During Day 2 of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Sydney, India's Rishabh Pant broke multiple records with his explosive 33-ball fifty. Pant's knock, which included six fours and four sixes, is now the second-fastest fifty by an Indian in Tests in Australia, behind David Warner's 2017 innings. He also set a new record for the fastest fifty by a visiting batter in Australia, surpassing West Indies' Roy Fredericks' 1975 knock in just 29 balls. Pant now holds the record for the two fastest fifties by Indians in Tests, following his 28-ball half-century against Sri Lanka in 2022. With his blazing batting, Pant has cemented his place as one of the most lethal and exciting players in international cricket.
Team India made a surprising decision to drop their captain, Rohit Sharma, from the fifth Test against Australia at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground. With Jasprit Bumrah taking over the reins, India made another change by bringing in Shubman Gill for Akash Deep, who was suffering from back stiffness. Meanwhile, Australia announced their playing XI one day prior and are set to give Beau Webster his international debut.
In a heartwarming gesture, India's Virat Kohli reached out and patted Australia's Steve Smith on the back after the latter scored his 34th Test century during the ongoing Boxing Day Test. This comes just a day after Kohli's heated altercation with Sam Konstas, which resulted in a fine from the International Cricket Council. Kohli's act of sportsmanship serves as an inspiration for all, especially after India suffered a familiar collapse after a crucial run-out on day two.
Indian cricketer Virat Kohli has been fined 20% of his match fee and given a demerit point by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for deliberately making physical contact with Australian batsman Sam Konstas during the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The incident, which occurred on the second day of the test match, sparked a heated exchange between the players and drew criticism from former Australian captain Ricky Ponting. Kohli has accepted the sanctions imposed by the match referee.
Saim Ayub shone on a challenging pitch at the Wanderers in Johannesburg, becoming the youngest player in Pakistan's history to score three One Day International centuries in just nine games. Despite a late start and a shortened game due to rain, Saim's elegant stroke play and fearless approach helped Pakistan to a total of 308-9, ultimately leading them to a series victory against South Africa.
In the ongoing investigation into the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, police have reportedly found five handwritten diaries in his house. The diaries are said to contain details about his personal life and work, and will be used to find any potential leads in the case. The police are also planning to summon all those who were in touch with Rajput in the final ten days before his death. On International Men's Day, let's remember Rajput's enlightened tweets from last year about men and their emotions.
Pakistan's Shaheen Afridi is on the verge of breaking Wasim Akram's record for the most wickets by a Pakistani bowler against South Africa in international cricket. As the first ODI of the three-match series begins today, Afridi needs just four more wickets to surpass Akram's 48 wickets in 31 innings. This could be a significant milestone for Afridi, who has been in impressive form in ODIs and will play a crucial role in Pakistan's attempt to recover from their T20I series loss to South Africa.
The South Africa National Cricket Team and Pakistan National Cricket Team face off in the first ODI match of the series, with South Africa winning the toss and choosing to bat first. With the Champions Trophy on the horizon, both teams will be using this series as a chance to test their combinations. South Africa will have to navigate their way through a tough match with many of their key bowlers out due to injuries, while Pakistan looks to bounce back from a crushing defeat in the T20I series.
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.
In a nail-biting game at the NPL, South Africa emerged victorious against Pakistan by 7 wickets. After Pakistan chose to bat first, South Africa's bowlers struck early and restricted them to a modest total. In response, South Africa's batters showcased a strong performance, chasing down the target with only 3 balls remaining and securing a much-needed win.