Shortly after the BCCI announced the full schedule of IPL 2025 season, Zaheer Khan, the mentor of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), said the side shapes up as a strong contender for winning the title. The Rishabh Pant-led LSG will play its opening match of IPL 2025 against Delhi Capitals, a side the wicketkeeper-batter previously led, in an evening clash on March 24 at ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam. Pant became the most expensive player in IPL’s history when LSG acquired him for INR 27 crore at the mega auction in Jeddah last year. LSG reached the playoffs of IPL 2022 and 2023 seasons, before exiting in the Eliminator twice. In IPL 2024, LSG finished at seventh place in the points table.

“Under the captaincy of Rishabh Pant, the team has many excellent players like David Miller, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Marsh, Ayush Badoni, Mayank Yadav, Avesh Khan, and Ravi Bishnoi. LSG is a strong contender for the IPL Cup. We will achieve this goal with the love and support of cricket lovers,” said Zaheer in a statement issued by the franchise.

LSG will begin its run of playing seven home games at the Bharat Ratna Shree Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium when it faces Punjab Kings in an evening game on April 1. They will later play their home games against Mumbai Indians (April 4), Gujarat Titans (April 12), Chennai Super Kings (April 14), Delhi Capitals (April 22), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (May 9), and Sunrisers Hyderabad (May 18).

Apart from Zaheer, Justin Langer is the head coach, while Vijay Dahiya and Lance Klusener are assistant coaches. Each team in the IPL will play 14 matches during the league phase, with top four teams to feature in the playoffs.

The Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator will be held on May 20 and 21, respectively, at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. It is followed by the Qualifier 2 and the final to be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on May 23 and 25 respectively.

LSG squad for IPL 2025: Rishabh Pant (Captain), Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Matthew Breetzke, Nicholas Pooran, Shamar Joseph, Ayush Badoni, Ravi Bishnoi, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Avesh Khan, Akash Deep, Aryan Juyal, Abdul Samad, Himmat Singh, Arshin Kulkarni, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Akash Singh, Digvesh Singh, M Siddharth, and Prince Yadav.

Results might be going India’s way in ODI cricket but experts aren’t entirely onboard with the system head coach Gautam Gambhir has put in place in the team. Barring the opening combination, and maybe the No. 3 batter, none of the positions in the team are fully defined. Be it Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya or Axar Patel, the batting positions of these players depend a lot on situations. While former India pacer Zaheer Khan doesn’t mind the strategy, he feels some rules have to be put in place in order to avoid ‘insecurity’ in the team.

The likes of KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya have been batting below Axar Patel, a bowling all-rounder, since the start of the ODI series against England. While the team management feels left-hand-right-hand combination is important to coach Gambhir’s plans, Zaheer feels such a system will come back to haunt him and the team.

“You’ve said that you’ve got to have the flexibility. Number one and two will be there but the others are going to be flexible. Within that flexibility, some rules also apply. There are certain protocols you have to follow. Certain communication needs to happen, which is gonna streamline things. Otherwise, you are creating insecurity, which, at some stage, will come back and hurt you. You don’t want it to be the case. So you’ve got to be prepared to deal with that situation,” Zaheer said in a chat on Cricbuzz when asked to narrate the difference between Gambhir and his predecessor Rahul Dravid.

Zaheer has warned not just Gambhir but others in the Indian think tank too. With the ICC Champions Trophy approaching in a week’s time, the legendary pacer feels a better and more streamlined system needs to be put in place.

“That’s why I said recency bias is something very strong right now. The situation has become dynamic if you have to compare Rahul Dravid’s approach and Gautam Gambhir’s approach. You can say it’s good, bad, or ugly, or you can say how do we adapt. Each individual is a part of this system, be it the senior management or the think tank, be it the players, be it the selectors. They will have to gauge it, and the entire system needs to be streamlined for the wheel to turn properly,” he added.

With only the third ODI to go in the already-decided series, it would be interesting to see what sort of the team combination coach Gambhir and skipper Rohit opt for in the dead-rubber

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

A budding cricketer from Rajasthan probably received the most exciting present of her life as one of her training videos were shared by the legendary Sachin Tendulkar on his social media. Popularly called the ‘Master Blaster’, Sachin is widely known from promoting local talent in India. Sushila Meena, an aspiring pacer from Rajasthan, left Sachin completely astonished with her bowling skills as he not only shared her video on his X handle (formerly Twitter) but also went on to compare her action with former India pacer Zaheer Khan.

Sachin wrote on X, “Smooth, effortless, and lovely to watch! Sushila Meena’s bowling action has shades of you, @ImZaheer. Do you see it too?”

Smooth, effortless, and lovely to watch! Sushila Meena’s bowling action has shades of you, @ImZaheer.

Do you see it too? pic.twitter.com/yzfhntwXux

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) December 20, 2024

As soon as Sachin’s post went viral, Zaheer also took to his Instagram and responded by giving his nod. The legendary pacer even called Sushila impressive and promising.

“@sachintendulkar You’re spot on with that, and I couldn’t agree more. Her action is so smooth and impressive-she’s showing a lot of promise already!” he said.

This is not the first time that Sachin has shared a video of a local player. Earlier, he heavily promoted Jammu and Kashmir’s para-cricketer Amir Hussain.

Amir is an armless cricketer and he left Sachin completely impressed with his zeal and determination of playing for the country.

Recently, Sachin also shared a heartfelt note for India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin, who called-time on his international career.

“Ashwin, I’ve always admired how you approached the game with your mind and heart in perfect sync. From perfecting the carrom ball to contributing crucial runs, you always found a way to win. Watching you grow from a promising talent to one of India’s finest match-winners has been wonderful. Your journey shows that true greatness lies in never being afraid to experiment and evolve,” wrote Sachin on X.

Talking about Zaheer, the star pacer made his international debut in 2000 and went on to play 92 Tests, 200 ODIs, and 17 T20Is for India.

In his 14-year-long career, Zaheer took 610 wickets across all formats. Apart from his, he has also played 100 IPL matches and took 102 wickets.

Indian cricket team spinner Ravichandran Ashwin scripted history by becoming the first bowler ever to take at least 50 wickets in all three editions of the World Test Championship (WTC). Ashwin achieved the feat on Day 4 of the second Test match against Bangladesh in Kanpur on Monday when he dismissed Shakib Al Hasan for 9. Ashwin, who is the top-ranked Test bowler in the world right now, completed 50 wickets in 10 matches and overall, he is the second highest wicket-taker in WTC history behind Australia’s Nathan Lyon. Ashwin also equalled Zaheer Khan‘s record of taking most wickets in India-Bangladesh Test matches and both of them have taken 31 wickets each.

The issue of having multiple Test match venues in India has once again come under the spotlight after Day 3 of the second Test between India and Bangladesh in Kanpur was delayed due to poor drainage at the Green Park stadium. As the debate over the suitability of India’s numerous Test centres intensifies, veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin shared his perspective on the matter, offering both the pros and cons of the current system.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Ashwin emphasized the benefits of having many Test venues spread across India, particularly in terms of promoting cricket at the grassroots level. “Firstly, what are the benefits that Indian cricketers attain by having so many Test centres? You have cricketers who come and play Test cricket from every nook and corner of this country,” Ashwin said. “It is a huge country, and it has triggered that sort of urgency and passion among cricketers to be able to come and play for this country. That is a big positive.”

Ashwin highlighted how allowing more venues to host Test matches has opened doors for cricketers from diverse regions, nurturing the sport in areas that might otherwise be overlooked. In a country as vast as India, he pointed out, this inclusivity fosters a sense of national pride and opportunity for aspiring players across the nation.

However, Ashwin acknowledged the challenges associated with having such a broad range of Test venues. Referring to the drainage issues at the Kanpur ground, which led to a significant delay in play, Ashwin pointed out that certain facilities are critical to hosting a Test match at the highest level. “There are certain requisite ingredients that are important to host a Test match, and these were lacking in Kanpur,” he said. “The weather and the kind of drainage that we need to be able to invest in are essential.”

Despite the inclusivity and passion generated by having many Test centres, Ashwin also recognised the advantages of having fewer, designated Test venues, similar to what other cricketing nations follow.

He cited Australia and England as examples of countries with fixed Test match venues and specific times of the year to host games. “We go to Australia, they play India only at five Test centres. They don’t play us at the Manuka Oval in Canberra,” Ashwin noted. “They won’t be very familiar with the conditions. So does England. They have certain select Test centres, and that’s where they play. Some of those are only white-ball centres.”

With IANS inputs

Jasprit Bumrah became the sixth Indian fast bowler to achieve 400 international wickets during the first Test against Bangladesh, as he picked up four wickets in the first innings and one more in the second to take his tally to 401. The man second on the list, Zaheer Khan, heaped praise on Bumrah, stating that Bumrah will keep tumbling records, and that he has earned the accolade of being the best bowler in the world, at least when it comes to fast bowlers.

“This is a huge achievement for a bowler. He will continue to chase these records. He now belongs in such a class that he is the No. 1 bowler in the world when it comes to pacers,” said Zaheer, speaking on the Cricbuzz YouTube channel.

“All I hope is that he stays aware of his body, and keep his energy and fitness up. The more he plays, the more the records will tumble,” said Zaheer.

Zaheer stated that the pitch condition goes out of the question for world-class bowlers like Bumrah. For them, he said that the mentality is to understand how to pick up wickets in conditions that don’t suit them.

‘#Bumrah needs to stay fit; will continue to tumble records’@imZaheer lauds the bowler, on #CricbuzzChatter#INDvBAN pic.twitter.com/eiPGp2ON6R

— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) September 24, 2024

“Great bowlers do not think about the conditions. They only think of which weapons will work for them in unfavourable conditions,” Zaheer elaborated.

“He is a complete bowler. You think of the conditions in terms of when to use swing, seam, yorkers or slower ones, not in the mentality that ‘Oh, the conditions aren’t in our favour’,” he added.

Bumrah helped India bundle out Bangladesh for just 149 in the first innings of the first Test, helping India achieve a mammoth lead of 227 runs. His four wickets took him to the 400-wicket mark in international cricket, joining Kapil Dev, Zaheer Khan, Javagal Srinath, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma in an elite list.

The likes of Kapil Dev and Zaheer Khan have etched their names in the history books for the kind of performances they put for India. While Kapil, an all-rounder in true sense, is among the legendary players of the nation, Zaheer, a left-arm pacer, was also superb with his skill set during his playing days. Come 2024 and Jasprit Bumrah has established himself as a modern day great in bowling. However, these three are not the only names, who have produced scintillating bowling performances for India. Former spinners Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh alongside off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin are find their names in the list of India’s top performing bowlers.

However, when India pacer Mohammed Shami was asked to pick his “favourite bowler of all-time”, he named two greats, who are not from India.

“There are a lot of them. But if you are asking for names, then I like Waqar Younis and Dale Steyn more,” said Shami in a rapid-fire Question and Answer session on Star Sports.

What is #MohammedShami‘s nickname? Who does he enjoy bowling to?

Watch the star answer these Qs and more, on his birthday today!

Don’t forget to wish the Indian speedster a #happybirthday in the comments#Cricket #HappyBirthdayMohammedShami pic.twitter.com/NWjjyqyDWb

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) September 3, 2024

Indian all-format pace veteran Shami has stood up as the match-winner across all three formats by delivering numerous memorable performances and has been the national team’s go-to man in the ODI World Cups.

Ever since his memorable debut in international cricket back in 2013 — where he picked up nine scalps in Eden Gardens — Shami has made a name for himself with his pace, toe-crushing yorkers and ability to step up his game in big games.

Delivering match-winning performances through major ICC tournaments for India, particularly, the 50-over World Cups, despite battling injuries, the pacer has gained a massive following for himself.

He forms a formidable pace duo with Bumrah in all formats of the game.

With 448 international scalps in 188 games including 229 in Tests, 195 in ODIs and 24 in T20Is, Shami is one of the best modern-era pacers to have graced the sport.

(With ANI Inputs)

Zaheer Khan feels ‘Impact Player’ rule has given a huge boost to young Indian players.© BCCI

File image of Zaheer Khan© X (Twitter)

File photo of Zaheer Khan© BCCI/Sportzpics