Virat’s breathtaking house in Gurgaon consists of a hanging pool which is placed right above the garden. This is only one of the modern features of the Indian cricketer’s luxurious home.

The cricketer has opted for a rather simple look for his drawing room with dark-toned walls complementing the furniture.

The house is massive, spreading well over 500 yards and consists of very well connected staircases and pathways.

The living area in Virat’s residence in Gurgaon includes a sofa, a wall-mounted TV. The gorgeous lamp in the corner is a fantastic addition and it adds to the aesthetic of the room.

The trendy-looking bar in Virat Kohli’s home comes in handy in order to entertain the guests during a party.

The post Inside photos of Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma’s LUXURIOUS home in Gurgaon, it costs Rs… appeared first on Cricket Country.

“What happened with Kohli there – Kohli was bang out of order. Virat Kohli should have been banned for what he did. You know how much I love Virat Kohli and what he has done for the game, but there’s a line, and you do not cross it,” Harmison told the talkSPORT Cricket podcast.

Following the incident, the International Cricket Council (ICC) fined Kohli 20 per cent of his match fee. This was done so because Kohli had made physical contact with Konstas and his actions breached ICC’s Code of Conduct.

Harmison also advised Konstas to improve his defensive technique rather than trying to emulate former Australia opener David Warner and his attacking playstyle.

“Sam has got the scoops, he’s got the big shots. But does he have the defensive technique for Test match cricket against the world’s best? That’s something he needs to figure out. If he gets it right, he has a great chance because he can be aggressive and has a good mindset for attacking the ball. But I just think he wants to be David Warner, and technically, he’s nowhere near as good as Warner,” Harmison said.

“If he’s opening the batting against England, I’d be happy. I really would. But he’s only 19, and he’s going to improve. However, if he continues to be aggressive verbally, he’ll face consequences. India is one thing, but the Ashes – with all the pressure it brings – is another level entirely. I’ve no issue with him having a go at India; he tried to rile them up because they were wasting time, and India got Khawaja out and won. But the Ashes will be a different challenge,” Harmison said.

The post ‘Should have been banned…’: Ex-England star’s BLUNT verdict on the Virat Kohli-Sam Konstas spat appeared first on Cricket Country.

This report comes after several former India cricketers urged the star India batter to play domestic cricket in order to regain his form in Tests. Even head coach Gautam Gambhir also hinted that not only Virat but Rohit should also play domestic cricket since he also needs to drastically improve his form in the longest format.

If RCB reaches the final of the IPL which will be played on May 25, then Kohli will have roughly 14 days to play county cricket and get suitable with the English conditions before the 5-match Test series against The Three Lions commences.

Preparing for the swinging conditions in England will not be an easy task and Kohli himself knows that. The India batter has struggled in the past few Test series in England and the same would happen in the upcoming tour as well if he doesn’t take strict measures to improve his form.

Kohli had a brilliant start to the Border-Gavaskar series, slamming a century in the first Test held in Perth. However, his form dipped in the very next match and didn’t show much improvements in the remaining 3 Tests as well.

The 36-year-old will be looking to put the failures in Australia tour behind him and a stint in County Cricket can turn out to be very helpful for him in regaining his form. Spending time in English conditions would allow Kohli to sharpen his skills and also regain his confidence.

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“The challenge is, and I can see it with Virat now, you can see how much he wants it. He’s trying so hard that actually makes batting harder. The harder you try sometimes with batting, the less success you’re going to have,” Ponting said.

“I started thinking more about not getting out rather than scoring runs and that might sound strange but that’s what it was. I was trying to be so perfect set the right example play exactly the way my team needed me all the time but when I was playing my best I didn’t think about any of that,” Ponting added.

Ponting believes that Kohli needs to rediscover his love for the game, adding that the India batter doesn’t want to play the deliveries pitched outside his off-stump, however there is some mental block due to which he is doing so.

“I just walked out and thought about scoring runs. I can just see a little bit of that with Virat now. Even the way that he’s getting out you can see he doesn’t want to be playing at those balls he’s trying not to do it but he’s there’s some mental block there that’s making him feel for that one outside the off stump,” Ponting said.

“He had a mental break (in the past) where he stepped away for a while and then came back and find the love for the game again. So right now it just seems like that real love of the game for him is not there because he’s making it too hard to enjoy. So if he wants to continue playing Test match cricket, he might just need to have a little spell for a while, find the love for the game again” Ponting added.

The post ‘He doesn’t want to…’: Australia great points out the MAJOR problem with Virat Kohli appeared first on Cricket Country.

Veteran India cricketers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli had a tour to forget as both of them gave dismal batting performances throughout the 5 Tests. However, the duo are still expected to be a part of India’s squad for the England Test series which will be played in June due to their ‘superstar’ status.

Harbhajan said that selection for the away series against England should completely be dependent on performances. He even went on to say that if players get picked just because of their reputation, then legendary cricketers like Anil Kumble and Kapil Dev can also find a place in the squad.

“There is a superstar culture which has developed. We don’t need superstars, we need performers. If the team has them (performers), it will move forward. Whoever wants to become a superstar should stay at home and play cricket there,” Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.

“There is a tour of England coming up. Now everyone has started talking about what will happen in England, who will go, who will not go. For me, it is a simple matter. Only players who are performing should go. You can’t keep picking players on their reputation,” Harbhajan said.

“If you do that, then you should take Kapil Dev sir and Anil bhai also. Here, the BCCI and the selectors will have to be firm and act tough. I don’t think that the superstar attitude is taking the team forward,” Harbhajan further said.

It will be interesting to see whether Rohit and Virat will still feature for the Men in Blue for the England tour or the team will undergo major changes for the important Test series against The Three Lions.

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According to Ponting, Kohli is trying too hard which has been resulting in him being hurt. After he nicked the ball to the slips during India’s second innings of the Sydney test, he was spotted expressing his frustration.

“…The challenge is, and I can see it with Virat now, you can see how much he wants it. He’s trying so hard that actually makes batting harder. The harder you try sometimes with batting, the less success you’re going to have. I started thinking more about not getting out rather than scoring runs and that might sound strange but that’s what it was. I was trying to be so perfect set the right example play exactly the way my team needed me all the time but when I was playing my best I didn’t think about any of that.,” Ponting told ICC.

“I just walked out and thought about scoring runs. I can just see a little bit of that with Virat now. Even the way that he’s getting out you can see he doesn’t want to be playing at those balls he’s trying not to do it but he’s there’s some mental block there that’s making him feel for that one outside the off stump,” he added.

According to Ponting, Kohli needs a kind of vacation from the game, as the star batter is unable to play freely because of the pressure of expectations and ongoing failure.

“A break can only help the Indian legend. He had a mental break (in the past) where he stepped away for a while and then came back and find the love for the game again. So right now it just seems like that real love of the game for him is not there because he’s making it too hard to enjoy. So if he wants to continue playing Test match cricket, he might just need to have a little spell for a while, find the love for the game again,” Ponting told ICC.

After India had an England tour in 2022, Kohli had been in a similar situation where he could not perform well, and hence he took a 42-day vacation. The star batter stated that it was the first time in his career where he had not touched the bat for 30 days. After that he made a comeback in the sport and had impressive outcomes, which might happen once again if he goes on according to the advice of the former Australian captain.

The post ‘Making it too hard to enjoy…’: Ricky Ponting advices Virat Kohli to ‘Take a Break’ in order to surpass his Lean patch appeared first on Cricket Country.

Kohli is currently facing a lot of criticism from cricket experts and fans after he failed to perform in the five Test matches against Australia. He set off the series with an unbeaten century, but failed to keep that momentum. He ended the series with just 190 runs. Faf also spoke about Kohli’s retirement, stating that bidding farewell from the sport 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,” 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,” he added.

After he failed to perform well in the five-match Test series against Australia, the star batter will most likely appear for India in he upcoming three-match ODI series against England, set to begin February 6. This will be last ODI series for India before the 2025 edition of Champions Trophy.

The post ‘No one can speak…’: Virat Kohli’s Ex-IPL teammate passes Judgement on his retirement after flop show in Border-Gavaskar Trophy appeared first on Cricket Country.

The actions of Kohli, especially bumping teenager debutant Sam Konstas, enraged some former Australian players. Aaron Flinch is one such former player, an ex-Australian captain, who shared his thoughts on ESPN’s Around The Wicket broadcast after the series came to an end.

“It was just a level of frustration. I said last week it seemed as though he wanted to find conflict and confrontation – that’s where he generally plays his best cricket. So he just went overboard on this tour. The bump, that was above and beyond anything I’ve seen on a field, and then the sandpaper, unnecessary. But overall, I think he was trying to find something to ignite a fire in himself, but just wasn’t up to it,” said Finch.

A lot of people have came to Kohli’s defence as they have pointed out that Australian players engage in all sorts of conducts without consequences, but they have made a big deal out of it when Kohli was involved.

The post ‘Just went Overboard…’: Australian legend slams Virat Kohli for his behaviour in Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 appeared first on Cricket Country.

Following the series loss, former India cricketers namely Ravi Shastri, Sunil Gavaskar and Irfan Pathan urged the duo of Rohit and Virat to play domestic cricket.

Amid all this, a member from the Indian team management has also stated that domestic cricket can certainly help players get into the rhythm needed to play Test cricket.

“Without game time in the middle, their game will stagnate… The switch from the red ball to the white ball is easy, but when it is the other way round, it is challenging. When you play Ranji games frequently, you will be in rhythm,” the team management member said according to a report by The Indian Express. 

While Rohit last featured in domestic cricket back in 2016, Virat was last seen on the circuit back in 2012. The duo haven’t featured for their state teams despite numerous reminders from former cricketers, so it will be interesting to see if they do end up changing their stance this time around.

The post India team management sends BRUTAL ‘domestic cricket’ warning to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli: Report appeared first on Cricket Country.

This comes after the duo failed to impress with the bat throughout the recently concluded 5-match Border-Gavaskar series. While Rohit scored just 31 runs from the 5 innings he played during the series, Kohli only managed to score a total of 190 runs he played against the Aussies.

On the other hand, India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah continued his reign at the top of the Test bowler rankings. 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.

India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant’s blistering knock of 61 in Sydney saw him climb 3 places and reach the ninth spot on the batter rankings while Yashasvi Jaiswal retained his fourth position.

Australia pacer Scott Boland made a massive 29-place jump and reached the 9th position. Boland was the star performer for the Baggy Greens in the Sydney Test, picking up a total of 10 wickets on the lively pitch. Australia skipper Pat Cummins also made significant gain in the rankings, climbing to number two after picking up 5 wickets in the final match. 

Meanwhile, South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma’s brilliant century against Pakistan saw him climb 3 spots and reach the number 6 spot while also achieving a career-best rating of 769. South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada rose a spot and occupied the third spot in the Test bowler rankings.

The post Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli see MAJOR drop in latest ICC Test Rankings following Border-Gavaskar series appeared first on Cricket Country.