Indian skipper Rohit Sharma smashed sixes and fours to reach the double century mark. He also became the first player to score an ODI double century both as captain and non-captain.

Rohit had scored his first double century (209) which was against Australia in Bengaluru (2013), while the second (264) was against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, in 2014.

India virtually batted Sri Lanka out of the game by scoring the highest total and surpassing the 351/5 South Africa made against Netherlands in 2011 at Mohali ground.

Another record shattering performance by Rohit was of the highest individual score at this venue, surpassing the 154 score of Virat Kohli against New Zealand last year.

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Rohit Sharma also became the only player in world cricket to hit three double centuries in List A cricket. He has also surpassed the record held by Surrey’s Alastair Brown’s who had two of them in his name. Big name players in cricket like Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Chris Gayle and Martin Guptill are the others who have breached the 200-run mark in 50-over cricket ODI.

Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli and Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma — India’s most watched couples — sealed their relationship with a wedding — here amidst close family and friends.

Virat, Anushka’s fun wedding at Tuscany, Italy

“Today we have promised each other to be bound in love forever. We are truly blessed to share the news with you,” Virat and Anushka posted on their social media accounts.

Legendary India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar turned 44 on Monday and social media was lit up with birthday wishes for the Master Blaster. From famous personalities to fans, everybody showed their love for the man who was a god-like figure on the pitch but remained an unaffected human being off the pitch.

Virat Kohli and Adam Gilchrist were among those to wish him on twitter.

Indian bowlers put up a spirited show on the third day of the fourth and final cricket Test against Australia here on Monday to give the hosts an advantage that could well clinch them the four-match series.

Pacer Umesh Yadav and the spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja scalped three wickets each while medium-pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar took one wicket to restrict the visitors to 137 in the second innings — and set a 106-run target for clinching the final cricket Test match.

Lokesh Rahul disappointed at scoring big runs

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The third day’s play started with Indian lower-middle order stepping up to the occasion. Resuming the day at 248/6, overnight batsmen Ravindra Jadeja (63) and Wriddhiman Saha (31) added 69 runs before the former was dismissed by pacer Pat Cummins in the 113th over.

Cummins bowled a wide length ball which Jadeja tried to drive without using his feet and guided a thick inside edge onto the stumps.

Incoming batsmen Bhuvneshwar Kumar departed in the next over without disturbing the score. He was sent packing by left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe.

Saha, who seemed good at the crease was the next one to go. He was dismissed by Cummins when the scoreboard read 318/9. His 102-ball knock contained only two boundaries.

Tailenders Umesh Yadav (2 not out) and debutant Kuldeep Yadav (7), however, added 14 runs for the last wicket to frustrate Australian bowlers and helped India get past the 330-run mark.

For Australia, spinner Nathan Lyon scalped five wickets while Cummins took three wickets.

Coming in to bat in the second innings, the visitors tried to apply themselves in the middle but failed drastically in doing so. At one point, the visitors were struggling at 92/5, with a meagre 60-run lead in the second innings.

Continuing his poor form, opener David Warner (6) again failed to provide a good start as he was the first to return to the pavilion with the visitors’ scoreboard reading 10 runs.

Incoming batsmen Steve Smith, who scored a brilliant century in the first innings, could only manage 17 runs in the second outing.

Smith was bowled by Kumar, who delivered a short ball which, taking the bottom edge, flattened the off stump.

Youngster Matt Renshaw (8) was the next batsmen to leave — sent packing in the next over by Yadav.

Middle order batsmen Peter Handscomb (18) was then sent back cheaply by Ashwin to be in commanding position.

Apart from Glenn Maxwell (45), no other batsmen, including in-form Smith, were able to understand the Indian bowling strategy.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Mathew Wade, however, tried to hold the innings towards the end but it was too late as the Indian bowlers had already rampaged through the Australian batting line-up.

Australia, scoring only 137 runs in their second outing and setting a 106-run victory-target, now face a difficult task to restrict India, who started the run chase on a positive note, with two day’s play left.

At the end of the day’s play, India had scored 19/0 and needed only 87 runs more to win the final Test — as also the four-match Test series.

Openers Murali Vijay (6) and Lokesh Rahul (13) were at the crease when the day’s play was called off.

IANS

Indian opener Lokesh Rahul on Sunday said he was disappointed at not being able to capitalise upon the good starts into big score.

Rahul batted steadily to score 60 runs with nine hits to the fence and a six before being dismissed while trying to hit a short pitched delivery from Pat Cummins over the onside.

“Quite honestly, I am not regretting anything. I am little disappointed that I have not been able to convert the starts and get big runs for the team. As an opener, my responsibility is to spend as much time in the middle to get big scores in the first innings so that we don’t have to bat in the second innings.”

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Funny Gully Cricket Video | Strange Reactions after getting out

“It hasn’t been the worst series for me. I got starts, batted really well. Aussie bowlers haven’t made it easy. They have challenged us in all the games. Thoroughly enjoyed batting and hopefully one good knock in the second innings might be the time. Might be the knock, I have been waiting for the whole series,” he added.

Off-spinner Nathan Lyon captured four wickets in the final session to hand Australia an advantage on the second day of the fourth and final cricket Test.

Lyon returned figures of 4/67 as India reached 248/6 in their first innings at stumps. Ravindra Jadeja was batting on 16 with Wriddhiman Saha on 10 at the other end when the umpires decided to call it a day.

The hosts now trail Australia’s first innings total of 300 by 52 runs.

Commenting on the behaviour of the wicket, Rahul said the cracks on the pitch play a major role in the coming days.

“I think the ball will do things off the crack. Even when we bowled on the first day, a few balls did do something funny off the cracks,” he added.

IANS

India’s premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Tuesday congratulated the women’s cricket team for pulling off a last-ball thriller against South Africa in the final of the World Cup qualifier at the P. Sara Oval in Colombo.

Chasing a decent 245, all-rounder Harmanpreet Kaur struck a run-a-ball 41 to steer the team over the line by one wicket on the final ball of the match after opener Mona Meshram (59) and Deepti Sharma (71) set the tone with a 124-run second wicket stand.

Pune replaces Dhoni with Smith, get Stokes for whopping Rs 14.5 cr

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Hailing the side for their brilliant performance, Ashwin, who is in Pune for the four-Test series against Australia, starting from Thursday said: “Amazing win by the @BCCIWomen team, they have had a good 12 months now. Special mention to the very talented @ImHarmanpreet.”

The Virat Kohli-led side will aim to extend their 19-match unbeaten streak when they take on the Australians in the four-match Test rubber.

IANS

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday congratulated the women’s team for for pulling off a last-ball thriller against South Africa in the final of the World Cup qualifier at the P. Sara Oval in Colombo.

Chasing a decent 245, captain Harmanpreet Kaur struck a run-a-ball 41 to steer the team over the line by one wicket on the final ball of the match after opener Mona Meshram (59) and Deepti Sharma (71) set the tone with a 124-run second wicket stand. It was also India’s highest successful run chase in One-day Internationals (ODI).

Pune replaces Dhoni with Smith, get Stokes for whopping Rs 14.5 cr

Pakistan’s Afridi ends international career

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“The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) would like to congratulate the women’s cricket team for winning the ICC World Cup Qualifier 2017, in Sri Lanka,” the BCCI said in a statement.

“Having already secured their ICC Women’s World Cup berth courtesy a dominant run in the tournament, India finished on a high, staying unbeaten in the event. It was an all-round show from India as Deepti Sharma topped the run charts while Ekta Bisht finished as the leading wicket-taker in the tournament,” the statement added.

IANS

Legendary Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi announced his retirement from international cricket, ending an illustrious and sometimes controversial 21-year career.

The 36-year-old star had already quit Tests in 2010 and ODI cricket after the 2015 World Cup but still skippered the Pakistan Twenty20 team at the 2016 world championships in India.

He stepped down as captain after the tournament although he retained slender hopes of continuing his career in the sport’s shortest format as a player.

“I have said goodbye to international cricket,” said Afridi after smashing a 28-ball 54 in a Pakistan Super League match for Peshawar Zalmi in Sharjah.

“I am playing for my fans and will continue to play this league for another two years but it’s goodbye from international cricket.

“Now my foundation is important for me. I have played with seriousness and in a professional way for my country.”

Ben Stokes becomes the most expensive player in IPL 2017

Nicknamed ‘Boom Boom’, Afridi had been a fan favourite since he burst onto the scene in 1996, striking a 37-ball one-day century against Sri Lanka in only his second match to set a world record that was unbeaten for 18 years.

He became known as a leg-spin bowling all-rounder in the second half of his career and was instrumental in Pakistan’s early successes in Twenty20, including their 2009 victory.

After stopping short of retirement following Pakistan’s first round exit at the 2016 World Twenty20, Afridi had wanted to play a farewell Twenty20 match against West Indies in United Arab Emirates in September.

But selectors, with one eye on the future, did not pick him in the squad.

His blistering breakthrough century in Nairobi in 1996 was only surpassed by New Zealand’s Corey Anderson’s 36-ball hundred against West Indies at Queenstown in 2014.

South African AB de Villiers then bettered the record further with a 31-ball century, also against the West Indies, at Johannesburg in 2015.

Afridi’s rapid-fire century in Kenya made him an instant hit with the crowds who expected fireworks every time he strolled to the crease.

Sometimes he delivered but too often for some, his death or glory approach brought his downfall –

Afridi’s maverick style also brought him a one-Test and two-match ODI ban after he was charged with using his foot to tamper with the pitch during a Test against England in Faisalabad in 2005.

He was also banned for two Twenty20 internationals after he was shown on television biting the ball during a one-day international against Australia at Perth in 2010.

Career Summary –

Afridi finishes his international career having played just 27 Test matches which yielded 1,176 runs with a highest score of 156 and 48 wickets.

He played 398 one-day internationals with 8,064 runs, a highest score of 124 while taking 395 wickets with his leg spin.

His Twenty20 international CV saw him play 98 matches with 1,405 runs and a career-leading 97 wickets.

MS Dhoni replaced as skipper

Replacing former Indian captain MS Dhoni as the skipper of the Rising Pune Supergiants, announced the appointment of Steve Smith, the captain of the touring Australian side, as the new skipper. Dhoni has been the captain of all the nine seasons of IPL since the tournament began in 2008.

Pak All Rounder Shahid Afridi ends international career

Steve Smith will replace MS Dhoni as Skipper

IPL Auction

England all-rounder Ben Stokes was bought by Rising Pune Supergiants (RPSG) for a whopping Rs 14.5 crore at the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction.

 
Already on demand after his scintillating performance with both the bat and ball during England’s recent tour earlier this year, Stokes was purchased by the RPSG after close bidding.
 
Among others, 2016’s highest paid Indian all-rounder Pawan Negi could only fetch Rs 1 crore and was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore.
 
English T20 skipper Eoin Morgan was bought by the Kings XI Punjab at his base price of Rs 2 crore, while Sri Lankan skipper Angelo Matthews went to Delhi Daredevils for Rs 2 crore along with New Zealand all-rouder Corey Anderson for Rs 1 crore.

Ben Stokes: IPL 10 auction’s most expensive player

Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal’s maiden six-wicket haul turned things around for India as the hosts beat England by 75 runs in the third and final Twenty20 International to clinch the series 2-1 at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Chasing a mammoth 203, England were on track till the 13th over, scoring 119/2 before Chahal’s magical spell (6/25) put the visitors on the backfoot as they surrendered meekly to lose their last eight wickets for just eight runs and end on 127.

England started well with opener Jason Roy (32) and Joe Root (42) putting on 47 runs for the second wicket before Root combined with skipper Eoin Morgan (40) and added 64 runs for the third wicket to put them in a commanding position.

But thereafter it was Chahal all the way, who triggered a collapse by sending back Morgan and Root off consecutive deliveries before pacer Jasprit Bumrah (3/14) added to their woes by striking in the very next over to dismiss wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler (0).

England’s batsmen were in such a hurry that it hardly took Chahal another over to take three more wickets of Ben Stokes (6), Moeen Ali (2) and Chris Jordan (0) and dash any hopes of a recovery.

Tottering at 127/9, Bumrah packed back tailender Tymal Mills (0) to seal the deal in favour of India.

As many as six English batsmen were dismissed for a duck while only three managed to reach double figures.

Earlier, seasoned campaigners Suresh Raina and Mahendra Singh Dhoni struck brilliant half centuries to help India post a mammoth 202/6 after being sent into bat.

Raina’s 45-ball 63 helped the hosts set the tone for the massive total before southpaw Yuvraj Singh (27) and former skipper Dhoni (56) finished things off in style as India recovered from the early loss of captain Virat Kohli (2).

India were off to a dismal start losing Kohli to a silly run-out in the second over of the match before one-down Suresh Raina joined opener Lokesh Rahul (22) in the middle and the right-left duo added 61 runs for the second wicket in no time.

Raina, especially was the more aggressive of the two, as he dispatched pacer Chris Jordan for two sixes in the last over of the mandatory field restrictions.

Just when the hosts looked set for a huge total, all-rounder Ben Stokes cleaned up Rahul with a length ball after the right-hander hit two fours and a six in his 18-ball knock.

The fall of Rahul brought in Dhoni, who played a few deliveries to get used to the wicket with Raina, at the other end, taking full advantage of the dropped chance off leg-spinner Adil Rashid to bring up his career’s fourth half-century with a brilliant six off the leggie.

Raina and Dhoni continued to torment the English bowlers as India crossed the three-figure mark in the 13th over before pacer Liam Plunkett returned for a second spell to end the left-hander’s 45-ball knock, laced with two boundaries and five huge hits over the fence.

With India comfortably placed at 120/3, the stage was set for new man Yuvraj Singh (27) and Dhoni to step on the gas for a good total.

The Ranchi stumper took the mantle of the scoring, bringing up his career’s maiden T20I half-century off 32 deliveries before the Punjab southpaw showed his class to dispatch Jordan for a four and three sixes in the 18th over to take India to 177/3.

Yuvraj’s breezy innings, however, ended on the first ball of the 19th over when he misjudged a slower delivery from Mills to be caught behind by stumper Jos Buttler. His 10-ball cameo included one four and three sixes.

Yuvraj’s wicket brought in 19-year-old debutant Rishabh Pant (6 not out), who played second fiddle to Dhoni, as Jordan ended the 35-year-old’s brilliant effort on the second ball of the last over of the innings.

Dhoni, who consumed 36 deliveries for his knock, laced with five fours and two sixes, got a top edge to be caught by Rashid at short fine leg.

All-rounder Hardik Pandya (11) then added 11 runs with Pant to take India past the 200-run mark.

For the visitors, all the pacers — Mills, Jordan, Plunkett and Stokes — took one wicket apiece.

Chahal, who hails from Haryana, bagged both the Man-of-the-match as well as the Man-of-the-series awards.