Category Cricket

Indian cricketer Smriti Mandhana has made history by becoming the first woman to score four ODI centuries in a single calendar year. The 27-year-old achieved this incredible milestone during the third and final ODI against Australia at the WACA in Perth on Wednesday.

Mandhana’s fourth century of the year came in an innings full of class and determination. She reached her half-century in exactly 50 balls and converted it into a century in 103 deliveries. Her innings included 14 boundaries and a six, showcasing her ability to find gaps and dominate bowlers. This knock took her overall tally of ODI centuries to nine, placing her in joint fourth position alongside Nat Sciver-Brunt, Chamari Athapaththu, and Charlotte Edwards.

The left-handed opener has been in outstanding form this year, with centuries against South Africa in June (two back-to-back centuries), New Zealand in October, and now Australia in December. This consistent run of form has been crucial for India’s batting lineup, as Mandhana has anchored innings while also accelerating when needed.

With this achievement, Mandhana broke the previous record of three centuries in a calendar year, which was jointly held by seven players. South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt, who has also scored three centuries this year, is the latest to share that spot. Others on the list include Meg Lanning (2016), Nat Sciver-Brunt (2023), Sophie Devine (2018), Sidra Amin (2022), Amy Satterthwaite (2016), and Belinda Clark (1997).

While Mandhana’s knock was remarkable, it unfortunately came in a losing cause. India fell short by 83 runs as they chased Australia’s total at the WACA. Despite her valiant effort, India couldn’t build partnerships to support her innings, leading to their defeat.

This latest century has put Mandhana in the race to climb higher on the list of most ODI centuries in women’s cricket. She now trails Tammy Beaumont, who has 10 centuries, and former Australian captain Meg Lanning, who holds the record with 15 centuries. Given Mandhana’s current form and ability to perform under pressure, she is well on her way to closing this gap in the near future.

Mandhana’s achievement is a testament to her consistency and skill at the highest level of the game. Over the years, she has established herself as one of the most dependable batters in women’s cricket. Her ability to adapt to different conditions, play long innings, and score against strong teams has made her a key player for India.

This record-breaking milestone is another feather in Mandhana’s cap and highlights her contribution to the growth of women’s cricket. As she continues to achieve new milestones, she inspires young cricketers around the world to dream big and aim high.

Mandhana’s performances this year have not only been memorable but have also set a new benchmark in women’s cricket. Her journey as a cricketer is a source of pride for India and a reminder of her immense talent and dedication to the game.

South Africa defeated Pakistan by 11 runs in the first T20I at Kingsmead, Durban, thanks to a remarkable all-round performance by George Linde. Returning to the team after three years, Linde smashed 48 off just 24 balls and took 4-21 with the ball, earning the Player-of-the-Match award. His efforts helped South Africa defend a total of 183 against a fighting Pakistan.

South Africa, fielding a relatively inexperienced side, won the toss and opted to bat. Despite early breakthroughs by Shaheen Afridi (3-22) and Abrar Ahmed (3-37), David Miller turned the game around with a stunning 82 off 40 balls. He came in at a tricky stage but dominated Pakistan’s bowlers, ensuring South Africa posted a challenging total.

Pakistan’s chase began poorly, with captain Babar Azam falling for a duck. Saim Ayub gave them some momentum, but the team struggled during the middle overs. Mohammad Rizwan, despite being the anchor, was too slow early in his innings. He scored only 36 off his first 44 balls before accelerating to finish with 74 off 62. His late surge, along with a 17th-over blitz that brought Pakistan 24 runs, gave the visitors hope.

However, South Africa’s young pacer Kwena Maphaka kept his cool in the final over, dismissing Rizwan and sealing the win. Pakistan needed 19 runs from the last over but fell short, ending on 172 for 8.

South Africa showed excellent discipline with both bat and ball. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s poor start, inconsistent middle order, and slow scoring early on cost them the game. Rizwan’s struggles in the first half of his innings proved costly, and Pakistan’s think tank must rethink their batting strategy if they want to succeed in this series.

This match highlighted South Africa’s resilience and Pakistan’s need for a more aggressive and consistent batting approach.

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra expressed his disappointment with Rohit Sharma’s captaincy during the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in Adelaide, which India lost by 10 wickets. Aakash criticized Rohit’s defensive approach and questioned his usage of ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah in the match.

Travis Head once again proved to be India’s biggest challenge, smashing a brilliant 140 off 141 balls in front of his home crowd. His innings helped Australia post a commanding total of 337, giving them a lead of 157 runs. In reply, India managed only 175 in their second innings, leaving Australia with a target of just 19 runs, which the hosts chased down in just 20 balls.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Aakash pointed out that Rohit seemed to lack a clear plan against Head. He also felt that Bumrah, who was effective in his initial four-over spell, was underutilized.

“Why didn’t we bowl short balls to Travis Head? You have to target him with bouncers. Until you do that, he won’t get out and will keep troubling us. He’s done it before, including in the World Cup final and the WTC final,” Aakash said.

“Jasprit Bumrah picked up a wicket in his four-over spell but didn’t bowl again in the same session. That was a clear miss in captaincy. Rohit’s approach looked defensive, and the match was allowed to drift away,” he added.

‘Rohit’s captaincy has been underwhelming’

Aakash also highlighted Rohit’s worrying record as a captain, noting that he has now lost four consecutive Test matches. While MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli also endured similar losing streaks, what makes Rohit’s case concerning is that three of these defeats came at home, something that rarely happens to Indian captains.

“In the past, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi lost six consecutive matches in 1967, and Sachin Tendulkar lost four in 1999. In the modern era, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli had similar four-match losing streaks, but Rohit’s case stands out because three of these losses were at home,” Aakash explained.

He concluded by saying, “Rohit’s leadership has been below par in recent matches. Even though the team won in Perth, he wasn’t the captain for that match. This run of defeats, especially at home, is worrying.

The batters could not capitalise on the good job done by the bowlers as India suffered a massive 59-run defeat to Bangladesh in U19 Asia Cup title clash.

The batters could not capitalise on the good job done by the bowlers as India suffered a massive 59-run defeat to Bangladesh in the low-scoring U19 Asia Cup title clash in Dubai on Sunday. After India produced a fine performance with the ball to keep Bangladesh to a mere 198 in 49.1 overs, it looked like the job was half done since the batters had played their roles to perfection since defeat in the tournament-opener to Pakistan. However, in the crunch final, India lost wickets in a flurry on two occasions which broke the back of their chase, with Bangladesh bowlers and fielders doing their part well in exerting further pressure.

Chasing 199, India were bundled out for 139 in 35.2 overs as none of their specialist batters could play an impact knock, including the youngest IPL star Vaibhav Suryavanshi who managed a mere 9 (7 balls, 2 fours).

India suffered early blows in form of Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre (1) to stumble to 24 for two inside five overs.

With the summit clash placed precariously, Bangladesh edged ahead by keeping the rest of the Indian batters largely quiet, drying up the boundaries and even the singles.

C Andre Siddarth’s (20 off 35 balls) charge was ended by Rizan Hossan in the 12th over, which was another crucial point in the game as the balance tilted heavily in favour of Bangladesh.

But it was Iqbal Hossain Emon who made the most of the situation as he snaffled three vital wickets to severely dent India’s hopes, accounting for KP Karthikeya (21), Nikhil Kumar (0) and Harvansh Pangalia (6) in quick succession.

Mohamed Amaan resisted for long, scoring a 65-ball 26 but his effort and Hardik Raj’s late 21-ball 24 also was not enough for India to turn the tables. The end came swiftly for India as Azizul Hakim took 3/8 from his 2.2 overs towards the end.

Earlier in the first half, Rizan Hossain’s 47, Mohammad Shihab James’ 40 and Farid Hasan’s 39 proved to be the difference in a contest wherein batters mostly struggled for fluency in the middle.

India dominated the Bangladeshi batters for the entirety of the first half as they could only get near the 200-run mark while consuming most of their allotted overs.

Yudhajit Guha (2/29) was the pick among the performers from India as Chetan Sharma (2/48) and Raj (2/41) also chipped in with a couple of wickets each.

Kiran Chormale returned a measly 7-0-19-1 while Karthikeya (1/37) and Mhatre (1/9) also chipped in with a wicket each.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Australia middle-order batter Travis Head registered his eighth Test century during Day 2 of the second Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test between Australia and India at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday.

The 30-year-old reached the milestone in 111 balls, laced with 11 fours and three sixes. It was the southpaw’s third hundred in a day-night Test. Marnus Labuschagne holds the record for most pink-ball hundreds with four.

Head also broke the record for the fastest hundred in day-night Tests, eclipsing his previous record of 112 balls against England in Hobart in 2022.

It’s a century to Travis Head at Adelaide Oval, and the sell out crowd erupts! pic.twitter.com/mURGaJvuFD— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) December 7, 2024

The South Australian has had great success against India outside the subcontinent, scoring 163 in the final of the World Test Championship final in 2023 to help his team seal a 209-run win.

Head also scored a hundred in the final of the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup where Australia beat India at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to seal its sixth Cup triumph in the 50-over format.

Despite captain Rohit Sharma’s availability, Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul opened the innings for India during its day-night practice match against Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra on Sunday.

Rohit came in to bat at No. 4 but could only score 3 runs off 11 balls before being dismissed.

Rohit, who usually opens the innings with Jaiswal, was unavailable due to personal reasons during India’s 295-run win over Australia last week in the first Test of the ongoing five-match series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

In his absence, Jaiswal and Rahul opened in Perth and put up a crucial 201-run stand in the second innings.

The decision to open with Jaiswal and Rahul against Prime Minister’s XI possibly indicates the team management’s strategy to accommodate both Rohit and Rahul in the line-up for the upcoming day-night Test in Adelaide, which begins on December 6.

IND vs AUS, 2nd Test: Where did Indian bowlers go wrong in Adelaide with the pink ballIND vs AUS, 2nd Test: The Australian bowlers kept the deliveries much fuller and targeted the fourth-stump channel more than the Indians to give their side the advantage in the first two days of the pink-ball Test in Adelaide.

December 07, 2024 16:58
IND 128/5 in 24 overs
Boland to Pant. Four!! Pant steps down the track and lofts the length ball over mid off for a boundary. Had enough on it despite the bottom hand coming off the bat. Pushes a short of length ball to the legside and picks up a single. Nitish moves across and defends a length ball to the legside for a couple. Keeper upto the stumps and he immediately appeals for a stumping. Back leg was grounded behind the crease. Four!! Rana has a slog on the last ball, takes the inside half of the bat and runs away to the fence. STUMPS on Day 2!

December 07, 2024 16:52
IND 117/5 in 23 overs
Cummins to Pant, short ball at the shoulder, pulled to deep square for a single. Nitish punches to cover and takes a quick single. Four!! Full outside off, Nitish leans onto the drive and pushes it through cover for four. 

December 07, 2024 16:47I
ND 110/5 in 22 overs
Starc to Pant, full outside off, driven to deep point for a single. Full and wide to Nitish, mistimes his punch to mid off. Four!! Nitish goes behind a full ball, edges one through the cordon, too quick for Smith to get his hands on it. 

December 07, 2024 16:40W
IND 105/5 in 21 overs
Cummins into the attack. Pant nudges the full one through wide mid on for a single. WICKET!! A beauty to get rid of the skipper. Length ball that moves outward a touch and takes the off pole. Rohit b Cummins 6(15)Nitish Reddy in at 7. Appeals for a strangle down leg, not given. Australia reviews but the replays clearly suggest the ball was nowhere close. 

December 07, 2024 16:36
IND 104/4 in 20 overs
Starc to Rohit, short of a length angling away, beats the outside edge. Full and wide, left alone by Rohit, trickles to the keeper. Back of a length on leg stump, gets hit on the thigh pad. Four!! Over pitched outside off, leans forward and punches through cover for a boundary. 

December 07, 2024 16:34
IND 100/4 in 19 overs
Boland to Pant, down legside, clips the pads and runs away fine for a couple. Four!! Pant moves across and lofts over cover for a boundary. Four!! Guides a short of length ball over fine leg for another four. 100 up for India!

December 07, 2024 16:23W
IND 90/4 in 18 overs
Starc to Gill, punches a full ball straight to cover. WICKET!! Unplayable ball. Swings into the right hander after pitching and cleans out the stumps. Shubman Gill b Mitchell Starc 28(30)Rohit Sharma in at 6. Gets hit on the helmet first ball. Looked to play a short arm jab-pull, edges it onto his own helmet. Full and swinging back in, pings Rohit in front and the umpire raises his finger. Front-foot no ball called! Full on leg stump, clipped to deep fine for a double. 

December 07, 2024 16:18
IND 86/3 in 17 overs
Boland to Pant, angled away and beats the defensive block. Four!! That is an undescribable shot. Short of a length outside off, he reverse pulls (yes, pulls!) it over the slip cordon for a boundary. 

December 07, 2024 16:13
IND 82/3 in 16 overs
Starc to Pant, full outside off, punched to cover for a single. Four!! Edged and flies past Smith’s grasp and through the cordon for a boundary. Gill punches to deep square tp collect a couple. A punch through cover and Gill completes another double. 

December 07, 2024 16:06W
IND 73/3 in 15 overs
Boland back. Kohli punches a full one straight down the ground but doesn’t have the legs to go to the boundary. Three runs. Gill punches one more to cover for a single. WICKET!! Full outside off, Kohli looks to lean forward and defend, ball catches the edge and Carey completes the catch. Kohli c Carey b Boland 11(21)Pant in at 5. Steps down the track and lofts a short of length ball over mid off for a boundary. Pant puts in a full length dive to make the crease after attempting a second run. Carey lets one slip through his grasp and Pant steals a bye. 

December 07, 2024 15:59
IND 62/2 in 14 overs
Starc into the attack, back of a length on off, punched to cover for a single. Length on the pads to Kohli, clipped fine for a couple. A single to round the over, a direct hit at the stumps but Gill is safely in. 

December 07, 2024 15:56
IND 58/2 in 13 overs
Boland to Gill, pushed to cover for a single. Kohli happy to let the balls outside off alone. Boland manages to find the inside edge, bounces off the leg and falls safely. 

December 07, 2024 15:50
IND 57/2 in 12 overs
Cummins to Gill, back of a length outside off, left alone. Gill punches a length ball to mid off and scampers across for a single. 

December 07, 2024 15:46
IND 56/2 in 11 overs
Boland to Gill, raps him on the pads. Appeals from all around but the umpire says no. Gill dabs the next one to point for a single. Boland draws Kohli onto the front foot and beats his forward defensive block. 

December 07, 2024 15:45
IND 55/2 in 10 overs
Cummins for his fifth over. Gill gets a single through mid on. A single for Kohli through backward point. FOUR! A glorious cover drive from Gill. He pulls the next through mid wicket for two runs. The over ends with a single to fine leg.

December 07, 2024 15:36W
IND 46/2 in 9 pvers
Scott Boland replaces Mitchell Starc. OUT! Jaiswal is caught behind. He is spot on in the fourth-stump line, Jaiswal cannot resist pushing at it and gets an edge.Yashasvi Jaiswal c Carey b Boland 24 (31)Virat Kohli in at No. 4. FOUR! Kohli gets off the mark with an edge through the slip cordon.

December 07, 2024 15:31
IND 42/1 in 8 overs
Gill against Cummins. A single through mid on on the third delivery. Jaiswal gets an overpitched delivery which he drives through covers, three runs.

December 07, 2024 15:23
IND 38/1 in 7 overs
Starc to Jaiswal. Starc straying down the leg looking to replicate that first innings dismissal. FOUR! Jaiswal slashes and gets a thick edge over the slips. Three runs through mid on.

December 07, 2024 15:214
IND 30/1 in 6 overs
A bit of a yes-no between Gill and Jaiswal as the former clips Cummins through square leg. They complete the single in the end. FOUR! Jaiswal tries to ramp it over slip, gets an under edge and bounces right in front of Steve Smith and second slip before running to the boundary. Another single for Jaiswal through the on side.

December 07, 2024 15:184
IND 24/1 in 5 overs
Jaiswal facing Starc. Four byes! This one just flies off from back-of-a-length and sails over the keeper’s head. FOUR! A gentle full-bladed poke through mid off from Jaiswal.

December 07, 2024 15:09
IND 16/1 in 4 overs
Cummins again. WICKET! Rahul is gone! Cummins angles into the body, Rahul tries to pull and gets glove on it. Not the start India would have wanted.KL Rahul c Carey b Cummins 7 (10)Shubman Gill gets going with a boundary. On his pads and he clips it away.

December 07, 2024 15:044
IND 12/0 in 3 overs
Starc to Rahul, FOUR! On the pads and Rahul clips it away between mid wicket and mid on. A single through square leg on the second delivery. Jaiswal drives to covers to add another run to his tally. A single for Rahul to mid off, Head makes a diving save to save atleast two runs there.

December 07, 2024 14:59
IND 5/0 in 2 overs
Pat Cummins to Rahul, a quick single to mid on to get off the mark. Five dots balls for Jaiswal.

December 07, 2024 14:564
IND 4/0 in 1 over
Starc to Jaiswal, the first delivery goes down leg as the bowler searches for another delivery that swing late from the leg stump line. FOUR! Overpitched and Jaiswal opens his bat face to parry this past gully.

December 07, 2024 14:55
India – 2nd innings
Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul in to begin India’s attempt to wipe off the 157-run deficit.Mitchell Starc with the new ball.

December 07, 2024 14:44
AUS 337 all out, leads by 157 runs
Siraj castles Boland and that is the end of Australia’s innings. Scott Boland b Siraj 0 (9)

December 07, 2024 14:32
AUS 332/9 in 86 overs
WICKET! Siraj gets another one. Starc chips the first delivery after tea straight into the hands of mid off.Mitchell Starc c Harshit b Siraj 18 (15)Scott Boland is the last man in.

December 07, 2024 14:07
WAUS 332/8 in 85 overs
Bumrah to Starc, full on the pads, turned to midwicket for a single. Four!! Cummins comes down the track and inside edges one to the boundary. WICKET!! Full and straight, cleans Cummins up. Cummins b Bumrah 12(22)That will be Tea on Day 2 as well. 

December 07, 2024 14:01
AUS 327/7 in 84 overs
Four!! Starc goes after Siraj, the edge flies over the gully region for a boundary. Four!! Attempted yorker, Starc drives it on the full and past mid on for a boundary. Starc lofts a full ball over mid on, will get two more runs. 

December 07, 2024 13:54
IND 316/7 in 83 overs
Bumrah returns. Length ball on the stumps, defended to point. Starc scampers across for a single after blocking a straight ball onto the legside. Big appeals for lbw as Cummins is rapped on the pad. Not given onfield. India don’t take the review. Snicko suggests there is an inside edge. In the blockhole, beats Cummins’s edge. India take a review for lbw. Snicko confirms there is no bat and it is wickets missing in ball tracking. India burns another review. 

December 07, 2024 13:47
WAUS 315/7 in 82 overs
Siraj replaces Ashwin. Four!! Full on the pads, flicked through square leg for another boundary. Six!! Full on the stumps, picked up and lofted over the boundary at square leg. WICKET!! Pacy yorker on middle stump and cleans Head up! What an innings from the southpaw. His contribution of 140 runs has put Australia in control.Head b Siraj 140(141)Starc in at 9. Four!! Full outside off, Starc drives it through extra cover for a boundary first ball. Full on leg stump, turned to deep square for a single. 

The fiery Mitch Starc , when on song , is one of the most lethal sight for any batsman in the world. Aged 34 , past his prime , the left arm quick is not quite as quick and fearsome as he was in his late 20s but that’s what make you a GOAT , when past your prime , opposition is sledging you on field , your team is in the dire straits and you come up with such a performance as if you are telling the world loud & clear ” Am Not Finished , I Still Belong Here ” yeah , that’s what Mitch Starc was all about on Day 1 of this pink ball test match.

India won the toss & opted to bat 1st , marking the return of the regular Indian skipper Rohit Sharma but with the same opening combination that India went on to win the 1st Test match in Perth.

Since , the first ball of the match aussies were right upto the mark trapping Jaiswal right infront of the stumps on a pitched up ball with a hint of swing delivered by none other than Mitch Starc. In at 3 , Gill stitched a vital partnership of 69 runs for the 2nd wicket but in the 19th over starc dismissed KL , caught at gully , coming into his second spell of the match. This was only the start of a collapse and soon India was reduced to 87 for 5.

Indian skipper Rohit disastrous form in Test continued as all he managed was a single digit score of 3 runs whereas Virat was caught napping yet again to a 5th stump delivery.

Nitish Reddy continued his dream run and was the highest scorer for India , falling 8 short of his fifty to starc. The other notable contributions were of R Ashwin & Gill scoring 22 & 31 each.

Within 45 overs India was bowled out for a paltry score of 180 , with Mitch Starc being the main destructor with the ball for the aussies.

Starc figures read 6 for 48 with an economy rate of 3.4 r.p.o. Scott Boland & Cummins claiming 2 wickets each.

Aussies begun their innings quite cautiously , the opening pair of Mcsweeney & Khawaja were going on pretty well but it was time for some Bumrah magic , getting Khawaja caught at slip.

In at 3 , Labuschagne has looked solid so far , batting not out on 20 along with his counterpart Mcsweeney who is on 38*

The deficit is in double digits and India needs to make quick inroads tomorrow early in the morning otherwise they will be playing the catching game for the rest of the test match.

Day 1 – Ind 1st Inn : 180/10 ( 44.1)

[ N Reddy 42 , KLR 37 ; M Starc 6-48 , Cummins 2-41]

         Aus 1st Inn : 86/1 (33.0)

[ Mcsweeney 38* , Labuschagne 20* ; Bumrah 1-13 ]

Baroda creates history in T20 cricket by scoring the highest total ever in their recent encounter against Sikkim in this year’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Edition.

5 dec 2024 , a date which will be etched in the history books , all because of the ruthless batting display by the team from Gujarat.

The match was officiated by Paschim Pathak & Saiyed Khalid , Skipper Krunal won the toss & elected to bat 1st despite of the fact that there might be the presence of early on moisture in the pitch as it was a 9 am start , a factor which tends to provide assistance to the new ball bowlers.

The left & right hand opening combination  went on and provided a blistering start to the Baroda  , leftie Shashwat Rawat with his gun knock of 43 runs in just 16 balls , scoring at a strike rate of more than 250 , partnered with Abhimanyu Singh , who went on one step ahead than his counterpart and brought up his fifty in less than 18 balls.

The main protagonist of this record was Bhanu Pania , the right hand batsman , hailing from rajasthan scored a ton & carried on his bat till the end.

His 134 runs knock included 15 sixes & 5 fours. Finishing touches were provided by middle order batsman Shivalik Sharma & wicketkeeper V. Solanki , both the batsman brought up their fifties in less than 18 balls.

In reply to the chase , Sikkim was a no match and they just managed to score 86 runs for the loss of 7 wickets , batting out their full quota of overs , contrasting out the 1st innings completely.

Ninad Ashvinkumar Rathva was the pick of the bowling , the left arm orthodox barodian bowler figures were 2 for 14 in his full quota of overs , including a maiden. Along side his counterpart Mahesh Pithiya who also managed to scalp 2 wickets in his 4 overs.

Rest of the barodians bowlers , likes of krunal Pandya , Atit Seth and Abhimanyu Singh chipped in with a solitary wicket each.