Team India enter the Champions Trophy 2025 in great form, having recently whitewashed England 3-0 in a home ODI series. Captain Rohit Sharma seems to have found his groove, smashing his 32nd ODI ton during the series, while Virat Kohli also struck a fifty. Despite the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, India remain one of the favourites for the trophy. The change in form has also seemingly seen a change in mood inside the Indian camp, with BCCI releasing a video of players training in Dubai in a jovial mood and in harmony.

The training video, just over two minutes long, showed glimpses about the bustling atmosphere within the Indian dressing room.

Captain Rohit Sharma could be seen lending some batting advice. “Time the ball. If you beat the cover fielder, it’s a boundary,” were his words of wisdom.

Rohit eventually took to the nets, facing the likes of Mohammed Shami, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar.

Virat Kohli was also in the thick of the action. The 36-year-old appeared in a hearty mood, and took a stunning one-handed reactionary catch.

Raw mode

Presenting from #TeamIndia‘s first practice session of #ChampionsTrophy 2025 in Dubai

WATCH

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 17, 2025

Rohit Sharma had hit the ball high with a tennis racket, before someone in the middle and worn a helmet to give it a deflection. Kohli, standing just behind, completed a superb one-handed effort, sparking celebrations among the players.

Hardik Pandya was also in the thick of things. First, Pandya could be seen sharing a light moment with Ravindra Jadeja in their native Gujarati.

Later, Pandya clobbered a delivery that travelled the distance, earning appreciation from Rishabh Pant.

At the helm, head coach Gautam Gambhir and assistant coach Abhishek Nayar oversaw the whole session, with the likes of batting coach Sitanshu Kotak also visible.

“There are three nets in the centre. Post whatever you have done; if you want to do something extra work, you’ve got two nets out back; you can get some working there,” Nayar could be heard saying.

The scenes of Team India training paint a vastly different picture regarding the mood in the dressing room than what was prevalent during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia.

India are vying for a record third Champions Trophy title, and the tournament comes as a major litmus test for head coach Gautam Gambhir. With India’s white-ball form seemingly imperious at the moment, India will be hoping to go the distance, playing all their games in Dubai.

India will face Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand in the Champions Trophy 2025 group stage.

Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya will miss his side’s opening match of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season, which will be against fellow five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Chepauk on March 23. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday announced the schedule of IPL 2025. Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the opening match at Eden Gardens on March 23, a Saturday. 

While last season’s runner’s up SunRisers Hyderabad will host Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the first match on Sunday, MI will be on the road in the second match of the day at Chennai.

However, five-time champions MI will be without their captain Hardik. For the unversed, Hardik was suspended for one match after MI’s last group stage match of IPL 2024 against Lucknow Super Giants. He was also fined Rs 30 lakh for maintaining a slow over rate.

“Hardik Pandya, the Mumbai Indians captain, has been fined after his team maintained a slow over rate during their IPL 2024 match against Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on May 17,” an official IPL statement had said.

“As it was his team’s third offence of the season under the IPL’s Code of Conduct relating to minimum over rate offences, Pandya was fined Rs 30 lakh and banned from playing the team’s next match,” it added.

After serving the ban against CSK, Hardik will be back for the franchise’s second match against Gujarat Titans on March 29.

In Hardik’s absence, the likes of Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah are all in contention to lead MI against CSK.

Rohit was sacked as skipper by Mumbai, replacing him with Hardik ahead of IPL 2024. Hardik was booed by MI fans, both at Wankhede and away from home during matches.

The two were reported to have rift, and this did affect the team dynamics as MI finished bottom of the pile. 

However, that issue is in past and the two will be united as ever in MI’s bid for a sixth IPL title this year.

MI full squad: 

Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, Trent Boult, Naman Dhir, Robin Minz, Karn Sharma Ryan Rickelton, Deepak Chahar, Allah Ghazanfar, Will Jacks, Ashwani Kumar, Mitchell Santner, Reece Topley, Krishnan Shrijith, Raj Angad Bawa, Satyanarayana Raju, Bevon Jacobs, Arjun Tendulkar, Lizaad Williams, Vignesh Puthur.

Rishabh Pant copped a blow to his knee during the team’s training session in Dubai.© X (Twitter)

Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya overtook former batter Shikhar Dhawan to become country’s fifth-highest run-getter in T20Is. Pandya accomplished this movement up in charts during the fourth T20I against England at Pune on Friday. During the match, Pandya came in clutch, scoring a brilliant 53 in 34 balls, with seven fours and two sixes, lifting his team from a poor position of 79/5 to 181/9 in their 20 overs. His runs came at a strike rate of over 155. Now in 113 T20Is and 89 innings, Pandya has scored 1,803 runs at an average of 28.17 and a strike rate of 141.63. He has scored five half-centuries, with best score of 71*.

On the other hand, in 68 matches, Dhawan scored 1,759 runs at an average of 27.92 and a strike rate of 126.36, with best score of 92 and 11 fifties in 66 innings.

The highest run-getter for India in T20Is is former T20 World Cup winning captain Rohit Sharma, with 4,231 runs in 159 matches and 151 innings at an average of 32.05 and a strike rate of 140.89. He scored five centuries and 32 fifties, with best score of 121*. He is followed by Virat Kohli (4,188 runs in 125 matches at an average of 48.69, with a century and 38 fifties) and Suryakumar Yadav (2,596 runs in 82 matches and 78 innings at an average of 38.74, with four centuries and 21 fifties).

Coming to the match, England won the toss and elected to field first. India was reduced to 12/3 by pacer Saqib Mahmood (3/35) after he got Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma and skipper Suryakumar Yadav in one over. Abhishek Sharma (29 in 19 balls, with four boundaries and a six) and Rinku Singh (30 in 26 balls, with four boundaries and a six) played crucial knocks, but India still reeled at 79/5. An 87-run partnership between Hardik Pandya (53 in 34 balls, with seven fours and two sixes) and Dube (53 in 30 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes) helped India reach 181/9 in their 20 overs. Overton (4/32) and Adil Rashid (1/35) also bowled fine spells.

In the run-chase, Phil Salt (23 in 21 balls, with four boundaries) and Ben Duckett (39 in 19 balls, with seven fours) put England to a fine start, adding 62 runs for the first wicket. However, Indian spinners helped the hosts bounce back and left England at 95/4. Harry Brook (51 in 26 balls, with five fours and two sixes) did score a half-century, but wickets fell quickly on the other end, with Harshit (3/33) and spinner Ravi Bishnoi (3/28) taking the spotlight. England was restricted at 166 and lost by 15 runs.

Dube got the ‘Player of the Match’ award. India has won the series 3-1.

Ravi Bishnoi (3-28) and debutant Harshit Rana (3-33) claimed three wickets each as India beat England by 15 runs in the fourth T20I at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Friday. India thus took an unbeatable 3-1 lead and sealed the series with the last T20I scheduled to be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday. India came back after losing the third T20I in Rajkot. The hosts had started by winning the first two T20Is in Kolkata and Chennai.

Earlier, Hardik Pandya (53) and Shivam Dube (53) produced a counter-attacking partnership to rescue India from a precarious position and push them to a competitive 181/9 after Saqib Mahmood’s (3 for 35).

Phil Salt and Ben Duckett came out with an aggressive mindset, making full use of the Power-play. Facing Arshdeep Singh in the opening over, Salt drove the ball elegantly down the ground, picking up two boundaries to get England going. Arshdeep, who had pitched the ball up looking for swing, found no real movement, and Salt was quick to capitalise. With Ben Duckett also making a charge, England’s innings gathered pace rapidly. He got off the mark with a fortunate edge past the keeper before opening up with well-placed flicks and drives.

Arshdeep, who had been India’s go-to bowler in the early overs, struggled to contain the left-hander, conceding three consecutive boundaries in his second over. The ball was coming onto the bat nicely, in stark contrast to the first innings, where India had struggled against England’s high pace.

The introduction of spin, however, did little to slow down England at first. Varun Chakravarthy was brought on early to change the tempo, but Duckett swept and reverse-swept him for quick runs, as England raced to 53/0 in five overs. Axar Patel was next, but Duckett showed no signs of slowing down, unleashing back-to-back reverse sweeps, including a towering six, taking England to 62/0 at the end of the Power-play.

Just when England seemed in complete control, India turned the tide. Ravi Bishnoi, brought on for the final over of the Power-play, provided the much-needed breakthrough, forcing Duckett into a miscued shot, which looped up to Suryakumar Yadav at mid-off. Duckett had blazed his way to 39 off just 19 balls with seven fours and a six, but his dismissal shifted the momentum back to India.

With India sensing an opening, Axar Patel delivered another crucial blow in the very next over. Phil Salt, who had been steadily accumulating runs, attempted to give himself room and drive through the covers, but Axar slid one in quickly, keeping it low and skidding through to crash into the stumps. Salt departed for 23 off 21 balls, and suddenly, England had lost two wickets in the span of six balls.

With England suddenly losing momentum, their in-form skipper Jos Buttler walked in, hoping to stabilise the innings. However, Ravi Bishnoi struck again, this time with a well-disguised leg-spinner that bounced slightly more than Buttler expected. The England captain could only manage a faint edge, and Harshit Rana at short third took an easy catch. Buttler, the key to England’s chase, was gone for just 2 off 3 balls, and England slumped to 67/3 in eight overs.

With three wickets lost in quick succession, Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone were tasked with rebuilding the innings. They played cautiously against India’s spinners, ensuring no further setbacks. Bishnoi, Axar, and Chakravarthy continued to apply pressure, limiting England’s scoring options. Just eight runs came off the 9th over, and at the 10-over mark, England reached 86/3, with the required run rate creeping up.

However, it was Mahmood who stole the show, registering a historic triple-wicket maiden, the first-ever in men’s T20 internationals. Sanju Samson (1), Tilak Varma (0), and Suryakumar Yadav (0) all fell in quick succession, leaving India reeling at 12/3 in two overs. Samson guided a rising delivery straight to deep square leg, Varma sliced his first ball to Archer at short third, and Suryakumar chipped a catch to short mid-wicket, playing right into England’s well-set trap.

With India at 98/5 in 13 overs, the onus was on Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube to steady the innings and provide a strong finish. The duo stitched together an 88-run partnership to force India to a competitive total. With England needing 96 runs off the final 10 overs to chase down India’s 182-run target, the visitors were still in contention despite losing three early wickets.

Just as Brook began to settle in, an unexpected twist occurred — Suryakumar Yadav introduced Harshit Rana, who came in as a substitute for Shivam Dube, who suffered a concussion in the final over of India’s innings. The decision sparked debate, reminiscent of India’s controversial substitution of Yuzvendra Chahal for Ravindra Jadeja against Australia in 2020. While Dube was an all-rounder, Rana’s inclusion brought in an extra fast-bowling option, tilting the balance of the game further in India’s favour.

Rana wasted no time making an impact. Bowling at speeds touching 150 kmph, he rattled England’s middle order. His very first over saw Liam Livingstone edge one behind Sanju Samson, departing for 9 off 13 balls. England slipped to 99/4 in 12 overs and were suddenly losing all momentum in their chase. Brook, however, remained England’s best hope. Enjoying pace on the ball, he took on Rana, finding gaps and scoring freely. Commentator Nick Knight noted that India’s decision to introduce Rana could backfire, as Brook thrived against fast bowling and might have struggled more against Dube’s slower variations. Brook seemed to prove Knight right, as he powered a boundary to deep mid-wicket off Chakravarthy, keeping England in the hunt.

Just when England looked like regaining momentum, Chakravarthy struck twice in quick succession. Brook, who had just reached his fifty off 26 balls, attempted a cheeky scoop shot but only managed to lob a simple catch to Arshdeep Singh at short fine-leg. Brook departed for 51, leaving England at 133/5 in 15 overs.

Two balls later, Brydon Carse attempted a slog-sweep but misjudged the spin, top-edging a catch to Arshdeep again. Carse was gone for a duck, and in the span of a few deliveries, England had collapsed to 133/6. Chakravarthy, finishing his spell with figures of 4-0-28-2, had once again turned the game in India’s favour. With the match slipping away, England’s lower order needed to step up. Jamie Overton and Jacob Bethell were England’s last real hopes, but the chase was becoming steeper with every dot ball.

Sensing an opportunity, Rana cleverly slowed one down, luring Bethell into an ambitious lofted shot. The timing wasn’t right, and Suryakumar Yadav at long-on comfortably completed the catch. Bethell walked back for 6 off 9 balls, leaving England tottering at 140/7 in 16 overs. In the very next over Bishnoi, in his fourth over, cleaned up Jofra Archer with a ripper of a delivery, inside edge straight into the stumps. Bishnoi finished with 3/28. Rana in his last over claimed the wicket of Overton after getting smoked for a four and ended his debut with 3 for 33.

Arshdeep claimed the last wicket of Saqib Mahmood as India defeated England by 15 runs to seal the five-match series 3-1, making the last T2OI scheduled at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai inconsequential.

Hardik Pandya‘s role in the Indian team is unlike anybody. The kind of balance that he brings to the side is something that no other player has been able to do in recent times. On Friday, Hardik Pandya’s breathtaking blows and comeback man Shivam Dube‘s belligerence took India to a par-score of 181 for 9 after the top-order failed to negotiate the short of length deliveries bowled by England pacers in the fourth T20 International in  on Friday. Coming in at No. 7, Pandya was stylish and destructive in equal measure hitting four boundaries and an equal number of maximums in his 30-ball-53.

Towards the end, the six that Pandya hit off Jamie Overton to complete his half-century went viral.

This no-look six from Hardik Pandya

INFINITE AURA

pic.twitter.com/6sr30cF69u

— Johns (@JohnyBravo183) January 31, 2025

INDIA’s GREATEST ALL-ROUNDER IN T20

– It’s no other than Hardik Pandya. pic.twitter.com/JAoZ9vdKT2

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 31, 2025

“Cinematic perfection – Hardik’s six in full glory! #HardikPandya pic.twitter.com/P3GyKkAQQP

— Always Ravi (@alwaysRaviDhfrc) January 31, 2025

Dube (53 off 34 balls) also didn’t do too badly in a stand of 87 off 48 balls for the sixth wicket after pacer Saqib Mahmood (3/35 in 4 overs) reduced India to 12 for 3 by the end of second over.

Dube was coming back into national colours after bagging a pair in a Ranji Trophy match against Jammu and Kashmir last week.

But Pandya, who many feel can take MS Dhoni‘s role as a finisher, began with an aggressive approach, then rotated the strike for a few overs before launching a brutal final assault on the English bowlers. However his innings was cut short by one shot too many.

He got an able ally in Dube, who hit seven fours and two sixes as India got as many as 109 runs in the back-10.

Mahmood, playing his first game of the series, struck thrice in his first over and all three were well-planned dismissals.

By now, the world knows about Sanju Samson‘s (1) susceptibility against quick bowling, especially those pitched on either hard length or back of the length.

Mahmood bowled one slightly back of length and the short arm pull went straight into the palms of Brydon Carse at deep fine leg boundary.

In-form Tilak Varma (0) was out first ball as he tried to use the pace and slash it over third man.

The most well thought out dismissal was certainly skipper Suryakumar Yadav‘s (0), who is undergoing the worst slump in his international career.

Jos Buttler stationed a short mid-wicket fielder to exploit the Indian skipper’s propensity to hit the uppish-flick shot. The ploy was executed with precision as India were 12 for 3 byt the end of the second over.

Abhishek Sharma (29 off 19 balls) and Rinku Singh (30 off 26 balls), who after a long time came to bat only in the third over, started well but couldn’t convert it into big scores.

They added 45 runs for the fourth wicket but then were out in quick succession leaving India in a spot of bother at 79 for 5.

Dube, playing his first game since the T20 World Cup final, started with a big six off Adil Rashid but never looked comfortable against raw pace.

However, when Rashid flighted, he did take the bait and hit some lusty blows.

Pandya looked regal when he held his pose while hitting Brydon Carse through covers and his six over long-off was equally exhilarating. Late his short arm pull and slap off Jamie Overton fetched him a six and four.

With PTI inputs 

Suryakumar Yadav has one of the most inspiring stories in Indian cricket, rising from making his national team debut at age 30 to being named India’s T20I captain just three years later. In the latest episode of Deep Point on Star Sports, experts Sanjay Manjrekar and Sanjay Bangar analysed Yadav’s status as India’s best T20I batter and what he can achieve as India’s T20I captain. Sanjay Manjrekar wholeheartedly backed SKY as the best T20I batter in India, highlighting his incredible rise through the IPL to the player he is today. 

“This has taken a lot of time; it didn’t happen in just two years. He used to play for KKR (Kolkata Knight Riders), and I remember he had just two shots. Predictably, he would play the flick shot on the first ball of the innings, no matter where it landed. The growth of Suryakumar Yadav is incredible. Who would have predicted, when he was playing lower down the order for KKR, that he would go on to become the best T20I batter in the world?”

Sanjay Bangar explained how the 34-year-old batter’s ability is enhanced by his imagination and adaptability. 

“The method to this madness is proactiveness. It takes a lot of imagination, courage, and the ability to anticipate where the ball is coming from before it’s even bowled-that’s his hallmark. During the Asia Cup, we analysed how, when bowlers try to adjust their deliveries after Surya gets into position, he still has another option to punish them. That’s his special ability. There are many players who can hit across 360 degrees, but his ability to abandon his plan and react to a delivery is amazing.”

Regarding Yadav’s captaincy, Bangar admitted his surprise at Hardik Pandya being dropped but suggested that Yadav might be the ideal leader for India’s next generation of T20 talent. 

“Honestly, I was shocked that he was elevated to captain because, until that point, Hardik Pandya was the captain-designate. The way he handled that transition shows his great man-management skills. It’s still early days, but he’s the best fit for this young squad after the retirements of Jadeja, Kohli, and Rohit. That’s a big plus-he can be the leader of this new generation, someone who is one among them.”

India have secured 16 wins and four losses in T20Is under Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy. His status as the team’s best player is what makes Manjrekar believe he is the perfect choice to continue leading them. “He has a great temperament. Throughout his career, you can see that after a strong innings, he always has a smile during his interviews. He’s light-hearted. Just like Bumrah for India’s Test captaincy, SKY is by far the best player on this T20I team.”

Manjrekar also emphasized the importance of strong coaching support for Yadav’s captaincy.

“In T20Is, if you have a great coach working alongside the captain, because you need outside inputs, I think he could be a great long-term leader. I’m very excited to see if he has any say in team selection because I’m looking forward to watching players like Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, Rinku Singh making a comeback, and even Varun Chakravarthy getting a chance.”

Hardik Pandya has become a more reliable bowler© BCCI/Sportzpics

Former batter Ambati Rayudu has criticised all-rounder Hardik Pandya for not backing youngster Dhruv Jurel during India’s loss to England in the third T20I on Tuesday. For the unversed, Hardik refused to take a single on final ball of the 18th over after Jurel hit Jofra Archer‘s delivery to deep square leg. While Rayudu praised Hardik for his fighting knock, he felt the veteran all-rounder could’ve show more faith in Jurel. Hardik top-scored for with a 35-ball 40, but couldn’t prevent India from suffering a 26-run loss in Rajkot.

“It was a good performance because batting wasn’t that easy and wickets were falling from the other end. So he paced his innings well. However, when the finishing touch was required to be given, he could have shown a little faith in Dhruv Jurel,” Rayudu said on Star Sports.

“Even if 25 had been required in the last over, Hardik has the ability to hit that. So I feel if he had shown a little more confidence in Dhruv Jurel, the game might have been closer. However, the way he paced his innings was very heartening,” he added.

Recapping the third T20I of the five-match series, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and elected to bowl first in the encounter.

Opener Ben Duckett made a vital half-century before he was caught by Abhishek Sharma off the bowling of Hardik Pandya, having put on a good stand with Buttler to put England on a firm footing at 83/2.

The England middle order, however, was unable to negotiate with Varun Charkravarthy, who sliced through them, taking 5-24. That left England on 127/8, requiring Liam Livingstone to make a valiant 43 from 24 balls, with solid final-wicket support from Adil Rashid and Mark Wood, both of whom made 10.

England finished on 171/9, which looked like it might be slightly under par, but their bowlers flew out of the traps, taking wickets regularly with none of the India top-four making it past 24 runs.

Pandya impressed with the bat, making 40 off 35, and putting on a 38-run partnership with Axar Patel.

But after Buttler caught Pandya off Jamie Overton‘s bowling in the 19th over, there was simply too much for the tail to do, ending the innings 26 runs short.

India lead the five-match series 2-1 heading into the fourth T20I in Pune on Friday, January 31.

(With ANI Inputs)