Guptill is leaving the sport as New Zealand’s top T20 run-scorer as he had scored 3,531 runs in 122 games. After Stephen Fleming and Ross Taylor, he is third on New Zealand’s all-time record as he has 7,346 runs in ODIs.

Guptill made a remarkable debut in 2009 when NZ defeated West Indies at Eden Park, and became the first player from NZ to hit a century in his maiden ODI. Later that same year, he also got selected for the ICC’s World ODI XI.

Guptill stated that playing for the Blackcaps was his childhood dream and that he felt very fortunate and happy that he got the chance to represent his country in 367 games. The 38-year-old even expressed gratitude to his coaches and teammates through the years.

“As a young kid it was always my dream to play for New Zealand and I feel incredibly lucky and proud to have played 367 games for my country. I will forever cherish the memories made wearing the silver fern alongside a great group of guys. I want to say a huge thanks to all my teammates and coaching staff over the years, in particular Mark O’Donnell, who has coached me since the Under 19 level and been a source of ongoing support and wisdom over my career,” said Guptill.

“A special thanks must also go to my manager Leanne McGoldrick – all of the work behind the scenes never went unnoticed and I’ll be forever appreciative of all your support. To my wife Laura and our beautiful children Harley and Teddy – thank-you. Thank you Laura for the sacrifices you have made for me and our family. You’ve been my biggest supporter, my rock and my counsel through all of the ups and downs that come with the game. I am eternally grateful. Finally I’d like to thank all the cricket fans, here in NZ and around the world for all their support throughout the years,” he added

The most memorable moment of Guptill’s career was when he made 237 not-out in 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup quarterfinal against West Indies in Wellington. His 189 not-out against England in 2013, along with 180 not-out against South Africa are some other

The post Few weeks before Champions Trophy, Legendary New Zealand batter announces retirement from International cricket appeared first on Cricket Country.

The video shows Dhoni and Ziva showing their pet a lot of love and affection. Ziva helped Dhoni to brush the dog’s fur, which resulted in a scene that shows love and family unity. In contrast to his calm behaviour on cricket field, this moment bought out Dhoni’s hearty side.

Millions of people around the world have come to appreciate Dhoni even more as this heartfelt gesture has confirmed his affection for animals and his role as a loving father. The video was shared on the official X account of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), as they captioned it, “Therapawtic!”

Therapawtic!💛

📹 : ziva singh dhoni pic.twitter.com/Qs4yoybB60

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) January 8, 2025

Dhoni had assisted India in winning three ICC championships between 2007 and 2013. Dhoni made his debut in 2004 and saw social media emerging on, but felt that if he performs well no publicity would be needed for him.

Now the captain cool will be seen in action as he takes part in the 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). He got retained by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for INR 4 crore.

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Dhanashree has been facing a lot of criticism and trolling on social media, to which she has finally decided to speak up against. She revealed how this unnecessary trolling has been very tough for her and her family. though she did not address the divorce rumours, she completely shut down the critics as she stated that her silence is not her weakness and the truth does not need justification.

“The past few days have been incredibly tough for my family and me. What’s truly upsetting is the baseless writing, devoid of fact checking, and the character assassination of my reputation by faceless trolls spreading hate. I’ve worked hard for years to build my name and integrity. My silence is not a sign of weakness; but of strength. While negativity spreads easily online, it takes courage and compassion to uplift others. I choose to focus on my truth and move forward, holding onto my values. The truth stands tall without the need for justification,” wrote Dhanashree on her Instagram story.

During the rumours of his divorce from Dhanashree Verma, Indian cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal further sparked these rumours as he did a strange act on social media. Notably, Chahal removed all the photos he had with Dhanashree from his account.

The specific reasons for this act are yet to be known, but some people close to the couple claim that they have been living apart for a few months and the chances of them going their own ways is likely. Chahal and Dhanashree are now on the verge or divorcing after 5 years of marriage.

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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.

Bumrah was the highest wicket-taker in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25, as he picked up 32 wickets in the five Test matches. However, the pacer got injured during the Sydney Test, forcing him to leave the field. Some discomfort on his back prevented him from taking the field when Australia was chasing their target in the second innings.

Ex-BCCI S&C head Ramji Srinivasan urged the Indian selectors to not rush Bumrah for the Champions Trophy 2025.
“Bumrah is a treasure and he should be handled with care. A Champions Trophy is not the end of the world. If there is the slightest doubt, he shouldn’t be in the squad. Five back-to-back Test matches isn’t something he has ever played in his cricketing career,” Srinivasan said.

“I agree that if it is only spasms, he should be fit. In fact, he might be feeling alright even before he boarded the flight back home. But, I am not so sure about it. The injury is related to stress, which is a direct result of playing too much cricket. If it is anything between a Grade 1 to Grade 3 injury related to stress fracture, it can take up to one to six months of recovery,” he added.

Despite Bumrah’s dangerous bowling, Indian team failed to keep the BGT title, as they lost the series 3-1. The Indian team is currently preparing for the England ODI series, which is going to be the last assignment for the team before the Champions Trophy 2025. Bumrah will mot likely miss that series because of workload management.

The post ‘Take up to six months…’: Ex-BCCI S&C head makes MASSIVE remarks on Jasprit Bumrah’s injury ahead of Champions Trophy 2025 appeared first on Cricket Country.

The board stated that the reason for this change in venues was because of their confidence in the readiness of these upgraded venues, and shared a release in order to announce the updated venue for the tri-nation ODI series.

“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. The series, featuring New Zealand and South Africa alongside Pakistan, was originally scheduled to be held in Multan,” said PCB in release. 

Both the stadiums are currently under renovations for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025. PCB will be the host of the marquee event, which is set to take pace with all the matches to be played in Pakistan, along with the exception of India’s matches, which will be held in Dubai.

The venues for the semi-final and final of the Champions Trophy will either be within Pakistan, or it will change to Dubai. If India qualifies for the semi-final and final, the matches will be held in Dubai, otherwise Lahore will host the clashes.

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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.

Rohit Sharma has previously been appointed as fielding coach, and he used to be a professional cricketer before 2019-2020. He suffered a serious injury, causing him to stop playing cricket. During his career, he was a sidearm specialist and fielding coach, which has considered the demand for such professionals.

“We are delighted to confirm your (Rohit Sharma) appointment as the Fielding Coach for the Indian Physical Disability (PD) Cricket Team participating in the PD Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled to be held from January 12 to January 22, 2025, in Colombo, Sri Lanka,” said Drffently Abled Cricket Council of India (DDCI) in a release.

The Secretary General of the Differently-Abled Cricket Council of India (DCCI), Ravi Kant Chauhan, also wished the team best of the luck.

“The players have worked tirelessly to reach this stage, and their dedication is unmatched. I am certain they will leave a lasting mark on the global stage and the entire nation is rooting for their success,” he said.

Led by Vikrant Ravindra Keni, with Ravindra Gopinath as the vice-captain, Indian team includes wicketkeepers Yoginder Singh from Madhya Pradesh and Devendra Singh from Uttar Pradesh.

The post Rohit Sharma appointed as India’s fielding coach for 2025 edition of THIS ICC Tournament appeared first on Cricket Country.

“I had a little chat after the game telling him that I idolise him, and it’s obviously a huge honour playing against him,” Konstas said in a conversation with CODE Sports.

“When I did verse him, I was like, ‘wow, Virat Kohli is batting.’ He just had that presence about him, all the Indian crowd getting amongst it. Chanting his name. It was quite surreal,” he added

“He was very down to earth. A lovely person and just wishing me all the best saying hopefully I go well on the tour of Sri Lanka he said if I’m in,” he further added.

“My whole family loves Virat. I’ve idolised him from a young age and he’s a legend of the game,” he concluded.

The 19-year-old made his debut in Test cricket in Melbourne, and further went on and scored a half-century. and is one of the batters whom Cricket Australia has given the allowance to play in a few Big Bash league (BBL) games before heading to UAE for a predatory camp.

The post ‘Had a little chat after the game…’: Sam Konstas opens up on his conversation with Virat Kohli after Border-Gavaskar Trophy appeared first on Cricket Country.