During Day 2 of the 4th Test between India and Australia, former BCCI chief selector MSK Prasad expressed his disappointment with Rohit Sharma's performance as both a captain and a batsman. Prasad also attributed Rohit's struggle in the series to his lack of form and match practice beforehand. Meanwhile, Steve Smith's century and a 112-run stand with captain Pat Cummins helped Australia maintain a strong lead over India on the second day of the Boxing Day Test match.
India's Nitish Kumar Reddy wowed the world with his extraordinary maiden Test century at the MCG, becoming the third youngest Indian to achieve the feat. After the third day's play, Reddy was welcomed by his emotional family members, including his father who had left his job to support Reddy's cricket journey. The BCCI released a video of the heartwarming reunion, capturing the overwhelming emotions of Reddy's mother, father, and sister. Reddy put up a resilient performance alongside Washington Sundar to rescue India from a precarious position and secure a potential match-saving unbeaten 105.
After months of delay and uncertainty, the schedule for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy has been announced, with a major change to the format. All India matches, including the highly-anticipated clash against Pakistan, will now be played at a neutral venue. This comes after a stalemate between the BCCI, PCB, and ICC over India's matches in Pakistan, finally leading to the implementation of the Hybrid Model. The tournament will kick off in Dubai next year, with a revamped group division.
Indian fast bowler Mohammed Shami has been facing a string of injury setbacks since the 2023 ODI World Cup. After recovering from a heel injury, Shami has now experienced slight swelling in his left knee, ruling him out of contention for the remaining two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The BCCI is monitoring his fitness and his participation in the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy will depend on the progress of his knee.
After a successful 14-year career, renowned Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has announced his retirement from all formats of international cricket. He has amassed a net worth of Rs 132 crore, with a majority of his income coming from his BCCI contract and IPL match fees. Along with his successful cricket career, Ashwin has also made substantial earnings through brand endorsements and mentoring young players.
In a shocking turn of events, 2024 has proven to be the year of a statistical nightmare for Virat Kohli, as his batting prowess has been on a sharp decline across all formats of the game. With a batting average of 25.06 in Tests, 19.33 in ODIs, and 18.00 in T20Is, Kohli's once invincible form has now come into question. Experts like Anil Kumble and Dinesh Kartik have suggested that playing domestic cricket could help Kohli regain his form, but with the ICC and BCCI unable to force him into such a move, the future remains uncertain for the cricket icon.
Jay Shah, the recently elected chairman of the ICC, has arrived in Brisbane for a meeting related to the Olympics and to attend the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The timing of his visit is significant, as the ICC is currently grappling with the issue of the Champions Trophy, and Cricket Australia has been a strong supporter of the BCCI's position. Despite now holding an independent position, Shah's influence over the BCCI cannot be overlooked, especially with BCCI joint secretary Devajit Saikia also accompanying him on the trip. This visit may also have implications for Shah's previous invitation to the Sydney Test in 2025.
The BCCI has made several changes to the Indian women's cricket team squads, dropping star opener Shafali Verma and including three uncapped players for the upcoming white-ball series against West Indies. After a disappointing performance against Australia, the young opener has also been excluded from the T20I squad for the series. The squad also sees the exclusion of pace all-rounder Arundhati Reddy while 20-year-old Raghvi Bist and 24-year-old Pratika Rawal earn their maiden call-ups for the T20I and ODI teams respectively.
As Yuvraj Singh turns another year older, his former teammates and the cricket fraternity took to social media to wish the "Yuvi paji" a happy birthday. The BCCI highlighted his stellar stats and two World Cup victories while Raina and Sehwag praised the all-rounder's inspiring journey and destructive batting prowess. Here's wishing Yuvraj a year filled with good health, happiness, and success.
Indian all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has emerged as a young star in the game of cricket. In a video released by the BCCI, Reddy talks about the financial issues faced by his family and how it inspired him to work hard and become a successful cricketer. Reddy's heartwarming story serves as a motivation for young and upcoming cricketers to pursue their dreams and achieve success in their chosen sport.