SPORTS

Who is a better ODI cricketer – Virat Kohli or Babar Azam? Not so much now but there was a time when this debate used to dominate every cricket conversation.

Both Kohli and Babar have been phenomenal white-ball players. The Indian star has been going through a lean patch but there was a time when he was the undisputed king of ODI cricket.\

Despite his career going on a downward trajectory, the former India captain still boasts an impressive average of 57.68 in the 50-over format. The Pakistan skipper has eclipsed the Indian star’s average in the last couple of years. His average is just shy of 60.

Former India cricketer Arun Lal feels that Rishabh Pant has all the qualities in him to captain the Indian cricket team after Rohit Sharma. The 66-year-old Lal, who recently decided to step down as the head coach of the Bengal cricket team, lauded Pant’s ability to play game-changing knocks under pressure in both Test and limited-overs formats.

“Yes, absolutely (On being asked if Rishabh Pant is the future captain after Rohit Sharma). I always feel that the captain must deserve his place among the top three in the team. He (Pant) is someone who is not afraid to play his game, can handle pressure well, can take the team out of tough situations and such a player can be a great leader. It will be good for Indian cricket if we can have an aggressive player like Pant as captain of the side,” Lal told Jagran TV.

India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik heaped praise on Hardik Pandya, saying he is currently one of the best all-rounders in the world.

Pandya took a four-wicket haul and scored 71 to help India beat England in the third ODI by five wickets and win the series at Old Trafford on July 17.

On the back of his heroics, Pandya joined the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh and K Srikkanth in an elite ODI list as he became the fifth Indian to score a fifty-plus score and take four wickets.

Tournament hosts Zimbabwe and reigning tournament champions Netherlands continued their undefeated runs at the T20 World Cup Qualifier in Bulawayo, both sides winning their respective semifinals on Friday to clinch the final two available berths at the T20 World Cup in Australia this October. It will be Zimbabwe's sixth trip to the T20 World Cup and their first since 2016, while Netherlands make their fifth appearance in the T20 World Cup.

Zimbabwe and Netherlands will face off on Sunday in the final of the T20 World Cup Qualifier to determine the final group assignments for the opening round in Australia. The winner of the final will spend the opening round in Hobart in Group B, with Ireland, Scotland and West Indies. The loser of the final will head to Geelong, where they will be paired against Namibia, Sri Lanka and United Arab Emirates.

Former India skipper Virat Kohli is going through a lean patch and his place in the Indian cricket team has been under the scanner. Many fans and experts feel that Virat has got enough chances and it’s time that BCCI move on from him and give chances to more deserving players. However, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has backed Virat Kohli to return to form soon. Ganguly said that Virat has consistently done well for India over the years and he has the quality and skills to overcome this lean patch and become successful again.