England captain Ben Stokes has complimented Ben Foakes as a special talent’ behind the wickets, confirming the latter’s inclusion in the playing XI as wicketkeeper for the first Test against India in Hyderabad on Thursday, January 25. The 30-year-old gloveman last played for England on a tour of New Zealand in February of last year, when Jonny Bairstow replaced him after returning from injury. Since his debut in 2018, Foakes has played 20 Tests for England, accumulating 934 runs at an average of 32.20 and two centuries. Speaking to the media ahead of the first Test, Stokes said Foakes’ wicketkeeping…
Author: Kapil Kumawat
Aakash Chopra has encouraged India not to develop rank turners for the next Test series against England, arguing that it might be detrimental. The two teams will compete in a five-Test series, with the opening game taking place in Hyderabad on Thursday, January 25. It remains to be seen whether the hosts will continue to prepare square turners, as has been the case recently. Previewing the season in a video uploaded on his YouTube channel, Chopra did not favor Rohit Sharma and the team preparing rank turners, saying (1:20). https://youtu.be/U5T5WB1E9-E The match contains a few major topics. The main thread…
Salman Butt recently expressed his anger with the Pakistani media for using Shoaib Malik’s marriage to actress Sana Javed to gain views and likes on social media. The former Pakistan captain pointed out that numerous television networks have been airing shows and spreading rumours about the experienced all-rounder’s third wedding. In a recent YouTube video, Butt mentioned that one of his former teammates got married. https://youtu.be/mUu-QilFJfs Today’s television shows are all about how long this marriage will endure. There is a lot of conjecture about who is correct and who is incorrect. This is nobody’s problem. However, it appears that…
Cricket Australia is preparing to host South Africa Women for a three-match T20 Warm-Up 2024, as many ODIs, and a one-off Test. The T20I series begins on January 27th, Saturday. South Africa Women will face Australia Governor General’s XI in a T20 warm-up game on Wednesday, January 24, at North Sydney Oval in Sydney. Sophie Molineux, a Victorian all-rounder, will captain the young Governor General’s XI. The 12-person squad will also include medium pacer and middle-order batter Private Kayla Stuchbree, who will represent the Australian Defence Force. Kirsten Beams, head of Cricket Australia’s National Development, will coach the squad, with…
Australia captain Pat Cummins refused to go into detail about all-rounder Glenn Maxwell’s latest misdemeanor, which featured a late-night admission to an Adelaide hospital for an ‘alcohol-related’ incident. Cricket Australia is now examining the matter after verifying on January 22 that Maxwell was involved in an altercation at a pub. Hours before the news of Maxwell’s antics leaked, he was dropped from the ODI team for the forthcoming three-match series against the West Indies, citing workload management. While the CA has repeatedly said that the timing is just coincidental, it remains to be seen if the all-rounder will be sanctioned…
Uncapped England’s left-arm spinner Tom Hartley has voiced confidence in his capacity to succeed on Indian wickets during the forthcoming five-match Test series, which begins in Hyderabad on January 25. The 24-year-old is one of four spinners in England’s squad for the challenging Test series in India. With multiple right-handed hitters in India’s top six, England might give Hartley his Test debut as the second left-arm spinner in the starting XI, behind veteran Jack Leach. According to Wisden Cricket Monthly, Hartley believes surfaces in India are more suited to his style of bowling and that just precision is necessary to…
Aakash Chopra has mentioned Sai Sudharsan as a possible alternative for Virat Kohli in the Indian team’s opening two Tests against England. Rohit Sharma and his team will play England in a five-Test series, with the first match beginning in Hyderabad on Thursday, January 25. Kohli, nominated to India’s team for the first two games, has withdrawn from the Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam Tests for personal reasons. In a YouTube video, Chopra mentioned Rajat Patidar, Devdutt Padikkal, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Rinku Singh as potential successors for Kohli. He believes Sudharsan may be a choice, arguing (6:30): https://youtu.be/YwxRisqedsA The third left-hander that…
WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes issued a bold remark following the conclusion of tonight’s episode of SmackDown. After Friday Night SmackDown ended, The American Nightmare faced Shinsuke Nakamura in a dark match. Following the fight, Rhodes issued a heated promo. Cody Rhodes addressed rumors about the WrestleMania 40 main event. According to recent speculations, Roman Reigns might fight either Rhodes, The Rock, or both guys in a Triple Threat Match at The Show of Shows. Cody Rhodes addressed the rumors as follows: And I’m not immune to all of the news, everything that’s going on, what will and will not happen.…
Following tonight’s WWE SmackDown, Roman Reigns sent a daring statement on his own TikTok account. On the blue brand earlier in the night, Nick Aldis was upset when The Tribal Chief refused to sign the contract for the Fatal Four-Way Match at the 2024 Royal Rumble Premium Live Event. Aldis threatened Paul Heyman that if the standoff persisted, he would transform it into a triple threat match for the vacant WWE Universal Championship. Shortly afterward, Roman Reigns shared a TikTok video. The Tribal Chief hinted at a conflict with Aldis in the future, pledging to correct him. I dislike Nick…
Aakash Chopra has questioned the Punjab Kings (PBKS) for paying a high price for Rilee Rossouw in the IPL 2024 auction, even though he may not play regularly for them. PBKS paid ₹8 crore for Rossouw during the auction last year. They bought eight players for ₹24.95 crore, including Harshal Patel (₹11.75 crore) and Chris Woakes (₹4.20 crore). Chopra expressed doubts about the Punjab Kings’ decision to acquire Rossouw in a video posted on his YouTube channel. He reasoned (5:20) that they first let Rilee Rossouw leave but eventually broke the bank for him. A pretty intriguing choice. https://youtu.be/Y-i05wOjiQw He…
Daryl Mitchell, New Zealand’s all-rounder, will miss the fifth and final T20I against Pakistan owing to workload management. In his absence, all-rounder Rachin Ravindra has been called up to the squad, while Devon Conway. Who missed the fourth T20I after testing positive for COVID-19, will be decided on the morning of the final match on Sunday, January 21. New Zealand has already taken an unbeatable 4-0 lead in the five-match series, with their most recent seven-wicket victory coming at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. So far in the series, Daryl Mitchell has been the Blackcaps’ standout player. He has been…
Tata Group has successfully preserved its title sponsorship rights for the lucrative Indian Premier League for the next five years, till 2028. The deal includes a pledge to contribute ₹500 crore every season. The provisions of the Invitation to Tender document indicated that Tata reserved the right to match any competitive bid submitted by another business entity. Tata Group matched the Aditya Birla Group’s assessment of ₹2,500 crore, as decided by India’s Board of Control for Cricket on Friday, January 19. Notably, Tata secured the rights after sub-licensing them from Vivo in 2022, when the smartphone giant attempted to withdraw…
On Tuesday, January 23, Chelsea transfer will face Middlesbrough at Stamford Bridge in the second leg of their EFL Cup semifinal. Mauricio Pochettino’s squad trailed 1-0 on aggregate after losing the first match away. Meanwhile, the Blues are interested in Roberto Firmino, a former Liverpool player. In other news, the London club has started discussions with Sporting CP’s center-back Ousmane Diomande to join them at Chelsea. On that topic, here’s a look at the top Chelsea transfer stories as of January 19, 2024: Chelsea Transfer – Chelsea wants Roberto Firmino According to writer Dean Jones, Chelsea wants to bring Roberto…
On Friday, January 19, the Otago Sparks took on the Central Hinds in the 27th match of the Women’s Super Smash 2023-24 at Dunedin’s University Oval. Otago won the match by six wickets in only 16.3 overs. The Wellington Blaze remains at the top of the points standings, with six victories in nine matches and a net run rate of +0.82. The Central Hinds have played all ten games and are presently positioned below Wellington. They now have four victories with a net run rate of -0.14. The Otago Sparks have won five of their nine matches and are third…
Aakash Chopra feels Yashasvi Jaiswal is essentially unstoppable and is ahead of Shubman Gill in the hunt for opener places in India’s 2024 T20 World Cup team. Jaiswal scored 72 runs in two innings at an impressive strike rate of 180.00 in the just-finished T20I series between India and Afghanistan. Gill, meanwhile, scored 23 runs with a strike rate of 191.67 in his single game but was also implicated in the mix-up that resulted in Rohit Sharma’s dismissal. In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Chopra claimed that Jaiswal had beaten Gill to the opener’s position. https://youtu.be/yC0IB95O5c8 Yashasvi Jaiswal…