Since then, there have been lot of doubts regarding Rohit’s future in the longest format of the game. A lot of experts and former players have advised him, including legend like Sunil Gavaskar, who advised him to return to domestic cricket and improve his skills. Now, former Indian batting coach Sanjay Bangar has advised Rohit to follow the road of two of his ex-teammates in this case.

In an interaction with Star Sports, Bangar stated that Rohit should follow players like Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, who mad a return to domestic cricket after they got dropped. Bot the experienced batters have been working hard in domestic cricket.

“There’s been a lot of talk about playing domestic cricket. Players like Pujara and Rahane, who are on par with Rohit Sharma in stature, have been dropped in the past but have shown their hunger by playing in domestic cricket. Even today, they are sweating it out in domestic grounds, which are a big drop from the intensity of international cricket,” Bangar said.

Sanjay Bangar also believes that if Rohit makes a return to domestic cricket and performs, no one will be able to stop him from Test matches. However, for such a scenario to happen, decent form and a hunger to play from Rohit’s side must be evident.

“Rohit has expressed his desire to continue playing for India and has said,” I am not going anywhere; I still want to play.’ If he follows through and performs in domestic cricket, no one can stop him. But that form and hunger must be evident,” Bangar said

Rohit Sharma had a lean patch in the recently-concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where India lost the series 1-3. He scored 31 runs in the five innings he played in. The only match where India won was the series opener in Perth, where Rohit was not even present in the country. He also decided to opt out from the final Test of the series because of his bad form and performance.

The post Ex-India coach wishes Rohit Sharma to follow TWO of his Former Teammates appeared first on Cricket Country.

Bumrah is currently the highest wicket-taker in the five-match Test series. He is unplayable for the Australians in the ongoing series. Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Bangar believes that if Bumrah was not fit them a lead of 200 runs won’t be enough for India.

“I think there is a difference of 50 runs, without Jasprit Bumrah you have to put 230-240 runs on the board and with Jasprit Bumrah I think somewhere around 180 will be quite challenging for Australia. One thing that liked was, when he came back after the scan, obviously it took a lot of time because the hospital is a bit far, he looked in good shape and his body language was such that there was no indication for the Australian team and it is very important to maintain the secrecy,” said Bangar on Star Sports.

Bangar has praised the decision of Indian management to not open up about the pacer’s availability for Day 3 of the Sydney Test, stating that the Australian batters are yet to find a way by which they can face Bumrah’s bowling.

“Because, tactically you do not want to announce whether Jasprit Bumrah will be available for bowling or not and even if he is not available and this news goes across the oppositions dressing room, because till now Australian batsmen haven’t found out a way to counter him they don’t know whether they should attack, defend, or whether they should play on front-foot. So to execute this plan it is important to maintain secrecy, so Jasprit Bumrah and the Indian team management managed it quite well!” added Bangar. 

Coming to the match, India reached 141 for six when stumps got called on Day 2 as Australia was wrapped up for 181 on the second Day of the final Test of the series.

Scores

India 1st innings: 185- all out
Australia 1st innings: 181- all out
India 2nd innings: 141/6 in 32 overs after Day 2

The post ‘It is important to maintain…’: Former Indian cricketer gives Massive hope on India’s chances of winning Sydney Test appeared first on Cricket Country.

In the viral post, it was revealed that Aryan has now changed his name to Anaya. Currently living in Manchester, Anaya shared some pictures with former India skipper MS Dhoni and star batter Virat Kohli in the reel. 

“Chasing my dream of playing cricket professionally has been a journey filled with sacrifices, resilience, and unwavering dedication. From early mornings on the field to facing the doubts and judgments of others, every step has demanded strength,” wrote Anaya in the video’s caption.

“But beyond the game, I had another journey. A path of self-discovery and lot of challenges faced. Embracing my true self meant making hard choices, letting go of the comfort of fitting in, and standing up for who I am, even when it wasn’t easy. Today, I’m proud to be a part of the sport I love at any level or category, not only as an athlete but as my authentic self. The road hasn’t been easy, but finding my true self has been the greatest victory of all,” Bangar added.

Just like Sanjay, Anaya is also a cricketer who has represented Islam Gymkhana in local club cricket. Apart from this, the left-handed batter has also played for the Hinckley Cricket Club in Leicestershire. 

However, in November 2023, the ICC laid out a rule which stated that transgender athletes will not be allowed to participate in women’s cricket.

Taking to Instagram, Anaya also shared a lengthy post to express disappointment over the ICC’s new rule. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Anaya Bangar (@anayabangar)

The post WATCH: Ex-India cricketer’s son goes through gender reaffirming surgery appeared first on Cricket Country.

However, Sanjay Bangar has a belief that Kohli has the fitness to continue his career for several more years. in a recent interview, Sanjay said that he is confident in Kohli’s ability to play for another 5-6 years.

“The kind of fitness Virat Kohli has, the way he works hard, he can play the next 5-6 years in international cricket,” Bangar said.

Since Sanjay was the part of India’s coaching staff during the time of Virat Kohli being the captain, he highlighted the level of fitness Kohli showcased. Bangar observed that the dedication that Kohli had for fitness was very important in his role as a leader.

“Virat was driven with the fact that India had to improve their performances overseas. Because in India we knew that whether anybody is there or not, with all due respect to the opposition, if you come to India, India is winning 75 per cent of the time. You’ll really have to play poorly to lose in India,” said Bangar.

“He himself achieved enormous levels of fitness and challenged his physical limits to the hilt. He worked the hardest. I think he scored the maximum runs during that period as a captain and he had that drive,” he added.

The post Ex-India coach makes Massive claim on Long International Career of Virat Kohli appeared first on Cricket Country.

On the Rao Podcast, Bangar picked a squad which had seven Indian players. Warner and Rohit are the openers of the squad, followed by Kane Williamson and Virat Kohli. Rishabh Pant is selected as the wicketkeeper-batter for the team, while Ben Stokes is the all-rounder pace bowler. Two spin-bowlers of the team are Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin.

The final three fast bowlers are Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami and Josh Hazlewood.

The three highest run-scorers of WTC history, namely Joe Root, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith were not picked by Bangar for the World Test XI. Root is by now the highest run-scorer in WTC with 4,702 runs in 56 Tests averaging at 50.55 with 14 centuries and 20 fifties.

Apart from India, only three players have been taken who play overseas. Australia is the only side with two players in the World Test XI for Bangar.

The post Sanjay Bangar’s Picks For his Current World Test XI- Sacked out Steve Smith and Joe Root appeared first on Cricket Country.

Rohit isn’t just one of the most celebrated cricketers in India’s cricketing history; he is also tied with MS Dhoni as the joint-most successful captain in IPL history. Under his leadership, MI clinched 5 IPL titles in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020, solidifying their place as one of if not the most dominant franchise in the league. 

If MI opts not to retain Rohit, the 2025 IPL mega auction could witness a fierce bidding war for him. Given Rohit’s experience, leadership qualities, and batting prowess, he would undoubtedly be one of the most coveted players on the auction table. 

One franchise that has already seemingly expressed interest in Rohit is the Punjab Kings (PBKS), a team in dire need of a new leader following former captain Shikhar Dhawan’s recent retirement. Sanjay Bangar, the Punjab-based franchise’s head of cricket development, hinted at the possibility but acknowledged that the 37-year-old will command a premium price.

“It all depends on whether we have the money in our pockets. If Rohit comes in the auction, I certainly believe, he is going to go for a high price,” said Bangar in an interaction on the RAO Podcast YouTube channel.

The post “It all depends…”: PBKS official hints at Rohit Sharma’s name appearing in IPL mega auction appeared first on Cricket Country.

When tasked with the additional duty of captaincy during the 2014–15 Test cricket tour of Australia, he flourished. As the captain of the Indian batting team, he amassed 5,864 runs at an average of 54.80.

The great MS Dhoni (27 victories) was eclipsed by Kohli in 2019 to become India’s most successful Test skipper.

After the 2022 Test series against South Africa, he announced his resignation as India’s Test captain. Many people were shocked by this move, including Bangar, who felt he ought to have kept leading the team.

“I personally feel that he should have continued for longer as a Test captain because he probably captained India in 65 Test matches, and one of the things I feel is that he could have probably continued as a Test captain for a longer period, Bangar said on the Rao podcast.

Former batting coach Bangar, who worked with Kohli when he was captain, claimed that because the team was already a formidable one at home, Kohli was concentrated on leading them to success abroad.

“Virat was driven with the fact that India had to improve their performances overseas. Because in India we knew that whether anybody is there or not, with all due respect to the opposition, if you come to India, India is winning 75 per cent of the time. You’ll really have to play poorly to lose in India,” he added.

As he led by example with his discipline, Kohli’s captaincy brought about a revolution in Indian cricket’s fitness and other players began to emulate him.

Bangar stated that Kohli pushed the boundaries of his physical capabilities to extract the maximum performance from him.

“He himself achieved enormous levels of fitness and challenged his physical limits to the hilt. He worked the hardest. I think he scored the maximum runs during that period as a captain and he had that drive,” he concluded.

The post Former Coach Claims Virat Kohli’s Limit-Pushing Efforts Warranted Continued Test Captaincy appeared first on Cricket Country.

“PBKS are on the lookout for an Indian coach to guide the team. Whether they will ultimately choose an Indian coach remains to be seen, but they are believed to be considering several options with one of them being Sanjay Bangar,” stated a report in Cricbuzz.

Under Bayliss, PBKS finished at the 8th and 9th spots in IPL 2023 and 2024, respectively, which seems to have played a significant role in his potential release.

The same report also added that PBKS owners did not have any complaint with the coaching style of the Australian, but it is the result of the team’s performance that has forced them to come to the decision.

The post Punjab Kings likely to not renew head coach Trevor Bayliss’ contract: Report appeared first on Cricket Country.

RCB is one of the most followed franchise of the tournament and the reason behind that is none other than players like Virat Kohli.

Earlier, AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle had also played with the same franchise and hold the massive fan following and now the franchise is looking for a new backroom staff fans started urging RCB to appoint de Villiers as the head coach, here are the reactions:

Who Could Replace Hesson, Bangar In RCB?

It’s yet not clear whether RCB will go for a foreign or an Indian head coach.

Other franchises have proactively begun giving shape to their coaching set-up. Justin Langer, a former Australia opener and coach, has been hired as the head coach of the Lucknow Super Giants to take over for Andy Flower.

Andy Flower is as of now in conversations with other franchises and could remain in the IPL as a coach of another team.

The post Calls To Hire AB De Villiers As RCB Coach Gain Momentum As Franchise Part Ways With Mike Hesson, Sanjay Bangar appeared first on Cricket Country.

As per a report from Indian Express, the fan-favourite franchise is looking for a new coaching staff but the future of the bowling coach Adam Griffith with the team is still uncertain.

Hesson and Bangar, who had been in their respective positions for five years, are said to have a strong bond with RCB’s former captain Virat Kohli.

The franchise is now desperate to have somebody in the camp who can acquire groundbreaking thoughts and help them in ending their trophy drought. In the recently concluded season, the team failed to even reach the playoffs, disappointing their massive fan following.

Who Could Replace Hesson, Bangar In RCB?

It’s yet not clear whether RCB will go for a foreign or an Indian head coach.

Other franchises have proactively begun giving shape to their coaching set-up. Justin Langer, a former Australia opener and coach, has been hired as the head coach of the Lucknow Super Giants to take over for Andy Flower.

Andy Flower is as of now in conversations with other franchises and could remain in the IPL as a coach of another team.

The post RCB Release Mike Hesson, Sanjay Bangar After Underwhelming Outing In IPL 2023: Report appeared first on Cricket Country.