SPORTS

Hardik Pandya, on Friday, December 15, replaced Rohit Sharma as the captain of the Mumbai Indians (MI) ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Back in 2013, Rohit took over as the skipper of the franchise from Ricky Ponting and led them to their maiden title back in the same year.

From there on, the now 35-year-old Rohit did not look back and led them to four more titles in 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020, respectively.

Mahela Jayawardene, the Global Head of Performance of MI, said Hardik has been named as the skipper, keeping in mind the future of the franchise.

"It is part of legacy building and staying true to the MI philosophy of being future-ready. Mumbai Indians have always been blessed with exceptional leadership right from Sachin to Harbhajan and Ricky to Rohit, who, while contributing to the immediate success, have always had an eye on strengthening the team for the future. It is in keeping with this philosophy that Hardik Pandya will assume captaincy of Mumbai Indians for the IPL 2024 season," Jayawardene was quoted as saying.

Fans, in the meantime, weren't happy with Hardik taking over from Rohit as the skipper of MI. They reckoned that Rohit was treated unfairly by the five-time IPL champions.

(With inputs from agencies)

Former fast bowler Zaheer Khan said that it is very hard for bowlers to execute their plans when Suryakumar Yadav is on top of his game. On Thursday, December 14, Suryakumar became only the third batter after Glenn Maxwell and Rohit Sharma to score four hundreds in T20Is.

He scored 100 runs off 56 balls with seven fours and eight sixes against South Africa in the third T20I at the New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.

Suryakumar also won the Player of the Match award after India won the match by a mammoth margin of 106 runs to make it 1-1 in the series.

Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav kicked off the South African tour with a new record to his name as he became the joint fastest Indian batter to complete 2000 runs in T20 Internationals.

Surya achieved the milestone during the second T20I of the three-match series against South Africa which. He tied the record with star India batter Virat Kohli as both the batters took 56 innings to reach the landmark.

In a dominating performance, seamer Raj Limbani delivered a remarkable spell, claiming exceptional figures of 7/13, propelling India to a comprehensive 10-wicket victory over Nepal to clinch a semi-final berth in the U-19 Asia Cup tournament in Dubai on Tuesday.

Limbani's outstanding bowling display restricted Nepal to a mere 52 runs in 22.1 overs. Following this impressive feat, all-rounder Arshin Kulkarni (43 not out) showcased his skills, hitting five massive sixes to swiftly chase down the target in just 7.1 overs, leaving IPL scouts intrigued.    

Pakistan's Director of Cricket Mohammad Hafeez was a frustrated figure while sharing his views on the pitch used for the team's four-day practice match against Australia's Prime Minister XI last week. The match, which ended in a draw, was played at the Manuka Oval in Canberra from December 6-9, ahead of the three-match series between Australia and Pakistan, starting December 14. Hafeez criticised the pitch and conditions laid out for Pakistan's warm-up game in Canberra, saying that it was the "slowest pitch a visiting team could ever play on" Down Under.

"That was the slowest pitch a visiting team could ever play on in Australia. As a team we are really happy with our preparations because we ticked most of the boxes," Hafeez was quoted as saying ESPNcricinfo during Pakistan's training session at the WACA Stadium in Perth.