File photo of Ravindra Jadeja.© AFP

Former India batter Shikhar Dhawan shone in the world of cricket to get immense fame, but his personal life has been really hard of late. Having been separated from his wife Ayesha Mukherjee, Dhawan has not been able to meet his son Zoravar in person for two years now. On Thursday, Zoravar turned 10 and an emotional Dhawan could not hold himself back from putting up a heart-wrenching post for his son. “No matter the distance, even if we can’t connect as we once did, you will always be in my heart. Wishing you a year filled with madness, love, and happiness, Zora beta!” wrote Dhawan on Instagram.

Making his India debut in 2010, Dhawan leaves behind a legacy studded with milestones. He amassed over 10,000 international runs across formats, with 6793 ODI runs at a remarkable average of 44.11 and a strike rate of 91.35. His Test debut in 2013 against Australia was unforgettable, with an 85-ball century – the fastest by a debutant – eventually leading to a dazzling 187. In T20Is, Dhawan tallied 1759 runs with a strike rate of 126.36.

Dhawan’s ODI prowess stood out, especially during India’s 2013 Champions Trophy victory, where he scored 363 runs to clinch the Golden Bat award. In the IPL, his consistency shone brightly as he became the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer with 6,769 runs.

In 34 Tests, he scored 2315 runs at an average of 40.61, and in 68 T20Is, 1759 at a strike rate of 126.36.

Dhawan represented Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings in the IPL, where he is the second-highest run-getter behind Kohli. His 6769 runs came across 222 matches at a strike rate of 127.14.

In domestic cricket, Dhawan’s early years coincided with the Ranji Trophy success for Delhi; he was part of the title-winning team in 2007-08 when Delhi beat Uttar Pradesh at the Wankhede. He was also the top run-scorer at the Under-19 World Cup in 2004.

(With IANS Inputs)

File photo of Prithvi Shaw.© BCCI

India batter Shubman Gill hilariously mocked teammate and pacer Mohammed Siraj on Day 3 of the just-concluded 1st Test against Bangladesh in Chennai. During the 22nd over of Bangladesh’s second innings, Gill was seen mocking Siraj over an old video. For the unversed, a video of Siraj had gone viral a few years back, in which the pacer was seen flagging fake Instagram accounts started on his name. “Mohammed Siraj Official Instagram page hai. Baaki sab jo hai vo fake hain (All the others are fake),” Siraj was heard as saying in the video.

Before the third ball of the 22nd over, Gill, who was coming to take his position at short leg, decided to mock Siraj over the old video.

“Mohammad Siraj official hi official ID hai, baaki sab fake hain,” Gill was caught as saying by the stump mic.

Even Rishabh Pant chuckled upon seeing Gill’s antics.

Here’s the video:

https://t.co/NZeI5Dcd8Q pic.twitter.com/YqTCd8JViQ

— Skyfall (@hikingonmygrave) September 22, 2024

Meanwhile, Gill scored a century in the second innings to bounce back from his duck in the first.

India declared their second innings at 287-4 on day three after centuries from Shubman Gill, who hit an unbeaten 119, and the returning Pant, who made 109, flattened the opposition.

Gill and the left-handed Pant, who was playing his first Test since a serious car crash in December 2022, put on 167 runs for the fourth wicket.

“I just enjoyed batting and got a little bit emotional,” Pant said of his celebration after his sixth Test ton. 

“But at the end of the day, being in the field gives me more pleasure than anything else.”

The Test was Virat Kohli‘s first since the birth of his second child made him miss India’s 4-1 victory over England at home this year. Kohli scored just six and 17.

The home bowlers led by Jasprit Bumrah handed India an early advantage after they bundled out Bangladesh for 149 in their first innings.

Bangladesh have to work on their first innings batting ahead of the second Test, said skipper Najmul.

“Top of the order we have to be careful and put some runs, that is one learning from this match. Going forward all the batters think that they can come back.”

Bangladesh pace bowler Hasan Mahmud claimed five wickets in the first innings and reduced India to 34-3 in the first hour of play.

The two teams now head to the northern Indian city of Kanpur for the second Test starting on Friday.

(With AFP Inputs)

Pakistan pace great Shoaib Akhtar was one of the most lethal fast bowlers of his time. Known as the “Rawalpindi Express”, Akhtar terrorised opposition batters with his raw pace, bounce and toe-crushing yorkers for nearly two decades. Akhtar, who played 46 Tests, 163 ODIs and 14 T20Is for Pakistan, retired from international cricket after the 2011 World Cup, owing to knee related issues. However, a video of Akhtar’s lookalike, Imran Muhammad, has gone viral on social media. His reaction reminded fans of Akhtar, who is now enjoying a successful career in cricket punditry.

For the unversed, the video is from a Oman D10 League match between IAS Invincibles and Yallah Shabab Giants. The viral clip, which was posted by a user, highlighted the the uncanny similarity between the two cricketers.

He’s more Shoaib Akhtar than Shoaib Akhtar himself… pic.twitter.com/cXKQGgNgbn

— Prashanth S (@ps_it_is) September 19, 2024

Here’s how internet reacted:

@shoaib100mph that you?

— Aamer J. (@aamer2300) September 20, 2024

Easily the first choice to play Shoaib Akhtar in his biopic

— Cricmatic Insights Zone (@CIZblogs) September 20, 2024

He is from Dera ismail khan

Kpk

— i dont want u…… (@IWantyoumano) September 20, 2024

Imran was 18 when he left for his village in Dera Ismail Khan district of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Now 30, he fixes CCTV cameras in Muscat for a living, and also plays franchise league cricket in Oman.

After drawing curtains on his illustrious international career, Akhtar started a YouTube channel, where he gives reviews on International and league matches and Pakistani cricket.

Akhtar, who made his international debut in 1997, took 178 wickets in 46 Tests, the last of which was against India at Bangalore in 2007.

He bagged 247 wickets in 163 one-day internationals and also took 19 wickets in 15 T20Is.

“One of the main reasons for my retirement was that I am not able to wake up early anymore. I have been waking up at 6 am for the past 25 years. And then to bowl to the likes of Sachin and Dravid, they used to tire me all day. So this was one of the main reasons for my retirement – that I can’t wake up early,” Akhtar recently revealed.

Picture of Vinod Kambli (centre) with his friends.© X/@RSingh6969a

India’s star all-rounder Hardik Pandya put an emotional post for his son Agastya on the latter’s birthday on July 30, 2024. Hardik shared his adorable moments with Agastya, who is currenly with his estranged wife Natasa Stankovic. “You keep me going every single day! Happy birthday to my partner in crime, my whole heart, my Agu. Love you beyond words,” wrote Hardik on Instagram. It is worth noting that Hardik and Natasha earlier this month in a joint statement annonuced that they parted ways.

“Father’s feel button,” wrote a fan. “Only Hardik can understand the pain of being away from son,” wrote another fan. “Happy birthday Agu baby” was also among comments.

For the last few months there were rumours that the celebrity couple Hardik-Natasa were headed for separation, and with the announcement on July 18, they officially confirmed the development.

Hardik Pandya recently played a crucial role in India winning the 2024 T20 World Cup before making himself available for the ongoing three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. He is not included in India squad for the following three-match ODI series in the island nation.

Hardik’s estraged wife Natasa, who hails from Serbia, has worked in movies. She got engaged with the cricket star in January, 2020 and the duo has a four-year son Agastya.

Recently, Natasa flew to Serbia with the couple’s son Agastya. The actor-cum-model had posted images of her Serbian sojourn. Pandya reacted on the post with a series of emojis. That gesture was well appreciated by social media users.

In a joint Instagram post on July 19, Hardik Pandya and Natasa Stankovic wrote: “After 4 years of being together, Natasa and I have decided to mutually part ways. We tried our best together and gave it our all, and we believe that this is in the best interest for the both of us. This was a tough decision for us to make, given  the joy, mutual respect and companionship we enjoyed together and as we grew a family.

“We are blessed with Agastya, who will continue to be at the centre of both our lives and we will co-parent to ensure that we give him everything that we can for his happiness. We sincerely request your support and understanding to give us the privacy during this difficult and sensitive time. Hardik/Natasa.”

Indian cricket talisman Virat Kohli finally looked in some sort of form with the bat, scoring 37 runs off 28 balls as the team defeated Bangladesh in a T20 World Cup 2024 match on Saturday. Kohli, who had only scored 5 runs in the first three matches of the tournament, entertained fans with his blitz in Antigua as India put 196/5 on the board while batting first. Even in the field, Virat gave fans a nostalgic feeling of playing gully cricket, as he had to go underneath an advertising hoarding to get the ball.

The incident took place when Bangladesh required 74 runs from 18 balls to win the match. Bangla Tigers batter Rishad Hossain smashed a six on a delivery bowled by Arshdeep Singh over deep mid-wicket boundary. The ball went underneath the LED advertisement hoarding, prompting Kohli to use his gully-cricket skills.

Kohli went on his knees and looked to snuck underneath the hoarding in search of the ball. He got the ball, but the commentators couldn’t stop laughing.

Virat Kohli searching for the ballpic.twitter.com/tiSXqd7k0e

— Ram Garapati (@srk0804) June 22, 2024

Such scenes are often witnessed in gully cricket where balls often go underneath cars, prompting players to hone skills like Kohli showed in Antigua, to retrieve.

As for the match, Hardik Pandya was the Player of the Match, scoring 50 runs off just 27 balls while also picking a wicket with the ball.

“We have played really good cricket. More than anything we have stuck together and executed our plans. I did realise the batters wanted to use the breeze, I made sure I did not give them a chance where the wind was blowing, it was about being one step ahead as a batter. We as a group can get better in a lot of places, losing wickets in bunches is something we can rectify and get better at, apart from that, we are looking good.

“I have been fortunate to play for the country, it was a freak injury I had, I wanted to come back but God had other plans. I was talking to Rahul [Dravid] sir the other day, and he said: ‘Luck comes to people who work hard’ and that has stuck with me for a long time,” Hardik said after the match.

India next face Australia in the T20 World Cup 2024 Super 8s.

Picture of Paul Coughlin after taking a sensational catch.© X (formerly Twitter)