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Rohit Sharma's comeback in T20Is after over 14 months didn't go as planned, as the Indian captain was at the receiving end of a horrid run out during the match against Afghanistan on Thursday. The Indian opener was yet to open his account when, on the second delivery of the Indian innings, he pushed Fazalhaq Farooqi's fuller-length ball towards the off-side. Rohit ran the length of the pitch, and even as the fielder at mid-off -- Ibrahim Zadran -- didn't receive the ball in the first attempt, Rohit's opening partner Shubman Gill didn't leave the crease at the other end. A horrible mix-up followed as Rohit and Shubman were both at the non-striker's end, as Rahmanullah Gurbaz -- the wicketkeeper -- struck off the bails to dismiss Rohit.

KL Rahul could serve as a promising wicketkeeper-batter option for India in the 2024 T20 World Cup. Nonetheless, Rishabh Pant should be the preferred choice if he is fit enough to play, reckons legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar.

Jitesh Sharma and Sanju Samson were chosen by the selectors as the two wicketkeeper-batters in India's 16-member squad for the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan. Rishabh Pant wasn't available for selection due to ongoing recovery from injuries after a near fatal car crash in December 2022, and KL Rahul was not included in the squad despite being available for consideration.

Since the start of their tour about three weeks earlier, a number of Australian players had spoken about how India have been closing the gap on them in recent years. Harmanpreet Kaur and Co lived up to the hype by dominating the one-off Test, before bouncing back from the ODI series defeat to win the first T20I. But at the DY Patil Stadium here on Tuesday, in what was the last match of Australia’s tour and the decider of the T20I series, India couldn’t quite run the six-time world champions close.

Not since 2011 had India won the deciding match of a T20I series against any team. In the four previous bilateral T20I series against Australia, they had emerged victorious on just one occasion. The stage was set with over 43,000 spectators in attendance, but India couldn’t manage to turn the tide.

Franz Beckenbauer, a football icon, World Cup legend, and one of Germany's most beloved personalities, breathed his last on Monday. He was 78. His family confirmed the news via a statement to DPA, a German press agency. "It is with deep sadness that we announce that my husband and our father, Franz Beckenbauer, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Sunday, surrounded by his family," it read. "We ask that we can be able to mourn in silence and not be disturbed by any questions." Although the statement did not provide the cause of death, the Bayern Munich great had struggled with health problems in recent years.

Nicknamed 'Der Kaiser' (The Emperor), Beckenbauer was a classy, dominant presence on the pitch for West Germany and Bayern Munich, thus growing into one of the nation's central figures in the sport. He is also often credited for inventing the role of modern sweeper or libero.

R Ashwin has hit back at Michael Vaughan's remark that India are 'underachievers' and stated that the team has been one of the best travelling sides in Test cricket. 

Vaughan had made the comment during a panel discussion on FOX Cricket during the Australia vs Pakistan Test series. The former England skipper said that the Indian team has failed to find any success when it comes to major tournaments and labelled them as underachievers. 

Ashwin, who has been nominated for the ICC men's Test cricketer of the year, would respond to this remark on his YouTube channel and said while they haven't won any ICC trophy in the past few years, the Indian team has produced great results in Test cricket, especially while travelling.