Related Posts

IPL 2025: Jaffer wants better ‘strike rotation and shot selection’ from Pant

New Delhi, April 15 (IANS) Former India opener Wasim Jaffer believes that Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper Rishabh Pant still has to work on rotating strike and his shot selection after the wicketkeeper-batter scored a 49-ball 63 against Chennai Super Kings in Lucknow.

Pant, who was struggling with runs in previous matches, started briskly with 27 runs off his first 16 balls and slowed down considerably after that and was on 38 off 38 at one point before being dismissed by CSK pacer Matheesha Pathirana for 63 off 49 in the final over of LSG innings.

“I don’t know whether he looks to do that (rotate strike). Kohli is a master at that. He gets off strike so nicely as he can play all around. But Pant sometimes does get stuck, and that’s the issue. Then he goes for that big shot. I just feel he needs to get better at rotating strike as well,” said Jaffer on ESPNcricinfo TimeOut.

He added that Pant should focus more on targeting the straight boundaries, whether facing spinners or fast bowlers. “I feel he never looks to hit straight. He always looks to go towards the leg side, towards the square leg, cow corner. He hit one straight six right towards the end (against CSK). Otherwise, at the start of the innings, he was always looking to go towards the leg side or play that reverse scoop that he played, but that was the only thing.

“A lot of the time, the teams stack up the fielders in that area as well. So I think he needs to access down the ground a lot more.”

Former India Test batter Abhinav Mukund echoed the sentiment, pointing out Pant’s lack of flexibility against certain field settings. “It felt like that cover area was closed today for business for him and that’s a bit concerning. I still feel Pant has so much to offer when he is moving around. I like him when he’s proactive, accessing over cover, accessing straight. Today, he didn’t seem to find that gear.”

–IANS

hs/

Asian Boxing U15 & U17 C’ships 2026: Indian U-17 girls enter 8 finals, 4 boxers win bronze medals in Tashkent

Tashkent, May 11 (IANS) India’s U-17 girls continued their strong run at the Asian Boxing U17 Championships 2026, with eight boxers advancing to the finals and four boxers finishing with bronze medals after the semifinals in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Rakhi (46kg) led the charge with a commanding RSC win in the third round against Yating Zhang of China (CHN). In 48kg, Khushi Chand secured a dominant 5:0 victory over Mungunzul Altamgadasa of Mongolia (MGL).

In the 52kg category, Mamta Murlidhar Raut went down 0:5 against Yaxin Qiu of China (CHN), while Laxmi Manjunath Lamani (54kg) lost 1:4 to Kumriniso Muhammadova of Uzbekistan (UZB).

Navya (57kg) advanced to the final with an RSC win in the second round against Dagiimaa Chuluutumur of Mongolia (MGL). In the 60kg, Ishika lost a closely contested 2:3 bout to Balym Gabitkyzy of Kazakhstan (KAZ). Diya (63kg) secured a dominant first-round RSC victory over Jia-En Song of Chinese Taipei (TPE).

In the 66kg category, Harnoor Kaur went down 0:5 against Ayaulym Ospanova of Kazakhstan (KAZ).Himanshi (70kg) won by RSC in the first round against Jude Habi of Jordan (JOR).In 75kg, Jyoti progressed with an RSC win in the first round against Cheng-Hui Zou of Chinese Taipei (TPE). Vanshika (80kg) registered a solid 4:1 victory over Feruzabonu Kamolova of Uzbekistan (UZB).

In the 80+kg category, Gurseerat Kaur sealed her place in the final with a first-round RSC win against Xin-Ying Huang of Chinese Taipei (TPE).

With eight finalists confirmed and four bronze medals secured, the Indian U-17 girls’ team will now aim to convert their strong performances into gold medals in the finals.

India’s U-15 boys delivered a solid performance in the semifinals at the Asian Boxing U15 Championships 2026, with six boxers advancing to the finals and seven boxers finishing with bronze medals in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

In the 33kg category, Yash Kumar registered a dominant 5:0 victory over Kiyan Iqbal of the UAE to advance to the final. Sastha Vasanth Ashok Kumar (37kg) secured a strong win by referee contest in the second round against Aziretali Sanzharbekov of Kyrgyzstan (KGZ).

–IANS

hs/bsk/

5th T20I: Chakaravarthy, Bumrah star as India beat SA by 30 runs, clinch series 3-1

Ahmedabad, Dec 19 (IANS) Riding on Varun Chakaravarthy’s four-for and Jasprit Bumrah’s match-winning spell, India sealed the five-match T20I series 3-1 with a 30-run win over South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday.

Chasing 232, South Africa looked well placed to reach the target after being at 118/1 at the halfway mark, with Quinton de Kock and Dewald Brevis in full flow. But the introduction of Bumrah in the 11th over turned the contest on its head as he dismissed de Kock for 63 by taking a sharp return catch.

From 120/1, South Africa slipped to 135/5, as Chakaravarthy tightened the screws with his variations to finish with 4-53. Bumrah’s 2-17 stood out on a night when more than 400 runs were scored – his slower balls accounting for de Kock and Marco Jansen.

It meant South Africa eventually ended up at 201/8, handing India a comfortable victory. The result marked India’s eighth consecutive T20I series win, a streak starting from to December 2023.

South Africa’s chase began in explosive fashion as de Kock tore into Arshdeep Singh with a hat-trick of boundaries in the opening over, before adding a six and more fours off him to keep the asking rate in check. Reeza Hendricks struggled at the other end but the pair still carried the score to 67/0 at the end of the powerplay, with de Kock racing to 47 off 26 balls.

The breakthrough came in the seventh over when Hendricks chipped off Chakravarthy to midwicket, where Shivam Dube took a one-handed brilliant catch. De Kock pressed on to reach his 18th T20I fifty, adding momentum alongside Brevis in a 51-run stand as South Africa surged to 118 for one after 10 overs.

But Bumrah’s return changed the contest direction, as he dismissed de Kock with a sharp return catch. Pandya then removed Brevis with a slower bouncer, and Chakaravarthy struck to dismiss Aiden Markram lbw, before castling Donovan Ferreira.

David Miller’s dismissal to Arshdeep and George Linde being castled by Chakaravarthy left South Africa reeling at 163/7. Marco Jansen briefly threatened with back-to-back sixes off Chakaravarthy, but Bumrah’s off-cutter accounted for him in the 17th over, effectively sealing the match in India’s favour and continue the hosts perfect build-up in their quest to retain the T20 World Cup trophy next year at home.

Brief Scores: India 231/5 (Tilak Varma 73, Hardik Pandya 63; Corbin Bosch 2-44, Ottniel Baartman 1-28) beat South Africa 201/8 (Quinton de Kock 65, Dewald Brevis 31; Varun Chakaravarthy 4-53, Jasprit Bumrah 2-17) by 30 runs

–IANS

nr/