Tag: india

Opener Abhishek Sharma struck 84 off 35 balls to set up a convincing 48-run win for India in the first of five T20 internationals against New Zealand on Wednesday.

Abhishek smashed eight sixes to get India off to a flying start before a late unbeaten cameo of 44 by Rinku Singh helped the hosts reach 238-7 after being invited to bat first in Nagpur.

New Zealand could only muster 190-7 in response as regular wickets helped India take a 1-0 lead in the warm-up series ahead of the T20 World Cup starting February 7 in India and Sri Lanka.

Glenn Phillips hit a valiant 78 off 40 balls and briefly threatened a fightback in his 79-run partnership with Mark Chapman, who made 39.

But Phillips’ exit in the 14th over off left-arm spinner Axar Patel ended New Zealand’s hopes despite a sloppy fielding display by the hosts.

Spinner Varun Chakravarthy took two key wickets including Tim Robinson, for 21, and Chapman.

Shivam Dube also took two wickets in two balls with his medium pace in the final over.

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Abhishek was in fine flow despite India losing two early wickets — his fellow opener Sanju Samson for 10 and Ishan Kishan, back in the side for the first time since 2023, for eight.

Skipper Suryakumar Yadav put on 99 runs for the third wicket with Abhishek, making a 22-ball 32.

Suryakumar, 35, started slowly but gained some momentum as he attempts to end his recent slump in form ahead of the World Cup.

Suryakumar, formerly the ICC’s top-ranked T20I batter, has failed to score a fifty in his 23 innings in the format dating back to October 2024.

He holed out off the left-arm spin of his opposite number Mitchell Santner.

Abhishek kept up the charge and raced to his seventh T20 fifty for India in 22 balls, but finally fell to Ish Sodhi after he mistimed a hit to long-on.

India lost a couple more quick wickets and the run-scoring dipped before Rinku cracked three sixes and four fours in his 20-ball knock to finish with a flourish.

The second match is on Friday in Raipur.

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BULAWAYO: Henil Patel picked up a fifer to set up a comprehensive win for India over USA in the U19 World Cup opener here at the Queens Sports Club on Thursday.

India chased down a mere 96-run target with ease in 17.2 overs in a rain-hit encounter.

The USA started strongly in defense of a small target as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was sent back only in the second over. The left-hander could only score two.

India were further jolted with two quick strikes, with skipper Ayush Mhatre and Vedant Trivedi sent back in a span of two deliveries.

Trivedi and Mhatre were both caught for two and 19 runs respectively. As a result, India were reduced to 25-3 in 5.2 overs.

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However, Abhigyan Kundu and Vihaan Malhotra put chase back on track with 45 run partnership.

Malhotra was dismissed for 18 from 17 after hitting two boundaries, whereas Kundu remained unbeaten 42 from 41 balls with the aid of five fours and a six.

For USA, Ritvik Appidi picked up two wickets.

Earlier, India bowled out USA for 107 in 35.2 overs, thanks to Henil Patel’s bowling, who remained the chief destroyer.

Opener Amrinder Gill made one before a brief partnership of 28 between Sahil Garg and Arjun Mahesh kept Indian bowlers at bay till the eighth over.

However, Deepesh Devendran removed Garg for 18 which sparked a collapse that USA could not recover from.

Indian bowlers continued to chip in with wickets at regular intervals, with Nitish Sudini remaining the highest scorer for his side.

Sudini who made 36 from 52 was the last wicket to fell as USA were bowled out for a partly score.

For India, Henil Patel remained the star bowler as he picked up a five-wicket haul.

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India have suffered an early setback in their build-up to the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 after all-rounder Washington Sundar was ruled out of the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand, scheduled to run from January 21 to 31.

The series forms a crucial part of India’s preparations for the global event, which gets underway on February 7, but Sundar will play no part after picking up a side strain during the opening ODI against New Zealand in Vadodara last week.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) termed the issue as an “acute onset discomfort in his left lower rib”.

At this stage, there is no clarity on whether the injury could threaten Sundar’s availability for the T20 World Cup, where India will begin their campaign against the USA in Mumbai on the opening day of the tournament.

In response to Sundar’s absence, the selectors have drafted in Delhi batting all-rounder Ayush Badoni as a replacement for the remainder of the ODI series.

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However, the BCCI has yet to confirm whether Badoni will also be added to the T20I squad for the New Zealand series.

Despite the setback, India are not expected to be overly concerned about the all-rounder’s unavailability for the T20Is, with several key players set to link up with the squad in the coming days.

Hardik Pandya, vice-captain Axar Patel, Abhishek Sharma and Shivam Dube are all expected to bolster the group as India fine-tune combinations ahead of the World Cup.

India will also be without Tilak Varma for the opening three T20Is, with the young batter continuing his recovery after undergoing groin surgery.

The absence of Washington Sundar and Varma will test India’s squad depth, but the management is likely to view the series as an opportunity to assess alternatives before finalising their plans for the T20 World Cup.

India squad for New Zealand T20Is

Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma (unavailable for first three matches), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vice-captain), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper).

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Daryl Mitchell struck an unbeaten 131 to lead New Zealand to a series-levelling seven-wicket win over India in the second one-day international on Wednesday.

Chasing 285 for victory, Mitchell’s eighth ODI ton and a 162-run stand with Will Young (87) for the third wicket helped New Zealand reach their target with 15 balls to spare in Rajkot.

Mitchell’s knock trumped an unbeaten 112 by KL Rahul in India’s 284-7 and forced the three-match series into a decider on Sunday in Indore.

Mitchell walked in to bat with New Zealand on 46-2 and along with Young helped the Black Caps take control.

Young fell to Kuldeep Yadav in the 38th over but Mitchell stood firm to bring up his hundred.

He hit 11 fours and two sixes in his 117-ball innings and, with Glenn Phillips, who made 32 not out, put together an unbeaten stand of 78.

Indian bowlers enjoyed early success when Harshit Rana bowled Devon Conway, who made 16, and fellow quick Prasidh Krishna had Henry Nicholls inside-edge a delivery onto his stumps for 10.

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But Mitchell, who was dropped on 80, and Young struck regular boundaries as New Zealand completed their highest-ever ODI chase in India.

Earlier, India skipper Shubman Gill made 56 before a brief collapse and a 73-run fifth-wicket partnership between KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja.

Rahul raised his eighth ODI ton in 87 balls with a six off Kyle Jamieson.

India started strongly courtesy of Gill and Rohit Sharma, who scored 24, as the opening pair put on 70 runs.

Rohit failed to capitalise on his start and fell to Kristian Clarke, before pace spearhead Jamieson sent back Gill.

Clarke kept up the charge with his medium-pace bowling to dismiss Shreyas Iyer for eight and the in-form Virat Kohli for 23.

The 37-year-old Kohli, who returned to the top of the ODI batting rankings on Wednesday, walked back to stunned silence after he played on as India slipped from 99-1 to 118-4.

Rahul then took centre stage to rebuild the innings along with Jadeja, who made 27.

The series will be followed by five T20s, ahead of the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka between February 7 and March 8.

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Virat Kohli hit 93 to help India chase down 301 in a tense four-wicket win over New Zealand in the first one-day international on Sunday.

The in-form Kohli struck his 77th ODI half-century but missed out on a ton as India slipped from 234-2 to 242-5 before they reached their target with six balls to spare in Vadodara.

Skipper Shubman Gill made 56 in a 118-run second-wicket stand with Kohli, who shared another strong partnership with Shreyas Iyer, who made 49.

Late cameos by Harshit Rana (29) and wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul, who made an unbeaten 29 including the winning six, secured an Indian lead in the three-match series 1-0.

New Zealand pace spearhead Kyle Jamieson stood out with figures of 4-41.

Kohli led the chase as he went past Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara (28,016 runs) to become the second leading run-scorer in international cricket, behind fellow Indian Sachin Tendulkar (34,357).

The 37-year-old Kohli only plays the ODI format after he and fellow stalwart Rohit Sharma, 38, retired from T20 and Test cricket.

Rohit started strongly in his brisk 26 before he fell to New Zealand Jamieson.

The packed crowd welcomed Kohli with a huge roar as the star batter joined Gill at the crease to take the attack to the opposition.

He was ably supported by Gill, who has returned from an injury and a snub by the selectors from the T20 World Cup squad.

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Gill started slowly before he gained pace to raise his 16th ODI fift,y but soon fell to rookie leg-spinner Adithya Ashok.

Kohli was denied a ton by Jamieson, who got the batter caught out at extra cover. The former captain walked back to a standing ovation.

Jamieson dismissed Ravindra Jadeja, for four, in the same over and in the next bowled Iyer to raise New Zealand’s hopes of a turnaround.

India’s troubles increased with injury to Washington Sundar, who suffered a reported side strain while bowling his off-spin and came out to bat at number eight.

Earlier, New Zealand posted 300-8 after Daryl Mitchell hit 84 to defy the Indian bowlers after the hosts elected to field first.

Openers Devon Conway, who made 56, and Henry Nicholls (62) put on 117 but New Zealand suffered from a lack of major partnerships after their big opening stand.

Pace bowlers Mohammed Siraj, Rana and Praisdh Krishna took two wickets each.

The second match is on Wednesday in Rajkot.

The series will be followed by five T20s ahead of the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka between February 7 and March 8.

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VADODARA: India’s talismanic batter Virat Kohli on Sunday added another feather to his cap after shattering Sachin Tendulkar’s record to reach 28,000 runs in international cricket during the ODI series opener against New Zealand.

The right-hander recorded the feat in 624 innings, surpassing Tendulkar’s record of 644 innings and Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakara’s (666) innings.

In doing so, he also overtook Sangakara’s tally of 28,016 runs in international cricket and now trails only Tendulkar’s 34,357 runs.

Before coming into the fixture, Kohli required 25 runs to reach the milestone, and he did it in style, hitting a four during the 12th over of the game.

Later on, he went past Sanagakara on the last ball of the 18th over with a single off Michael Bracewell’s bowling.

Fastest to 28,000 international runs

624 innings* = Virat Kohli*
644 innings – Sachin Tendulkar
666 innings – Kumar Sangakkara

Put into bat first, New Zealand piled up 300-8 at the end of their 50 overs with Daryll Mitchell top-scoring with 84.

In reply, India started strongly with Rohit Sharma and returning Shubman Gill stitching a 39-run partnership.

After Rohit’s dismissal for 26, Kohli came to the fore and steadied India’s ship with a monumental partnership of 118 with Gill.

Gill made 56 from 71 balls while Virat Kohli continued to dominate until the first ball of the 39th over.

The right-handed batter was caught after nearly missing his 54th ODI century. He hit eight fours and a six on his way to 93 from 91 deliveries.

Eventually, India cruised to a four-wicket win over the BlackCaps in the last over, with KL Rahul remaining unbeaten on 29.

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VADODARA: India’s Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill addressed his surprising omission from the national squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 ahead of the three-match ODI series against New Zealand, starting Sunday.

The 26-year-old batter, who scored just 291 runs in his last 15 T20Is at an average of 24.25, was left out of the 15-member squad as selectors opted for a more attacking top order for the mega-event.

Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, and Ishan Kishan were preferred for India’s top three slots in the shortest format.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Gill described the decision as part of “destiny” and said he respected the selectors’ call.

“Firstly, it is my belief that in my life, I am where I am supposed to be. Whatever is written in my destiny, I will have it,” Gill said.

“As a player, you have a belief that if you play the World Cup, you will win for your team, you will win for your country.

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“But having said that, I respected the selectors’ decision, whichever decision they took, wishing the T20 team all the very best and I really, really hope that they win the [T20] World Cup for us.”

India, defending champions of the T20 World Cup, will look to continue their dominance despite Gill’s absence. Notably, the marquee event will be played across India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.

Turning his focus to the ODI series, Shubman Gill acknowledged the presence of stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the squad as major support.

The duo, who retired from T20Is after leading India to glory in the 2024 T20 World Cup in Barbados and subsequently stepped away from Tests in 2025, now play only in the ODI format.

“Definitely, when you have these two people in your team, it makes your life a lot easier,” Gill said.

“And whenever you are in a tough situation, they always have been in those kinds of situations and conditions many times in their life, so you can always go to them and see how they are thinking or what they would do, and that piece of information is very valuable for any captain.”

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Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has delivered a pointed message to arch-rivals India ahead of their high-voltage encounter at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, set to be played in Colombo on February 15.

The star pacer has stated that Pakistan will respond “on the field” amid growing concerns over sportsmanship between the two sides.

Speaking during a media interaction, Shaheen was asked about the controversial scenes witnessed during the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025, where Indian players reportedly declined customary handshakes with Pakistan players.

Indian players also decided not to accept the tournament trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, who serves as both the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).

“People across the border have violated the spirit of sportsmanship,” Shaheen Afridi said. “Our job is to play cricket, and that remains our focus. We will try to respond on the field.”

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The comments come amid sustained debate over the deteriorating on-field conduct between the two cricketing giants.

The Asia Cup controversy was not limited to a single match, with tensions first surfacing during the group-stage fixture, continuing through the Super Four round and peaking in the final, where India defeated Pakistan.

The issue has since drawn reactions from the wider cricketing fraternity. Former West Indies captain Jason Holder recently expressed disappointment over the situation, urging players from both countries to rise above political and off-field tensions.

“I don’t like this whole India and Pakistan rivalry. They are two powerhouses in world cricket,” Holder said in an interview with an Indian sports platform.

“To see how things have transpired, it’s just sad. I saw India win the Asia Cup, and they didn’t go on stage to accept the trophy. I think it’s too much; these things should not be in our game.”

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Former West Indies captain and pacer Jason Holder has weighed in on the Asia Cup trophy row between India and Pakistan, urging players from both nations to play a pivotal role in bridging the gap.

Holder expressed his views on India and Pakistan during the podcast ‘Game On With Grace’.

The 34-year-old was asked what had changed his mind on sports recently, and he recalled the Asia Cup Trophy saga between India and Pakistan.

“I don’t like this whole India and Pakistan beef. They are two powerhouses in world cricket and to see how things have transpired, it’s just sad,” he replied to host Grace Hayden, daughter of former Australian opener Matthew Hayden.

“I saw India win the Asia Cup and they didn’t go to accept the trophy. I think it’s too much; these things should not be in our game,” Holder maintained.

He urged cricketers to help change the hostile environment, noting that players are the game’s ideals and ambassadors.

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“Especially if we [cricketers] are ambassadors for the world. If we are talking about world peace and making the world a better place, that’s not what you want to see from your idols.

If you are inspiring a generation and inspiring a world, then we have to find a way to come together. I get it, there’s a long history behind it. But if it is to change than we have to come together because we have the influence,” he concluded.

For the unversed, tensions between India and Pakistan escalated in May 2025, with both neighbours on the brink of a full-scale war following the Pahalgam attack.

The situation led to the postponement of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Pakistan Super League (PSL), before spilling over into a handshake and trophy row during the ACC Men’s Asia Cup later that year.

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Bangladesh could face serious consequences if they opt out of travelling to India for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, with reports suggesting the team may be forced to forfeit points if they fail to fulfil their fixtures.

According to ESPNcricinfo, differing versions have emerged following a virtual meeting between the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) held on Tuesday.

The call was convened after the BCB formally approached the ICC on Sunday, requesting that Bangladesh’s matches scheduled in India be shifted to Sri Lanka due to security concerns.

Reports claim the ICC rejected Bangladesh’s request and conveyed during the meeting that the team would need to travel to India to participate in the tournament.

Failure to do so, the ICC reportedly warned, could result in Bangladesh forfeiting points in the competition.

However, the BCB has denied receiving any such ultimatum, insisting that no formal instruction or threat of sanctions was communicated by the ICC during the discussion.

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As of now, neither the ICC nor the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has issued an official statement clarifying the outcome of the meeting.

The situation has escalated amid heightened tensions following the abrupt release of Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders.

Mustafizur was picked up in the December auction for INR 9.2 crore before being released on reported directives from the BCCI, a move that prompted a strong reaction from the BCB and is believed to have triggered its approach to the ICC.

The uncertainty comes less than a month before the start of the 20-team T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to be held across India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.

Bangladesh have been placed in Group C and are slated to play their opening three matches in Kolkata, against West Indies on February 7, Italy on February 9 and England on February 14.

They will wrap up their group-stage campaign against Nepal in Mumbai on February 17.

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