He ‘walks the talk’: Zaheer Khan lauds Rohit Sharma’s captaincy

Rohit will be seen in action during India’s five-Test match series against England starting from January 25

Published Date – 22 January 2024, 10:00 PM


He ‘walks the talk’: Zaheer Khan lauds Rohit Sharma’s captaincy

Photo: X

Mumbai: Former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan lauded skipper Rohit Sharma for his captaincy, saying he “walks the talk”.

Rohit will be seen in action during India’s five-Test match series against England starting from January 25.


Speaking on JioCinema, Zaheer said everyone knows of the influence and impact that Rohit has had on the whole group.

“He talks about communication. He gives enough confidence to every player and brings out the best in them. That has been the hallmark of his captaincy and he leads from the front as seen in the World Cup. He walks the talk. When you have a leader walking the talk, it gives you better efficiency within the whole group. So, I think he is a proven leader,” said Zaheer.

The pacer went on to point out that since Rohit has played as an opener in Tests, he has got some brilliant centuries in tough conditions, most notably in England, where he left the ball well whenever needed. Zaheer also said that Rohit will have to work things out about rotating players in the five-match series and get the maximum out of all players available.

“Since the time Rohit has been an opener in Tests, he has scored some brilliant hundreds in the toughest of conditions. You have seen him adapt nicely in England when it came to leaving the ball. He said that he had worked a lot on it. You have seen that in Chennai when he played a match-defining knock. Winning the toss, batting first and getting the opposition completely out in the first innings and being instrumental in that is something which gives satisfaction to any player, playing at the highest level,” said Zaheer.

“So, he has had that kind of impact as well. You will see something on those lines in this series. It is a five-Test series so there will be a lot on his mind, not just as a batter but also as a leader. He has to work it out with Rahul Dravid and the selectors to see how he can rotate players. Both teams will be looking to do that because a five-Test series brings its own challenges and you got to be staying on top of that tactically, planning about the resources that are more useful in which conditions and get the maximum impact from every individual,” he added.

Rohit has a fine record against England, scoring 747 runs in 17 innings and nine Tests at an average of 49.80, with two centuries and three fifties. His best score is 161.

The Indian skipper is strong in Indian conditions, having scored 2,002 runs in 24 Tests at an average of 66.73, with eight centuries and six fifties in 36 innings. His best score is 212. In 29 Tests as an opener, Rohit has scored 2,152 runs in 45 innings at an average of 51.23, with seven centuries and six fifties.

During England’s last tour to India back in 2021, Rohit scored 345 runs in four Tests at an average of 57.50, with a century and fifty in seven innings. His best score was 161.
During his last competitive cricket outing, the recent T20I series against Afghanistan this month, Rohit scored two ducks before launching Afghanistan bowlers all over the park for 121* in 69 balls, with 11 fours and eight sixes.

Wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel has received a maiden call-up for the Indian Test squad for the first two Tests. However, injured star pacer Mohammed Shami, who continues to recover from his injury, was not named in the squad. India batter Ishan Kishan, who had asked for a break previously during the South Africa tour and Afghanistan T20Is, was not included in the squad.

Rohit will lead the team, with star pacer Jasprit Bumrah taking up the role of vice-captain.

India has added three wicketkeepers, KL Rahul, KS Bharat and Dhruv Jurel, to the squad.

India named four spinners–Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav–in the Test squad for the first two matches.

Avesh Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mukesh Kumar are also part of the 16-member squad.

The middle-order positions are occupied by Virat Kohli, Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Shubman Gill in the batting lineup.

Squad for first two Tests against England: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC) and Avesh Khan.

David Warner wishes Indians on Ram Mandir Prana Pratishtha ceremony; wins hearts

Warner, former Sunrisers Hyderabad player, extended wishes to the people of India, as he wrote along with a picture of Lord Ram on Instagram, “Jai Sri Ram INDIA.”

Published Date – 22 January 2024, 10:00 PM


David Warner wishes Indians on Ram Mandir Prana Pratishtha ceremony; wins hearts


Hyderabad: Australian cricketer and World Cup winner David Warner joined crores of Indians in celebrating the consecration of Ayodhya Ram Temple on Monday.

Warner, former Sunrisers Hyderabad player, extended wishes to the people of India, as he wrote along with a picture of Lord Ram on Instagram, “Jai Sri Ram INDIA.”


The post garnered lots of praises from Indian Instagram users with one user commenting, “Give him an aadhar card. He is a True Indian citizen.” “We Indians Respect To you Man. JAY shree Ram (sic),” wrote another Instagram user.

The consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya was held on Monday and Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with other celebrities including politicians, actors and sportsmen attended the rituals. The ceremony was attended by more than 7,000 people, as per reports.

Australian Open: Alcaraz reaches maiden quarters, sets up showdown against Zverev

The No. 2-seeded Carlos Alcaraz beat Miomir Kecmanovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-0 in less than two hours

Published Date – 22 January 2024, 07:07 PM


Australian Open: Alcaraz reaches maiden quarters, sets up showdown against Zverev

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz hits a return against Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic during their men’s singles match on day nine of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne. (Photo by Paul Crock / AFP)

Melbourne: Carlos Alcaraz completed a Grand Slam set by reaching the Australian Open quarterfinals for the first time, setting up a showdown against Olympic champion Alexander Zverev.

The 20-year-old Wimbledon champion missed the season-opening major in 2023 because of injury but is more than making up for lost time. The No. 2-seeded Alcaraz beat Miomir Kecmanovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-0 in less than two hours Monday to open the night session on Rod Laver Arena. He has dropped just one set en route to the last eight.


Zverev is there for the third time but is coming off some long five-set wins, including a four-hour, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (3) fourth-round victory over No. 19 Cameron Norrie. It was the 32nd five-set match so far at Melbourne Park, a tournament record in the Open era.

Their match on Margaret Court Arena was prolonged after being delayed briefly when a protester threw anti-war pamphlets onto the back of the court in the third set. The protester was escorted out by security. No. 3 Daniil Medvedev, a two-time Australian Open runner-up, beat No. 69-ranked Nuno Borges 6-3, 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-1 and will next face No. 9 Hubert Hurkacz, who ended the run of French wild-card entry Arthur Cazaux 7-6 (6), 7-6 (3), 6-4.

While the highly-ranked players continue to advance in the men’s draw, the seeded players keep toppling out on the women’s side. And that has opened opportunities for Dayana Yastremska and Linda Noskova to advance to the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time.

Yastremska beat the 18th-seeded Victoria Azarenka 7-6 (6), 6-4, a two-time Australian Open champion, and No. 23-seeded Elina Svitolina had to retire after hurting her back when she was trailing Noskova 3-0. Anna Kalinskaya beat No. 26 Jasmine Paolini 6-4, 6-2 in a later match.

Azarenka served for the first set twice and had two set points at 6-5 but couldn’t convert them. Yastremska was down a break in the second but rallied to win six of the last seven games.

There was no handshake, as is the convention between Ukrainian players and opponents from Russia and Belarus. The first game of the Noskova-Svitolina match lasted 11 minutes and contained 20 points. Noskova broke serve and held for 2-0 before Svitolina had a timeout and received treatment on her lower back.

When she resumed, the Ukrainian’s serve speed was well down and her movement appeared compromised. After being broken for a second time and holding back tears, Svitolina shook Noskova’s hand and retired. The 19-year-old Noskova beat top-ranked Iga Swiatek in the third round and now is the youngest player to reach the Australian Open women’s singles quarterfinals since 2008.

Sreenidh Deccan teams record big wins in U-13 category of HotFut Youth League

SDFC Panthers downed USFC 7-1 and Sporthood Lions 7-2 while SDFC Snipers crushed GNFC 13-0 and Hotfut B 11-0 for domininating victories

Published Date – 22 January 2024, 06:45 PM


Sreenidh Deccan teams record big wins in U-13 category of HotFut Youth League

SDFC Panthers downed USFC 7-1 and Sporthood Lions 7-2 while SDFC Snipers crushed GNFC 13-0 and Hotfut B 11-0 for domininating victories

Hyderabad: Sreenidhi Deccan Football Club teams Panthers and Snipers recorded big wins to occupy top two spots in the under-13 category of the Apollo Tyres HotFut Youth League, in Hyderabad on Sunday.

SDFC Panthers downed USFC 7-1 and Sporthood Lions 7-2 while SDFC Snipers crushed GNFC 13-0 and Hotfut B 11-0 for domininating victories.


Results: U-13: SDFC Panthers bt USFC 7-1; Sporthood Lions bt USFC 9-1; SDFC Panthers bt Sporthood Lions 7-2; SDFC Snipers bt GNFC 13-0; SDFC Snipers bt HotFut B 11-0; HotFut A bt Sporthood Rangers 9-1; PJR FC bt GNFC 9-1; Abbas union bt Sporthood Rangers 4-2; Aspire FA bt HotFut B 12-0; PJR FC bt HotFut C 13-1; Aspire FA bt HotFut A 4-2; Abbas union bt HotFut C 9-0;

U-15: HotFut A drew with USFC Panthers 2-2; Ronz FC bt USFC Panthers 2-2; PJR FC bt HotFut A 9-1; Ronz FC bt Little Stars FA 4-3; Little Stars FA drew with PJR FC 2-2; Abbas union bt GNFC 6-2; Abbas union bt USFC Bullets 6-1; USFC Blasters bt GNFC 8-0; FC Brawlers bt USFC Bullets 7-0; USFC Blasters bt Aspire FA 4-2; Aspire FA bt HotFut B 11-1; FC Brawlers bt HotFut B 10-0.

Telangana boxer Hussamuddin in Indian team for Paris Olympics qualification tournament

Nizamabad boxer Mohammad Hussamuddin had underwent surgery last year and made a return to the ring recently

Published Date – 22 January 2024, 06:03 PM


Telangana boxer Hussamuddin in Indian team for Paris Olympics qualification tournament

Mohammad Hussamuddin. File Photo.

Hyderabad: Nizamabad boxer Mohammad Hussamuddin, who was out with a knee injury for most of the last year, returned to Indian team that will compete in the first qualification for the Paris Olympics, scheduled to be held in Busto Arsizio, Italy from February 29 to March 12.

The 2022 Worlds bronze medal winner had underwent surgery last year and made a return to the ring recently. Meanwhile, World Championships bronze medallists Deepak Bhoria and Nishant Dev have also made the cut.


Six-time Asian Championships medallist Shiva Thapa (63.5kg) and 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze winner Jaismine Lamboria (60kg) were also named in the nine-member Indian squad announced by the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) on Monday. Apart from Deepak (51kg), who once again pipped 2019 World Championships silver medallist Amit Panghal based on BFI’s evaluation process, and Nishant (71kg), 2022 Worlds bronze winner Mohammad Hussamuddin (57kg), who was out with a knee injury for most of last year, makes a return.

The country’s women pugilists have already secured four quotas for the Paris Olympics with Nikhat Zareen (50kg), Preeti (54kg), Parveen Hooda (57kg), and Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) confirming their berths with impressive performances at the Asian Games.

Youth women’s world champion Ankushita Boro (66kg), reigning national champions Lakshya Chahar (80kg), Sanjeet Kumar (92kg), Hangzhou Asian Games bronze medallist Narender Berwal ( 92kg) have also been included, and they will fight for Paris Games quotas in their respective categories.

The players have been selected after a comprehensive evaluation process, conducted by the high-performance unit based on various performance parameters. “Our aim is to maximise India’s participation at the Paris Olympic Games 2024 and to achieve that, we have undertaken a thorough and careful selection process for the first World Qualification Tournament,” BFI Secretary General Hemanta Kalita said.

The Indian Squad: Women: Jaismine (60kg), Ankushta Boro (66kg). Men: Deepak Bhoria (51kg), Md Hussamuddin (57kg), Shiva Thapa (63.5kg), Nishant Dev (71kg), Lakshya Chahar 80kg, Sanjeet (92kg), Narender ( 92kg).

Hyderabad Women beat Gajwel FC 3-0 in Khelo India Women’s U-17 Football league

Sushmitha scored two goals while Nainika added one as their side Hyderabad Women defeated Gajwel FC 3-0 in the Telangana Football Association’s Khelo India Women’s Under-17 Football league

Published Date – 22 January 2024, 06:30 PM


Hyderabad Women beat Gajwel FC 3-0 in Khelo India Women’s U-17 Football league

Sushmitha scored two goals while Nainika added one as their side Hyderabad Women defeated Gajwel FC 3-0 in the Telangana Football Association’s Khelo India Women’s Under-17 Football league

Hyderabad: Sushmitha scored two goals while Nainika added one as their side Hyderabad Women defeated Gajwel FC 3-0 in the Telangana Football Association’s Khelo India Women’s Under-17 Football league, at the MJPBCWRSJDE College, Gajwel, on Monday.

In another match, Nandini scored twice to power her side Deccan Dynamos to a crushing 4-0 win over Twin Cities FC.


Results: Hyderabad Women 3 (Sushmitha 2, Nainika 1)) bt Gajwel FC 0; Care Football Academy 1 (Eshitha) bt Telangana Sports School 0; Deccan Dynamos (Nandini 2, Sai Varshitha 1, Anusha 1) 4 bt Twin Cities FC 0.

Hyderabad emerge champions at All India U-19 T20 Cricket Championship

Riding on Abhinav’s 77-run knock and Madhav’s 3/20 bowling figures, Hyderabad defeated CFI by just one wicket in the final to clinch the 43rd Rajiv Gandhi All India Under-19 T20 Cricket Championship

Published Date – 22 January 2024, 06:15 PM


Hyderabad emerge champions at All India U-19 T20 Cricket Championship

Hyderabad team receiving the winners trophy after defeating CFI in final.

Hyderabad: Riding on Abhinav’s 77-run knock and Madhav’s 3/20 bowling figures, Hyderabad defeated CFI by just one wicket in the final to clinch the 43rd Rajiv Gandhi All India Under-19 T20 Cricket Championship at the LB Stadium in Hyderabad on Monday.

Batting first, CFI were all out after posting 154 with Arsh Kabid top-scoring with a 49-run knock. For Hyderabad, Madhav scalped three while Prem Manohar and Madhuveer took two wickets each.


Chasing the target, Hyderabad lost nine wickets before reaching home in 19.3 overs. For CFI, Ashish Rai took four wickets.

Later, Thummala Nageshwar Rao, Minister of Roads and BC Buildings, Government of Telangana, V Hanumantha Rao, G Vinod Kumar, Srikanth Goud and others presented the trophy to the winning team.

Brief Scores: Final: CFI 154 (Arsh Kabir 49, Ashish Rai 44; Madhav 3/20, Prem Manohar 2/15, Madhuveer 2/ 29) lost to Hyderabad 157/9 19.3 overs (Abhinav 77, Madhu 35; Ashish Rai 4/27, Arch Kabir 2/13).
Awards: Man of the Match Final: N Madhav (Hyd); Best All-rounder: Arsh Kabir (CFI); Best Batter: M Abhinav (Hyd); Best Bowler: Madhuveer Reddy (Hyd); Best Fielder: Ashish Rai (CFI); Best Wicketkeeper: Samahi Saifudden (Sri Lanka).

England spinner of Pakistani origin Shoaib Bashir’s arrival in India for Test series delayed due to visa issues

Bashir, who plays for Somerset in England’s domestic cricket circuit, is of Pakistani heritage and is the only member from the Test side facing paperwork issues.

Published Date – 22 January 2024, 06:10 PM


England spinner of Pakistani origin Shoaib Bashir’s arrival in India for Test series delayed due to visa issues

Photo: ESPN

Hyderabad: England’s first practice session at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Monday began without uncapped off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, who is still in the UAE due to visa issues delaying his arrival in India.

Bashir, who plays for Somerset in England’s domestic cricket circuit, is of Pakistani heritage and is the only member from the Test side facing paperwork issues. Dan Lawrence, named as Harry Brook’s replacement, is expected to arrive in Hyderabad on Monday night.


Head coach Brendon McCullum insisted Bashir will be available for selection ahead of the opening Test on January 25. “Bash will join us hopefully tomorrow as well. He’s got a couple of issues with his visa coming through. We’re confident on the back of the help from the BCCI and the Indian government that (the issue) will sort itself out pretty quickly as well.”

“Things take time, don’t they? Everyone is doing what they can. It’s a process we need to go through. We’re pretty confident that we’re close. The time that Bash had with the squad over in Abu Dhabi, where he fitted in seamlessly, will serve him greatly,” he said.

“We’ve also got a little bit of support out there for him so he’s not on his own. We’re hoping the news will come through today that his visa has been approved, then we’ll get him to sink his teeth into this series,” said McCullum to reporters.

Speaking about the status of skipper Ben Stokes, who underwent surgery to solve a left knee problem in November last year, McCullum said the all-rounder should be good to go for the series opener against India. Stokes trained with the England squad during their camp in Abu Dhabi but is not expected to shoulder bowling duties in the five-match Test series.

“He looks like a greyhound. He’s put the work in, everyone knows his work ethic is phenomenal. I’ve seen him running around and I think he’s good to go. We’ll obviously make that call as late as we need to. But he’s put all the work in, and we’ll just have to wait and see.”

McCullum also offered his support to Brook, who flew back home after withdrawing from Tests against India on Sunday due to personal reasons. “Obviously our thoughts are with Harry and his family, it’s a tough time. It’s a privileged position to play cricket for a living but some things are more important than that.”

“There’s a chance he may return later in the tour but for now we just want him to be with his family and do his thing. We’ll just keep talking. When he says he might be ready, when that conversation starts to happen, cool. If that doesn’t happen then that’s OK as well.”

England last won a Test series in India 12 years ago, where Alastair Cook was the captain and spinners Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar, along with Kevin Pietersen played leading roles in the 2-1 triumph.

In the 2021 tour, England had won the opening Test in Chennai but lost the next three games to lose the series 3-1. England are yet to lose a Test series under the Stokes-McCullum leadership group, but the tour of India will be the toughest challenge of their regime so far.

“That’s what I love about this series – we are going to be tested, and our methods are going to be challenged and we’ll see where we are at. It’s a pretty exciting opportunity. In the end, all you’re trying to do is get guys in the frame of mind where they’re totally present at the moment, they feel 10 feet tall and bulletproof when they walk out to play.”

“Then it’s allowing their skills and their talents to come out, make quick assessments of what they need to do at the moment. We’ve got to take 20 wickets with the ball in each Test match and we’ve got to get one more run than them with the bat. It’s not rocket science but it will be the nuances of the game, when to stick and when to twist which will be the fascinating part,” concluded McCullum.

Iranian climber achieves historic summit in Antarctica

The challenging expedition was led by the experienced Nepali climber and expedition leader, Jangbu Sherpa.

Sherpa, aged 42, is not only a Nepali climber but also an international mountain guide. He has successfully summited Everest five times, as well as Lhotse and Dhaulagiri. 

A leading figure in the third generation of Iranian elite climbers, Aziznia has been focusing on summiting high-altitude mountains outside Iran, particularly in the Himalayas and South America. 

It’s noteworthy that the first Iranian woman to climb Vinson Massif in Antarctica is Sara Safari.

AMK/IRIB4129936

Virat Kohli not to play England Test in Hyderabad, pulls out of first two games citing personal reasons

All the Kohli fans eager to see the batter play in Hyderabad, will need to wait to witness his masterclass, as King Kohli has withdrawn from the first two Test matches citing personal reasons, confirmed BCCI.

Updated On – 22 January 2024, 03:34 PM


Virat Kohli not to play England Test in Hyderabad, pulls out of first two games citing personal reasons

Virat Kohli

Hyderabad: In a huge disappoint for Virat Kohli fans in Hyderabad, the star Indian batsman will not be part of the playing XI in first Test match (to be played in the city) of the 5-match series against England.

All the Kohli fans eager to see the batter play in Hyderabad, will need to wait to witness his masterclass, as King Kohli has withdrawn from the first two Test matches citing personal reasons, confirmed the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) on Monday.


In an official release, the BCCI has said that Virak Kohli has spoken to captain Rohit Sharma, the team management and the selectors that there were some personal situations which demanded his presence.

The cricket board said that his decision would be respected. “The BCCI respects his decision and the Board and team management extends its support to him,” said a release.

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli is present at Ayodhya on Monday for the consecration of Ram Mandir.