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NDTV
a day ago
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Shikhar Dhawan Used To "Smuggle" Girlfriend Into Room Shared With Rohit Sharma. Hitman Would Say...
Former India player Shikhar Dhawan is quite an honest and fearless personality. He is a man who lives life to the fullest. Be it on or off the field, Dhawan is always a charming figure. The ex-India opener has made a sensational revelation regarding his personal life dating back to 2006. Recalling his India A tour to Australia, Dhawan revealed how he made a girlfriend and later used to 'smuggle' her to a hotel room that he shared with Rohit Sharma during the tour. He also revealed the reaction of Rohit over the incident. Dhawan added that his relationship with the girl went viral in the team. "She was very beautiful, and suddenly I was in love again! I thought to myself, 'She is the one for me, and I am going to marry her,'" Dhawan wrote in his autobiography as quoted by Sportstar. "I started with a half-century in a practice game, and my tour was progressing well. After every game, I would go over to meet up with Ellen (not her real name) and I soon started smuggling her into my hotel room which I was sharing with Rohit Sharma. Now and then, he would complain in Hindi. 'Will you let me sleep?' "One evening, when I headed for dinner with Ellen, news of her presence spread like wildfire throughout the entire squad. A senior national selector, who was on tour with us, spotted us walking in the lobby with our hands linked. "It didn't even occur to me that I should let go of her hand, because to me, we were committing no crime. There was a good chance that if I had performed consistently on that Australia tour, I would have made it to the senior Indian side, but my performance kept dipping." Dhawan appeared in 34 Tests, 167 ODIs and 68 T20Is for India. His best came in the 50-over format in which he amassed 6793 runs at an average of 44.11. The southpaw smashed 17 hundreds and 39 fifties. In the Test format, Dhawan averaged 40.61 for his 2315 runs. He hit 7 tons and 5 half-centuries.
NDTV
2 days ago
- Sport
- NDTV
Ex-India Star Echoes Ravi Shastri's Virat Kohli Comment: "Missing Passion And Intensity"
Indian cricket team, under the leadership of new captain Shubman Gill, suffered a disappointing five-wicket defeat at the hands of England in the first Test in Leeds. The match, which seemed to be heading towards a draw, was turned on its head due to a poor batting effort from India's lower order. In the chase of 371 runs in the fourth innings, England reached home in the final session of the match. They did it quite comfortably as the Indian bowlers struggled for wickets. Former India player Ravi Shastri said that Virat Kohli was missed during the game. As England openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley batted through the first session on Day 5 to take England to 117 for 0, Shastri said, "India need someone to do a Kohli. Should be someone designated. Kohli could do it for 3 people. Get in the face." Another ex-India star, Madal Lal, too echoed Shastri's comment. "We were missing the passion and intensity Virat Kohli brought to the game. Ravi Shastri was right," wrote Madan Lal on X after India's loss to England. We were missing the passion and intensity Virat Kohli brought to the game. Ravi Shastri was right. — Madan Lal (@MadanLal1983) June 24, 2025 Notably, both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are not a part of India's ongoing five-match Test series against England as the two retired from the format in May this year. Shubman Gill has been appointed the Test captain of India, while Rishabh Pant is his deputy. Talking about the game, India's lower-order batting failed miserably as the side ended up losing the game by 5 wickets. During the first three days, only a draw or an Indian victory seemed possible but poor batting display saw India playing it on the hands of England. Ben Duckett scored 149 runs as the Three Lions chased down the target of 371 runs easily on the flat track in Leeds. Rishabh Pant scored centuries across both the innings, while Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Gill too hit a ton each. Jasprit Bumrah, with a five-wicket haul, was another player who shone for the visitors during the game.
India Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- India Today
Shubman Gill will only get better as Test captain: Chappell backs India skipper
Former Australia captain and ex-India head coach Greg Chappell has backed Shubman Gill to grow into the role of Test captain, saying the youngster showed promise in his debut match as skipper despite India's five-wicket loss to England in the Leeds who was leading India for the first time in Tests, scored a fluent 110 in the first innings, becoming only the third Indian to hit a century on Test captaincy debut and end up on the losing side, after Virat Kohli and Dilip Vengsarkar. His knock was among the five hundreds scored by Indian batters in the match, but England's fearless fourth-innings chase of 371 - their second highest against India—stole the head coach Gautam Gambhir backed captain Shubman Gill, defending his decision to under-bowl Shardul Thakur in the series opener against England. Critics have pointed out Gill's perceived passivity on the field, especially when compared to the commanding presence of his predecessors Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Questions have also been raised about his tactical decisions on the final day as England's top and middle order made merry on a flat Day 5 Chappell urged for patience and perspective, suggesting that the 24-year-old opener has the makings of a long-term leader."Shubman Gill had a great start as a captain and as a player even if they did not get the result," Chappell was quoted as saying by news agency PTI."It was a terrific Test match. Sadly, India didn't finish on the correct side of the ledger. There were a lot of good things for them."advertisementHe went on to highlight the learnings Gill and the Indian team management can take forward."Both Gill and the Indian think tank would have learned a lot on what to take forward. Gill will only get better and better. I think his start was pretty good. Had the team taken more catches and the tail wagged a bit, the results could have been very different."Indeed, dropped catches, particularly during England's fourth-innings push, proved costly. Ben Duckett led the charge with a blistering 149, while Joe Root (53*) and debutant Jamie Smith (44*) saw the visitors home with calm authority.- EndsYou May Also Like
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First Post
3 days ago
- Sport
- First Post
'Shots he played weren't in the MCC manual': Australian legend showers big praise on Rishabh Pant after twin tons
Former Australia captain praised Rishabh Pant's twin centuries against England at Headingley. Pant became the first wicketkeeper after Andy Flower to score centuries in both innings of a Test match. read more Rishabh Pant became the second wicketkeeper to score centuries in both innings of a Test match. Image: AFP Former Australia captain and ex-India head coach Greg Chappell has heaped massive praise on Rishabh Pant after the wicketkeeper-batter scored centuries in both innings of the first Test against England at Headingley. Pant smashed 134 off 178 balls in the first innings and followed it up with 118 off 140 in the second. Despite Pant's efforts , and centuries from three other batters, India lost the match by 5 wickets. Indian fielders and bowlers let the team down, while the lower-order failed to contribute runs yet again. India dominated the game for most periods, but England's fightback at every stage led to the loss. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Chappell's big praise for Rishabh Pant Chappell, speaking at a promotional event in Mumbai, said Pant reminded him of legendary Australian keeper-batter Adam Gilchrist but with his own special style. Chappell called Pant a player who is 'reinventing the game' with his fearless and unique batting style. 'When I first saw him, he reminded me of Adam Gilchrist…a different sort of player, of course, but…the difference it can make to a team when a wicketkeeper can bat at that level and to score runs quickly,' Chappell said. 'The beauty is Rishabh gets runs at a very fast rate which gives you time to win cricket matches. His was a phenomenal performance. Some of the shots he played weren't in the MCC playing manual,' he added. 'You never quite know what to expect from him from the first ball. At any stage he is likely to jump down the wicket to the fast bowlers or play the falling ramp shot. You never quite know what to expect. It keeps the opposition on their toes. He is a match winner (and he) very nearly made the difference in that game,' Chappell added. Chappell lauds Shubman Gill despite loss Chappell reckoned Shubman Gill had a good start as the Indian Test captain even though the result in the opening Test of the five-match series did not go his way. 'It was a terrific Test match. Sadly, India didn't finish on the correct side of the ledger. There were a lot of good things for them,' Chappell said. 'Shubman Gill had a great start as a captain and as a player even if they did not get the result. Conditions were probably better on the last day than they were at any other stage of the Test match." 'Both Gill and the Indian think tank would have learned a lot on what to take forward. Gill will only get better and better. I think his start was pretty good. Had the team taken more catches and the tail wagged a bit, the results could have been very different,' he continued. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD (With agency inputs)
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Yuvraj Singh's 'unforgiving' take after India surrender to England despite 5 centuries; Harbhajan demands urgent change
How India went from 430/3 in the first innings and 287/3 in the second to losing a Test match is beyond comprehension. This team had five individual centuries across innings – two from Rishabh Pant alone – scored almost 800 runs, and still lost the game. Unbelievable. While the first Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy more than lived up to the hype, with both teams fighting tooth and nail to lay down a brilliant advert for Test cricket, India would rue their abysmal fielding, including six-plus dropped catches, which led to a five-wicket drubbing. In short, India snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, and there isn't much they can do about it other than ponder over the same and think of ways to bounce back. Yuvraj Singh, left and Harbhajan Singh, right, reacted to India's loss under Shubman Gill, centre.(PTI/AP/Harbhajan insta) Given the nature of the defeat, there is no shortage of reactions, with some renowned former Indian cricketers leading the way. Most prominent was Yuvraj Singh, who reminded this young team led by Shubman Gill that the defeat may hurt but it isn't the end of the road, with four Test matches still to go. Yuvraj acknowledged the grind of Test cricket, praising both teams for keeping it going almost until the very end. Despite the loss, Yuvraj was impressed by what he saw of the Indian team, urging them to hit the ground running even harder. Also Read: Gill lacked Kohli-like aura. Shastri kept saying...: Nasser Hussain flags 'Jadeja' blunder as 'Hardik' talk returns "Test cricket at its finest - intense, challenging and unforgiving. Five days of a high-quality game and a result that could've gone either way! Our young team showed fight and belief, the kind that wins you games in the long run. Fell short, but far from done! The series is still alive," he posted on X. Harbhajan wants an immediate change in India's Playing XI Meanwhile, Yuvraj's former India and Punjab teammate Harbhajan Singh reckons India need to shake things up a little bit to stage a comeback. India has a good seven-day break before the 2nd Test begins at Edgbaston in Birmingham, but the ex-India spinner believes the team management needs to figure out a way to bring Kuldeep Yadav into the mix. With Ravindra Jadeja getting plenty of purchase from the rough and pacers pretty much proving ineffective, India probably felt the absence of a second spinner. Who Kuldeep replaces, though, makes for an interesting call, believes Harbhajan. Also Read: Gautam Gambhir's firm verdict on Jasprit Bumrah plan after Sunil Gavaskar's special plea amid glaring cracks in Leeds "The pressure is now on India because when you trail 0-1, you need to learn and move ahead. I feel Kuldeep Yadav should get a game in the next game. If he comes into the XI, India will have more wicket-taking options. Now who does he replace? Shardul Thakur? I had said that he needs to bowl more but he was brought into the attack when England needed some 100-120 runs. He deserves a proper opportunity. If you consider him a batter who can bowl a bit, that's incorrect. He's a bowler who can bat a bit," said Harbhajan on his YouTube channel. "This improvement must be made in the next Test. Otherwise, like I said, this is a tour of England at the end of the day. Many strong and big teams have failed to win here. If you play in a way that you get 450 runs in the first innings, and the lose, I feel it's an opportunity missed."
