Cricket

Deepti Sharma's exceptional bowling performances in the ongoing ODI series against New Zealand have propelled her to a career-high ranking in the ICC ODI bowling charts. The Indian all-rounder has surged to the No. 2 spot, surpassing Kate Cross and Megan Schutt, with a rating of 687 points.Sharma's impressive display in the first two ODIs has earned her three wickets and an economical bowling average of 3.42. Her consistent performances have significantly boosted her ranking, although she remains 83 points behind the top-ranked Sophie Ecclestone.On the T20I bowling table, Sharma maintains her position at No. 3, trailing only Ecclestone and Sadia Iqbal. The Indian star's all-round abilities are also evident in the allrounders' rankings, where she has climbed to No. 4.From the New Zealand side, Lea Tahuhu has made significant progress, moving up three places to No. 12. Amelia Kerr, despite being ruled out of the series due to injury, has gained one spot to No. 13. Sophie Devine has also made a notable jump, rising nine positions to equal 30th among bowlers.Devine's all-round performance in the second ODI, where she scored 79 runs and claimed three wickets, has also elevated her to No. 8 in the ODI batters' rankings. Other New Zealand batters who have improved their positions include Kerr (No. 11), Suzie Bates (joint No. 15), and Maddy Green (No. 18).For India, Jemimah Rodrigues has made a significant gain among the batters, moving up to No. 35 after her crucial contribution in the first ODI victory.The ongoing ODI series between India and New Zealand has witnessed several notable performances, with Deepti Sharma and Sophie Devine emerging as key players for their respective teams. The final match of the series promises to be an exciting contest, with both sides aiming to secure the series victory.

India's recent Test series defeat against New Zealand has sent shockwaves through the cricketing world. For the first time in 12 years, the Indian team has lost a Test series at home, succumbing to the Kiwis in the first two matches of the three-match series.Former India wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik has been critical of skipper Rohit Sharma's captaincy in the Pune Test, which India lost by seven wickets. Karthik believes that Sharma was not proactive enough as a captain and failed to match New Zealand's intensity and clarity."Not at his best. I thought he had a very tough Test match, he did all he could. I could see there was a lot of pressure on him, add to the fact, that he did not get many runs as well. So overall, it was not a great Test match. He will reflect and think, 'what could I have done better? Was I a reactive captain or a pro-active captain?'" Karthik said on Cricbuzz.Sharma's struggles with the bat have also been a concern. He has been among India's worst performers with the bat in the first two matches."There is a fine line, this Test match was one where he was chasing the ball a little bit. He tried his best with whatever he could, but you have to say it wasn't the best game for either him or Team India," Karthik added.After the two losses, Sharma took a rather lighthearted stance in the press conference, saying that the team is allowed such a performance after being on top for the last 12 years."We are allowed one such performance in 12 years. If we were collapsing like this on a regular basis then we would not have been winning at home. We have a lot of expectations. We are expected to win every game at our home, and it is because of our performances," he said.However, Karthik believes that Sharma needs to be more proactive as a captain and take more responsibility for the team's performance."He needs to be more proactive. He needs to be more clear in his communication. He needs to be more clear in his plans. He needs to be more clear in his execution. He needs to be more clear in his decision-making," Karthik said.

Former India coach Ravi Shastri has expressed his belief that Rohit Sharma will be deeply affected by India's Test series loss to New Zealand. This marks the first time India has lost a home Test series since 2012, with Rohit at the helm.Despite Rohit's post-match comments downplaying the defeat, Shastri believes that the Indian captain will be hurting. "Rohit Sharma is a proud man. He will not take it lightly. Let me assure you of that," Shastri said during commentary.Shastri emphasized that every player in the Indian dressing room will be eager to rectify the situation. "His body language might suggest that he's very relaxed. But deep down, he'll be hurting and hurting big. Not just with him but with every Indian player in that dressing room," Shastri added.Rohit's captaincy has been under scrutiny throughout the New Zealand series, particularly his decision to bat first after a day's washout in the first Test. His batting form has also been questioned, with the Indian captain managing only 62 runs in four innings.Despite the series defeat, which ended India's record-breaking run of 18 consecutive home Test series wins, Rohit downplayed its significance in the post-match press conference. "Just because we have lost a series, I don't think there is anything that we need to talk differently or do differently. But yeah, we need to find ways to come out of those situations," Rohit said."You don't need to overreact. But you need to have a quiet chat with certain individuals and let them know where they are at and what, as a team, we require from them," Rohit added.India will face New Zealand in the final Test of the series starting on Friday, November 1.

India's hopes of reaching the World Test Championship (WTC) final have taken a hit after their series defeat against New Zealand. With just six Tests remaining, India's lead over second-placed Australia has been reduced to a mere 0.32%.India's path to the final is now fraught with challenges. They must win the third Test against New Zealand and then secure at least three victories in the five-Test series against Australia Down Under. A 3-2 result in Australia would be ideal, but if they manage only two wins, they will need other teams to slip up.Australia, meanwhile, has the most Tests remaining among the contenders. They face a tough five-match series against India, followed by two Tests in Sri Lanka. The Aussies will be eager to avenge their recent defeats to India, but they must also be wary of Sri Lanka, who have a strong home record.Sri Lanka, currently ranked third, has four Tests remaining. They face a tricky two-Test series in South Africa, followed by two home Tests against Australia. The Islanders have a good chance of qualifying if they can win three of these four matches.New Zealand, who have moved up to fourth after their wins against India, have four Tests remaining as well. They face one more Test in India, followed by three home Tests against England. The Black Caps have a good record at home against England, but they will need to perform well in India to stay in contention.South Africa, ranked fifth, has five Tests remaining. They face a tough away Test against Bangladesh, followed by four home Tests against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The Proteas will need to win at least three of these matches to have a chance of qualifying.The race to the WTC final is heating up, with several teams still in contention. India's task has become more difficult, but they remain the favorites. Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and South Africa will all be looking to capitalize on any slip-ups by the leaders.

Team India's recent Test series defeat against New Zealand has sparked widespread criticism, with former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali joining the chorus of voices expressing concern. Ali highlighted the team's batting failures as the primary reason for their downfall, emphasizing their inability to handle both spin and pace bowling."India's batting got exposed," Ali said. "In the first match, the Kiwi pacers took 17 wickets. In the second Test, spinners took 19 wickets. India players were neither able to play pacers well nor spinners."Ali also pointed to the team's overconfidence as a contributing factor. "India might have thought they would beat the Kiwis easily," he said. "This means that the Indian management and players were overconfident."Ali expressed particular concern over the team's preparedness for the upcoming Australia tour, noting the absence of veteran pacer Mohammed Shami from the squad. "I am surprised why there is no Mohammed Shami in the squad for the Australia tour," he said. "You have put all the load on Bumrah. Without Shami, India might face problems in Australia."Ali's criticism echoes the sentiments of many experts who have questioned India's batting technique and mental approach. The team's inability to adapt to different bowling conditions and their tendency to collapse under pressure have been major concerns.As India prepares for the Australia tour, they will need to address these issues and find a way to improve their batting performance. The absence of Shami, one of their most experienced and reliable bowlers, is also a significant setback.The team's management and players will need to work together to find solutions and regain their winning ways. Otherwise, they risk further setbacks and a decline in their Test rankings.

India's remarkable home dominance in Test cricket has been shattered by New Zealand, who are on the verge of inflicting a series whitewash on the hosts. This would mark the first time in over two decades that India has suffered a clean sweep at home.Since their last home series loss to South Africa in 2000, India has maintained an unblemished record, winning 18 consecutive series and going unbeaten for 12 years. However, New Zealand's emphatic victories in the first two Tests have put India's proud home record in jeopardy.The last time India was whitewashed in a Test series, home or away, was also against New Zealand in 2020. Since the 2000 home clean sweep by South Africa, India has endured four more series whitewashes, all away from home.South Africa's 2000 Home Whitewash of IndiaIn February 2000, South Africa became the last team to whitewash India at home. Led by Hansie Cronje, the Proteas won the two-match series convincingly.In the first Test at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, India was bowled out for 225 despite Sachin Tendulkar's 97. South Africa responded with 176, giving India a slender 49-run lead. However, India's second innings collapsed to 113, setting South Africa a modest target of 163. The visitors chased down the target with four wickets in hand.In the second Test in Bengaluru, India was again dismissed for a low score of 158. South Africa then piled up 479, with five half-centuries. India's second innings was more competitive, with Mohammad Azharuddin scoring a century. However, South Africa's spinners proved too strong, and India was bowled out for 250, losing by an innings and 71 runs.New Zealand's Chance to Repeat HistoryNew Zealand has a golden opportunity to repeat South Africa's feat and become the first team to whitewash India at home since 2000. After winning the first two Tests by comfortable margins, the Black Caps need only a draw in the third and final Test to secure the series.If New Zealand can complete the whitewash, it will be a significant achievement and a testament to their growing dominance in Test cricket. For India, it will be a bitter pill to swallow, as they will lose their long-held home invincibility.

Virat Kohli's struggles in Test cricket continue to raise concerns, with the former Indian captain managing just 88 runs in four innings against New Zealand in the ongoing home series. The majority of his runs (70) came in a single innings, highlighting his ongoing difficulties in the red-ball format.Former teammate Dinesh Karthik has suggested that Kohli may need to return to domestic cricket to regain his form. "What he needs to do is probably go back to domestic cricket," Karthik said on a Cricbuzz show. "He is a man who is searching for answers."India's 113-run defeat in Pune confirmed New Zealand's historic maiden Test series victory in India. Kohli was dismissed by left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner in both innings for scores of 1 and 17.Karthik believes that left-arm spinners pose a significant threat to Kohli. "Virat Kohli has not had it easy," he said. "The series has not been good to him; (in) three out of four innings he has disappointed. It's obviously a recurring pattern where spinners have troubled him."Kohli's Test record against spin has been underwhelming in recent years. "Virat Kohli's Test record in the last 2-3 years has not been great against spin," Karthik said.The third and final Test of the series begins in Mumbai on November 1. Kohli will be hoping to end the series on a high and silence his critics.

India's Test dominance at home came to an abrupt end as New Zealand scripted history by defeating the hosts by 113 runs in the second Test in Pune, securing their first-ever series win on Indian soil. The loss marked India's first home Test series defeat since 2012, snapping an 18-series winning streak.Skipper Rohit Sharma, while acknowledging the disappointment, defended the performance of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who have been under scrutiny for their recent form. Rohit emphasized that the team's success or failure should not be solely attributed to two players."There's too much expectation on those two guys. Every game they play, they are expected to take wickets, run through the (opposition) team and win Test matches for us. I don't think that is fair. It's the responsibility of all of us to make sure that we get the Test wins, not just the two guys," Rohit said.He added that both Ashwin and Jadeja are allowed to have off days. "I'm not going to look into too much, especially with those two guys. They know exactly what happens and sometimes they are allowed to have some bad games here and there and not go by that expectation that 'okay, this is the opportunity for me to take wickets and run through the opposition'. That's not going to happen every time," he explained.In the Pune Test, Ashwin claimed five wickets and scored 22 runs, while Jadeja picked up three wickets and contributed 80 runs with the bat. However, their performances were overshadowed by New Zealand's impressive bowling attack, led by Mitchell Santner, who took 13 wickets in the match.India's batting also faltered, with only Yashasvi Jaiswal managing to score a half-century in the second innings. The hosts were bowled out for 245, handing New Zealand a comfortable victory.The series loss is a significant setback for India, who had been unbeaten in home Test series since 2012. It also raises questions about the team's ability to maintain their dominance in the longest format of the game.

Team India's recent Test series loss to New Zealand has sparked a wave of criticism, with former South Africa captain AB de Villiers weighing in on the matter. De Villiers believes that the perception of Indian players as exceptional spin players is outdated and that other teams have caught up.In the second Test, New Zealand's left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner exploited the Indian batters' weaknesses on a turning Pune track, taking 13 wickets in the match and handing India a 113-run defeat. This marked India's first Test series loss at home since 2012.De Villiers suggests that the belief in Indian players' spin prowess is a perception rather than a fact. He emphasizes that even the best batters can struggle against quality spin bowling on turning wickets. However, he also acknowledges the talent of Indian players, stating that they are "incredible players" who can play spin.De Villiers believes that India took a significant risk by preparing a turning track, which played into New Zealand's hands. He notes that New Zealand's bowlers, including part-timer Glenn Phillips, were able to exploit the conditions effectively."They lost the toss in the second Test. I think they took a big risk by really making sure that the wicket turns a lot from start to finish," said de Villiers. "With that, when you play against a street-smart team, guys like Glenn Phillips, no one thought of him as a spinner, but fiery spin right at the wickets quick, doesn't matter if you are a part-time spinner, you are in the match."De Villiers concludes that India's loss highlights the need for teams to adapt to different conditions and that the perception of Indian players as invincible spin players is no longer valid.