Sport

India retain pride in defeat after tournament to remember

Published

1 year ago

November 20, 2023

(Last Updated On: )

India coach Rahul Dravid says he is exceptionally proud of all of his players, singling out captain Rohit Sharma for particular praise, after the team’s run to the final of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.

India won 10 straight matches to reach the final on home soil, but were beaten on the day by an Australian side who delivered in all facets of the game to run out winners by six wickets.

But India’s head coach was still full of pride in his team’s efforts across the whole campaign.

“We ran a really good campaign,” Dravid said. “I’m really proud of the boys, the way we played right through this tournament, the kind of cricket we played, just the quality of cricket that we played right through this tournament, I thought was quite exceptional. So really proud of the efforts, proud of everything that we gave.

“Just at the last step in the final we probably didn’t have our best game and credit to Australia. My congratulations to them. They played really well on the day and they were better than us.”

Captain Rohit finished the campaign as the second-highest scorer, setting the tone at the top of the innings.

And out on the field his captaincy was notably excellent, with Dravid saying that he couldn’t have asked for any more from his skipper.

“I think he’s been an exceptional leader,” the coach said. “You know, Rohit’s really led this team fantastically well, I think he’s certainly got the dressing room. I just think he’s given so much of his time and energy in the dressing room to the boys.

“He’s always been available for any of our conversations, any of our meetings. Sometimes there’s been a lot of planning, a lot of strategy that goes in. He’s always committed to those things. He’s given a lot of his personal time, energy into this campaign.

“And his batting as well, I thought it was fantastic, the way he set the tone for us. We knew that we wanted to play a certain way. We wanted to play a positive attacking brand of cricket. And he was very committed to doing that. And he wanted to lead by example. And I thought right through the tournament, he was quite superb in doing that. I just can’t speak more highly of him as a person and as a leader.”

A disappointing slide with the bat saw India go from 80/2 after the Powerplay in the final to 240 all out, struggling to unleash the shackles against an Australian bowling attack that kept things extremely tight during the middle overs.

Dravid said it wasn’t necessarily a tactic for India to slow down the tempo to the extent that they did, pointing to Australia’s excellence with the ball and the loss of wickets at key times as the reason that his team fell short of a target that would have been more competitive on the day.

“In hindsight, I think we fell about 30-40 runs short. It’s not that we were looking to bat it out. I thought they bowled well through that period. I thought it just felt like the ball was stopping in the afternoon a little bit more than it did in the evening. And not that there was a lot of dew, to be honest, but just felt like the ball came on to the bat a lot better in the evening,” Dravid added.

“We were rotating the strike, but we weren’t able to hit those boundaries. And yeah, there was a conscious effort to try and take the game deep, but we kept losing wickets. We just lost wickets just when we felt that we built a partnership and we can start going. We lost a wicket, we lost Virat (Kohli), then we lost Jaddu (Jadeja) and then we lost (KL) Rahul. So, we just kept losing wickets at critical intervals and probably felt that we were about 40 runs short.

“I mean, I know in the end it looked like they would have chased even 40 runs more. But if we had got to 280, 290, and they were 60 for 3, then it might have been a very different game.”

India’s wait for victory at a major men’s ICC event goes on, with their 2011 Cricket World Cup triumph and 2013 ICC Champions Trophy success now seeming a very long time ago.

But, in contrast to some of the nation’s previous losses, Dravid says this defeat was not a case of the occasion or pressure getting to the team.

“I didn’t feel at any stage going into this game that there were any nerves or the guys were intimidated by the game or they were concerned about the game. I think they were looking forward to it. We were excited about the game,” he said.

“I thought there was energy and the mental space the boys were in leading into this particular game was spot-on was terrific. Just on the day we probably didn’t execute, and Australia played better than us.”

As for Dravid’s future, he refused to be drawn on the subject at this stage.

“I was completely focused on this campaign, focused on this World Cup, and there was nothing else on my mind. And I haven’t given any other thought to what happens in the future,” the coach said.

India’s men return to action in just four days’ time for a T20I series against Australia.

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IPL 2025: Batters in race for prestigious Orange Cap

Last season, Virat Kohli reclaimed the Orange Cap, scoring 741 runs in 15 matches, to become only the third player to win the Orange Cap multiple times.

Published

2 days ago

April 2, 2025

Ariana News

(Last Updated On: )

With IPL 2025 in full swing, the battle for the Orange Cap is intensifying with Lucknow Super Giants’ Nicholas Pooran currently leading the way with 189 runs from three matches.

The Orange Cap is awarded to the highest run-scorer of the season, making it one of the most prestigious individual accolades in the Indian Premier League.

As the season unfolds, the race for the IPL 2025 Orange Cap will continue to add an extra layer of excitement to the IPL with some of the world’s best batters vying for the top spot.

In second place currently is Punjab Kings’ Shreyas Iyer with 149 runs, followed by Gujarat Titans’ Sai Sudharsan with 137.

Starting from the inaugural IPL season in 2008, the Orange Cap has been claimed by some of the finest batters in cricket.

The first-ever recipient was Australian opener Shaun Marsh, who amassed 616 runs for Kings XI Punjab. Over the years, the list of Orange Cap holders has included modern-day greats like Chris Gayle, David Warner and Virat Kohli.

Among the most remarkable Orange Cap-winning performances, Kohli’s record-breaking 973-run campaign in IPL 2016 remains unparalleled. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru talisman registered four centuries in the IPL that season, setting a benchmark.

Kohli’s tally for the 2016 season is still the record for most runs scored by a player in a single IPL season and the only time any batter has breached the 900-mark in the T20 competition. Shubman Gill, with 890 in IPL 2023, has come the closest.

Chris Gayle meanwhile is the only batter to win the Orange Cap in successive seasons – 2011 and 2012.

David Warner however holds the distinction of winning the Orange Cap three times (2015, 2017, 2019), the most by any player in IPL history.

Last season, Virat Kohli reclaimed the Orange Cap, scoring 741 runs in 15 matches, to become only the third player to win the Orange Cap multiple times.

Only two players in IPL history – Robin Uthappa in 2014 with Kolkata Knight Riders and Ruturaj Gaikwad in 2021 with Chennai Super Kings – have managed to win both the Orange Cap and the IPL trophy in the same season.

In the 17 completed IPL seasons so far, Indians have staked claim on the Orange Cap seven times while Australians have held the honour on six occasions.

The legendary Sachin Tendulkar, in 2010, was the first Indian to win the IPL Orange Cap after Marsh and Matthew Hayden, both Australians, claimed the prize in the first two editions.

Wednesday’s Match

On Wednesday April 2, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will meet Gujarat Titans at the Chinnaswamy. The action is set to begin at 6:30 pm and the match will be broadcast live across Afghanistan on Ariana Television.

Key players to look out for in the RCB vs GT match are undoubtedly Virat Kohli for RCB;

Virat Kohli is a key player for RCB tonight, given his solid form this IPL season. In two matches, he has scored 59* and 31, averaging 90 with a strike rate of 136.36. His consistency at the top sets the tone for the innings, and his ability to pace the chase or build partnerships is unmatched.

Also Read | RCB vs GT Prediction: Who’ll win today’s Bengaluru vs Gujarat IPL match?

With over 8,000 IPL runs, 56 fifties and 276 sixes in his career, Kohli’s experience and temperament make him RCB’s anchor.

Shubman Gill is also one to watch out for as he remains Gujarat Titans’ most dependable batter and captain. With 71 runs from two games in IPL 2025 and a strike rate of 173.17, he’s leading from the front. His 33 off just 14 balls against PBKS showed raw intent, and 38 off 27 vs MI gave GT a solid start.

Sai Sudharsan is another player to keep one’s eye on. With his dream start to IPL 2025, he has already made headlines. With scores of 74 (41) and 63 (41) in his first two matches, the left-hander has stacked up 137 runs at a whopping average of 68.50 and a strike rate of 167.07. His consistency at the top gives Gujarat Titans the firepower they need.

Rashid Khan is yet another cricketing great who remains a key asset for Gujarat Titans, thanks to his all-round contributions. Though he has only picked up 1 wicket in IPL 2025 so far, his career record speaks volumes. He has claimed 150 wickets at an impressive average of 22.07 and an economy of 6.86.

Rashid’s ability to control the game in the middle overs makes him a match-winner with the ball. While his batting returns in 2025 have been minimal (6 runs in 2 matches), he still carries a career strike rate of 161.58, proving he’s a handy lower-order hitter.

Cricket fans in Afghanistan can watch all matches exclusively and live on Ariana Television. Tune in today from 6pm to watch what will undoubtedly be another cracker of a game.

Sport

IPL 2025: Gujarat Titans beat Mumbai Indians by 36 runs

In today’s fixtures, Delhi Capitals will face Sunrisers Hyderabad in Visakhapatnam at 3:30 PM, while Rajasthan Royals will take on Chennai Super Kings in Guwahati at 7:30 PM.

Published

5 days ago

March 30, 2025

Ariana News

(Last Updated On: )

Gujarat Titans have beaten Mumbai Indians by 36 runs at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad. Chasing 197 runs Mumbai could only manage to get to 160/6. Prasidh Krishna was the pick of the bowlers with two wickets for the Titans.

Earlier Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to bowl first. Sai Sudharsan chipped in with 41-ball 63 which helped Titans to put on a decent total on what seemed like a tricky surface.

In reply, Mumbai Indians could only score 160 for the loss of 6 wickets in 20 overs, with Suryakumar Yadav top-scoring with 48 off 28 balls. For Gujarat, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna claimed two wickets each.

With the result, Titans have registered their first win of the tournament while Mumbai after two games remain winless.

In today’s fixtures, Delhi Capitals will face Sunrisers Hyderabad in Visakhapatnam at 3:30 PM, while Rajasthan Royals will take on Chennai Super Kings in Guwahati at 7:30 PM.

Ariana Television will again broadcast this match live and exclusively across Afghanistan. Fans can tune in from 2:30 PM Kabul time.

Sport

De Kock fireworks see Kolkata thrash Rajasthan in IPL

Published

1 week ago

March 27, 2025

Ariana News

(Last Updated On: )

Spinners Moeen Ali and Varun Chakravarthy combined to help restrict Rajasthan to 151-9 after KKR elected to field first in Guwahati.

De Kock bossed the chase with his 61-ball innings laced with eight fours and six sixes as Kolkata achieved their target with 15 balls to spare.

De Kock, who has retired from Tests and one-day international cricket for South Africa and whose T20 international future remains uncertain, showed no signs of rustiness.

“To be fair, haven’t felt any challenges yet,” De Kock said.

“Have had three months off which felt nice. Had about a 10-day build-up to this season. Only my second game here, just taking it as I see it.”

Kolkata signed De Kock in November’s auction after he was released by Lucknow Super Giants.
He handed his team a quick start, hitting two fours but then lost opening partner Moeen, run out for five.

Skipper Ajinkya Rahane fell after a brisk 18 but De Kock stood firm and along with impact substitute Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who made 22, steered the team home in an unbeaten stand of 83.

De Kock finished with a six off Jofra Archer as Kolkata bounced back from their opening loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Rajasthan suffered their second straight loss.

Earlier, Kolkata fast bowler Vaibhav Arora dismissed Sanju Samson, bowled for 13, and Chakravarthy and Moeen soon took two wickets each.
Wicketkeeper Samson is Rajasthan’s regular captain but has been forced to play only as a batter in the first three matches due to an injury.

Chakravarthy, who starred in India’s recent Champions Trophy triumph, got stand-in-skipper Riyan Parag out caught behind for 25.

Former England all-rounder Moeen, in for the unwell Sunil Narine, stifled the opposition with his off-spin and was rewarded with the wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal for 29.

The 37-year-old and Chakravarthy both struck again as Rajasthan slipped to 82-5 in 11 overs.

Wickets kept tumbling for Rajasthan and despite wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurel’s 33 and 16 from Archer, they settled for a below-par total.
“I think 170 was a reasonable score but we fell short by 20 runs,” said Parag. “The plan was to get Quinny out early but he didn’t so we shifted to containing them in the middle overs.”

Arora and fellow quick Harshit Rana also took two wickets each.

Kolkata, under Shreyas Iyer who is now Punjab Kings captain after a $3.17 million move in the auction, won their third IPL title last year.

The seventh match of the day will see Sunrisers Hyderabad play Lucknow Super Giants. The live broadcast of this match, on Ariana Television, will start at 6:15pm.