KL Shrijith’s whirlwind unbeaten 150 trumped Shreyas Iyer’s fiery 114 as Karnataka etched a memorable seven-wicket win over Mumbai in a Group ‘C’ match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy here on Saturday. Shreyas’ unbeaten 55-ball knock (5x4, 10x6) combined with fifties from Hardik Tamore (84), Ayush Mhatre (78) and Shivam Dube (63 not out) guided Mumbai to an imposing 382 for four in 50 overs. Also Read: ‘Mum was in tears, I was trying not to cry’ But Shrijith, who was sold to Mumbai Indians for Rs 30 lakh in the recent IPL auction, hammered 150 off 101 balls with 20 fours and four sixes to help Karnataka scale down 383 with 3.4 overs to spare. He was ably supported by KV Aneesh (82), Praveen Dubey (65 not out). Meanwhile in Hyderabad, Madhya Pradesh pacer Avesh Khan took three wickets to restrict Bihar to 196 all out. MP then rode on an unbeaten 55 by skipper Rajat Patidar and an 83 by Harsh Gawali to secure six-wicket win. Brief scoresMumbai 382-4 in 50 overs (S Iyer 114*, H Tamore 84, A Mhatre 78; P Dubey 2-89) lost to Karnataka 383-3 in 46.2 overs (K Shrijith 150, K Aneesh 82; J Khan 2-70) by seven wickets 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
22 December,2024 07:55 AM IST | Ahmedabad | PTIAustralian batter Sam Konstas, 19, currently representing Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League, reflected on his maiden Test call-up to the men’s national team on Saturday. Also Read: T20I: Smriti Mandhan-led India dominate West Indies by 2-1 series win “Mum was in tears, I was trying not to cry and dad was super proud. I was in the nets and I got the call from George Bailey, he told me I was in the Test squad so I called my parents straight away,” said Konstas. 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
22 December,2024 07:52 AM IST | Sydney | IANSIndia will be eager to exploit their recent form and a historical advantage to subdue the West Indies in the three-match Women ODI series, beginning here on Sunday. India notched up their first home T20I series win in over five years with a 2-1 victory over the Caribbeans in Mumbai earlier this week. Also Read: "Only Hindi" questions in Melbourne leave Australian media disappointed Dating back to 2017, India also hold a significant 4-1 head-to-head lead over the Windies in ODIs. The lone worry for India will be the fitness of regular skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who missed the last two T20Is with a knee niggle. Smriti Mandhana led India in Harmanpreet’s absence and she made a strong impression in the T20Is, striking three fifties. The graceful batter will be keen to continue in the same vein in the ODIs as well. Her form in the last 10 ODIs is outstanding, scoring 599 runs at an average of 60 while striking at 98. 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
22 December,2024 07:50 AM IST | Vadodara | PTIThe temperature on Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test is expected to soar to 39 degrees, but tensions between the Indian and Australian media seem to have already hit boiling point. After Virat Kohli’s disagreement with a Channel 7 reporter at Melbourne Airport last Thursday, a fresh controversy erupted at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Saturday during Ravindra Jadeja’s press conference following the team’s practice session. The interaction, organised primarily for the travelling Indian media, saw only Hindi questions being asked, with Jadeja responding in the same language. While neither the player nor the Indian media team had any issue with taking questions in English, the reporters present chose to ask only in Hindi. Also Read: Rishabh Pant waiting to explode The Indian media manager clarified that the session was arranged for Indian journalists as part of regular touring engagements, given the week-long gap between the fourth and fifth Tests. While Australian reporters attended without being explicitly invited, the Indian team welcomed their presence without imposing restrictions.Time constraints, however, prevented even several Indian journalists from posing their questions as the team bus was scheduled to leave. This appeared to frustrate some Australian media members, who voiced objections over the absence of English questions—a demand outside the session’s intended purpose. Matters escalated after the nine-minute session ended, with a few Australian journalists confronting the Indian media manager and journalists in a visually aggressive manner. An Australian videographer’s attempt to film the incident, despite protests from the Indian contingent, further heightened tensions.
22 December,2024 07:46 AM IST | Melbourne | Sandipan BanerjeeRishabh Pant is a huge star in this part of the world. It’s not hard to see why. He made a century six years back, on his first tour of Australia, in the final Test in Sydney. In January 2021, he fashioned an outstanding Indian Test and series victory in Brisbane with a supremely composed unbeaten 89 when the team was missing more than half the regulars and chasing a venue record 328. He is also the peoples’ champion. Through the course of this tour, he has obliged requests for selfies with a smile, remaining grounded and humble. Smart and thoughtful lad Pant has stared death in the face and lived to tell the tale, so it’s unlikely that he will be too fazed by the pressures that a game of cricket can impose. Even before that horrendous accident of December 30, 2022, the likeable young man came across as smart, thoughtful and equanimous in success and failure. He is perhaps even more so now, considering the last 24 months of his life and the manner in which he has bounced back when many feared whether he would even walk again. Also Read: "When top order doesn't score runs, pressure increases in lower order": Ravindra Jadeja Since returning to competitive cricket nine months ago at the IPL, Pant has waltzed back into the national team. After a strong start at the T20 World Cup in New York, he went somewhat cold when the tournament moved to the Caribbean but celebrated his return to Test cricket in September against Bangladesh with a flowing second-innings century. His grand form with the bat spilled over to the NZ series when he made 99 in the second innings of the first Test and almost hauled India to victory in Mumbai until a contentious TV umpire decision thwarted those designs. Pant made a splendid 64, his second half-century of the game on a decidedly dodgy surface, and it was then widely believed that in Australia, on truer wickets with more pace and bounce, he would positively enjoy himself. That hasn’t been the case. Five innings have produced a mere 96 runs with a highest of 37 and an average of 19.2. At No. 5, he has almost always walked into a newish ball — in the 17th over in the first innings in Perth, 21st and 15th overs in Adelaide, and the eighth over in Brisbane — against which batting has been very tricky against a terrific pace attack. New ball challenge Pant’s counterpart at No. 5, Travis Head, has had the luxury of coming in mainly after the new ball has been blunted, after which he has been able to play his shots with impunity. Early forays to the batting crease haven’t helped Pant’s cause, but the left-hander has been around long enough to not use that as an excuse. Pant’s Test career received a second lease in Melbourne four years back, when he was recalled after being benched in the series opener in Adelaide. Maybe it’s here too that he will turn his series around next week. Now, what a story that will be.
22 December,2024 07:40 AM IST | Melbourne | R KaushikStar India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja on Saturday said lack of runs from the top-order builds pressure on the lower-order and called for an improved performance from the batting unit in the Boxing Day Test here. Jadeja played a crucial role in the rain-hit third Test against Australia at Brisbane, scoring a gritty 77 in the first innings to help India secure a draw. “Top-order runs are very important when you play outside India, especially in Australia and South Africa. When the top order doesn’t score runs, the responsibility and pressure increase on the lower order,” Jadeja said during an interaction at the MCG. Also Read: African Gold for HPSL Indian 2000 Guineas (Gr 1) “Hopefully, the top-order and the middle-order do well in this Test. As a team, we need the top order to perform. If everyone contributes in the batting unit, the team will do well.” India’s top-order struggled in Brisbane, barring opener KL Rahul, who scored a valiant 84. The rest of the top and middle order crumbled, but Jadeja, playing his first match of the tour, kept India afloat. While Washington Sundar was preferred in the opening Test in Perth, Ravichandran Ashwin featured in the second Test in Adelaide. Jadeja said missing the first two matches worked to his advantage as it allowed him to acclimatize to the conditions and prepare for the Gabba Test. “I got a nice few days to understand and get used to the conditions. I was here so many days, I used to bowl and bat on the tracks here. I got more familiar with the conditions here,” he said. 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
22 December,2024 07:36 AM IST | Melbourne | PTICricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has lauded a young girl's 'smooth and effortless' bowling action, likening it to former India pacer Zaheer Khan, who too praised her technique in a social media exchange that created a lot of buzz. On Friday, Tendulkar shared a video on 'X' featuring the young girl, Sushila Meena, delivering a ball with an extraordinarily fluid left-arm pace bowling action, reminiscent of Zaheer's signature style. Smooth, effortless, and lovely to watch! Sushila Meena’s bowling action has shades of you, @ImZaheer. Do you see it too? pic.twitter.com/yzfhntwXux — Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) December 20, 2024 Tendulkar also tagged his longtime India teammate Zaheer in his video, which was in slow motion. "Smooth, effortless, and lovely to watch! Sushila Meena's bowling action has shades of you, @ImZaheer. Do you see it too?" the Indian batting legend said in his post. Also Read: Anmolpreet slams fastest List A ton by Indian as Punjab beat Arunachal Pradesh Responding to the post, Zaheer said: "You're spot on with that, and I couldn't agree more. Her action is so smooth and impressive, she's showing a lot of promise already!" The barefooted Sushila, a Class 5 student from Rajasthan, showcased her natural flair and passion for the game, with her action, including a signature jump before delivery, bearing striking similarities to Zaheer's bowling style. The video highlights the immense raw talent emerging from rural India, underscoring the country's potential in nurturing future cricket stars. The interaction between Tendulkar and Zaheer has drawn widespread attention on social media, garnering lakhs of views and an outpouring of appreciation for the young bowler.
21 December,2024 06:06 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentAnmolpreet Singh smashed the quickest List A hundred by an Indian, a 35-ball effort, to guide Punjab to an easy nine-wicket win over Arunachal Pradesh in a Group C Vijay Hazare match on Saturday. Anmolpreet, who went unsold in the recent IPL auction, broke the record of former India all-rounder Yusuf Pathan, who had scored a hundred off 40 balls for Baroda against Maharashtra in 2009-10. This knock is also the third fastest List A hundred behind Aussie Jake-Fraser McGurk, who smashed a 29-ball ton for South Australia against Tasmania in 2023-24, and South African AB de Villiers' 31-ball hundred against the West Indies at Johannesburg in 2014-15. The right-handed Anmolpreet made 115 off 45 balls (12x4, 9x6) as Punjab chased down a target of 165 in just 12.5 overs, reaching 167 for one. 🚨 Record AlertAnmolpreet Singh smashed the fastest List A 💯 by an Indian, reaching the milestone in just 35 balls 💥 He achieved this feat playing for Punjab against Arunachal Pradesh in the #VijayHazareTrophy in Ahmedabad 👏Watch 📽️ snippets of his knock @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/SKzDrgNQAO — BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) December 21, 2024 After the early fall of skipper Abhishek Sharma (10), Anmolpreet and Prabhsimran Singh (35 not out, 25b) milked 153 runs for the unbroken second wicket alliance to guide Punjab home. Earlier, Arunachal were bowled out for 164 with pacer Ashwani Kumar and leg-spinner Mayank Markande taking three wickets apiece. Brief scores: Arunachal Pradesh: 164 all out in 48.4 overs (Tech Neri 42, Hardik Varma 38; Ashwani Kumar 3/37, Mayank Markande 3/31) lost to Punjab: 167/1 in 12.5 overs (Anmolpreet Singh 115 not out) by 9 wickets (With agency inputs)
21 December,2024 05:58 PM IST | Ahmedabad | mid-day online correspondentThey prod and poke until you finally snap, and when you do, suddenly they are the innocent ones, claiming victimhood. No one excels at playing the moral high ground quite like an Australian who, just moments earlier, was the one stirring the pot. This tactic isn’t just limited to Australian cricketers, it is a tried-and-true strategy for their media as well. Just days ago, Virat Kohli found himself embroiled in a heated exchange with a few members of the media at Brisbane's airport following the third Test. Kohli, who prefers to keep his personal life under wraps, was reportedly displeased at the media’s intrusion on his family. According to reports, Kohli insisted he couldn’t be filmed without permission. “It was upon seeing the waiting cameras that Kohli became a little heated over what is largely a misunderstanding when he thought the media was filming him with his children,” Channel 7 reporter Theo Doropoulos said on 7NEWS. Fast forward to Saturday, and it was Ravindra Jadeja's turn to face the media circus. Much on the expected lines, the Australian media wasted no time in labeling the press conference as a 'strange and frosty' affair, with their headline conveniently focusing on the fact that Jadeja 'refused to answer questions in English'. "At the MCG on Saturday, India’s media team pointed to reporters who were allowed to ask questions and even acknowledged a few Australian journalists. But Jadeja only responded in his native language," read the report. The report indicated that Jadeja answering in his native Hindi was an inconvenience for the Aussie journalists, and to top it off, he allegedly wrapped up the press conference early. It also made sure to mention that 'India's media team insisted the conference was for 'travelling Indian media only even though Australian media were invited'. Also Read: Is Fox Cricket's poster a subtle nod to Australia’s long-loved psychological warfare? Amit Shah, a reporter from Midday, pointed out that many Indian journalists don’t always get the chance to ask questions due to time constraints, but instead of keeping their cool, the Australian journalists 'misbehaved' and 'argued' with the Indian media manager after the press conference. Shah, who regularly attends press conferences, noted that this kind of behaviour is uncharacteristic of the Indian press, who have never raised a fuss. "Their behaviour was inappropriate and uncalled for. I cover press conferences regularly, and even during Australian press conferences, many Indian journalists don't get a chance to ask questions due to time limitations, but we have never argued or misbehaved," he said. But of course, this is Australia. Their cricketing culture has always been a masterclass in ‘psychological warfare'. It is not enough to outplay the opponent on the field, they’ve made an art form out of getting inside your head. Whether it’s the infamous ‘mental disintegration’ tactics of the ‘90s or today’s more polished version of mind games, Australia has long been the pioneer in the field of psychological gymnastics. And Saturday was no different.
21 December,2024 03:12 PM IST | Melbourne | Srijanee MajumdarFor Ravichandran Ashwin, family has always held a special place. Time and again, he has spoken about the pivotal role played by his wife, Prithi Narayanan, and their two daughters in his life. After Ashwin decided to step away from his illustrious cricket career, Prithi shared an emotional and heartfelt post about witnessing one of the greatest cricketers of his generation up close. Ashwin chose to retire from international cricket with two Tests remaining in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. "It has been a blurry two days for me. I have been thinking about what I can say... Do I write this as a tribute to my all-time favorite cricketer? Or maybe I’ll approach it from the partner’s perspective? Or perhaps as a love letter from a fan girl? I suppose it’s a little bit of all of that," Prithi Narayanan wrote in her Instagram post. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 𝒫𝓇𝒾𝓉𝒽𝒾 𝒜𝓈𝒽𝓌𝒾𝓃 (@prithinarayanan) "When I watched Ashwin’s press conference, I was flooded with memories—big and small. So many moments from the last 13-14 years. The major wins, the Man of the Series awards, the quiet stillness in our room after an intense match, the prolonged sound of the shower running on certain evenings after a game, the scratching of pencil on paper as he jotted down his thoughts, the constant replaying of footage videos as he formulated his game plan, the calming breaths before heading out to each match, certain songs on loop as he unwound. Also Read: Did Gambhir have a hand in Ashwin’s abrupt exit from international cricket? "There were the moments when we cried with joy—after the Champions Trophy final, the MCG victory, the Sydney draw, the Gabba triumph, and the T20 comeback... and the times when we sat in silence and had our hearts broken." Prithi then reflected on her experience of closely following Ashwin’s journey. "Dear Ashwin, from not knowing how to pack a kit bag to following you to stadiums all over the world, cheering for you, watching you, and learning from you, it has been an absolute privilege. The world you introduced me to gave me the opportunity to experience and appreciate a sport I love from such a personal perspective," she wrote. Also Read: Uncertain future, family insight: Why R Ashwin chose to retire mid-series? "It also taught me how much passion, hard work, and discipline are required to stay at the top. And sometimes, even that isn’t enough. I remember us discussing why you, R. Ashwin, had to work so hard and do so much just to stay relevant in the game. How awards, the best statistics, the Player of the Match honors, the accolades, the records—all these didn’t matter unless you constantly refined your skills and kept putting in the work. Sometimes, nothing is enough." "As you close this incredible chapter of your international career, all I want to say is, it’s all good. It’s all going to be good. It’s time to release the burden of being who you are. Live life on your terms—make room for those extra calories, spend time with your family, enjoy moments of doing absolutely nothing, share memes all day, create a new bowling variation, and drive our kids crazy. Just do it all."
21 December,2024 01:23 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentAn arrest warrant has been issued for former cricketer Robin Uthappa in connection with an alleged fraud involving the provident fund contributions of employees at a clothing company he operates. Uthappa has been given until December 27 to settle outstanding dues of nearly Rs 24 lakh, failing which he will face arrest. Uthappa, who is the director of Bengaluru-based Centaurus Lifestyle Brands Pvt Ltd, is accused of withholding provident fund deductions from his employees' salaries without depositing them into the appropriate accounts. The company has failed to remit approximately Rs 23,36,602, which is to be recovered from Uthappa, according to the Regional Provident Fund Commissioner, Sadakshari Gopal Reddy, who issued the arrest warrant on December 4. Also Read: Figuring out Robin Uthappa The 39-year-old former batsman is said to have deducted provident fund contributions from his employees’ wages but failed to deposit the amounts into their respective accounts. This non-payment has prevented the settlement of provident fund accounts for the affected workers, with the letter urging the police to arrest Uthappa and return the warrant by December 27. Uthappa, who has played 59 international matches for India and enjoyed a successful career in the Indian Premier League, has accumulated 1,183 runs, including seven half-centuries, in his international cricket career. More updates to follow...
21 December,2024 01:20 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
