Mr 360 back in action! AB de Villiers destroys Indian legends in 30-ball carnage at WCL 2025
Northampton's County Ground witnessed a vintage AB de Villiers performance as the South Africa Champions skipper rolled back the years with a breathtaking 63* off just 30 balls, guiding his side to a formidable 208/6 against India Champions in the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025 clash on Tuesday.
Walking in after Jacques Rudolph's run-out in the 9th over, de Villiers immediately shifted gears.
His innings was a perfect blend of innovation and sheer power, featuring three fours and four towering sixes.
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Whether it was scooping or lofting the ball down the ground, de Villiers was in imperious touch, dismantling the Indian bowling attack at will.
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The South African innings had a steady start with Hashim Amla (22 off 19) and Rudolph (24 off 20) providing a platform, but wickets at regular intervals kept India in the game.
Sarel Erwee (15) and JP Duminy (16) couldn't convert their starts, while Yusuf Pathan's disciplined spell (2/26) helped stem the flow briefly. However, once de Villiers found his rhythm, the momentum swung decisively.
A crucial cameo from Morne van Wyk (18* off 5) added late fireworks, as the duo plundered 19 runs off the final over to cross the 200-run mark. De Villiers's strike rate of 210.00 underlined his dominance, with every misfield or fractionally loose delivery punished.
India Champions' bowlers, apart from Chawla (2/31), looked off-color, with Vinay Kumar conceding 44 in his 3 overs.
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Indian Express
17 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Why Ben Stokes and Indian cricket should now handshake Ravindra Jadeja in respect
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Jadeja has been sidelined, undermined, written-off and a few months back he was about to be left out of all Indian teams for good. But the all-rounder didn't make noise, or get stories planted or make his angst public. Jadeja's world is his cricket, family and the farm house where he nurtures and rides his favourite horses. Those in the know say that, earlier this year, post the Border Gavaskar Trophy loss, Jadeja was to be given the golden handshake. Along with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli; plans were in place to politely tell him that his days are over. The inputs from the earlier team management hadn't been laudatory. Jadeja could be dispensed with – that was the message on the sticky note that the last set of decision-makers left behind. It was the intervention of the present set of coaches that gave Jadeja one more chance, it is learnt. Post BGT, when picking the team for ICC's 50-overs tournament, his name wasn't to be in the Champions Trophy side. After a discussion among the present team management, Jadeja got a reluctant nod. His name was the last to be added to the Champions Trophy squad. And as it has happened so often in his career, this was all that Indian cricket's greatest survivor, needed. Whenever the curtains threaten to fall on his career, Jadeja changes the script and lives to tell the tale. A formidable performance with the ball at Champions Trophy was to be followed by his Gary Sobers-level runs in England – only the great West Indian has 5 scores of 50 plus in England from N0. 6 or lower in a Test series. Once again at 36, Jadeja, for now, is the team's indispensable member. After the Lord's near-miss, the Indian skipper Shubman Gill gave 'rare' praise to his team's senior-most player. 'He is one of the most valuable players in India. The experience that he brings in, the skill set that he brings with his bowling, batting and fielding is very rare … the kind of composure that he showed is tremendous … ,' the captain had said. Such words haven't been used for this one-of-a-kind cricketer who has served Indian cricket silently for years now. From being the main all-rounder who helped Virat Kohli win the under-19 World Cup in 2009 to the Great Escape at Old Trafford in 2025, Jadeja has a staggering body of work. In between there are his Player of the Tournament achievements in Champions Trophy 2013, many Man of the Series performances in Tests and winning the IPL with a six and four. But still he wasn't projected as a star. Somehow, over the years, Jadeja wasn't taken seriously by fans or the teams he played for. In teams of the past, he was one of the boys or the friend to the captain. Once on the Kapil Sharma comedy show, Virat Kohli was asked – 'Kaun sabse jyada phekta hai (Who tells tall tales the most?'. The answer was Jadeja. Dhoni once called him 'Sir Jadeja' in his tweet and that would inspire a million funny memes and give him a title he hates. 'I hate being called Sir. If you wish, call me Bapu, that's what I like. This Sir-Var, I don't like at all,' he had once said. These days Jadeja gets treated as Sir in the dressing room. Unlike his position in the Indian team led by MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma; Jadeja 2.0 is the distinguished senior of the team. He is among the few players who is seen having long discussions with coach Gambhir. In Shubman's team, Jadeja is an example to emulate and an influential voice in the dressing room. Unlike others, he hasn't positioned himself as some 'captain without a captain's armband.' The other day during a press conference on this England tour, he was asked if he ever aspired to be a captain. He almost broke into a chuckle and said 'that time has gone, I have been playing cricket from 13 years now.' Strangely such has been the timing of his career that he often gets overshadowed by the stars he plays with. As an all-rounder, Jadeja would score 300 plus scores in first-class cricket but the main run-getter of his domestic team Saurashtra would be Cheteshwar Pujara. He would be Dhoni's trusted go-to player but Suresh Raina would be designated Man Friday. He would be India's main spinner for years but somehow it would be R Ashwin who would be called the spin spearhead, thinking spinner and match winner. Jadeja's numbers were better than Kapil Dev, Ian Botham, Bishan Bedi but 'greatness' was not bestowed on him. On this England tour, the team doesn't have the towering presence of the just retired mega-stars and that's why the shadow that hid Jadeja has lifted. Over the years, Jadeja has got maligned as the selfish cricketer who doesn't work towards the team cause but bats to keep his position safe in the team. It is said that in tough tight games, Jadeja would expose the tailenders to the bowling and stay unbeaten. On this England tour, Jadeja has squashed that narrative. At Lord's, he methodically farmed the strike when batting with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj to take India so close to an unlikely win. At Old Trafford he enhanced his image. This was an inning that in a way defined Jadeja. Very early in the innings, Joe Root dropped him at slips. Jadeja rarely wastes a second chance. Not making a fuss over it, Jadeja would mentor Washington and also listen to him. He has inside him a unique kind of aggression. The only manifestation is when he turns his bat into a sword and swirls it around. Like most kids in Jamnagar, the region where a King still rules, Jadeja has grown up hearing stories of valour. He often mentions the 12th century Sorath Chudasama king Ra Khengar on his social media. 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India.com
20 minutes ago
- India.com
IND vs ENG 2025 4th Test Handshake Saga: Ben Stokes was behaving like a 'spoilt kid'. says star India cricketer
England captain Ben Stokes argues with Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja on Day 5 of 4th Test in Manchester. (Photo: IANS) The fourth Test between India and England ended in a draw at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester on Sunday. It was just the second draw in the 'Bazball' era on England soil under captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum. However, the thrilling clash which ended with a heroic display by the young Indian team ended on a sour note on the final day. With the final hour starting the 4th Test and India only four wickets down, England skipper Ben Stokes approached the two India batters in the middle – Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar – with an offer to call off the game as a draw. But Jadeja and Sundar refused the offer as both of them were approaching well-deserved centuries. Stokes was not at all pleased that his side had to spend more time in the middle, even as Jadeja and Sundar approached personal milestones. After the Test match eventually ended in a draw, Stokes refused to shake the hands of two Indian centurions Jadeja and Sundar. Ben Stokes refusing a handshake with Sundar & Jadeja isn't 'passion' — it's poor sportsmanship. You can't preach spirit of the game and forget it when the fight doesn't go your way. 👎#RavindraJadeja #Jadeja 🇮🇳🇮🇳 #INDvsENGTest #Sundar — Sagar Lohatkar (@sagarlohatkar) July 27, 2025 Former India cricketer and JioHotstar expert Sanjay Manjrekar felt that Stokes was behaving like a 'spoilt kid'. 'I think that was the perfect summation of what happened — a draw that feels like a win. And yet again, this young Indian batting line-up continues to surprise. You expected KL Rahul and Shubman Gill to be the partnership to watch out for, but that stand was broken early in the day. However, India keeps producing warriors every Test match — this time, it was Washington Sundar who stood tall,' Manjrekar said after the final day's play. 'Fantastic batting once again. In the end, what we saw was frustration from a team that is used to dominating at home. It's rare to see England settle for a draw twice in the Bazball era. Remember, this is the first time Ben Stokes abandoned his principle of batting first after winning the toss — and it happened against India. This draw, without any weather intervention, came against India. That says a lot. India has forced Stokes to rethink his approach and leadership style. What we saw towards the end was a captain frustrated, unaccustomed to such results, and having to fight so hard to secure a favorable outcome. He thought the win was sealed, and finally, I must say, he behaved like a bit of a spoilt kid. 'After hours of watching Jadeja and Washington bat for hours, both nearing centuries, there was no way India would have accepted his declaration offer. Ben Stokes will regret that moment — and that frustration only tells you how much this new-age Indian batting line-up has unsettled England throughout the series,' the former India batter added. No personal milestones before team's goal for Ben Stokes: Jonathan Trott Manjrekar's English counterpart Jonathan Trott also chipped in on the 'handshake' controversy on the final day. Trott revealed that Stokes gesture was a common practice in England in Test cricket. 'I am not sure if it was necessary, but the common practice — certainly here in England — is that if you're offered the opportunity to finish the game early, it's usually more about the game situation than personal milestones. From Ben Stokes' perspective, no personal milestone comes ahead of the team's goal. In this case, India's goal was to secure a draw, and they achieved that,' JioHotstar expert Jonathan Trott said. 'So for England, the expectation was that India would shake hands and walk off with 80 not out — that would normally suffice. But I can also understand the other side. For someone like Washington Sundar, who has batted so well, giving up the chance to score a debut hundred is not easy. You never know when another opportunity will come. So, I understand both viewpoints. England are probably a little frustrated but that's natural. What this does, though, is set things up nicely for the next Test. It's going to be spicy, and I'm looking forward to it,' he added. 'England bowlers performance is very worrying' Even after leading Team India by 311 runs in the first innings, England bowlers failed to bowl out Shubman Gill's side in the Manchester Test. English bowlers got the perfect start with two wickets in the very first over of the Indian innings but only picked up two more wickets for better part of two days. 'England tried everything, didn't they? They can't say they didn't give their best. But for me, the concern lies in the quality — and as an England fan and former player, with the Ashes coming up and this series on the line, it's worrying. England bowled 142 overs and managed just two wickets on a Day 4 and 5 pitch where the ball was keeping low. Both wickets came in the first over. That's slightly concerning because they had two bites at the new ball when India were under pressure, yet couldn't capitalize. 'Looking at India, though, we've discovered another strong left-handed batter and a quality all-rounder in Washington Sundar — just 25-26 (years old). He can excel in both disciplines and looks like the heir apparent to Ravindra Jadeja whenever he decides to hang up his boots. Sundar has batted magnificently, and he seems capable of playing for a long time. This makes India's selection tricky going forward, but it certainly makes the team a lot stronger,' Trott said.
Mint
20 minutes ago
- Mint
Ashwin calls out Englands 'double standard'; cricket fraternity back India
New Delhi, Jul 28 (PTI) Feisty R Ashwin called out England's "doubles standards" in their attempt to prematurely end the fourth Test as cricket fraternity extensively supported India's decision to let Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar complete their well-deserved centuries instead of accepting home team's handshake offer. Drama erupted at the start of the final hour of the match on Sunday when home skipper Ben Stokes offered to shake hands with Indian batters, realising that an outright result was not possible. Jadeja and Washington batting on 89 and 80 respectively refused the offer to leave the England captain frustrated. Stokes later said that he made the offer since he didn't want to risk injury to his fatigued frontline bowlers. "Have you heard the term double standards? They played your bowlers all day, batted you out and suddenly when they're nearing hundreds, you want to walk off? Why should they?," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. "They have played all your bowlers since morning and taken it to a draw. They have worked hard, so you want them to leave their hundred?" the former off-spinner fumed. India eventually called it a draw once both Jadeja and Washington brought up their centuries. It was Washington's maiden Test ton. Both Ashwin and legendary Sunil Gavaskar said they would have had India bat mandated 15 overs. "If I was the Indian captain, I would have played the entire 15 overs," Ashwin said. Gavaskar echoed the same sentiment on Sony Sports: "I'd ask them to keep batting and keep the team on the field for the full 15 overs." As England players crowded Jadeja, Stokes had sarcastically quipped "You're going to get a Test hundred against Harry Brook (part-time bowler)?" "You ask, 'You want to make a hundred against Harry Brook? He has to make a hundred, you bring Steve Harmison, Andre Flintoff bring any bowler - they didn't object, it was your call to bring Brook, not ours," Ashwin said. "These are Test runs, a century is earned, not gifted, Washington deserved it, Jadeja deserved it. Period." Ashwin said India were well within their rights to refuse to call it a draw with the two batters going for their milestone. "There were two reasons: one you didn't want to tire your bowlers. Fine. Second you were frustrated and though 'If I'm not happy, you shouldn't be either'. That's now how cricket works." Former Australia keeper-batter Brad Haddin called out England for their poor sportsmanship. "India showed tremendous fight on the final day. Then all of a sudden, it was a situation when England said they can't win so then let's stop the game because England are done playing," Haddin said on the 'WillowTalkPodcast'. "I liked what India did, they earned the right to stay as long as they want. They had the right to make the hundred. Just because it didn't go England's way and they didn't get the answer that they want, all of sudden they (England) weren't happy and started getting verbal. "So things don't go England's way all of sudden it's everyone else's problem. Well done to India," Haddin said. Former England captain Alastair Cook too backed India's decision, suggesting the momentum would serve them well heading into the fifth and final Test at The Oval, which they need to win to level the series. "It was the right decision for (Jadeja and Washington) to carry on for the momentum they'll gain from it," Cook said on BBC's 'Test Match Special'. "When you've been out in the field for 140 overs, you get frustrated. So, it is a little bit of frustration for England but I understand why India did it," he added. Nasser Hussain, another former skipper, agreed termed Stokes' decision to bowl Harry Brook after the handshake as "silly". "I didn't have a problem with it. England seemed to have a problem with it. They were a bit tired, tired bowlers so they wanted to get off but two lads worked hard to get to 80s and 90s and they wanted to get Test match hundreds," Hussain said on 'Sky Sports'. "Stokes didn't have to bowl Brook and look silly at the end. We make far too much of these things. They played well and all credit to India," Hussain said.
