All posts tagged: World Cup 2024

Hockey World Cup qualification sealed, finishing flaws continue to haunt India

Hockey World Cup qualification sealed, finishing flaws continue to haunt India

Published by Webster

5 min readMar 15, 2026 12:08 AM IST Now that qualification has been taken care of – at the last possible chance – the Indian women’s hockey team head coach Sjoerd Marijne would know there is one clear area of improvement urgently needed: scoring goals. With just over 150 days to go until the World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium, India need to figure out how to become clinical in the final third, as their profligacy cost them on Saturday in Hyderabad. Up against world No 6 England in the final of the World Cup Qualifiers, India paid the price for missed chances. At the same time, England struck from their Penalty Corner on the night through Grace Balsdon in the 13th minute and doubled their advantage, albeit controversially, in the 43rd minute through Elizabeth Neal to win 2-0. They took the top spot on the podium at the end of a perfect week for him with five wins in five matches. The full-time stats paint a picture of a fairly even match: India …

‘He hasn’t scored too many runs against big teams’

‘He hasn’t scored too many runs against big teams’

Published by Webster

2 min readMar 7, 2026 11:11 AM IST Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav, after playing a blistering knock on the opening night for India against the USA of 84 from 49 balls, has gone off the boil a bit. Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra pointed out the unfair criticism Surya has been receiving, but also pointed out the Indian skipper’s poor form against big teams. The Mumbaikar scored 242 runs from eight games in the tournament, and altough has not scored big runs has chipped in with crucial cameos at different stages of the tournament. “I think it’s slightly unfair at times. The opinions have become very sharp these days, and they start deep diving also. What goes in Surya’s favor is that he took India to a match-winning score from 77/6 in the first match. The 32-run knock against Pakistan came at a run-a-ball, but it was his best knock because that was required at that stage, or else India might not have been able to bat 20 overs,” Chopra responded to a question asked …

How Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav made India and T20 soulmates to trigger a grand transformation

How Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav made India and T20 soulmates to trigger a grand transformation

Published by Webster

5 min readUpdated: Feb 6, 2026 01:57 PM IST There was a delightful moment on Pakistani cyberworld the other day. On the YouTube channel Game Plan, the host rattled through the names in India’s batting lineup, ending with an almost rhetorical question: ‘Har ek banda akela match jita sakta hai, inke khilaaf, plan kya ho sakta hai?’ (Each one of them can win a game on their own — what can be the plan against them?) Former Pakistan batsman Basit Ali cupped his palms skyward and smiled: ‘Dua kar sakte hain’ (We can pray!). For years leading up to the last T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies, India seemed to have forgotten they owned the IPL. The disconnect was glaring. Their approach to the shortest format felt outdated, particularly in batting — as if they were rolling along without a proper plan. In some ways, they resembled that first Royal Challengers Bangalore side that didn’t quite know what to do with T20 cricket. Even in the 2024 edition they won, India were almost …

Hardik Pandya’s video with a mystery girl goes viral amid divorce rumours with Nataša; fans say ‘new bhabhi mil gayi’

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Jul 11, 2024 07:23 PM IST Hardik Pandya and Nataša Stanković have been in the news for their rumoured split for a while now. Well, the cricketer’s fans now want him to move on Are cricketer Hardik Pandya and his model wife Nataša Stanković still together? This right here is one of the biggest mysteries on the internet at the moment. It was during the Indian Premier League 2024 that divorce rumours first surfaced when Hardik didn’t post anything on Nataša’s birthday. There was also news about her deleting their wedding pictures, but they reappeared later leaving many wondering if they were ever removed. When Hardik and the Indian cricket team won the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and everybody in the country except Nataša congratulated the men in blue, the rumour mill began churning faster. Well, a video of Hardik with a mystery girl has now gone viral on the internet, with fans calling her ‘new bhabhi’. Hardik Pandya with mystery girl amid divorce rumours with Nataša Stanković   The mystery girl is …

Virat Kohli shouldn’t bother reading rubbish about his strike rate on social media, says former New Zealand pacer | Cricket News

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Virat Kohli was among those named in India’s 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup on Tuesday. On Sunday, he continued to lead the scoring charts in the ongoing Indian Premier League season. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru opener remained unbeaten at 70 off 44 deliveries against the Gujarat Titans as RCB made a mockery of a 201-run target. After the chase, speaking to the host broadcasters, Kohli launched a scathing attack on those questioning his strike rate in the shortest format.  “All the people who talk about strike rates and me not playing spin well are the ones talking about this stuff. For me, it’s about winning games for the team and there’s a reason why you’ve done it for 15 years, you’ve done this day in and day out, you’ve won games for your teams,” the 35-year-old said. Former New Zealand pacer-turned-broadcaster Simon Doull however, is of the belief that Kohli shouldn’t make such remarks and stay away from the comments made against him on social media. “Interesting that he goes back to these …

Finisher, anchor, accumulator: How Sanju Samson finally broke the World Cup door | Cricket News

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Sanju Samson’s proverbial breaking the selectors’ door moment arrived on Tuesday when he was picked for the T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies. He has been knocking on the door feebly, standing shyly behind it, to be repeatedly snubbed, but this IPL he raised his game by several notches so that the selectors had no other alternative, or rather knew a better alternative, than Sanju. This season Sanju has looked closer to the departure lounge of a World Cup-bound flight than ever before. He has seldom looked a more evolved batsman or presented a stronger case for inclusion than this IPL In the past, despite his glowing stroke-making gifts, there could have been logical arguments lined up against him. Like his tendency to plateau as a series unfolds, like his proclivity to vanish in big games, like his proneness to squander starts. He was a fits-and-sparks cricketer, who was too easy for selectors to find a fault or two with and discard. There were rough edges between the silk. This time, though, …

By picking Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for T20 World Cup, selectors take a huge leap of faith | Cricket News

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Having spent a good part of 12 months building a team in tune with the demands of T20 cricket for the World Cup in June, it was in January that India took a U-turn. By bringing back Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the T20Is against Afghanistan – the last international series before the T20 World Cup – it was evident which way India were heading. Two out of India’s top three in the batting line-up, which was considered a problematic area in the last T20 World Cups in totally different conditions, would get on the plane to the US and Caribbean as well. And word is that if the team management had its way, there was a strong chance that KL Rahul too found his spot back. But here we are, with two elephants in the room. In essence, India are hoping to end their ICC title drought by pinning their hopes on more or less a similar blueprint that didn’t yield them success in the UAE and Australia. It is the reason why …

First look at New York’s 34,000-seater Nassau County International Cricket Stadium that will host India vs Pakistan clash at T20 World Cup | Cricket News

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India facing Pakistan in an ICC event is always one of the highlights of the tournament, irrespective of where the game is played. Though the game in Ahmedabad in the 50-over World Cup was a one-sided affair in favor of India, the one played at the T20 World Cup in 2022 at MCG was a Virat Kohli special and arguably one of the best games the arch-rivals have been involved in. For the upcoming T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA, the iconic contest will be held in New York on June 9. The stadium was unveiled on Wednesday, and its construction is underway and is expected to be finished within three months. “We are excited to be unveiling the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024,” ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said. “It is an incredibly important milestone in the lead-up to the biggest ICC event ever, with work commencing on the stadium, which will be able to accommodate 34,000 cricket …