Cricket

India's Test series triumph against England earlier this year was etched into the memories of cricket enthusiasts for its thrilling matches and memorable moments. One such moment was the witty remark by Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, who instructed his fielders to avoid "roaming around as if they're in a garden."This statement, captured by the stump microphone, went viral and amused fans. Recently, Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin, who was part of the Test series, shared his humorous take on Rohit's comment."Rohit said not to roam around in the garden, and he's right. These guys really walk as if they're in a garden," Ashwin said during a promotional event.Ashwin also highlighted the importance of keeping the ball dry for reverse swing, a technique he employs effectively. He expressed his frustration with fielders who would apply saliva or sweat to the ball, hindering his ability to generate reverse swing."If you put sweat on the ball, how can I bowl reverse swing?" Ashwin said. "That's how he reacts."Ashwin also had a hilarious take on the size of boundaries in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season."The boundary in Jaipur is huge. When I saw that, I told Dhruv Jurel, 'At least let it be somewhere.' Watching that, I felt at this stage of my career, I would need a bicycle to reach the boundary," Ashwin said."Then in the next stadium, I felt I could walk and the next I could run. In one, I felt if I spit my chewing gum, it will cross the boundary rope for a six," he added.Rajasthan Royals will face Delhi Capitals in their next IPL match on Tuesday at the Arun Jaitely Stadium.

After India's T20 World Cup squad announcement, captain Rohit Sharma engaged in a conversation with Rinku Singh, who was omitted from the 15-man roster. The encounter occurred at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, prior to the Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders match.Despite his exclusion, Rinku appeared cheerful during his chat with Sharma, who arrived at the stadium after a press conference with BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar. Former SunRisers Hyderabad coach Tom Moody commended Sharma's leadership and communication skills, highlighting his honesty and upfront approach with Rinku."That's great leadership right there. Making sure you're upfront and honest. It's easier to speak to someone when they're included in the squad, it's always hard to speak to someone who has been left out. That's why Rohit Sharma is so highly-regarded around the playing group. He is a very good leader. He's got those soft skills, which is so important around communication," Moody said.Agarkar acknowledged the difficulty in selecting the squad, particularly regarding Rinku's omission. "It's probably the toughest thing that we have had to discuss, frankly. I mean, he has done nothing wrong, nor a Shubman Gill, for that matter. You know, it's again, the combinations. We are not quite sure what conditions we'll get, so we wanted to try and have enough options," he explained.Agarkar emphasized that the decision was not a reflection of Rinku's abilities but rather a matter of selecting the best possible combination for the team. "It's just unfortunate. I don't think it's anything to do with Rinku Singh. It's not his fault that he has missed out. It's more the 15 that we felt gives (India the best chance). With two keepers who are both terrific batters, there is already an extra batter sitting out," he said.

Aakash Chopra Slams 'Fan-Armies' for Spreading Fake News About Rohit SharmaFormer India batter Aakash Chopra has vehemently condemned "fan-armies" for attributing a fabricated quote regarding India captain Rohit Sharma to him. In a viral post, a fan account falsely claimed that Chopra had advocated for Rohit's exclusion from the T20 World Cup squad. However, Chopra has vehemently denied making any such comments and has expressed outrage at the user for misquoting him."Aakash Chopra said Rohit Sharma shouldn't have selected for T20 World Cup. He's now even failing in powerplay," the post on X claimed.Chopra took to social media to express his fury at fan-armies for spreading fake news and questioned whether views and engagement were more important than morals."IPL is the best time to spread hate, fake news...and all sorts of rubbish. Fan-armies are there to lap it up always. I often wonder if views/engagement is more important than the morals," Chopra posted on X.Chopra's comments come amidst a time when fake news and misinformation are rampant on social media, particularly during major sporting events like the Indian Premier League (IPL). He has urged fans to be more discerning and to not blindly believe everything they read online.Meanwhile, Rohit will lead India's 15-man squad at the T20 World Cup, which also includes four traveling reserves. After skipping T20Is for over a year, Rohit made his return to the T20I side earlier this year during the series against Afghanistan.Speaking at a press conference earlier this week, Rohit opened up about his break from T20Is, saying that he wanted to focus on the longer formats."When T20 World Cup was happening, we missed a lot of T20Is. Test cricket is a format that you don't want to miss and give priority to. That's what we discussed with the players and the coaches too. Ajit came later. He doesn't know what was discussed. Whichever format happens, we give priority to that format. As 50 over World Cup was happening, we missed a lot of T20Is," Rohit said on missing T20Is after the T20 World Cup 2022.

Mumbai Indians' dismal IPL 2024 campaign continued on Friday as they suffered an eighth defeat, this time at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium. Chasing a modest target of 170, Mumbai's batting lineup crumbled, with the team eventually bowled out for 145 in 18.5 overs. The loss marked KKR's first victory at MI's home ground in 12 years.After the match, Mumbai spinner Piyush Chawla provided an update on former captain Rohit Sharma's fitness. Sharma, who was not included in the playing XI, came out to bat during the chase. Chawla revealed that Sharma had experienced some back stiffness, prompting the team to rest him during the fielding."Rohit Sharma just had a mild back-stiffness so it was a just precautionary thing," Chawla said in the post-match press conference.Reflecting on the defeat, Chawla acknowledged that it was an off day for the team. "If you talk about the wicket, it was good, but sticky at the start and credit goes to KKR bowlers, they bowled really well. Sometimes it happens that things are not going your way and the other team comes and bowls in really good areas. It was just one off day," he added.Chawla emphasized that Mumbai will continue to play with pride and reputation in the remaining matches of the tournament. "We are going to play for our pride and reputation because sometimes you enter the field you never know whether you are going to qualify or not. You have to play for your name and that's what we are playing for," he asserted.Chawla attributed Mumbai's struggles to a lack of momentum. "As a unit, I don't say it is just about batting or bowling, it's just the complete unit. You must have heard that T20 cricket is about momentum and just that we didn't get going into this season. It can happen to any team, it's not that happening to us," he stated.

Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly has expressed confidence in the Indian team's chances at the upcoming T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in the USA and West Indies from June 2 to 29.Assessing the 15-member Indian squad, Ganguly praised the team's depth and match-winning capabilities. "They are a very strong team. All the 15 were good enough to be selected," he said.Ganguly highlighted the presence of star players such as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, and Sanju Samson, emphasizing their ability to turn matches in India's favor. He also commended the inclusion of Shivam Dubey, a promising all-rounder.The former captain acknowledged the importance of spinners in the West Indies, where the pitches are typically slow and low. "They are playing in the West Indies, where the pitches will spin and will be slow and (will keep) low and big grounds. Spinners will be important," he said.Ganguly explained the decision to select an additional spinner over finisher Rinku Singh, stating that the team wanted to prioritize spin bowling. "They wanted to go with another spinner. He has not got a place, but it's just the beginning for Rinku."Regarding the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), Ganguly, who is the team director of Delhi Capitals, acknowledged the intense competition among teams for playoff berths. "Everybody is on the same boat," he said.

Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma, who had previously criticized the IPL's "impact player" rule, found himself benched in the match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as an impact substitute in an IPL 2024 game.Sharma had expressed his disapproval of the rule, stating that it would hinder all-rounders and that cricket is played by 11 players, not 12. He argued that the rule takes away from the game's cricketing aspect and prevents players like Shivam Dube and Washington Sundar from bowling.However, in the MI vs KKR match, Sharma was not included in the starting XI. Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya elected to bowl first, making one change to the playing XI by bringing in Naman Dhir for Mohammad Nabi.Pandya acknowledged the team's recent struggles but expressed optimism about playing well on their home ground. KKR captain Shreyas Iyer opted to field an unchanged side.Mumbai entered the game after three consecutive defeats, while KKR had won two and lost one in their last three matches. Despite KKR's recent success, Mumbai holds a dominant head-to-head record, having won 23 out of 32 matches.

India's quest for T20 World Cup glory continues as they prepare for the 2024 edition in the USA and West Indies. The Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel has named a 15-member squad, hoping to end India's decade-long ICC trophy drought.Rohit Sharma will lead the charge as captain, with Hardik Pandya as his deputy. The squad boasts a mix of experience and youth, with eight players from the 2022 T20 WC squad making the cut.Rohit Sharma, despite a slow start to 2023, has regained his form in IPL 2024, scoring 315 runs at a strike rate of 158.29. Hardik Pandya, on the other hand, has struggled with injuries and form, but remains a key all-rounder.Explosive opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has impressed since his T20I debut in 2023, amassing 502 runs at a strike rate of 161.93. Virat Kohli, India's all-time leading T20I run-scorer, has also regained his touch, scoring 500 runs in IPL 2024.Suryakumar Yadav, the world's No.1 T20I batter, is the backbone of India's batting lineup. He has smashed 466 T20I runs since IPL 2023 at a strike rate of 158.Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has made a strong comeback after a serious car crash, scoring 398 runs in IPL 2024. Sanju Samson, another wicketkeeper-batter, has also impressed with 385 runs in nine matches.Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj complete the squad.India will face stiff competition in the 2024 T20 World Cup, but they will be determined to bring home the trophy and end their ICC drought.

Gautam Gambhir Reveals the Batsman He Feared the Most in IPL: Rohit SharmaAhead of Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) IPL 2024 match against Mumbai Indians, former KKR captain Gautam Gambhir has opened up about the batsman who gave him the most sleepless nights during his time as skipper.In an interview with Star Sports, Gambhir revealed that Rohit Sharma was the only player he truly feared in the IPL. "In my entire IPL career as captain, only one player had given me sleepless nights, and that was Rohit Sharma. The only batsman I feared in IPL was Rohit Sharma. No Chris Gayle, no AB de Villiers, only Rohit Sharma because I knew that I had to have Plan A, Plan B and probably Plan C as well," said Gambhir.Gambhir explained that Sharma's ability to dominate any bowling attack made him a formidable opponent. "If Rohit is in, I don't think anyone can control him. I have never planned for any other batter in the IPL except Rohit Sharma."Gambhir's fear of Sharma was evident in his meticulous planning against the Mumbai Indians captain. "There have been times when I have seen the visuals and I would say 'fair enough, Plan A is fine'. But with Rohit Sharma, probably one night before (the match), I used to think if this doesn't work, I have to get the other plan; if Sunil (Narine) is going to bowl his four overs, who all are going to bowl the rest 16; and if I finish off Sunil (overs) early and Rohit is (still) there, he can hit 30 (runs) off one over as well."Gambhir's respect for Sharma is understandable given the latter's remarkable IPL record. Sharma has led Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles, the most by any captain in the tournament's history. He is also the all-time leading run-scorer in the IPL, with over 6,000 runs to his name.

India's T20 World Cup Strategy: Jadeja Advocates Kohli as Opener, Rohit at Number ThreeFormer Indian all-rounder Ajay Jadeja has proposed a tactical shift for Team India in the upcoming T20 World Cup in the Americas. Jadeja believes that captain Rohit Sharma should move down to the number three position, allowing Virat Kohli to open the innings.Jadeja argues that Kohli's consistency and ability to anchor the innings make him the ideal candidate for the opening slot. "If you have Virat in your side, you know consistency is the one thing you will get, so, might as well use him," he said. "He's best at the top and the powerplay allows him to settle in."By moving Rohit down to number three, Jadeja believes he will have more time to assess the game and make informed decisions as captain. "He gets a little cushion and gets to understand the game, he has so much going on, in his mind as a captain," Jadeja explained.Jadeja also defended the inclusion of Hardik Pandya in the squad, despite his recent struggles in the IPL. "He's a special player, a rare commodity you find in our country where somebody bowls seam-up and can make it to the side with his batting," Jadeja said.However, Jadeja acknowledged that Pandya's selection was not based on current form. "The selection has not been on form, there's no doubt about it," he said. "It depends on how you want to play. It's one of the things I look at this team and think they don't have many options."Jadeja emphasized that the team's strategy will ultimately depend on Rohit's vision. "It will all depend on what Rohit thinks," he said.