Speaking on the Ultra Edge Podcast, Imam was asked the question about what he would do if he woke up as Rohit. The answer that came is something that is surely going to leave everyone shocked.

“Oh my God, you haven’t met him, he’s a personality of a different level. He completely forgets where he kept his gloves and bats. Babar tells me about an incident, do you remember there was a captain’s meeting and these guys went on a plane, he had bought a new iPhone and AirPods,” Imam said while speaking on the podcast.

“He said we were talking and he first left his iPhone here, then in the plane and then his AirPods every two minutes. Then, he was cursing himself, what am I doing, I keep forgetting things. [Babar] said twice he took his phone saying, ‘Rohit bhai, ye apna phone rakhlein’,” Imam said.

Indian star batter Virat Kohli had also earlier revealed that Rohit Sharma has a weak memory and he keeps forgetting his things such as his iPad, wallet and phone every now and then.

The post ‘Rohit Sharma was cursing himself…’: Pakistan cricketer recalls Indian skipper and Babar Azam’s conversation during captain’s meetings appeared first on Cricket Country.

Rohit joined the Indian squad after missing the first Test in Perth, and got dismissed cheaply as he scored just nine runs in two innings during the pink-ball Test against Australia in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.

Harbhajan Singh believes that Rohit worries about his performance in the longest format of the game. The Indian captain is going through a low phase of his career in Test cricket format.

“As a captain, I would like Rohit Sharma to make runs. When he scores runs, he will think better and do better things. No matter how big a player is, he is always worried about his performance. There is no doubt that when a player scores runs, he makes a better decision. So, let’s hope that Rohit Sharma scores some runs so that his captaincy gets better,” said Harbhajan Singh.

Rohit Sharma has made 597 runs in 12 Tests and 23 innings, that have come in at an average of 27.13. He has scored two centuries and two half centuries with a best score of 131.

The post ‘How big a Player is…’: Former Indian World Cup-winning Player makes small Suggestion to Rohit Sharma before IND v AUS 3rd Test appeared first on Cricket Country.

One day before the Test in Perth, Shami posted an Instagram story. According to him, Sanjay needs to save his knowledge to the future and keep it to himself.

“Baba ki jai hoooooo. Thoda sa gyan apne future k lie bhi bacha loo kaam ayega Sanjay G? Kisi ko future janna ho to sir se mile (Hail baba ji. Mr. Samjay keep some of the knowledge to yourself it will help you. If anyone wants to know the future then meet sir),” Shami posted on his Instagram story.

After the ODI World Cup in 2023, Shami had to have a surgery, where Sanjay made a forecast previously that the recent injury to Shami might cause his value to decline.

“There will definitely be interest from teams, but given Shami’s injury history—and this recent one took a significant amount of time to recover—there’s always a concern about a potential breakdown during the season. If a franchise invests heavily and then loses him mid-season, their options become limited. This concern might lead to a drop in his price tag,” Sanjay told Star Sports.

The post Mohammed Shami shows no Mercy and gives BRUTAL reply to Sanjay Manjrekar over IPL 2025 mega auction prediction appeared first on Cricket Country.

Though Rohit announced his retirement from the T20 format of the game, he is currently leading India in the ODI and Test formats.

Indian fans and cricketers earlier had to suffer a heartbreak as even after Indian team won 10 out of 10 matches on their way to the ODI World Cup final, where they lost to Australia.

During the launch of his cricket academy in Rashin, Karjat, in Ahmedabad district, Rohit was asked whether the audience wanted to see him play in the ODI World Cup 2027. The crowd then started cheering, and chanted “Rohit, Rohit,” showing their strong support to his leadership.

Public Demand!!!

Rohit Sharma should lead India in 2027 worldcup ❤️😍 pic.twitter.com/Zbruf8TNnp

— Ctrl C Ctrl Memes (@Ctrlmemes_) October 3, 2024

“I do not speak Marathi that well but I will try,” Rohit told the crowd after taking a short walk on the stage and signing some autographs.

“For us, winning the World Cup was the biggest goal for 3-4 months that we had to win it. After winning the World Cup, I felt alive again,” he said.

“We are starting our cricket academy here and I will hope that the next Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Jasprit Bumrah will emerge from here,” he added.

The post Rohit Sharma faces Demand to Lead India in ODI on Launch of his Cricket Academy appeared first on Cricket Country.

Afghanistan defeated Pakistan for the first time during the ODI World Cup held in Chennai. However, the campaign for them ended after they were defeated by Australia with three wickets.

Following their loss in ODI World Cup, Afghanistan took their revenge in the as they defeated the Australian team in the T20 World cup.

In an interaction with Shubhankar Mishra on his YouTube channel, Shahidi was asked to chose one whose victory he took more significant against Australia in 2024 T20 World Cup or the win against Pakistan. The win over Pakistan was picked by Shahidi as the people were very happy for that victory.

“Both wins were important, but the victory over Pakistan in the ODI World Cup was monumental; people were incredibly happy,” he said.

The post Australia or Pakistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi Picks most Significant Victory for Afghanistan appeared first on Cricket Country.

Shami has been out of action since the 2023 ODI World Cup final because of an ankle ailment for which he had surgery earlier this year.

Speaking at the Cricket Association of Bengal’s (CAB) annual awards ceremony, where he received recognition for his outstanding play, Shami stated that he wanted to be in peak physical condition before going back to the field.

“Koshish jaldi hi kar raha hoon kyun ke main janta hoon kaafi time ho gaya hai team se bahar rehte hue (I am working hard to make a comeback soon because I know I have been out of action for quite some time). However, I want to ensure there is no discomfort when I return. I’ve to work on my fitness, so that there is no discomfort,” Shami told reporters.

“It is better for me the stronger I return. Whether it’s against Bangladesh, New Zealand, or the Australia series, I don’t want to rush and run the danger of getting hurt again. Although I’ve already begun bowling, I won’t risk anything until I’m fully recovered.”

Shami, who is undergoing rehabilitation, is expected to return to competitive cricket for his home team Bengal in the Ranji Trophy and may play for his country later in a Test match against New Zealand, according to a report published by PTI last month.

Shami is expected to participate in Bengal’s first two Ranji matches against UP (October 11) and Bihar (October 18).

The 34-year-old made a suggestion that he would play domestic games before returning to the international scene.

“I will play domestic cricket if it’s necessary to gauge my level of fitness. Regardless of the opposition or format, what matters most is that I am prepared for whatever comes next,” Shami continued.

When India gets ready for the forthcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, a five-Test series against Australia, Shami is predicted to be a crucial player.

“We are the favorites, they should be worried,” Shami stated in response to a question regarding the highly anticipated series.

Notwithstanding the fact that Shami was born in Uttar Pradesh, the CAB acknowledged his lengthy connection to Bengal cricket.
“I claim a lot that I was made in Bengal but born in UP. I am appreciative of Bengal’s love and support during this more than 20-year journey, Shami remarked.

Several more Bengal cricket players received awards for their accomplishments during the ceremony.

‘Cricketer of the Year’ went to Anustup Majumdar, and ‘Gentleman Cricketer of the Year’ went to Abishek Porel. The awards for “Best Fast Bowler of the Year” went to Suraj Singh Jaiswal, while “Best Under-19 Cricketer” went to Chandrahas Dash.

Among the female cricketers who received recognition for their exceptional performances in the Senior Women’s T20 and One-Day competitions were Deepti Sharma and Saika Ishaque.

A total of 200 awards were given away during the event.

The Awardees:

Cricketer of the Year: Anustup Majumdar;

Gentleman Cricketer of the Year: Abishek Porel;

Best Fast Bowler of the Year: Suraj Singh Jaiswal;

Best Under-19 Cricketer of the Year: Chandrahas Dash;

Highest Run Getter (Senior Women’s T20): Deepti Sharma;

Highest Wicket Taker (Senior Women’s One-Day): Mita Paul;

Highest Wicket Taker (Senior Women’s T20): Saika Ishaque.

The post Mohammed Shami Focuses on Fitness: ‘Return Will Wait for Full Recovery’ appeared first on Cricket Country.

Kaneria said that the downfall of Pakistan cricket started when they removed Sarfaraz from captaincy. Pakistan is currently witnessing a major downfall as they have not performed good since the 2022 T20 World Cup final. Pakistan cricket team failed to perform in the ODI World Cup 2024 where USA defeated them in the group stage match.

“I think we should not blame players, it is the system that has been failing time and again and as a result, Pakistan cricket is going down. Pakistan Cricket Board is only focusing towards PSL rather they should take domestic cricket seriously. They have made Test cricket secondary. Their downfall started when they removed Sarfaraz Ahmed from captaincy, he was a perfect skipper. There has been a lot of politics going on in the Pakistan Cricket Board and as a result, the aura, and the ambience of the team have been pathetic”, Kaneria said.

The post Danish Kaneria backed Pakistan cricketers Following Loss to Bangladesh appeared first on Cricket Country.

Their situation kept falling down in the 2024 T20 World Cup, where they lost to USA. The defeat against Bangladesh in the recent Test match came out to be the final nail on the coffin, which forced the PCB to make some major decisions, which also included Shaheen Afridi being dropped from the team for the second match of the series.

Former PCB chief selector Wasim stated that he tried his best to make Babar understand that he needs to do some serious changes in the team, but added that the skipper proved to be very stubborn and did not let anything to happen.

“It was painful to make him understand the advantages of changes. He was very stubborn, and I overstepped my limitations to get him on board with certain calls. He was not ready to accept changes,” Wasim told a local sports platform (via Cricket Pakistan).

He also added that four coaches have said that there is a group of players who prove to be cancer to the team. He tried to get them removed but the management brought them back in.

“I will not take names, but four coaches said that a group of players is cancer to the team. If they are part of the squad, Pakistan can’t win. I tried to remove them from the team, but the team management recalled them,” he added.

The post Ex-Pakistan Chief Selector Shares his Work Experience with Babar Azam appeared first on Cricket Country.

With a 10-match winning streak, India had dominated the ODI World Cup final the previous year. However, nothing worked when the best team in the competition faced Australia in the championship match.

Six months later, Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma worked together to settle the outstanding issues. They were up against a tough South Africa to win the trophy, but fortune was on their side.

Dravid reminded the players on Wednesday how important it was to adhere to the tried-and-true method and pray for good fortune to favor them against the Proteas at Barbados on June 29, having learned from the amazing highs and lows.

“I’ve had time to reflect on it. I’ve had time to reflect on a lot of things we’ve done. You do realise, sometimes, you have to do a lot of these things, you have to do the process, you have to do everything right,” Dravid, who was chosen for Life Time Achievement honour during the Ceat Cricket Rating Awards, said.

“Sometimes at the end of the day, you need a little bit of luck. (Against South Africa in T20WC final)… 30 balls to go, 30 runs to go. (It was about) incredible execution, incredible calmness by Rohit.”

“We didn’t focus on what we needed to do, but we needed a guy who could keep his foot within one inch of a line. Sometimes (it is) the skill,” he said without mentioning Suryakumar Yadav’s juggling act at the ropes to complete David Miller’s dismissal.

India had taken the lead in the match thanks to that catch.

Dravid then recounted how, in the ODI World Cup final, India came within a whisker of dismissing Travis Head, but the opener, riding on sheer serendipity, struck a match-winning century that, in a one blow, dashed a billion dreams.

“(On) 19th November… I remember whatever it was, we beat Travis Head’s bat 15 times — he didn’t touch a single ball. You know, things can go your way sometimes, but you have to stick to the process,” the articulate Dravid circled back to sticking to the basics.

After winning the championship, Dravid stepped down as India’s coach.

Dravid praised India’s bench strength and capacity to produce elite cricket players on a regular basis, saying that the current crop of players has effectively continued the legacy of the “Fab Five.”

Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, and Dravid himself comprised the Fab-five that captivated cricket fans across the world.

“I left in 2011-2012. These players have been able to carry the legacy forward. If you just look at the success that we’ve had over the last 12 years in all the three formats of the game, the time that after we left, it’s been absolutely phenomenal,” he said.

“Very easily, clearly in a lot of the rankings, we’re always (No.) 1 or 2… we’re always up there with anyone. To be able to go out and win that, just the kind of cricket that we play, the level of skill of some of our players, the way that they approach the game, is great,” he said.

Dravid hoped Team India will continue to have success in the coming years.

“I have no doubt that this generation of players, led by people like Rohit and Surya and the (other) guys coming forward in all formats of the game is only going to continue to do that in the future,” he said.

Dravid said while Indian cricketers now are fearless and confident, they also have world-class infrastructure to back their skill sets.

“A lot of them are really fearless. The confidence of a young Indian, and I don’t mean just cricketers, that’s just great. It just gladdens your heart so much.

“The opportunities that young Indians have today. It’s just nowhere in the world. You feel like maybe even growing up at times that you could have your talent and you had abilities, but sometimes you didn’t have the support or the infrastructure to be able to achieve your dreams.”

None of the Indians can still say that now. They all have excellent support systems and infrastructure, and it reflects in how they conduct themselves and hold themselves to the highest standards.

According to Dravid, there has been a significant shift in the way Indian players perceive, with them now viewing themselves as leaders.

“Young India expects they can be world-class, they can be world-leaders, and that is a phenomenal change from the time that I was a young man,” he stated.

The post Rahul Dravid: A Touch of Luck Can Make All the Difference appeared first on Cricket Country.

Shami is in the final stages of his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru as of now.

He had started his bowling after his surgery and has been slowly increasing his workload while reporting about no pain whatsoever.

Before India departed for the Sri Lanka tour, chief selector Ajit Agarkar confirmed that Shami has started bowling and he would try to make a comeback in the first Test series against Bangladesh.

According to ESPNcricinfo, Ajit said, “We more or less know who the guys are, there are some injuries at the moment and hope they will be back up. Shami has started to bowl which is a good sign. September 19 is the first Test and that was always the goal. I don’t know if that is his timeline for recovery, will have to ask the guys at the NCA about that.”

Ajit also put some weight on the depth in fast bowling department as for the busy Test schedule coming on.

He said, “There are so many Tests coming. We will need some depth. Bumrah, Shami, and Siraj have been around for a while, these are the obvious ones. But there will be some conversation around it. Got a lot of first-class cricket coming up so we can build guys up like that.”

In the later time of last month, Shami expressed his desire for before making a return in the national team, he wants to first play for Bengal. He even participate in motivational and fitness sessions with state players.

If Shami even goes as fat as to miss India’s home Tests including Two against Bangladesh and three against New Zealand, he will still have more than enough time to re-master his bowling prowess for the Australia tour.

The tour will be held shortly after the final Test against New Zealand. On top of that, the Ranji Trophy starts in October, and India’s A team will play 2 first-class games in Australia, meaning Shami will have a good amount of opportunities to really bring out his proper bowling form.

The post Mohammad Shami- Progress in His Recovery after Ankle Injury appeared first on Cricket Country.