Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar pointed out that Rishabh Pant’s slump in the white-ball format has been due to his urge to play behind the stumps over his strong zone — down the ground. Pant has struggled miserably in the IPL 2025 season with only 128 runs in 11 games, including a half-century. The wicketkeeper-batter’s dismal show with the bat for Lucknow Super Giants in the season often resulted in on-field frustration with his players. Bangar noticed that Pant’s dip in form is due to his shot selection, intended towards playing unconventionally behind the stumps, which led to his early dismissals in the IPL 2025. “We have to recognise that he’s still yet to totally understand the white-ball game — both formats, 50-over cricket as well as T20 cricket. A fabulous Test match batter, make no mistake about it, but here in this particular season, what I noticed is that he got out a number of times looking to play shots behind the wicket,” Bangar said on Star Sports. “Now, you pull out the best innings of Rishabh — where has he looked to score the runs? Drives through covers, step down the track and try to hit the sightscreen or go over midwicket, square. But here he was trying to play those reverse sweeps or shots that are very fine. So as a batter, I think probably he just got caught in that confusion and forgot that his best game, or that he plays at his best, is when he’s looking to score down the ground,” Bangar said. “If you do look to score down the ground a lot of times, then all those other areas open up. But if you’re only looking to score behind, then whatever is in front of you, you sort of are very much late and not in a great position to play,” the former India batter concluded. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 May,2025 09:30 AM IST | New Delhi | IANSThe Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Saturday announced the immediate postponement of all men’s domestic tournaments in the country owing to escalating cross-border tensions with India. “The Pakistan Cricket Board confirms that the ongoing President’s Trophy Grade-II, Regional Intra-District Challenge Cup, Inter-District U19 One-Day tournament have been postponed with immediate effect due to prevailing security condition in the country. “The tournaments will resume from the same stage later and a revised schedule will be shared closer to the resumption,” said the PCB in its official statement on Saturday. Previously on Friday, the PCB had announced it has postponed the ongoing edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) for an indefinite period. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 May,2025 09:28 AM IST | Lahore | IANSIndian women’s team will bank on its smooth-functioning batting line-up to ward off a tricky Sri Lanka and win the ODI tri-series final here on Sunday. India’s lone defeat in this event came against the Lankans but Harmanpreet Kaur’s side has been the most dominant team, finishing at the top of the points table with three wins from four matches. Sri Lanka finished second with two wins and as many losses while South Africa were at the bottom of the pile with only one win in four games. Winning this contest will also be paramount for both India and Sri Lanka, as it would help them in the buildup to the ODI World Cup later this year. The primary reason behind India’s fine run in the tournament is their excellent batting effort. With 201 runs at an average of 67, including a century (123) against South Africa, Jemimah Rodrigues has been India’s best batter here. Others like Pratika Rawal (164), Smriti Mandhana (148) and Deepti Sharma (126) have proved to be vital cogs with timely contributions. Deepti’s 93 consolidated India’s position against SA in a league match but it was also symbolic of their lower-order stability. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 May,2025 09:04 AM IST | Colombo | PTIIndia top-order batter Shubman Gill has emerged as the front-runner to replace Rohit Sharma as India’s captain in Test cricket, according to sources. The development comes after Rohit announced his retirement from the longer format on Wednesday, opening the door for a new leader ahead of the much-anticipated five-match series in England starting on June 20. “Yes, he [Gill] is the front-runner to become the captain of India in the forthcoming Test Series in England,” the source said. When asked if there was another name in contention, the source said: “Jasprit Bumrah! But there will be a question mark over his fitness.” India’s pace spearhead Bumrah is known to be injury-prone. He broke down during the fifth and final Test against Australia in Sydney earlier this year and left midway due to a back injury which kept him out of competitive cricket for three months. It is also learnt that India head coach Gautam Gambhir and Gill met in Delhi on Saturday. Gill, who has made 1,893 runs in 32 Tests at an average of 35.05, has been preferred by the selectors as he has age on his side. “Gill is India’s next captain. The BCCI wants to appoint a captain who is young and is promising to play for a longer duration. It is learnt that head coach Gautam Gambhir has also supported this move,” the source explained.
11 May,2025 09:03 AM IST | Mumbai | Debasish DattaThe Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has called on a highly influential cricketing figure to meet the talismanic batter Virat Kohli in the coming days and convince him to reverse his potential Test cricket retirement plans. Kohli has reportedly communicated his desire to retire from Test cricket to the BCCI ahead of the important five-match series in England, starting on June 20. But the BCCI had urged Kohli to reconsider his decision, citing the important assignments coming up in the format, including the England tour. England tour is key “Yes, to convince Virat Kohli to reconsider his potential Test cricket retirement plans, the BCCI has called on a highly influential cricketing figure to speak to the talismanic cricketer in the coming days and convince him to prolong his career in the longest format, especially considering the tour of England is around the corner,” sources told IANS. India’s five-match Test match tour of England also marks the start of a new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle for them. This agency also understands that thoughts were initially over Kohli not willing to be a part of the team for the England tour, but it came to light that he has contemplated leaving the format which he always loved playing, as known from his vocal words around it while captaining India in 68 Tests. “That highly influential cricketing figure was also the one who spoke to Rohit Sharma as well, although that was a completely different scenario, as he later announced his retirement from Tests. Though Kohli is a person who doesn’t really change his mind quickly, the highly influential cricketing figure’s words may have some influence on his decision-making and thoughts over his Test cricket future,” added sources. Lack of experience in team Since his debut in the format in 2011, Kohli has played 123 Tests, amassing 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85. But if Kohli doesn’t retract over thoughts on retiring from Tests, then India will be woefully short of experience on their Test tour of England in the absence of him and Rohit. While Rohit’s retirement will make KL Rahul and Shubman Gill the most experienced top-order batters, Kohli’s potential ending of his Test career will mean Rishabh Pant becomes the most experienced batter in the middle-order. Gill, meanwhile, has been widely cited as the frontrunner to be the next Test skipper in a race that also has Rahul, Pant, and Jasprit Bumrah as other candidates. Both Kohli and Rohit had retired from T20Is after India won the Men’s T20 World Cup last year in Barbados. If Kohli does go on to retire from Tests, the veteran duo will then be available to play for India only in ODI cricket. Meanwhile, IANS also understands that the India ‘A’ squad for the tour of England is expected to be selected by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee in the next few days. India ‘A’ are set to play three four-day games against England Lions, starting on May 30 in Canterbury. 46.85Virat Kohli’s average across 123 Tests, scoring 9,230 runs This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 May,2025 09:01 AM IST | New Delhi | IANSIn the Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier 2025 match against Qatar, all 10 UAE batswomen retired out. The match was being played at the Terdthai Cricket Ground in Bangkok, in which UAE elected to bat first, according to Wisden. UAE skipper Esha Oza and fellow opener Theertha Satish delivered a strong start by smashing 45 runs for no loss in the first six overs. The duo then went all guns blazing and posted 90 runs without losing any wickets by the mid-point of the innings. Also Read: Michael Atherton questions Jacob Bethell's decision to prioritise IPL over Zimbabwe Test Skipper Oza completed reaching the celebrated three figures in just 55 deliveries, including 14 boundaries and five maximums. Fellow teammate, Theertha, garnered 74 runs off 42 balls. Her innings was laced with 11 boundaries. The swashbuckling pair decided to retire out. The match then continued in an unexpected manner, with the remaining UAE players coming onto the pitch in pairs, and by wasting no time, they all retired out as well. With the eight batswomen not facing a single delivery, the scorecard of the UAE innings reflected in an unusual situation. The side wrapped up its innings with a score of 192 runs in 16 overs for no loss. UAE posted a target of 193 for Qatar. Rizpha Emmanuel was the top scorer for Qatar in the second innings, and she was the only batter for them who made a double-digit score; the rest of the batters got out on single digits. Qatar was bowled out for 29 in 11 overs; seven Qatar batters got out on zero. Michelle Botha was the pick of the bowlers for the UAE. She took three wickets in her four overs and gave away just 11 runs.
10 May,2025 09:41 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentAmid the rising cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has suspended IPL 2025 for one week. In case the Indian government gives the nod to resume IPL 2025, the league officials have picked three venues —Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad — for the remainder of the cash-rich league, according to ESPNcricinfo. IPL 2025 was suspended ahead of the match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Ekana Cricket Stadium B Ground. If the tournament resumes after a week, a major challenge that the BCCI will face is bringing back the overseas players. After the league was suspended, many players began to board the next available flight to their respective countries. Most of the overseas players are expected to fly out of India by the end of Saturday, reported ESPNcricinfo. Also Read: Michael Atherton questions Jacob Bethell's decision to prioritise IPL over Zimbabwe Test Currently, the franchises are optimistic about the resumption of the league later in May. The final match of the IPL 2025 was scheduled to be played on May 25 at the Eden Gardens. Several players will engage in their bilateral commitments and the World Test Championship final between Australia and South Africa, which will be played at Lord's from June 11. Earlier, in the tournament, the match between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala was called off midway due to a power outage. Following the tension between the two nations, several cricket stadiums in India have received bomb threats. As of now, Gujarat Titans (GT) enjoys the top spot on the IPL 2025 points table with 16 points. RCB and PBKS are placed in second and third position, respectively, with 16 points each to their name. Mumbai Indians (MI) come fourth on the list, followed by DC in fifth with 14 points each. MI's premier batsman Suryakumar Yadav is leading the chart of the most runs in the ongoing edition. He has 510 runs in 12 matches. With the ball, Chennai Super Kings' Noor Ahmad is sharing the top spot with GT's Prasidh Krishna with 20 wickets. (With ANI Inputs)
10 May,2025 05:12 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentFormer England cricketer Michael Atherton feels that Team India cricketer Rohit Sharma's numbers make him successful, but not quite a stellar batsman in whites. Speaking on the Sky Sports Cricket podcast, he said, "I think people will look at him and his best format is ODI cricket. He is going to go down as one of the greatest ODI openers, is he not? But a funny Test career. He had to wait for a long time to get in and then almost a career of two halves in Test cricket, averaging just a tick over 40 in the end with a dozen hundreds, means it is a successful record, but not quite a stellar record." Recently, Rohit announced his retirement from the longest format of the game. His Test career concluded with 67 matches in 11 years. Team India will now kick start its ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle from June 20 onwards. Also Read: Michael Atherton questions Jacob Bethell's decision to prioritise IPL over Zimbabwe Test Further, the Englishman also questioned if Rohit's retirement was completely his decision or if he got a hint that selectors were looking to drop him from the squad. "Was that retirement completely his own decision, or did he get a sense that he's about to be pushed, or the axe was coming because there was a report, the day before the announcement from Rohit, that the selectors had decided to move on," said Atherton. The 57-year-old former cricketer then stated that it is a bad combination for any captain if he is losing games and not getting runs as well. "So that is speculation, we do not know, but ultimately the decision did not come as a surprise because it is a bad combination for any captain, as you know, and as I know well if you are losing games, and you are not getting any runs, and India had lost 5 out of the last 6 matches under Rohit's captaincy. Three against New Zealand and a couple in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and his form had really tailed off, and of course, that is a bad combination for any captain," he concluded. Representing India in 67 Test matches, the 38-year-old Rohit Sharma accumulated 4,301 runs with a highest score of 212 runs. He also has 12 tons and 18 half-centuries to his name in the longest format of the game. (With ANI Inputs)
10 May,2025 05:12 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentFormer England cricketer Michael Atherton feels that all-rounder Jacob Bethell should have been picked in the national team for the Test match against Zimbabwe. Further, he questioned Bethell's feature in IPL 2025 before returning to play for the country. Speaking on the Sky Sports Podcast, Atherton said, "My own view is that Bethell should have been picked. That is the point of an England central contract - that you have got control over your players." "If you are going to put a player on a full central contract - Bethell had been moved from an incremental contract to a full deal after doing so well in New Zealand - then bring your player back," added the 57-year-old. Earlier, England named their 13-man squad for the one-off Test match against Zimbabwe. The match is scheduled to be played from May 22 onwards at the Trent Bridge. Also Read: IN PHOTOS | India-Pakistan tensions: Sports events that have been postponed Jocob Bethell missed the cut in the national team as he is currently representing Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL 2025. So far, featuring in two matches, the left-handed batsman has scored 66 runs, including one half-century. Amid the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCC) has suspended the IPL 2025 for one week. Further, Atherton feels that international matches should be prioritised over domestic leagues. "It is a Test match. It is an international fixture, and international fixtures should have priority over domestic franchise competition. "I know the policy is that players should see through their IPL deals, but I do not particularly agree with it," he concluded his point. So far, representing the "Three Lions" in three longest format matches, Bethell has accumulated 260 runs with an average of 52.00. The 21-year-old also has three half-centuries to his name. In his absence, Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley will keep their spots safe in England's playing eleven. England squad for Zimbabwe Test: Ben Stokes (captain), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Sam Cook, James Rew, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue. (With ANI Inputs)
10 May,2025 04:08 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentFormer Team India cricketer, Ravichandran Ashwin has extended his support to the Indian Armed Forces for carrying on Operation Sindoor in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. The 38-year-old veteran of Indian cricket took to his official social media handle by saying, "Thoughts with our armed forces. #OperationSindoor". Taking to X: Thoughts with our armed forces 🙏🙏.#OperationSindoor — Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) May 10, 2025 Ravichandran Ashwin, after drawing curtains on his international career, continued to feature in the IPL 2025. Later, following the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had released a statement which stated the suspension of the league for one week. Also Read: Hardik Pandya extends support to Indian Armed Forces amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan Indian women's cricket team stalwart Smriti Mandhana, too, heaped praise on the Indian Armed Forces by sharing a story on her official social media handle. Her story read, "Saluting the courage, commitment and sacrifice of our Indian Armed Forces. Your strength protects our freedom. We stand with you, always, Vande Mataram".Ashwin and Mandhana weren't the only ones to commend the army for their efforts. India captain Rohit Sharma also hailed the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Indian Navy. Sharma posted on his official X handle, "With every passing moment, with every decision taken I feel extremely proud of our Indian Army, Indian Air Force & Indian Navy. Our warriors are standing tall for our nation's pride. It's important for every Indian to be responsible and refrain from spreading or believing any fake news. Stay safe, everyone!#OperationSindoor #JaiHind." Ever since the India-Pakistan tensions escalated, the Ministry of Defence in a statement said, "Drones have been sighted at 26 locations along the International Border and LoC with Pakistan. These include suspected armed drones. The locations include Baramulla, Srinagar, Avantipora, Nagrota, Jammu, Ferozpur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Lalgarh Jatta, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bhuj, Kuarbet and Lakhi Nala. Regrettably, an armed drone targeted a civilian area in Ferozpur, resulting in injuries to members of a local family. The injured have been provided medical assistance and the area has been sanitised by security forces. The Indian Armed Forces are maintaining a high state of alert, and all such aerial threats are being tracked and engaged using counter-drone systems. The situation is under close and constant watch & prompt action is being taken wherever necessary. Citizens, especially in border areas, are advised to remain indoors, limit unnecessary movement, and strictly follow safety instructions issued by local authorities. While there is no need for panic, heightened vigilance and precaution are essential". (With ANI Inputs)
10 May,2025 03:22 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentTeam India star all-rounder Hardik Pandya expressed support for the Indian Armed Forces following the rising tensions between India and Pakistan. Pandya took to his official social media handle by sharing a story which read, "Proud and grateful to our armed forces for the courage and sacrifices they've made. Thank you for protecting and keeping everyone in our country safe". Currently, Hardik’s Mumbai Indians (MI) is placed in the fourth position on the IPL 2025 points table. Following the cross-border tensions, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also announced the suspension of IPL 2025 for one week. Also Read: IPL 2025 | "Everyone felt we should stand united as a nation": Chairman Arun Dhumal "The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to suspend the remainder of the ongoing TATA IPL 2025 with immediate effect for one week. Further updates regarding the new schedule and venues of the tournament will be announced in due course after a comprehensive assessment of the situation in consultation with relevant authorities and stakeholders," BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said in the statement. "The decision was taken by the IPL Governing Council after due consultation with all key stakeholders following the representations from most of the franchisees, who conveyed the concern and sentiments of their players, and also the views of the broadcaster, sponsors and fans; while the BCCI reposes full faith in the strength and preparedness of our armed forces, the Board considered it prudent to act in the collective interest of all stakeholders," he added. Additionally, the inaugural edition of the Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 has also been postponed. The global event was scheduled on May 24 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. "In light of the current situation, the inaugural edition of the NC Classic stands postponed until further notice. This decision has been made after careful thought and consultation, with the well-being of athletes, stakeholders, and the broader community as the top priority," read a statement from NC Classic on Instagram. "We believe in the unifying power of sport. But, in this critical moment, standing firm with the nation matters most. All our gratitude and thoughts at this point are only with our Armed Forces, who are at the forefront for our nation. A revised schedule for the NC Classic will be provided in due course. Jai Hind," the statement concluded. Due to recent developments, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) decided to postpone the Bengal Pro T20 League Season 2 and all related pre-events. "Considering the prevailing national circumstances, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has decided to postpone the start of Bengal Pro T20 League Season 2 and thus all pre-events related with it, until further notice. A revised schedule, including updated venues and fixtures, will be shared after a detailed review of the situation in coordination with relevant authorities and stakeholders and any advisory as issued by the BCCI," CAB said in a statement. Several cricket stadiums in India had received bomb threats. So far, the list of stadiums includes Eden Gardens, Arun Jaitely, Sawai Mansingh Stadium and MA Chidambaram Stadium. Earlier, the IPL 2025 match between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Delhi Capitals (DC) was called off due to power outage at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala. (With ANI Inputs)
10 May,2025 01:05 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
