SPORTS

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has shared a message of support to Australia captain Pat Cummins for her mother who is ill and in palliative care. Cummins, who travelled to Australia after second Test, will stay at home with his family at difficult times and was ruled out of the third Test in Indore.

“I have decided against returning to India at this time," said Cummins. “I feel I am best being here with my family. I appreciate the overwhelming support I have received from Cricket Australia and my teammates. Thanks for your understanding."

So close, yet so far for India once again! Harmanpreet Kaur's side fell to familiar foes Australia in the semi-final of T20 World Cup 2023 in Cape Town on Thursday, February 23. Unlike the T20 World Cup 2020 final, it was not a one-way traffic as Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues put on a stunning show with the bat in their chase of 173 but the Asian champions fell short of the finish line by 5 runs. 

Harmanpreet Kaur was on course to lead India to another famous win over Australia after the 2017 heroics in England but she was run-out in one of the most unfortunate manners after she got to her fifty. The Indian skipper, who recovered from illness to be ready for the big clash, looked distraught and slammed her bat on her way up the dressing room at the Newlands as India stumbled to get past the finish line. 

Former Aussie great Geoff Lawson didn’t mince his words while questioning Daniel Vettori’s role in the team as Australia got humiliated in the first two Tests against India, going down in both matches inside three days by huge margins. Vettori, regarded as one of the best left-arm spinners ever, is travelling with the team as the assistant coach. Geoff, while speaking with SEN Radio recently, came down hard on the New Zealander saying if the Australian batters are failing so much again the spin and their spinners are struggling to pick Indian wickets on regular intervals, then what is Vettori there for.

India and Pakistan share one of the most storied rivalries in the history of cricket. Whenever the two countries play anywhere in the world, the match is bound to attract lots of crowd and create a magical atmosphere. However, ever since the emergence of social media and YouTube, there has been a constant flurry of ex-Pakistan players taking a dig at Indian players for their performances. Legendary Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar has now hit back at this habit of the former players from across the border.

India's former captain, Mithali Raj, has urged her team to strive for excellence in all three aspects of the game, following their disappointing 11-run defeat to England in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2023. Raj expressed her concern over India's lackluster batting and bowling, as well as their inconsistent fielding, stating that the team has only performed well in brief periods. Although India managed to share the honors with England at St. George's Park in Gqeberha, their pursuit of a place in the knockouts was jeopardized by a lack of momentum in the final overs of the match. Despite a valiant effort in the last over, where they scored 19 runs, India's overall performance was not up to the mark. With this loss, England now holds a 6-0 record against India in the tournament, and has secured the top spot in Group 2. As a result, India has slipped to second place in the group, with two wins, one loss, and a total of four points.