Indomitable Greaves rescues West Indies, setting a new milestone!
Justin Greaves delivered a nine-and-a-half-hour batting master-class before inscribing his name in the Caribbean folklore after his maiden Test double hundred helped an unlikely draw for West Indies in the opening Test against New Zealand on Saturday. The 31-year-old’s unbeaten 202 guided West Indies to finish a mammoth total of 457 for the loss of six wickets, which has been the second-highest fourth-innings total in Test match history. West Indies were chasing an unbelievable victory target of 531 at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval. Greaves never choose to show fireworks. Rather, he was patient, executing the grit and determination against the New Zealand attack, depleted by mid-match injuries to pacers Nathan Smith and Matt Henry. Greaves was on the wicket for nine-and-a-half hours, playing 388 deliveries, which finally forced New Zealand to accept a draw. West Indies were able to earn their first point in the new World Test Championship cycle, thanks to Greaves’ magnificent innings. Greaves forged a 196-run stand with Shai Hope (140) and then raised 180 with Kemar Roach (58) for the unbroken seventh wicket for a pride-restoring draw that felt as good as a win. The elated batsman said after receiving the man-of-the-match award, “It was undoubtedly a special day for me, and a special day for the team.” West Indies did not push for an unlikely victory in the final session, and Greaves felt he and his team displayed enough resilience with their second-innings batting. “It’s a word that we’ve thrown around in the dressing room a lot. So for me to be there at the end was really important. Anything for the team at the end of the day,” he said.
Starc surpasses Wasim Akram; scalps most Test wickets as the left-arm pacer
Mitchell Starc cracked Pakistan legend Wasim Akram’s record, becoming the left-arm pacer with the most wickets in Test history. Starc achieved the feat during the second session of the opening day of the Pink-ball Test of the ongoing Ashes series. He dismissed Harry Brook after getting the wickets of Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope earlier in the day. Starc has broken Akram’s record in 102 matches after starting off the Ashes series on fire. In the first Test in Perth, Starc picked up seven wickets in the first innings and followed it up with three in the second innings. Now, Starc has achieved 415 wickets in 102 matches, while Wasim Akram finished his career in Test, scalping 414 wickets in 104 matches. He now sits on the 16th all-time wicket-taker’s list and has Shaun Pollock, who has 421 wickets in his kitty, and Harbhajan Singh, with 417 wickets after him. Another legendary fast bowler, Richard Hadlee, is ahead of them with 431 wickets. The Australian speedster continues to dominate in pink-ball Tests, claiming over 80 wickets at an average of just over 17. From a first-over dismissal of Ben Duckett to breaking Akram’s record, Starc has cemented his legacy as one of the greatest left-arm fast bowlers in cricket history.
Ravi Shastri warns under-pressure Gambhir! Advices him on how to handle pressure
Probably the whole cricketing world is aware of the fact that India’s coach Gautam Gambhir is going through hard times after a 2-0 Test series loss against South Africa. The first coach in India’s cricket history to concede two home-series losses has been facing aplenty of flak from fans as well as the former India internationals. However, former India head coach Ravi Shastri has shared some advice to Gambhir on how to handle the situation. Shastri has acknowledged that Gambhir could be fired, but asked him to deal with the matter calmly and patience. “If your performance is poor, you could be fired. Therefore, you need to maintain patience. Communication and man-management skills are crucial here,” said Shastri, in an interview with Prabhat Khabar, as quoted by Hindustan Times. “Only then can you motivate the players to win. And that’s what we did. The most important thing is to enjoy whatever you do. Don’t take it as pressure,” he added. During his tenure of a year and a half as India’s head coach, Gambhir has experienced some big highs and some devastating lows. During the period, Team India have won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and the Asia Cup 2025 titles, clinching both trophies without losing a single game. However, India’s form in red-ball cricket has declined considerably. Under Gambhir, India have been whitewashed at home by New Zealand and South Africa, and have also lost to Australia Down Under. In the meantime, Gambhir’s relationship with star players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma has also received scrutiny, with multiple reports stating that the head coach’s dynamic with the two stalwarts has soured over time. Gambhir’s next major assignment as India’s head coach comes in the form of the T20 World Cup 2026 on home soil, for which the hosts will be firm favourites.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi becomes the first teenager to smash three T-20 centuries in his maiden SMAT journey
Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s storming performance in domestic cricket continues. The dashing 14-year-old set a new milestone in domestic cricket on Tuesday with his third T-20 hundred for Bihar as the first teenager in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) championship against Maharashtra. It was his fifth T-20 match in the SMAT since his debut last year at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Then again, on Tuesday, Suryavanshi carried the load of run-scoring against a stacked Maharashtra side with another pulverising knock. The 14-year-old stormed to a 58-ball century, unleashing seven sixes and as many boundaries for his side. He clipped a low full-toss onto his pads while on 98 and brought up his third T-20 century in style by clearing the square-leg boundary. Only his U-19 teammate Ayush Mhatre, who has struck two successive centuries in the ongoing SMAT edition, and France’s Gustav Mackeon have recorded two T-20 centuries before turning 20. Interestingly, all three of Suryavanshi’s T-20 centuries within 16 innings in his career have been for three different sides. The blitzkrieg of his stroke-play left the entire cricket world mesmerised when he struck a blistering 35-ball century for the Rajasthan Royals in an IPL match against the Gujarat Titans earlier this year, making him the fastest Indian centurion in the league’s history. Last month, Suryavanshi smashed an extraordinary 32-ball century for India-A in Doha against the UAE in the tournament. With Chris Gayle’s record of 175 well in his sights, Vaibhav eventually fell for a 42-ball 144 in just the 13th over of the T20 match. His knock included a stunning total of 15 sixes and 11 fours, a total of 26 deliveries off the 42 he faced going to or beyond the boundary, sometimes travelling well beyond the fence.
Abhishek storms to a 32-ball century against Bengal in SMAT
Abhishek Sharma smashed a 32-ball century, playing for Punjab against Bengal in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match in Hyderabad on Sunday. Abhishek, opening the batting with Prabhsimran Singh, got to his fifty in just 12 balls, facing a Bengal bowling attack, headlined by Mohammed Shami and Akash Deep. Punjab chose to bat, and after the 16th over, they had already set a massive target for Bengal, scoring 245 runs for the loss of two wickets. And Punjab captain Abhishek Sharma looks in devastating form as he is unbeaten 144 off 48 deliveries only, hammering eight 4s and sixteen 6s with a whooping strike rate of 300! Akashdeep Singh and Pradipta Pramanik have scalped one wicket each, while Mohammed Shami’s bowling average is miserable. He has given 43 runs in 2.4 overs so far! Abhishek, the world’s number T-20 batsman according to ICC T-20 rankings, last played for India against Australia on 8th November this year in Brisbane, and he became the fastest batsman to have reached the milestone of 1000 runs. The 25-year-old batsman from Amritsar is set to be selected in the Indian team for the five-match T-20 series against South Africa next month. Abhishek faced a lot of criticism for his flop show in Punjab’s second match against Haryana, held on 28th November. He got out for just 6 runs from five balls in the 200+ run chase and then, in the super over, was dismissed for a golden duck by Anshul Kamboj.
Rahul waits for MS Dhoni’s presence in the opening ODI to boost up team and the crowd
KL Rahul, India’s stand-in captain for the upcoming ODI series against South Africa, is waiting for MS Dhoni’s presence at the JSCA International Stadium complex at Ranchi on Sunday. Rahul, during a media conference, could not hide his excitement over the matter as he feels Dhoni’s attendance in Sunday’s opening ODI will not only cheer up the home crowd, will also inspire the Indian team. Rahul commented, “Obviously, we have all played under him. We have all been his fans, and we have also played alongside him. So he is a friend. It is a true happy feeling. Getting an opportunity like this, to know someone as big and as successful as him as an Indian cricketer we have all respected him as a human being as well.” He continued, “So if he comes to watch the match, the excitement for the crowd and for us will increase even more. So yes, we’re happy. If the crowd turns up in big numbers, we will also enjoy playing here. And hopefully, we can win the game, put in a good performance, entertain the crowd, and MS Dhoni will also feel happy that we won,” he added. Since opening in 2013, the JSCA Stadium in Ranchi has hosted six ODIs, four T20Is and three Tests. In addition, it has staged 12 IPL and CLT20 matches. Dhoni has featured in six international matches at the venue and has also attended several others as a spectator. He is expected to be present again for the first ODI, having recently hosted Indian team for dinner at his residence. Rahul said in the pre-match press conference. Rahul added that Dhoni’s presence in the stands would elevate the excitement levels for both the crowd and the players.
Rohit Sharma is on the verge of a ‘big milestone’; set to become the first batsman to hit 650 sixes in international cricket
Ahead of the ODI series against South Africa, Rohit Sharma is on the verge of a big career milestone, heading towards entering 20 thousand runs in international cricket and becoming the first batsman to hit 650 sixes. So far, he has garnered 19,902 runs in 502 matches across all formats, backed by 50 centuries and 109 fifties. Rohit, 38-year-old, is set to become only the 14th batsman in history to achieve this landmark, joining an elite list that already features Indian greats such as Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, and Rahul Dravid. He will have his first opportunity to get there when India take the field in the series opener on Sunday, 30th November at the JSCA Stadium International Complex in Ranchi. Simultaneously, the former Indian captain is also on the brink of creating another significant milestone, becoming the first batsman to smash 650 sixes in international cricket. He has so far hit 642 sixes and needs just eight more maximums to set a new benchmark. No other batsman has even crossed 600 sixes. West Indian star Chris Gayle is in second position in the list as he has hit 553 sixes from 483 matches. All eyes will be on Rohit in the upcoming ODI series, as this will be his first home assignment since February this year. He enters the series in fine form after an impressive outing against Australia, where he amassed 202 runs at an exceptional average of 101.00. His standout moment came in the third ODI, where he smashed an unbeaten 121 off 125 balls, reaffirming his status as one of India’s most reliable and explosive performers.
Ayush Mhatre achieves a historic feat; breaks Rohit Sharma’s 19-year-old record in domestic cricket
Ayush Mhatre became the youngest player to score a century in T-20s, first-class cricket, and List A cricket, surpassing Rohit Sharma’s 19-year-old record. The 18-year-old struck a dazzling 49-ball century in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T-20 match against Vidarbha on Friday. This maiden T20 century helped Mumbai crush Vidarbha by seven wickets at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. At 18 years and 135 days, Mhatre broke Rohit’s old mark of 19 years and 339 days. His 49-ball century included eight sixes and eight fours, showcasing his impressive performance. Adding to his eventful day, Mhatre was also named captain of India’s U19 team for the upcoming Asia Cup on the same day on Friday. Mhatre also led India during a multi-format tour of Australia in September and October. The tournament will be held in Dubai from 12th to 21st December in the 50-over format. The semifinals are scheduled for December 19, with the final set for two days later, on December 21. India will open its campaign against a yet-to-be-confirmed opponent (qualifier) on December 12, before its match against Pakistan on December 14. They will play another qualifier on 16th December.
