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Tag: Rohit Sharma

  • T20 World Cup: Team India’s journey from clinching maiden trophy to repeated heartbreaks | Cricket News

    New Delhi: Six months after the bittersweet ODI World Cup campaign, Indian cricket fans embrace and turn their attention to the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in the hope that Rohit and Co can finally end the 11-year ICC trophy drought that the country is suffering.

    From the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2007 in South Africa to the ninth edition of the tournament set to take place in the United States of America and the Caribbean, here is a look at India’s journey across 17 years:

    2007 World Cup:

    India made history by becoming the first-ever winner of the T20 World Cup. The tournament was full of memorable moments like the iconic India-Pakistan bowl-off and Gautam Gambhir’s heroics in the final.

    Gambhir’s 75 in the final helped a struggling side put up a defendable total. Alongside Gambhir, Rohit Sharma was also responsible for a quickfire 30 runs in the final which propelled India’s score to 157 against Pakistan.

    Wickets at regular intervals saw the Pakistan side struggle until Yasir Arafat and Sohail Tanvir’s crucial cameos with Misbah-ul-haq saw the game tilt in the Men in Green’s favour. India needed to defend 12 runs in the final five deliveries with only one wicket remaining.

    The second ball of the over bowled by Joginder Sharma was slammed by Misbah for six over long-on and it seemed the game was over. An attempt to scoop the ball over fine leg on the next delivery saw Sreesanth take a comfortable catch and secure victory for India.

    Struggle To Reach Knockouts:

    In eight editions of the tournament played so far, Team India have failed to make the knockouts in four.

    2009-

    Defending champions India entered the 2009 tournament with high expectations. After topping their group they faced tough opposition in England, South Africa, and the West Indies. The Men in Blue finished at the bottom of their group after failing to win a single game. South Africa went on to lose to eventual winners Pakistan in the semifinal.

    2010-

    The very next year saw India’s struggles continue as they faced hosts West Indies, Australia, and Sri Lanka in the Super Eight and once again failed to register a win, making it two Super Eight eliminations in a row.

    2012-

    The 2012 T20 World Cup was a strange one for India, playing in the sub-continent with Sri Lanka as the host, India faced Australia, South Africa, and Pakistan in the Super 8. The Men in Blue registered two wins against SA and Pak , respectively. But a devastating nine-wicket loss against Australia saw them miss out on a spot in the semifinals, making it the third consecutive early exit for the country.

    2021-

    The 2021 T20 World Cup was perhaps the worst display by India in the World Cup. Not only did the team lose its first-ever World Cup match against Pakistan, it lost to New Zealand as well in the group stages which resulted in the team being knocked out in the preliminary round itself.

    Heartbreak Knockout:

    2014-

    The tournament was Virat Kohli’s first ICC tournament in which he displayed his full capabilities, scoring 319 runs including 77 runs in the final against Sri Lanka. But his performances went in vain as India could only put up a score of 130 runs in the game, a target which was chased in 18 overs by Sri Lanka.

    Kohli’s 319 runs in six innings still stands as the most by a player in a single edition.

    2016-

    India’s performance in the 2016 World Cup was a bittersweet one. Despite losing their first game of the Super 10’s stage against New Zealand, hosts India went on to win against Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Australia in their next three games to secure a well-deserved semifinal berth. The semifinal at Wankhede was won by West Indies, who went on to beat England in the final.

    2022-

    India and England faced off in Adelaide in the semifinals of the tournament. Virat Kohli’s fifty runs and Hardik Pandya’s blistering 63 off 33 took the side to 168 runs in the first innings. Unfortunately for India, Jos Buttler and Alex Hales were two men in form on the night as the opening partners remained undefeated helping England romp to an easy 10-wicket victory for England.

    Virat Kohli’s Dominance

    Virat Kohli made his T20 World Cup debut in the 2012 edition of the tournament and what has followed since has been nothing short of historic. Throughout the five editions he has played in, he has scored 1141 runs in 25 innings across five editions at an average of 81.5 and a strike rate of 131.3. He has scored 14 half-centuries, the most in the tournament’s history, and is also the only player to win the Player of the Tournament award twice.

    Spinners Lead The Way

    Ravichandran Ashwin is India’s most successful bowler in the history of the tournament. The 37-year-old played his first T20 World Cup in 2012 and has taken 32 wickets in the five editions of the tournament. He is followed by Ravindra Jadeja who has 21 to his name. Irfan Pathan is India’s highest wicket-taking pacer with 16 to his name.

    Rohit Sharma is one of the only two players (Shakib Al Hasan is the other) to play in every edition of the tournament. The Hitman has scored 963 runs in 39 matches at an average of 34.39 and a strike rate of 127.88 across eight editions.

  • WATCH: All Well At MI As Hardik Pandya Hugs Rohit Sharma Ahead Of IPL 2024 Opener Vs Gujarat Titans | cricket news

    Seems like 'All Is Well' inside the Mumbai Indians camp as the new captain Hardik Pandya was seen sharing a hug with the former skipper Rohit Sharma. To end the rift rumors between the two, Pandya walked up to Rohit during the training session and hugged his MI teammate. Rohit welcomed him with a smile and shared a warm hug. The video is winning hearts on social media.

    Mumbai will play their opener of the 2024 IPL season against Pandya's former team Gujarat Titans with which he won the 2022 title. Shubman Gill will be leading GT this year. (IPL 2024: With Likes Of Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran In Batting Lineup, What Role Will KL Rahul Play? SWOT Analysis Of LSG)

    Watch the video here:


    Mumbai Indians (MI) on Wednesday named Kwena Maphaka as a replacement for Dilshan Madushanka, who has been ruled out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 due to an injury.

    “Maphaka has joined the squad and he has the distinction of being one of the youngest players both domestic and overseas to be a part of the IPL and carrying forward the MI legacy of finding new and exciting talent who are developed into high-performance cricketers, MI said in an official statement.

    South Africa's 17-year-old Maphaka shot into the limelight at the U19 World Cup earlier this year where he was awarded the Player of the Tournament for picking 21 wickets. The left-armer's 21 wickets are the most ever by a pace bowler in an edition of the U19 World Cup.

    He spearheaded South Africa's attack as they made the semi-finals in home conditions. The 17-year-old has already represented South Africa A and South Africa Emerging teams. He will share the dressing room with two of the best bowlers in world cricket – Lasith Malinga, Bowling Coach and Jasprit Bumrah putting him on a path of learning, development and building on that knowledge. (WATCH: MS Dhoni's Joyful Celebration After Hitting DJ Bravo For Six During CSK Training Goes Viral)

    “Maphaka is already capable of generating serious pace and has a very mean bouncer who is known to hurry the batters up. He debuted for the South Africa U19 team at 15 and has already played in two U19 World Cups. He is capable of touching speeds. of 140kph and his death bowling and yorkers were a standout too at the U19 World Cup earlier this year,” MI further added.

    Mumbai Indians have over the years garnered a reputation of finding gems that go on to be international and IPL stars. The five-time champions MI will open their IPL 2024 campaign against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. Mumbai Indians had a successful season in 2023, reaching the knockout stages of the league. However, they were unable to go the distance and claim their sixth title. The team finished fourth in the rankings but missed the final after being eliminated by Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2.

    MI Squad For IPL 2024

    Batters: Rohit Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, N. Tilak Varma, Tim David, Vishnu Vinod, Nehal Wadhera, Shivalik Sharma.

    All-rounders: Hardik Pandya (C), Anshul Kamboj, Mohammad Nabi, Shams Mulani, Naman Dhir, Romario Shepherd.

    Bowlers: Arjun Tendulkar, Jasprit Bumrah, Kumar Kartikeya, Piyush Chawla, Akash Madhwal, Jason Behrendorff, Gerald Coetzee, Dilshan Madushanka, Shreyas Gopal, Nuwan Thushara.

  • WATCH: Rohit Sharma’s Fun Banter With Kuldeep Yadav During India vs England 2nd Test, Video Goes Viral | cricket news

    In the second England Test in Vizag, a comical exchange unfolded between Indian skipper Rohit Sharma and spinner Kuldeep Yadav while discussing a review for England opener Zak Crawley’s wicket. India, seeking a comeback, set a challenging 399-run target after a stellar second innings propelled by Shubman Gill’s composed 104. The English batting strength, highlighted in the Hyderabad Test, prompted India’s aggressive pursuit of wickets. A lively appeal for Crawley’s dismissal led to banter between Rohit and Kuldeep. Despite the missed review opportunity, Rohit, known for on-field antics, lightened the mood, drawing laughter from the Vizag crowd and adding a humorous touch to the intense match.

    ALSO READ: Shubman Gill Was Warned For His Spot: Batter Was Given Ultimatum To Perform In India vs England 2nd Test – Report

    Watch the video here:

    Thanks but no thanks Kuldeep

    Skipper Rohit Sharma is glad to have not taken the review for that one #INDvENG #BazBowled #IDFCFirstBankTestsSeries #JioCinemaSports #RohitSharma pic.twitter.com/hnc7iSXlo3

    JioCinema (@JioCinema) February 4, 2024

    India batsman Shubman Gill feels that the morning session on Day 4 will play a “key” role in deciding the outcome of the second Test against England. Gill defied his critics on Day 3 and played a mesmerizing knock of 104 to score his third Test ton and hand India firm control of the clash. With nine wickets in hand, England need 332 runs to go two up in the series.

    “I think it’s 70-30 at the moment. The morning session will be key. We’ve seen there is moisture in the morning and help for fast bowlers and spinners,” Gill said after the end of Day 3.

    During his time on the crease, the 24-year-old took the onus of scoring the majority of the runs while Patel played the anchor role, steering the flow of the game and rotating strike on every available opportunity.

    With simplicity in his approach, Shubman used his feet to get runs on the board and raised his bat for his third Test ton. He went on to talk about the initial scare he survived in Tom Hartley’s over in the beginning hours of the day. He got trapped in front of the stumps and didn’t expect that there was any bat involved. Gill decided to go for a DRS review and the replay showed there was an edge that came to his rescue.

    “Definitely very pleased but I left a bit out there, to be honest. The first one I didn’t feel it (inside edge onto the pad). Shreyas told me to take it in case it was the umpire’s call. I saw the point fielder go there and I thought it was a percentage shot. Should’ve just played the 5-6 overs till tea. Pretty decent wicket to bat on. Not an easy kind of wicket to hit on the rise. Have to apply yourself because the odd one is turning and the odd one is keeping low,” Gill added.

    He eventually lost his wicket to debutant Shoaib Bashir while attempting to play a reverse sweep shot. India posted a total of 255 and set a target of 399 runs for England to chase with two days left to play. (With ANI inputs)