All posts tagged: india cricket

Ashwin backs Rajat Patidar for India comeback: ‘Right up there’

Ashwin backs Rajat Patidar for India comeback: ‘Right up there’

Published by Webster

2 min readMay 27, 2026 01:08 PM IST Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes it is time for Rajat Patidar to return to the national setup after the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain’s exploits in the Qualifier 1 in Dharamsala on Tuesday. Patidar once again rose to the occasion in a big game, smashing 93 off just 33 balls against Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 to power RCB to a massive 254/4 and a place in the IPL final.Speaking on his YouTube channel after the match, Ashwin said Patidar’s performances could no longer be ignored. “There must be a discussion. If it doesn’t happen, then something is wrong. Rajat Patidar played an important knock, but this is not the first time; he has a great record in Qualifiers,” Ashwin said. ALSO READ | With calm mind and without frills, Patidar has become man for big occasions Ashwin admitted the competition for places in India’s batting line-up remains intense, but felt Patidar had now pushed himself firmly into contention with his performances and leadership this season. …

Suryakumar should remain T20I captain, says ex-selector

Suryakumar should remain T20I captain, says ex-selector

Published by Webster

3 min readMay 25, 2026 12:47 PM IST Suryakumar Yadav has endured a prolonged run of poor T20I form over the last two years, with his aggregates also plummeting in the IPL 2026 season. While he finished his season with a half-century against the Rajasthan Royals in Mumbai on Sunday, Suryakumar only amassed 270 runs in 13 innings, averaging 20.76 this season. Even as he powered India to their third T20 World Cup title as captain in March, Suryakumar the batter has copped intense scrutiny, with calls for his removal as skipper gaining pace through the IPL. However, former chief national selector MSK Prasad cautioned against a hasty decision in axing Suryakumar. Prasad backed the 35-year-old to rediscover his touch, while also hailing him as the most versatile T20I batter India has produced. “In modern T20 cricket, matches are not won only through technique – they are won through intent, innovation, fearlessness, and the ability to change games within a few overs. That is exactly why Suryakumar Yadav remains one of the most valuable players …

Michael Clarke compares Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hype to Sachin Tendulkar: ‘Haven’t seen this before’

Michael Clarke compares Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hype to Sachin Tendulkar: ‘Haven’t seen this before’

Published by Webster

3 min readMay 7, 2026 01:59 PM IST “Well, I haven’t seen this before. I haven’t seen a 15-year-old doing this.” Former Australia captain Michael Clarke perhaps summed up the disbelief around Vaibhav Sooryavanshi better than most after the teenager’s extraordinary rise in IPL 2026. Speaking on Beyond23 Cricket Podcast, Clarke compared the scale of the hype around the 15-year-old to the early days of Sachin Tendulkar, while also cautioning against rushing expectations around the youngster’s future in Test cricket. “You know, I think back, and again, you can’t compare. Two very different players. But I remember Sachin Tendulkar coming to Australia as a 17-year-old and, mate, that hype was real. I think he was 16. Was 16. And that hype was earned. That legacy is there for everyone to see,” the 45-year-old said. Sooryavanshi has become one of the biggest talking points of the IPL season, with his fearless strokeplay and composure drawing attention far beyond India. He has made 404 runs in 10 matches for RR in IPL 2026 at a strike rate …

Former India opener backs LSG star for India comeback with successful IPL season

Former India opener backs LSG star for India comeback with successful IPL season

Published by Webster

2 min readApr 7, 2026 10:21 PM IST Former India opener Aakash Chopra has questioned when veteran pacer Mohammad Shami will begin to get due credits for his performances. The 36-year-old Shami turned back the clock with the Lucknow Super Giants in his previous outing, producing a sensational spell of 2 for 9 in four overs, comprising 18 dot balls and the prized scalps of SunRisers Hyderabad openers Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head. Having been out of the national set-up since the 2025 Champions Trophy, Shami turned up consistently for Bengal in the 2025-26 domestic season and led the attack across formats. After his latest exploits, Chopra raised the question as to how and when will Shami begin to find his way back into the national radar. “Are we giving Mohammad Shami enough credit, and when will we actually give him credit? It’s a big question. Why are we not celebrating him? I am the same person who was saying that the selectors have to choose, and if they are not selecting, they might have …

A performance I have been waiting for: Nitish Kumar Reddy

A performance I have been waiting for: Nitish Kumar Reddy

Published by Webster

4 min readApr 3, 2026 12:15 AM IST Breaking into a relieved smile, Nitish Kumar said, often stealing glances at his man of the match cheque: “It’s just the match-winning performance I’ve been waiting for a long time.” Nitish rattled out an unbeaten 39 off 24 balls and nabbed a pair of wickets in a two-over burst. “Thankfully, I have delivered at the right time,” he added. Just the second game of the season, his spot was not under any scrutiny. But the India all-rounder’s performances in the league has been schizophrenic. Impactful knocks came few and far between; match-defining spells came at a premium. Those games when both facets synchronised were rarer. Last season, he mustered only 182 runs and two wickets (bizarrely under-bowled). Negative thoughts crept into his mind. “Too many negative thoughts in my mind because the last season was not gone in my way and too many injuries. This season I’m trying to be positive because,” he told the broadcasters. In only two games, he has already matched his wickets tally …

Gautam Gambhir named top sportsperson at No. 74 in IE 100 list of most powerful people in India in 2026; Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah included

Gautam Gambhir named top sportsperson at No. 74 in IE 100 list of most powerful people in India in 2026; Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah included

Published by Webster

2 min readUpdated: Mar 29, 2026 12:23 PM IST India head coach Gautam Gambhir emerged as the top sportsperson in the IE 100 list of the most powerful people in India in 2026. The former India opener dethroned Rohit Sharma from last year as the top Indian sportsperson on the charts, following a triumphant run in white-ball formats with the national side. Gambhir was listed at No. 74, while Rohit, who was named at No. 48 in 2025, missed the top 100 this year. Former India captain Virat Kohli, who was at No. 72 in 2025, was named at No. 75 behind Gambhir in the IE 100 list. India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is the only other athlete in the charts, positioned at No. 82 after his exploits in the recent T20 World Cup for India. IE100: Check out full list of most powerful Indians in 2026 Gambhir, who took over as India’s head coach in July 2024, led India to the Champions Trophy title in early 2025. Under Gambhir, India have emerged as a …

As Sanju Samson begins a new IPL chapter as CSK’s opener after World Cup success, a breakdown of numbers that capture a paradox

As Sanju Samson begins a new IPL chapter as CSK’s opener after World Cup success, a breakdown of numbers that capture a paradox

Published by Webster

5 min readMar 27, 2026 06:22 PM IST Systemic backing has long eluded Sanju Samson. A record-breaking knockout blast during India’s T20 World Cup could make amends in that regard, but few Indian careers capture a paradox like Samson’s T20I-IPL duality. For all the missed opportunities this decade – where Samson could have had a rightful shot at nearly every Indian T20I squad – he had deftly built a transformation from number three in the IPL since 2020. His biceps firming up to complement his finesse, Samson stands as the most successful number three in the IPL in the last six years. Yet, it was a position he was least favoured for in the India blues. For his best number in the IPL, Samson has featured in just five T20Is out of 62 at number three for India, and never in consecutive games. Since 2020, Samson (1952 in 60 innings) is well clear of the next-best No. 3, his India captain Suryakumar Yadav (1407 in 46). Curiously, Samson’s record-breaking blast as an opener en route …

“I still feel pressure meeting Dhoni” — Reveals Why Rinku Singh calls him ‘Jaani’ and speaks about Afghan fan suicides after Pakistan loss

“I still feel pressure meeting Dhoni” — Reveals Why Rinku Singh calls him ‘Jaani’ and speaks about Afghan fan suicides after Pakistan loss

Published by Webster

4 min readMar 23, 2026 07:59 PM IST Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz says MS Dhoni is the reason he became a cricketer — and that he still gets nervous when he meets the Chennai Super Kings legend. Gurbaz also spoke about the human cost of Afghanistan’s 2022 Asia Cup defeat to Pakistan, saying fans took their own lives after the loss. “My idol since childhood has been MS Dhoni,” he said in an interview with Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube channel. “I started cricket because of Dhoni. I became a wicketkeeper because of Dhoni.” Even after years of playing alongside the world’s best, Gurbaz said Dhoni still has a unique effect on him. “With every player in the world I have met, I feel nothing. But when I am talking to MS Dhoni — I still feel pressure. He is a very good person. Every time, he calls me himself: come, let’s talk.” His dream, he added, is to one day play for Chennai Super Kings. “Always my dream team — only because of him. I started …

Why pre-season practice with Yuvraj Singh could be the ‘Midas touch’ for Rishabh Pant

Why pre-season practice with Yuvraj Singh could be the ‘Midas touch’ for Rishabh Pant

Published by Webster

2 min readUpdated: Mar 23, 2026 12:14 AM IST In a bid to make up for lost time and opportunities in white-ball cricket, Rishabh Pant has seemingly undergone a rapid transformation in his physique and cricket over the last few months. Pant, who has been overlooked from India’s T20I squad over the last two years and demoted to the back-up wicket-keeper in ODI cricket, is gearing up for a pivotal IPL 2026 season with the Lucknow Super Giants. The LSG captain was signed at Rs 27.50 crore last year, but his season ended with middling figures, compounded by the captaincy tag that had appeared to bog him down. Before arriving in Chennai — where Lucknow have set up their pre-season base at former India bowling coach Bharat Arun’s academy, Coaching Beyond — Pant spent five days in Mumbai working with Yuvraj Singh, the Indian Express had reported last week. The sessions with Yuvraj, who has played a key role in the development of Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma, were focused on the basics: retaining shape, …

Arjun Tendulkar and Rishabh Pant discuss Sachin’s bat weights in IPL camp

Arjun Tendulkar and Rishabh Pant discuss Sachin’s bat weights in IPL camp

Published by Webster

2 min readMar 19, 2026 05:16 PM IST While his stronger suit remains his left-arm pace bowling, Arjun Tendulkar’s commitment to batting cannot be questioned. Like his legendary father, Sachin Tendulkar, Arjun prefers heavier willows as he revealed in a chat with his new IPL captain, Rishabh Pant, during Lucknow Super Giants’ preparatory camp. In a video shared by the franchise on social media, Pant is seen enquiring Arjun about his bat weights. Arjun replied that they weighed about 1220 grams, relatively heavier than the average bat used by professionals. The 26-year-old also touched upon Sachin’s affinity towards exceptionally heavy willows. “1220. Touch karo hi jaata hai. Papa toh 1310-1315 se khelte the. 1200 se halka main jata nahi hoon(1220. It travels just if you touch. Dad used to play with 1310-1315. I do not go for anything below 1200),” Arjun said. Already loving this new Rishabh-Arjun bond 🥹❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/pa79YqebbU — Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) March 18, 2026 ‘Enthu bhai’ Pant also lauded Arjun for his commitment to the game, enquiring about his practice with …