Latest news with #ODIWorldCup
Time of India
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
'Excited to open with Shafali Verma again': Smriti Mandhana confident as India eye strong start to England tour
Vice-captain expressed excitement about reuniting with Shafali Verma at the top of the order as India gear up for the five-match T20I series against England, starting Saturday. Backing the young opener's return to international cricket, Mandhana said Shafali's resurgence through domestic and WPL performances had been inspiring. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. 'She's had an amazing year. Once the setback had come, she went to domestic (cricket), scored bucket loads of runs, had an amazing WPL,' Mandhana said. 'Of course, no one had any doubt about her talent, the way she came into the Indian team and dominated. She is a world-class player and always will be. For her to go back and do what she did in the last one year was amazing to watch. She deserves this comeback and I'm really excited to open with her again. ' Poll How excited are you about Smriti Mandhana opening with Shafali Verma in the upcoming T20I series against England? Very Excited Somewhat Excited Neutral Not Excited India are coming off a 25-day preparation camp at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, aimed at fine-tuning both white-ball and red-ball skills for this crucial stretch of the calendar, which includes the home ODI World Cup later this year. Who'll Make it to the Playing XI for 2nd Test? | India's Nets Session in Birmingham 'It's been a good 25 days of prep. We had batters and bowlers' camp at NCA and that was also very targeted and specific keeping in mind this tour and the World Cup,' Mandhana noted during the pre-match press conference. With skipper unwell, Mandhana addressed the media but confirmed the captain is likely to be available for the opening game. Having reached England early and trained for over a week, Mandhana said the team had valuable time to adapt to conditions. 'A few good practice matches… especially for a lot of girls, it's their first England tour. So it was important to come early.' Mandhana also highlighted how the T20Is will help build towards the 2025 T20 World Cup, also scheduled in England. 'Five T20s in the same conditions just a year before the World Cup is perfect prep. It will be important to understand what suits each player's game here.'
Hindustan Times
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Eng v Ind: Eyes on T20 World Cup 2026 prep
New Delhi: With the ICC Women's T20 World Cup less than a year away and set to be hosted in England, the five-match T20I series between England and India that begins on June 28 at Trent Bridge, arrives at a pivotal moment for both teams. The series offers a vital chance to test combinations, adapt to conditions and build momentum heading into a high-stakes year. Smriti Mandhana (right) and Harleen Deol . (@BCCIWomen) For India, it marks the beginning of their 2025 T20I calendar. The team hasn't played a T20I since their home win over West Indies in December and 2024 overall proved a rollercoaster. Despite bilateral success, it was marked by a heartbreaking Asia Cup final loss and an early exit from the T20 World Cup. However, many players levelled up during the Women's Premier League (WPL) and that recent form could prove crucial. Among the most anticipated returns is that of Shafali Verma who's likely to reclaim her spot at the top of the order after a strong domestic run and impressive WPL campaign for Delhi Capitals, having scored 304 runs in 9 matches. With the ODI World Cup also looming in September, this series could be a springboard for her selection into both formats despite the competition that exists in the 50-over format. India's squad will also see new faces in left-arm spinner N Shree Charani and seam all-rounder Kranti Goud. Pacer Sayali Satghare, seam all-rounder Amanjot Kaura have also been recalled. Offspinner Sneh Rana also earned a recall thanks to her consistent WPL performances. She also impressed with 1/47 and 2/28 in the warm-up matches against ECB Women XI at Beckenham. However, the absence of seasoned pacers Renuka Singh and Pooja Vastrakar leaves the pace unit thin on experience. The responsibility now shifts to Satghare and Amanjot, supported by Arundhati Reddy, to anchor India's seam attack. On the batting front, the top five remains settled and formidable. Smriti Mandhana, Shafali, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh provide a great balance of both stability and firepower. They will, however, be hoping for their all-rounders to step up with the bat as well. It will also be interesting to see whether the returning Harleen Deol and Yastika Bhatia also slot right back in. England, meanwhile, are already deep in preparation mode for the home World Cup. Under the new leadership duo of Nat Sciver-Brunt and coach Charlotte Edwards, they made a dominant statement earlier this month by sweeping both white-ball series against the West Indies 3-0. But Edwards has her sights firmly set on India, acknowledging that there lies a tougher challenge ahead. 'We absolutely know that, in a couple of weeks' time at Trent Bridge, that's going to be tough. They're one of the best teams in the world, they've got some of the best players, so we're going to have to be right on it when we get to the 28th of June. But we've taken a lot of confidence from this and that's the most important thing. We can only play what's in front of us and we'll look to do that again when we play against India,' she had said after the West Indies series win. The hosts welcome back world No. 1 T20I bowler Sophie Ecclestone, who rejoins the squad after a short break and missing the West Indies series. However, they'll be without former captain Heather Knight who is ruled out with a hamstring injury sustained during the West Indies series. She was England's leading run-scorer with 109 runs in 2 innings. Lauren Bell, meanwhile, was the leading wicket-taker with 7 wickets in 3 innings.
India.com
21 hours ago
- Sport
- India.com
Pat Cummins Breaks Richie Benaud's Long-Standing 63-Year-Old Record As Test Captain During WI vs AUS 1st Test
Australia skipper Pat Cummins has made history by surpassing Richie Benaud's long-standing record for the most Test wickets by an Australian captain. During the first Test against the West Indies, Cummins dismissed Keacy Carty on Day 1, leveling Benaud's tally of 138 wickets, before overtaking it with the wicket of Brandon King on Day 2, despite controversy surrounding the decision. Most wickets for the Australia Test captain: 1 - Pat Cummins: 139 wickets 2 - Richie Benaud: 138 wickets 3 - Bob Simpson: 41 wickets 4 - Ian Johnson: 39 wickets 5 - Monty Noble: 31 wickets Pat Cummins As Skipper Cummins has led Australia by example in the last few years with two ICC titles under his belt. Apart from the ODI World Cup and the World Test Championship Match in 2023, Cummins has also been in charge of Australia's Ashes retention and the Border-Gavaskar series win at home. Why This Matters Benaud's record had stood since the early 1960s, cementing him as one of Australia's greatest all-round leaders. Now, Cummins has eclipsed this feat, underscoring both his leadership and bowling excellence across varied conditions and formats. What Comes Next Pat Cummins isn't just breaking records, he's rewriting captaincy standards for fast bowlers. With a growing haul, it'll be fascinating to see how far he can extend this tally, especially with Australia touring challenging venues like South Africa and India ahead. Meanwhile, Cummins is now the second-highest wicket-taking captain in Test cricket. He has 139 scalps to his name as skipper and is only behind Imran Khan, who had taken 187 wickets as captain.
News18
a day ago
- Sport
- News18
'I Was Just 10 When...': Sachin Tendulkar Reminisces India's 1983 World Cup Win
Last Updated: Sachin Tendulkar has reminisced about India's 1983 World Cup win, which inspired his cricket journey. Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar has reminisced about India's maiden ODI World Cup win in 1983, saying how he, as a 10-year-old, decided to pursue cricket as a dream, which went on to become his journey. Wednesday marks the 42nd anniversary of one of India's biggest cricketing triumphs on the world stage. It was on June 25, 1983, that Kapil Dev & Co. were crowned champions at the Lord's with an unbelievable win against the Windies. After winning the coveted title in 1975 and 1979, the Windies were ready to add a third World Cup trophy to their rich cabinet and flex their dominant muscles, before India stopped them from bagging a hat-trick. 'I was just 10 when India won the World Cup on this day in 1983. That moment sparked a dream and that dream became my journey. 🏆🇮🇳," Tendulkar tweeted on Wednesday afternoon. India had beaten the Windies during the group stage, but the pressure of a World Cup final took its toll as they could just muster a score of a paltry 183. Opener Kris Srikkanth emerged as his side's top scorer, making 38, with senior pro Mohinder Amarnath and the aggressive Sandeep Patil being the sole other cricketers to enter 20s. In the chase, Windies lost Gordon Greenidge to Balwinder Sandhu early, before Desmond Haynes and the great Viv Richards added 45 runs for the second wicket. After Haynes was dismissed by Madan Lal, the Windies were soon reduced to 76/6 as India could smell blood. Wicketkeeper Jeff Dujon and Malcolm Marshall then added 43 runs for the seventh wicket, before the former was dismissed by Amarnath. Windies couldn't build any more partnerships and were bowled out for a paltry 140. India's pathbreaking win gave Kapil Dev a legacy-defining moment as his team inspired a generation of cricketers to take up cricket and to lift the World Cup for the nation, like Tendulkar. 28 years after Kapil Dev lifted the coveted trophy on the Lord's balcony, former India captain MS Dhoni finished off in style and unleashed countrywide celebrations with the 2011 World Cup victory. That win gave Tendulkar the much-coveted WC win, which he yearned for several years, playing six World Cups.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Rohit Sharma – ‘Cricket is not played thinking about what happened last time…when the toss happens, the (new) game starts'
It does not do to dwell on the past and forget to live, a famous wizard once said. On the cricket field, like in quidditch, the golden snitch has to be chased down every game, no matter how much past losses hurt. Rohit Sharma hurt like hell when Australia inflicted a home defeat in the ODI World Cup final on India at Ahmedabad. But he would return to win the T20 World Cup, on the way evicting Australia. Speaking on JioHotstar show 'Champions Waali Feeling Phir Se,' India's T20 World Cup winning skipper Rohit Sharma, recalled how he approached the Australia game in the Caribbean a year later, which now is a year ago. 'We knew that if we won this match, Australia would be out. That was a decent motivation for all of us. But cricket is not played thinking about what happened last time. Yes, you want to do well against them. But it is never going to be about the past,' Sharma said. Further explaining he said, 'That thing is in the back of the mind — they ruined our 19th November. Not just ours, but the whole country's. So, we should give them a good gift as well. Yes, in the dressing room all this keeps happening among us — between the boys. But when the toss happens, the game starts — then it is all about how you can do your best. When I am batting, I don't think — let's knock them out. It doesn't work like that. I have to focus on how I can play well against them. That was the only thought in my mind — how can I bat well and contribute.' This involved taking on the mighty Mitchell, from the house of Starc. Seeing him looking to contain had given Sharma confidence. 'My plan was to attack everyone. I've played against Mitchell Starc for so many years, so I had my own plans. The Australians are very smart. I felt Starc wasn't trying to get me out. When a bowler starts bowling wide and keeping the ball away, he's just looking to survive, to finish his over. For me, half the battle is won there. That knock was very special to me. Yes, hundreds are great, but some of the 60s or 70s, considering the match context and occasion, are bigger. It's the World Cup — it means a lot. So yes, I'd put that innings right up there,' he said. But Australia with their pedigree in World Cups remains a tough opponent. 'Australia knows how to win World Cups. Come the knockouts (and) finals, they really amp up their game. They know exactly what is needed — how to come together — because they've played so many finals. You have to give them credit. No team wins so many World Cups without having something special. I'm not just talking about players of the past — even the current players have that DNA. What the West Indies did in 1975–79, that era is long gone. But Australia? They're still like that. It's a legacy that's been passed down from generation to generation,' he said. Pakistan are no longer particularly formidable, but there's a tingle to those contests anyway. Sharma recalled the build-up to the India vs Pakistan clash. 'Before the India vs Pakistan match, we were told there was a threat — something was going on. So, two days before the game, we weren't allowed to step out of the hotel. The atmosphere started building from there. We were ordering food in, and the hotel was so packed you could barely walk. Fans, media — everyone was there. That's when you realise this isn't just another match — something special is about to happen,' he said of the American game. 'As soon as we got near the stadium, it already felt like a celebration — Indian fans, Pakistani fans, all dancing and enjoying themselves. I've played so many India–Pakistan games now — I've lost count — but that pre-match energy, that feeling… It's always something else. Nothing compares to it.' Rishabh Pant, the flavour of the season in Tests, had set alight that game too and specially in treacherous conditions. 'We just wanted Rishabh to be Rishabh — do all the things he does best, unsettle the bowlers, play freely. And he did that perfectly. His innings was around 42, and on that pitch, that's as good as scoring 70. It was a very challenging surface — something was always happening. The par score there was probably 130 or 140. We ended up with 119. Our plan wasn't to go for 200 — we were aiming for 140. But of course, we lost wickets along the way. And that's when Rishabh played that crucial knock of 40-plus, which really held things together. Eventually, we got 119 — and I actually felt it could still be a good score. Maybe 10–15 runs short, but I knew that if we got 2–3 early wickets with the new ball, that 119 would start to feel like 160,' Sharma told JioHotstar. On captaining Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh, Sharma said, 'With Bumrah, you've got to be proactive in how you use him. He's a wicket-taker, and at the same time, he's not going to leak runs. So, how do you balance that, especially when the opposition is chasing at a run-a-ball? Arshdeep has been phenomenal too. Over the last two years, there's a reason he's become India's highest wicket-taker in T20Is — he's a really smart bowler. So, with both of them, my focus was on how to use their remaining overs strategically. You think about which batters are coming in, how would they handle Arshdeep and Bumrah? On that pitch, it was tough for new batters to settle, so our goal was to force new guys to the crease. That was the plan.'
