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.

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The Men in Blue are set to play 5-match T20I and 3-match ODI series against England at home before setting off to Dubai for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. The tournament is set to commence from February 19 and will be played in a hybrid model with India’s matches taking place in UAE while the rest of the teams will play their share of matches in Pakistan.

The deadline to submit the preliminary squad for the mini World Cup is January 12 and the selectors now have less than a week’s time in their hands to finalize the squad. According to reports, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee are likely to announce the squad by January 10.

According to a report by Sportstar, the selectors are unlikely to spring too many surprises in the squad. India have not played any ODIs since the defeat in Sri Lanka last July. The report further said that all-rounder Hardik Pandya’s inclusion in the squad is expected to be a major talking point when the selectors will sit to finalize the team.

Pandya last featured for India in the one-day format during the 2023 ODI World Cup where he suffered an injury. After the World Cup, India have played 6 ODIs but Pandya didn’t play in any of those games.

To prove his fitness, the all-rounder was asked to play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and thus, he featured for Baroda’s group stage games and will also be playing the knockout matches.

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The report also stated that Gambhir urged the selection committee to re-include Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara into the team for Australia tour. However, his request was ignored by the Ajit Agarkar-led committee. Even after India had won the Perth Test, Gambhir was reportedly asking for Pujara’s inclusion.

Pujara was among the star performers for the Indian team during their previous 2 victories over Australia, but hasn’t been given a chance to feature for the Men in Blue since the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final.

The report further stated that the atmosphere in the Indian dressing room has been divided for some time now with unrest being caused over team selection as well.

Gambhir has also reportedly not seen eye-to-eye with the selectors and captain when it comes to deciding the playing XI for the Australia series. 

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Now the Indian team is not only on the brink of losing the coveted Border-Gavaskar series, but is also on the verge of losing out on making it to the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

Following the defeat at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Gambhir is said to have lost his cool at a few top Indian stars who ‘went their own way’ in the 4th Test and ended up throwing their wicket away.

“Bahut ho gaya (I’ve had enough),” Gambhir told the Indian team after they returned to the dressing room as per Indian Express.

The India head coach was reportedly annoyed with the way certain players conducted themselves on the field. Gambhir reportedly also told the team that he gave them 6 months to play their way, but it all ends now. From now onwards, the players who don’t play according to his plans will be shown the exit door.

The fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar series will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) and will commence from December 3.

The post ‘I’ve had enough’: Gautam Gambhir rips into India stars following Melbourne Test defeat appeared first on Cricket Country.

This was a crucial moment in the Test match as Jaiswal was India’s last hope and while he was on the crease, it looked as if India will manage to pull off a draw and keep the series level on 1-1.

During the 71st over of India’s second innings, Jaiswal decided to pull a short delivery from Pat Cummins but the ball went behind and was caught by wicketkeeper Alex Carey. The on-field umpire didn’t think there was an edge involved, however the Aussies looked very confident and opted for a review.

There was no spike on the snickometer or any distinct sound that showed that the ball came in contact with Jaiswal’s bat. However, the third umpire believed that there was clear deviation in the path of the ball due to a contact. Thus, he decided to overturn the on-field umpire’s decision and ruled Jaiswal as out.

Following the controversial decision, Jaiswal engaged in a heated conversation with the on-field umpires before leaving the pitch fuming. Former India cricketers Irfan Pathan, Sunil Gavaskar and Deep Dasgupta protested against the third umpire’s decision, however former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting said on commentary that he believes that there was no doubt about the dismissal.

After Jaiswal’s wicket fell, the Indian tail-enders weren’t able to hold on for long as the visitors were bundled out for just 155 and lost the match by 184 runs.

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After being given a target of 340 runs on the final day of the Test, the India batters gave a highly disappointing performance and got bundled out for just 155.

The Men in Blue lost 7 wickets in the final session of the match as the Australian bowlers were completely over them and didn’t let any of the batters settle on the crease.

For Australia, pacers Pat Cummins and Scott Boland took 3 wickets each while Nathan Lyon took 2. Finally, Mitchell Starc and Travis Head took 1 wicket each as Australia completed a famous victory over India.

Following the massive defeat, fans took to social media to brutally criticize the Indian team for their disappointing performance at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

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Though a draw seemed evident after India still had 7 wickets left heading into the third session, the Australia bowlers pushed through and ended up taking all the 10 wickets with almost 13 overs left to spare.

Though the defeat didn’t affect India’s position on the WTC points table as they remained third, their hopes of reaching the tournament’s final took a major hit. The defeat saw India’s PCT drop to 52.78 while Australia remained second on the table with a PCT of 61.46.

South Africa have already booked their place in the final after their victory over Pakistan in Centurion. They currently sit atop of the WTC table with a PCT of 66.67.

In order to qualify for the WTC Final, India will have to win their final game against Australia and hope that Australia fail to register a single win in their two-match series against Sri Lanka.

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Earlier, BCCI had informed the ICC that they won’t let Team India travel to Pakistan in order to participate in the tournament. In reply to this, the PCB stood firm on their stance of hosting all the matches of the Champions Trophy in Pakistan only.

However, the BCCI received ICC’s backing and on Thursday, the global body confirmed that the 2025 Champions Trophy will be played under the hybrid model, with India set to play all their matches at a neutral venue, including if the team reaches the semifinals and final.

“UAE was finalized as the venue after PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi met with the Emirates Cricket Board chairman Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan,” PCB spokesman Amir Mir said in a statement on Sunday.

PCB however, did not confirm exactly where India’s matches will be held in UAE with Dubai is considered as the likeliest venue.

According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, India will play against Pakistan on February 23, a Sunday. The other teams in India’s group are Bangladesh and New Zealand. The Men in Blue will take on Bangladesh in their opener on February 20 and face the Kiwis on March 2. 

The second group will comprise Afghanistan, Australia, England and South Africa. All matches, barring that of India, will be played across 3 cities in Pakistan namely – Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi.

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A player that Ashwin was compared to throughout his career was former India spinner Harbhajan Singh. Throughout the years, it has been rumoured that the two do not get along.

However, shortly after Ashwin’s retirement, Harbhajan cleared the air, saying there is no truth to such claims.

“I read social media only as much as I need to. If there is a standoff between me and Ashwin or if there was ever any fight, quarrel or disagreement, I would be the first person to go up to him and ask what the issue is,” Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.

“But it was never like this, and it will never be like this because whatever is in his destiny, he will get it, and I got whatever was in my destiny. He has been a phenomenal bowler for India. I am very happy for his achievement,” Harbhajan added.

Harbhajan clarified that he does not have any problems with Ashwin and added that he isn’t a fan of the management for preparing tracks that heavily favour the spinners on home soil as it leads to the Test match finishing in just 2-3 days.

“If people twist things on Twitter and make it seem as if I have a problem with Ashwin, then it’s their point of view. I am a little vocal about the fact that the pitches on which India play cricket are not good tracks, there is a lot of spin on these tracks and matches get over within two and a half days,” Harbhajan said.

“Because I am vocal about it, there is a lot of noise on social media, and people think I have a problem with one individual. I don’t have a problem with any individual, I respect everyone because it is not easy to play for the country. They are all my colleagues. They are all my brothers, some elder, some younger,” Harbhajan added.

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Sharma didn’t go into the details but hinted that Kohli would be leaving India and shifting base to the UK, where he eventually plans on spending the rest of his life post-retirement.

“Yes, Virat plans to move to London with his children and wife, Anushka Sharma. He is going to be leaving India and shifting very soon. However, right now, Kohli is spending most of his time with his family apart from cricket,” Sharma told Dainik Jagran.

Kohli and his family were in London for the most part of this year. After his son Akaay’s birth, Kohli returned to India after the Men in Blue won the T20 World Cup title. Following the ODI series against Sri Lanka in July, Kohli again went back to the UK in August.

The batter again returned to India for the Men in Blue’s Test series against Bangladesh and New Zealand and has remained in the country ever since.

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