Cricket

Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan is mourning the tragic loss of his hairstylist, Faiyaz Ansari, who drowned in a swimming pool during their T20 World Cup 2024 trip. Ansari, who was Pathan's personal hairstylist, was accompanying him in the Caribbean for his commentary engagements.The incident occurred ahead of the Super 8 match between India and Australia. Pathan took to social media to express his grief, posting a collage of pictures and videos featuring Ansari and himself. The caption read, "In the past six years, Faiyaz became family to us. My children would run to greet him whenever he came over. He loved me like an elder brother, and I loved him like a younger one. The pain of losing him is indescribable; I've never experienced anything like it. His ever-smiling face and his constant 'ji bhai' will stay with me forever. I miss you dearly my brother my shadow, Faiyaz."Ansari hailed from Nagina in Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, and had started his salon in Mumbai. According to reports, Ansari's cousin, Mohammad Ahmed, said that the news left his family devastated. Pathan is reportedly working on the formalities to get Ansari's body back to India.Meanwhile, former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly praised Rohit Sharma's leadership qualities for India's unbeaten run in the ongoing T20 World Cup. He urged the team to play with freedom in the final against South Africa to end their 11-year wait for an ICC trophy.India will face the Proteas in the title clash at Bridgetown, Barbados, aiming for their first global trophy since winning the Champions Trophy in 2013. Ganguly said, "I'm very happy for Rohit Sharma. Life comes full circle. Six months ago he was not even the captain of Mumbai Indians and the same man is now leading India to a World Cup final, unbeaten."

Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina's cousin, Saurabh Kumar, and his friend Shubham were tragically killed in a hit-and-run incident near Gaggal airport in Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday night. The incident occurred around 11:30 pm when the victims' scooter collided with a car driven by Sher Singh.According to the police, Singh fled the scene but was later arrested in Mandi with the help of CCTV footage. He has been charged under sections 279 (rash driving) and 304A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code, along with section 187 of the Motor Vehicles Act.The incident has sent shockwaves through the cricketing community and beyond. Raina, who is currently playing for the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL), expressed his grief and condolences on social media."My heart is broken. I have lost my cousin brother Saurabh Kumar and his friend Shubham in a tragic accident. They were like my own brothers. I can't believe they are gone," Raina tweeted.Raina's decision to withdraw from the IPL 2020 season in the UAE was also due to a family tragedy. He revealed that his relatives were killed in Punjab by a group of gangsters, and he needed to be with his family during this difficult time."There was bereavement in the family, I went to Punjab. In my uncle's family, there were deaths. The kaccha gang..who come with oil on their body. A group of gangsters killed the entire family, my grandmother was also there. It happened in Pathankot. So I went there. But there was a bio-bubble in the IPL, where you couldn't return. My father was very upset. When the Kachche gang did what they did, my entire family was in stress. I thought cricket came next, I could play anytime, first, my family was important," Raina said during an interaction on Lallantop.The cricketing fraternity has come together to offer their support to Raina and his family during this difficult time. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) expressed its condolences and said that it would provide all necessary assistance to Raina and his family.