifth Test match as Australia won't be playing another Test match until the Bangladesh series, which is scheduled for August. Speaking about Khawaja's future, McDonald said that there are no indications that the cricketer would be making a decision in Sydney. "We've been really clear that we haven't had a conversation. The speculation has been from the external. He's with his family at the moment, having a couple of days off. We'll build in Sydney, and we're always having conversations with players about where they are and speaking with them directly. And there's no indication at my end that he's calling it in Sydney," he said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. The fifth and the final Test match of the Ashes series is scheduled to be played from January 4 at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Moore Park. Further speaking, the former cricketer also confirmed Khawaja's feature in the Sydney clash and said, "He'd be making centre in Sydney." "So that'll be something that we'll discuss, but his performance in this calendar year has been good enough to warrant selection, so I'd say he'd be there marking centre in Sydney. Our challenge is if any of our great players retire, you want to acknowledge them. But until that point in time when you're clear on someone's future, it's very difficult," said the 44-year-old former cricketer. The Aussies have already won the five-match Ashes series with one match yet to be played. Australia is leading the series 3-1, and it will be interesting to see if the "Three Lions" manage to secure a win in the final match. The side will be looking to end the series on a high note, whereas the Ben Stokes-led England will be playing for pride. (With ANI Inputs)
29 December,2025 04:46 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent642 balls (107 overs)South Africa vs India, Cape Town (2024)Result: India won by 7 wickets The Cape Town Test holds the record for the shortest Test ever completed in the 147-year history of the longest format of the game. Played between South Africa and India, the game turned into a nightmare for batters within a few minutes. Batting first, the Proteas lost their top four batters, who failed to go past single digits, as the hosts were skittled for 55 runs in just 23.2 overs, with wicketkeeper-batter Kyle Verreynne top-scoring with just 15. India pacer Mohammed Siraj claimed career-best figures of 6-15. In reply, India were comfortably placed at 153-4, but the visitors suffered the most bizarre collapse, losing their last six wickets without a run being added in the space of 11 balls. The opening day witnessed 23 wickets at Newlands. On Day Two, despite a century by opener Aiden Markram (106), the hosts could manage only 176. Rohit Sharma & Co chased the 79-run target convincingly in 12 overs. The Newlands pitch was rated “unsatisfactory” by the ICC. 842 balls (140.2 overs)India vs England, Ahmedabad (2021)Result: India won by 10 wickets Axar Patel claimed his career-best 6-38 against England in Ahmedabad The third Test of the series witnessed a rare day-night encounter in India at the newly inaugurated stadium in Ahmedabad. Despite a fighting 53 by opener Zak Crawley, England collapsed for 112 against the Indian spin attack, with left-arm orthodox spinner Axar Patel claiming career-best figures of 6-38. The hosts, looking comfortable at 114-3, struggled later in the innings, losing their last seven wickets for just 31 runs, with part-time spinner Joe Root surprising everyone with an incredible 5-8. England’s second innings witnessed nothing different, with Root & Co being bundled out for just 81. Four visiting batters were sent back to the pavilion without troubling the scorers, handing India a 49-run target, which the hosts chased in 7.4 overs inside two days. 847 balls (141.1 overs)Australia vs England, Perth (2025)Result: Australia won by 8 wickets England skipper Ben Stokes is clean bowled by Australia pacer Mitchell Starc in Perth last month The opening Test of the ongoing Ashes series witnessed the shortest game between Australia and England since 1888. The Perth Stadium produced a pace-friendly wicket offering bounce and immense lateral movement. Australia pacer Mitchell Starc gave England an early blow, dismissing opener Zak Crawley for a duck in the very first over. The visitors recovered to 94-3, but the middle and lower-order batters had no answer to Starc, who finished with his best figures of 7-58, as England were dismissed for 172. Australia, in reply, didn’t fare much better and were eventually bundled out for 132, 40 short of England’s total. It was the same old story for the visitors as they crumbled for just 164. Australia chased the challenging target of 205 without any hiccups in just 28.2 overs, with eight wickets in hand, thanks to a quickfire century by opener Travis Head (123 off 83 balls), as the hosts wrapped up the game within two days.
29 December,2025 03:27 PM IST | Mumbai | Rohan KoliIn the fourth women's T20I match against Sri Lanka, Team India's star batswoman Smriti Mandhana scored 80 runs off just 48 deliveries. Her knock was laced with 11 boundaries and three maximums. With this, she achieved the milestone of completing 10,000 runs in international cricket. Speaking about her accomplishment, she said that a player needs to start from zero again, irrespective of what she has done in the previous match or the series. "I mean, that's never the case where we are like, we've done it before. I feel that, in cricket, you have to start from zero again. The scoreboard is always zero for zero. It's never what you've done in the last match or previous series as well," Mandhana said in a video posted on the social media handle by indiancricketteam. The cricketer also said that she has different expectations for all three formats of the game. Speaking specifically about the shortest format, Mandhana explained the nature of the game. "My internal expectations for all three formats are very different. Of course, T20 is slightly in a way where you can't be extremely hard with yourself after getting out because you're playing at a pace where there are days where it'll come off, there are days where it won't," said the 29-year-old cricketer. Mandhana also labelled the Indian women's cricket team's ODI World Cup 2025 triumph as a big win and said that the current team is still a work in progress. "So it's about just your mind around how you want to go about your cricket. The ODI World Cup win was the biggest thing for women's cricket, and we did kick off that one. So it's a big, big win. But again, you can't be thinking only about successes. We've had times when we could have won matches, but we couldn't this year. And again, I feel with this team being this young, we are always in work in progress," she concluded. With the series already in the bag, the "Women in Blue" will lock horns against Sri Lanka for the fifth T20I. The match is scheduled to be played on December 30th at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. (With ANI Inputs)
29 December,2025 02:46 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentFormer Team India cricketer Anil Kumble feels that Afghanistan's star spinner Rashid Khan's workload needs to be managed for the Gujarat Titans (GT) ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 edition. He also said that bowlers such as Rahul Tewatia and Washington Sundar can contribute more for the franchise in the upcoming edition of the cash-rich league. Speaking on the TATA IPL Auction Review, Kumble said, "I think the novelty of Rashid Khan has worn off a little. There are many similar bowlers available now, so he is not as intimidating as before. His workload has to be managed more, along with bowlers like Sai Kishore. Even Rahul Tewatia and Washington Sundar can contribute more for GT this season". The former cricketer Irfan Pathan heaped praise on Jason Holder by saying that the Gujarat-based franchise has shown a lot of faith in him and feels that the team's strength will be their top three batsmen. "Their bet on Jason Holder is interesting. He is an amazing bowler with the new ball, but his batting has improved, especially his six-hitting abilities. GT has put a lot of faith in that. Their main strength is their top three batters: Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, and Jos Buttler. How they use Washington Sundar will be important, as his batting has gotten better too. The role of Glenn Phillips, or whoever plays at number four or five, will also be very big," he said. The upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is likely to take place from March 26 to May 31. Although the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to release the complete schedule, the upcoming edition of the marquee event is expected to begin around three weeks after the T20 World Cup 2026. The global showpiece is set to begin from February 7 to March 8, and will be hosted by India and Sri Lanka, according to ESPNcricinfo. The IPL will also overlap with the Pakistan Super League (PSL) for the second consecutive year. The PSL will kick off from March 26 to May 3. (With ANI Inputs)
29 December,2025 02:45 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentAhead of the much-anticipated T20 World Cup 2026, Australia's head coach Andrew McDonald said that the veteran pacers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood will likely be named in the squad for the global event. Speaking about Cummins, the head coach said that after the scans, the management will have an idea in about four weeks about the pacer's availability for the World Cup. The pacer only featured in the Adelaide Test of the ongoing Ashes series, where he was back to his best despite a long injury layoff. However, after Australia's win at Adelaide, he was withdrawn from the rest of the series as a precaution and is scheduled for another back scan in four weeks. "Pat (Cummins) will have a scan, I think in another four weeks, so that'll give us the information then on where he's at for the (T20) World Cup. He'll be named in the squad of 15, and then we'll get that information as to where he's at," he said as quoted by the ICC's website. The coach also said that Hazlewood has returned to bowling and is expected to be fit enough during the required timeframe. "Josh is returning to bowl. He looks as though he should be right in terms of possible timeframes," said McDonald. Further speaking, the coach also opened up on Tim David's feature in the Australian squad. The burly power-hitter sustained a hamstring injury while representing Hobart Hurricanes in the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL). McDonald said that David should be available, irrespective of the injury he has sustained. "Not sure whether it's just pure muscle or tendon, and that'll give us a timeframe. I think the timeframe will be kind on TD (Tim David) as well. So he should be available no matter what that injury is," said the 44-year-old former cricketer. The T20 World Cup 2026 is set to kick off from February 7. The Aussies have been placed in Group B along with teams such as Ireland, Oman, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe. They will begin their campaign by playing the first match against Ireland on February 11 at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo. (With ANI Inputs)
29 December,2025 01:28 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentFormer England cricketer Monty Panesar threw his weight behind Ravi Shastri, suggesting the Indian legend could be the perfect fit to take England's cricket team to the next level, after the Ashes debacle. Praising Shastri's track record with India, Panesar said that Shastri's approach to team-building and winning cricket could be just what England needs, urging the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to consider him for a top coaching role. Monty Panesar, speaking to ANI, said the former India head coach Ravi Shastri could be considered for the role of England coach or an advisor, as he understands how to prepare a team and build a winning unit. Notably, India defeated Australia in consecutive Test series on Australian soil during the 2018-19 and 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophies (BGT) under Ravi Shastri's coaching. "Ravi Shastri really understands how to prepare a team and build a winning unit. If he were to take on an advisory or head coach role with England, it could be very beneficial. I'm not sure what the ECB is thinking at the moment, but Shastri's approach to team-building and winning cricket could definitely help England," Panesar said. Panesar said the outcome of the Sydney Test might influence the ECB's key decision-makers on whether McCullum's approach is correct, adding that England may need a different voice going forward. "It will depend on the Test match in Sydney. After that, the main people at the ECB will decide whether Brendan McCullum's approach is right and what kind of cricket England should be playing. At the moment, many county players -- including leading run-scorers and wicket-takers -- aren't getting opportunities, so there's a need for a different perspective and a different voice, maybe." "Someone with a strong record against Australia, especially as a coach, is worth considering. Looking ahead to the Ashes in 2027, England might benefit from a different voice -- that extra 1% that helps teams win. Ravi Shastri's mindset and experience, especially his understanding of how to beat Australia, could be valuable," Panesar said further while speaking to ANI. Highlighting India's BGT wins in 2018-9 and 2020-21 down under, Panesar siad that Shastri transformed a seemingly weak Indian team into a strong side, and suggested that England, facing inexperience in the team, could benefit from a different perspective. "He has actually proven this during his time with India -- showing exactly how a team can win. That Indian side was considered weak at first, but it became a very strong team. England is in a similar situation now, with a lack of experience coming through county cricket, which is why new ideas are needed. If you keep hearing the same voices, you'll keep getting the same results. A different voice could bring a different outcome," Panesar said. England, under head coach Brendan McCullum, has lost 17 matches and won 25 from 45. While the Three Lions avoided a clean sweep in the ongoing Ashes down under, they have already conceded the five-match series to the Aussies, with the scoreline reading 3-1, with one match still to go in Sydney. After facing three consecutive losses against Australia in the 2025-26 Ashes, England won the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which finished in only two days, producing 36 wickets on a bowler-friendly wicket. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
29 December,2025 11:42 AM IST | Luston [England] | ANISmriti Mandhana (80) and Shafali Verma (79) went on a record-making spree as India registered a 30-run victory over Sri Lanka in the fourth Women’s T20I and took a 4-0 lead in the five-match series here on Sunday. The duo powered India to their highest Women’s T20I total of 221-2. Chasing 222, Sri Lanka could manage 191-6 in their allotted 20 overs. Skipper Chamari Athapaththu (52) top-scored for the Lankans, while Hasini Perera (33) and Imesha Dulani (29) also chipped in. Earlier, Mandhana and Shafali put on a batting masterclass to hammer Sri Lanka bowlers all around the Greenfield International Stadium after being put into bat. Towards the end, Richa Ghosh smacked a 16-ball 40 not out and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur made 9-ball 16 not out, as India rattled up a massive total. Indian openers Mandhana and Shafali shared a massive 162-run stand in 15.2 overs, which is now the best partnership for any wicket for the country in women’s T20Is. Brief scoresIndia 221-2 in 20 overs (S Mandhana 80, S Verma 79, R Ghosh 40*) beat Sri Lanka 191-6 in 20 overs (C Athapaththu 52, H Perera 33; V Sharma 2-24, A Reddy 2-42) by 30 runs 80No of sixes hit by Smriti Mandhana in Women’s T20Is — the most for India 4No of times India have posted 200 runs or more in WT20Is 10,053No of runs scored by Smriti Mandhana in international cricket; 2nd Indian woman to cross 10,000-mark after Mithali Raj This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
29 December,2025 10:58 AM IST | Thiruvananthapuram | AgenciesAustralia stand-in skipper Steve Smith gave his take on the MCG wicket after the Boxing Day Test lasted just two days, with England winning by four wickets. He said that had the 10mm grass been 2mm shorter, it might have made a difference in the match. The Melbourne Cricket Ground pitch came under the scanner after the Boxing Day Ashes Test between Australia and England finished in two days. As many as 36 wickets fell in 142 overs. It lasted for 952 balls, just five more than the series opener in Perth. “It obviously offered a lot, 36 wickets in two days, it offered plenty. Had it been either 2mm shorter or a little less thatchy with 10mm, it might have been alright, but I’m not a groundsman, so it’s hard to judge. But it did look like it was going to offer a fair amount, probably a little more than I thought it would. I think the groundsman is always learning, but he’s produced some pretty good wickets in the last two years,” Smith told SEN Cricket. The MCG has previously been criticised for producing flat wickets that favoured batting, most notably during the 2017 Ashes Test, when only 24 wickets fell over five days. That surface drew widespread criticism, prompting match referee Ranjan Madugalle to issue a “poor” rating in his official assessment report. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
29 December,2025 10:40 AM IST | Melbourne | IANSHugh Morris, the former England cricketer who later spent time as chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board, has died at 62. Glamorgan, the Welsh county team where Morris played and was captain, said on Sunday in a statement that Morris died after an “extremely difficult” last few years, during which he was diagnosed with bowel cancer. An opening batter, Morris made three appearances for England and helped Glamorgan become county champions in 1997. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
29 December,2025 10:35 AM IST | Cardiff | AP | PTIMelbourne Cricket Ground head curator Matt Page said on Sunday he was in a “state of shock” watching the carnage unfold during the two-day fourth Ashes Test which has left Cricket Australia facing millions of dollars in revenue shortfall. Page and his team left 10 millimetres of grass on the wicket, providing fast bowlers with excessive seam movement and bounce which made batting treacherous. Thirty-six wickets tumbled in 142 overs, 20 on the first day, and the game was all over in the evening session of Day Two as England won by four wickets for their first victory in Australia since January 2011. More than 90,000 fans were expected for Day Three and many more for Days Four and Five. But with ticket sales having to be refunded, Cricket Australia faces another big financial hit after the Ashes series opener in Perth also ended within two days. Chief executive Todd Greenberg on Sunday estimated that the Melbourne shortfall alone would cost the governing body more than Aus$10 million (approx Rs 60 crore). “I was in a state of shock. I’ve never been involved in a Test match like it and hopefully never involved in a Test match like that again. We know this hasn’t gone as we planned,” Page said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
29 December,2025 10:22 AM IST | Melbourne | AFPADVERTISEMENT
