Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj, who is a part of the playing combination that is facing the West Indies in the ongoing ODI series, opened up about the emotions that he went through after India clinched a thrilling victory in the second ODI on Sunday, 24 July. After chasing down a huge score of 312, the visitors won the game by two wickets with two balls remaining.

With Shai Hope smashing a beautiful hundred earlier in the first innings, West Indies batters had a blast on the field. His innings included eight fours and three sixes, as he notched up 115 runs off 135 deliveries. Skipper Nicholas Pooran was great support on the field as he joined him in power-hitting and scored 74 runs in his tenure.

The Indian innings in response got off to a poor start, and by the time of the 18th over, Shubman Gill, Shikhar Dhawan, and Suryakumar Yadav had departed. Sanju Samson and Shreyas Iyer, though, formed a potent alliance that shifted the game in India’s favor. Iyer eventually scored 63 runs, while Samson amassed 54.

Axar Patel assumed the role of the finisher after the duo left the field and led India to victory with brilliant innings of an unbeaten 64 runs off of 35 balls. In a video posted by the BCCI on Twitter, Siraj, who was at the other end when Patel struck the winning runs, and finished off the game in style with a six, spoke candidly about the triumph.

We all had the self-belief: Mohammed Siraj

“Oh my god, don’t ask brother. Emotions were running high, Axar Patel was pumped up, we all had the self-belief, even I had the belief of hitting a six but me taking a single was more sensible,” said Siraj.

Reactions from the dugout and change room as @akshar2026 sealed the ODI series in style 😎👏#TeamIndia #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/ZB8B6CMEbP

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 25, 2022

India’s hunt for a series white-wash

Win the resounding win, India clinched the ODI series with a match to spare. The final game will be played on July 27 as visitors India would aim to white-wash the series against West Indies on their home soil. The two teams will then play a five-match T20I series, the first three of which will be hosted by the Caribbean nation. The two teams will move to Florida for the final two T20Is.

In the last one-and-a-half decade or so, many batters have come up with innovative cricketing shots including the paddle scoop, switch hit, etc. Among them, there is a famous shot named the ‘Dilscoop’ which was introduced by the former Sri Lankan batting all-rounder Tillakaratne Dilshan. This is a no-look shot which is played by going down on one knee and making an attempt to ensure that it successfully beats the wicketkeeper to find the boundary.

However, promising Indian batter Shubman Gill got this shot horribly wrong in the second One Day International against the West Indies at Port of Spain in Trinidad on Sunday, July 24. While he did make a good attempt at going for the Dilscoop, he could not execute it properly which led to his downfall.

Shubman Gill needlessly loses his wicket after a good start

This happened in the 16th over of India’s stiff run chase of 312. On the fourth delivery bowled by Kyle Mayers, the batter attempted to execute the premeditated ‘Dilscoop’. He tried to play this shot by shuffling across the stumps. Unfortunately for him, a lack of timing meant that it was an unsuccessful attempt as the ball went straight back to the bowler who made no mistake in completing a return catch as a dejected Gill stood in disbelief before taking a long walk back to the pavilion.

Watch Shubman Gill’s awkward dismissal here:

Shubman Gill dismissal 😂🤣#WIvsIND #ShubmanGill

pic.twitter.com/noCV1tdQLZ

— CRICKET VIDEOS🏏 (@Abdullah__Neaz) July 24, 2022

This was a case of yet another wasted opportunity for Shubman Gill. The youngster needlessly ran himself out in the first game for a 53-ball 64 and even here he failed to capitalize after being well-set at the crease. He scored 43 runs off 49 balls including five fours and looked in great nick before this innovative shot cost him his wicket.

Even though India’s score read 66/2 after Gill’s dismissal, middle-order sensation Shreyas Iyer ensured that the visitors did not press the panic button from there on as he went on to score 63. He even got good support from wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson (54). Nonetheless, the star of the Indian run chase was Axar Patel who brilliantly held on to his nerves and came out on top scoring an unbeaten 64 off 35 deliveries as the Men in Blue crossed the finish line by two wickets in the final over to seal the ODI series.

India clinched an unprecedented 12th successive bilateral series victory against West Indies in a thrilling finish in the second ODI in Trinidad on Sunday, 24th of July. Axar Patel left the viewers gobsmacked with his scintillating power-hitting in the death overs of the match as India got over the line with two balls to spare. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, who has been rested for the series, appreciated his compatriots’ innings via a post on Twitter.

Axar Patel helped India record the third-highest chase in ODIs in the Caribbean as the Men in Blue scored 100 runs in the final ten overs. The Indian all-rounder entered the arena with India 205/5 in the 39th over and turned the match on its head with his maiden ODI half-century in just 27 deliveries. During his 64-run whirlwind innings, the southpaw sent five maximums out of the ground, the most by an Indian batter at no.7 or lower, breaking MS Dhoni’s 17-year-old record of three sixes.

The all-rounder’s outstanding match-winning knock garnered him the player of the match award and was praised by many cricketers and ex-cricketers on social media. India’s regular skipper Rohit Sharma, who has been rested for the ODI series, was also in awe of the Gujarati-born cricketer’s astounding innings and wrote a message for him in his Twitter post. His post read, “Woah that was some performance from team India last night. Bapu badhu Saru che @akshar2026 @bcci.“

Woah 🤯 that was some performance from team India last night. Bapu badhu Saru che @akshar2026 @bcci

— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) July 25, 2022

All-round Axar sink Nicholas Pooran’s West Indies

Earlier in the match, Axar helped India restrict the hosts to 311/6 as he returned with figures of 40/1 in his nine overs, the most economical of the Indian bowlers. And when the team needed his batting expertise during the mammoth chase, the all-rounder justified his selection in the squad with his 35-balls 64 and showed no signs of nerves while batting with the tail in a tense few final overs. 

With six runs required of the last three balls, the 28-year-old smashed Kyle Mayers for a towering six straight over his head to finish off the run chase in nonchalant style as India broke Pakistan’s record of most successive bilateral series wins against a side.

Indian spinner Yuzvendra Chahal made an epic comeback with his very popular ‘Chahal TV’, which is very much liked by cricket fans, especially the Indian cricket fans, where the 32-year-old shares some hilarious moments with his teammates and pulls their legs. This time Chahal had with him Axar Patel, the match winner from the second ODI against West Indies, and Avesh Khan, the debutant of the second ODI.

It was a memorable outing for the duo as Avesh Khan received his ODI cap and represented the nation for the first time in this format. As for Patel, he played a match-winning knock and shined with an unbeaten 35-ball 64* runs as India clinched the victory from the jaws of defeat to end the game in a nail-biting thriller.

In the video shared by the BCCI on Twitter, Chahal asked Patel about the final over, where the all-rounder hit a humungous six and finished off the game in style by chasing down the target of 312 runs, with two balls to spare, thereby registering India’s highest successful run chase in West Indies. Chahal, in his quirky style, said-

“Bapu, a six in the last over. I bit all my nails sitting outside (dugout) because the pressure was so high. I wasn’t under this much pressure even during my wedding.”

To which Patel responded: “Our very own Avesh Bhaiya (brother) used his brain and planned some things as he told me (on the crease) ‘Bro, see he is done with his quota of 10 overs, and the remaining three bowlers are also done with their respective 10 overs. There still will be just one remaining in the end’.”

“I built a very crucial partnership with my partner (Patel) and I had fun batting. He told me ‘you hit now, there’s nothing to worry at all, and I was like, okay I’ll hit now,” replied Avesh Khan.

Very rarely have I seen such an innings being played by a player: Yuzvendra Chahal on Axar Patel

Chahal, in a very hilarious manner, praised Patel’s knock that led the team to clinch the series and said: “I had fun watching your innings, and very rarely have I seen such an innings being played by a player. Watching you bat I remembered my good old days when I used to play like this,” to which Patel replied-

“That’s what I thought. If I lose my wicket then Chahal bhai will have to come in early and handle all the pressure. So I thought not to trouble Chahal Bhai and do the job myself.”

Chahal TV 📺 is back – this time from The Caribbean 😎 👌

This episode ft., 2nd #WIvIND ODI batting hero – @akshar2026 & ODI debutant @Avesh_6. 👍 👍 – By @28anand

Full interview 🎥 🔽 #TeamIndia | @yuzi_chahalhttps://t.co/KbrajeCbYR pic.twitter.com/Ulb42hOdvO

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 25, 2022

India will now face West Indies in the third ODI at the same venue in Trinidad and the Men in Blue will look to white-wash the three-match series and end the 50-over series on a high note.

Every seasoned cricketer and game expert will eventually come across a Virat Kohli question on social media, be it during a press conference, or in an interview, regardless of whether he is playing, resting, or even vaguely linked to the topic. Shoaib Akhtar, who has previously backed Kohli amidst his poor form, gave a terrific reply to a fan who asked him to describe Kohli in one word during his Q&A session.

The former Pakistani pacer, who holds the record for the fastest delivery in the history of cricket, took to social media and announced the release of his biopic “RAWALPINDI EXPRESS – Running against the odds” on Sunday, 24 July, and indulged in a Q&A session with the fans later. He called for fans to ask him questions using a hashtag saying that he would reply to them for the next half hour.

When one of the fans asked: “One word for Virat Kohli #Rawalpindiexpressthefilm”, Akhtar replied saying “Legend already.”

Legend already

— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) July 24, 2022

Akhtar had previously backed Virat Kohli and called him the greatest player

As part of his continuing century drought, which began in November 2019, Virat Kohli has recently had trouble with the bat. The three-figure milestone has escaped the former India captain in 79 innings across all formats ever since he hit a ton against Bangladesh in Eden Gardens, Kolkata, in a pink-ball Test between the two teams.

Before being rested for the white-ball series against the West Indies, Kohli received harsh criticism for his dismal performance in England, where he scored just 12 runs in the T20I series and 33 runs in ODIs. But amid all the ongoing talks, many cricketers from around the world, and former players have come out in support of the 33-year-old, saying that he’d be back in form soon.

“People are saying that he should be dropped. Virat Kohli is finished. There is nothing more left in his career and he would not be able to do anything more in his career. To them, I say Virat Kohli is the greatest player. In the last 10 years, if there has been any greatest player, it is Virat. He has 1-2 bad years, he still has scored runs, just the century has not come,” Akhtar had said on his YouTube channel.

“As a Pakistani, I’m supporting Virat Kohli because he has 70 centuries. It’s not Candy Crush. Only a great player can score these many centuries, something a normal player can’t do. When Kohli comes out of this phase, it will be a different Virat Kohli,” the pacer had added.

Former India cricketer Karuna Jain announced her retirement from all forms of international cricket on Sunday, July 24. Jain, who made an immediate impression on the team during her international debut in Lucknow in 2004 by notching up a half-century, became a crucial member of the Indian team before new players emerged.

Jain scored an unbeaten 68* off 150 balls on debut against West Indies to make a name in the team, which soon led to her Test call-up. She scored an amazing 40 and 35 in her first Test against England and went on to score her maiden century (103 runs) in the ODI games against the same opponents.

Her consistent run-scoring abilities and her wicketkeeping skills had a significant impact on the Indian side, which made her a permanent face in the setup. She took to Instagram to make the announcement of her retirement and penned down a heartfelt note thanking everyone who supported her throughout her journey.

“I dreamt it, wished for it, worked for it and achieved it. It’s time to look back with admiration and look forward with anticipation #Newroles#Newbeginnings,” read her caption.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Karuna Jain (@vkarunajain)

Jain still holds the record for the third-highest number of dismissals as a wicketkeeper for India in ODIs, totaling 58. She spent the majority of her domestic career playing for Karnataka, but she also played for Air India, Nagaland in 2018–19, and Puducherry towards the end of her career.

She served as a backup wicketkeeper in India’s 2005 Women’s World Cup squad where the team finished as the runners up. She was also a part of the Women’s World Cup and Women’s T20 World Cup in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

Jain had the privilege of leading the India U21 team to a victory over Pakistan in Pakistan. However, one poor performance against England became the reason behind her downfall. She was developing as a player but ever since her poor run against the English team, she became an irregular face on the side.

She did not feature in a single international match between 2008 and 2013 and was dropped from the main squad. But her comeback in 2013 meant more opportunities in the international arena. Unfortunately, that did not last long and she did not make an appearance after 2014. In her 44-game ODI career, Jain amassed 987 runs, including a century and nine half-centuries.

Many sportspersons have got biopics on their names for their outstanding contributions in that field and for inspiring a generation of how one can achieve excellence by overcoming all odds. Even a few cricketers have been privileged enough to have on-screen biopics celebrating their lives and achievements. This list includes Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, and most recently Mithali Raj.

Now a biopic is set to be made on yet another cricketer. For a change, he is not an Indian, but a famous cricketer from the neighboring country who was known for his express pace bowling and also had his fair share of controversies during his playing days. The person in the discussion is Shoaib Akhtar.

Akhtar himself has officially confirmed the launch of his biopic which is titled  ‘Rawalpindi Express Running against the odds’. The tearaway fast bowler took to his official social media handles to confirm the news.

Shoib Akhtar gears up for his biopic

Taking to social media the pace icon wrote, ” Beginning of this beautiful journey. Announcing the launch of my story, my life, my Biopic, “RAWALPINDI EXPRESS – Running against the odds” You’re in for a ride you’ve never taken before. First foreign film about a Pakistani Sportsman. Controversially yours, Shoaib Akhtar”.

In the video that was shared, it was confirmed that the eagerly anticipated movie is set to release on November 16, 2023.

Beginning of this beautiful journey. Announcing the launch of my story, my life, my Biopic,
"RAWALPINDI EXPRESS – Running against the odds"
You're in for a ride you've never taken before. First foreign film about a Pakistani Sportsman.

Controversially yours,
Shoaib Akhtar pic.twitter.com/3tIgBLvTZn

— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) July 24, 2022

Shoaib Akhtar is arguably the fastest bowler to have played the game and was a terror for many batters during the late 90s and early 2000s, having floored the likes of Sourav Ganguly, Gary Kirsten, and Brian Lara with his lethal deliveries. He was a force to reckon with during his international career from 1997 to 2011.

However, frequent injuries and on and off-the-field controversies hampered him from getting his fair share of recognition at the highest level. Meanwhile, his lightning-fast 161.3 kmph that was recorded during a group match against England in the 2003 World Cup at Newlands remains the fastest recorded delivery in international cricket to date.

It was a memorable outing for the Men in Blue as they showcased yet another thrilling performance against the West Indies in the second ODI at the Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad. The Shikhar Dhawan-led team broke out into a wild celebration in the dressing room as India sealed the deal with a win and took an unassailable 2-0 lead to clinch the ODI series.

In the second One-Day International against the West Indies on Sunday in Trinidad, India grabbed victory from the jaws of defeat. Axar Patel maintained composure and played a match-winning knock, finishing off the game with a huge six, to help his team win with two balls left to spare. The team erupted into jubilant celebrations in the dressing room after the victory.

Captain Shikhar Dhawan shared a video on his social media and captioned it: “Talent wins game but teamwork and intelligence wins championship! Kudos to team for the amazing face-off! #IndvsWI”

Talent wins game but teamwork and intelligence wins championship! 🙌 Kudos to team for the amazing face-off! 😍👏 #IndvsWI pic.twitter.com/jMZOjWiTN6

— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) July 25, 2022

Shai Hope’s century overpowered by Axar Patel’s maiden ODI half-century

Speaking of how the match panned out, Shai Hope and Nicholas Pooran’s brilliance with the bat helped West Indies post a humongous total of 311/6. While the former ended his stay with the bat scoring a magnificent century, the skipper went on a six-hitting spree and notched up a brilliant half-century as Indian bowlers struggled to pick wickets.

At a point in time, it looked like India would restrict the hosts to a score lesser than 300 runs when the top-order batters Kyle Mayers and Shamarh Brooks were dismissed by Deepak Hooda and Axar Patel respectively. But little did the Indian bowlers know what they had to face ahead in the game. A composed batting effort by the hosts ended with India given a target of 312 runs.

To start off the chase, skipper Dhawan lost his wicket early, but opener Shubman Gill played a decent knock of 43 runs. Shreyas Iyer and Sanju Samson kept India’s hopes alive as the duo scored their respective half-centuries. Deepak Hooda played a short cameo of 33 runs but added some crucial runs on board. It was Axar Patel who was the performer of the day as he bagged his maiden ODI half-century, thereby remaining unbeaten at the end and helping India record their highest successful ODI run chase in West Indies.

The Indian team is locking horns with hosts West Indies in the second ODI at the Queen’s Park Oval on Sunday (24th July). The hosts decided to bat first after winning the toss on a batting paradise, and during the early phases of the match, a section of Indian fans in the stands showed their support for the horribly out-of-touch Indian batter Virat Kohli via a banner.

Shikhar Dhawan has been handed the responsibility to lead the side in the ODI series in the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma while many other senior players, including Virat Kohli, have been rested for the three-match ODI series. The former Indian skipper has also been omitted from the T20Is, following the ODI series with many critics sighting his poor form being the reason for his absence from the T20I squad.

India got over the line in the series opener at the same venue in a tense final over, which saw the team victorious by three runs. During the second ODI, when the hosts were batting, the camera panned to the spectators in the stands holding a banner which was directed at Kohli and stating that they were missing him during the series.

Virat Kohli🐐#IndvsWI #ViratKohli𓃵 pic.twitter.com/kaYXZ0dLjz

— Vasudevan K S (@VasudevanKS4) July 24, 2022

I am ready to do anything for the team: Virat Kohli ahead of the Asia Cup 

Virat Kohli has endured a wretched run of form, which continued on the recent tour of England as the batter featured for the Indian side in six innings across all three formats but failed to breach even the 20-run mark on any occasion. The stylish batter has announced that he is taking a break from the sport to clear his mind and regain his form ahead of the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup. He issued a warning of sorts in an interview on Saturday, stating that he is willing to do anything to help the team win.

“My main aim is to help India win the Asia Cup and the World Cup and for that, I am ready to do anything for the team,” Kohli said in a statement released by Star Sports. 

India’s mystery spinner Kuldeep Yadav is on his way to the Caribbean for the upcoming five-match T20I series, commencing later this month. The left-arm spinner announced his departure via his social media handle on Instagram.

The Indian team are engaging with West Indies in a three-match ODI series and are playing the second ODI at Queen’s Park Oval on Sunday, after winning a thriller against the hosts on Friday, 22 July at the same venue. The ODIs will be followed by a T20I series, which will see many senior Indian players, who have been rested for the ODIs, return to the squad.

Another player who will return to the side is Kuldeep Yadav, who was sidelined post-IPL 2022 due to an injury to his right hand while batting in the nets prior to the South Africa T20I series in June. While he was included in the Indian T20I squad, his selection in the playing XI was subject to fitness. The left arm unorthodox bowler took to Instagram on Sunday, 24th of July, and shared a picture of himself heading to the Caribbean. His post read : 

“See you soon Caribbean🏝Can’t wait to join my teammates and get going 🇮🇳✈️.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Kuldeep yadav 🇮🇳 (@kuldeep_18)

Kuldeep Yadav is fine, he has checked out of NCA. He cleared the fitness test: BCCI official

Kuldeep was dropped from the Indian team after a dip in form, but the Chinaman roared back to form in IPL 2022 and returned with 21 wickets in 14 matches for the Delhi Capitals. The spinner was rewarded with a call-up to the T20I squad earlier this month, but his inclusion in the playing XI was only to be considered after he cleared the relevant fitness test. The 27-year-old cleared the mandatory fitness test at the NCA as per a BCCI official.

“He is close to match-fitness. But we don’t want to rush his return considering he had surgery. There will be a fitness test at NCA on July 24 and if he clears that, he will board the flight to Trinidad. Kuldeep is fine. He has checked out of NCA. He cleared the fitness test,” the BCCI official was quoted by InsideSport.