In today’s cricket sports news, learn more about Australia claiming the ultimate prize in Test cricket, defeating India in the World Test Championship final by 209 runs. Meanwhile, a tweet from a fan praising MS Dhoni’s contributions did not sit well with Harbhajan Singh, who pointed out its flaws. Lastly, Sourav Ganguly stated that the BCCI was unprepared for Virat Kohli’s decision to step down as India’s Test captain.
Australia Wins WTC Final After Crushing India
Original Source: Australia crowned world champions after emphatic victory over India in WTC final
In the World Test Championship final, Australia defeated India by 209 runs to cement its status as one of cricket’s greatest teams.
India lost their second consecutive WTC Final after being handed a record total of 444 at The Oval and being bowled out for 234 on Sunday afternoon.
Scott Boland ripped through India’s top order before Nathan Lyon cleaned up the tail to help Australia win its first title after missing the previous final due to a slow over-rate.
It’s fitting recompense for an Australian squad that has dominated Test cricket over the last 18 months, going undefeated at home in ten matches and winning a historic 1-0 series in Pakistan.
In the post-match press conference, Australian captain Pat Cummins said, “It’s been amazing two years.”
“This final has been in the diary for a while, and we’ve been building up to it.
It’s something we’ll like.
“I know we’ve got a big series (next), but we can worry about that in a couple of days.” “You only get a few of these moments in your career when you can sit back and acknowledge your achievements, and this is one of them.”
Rohit Sharma’s decision to bowl first at the toss, Ravichandran Ashwin’s withdrawal, and some dubious shot selection in the fourth innings will haunt India.
“I thought we started well in putting them into bat, we bowled well in the first session then let ourselves down a little bit,” Sharma said in the post-match news conference.
“We made two finals, you cannot take that away.
“It’s unfortunate we couldn’t win the finals, but we will keep our heads high and fight for the next title.”
India resumed Sunday morning at 3-164, but Boland quickly dismissed Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, ending India’s chances of chasing down the massive score.
Kohli, who seemed impregnable the previous evening, was tricked into fishing outside off stump, edging towards second slip where Steve Smith took a brilliant diving catch to his right. Boland’s first wide ball of the morning enticed Kohli, who left for 49.
As Kohli, who led India’s improbable comeback, left the field, the Oval’s pro-Indian crowd fell silent.
Two balls later, Boland caught Jadeja’s length delivery and floated it to wicketkeeper Alex Carey.
The penultimate delivery of Boland’s golden over hit Indian wicketkeeper Srikar Bharat on the gloves, narrowly avoiding a leaping David Warner at first slip for a streaky boundary. Boland bowled consistently, probing England’s hitters ahead of the Ashes.
“He just keeps finding another level, he’s unbelievable,” Cummins added.
Our finest bowler was him. Held it together, didn’t run much, always looks menacing.
“I’m sure he’ll play a huge role in the Ashes.”
Bharat was evaluated for concussion after ducking into a Cummins bouncer that hit his helmet the following over.
Australia also burned two reviews in the first 45 minutes, one for a non-existent outside edge that only Marnus Labuschagne heard and the other for an LBW shout that slid nicely down leg.
Ajinkya Rahane was on course to repeat his first-innings heroics before foolishly driving at a wide Mitchell Starc ball, nicking behind for 46 to expose India’s tail.
The following over, Lyon trapped Shardul Thakur on the pads plumb LBW from behind the wicket, and the Indian all-rounder wasted a review before retiring for a duck.
Umesh Yadav was out for 1 after Starc’s bouncer and Carey’s one-handed grab.
Lyon then removed Bharat and Mohammed Siraj to complete Australia’s victory. Head was selected player of the match for his counterattacking 163 in the first innings.
On Friday, Australia begins the Ashes in Birmingham.
Harbhajan Mocks Ms Dhoni’s Tweet After India Loses WTC Final
Original Source: ‘Yes, he won World Cups alone’: Harbhajan sarcastically tears into tweet praising MS Dhoni after India’s WTC final loss
MS Dhoni, for some reason, makes headlines on Twitter whenever the Indian cricket team fails to win an ICC title. Dhoni followers consistently tweet about his greatness as captain, from the T20 World Cup to the World Test Championship final. The only captain to win all three major ICC titles—the T20 World Cup, 50-over World Cup, and Champions Trophy—Dhoni’s contributions to Indian cricket will always be immoral, but to bring it up after every tournament gets a bit much, even for MSD’s former India teammates.
After India lost the World Test Championship final against Australia by 209 runs, a tweet praising Dhoni went viral. It stated, “No coach, no mentor, young boys, most of the senior player’s denied to take part.” Captained no matches before. This guy upset peak Australia in semifinals and won a T20 World Cup in 48 days after being captain,” referring to Dhoni’s legendary India win in the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, months after India crashed out of the 50-over World Cup in the West Indies.
As history shows, Dhoni bravely led a group of youths in that tournament in South Africa, defeating South Africa, England, Pakistan twice, and Australia in the semifinal. He won the World Cup for India in 2011 and the Champions Trophy in 2013 on England’s soil.
However, Indian cricket has moved forward, and these periodic Dhoni throwbacks seem to do more harm than good. Harbhajan Singh, a former India spinner, slammed the tweet, reminding everyone that cricket is a team sport.
“Yes, when these matches were played this young guy from India was playing alone… not the other 10. Thus, he alone won the World Cup. It’s ironic that Australia wins the World Cup. Captain wins when India wins. It’s a team game. “Win together, lose together,” he tweeted.
Harbhajan was criticized despite winning the World Cups in 2007 and 2011. Fans recalled Bhajji’s “slap-gate” incident with S Sreesanth in the first IPL and reminded Harbhajan that reacting to a fan tweet is a “new low” for former India cricketers.
Virat Kohli Departing India’s Test Captaincy Caught BCCI Off Guard
Original Source: BCCI was not prepared for Virat Kohli leaving India’s Test captaincy: Sourav Ganguly
Former India captain and BCCI President Sourav Ganguly stated the board was not ready for Virat Kohli’s personal decision to resign as India Test captain. Ganguly’s recent comments came after fans called for the reinstatement of Virat Kohli as India’s Test captain after the Rohit Sharma-led team lost the World Test Championship final by 209 runs.
Fans on social media have been arguing for Kohli’s reinstatement as captain by showing his captaincy record. Kohli was India’s fourth-most successful Test captain, winning 40 and drawing 11 in 68 matches. And ranks third among all 28 Test captains who have led a team in 40 or more matches in win percentage (50%).
“BCCI weren’t ready for Virat Kohli leaving Test captaincy.” After the South Africa tour, it surprised us. Only Virat Kohli knows why he abandoned the captaincy. Since Virat Kohli resigned as Test captain, this is irrelevant. India’s captain was chosen by selectors. “And Rohit was the best option at that time,” Sourav Ganguly told Aaj Tak in an exclusive interview.
In 2021, the BCCI replaced Virat Kohli as India’s ODI captain despite his stated intention to continue in the job while retiring from the T20I captaincy, sparking a maelstrom of suspicion about his relationship with the board and Ganguly. Kohli quit as T20I captain ahead of the T20 World Cup in October and was ousted as ODI captain ahead of the South Africa tour in December. These developments led to a heated conflict between Kohli and BCCI chairman Sourav Ganguly over the T20 decision and how Kohli was informed of his ODI captaincy ouster during a routine call with the selectors.
Kohli’s captaincy crisis took another unexpected turn on January 16, 2022, when he resigned as Test captain less than 24 hours after India lost the series in South Africa. Kohli’s resignation as Test captain ended a months-long dispute with the Indian cricket board over the method, timing, and narrative of his T20 and ODI captaincy spells between October and December last year.
Summary of Today’s Cricket Sports News
Overall, Australia has secured its place in cricket history by winning the World Test Championship after defeating India by 209 runs in the final.
India lost their second straight WTC Final after getting bowled out for 234 chasing a record-high score of 444 on Sunday afternoon at The Oval.
On the other hand, Dhoni’s repeated throwbacks to the past tend to do more harm than good, despite the fact that his accomplishments were spectacular, once-in-a-lifetime, and extraordinary. Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh ripped into the tweet in an era when social media is used to stir up passions, reiterating his point that cricket is a team sport, not a captain’s game.
Finally, BCCI President and former India captain Sourav Ganguly has stated that the organization was not prepared for Virat Kohli to stand down from his position as India’s Test captain. Ganguly’s recent comments come after fans demanded India bring back Virat Kohli as Test captain after Rohit Sharma’s team lost to Australia by 209 runs in the World Test Championship final.