Former Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni, widely recognised for his calm and composed demeanour on the field, continues to win hearts off it as well. A recent video shared on social media beautifully captured a tender moment between Dhoni, his adorable daughter Ziva, and their beloved pet dog, offering fans a rare glimpse into his personal life. In the video, Dhoni, exuding the same calmness that he is famous for during match pressure, is seen lovingly brushing the fur of his dog. Ziva, on the other hand, is seen assisting him in caring for the family pet with endearing enthusiasm, gently petting the dog. The video, posted by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on their official social media account, was captioned, 'Therapawtic!' Therapawtic!💛 📹 : ziva singh dhoni pic.twitter.com/Qs4yoybB60 — Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) January 8, 2025 Beyond these heartwarming moments, Dhoni's relationship with social media has always been one of cautious pragmatism. Despite being one of India’s most celebrated cricketing icons, Dhoni has maintained a distance from social media's often chaotic and attention-seeking world. Reflecting on his views in a recent interview on Eurogrip Tred Talks, Dhoni spoke candidly about his reluctance to engage with the ever-growing demand for digital presence. Having made his debut in 2004, Dhoni was already an established cricketer by the time platforms like Twitter and Instagram became mainstream. “I’ve never been a big fan of social media. All my managers kept pushing me to create a bigger online presence, but I always told them, if you play good cricket, you don’t need additional PR,” he remarked. As he prepares for his 18th season in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Dhoni’s legacy continues to grow. The Chennai Super Kings retained him for INR 4 crore ahead of the mega-auction, even as he nears the twilight of his illustrious career.
09 January,2025 01:01 PM IST | Ranchi | mid-day online correspondentFour out of five pitches used in the recent Border-Gavaskar Test series between India and Australia have been rated ‘very good’ by the ICC, which found the track for the fifth and final game in Sydney to be ‘satisfactory, Cricket Australia announced on Wednesday. The five-match series ended 3-1 in favour of the hosts, who regained the trophy after a decade while also qualifying for the World Test Championship final in June against South Africa. The tracks at the Optus Stadium in Perth, the Adelaide Oval, the Gabba in Brisbane and the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground received the highest rating, Cricket Australia stated in a press release. The traditionally batting-friendly pitch at Sydney Cricket Ground, which ended up a notch below in the ratings, favoured bowlers this time. Batters from both the teams struggled for the majority of the Test which ended in two and half days. “We encourage pitches that bring out the unique characteristics of that venue and this has long been a feature of Australian cricket,” Cricket Australia’s Head of Cricket Operations Peter Roach said. “We don’t look to prepare wickets that favour the home side or suit our situation. What we seek is a good contest between bat and ball and pitches that produce a result,” Roach added. 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
09 January,2025 06:45 AM IST | Sydney | AgenciesFormer England captain Michael Atherton has expressed his perspective on the ongoing debate regarding the two-tier system in Tests and said that any proposed structure should facilitate movement between the tiers. “Tiers and divisions are two different things. Divisions imply a chance of promotion and relegation. I’d be fine with that. “But I’d be anti-tiers where there is no chance for the bottom tier to get into the top tier, and it becomes an entrenched elite,” Atherton said on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast. 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
09 January,2025 06:44 AM IST | New Delhi | IANSKL Rahul, who played all the five Test matches against Australia, has requested for a break and will skip the Vijay Hazare knockouts. Rahul’s availability for the second phase of the Ranji Trophy, beginning on January 23, will be decided later. India head coach Gautam Gambhir had recently expressed his desire to see frontline Indian players making themselves available for the remainder of the premier domestic red-ball tournament. Meanwhile, Prasidh Krishna, Devdutt Padikkal and Washington Sundar, who all featured in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar trophy, will be available for their respective sides in the 50-over tournament’s knockout phase. 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
09 January,2025 06:43 AM IST | Bangalore | PTILegendary India batter Sunil Gavaskar said he won’t be surprised if fast-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah takes over as the side’s Test captain in near future, citing that he doesn’t pressurise players much when he’s been at the helm of the team. In India’s recent 3-1 defeat to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Bumrah captained the visitors’ in two games, one of which was a 295-run win series opening match in Perth. “He will be the next man, because he leads from the front. He’s got a very good air about him, the air of a leader, but he’s not somebody who’s going to put pressure on you. Sometimes you have captains who put a lot of pressure on you. Sunil Gavaskar “With Bumrah you can see that he expects the others to do what their job is, why they are in the national team, but he doesn’t seem to pressurise anybody. With the fast bowlers, he’s been absolutely brilliant, standing at mid-off, mid-on, and every time just being at hand to tell them. I think he was absolutely brilliant, and I won’t be surprised if he takes over very soon,” said Gavaskar on Channel Seven on Wednesday. Performance wise, Bumrah was the star of India’s tour, picking 32 wickets in five matches at an average of 13.06 and a strike rate 28.37 to clinch player of the series award. Gavaskar felt things could have been slightly different in Sydney for India if Bumrah had bowled in the fourth innings of the match. Bumrah best all-format pacer: Clarke Michael Clarke Former Australian captain Michael Clarke has termed the incomparable Jasprit Bumrah the greatest all-format fast bowler after his player of the series performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. “The thing I’ve thought about Bumrah, after the series finished and I was sitting and thinking about his performances, I actually think he’s the best fast bowler ever across all three formats,” Clarke told ESPN.
09 January,2025 06:43 AM IST | New Delhi | IANSMohd Siraj’s hot-Head The Indian bowlers threw everything at Travis Head, but couldn’t stop him from scoring a sparkling 140 in Adelaide. Finally, when Mohammed Siraj got him out, he gave the Australian an aggressive send-off, to which Head replied back fiercely before walking off. Head later told reporters that he just said ‘well bowled’ to Siraj, but the Indian said there was much more to it. Sketchy Snicko call hurts Rahul in Perth India’s KL Rahul is caught by wicketkeeper Alex Carey off pacer Mitchell Starc at Perth in November On a green Perth pitch, the only batter who seemed assured was KL Rahul. But just as he looked set to get to his half-century, he was adjudged caught behind. While there was no deflection visible from the front-on angle, the Snickometer showed a spike despite there being a clear gap between bat and ball. With no other angle available, the third umpire overturned the on-field umpire’s not out call. A visibly upset Rahul, while walking gestured that the Snicko was because the bat hit his pad. Kohli’s shoulder push leaves a bad taste Virat Kohli chats with Sam Konstas (centre) at MCG Australia’s 19-year-old debutant opener Sam Konstas went after India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah from the get-go with some audacious shots at the MCG, including a couple of scoops. Consequently, Bumrah conceded 38 runs in his first six overs. During one of the over changes Virat Kohli walked up to Konstas and shoulder charged him. Kohli got away for his ugly act with a mere 20 per cent match fee penalty. No glove lost here as Washington sent back A dejected Washington Sundar walks back after being dismissed by Pat Cummins in Sydney Washington Sundar was at the receiving end of a Snicko error this time at Sydney. He tried to heave away a delivery from Pat Cummins down the leg side and missed, but wicketkeeper Alex Carey claimed there was an edge. DRS was taken and though the front-on vision showed no deflection, the Snicko showed a spike when the ball was next to the glove. The third umpire felt it was enough evidence to overturn the on-field umpire’s decision. Sundar was livid as he walked back almost grudgingly. Nothing on Snicko, yet Jaiswal given out A screengrab of Yashasvi Jaiswal’s dismissal shows no spike on the Snickometer as the ball passes his bat during the fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground India were batting on the final day to save the MCG Test and while they kept losing wickets at regular intervals, Yashasvi Jaiswal was defiant at one end, bravely carrying on the fight. However, he ran out of patience on one of the deliveries from Pat Cummins in the third session and tried to a short-pitched one. The Australians were convinced Jaiswal had edged it behind to Alex Carey but the on-field umpire thought otherwise. A DRS call showed nothing on the Snicko, but third umpire felt there was enough evidence of a deflection in the front-on view and adjudged Jaiswal out. Jaiswal was not happy as he walked back to the pavilion and former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar expressed his displeasure at the decision. Upset Bumrah lets Konstas have it Umpire Sharfuddoula Saikat intervenes after Jasprit Bumrah (left) and Sam Konstas get involved in a heated argument at the SCG Konstas, who had already gotten under the skin of the Indians with his aggressive Test debut at MCG, crossed a line when he got into an altercation with Bumrah at Sydney. Bumrah, who was rushing in to bowl his over with just two minutes remaining for the end of play on Day One, was upset that Australia Open Usman Khawaja was taking his time to get ready. Bumrah had some words for Khawaja to which Konstas replied from the non-striker’s end, leading to a heated exchange between the duo that required the umpire’s intervention. Bumrah had the last laugh as he dismissed Khawaja off the final ball of the day as the Indian fielders almost swarmed Konstas in celebration.
09 January,2025 06:39 AM IST | Melbourne | Anuj PrabhuFormer India head coach Ravi Shastri wants the struggling Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to get back to playing Ranji Trophy in order to improve their game against spin, while also helping youngsters in the domestic game develop. The repeated failures of the star Indian duo in the Border-Gavaskar trophy contributed to the visitors’ series loss. India head coach Gautam Gambhir underlined the importance of domestic cricket following the loss and Shastri echoed that sentiment. “They should go back and play some domestic cricket. It’s important to play domestic cricket for two reasons,” Shastri said during a conversation alongside Australian great Ricky Ponting on ICC Review. “One you are abreast with the current generation, you can contribute to that younger generation with your experience. And more importantly, you get to play spin more than you will ever play. “ If you see, India’s record on turning tracks is not the greatest. If you have quality spinners in the opposition, they can trouble you. And they have troubled India,” Shastri added. Meanwhile, former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting feels Kohli needs a sabbatical in order to rediscover his groove. “If he wants to continue playing Test match cricket, he might just need to have a little spell off for a while, find the love for the game again,” he opined. 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
09 January,2025 06:33 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIIndia’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah continued to reign supreme at the top of the bowlers’ chart with a career-best rating of 908 in the latest ICC Test Rankings, released on Wednesday. Bumrah, who made history ahead of the fifth and final Test against Australia by recording the highest-ever ICC Rankings rating for an Indian bowler at 907 points, improved that tally by one point after taking two wickets in the first innings at the SCG. However, a back spasm ruled him out of bowling in the second innings, restricting his role to just batting. Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who climbed a spot to be joint-ninth, is the other Indian giving Bumrah company in the top-10. He shares the ninth spot with Australian pacer Scott Boland, who has made a remarkable leap of 29 places to break into the top 10. Boland’s stellar performance in the Sydney Test, where he claimed a 10-wicket haul (4-31 and 6-45), proved too much for the Indian batters on a lively pitch. His efforts were instrumental in Australia’s triumph, ending a decade-long wait to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Australia skipper Pat Cummins also made gains in the rankings, climbing to number two after picking up five wickets in the final match. South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada rose a spot to occupy the third place while injured Josh Hazlewood moved down two places to be fourth. Rishabh Pant’s blistering 33-ball 61 in the second innings earned him a three-spot rise in the batting rankings, moving him to number nine while India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal retained his fourth spot. 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
09 January,2025 06:32 AM IST | Dubai | PTIFormer South African captain Faf Du Plessis feels that Team India batsman Virat Kohli will be super motivated with his rough patch behind him and he is capable of returning to his run-making ways. Virat Kohli has undergone a rough patch in concluded Australia. Featuring in five Test matches, he could manage to garner just 190 runs with an average of 23.75. This also includes his unbeaten century at Perth. Faf Du Plessis backed Virat Kohli to bounce back strongly and said that retirement is a very personal choice. "That is very, very personal. No one can speak to you about when that time is (up) as a player, you'll know", Faf du Plessis told PTI on the sidelines of the SA20 Season 3's Captain's Day. "I know someone like him is super super motivated, he's gone through it all before, so he knows exactly what to do", said Du Plessis. Also Read: PCB shifts ODI tri-series to Karachi, Lahore; dismisses delay in stadium renovation The 40-year-old then went back to the day when he felt his time was up as a Test cricketer. "It is different for every player. Every player needs to answer that question. I remember when that time was for me", he said. "I just knew that certainly from the Test cricket perspective for me. I didn't have that same hunger and drive anymore and I felt that that stage certainly for me was a good time to let new guys come in and also step into the T20 world." "I wanted to do that at the stage where I still felt like I was on top of my game", he added. Du Plessis was not pleased with ICC reportedly exploring the possibility of a two-tier Test system. "No, I think we need the game to be healthy", Du Plessis said. "We saw over the last few years the value that was put on Test cricket by Australia, England and India making sure that there were 4-5 Test series." "When you look at the other teams, there are two Test matches here and there and playing six Test matches a season. I do not think that is healthy for the game", he offered. "As long as we can look at Test cricket as (being) important, you just look at all the Test matches that took place over the last few weeks, some incredible matches have been played", Faf du Plessis noted. One of South Africa's premier spinners, Keshav Maharaj said that the consistency of his Test team has been phenomenal and they deserve to lift the World Test Championship (WTC) title. The Proteas will face Australia in the final of the World Test Championship in June at the Lord's. South Africa advanced to the title clash of the 2023-25 cycle with a 2-0 win over Pakistan at home, while India's string of losses against New Zealand at home and against Australia ended their hopes of a third consecutive WTC final appearance. "If you look at our Test unit, not many people would have afforded us the opportunity of making the final, but we've been phenomenal from a consistency point of view, from a cricket perspective", Maharaj told PTI. "The togetherness on the field and the camaraderie and spirit (that) you see within the dressing room propelled us to get there." "Hopefully, this is our year and we go one better than we've done previously and raise a very prestigious title in the Test format", he said. Keshav Maharaj accepted that Australia are a formidable opponent. "It's the hardest format of the game. It's most challenging physically, mentally and emotionally. As a unit, the (kind of) cricket (that) we have played, we deserve to go and raise a trophy." "But we are against formidable opponents, hopefully, we will come up on the right side of things", he said. (With PTI Inputs)
08 January,2025 06:32 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe Pakistan Cricket Board on Wednesday moved the ODI tri-series, also involving South Africa and New Zealand, from Multan to Karachi and Lahore, dismissing the talks about a delay in renovation work at those venues ahead of next month's Champions Trophy. The triangular series is a curtain raiser to the ICC showpiece which begins from February 19 in Karachi. The PCB said preparations for the Champions Trophy are in full swing with the renovation work at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore and the National Bank Stadium in Karachi set to be completed before or around the deadlines. "Given the advanced stage of preparations at the Gaddafi Stadium and the National Bank Stadium, the PCB has decided to relocate the upcoming tri-nation ODI series to these two venues." Also Read: Michael Clarke terms 'freak' to this Indian player "The series, featuring New Zealand and South Africa alongside Pakistan, was originally scheduled to be held in Multan", the PCB said in a statement. "This decision reflects the PCB's confidence in the readiness of these upgraded venues and their ability to deliver a world-class experience for players, officials, and fans alike", the PC B added. After the upgrades, spectator capacity at the Gaddafi Stadium has been increased to 35,000, with new chairs installed throughout the venue. Additionally, 480 state-of-the-art LED lights have been installed to enhance broadcast LUX levels, ensuring superior viewing quality for fans worldwide. The PCB has also constructed brand-new players' and officials' hospitality enclosure. The renovated stadium is set to be inaugurated in the last week of January. At Karachi, new hospitality enclosures have been built besides 350 LED lights have been installed, ensuring optimal visibility for global audiences. Additionally, two digital replay screens have been fixed, and 5,000 new chairs have also been installed. The PCB said the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium has been given touch-ups like the installation of 10,000 new chairs, upgrades to hospitality boxes and the installation of two digital replay screens. 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.
08 January,2025 05:44 PM IST | Lahore | PTIFormer Australian skipper Michael Clarke has labelled Team India's lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah as the greatest all-format fast bowler following his Player of the Series performance in the concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Jasprit Bumrah showcased one of the best fast-bowling performances by an overseas pacer on Australian soil. He claimed 32 wickets in five Test matches. "The thing I've thought about Bumrah, after the series finished and I was sitting and thinking about his performances, I actually think he's the best fast bowler ever across all three formats," Michael Clarke told ESPN. "I know a lot of great fast bowlers, Curtly Ambrose, Glenn McGrath, didn't get to play T20 cricket, so I'm not talking about those guys, but in regards to anyone who has played all three formats, I think he might be the best ever. Also Read: New Zealand crush Sri Lanka by 113 runs in 2nd ODI to win series "He's actually that good in any conditions, that's what makes him great; any conditions, any format, this guy's a freak." Michael Clarke further believes that India could have won the Sydney Test if they had Japrit Bumrah bowling in the hosts' second essay and some more runs under their belt. Bumrah had suffered an injury on the second day of the match at SCG and was immediately taken to the hospital for a scan. The Indian pace spearhead returned to bat the following morning but he did not bowl in Australia's second innings because of a back spasm as the hosts successfully chased down a target of 162 with six wickets in hand to win the series 3-1. "I reckon India were probably 20 runs short (in Sydney)," Clarke said. "I reckon a 180 lead, with Bumrah in the team, I think India are home. I think Bumrah is that good... he's so much better than the other bowlers they had in the team." Jasprit Bumrah was in a league of his own as his 32 wickets came at an incredible average of 13.06 and a strike rate of 28.3. Mohammed Siraj was the next highest wicket-taker among Indian pacers with 20 scalps at 31.15. (With PTI Inputs)
08 January,2025 05:12 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
