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I would like to apologise to you, all my fans and well-wishers. Your reaction over the past few days has deeply affected me. While I have not and will not endorse tobacco, I respect the outpouring of your feelings in light of my association with Vimal Elaichi. With all humility, I step back,” Kumar said in a tweet.
The actor said that he has decided to direct his entire endorsement fee towards a worthy cause. Kumar said that the ad will continue to be aired during its legal duration, however, ..
Btw, this thread is soon gonna be spammed from next week on once the love of our lives, Ind vs Aus face off in a test series. None of the cinematic nonsense matter for that one month 😉
Oh God! Kohli gone first ball after lunch: That too caught-behind on a ball going leg-side!! Now Surya gone. Rohit Sharma still standing…Should be an interesting showdown…
Kohli was clearly not out. A very difficult LBW decision but not out. What a series this. This is turning out to be a damn good series. Test cricket at one of its best. And wonderful seeing a major number in the crowd for a test match.
What a test series this is turning out to be! Can’t imagine better test matches than the first 2. TEST match is the BAAP for reasons…26 to win..Kohli gone; Shreyas smashed a 4 and 6 and left. Might go down the wire.
PATHAAN ya SHEHZAADE gaye tel lene. ANYDAY, it is India-Aus test match for me. All my relatives are pissed off in India; Saala 8 saal ke baad aake sirf cricket dekh raha hai…accha hota udhar he dekh leta 😂
A difference of daylights between the 2. Sydney wasn’t as flat and dead a wicket and lets not get into the quality of opposition bowlers. Kohli’s miles away from the master in the red ball format. He isn’t even the best of this gen. Check out Kane Williamson’s astonishing match winning 126 vs SL today!
That Sydney test was a road too only like this one. Close to 1700 runs were scored in the game. There was no Warne or mcgrath in the game.
But more importantly it is unfair to compare such tests. The only similarity is that both batsmen were in some form of a patch and had to concentrate hard over 350 + balls to get a good score. Whether a road or tough pitch playing so many balls demand lot of concentration for sure. As you just need one false shot to get out like how Pujara and Rohit found out as they looked good to get a big scor too
There was a lot on that Sydney test. It was Steve Waugh’s last test, Tendulkar got some awful decisions against him. He scored 300+ unanswered runs and if Patel had his gloves on on the final day maybe India could have won. Plus it was an epic test series.
India’s performance was remarkable in that series…Ganguly hit a ton, Dravid/Laxman played the whole day again!, Sehwag smashed nearly 200 in a day.
I genuinely think that test series was crucial milestone for India.
Smith is the best test player of this generation. Kane would be worst of the fab 4. His record outside NZL is quite poor…Kohli if not for that last 3 years would have challenged Smith a pity he had such a bad patch, His SENA record of 11 tons is still excellent though specially in this era when pitches have been largely poor
But i agree that the last 3 years will affect his test legacy unless he recovers in next 2 years to get back the lost 3 years
Sydney test had the Aussies losing 16 wickets across both innings. The match went well into the second innings. Kohli has a poor record in NZ and comparing the first class level bowlers Aus & SA have today compared to the likes of Warne, McGrath, Gillespie, Donald, Pollock etc itself makes a Kohli-SRT comparison void. Plus Kohli isn’t playing Pakistan or facing Ambrose & Walsh in the WI. It was a lot more than just SENA back then. As for Kane, its about getting runs when it matters the most rather than the sheer numbers. Kohli’s contribution in every major ODI world cup or the overseas Aussie series wins of 2018 & 2020 is pale compared to Rohit/Dhawan in ODIs and Pujara in those 2 Aussie series. Very typical of Virat to get a 180 on a dead track where Gill’s already put you on track. Barring the T20 format (which is hardly cricket anyway) his contributions at critical tournaments and matches in both tests & ODIs is highly circumspect.
I’d rather have him quit T20s for good and focus on ensuring India a strong performance in the 2023 and 27 WCs as well as the next Eng and SA test series. Misplaced priorities is what tarnishes legacies.
No doubt that was a great test series but it was also played on some very good batting pitches. You rarely get those kind of runs in a series these days. Just about 25 wickets fell in that Sydney test, India declared twice if i remember, thats not too different from this test. Just that run scoring is always easier on Aus true tracks rather than the slow tracks of India. It was an important test series as we probably started believing in ourselves playing away far more…
I do think that the last decade in tests have been played on some really poor tracks. Draws are very less now and tests are ending sooner than even 4 days…And one cant say with certainty that playing Steyn/Morkel/Philander or Starc/hazelwood/cummins or Anderson/Broad/Waokes or Trent/Southee/Wagner on pitches that dont support batting are easier.
One reason why there are not as many players having above 50 Avg in tests now is i feel the last decade has not been very kind to batsman. Cricinfo had an article on this few years why this eras pitches are the worst for batters as compared to the 2000s
Tests getting over within 4 days is more to do with lack of quality batsmanship than pitches. Indian wickets in the 90s during the Sachin/Azhar era were as much rank turners as today yet those guys scored far more than this lot. The Aussie wickets in the 2003 series might have been true to bat on but had a lot of bounce compared to the 2018 series where the bounce was barely till knee high (yet no one barring Pujara got big runs).
The current line up on this Headingly surface under overcast conditions would come a cropper. Likes of Dravid and Sachin with Sehwag, VVS & Sourav is a batting order any team would pay a bounty for, even on today’s so called poor pitches (which are still true compared to the early 90s and early 00s).
When youngsters grow up playing more T20 than tests, temperament and application issues are bound to be there. Gavaskar/Richards/Lara/Tendulkar/Dravid/Kallis/Sanga didn’t play on highways all their lives.
“No doubt that was a great test series but it was also played on some very good batting pitches” – so was the 2018-19 and 2020-21 series in Australia (barring the pink ball test). Yet batsmen from both sides struggled far more than the 2003-04 series.
Headingley Day 1 and what Bangar and Dravid did was too good. Remember seeing that test like a hawk and it was amazing batting, The surface was toughest to bat when they batted.
2018 the Melbourne and Sydney were flat trackers (Think Pant too had a ton and Virat a 80 odd) but the first test was a tough pitch and second test in perth was a very low scoring affair (That Virat ton is a masterclass there)
The 2018 England and SA series away were on very difficult tracks. In fact the lords test 2018 has a record of having highest swing on a particular morning in many years. Those twin test series eng away and SA away were as tough batting surfaces as i have ever seen since the 1987 when i started watching cricket.
Will see if i can dig out the cricinfo article which compared the degree of batting difficulty
Are you comparing the batting ability of SRT and Kohli in the red ball format? 🤔
Tracks in SA and UK during the 2018 tours can possibly not be tougher than ’96, Centurion 2001 and the 2002/06 tours. They can be at par at best.. not tougher! Today’s batsmen have lost the art of playing gritty test innings, Pujara and Kohli are the last 2 standing. Next gens gonna be worse! Even the talented AJ Rahane who got 8 hundreds in his first 29 tests lost the plot once he was addicted to the IPL. Cricinfo might have an obligation to defend modern day test cricket but anyone’s whose watched the red ball format from the 80s to 00s knows how its degraded.
In red ball Dravid Sachin and Sunny towers above rest of Indian greats anyday. I was more pointing on how the pitches have changed to becoming more result oriented. As you say it could be due to IPL but at same time DRS also has an influence as a batsman cannot survive a bad decision anymore. The main reason why we have only 3 batters with over 50 runs average could be due to the pitches.
DRS works both ways. In past batsmen both survived or were wrongfully given out.
I will agree with Shivaay, quality of test cricket has gone down but the excitement is there due to more results.
There is no doubt the golden generation of bowlers were in 70s to 00s. Also i have no doubt that Kohli would have prospered in that generation too. He is star quality. Likewise Pujara too.
The average batsman and bowler is less than before and because both skills have diminished it still throws up exciting test cricket.
Also I’m not sure on point wrt lower test averages. Looking at highest 63 ranked…8 are active players…4 have higher test averages than Tendulkar/lara/Dravid/yousuf/Ponting. Voges too if I count you get 5 players and only Sangkarra and Kallis sneak above Williamson. I’d argue the exact opposite. The truly ‘elite’ batsmen of today’s era end up with higher averages than the elite of previous era less Bradman! Probably because they are smart enough to separate the 3 formats of the game. The batsman today need a wider range of skills to prosper. Skills in past were narrower but they were just better at mastering the skill.
Bowlers get no benefit from the game in decades. Majority of rules aid batsmen. The shorter boundaries.
The strategies evolve. Who declared at 300 odd ever? England did few weeks back. There is too much impatience to score runs fast.
Test cricket is 5 days for a reason. Teams should spend that time…
“batsman cannot survive a bad decision anymore.” – but they sure can survive the shockers like one’s given to SRT by Daryl Harper in 99 and Bucknor in 2003 and 08.
Under 40 test averages are now a global trend, not just in India. Batsmen score quicker (leading to results) yet the lack of temperament is surely impacting test batsmanship. Check out some of the atrocious batting here
Wow what a epic test match. Well done to both the side's for putting a tremendous Fight, congratulations to @BLACKCAPS for pulling a win in the final ball, @OfficialSLC should be very proud of the way they played this test, So good to watch. 💪💪 #NZvsSL
Most of the 2000s legends did equally well on the landmines of the 90s as well. Cannot say the same for the current crop. Its media’s obligation to distort a picture for the present benefit (just like they’d have u believe Pathaan > BB2).
Weird play by the Aussies; weirder, is that India chose to bowl first after winning the toss–though I know India isn’t afraid of chasing 300+ scores–on a flat wicket like Wankhede!
But loved the comeback! I was so confident Aussies would glide to 330+ easily after the start. 188 AO !!
Don’t worry, Kanth Sir’s ‘ENDHIRAN’ is in the stands. He will sail us through victory with his ‘whoosh whoosh’ antics like he did in the 2011 world cup. After all, these are the days in Satyamshot where Satish Kaushik deserves applause for AB’s special appearance success in JALWA…
Así fue la anotación de Leandro Requena desde su propia puerta y que dejó a Brayan Cortés quieto, provocando el error del portero albo en el #CSLvsCCxTNTSports. pic.twitter.com/HDL2K22QnS
The one you posted may be the new record holder. Looks like it has beaten the Newport County goal.
Leandro Requena = 101 metres vs Tom King = 96 metres.
So even the great Dhoni is playing with a knee injury; just to make money.
And when I talk of IPL being a bane more than a ‘David Boon’, people say ‘Buddha Saala.’
And this is Tendulkar, with diarrhea and stomach cramps, abdominal pain, food poisoning, when he smashed Akram, Waqar, and Shoaib all over the park. And remember, Tendulkar only revealed this ONLY when pressed multiple times…This, is his greatest KNOCK ever…for me at least…smashing all over the Centurion…
Disappointed: Pathetic performance from the IPL players in WTC. Deserve not one but multitude of eggs on their faces. Pathetic performance; disgusting selection
Even though I agree with Rohit on the final being a best of 3 but as of now these are nothing more than excuses for an irresponsible performance. Its been well known since the last 2 years that the WTC final is a one off test and the dates were out well in advance. IPL has no business clashing with international commitments (the BCCI seems to think otherwise!) and with the current state and preparation of the team, even a best of 3 final would have been a whitewash (unless played on dustbowls). Its the IPL that needs to be scheduled based on the international calendar, here it seems the other way round. I had said this way back in April itself that the same clown celebrating the CSKs and RCBs last month would now point fingers at the national team for a lackluster effort despite knowing this was always an eventuality.
Many congrats on this amazing achievement @DjokerNole 23 is a number that just a few years back was imposible to think about, and you made it! Enjoy it with your family and team! 👏🏻
GOAT debate at media level in tennis has all been about # of slams so Djokovic is definitely the GOAT. And I think he’ll get 25 by the end of August. Then it’s up to him whether he wants to play for 2 more seasons and push himself towards 30.
But for me Federer remains my favourite tennis player. But his 20 is now looking a distant 3rd in this generation. Though I do think the courts have advantaged the baseliners post 2000s. The close Wimbledon matches vs Djokovic/Nadal, Federer would have won in 90s court.
Djokovic & Nadal wouldn’t hold a candle against the real GOAT of grass Pete Sampras on those 90s Wimbledon courts of low bounce & more organic grass. Homogenized tennis courts to favor unidimensional baseline play has ruined the sport. On paper Bjorn Borg is the real GOAT among the lads with 5 Wimbledon & 6 French titles on surfaces as different as chalk & cheese during pre homogenized days.
My personal favourites are Federer and Agassi. Agassi had a complete game. Federer is up a notch. But Djokovic’s comeback capability is 2nd to nobody. Nadal’s fighting spirit and determination is also extraordinary.
Federer has been found wanting in some Wimbledon classics vs both of them. In a 90s style court 08, 14 and 19 Wimbledon finals Federer would not have been taken to 5 sets. Guys like Roddick would have done better too.
On clay Federer did as well as possible. Losing 4 finals to Nadal is no embarrassment considering Nadal has 14 titles.
Fact Djokovic has won 3 on each surface is remarkable. He’s beaten Nadal at FO too.
No one’s talking of his credentials on clay. Losing one or two times to the likes of Edberg & Becker (who themselves are legends) isn’t a big deal when you consider the number of times he’s defeated them in his prime. He almost finished Becker’s illustrious grass court career, something he himself confessed in his biography. Grass courts of the 90s were not meant for boring baseline rallies which makes Agassi’s career slam more valuable than the current lot.
GOAT differs from gen to gen. Federer is still greater than Djo in this era and Sampras is the GOAT of grass & hard courts of his. No one can guess how Agassi would fare today or how Novak would fare in the 90s apart from educated guesswork.
IN those days grass game was serve and volley..If your serve was good, there was good chance you would be in top tier. Goran Ivanisevic use to be monster with aces (actually rooted for him to win inspire of his bad temper).
Serena is just too powerful not sure how would they fare in different eras.
Agassi won with his returns and passing shots.
Djokovic’s game of baseline passing winners and returns is very similar to peak Agassi. Andre had temperamental issues else he’d have done much better at the French open. Yet peak Agassi struggled against Sampras on grass and the faster acrylic hard courts of New York. I’m sure Djoko too would have had a struggle with his game on these slams of that era. Only Federer is capable of matching peak Sampras on the erstwhile Wimbledon and US acrylic courts of the bygone era.
Enough reason for T20 addicted advocates of 4 day tests to be hanged.. the same gen z nincompoops who claim Messi > Maradona and this unidimensonal anti vax clown Djo is a goat!
IND vs AUS, Oct 8, Chennai IND vs AFG, Oct 11, Delhi IND vs PAK, Oct 15, Ahmedabad IND vs BAN, Oct 19, Pune IND vs NZ, Oct 22, Dharamsala IND vs ENG, Oct 29, Lucknow IND vs Qualifier, Nov 2, Mumbai IND vs SA, Nov 5, Kolkata IND vs… pic.twitter.com/glcHxzolae
Another engrossing Test at the Ashes, although Australia look firm favorites for a 2-0 lead, can Stokes repeat 2019 Headingley miracle or Bairstow 2022 Edgbaston
Ohh West Indies the rallying is getting more and more painful. There’s no longer just pain and hurt. It’s more resignation & dread as to what lies ahead #WIvIND
Gone are the days of pace bowlers such as Joel Garner, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall, Ambrose, Walsh. They still got a good pace attack in Roach, Alzar Joseph, Holder, Shannon Gabriel etc.
India are missing Bumrah and Shami. Heavily reliant on Siraj. Wonder how Unadkat keeps getting selected so often despite no performance at international level?
Because his anti vax, pseudo scientific views match the physics of a Raja Mulli film.. I’m sure he’s got more fans than Roger on this forum, just like Mulli’s a classic on SS.
POTM I feel Jaddu deserved it more than Kuldeep, first ODI vs Windies 3/37 including middle order batsmen Hetmeyer, Povell, Shepard versus tail ender wickets of #7 – 10 for Kuldeep with 4/6. Jaddu also took a brilliant catch of Athanaze, the batsman who troubled the Indian bowlers the most in Tests as well as 16*(21) with the bat
A phenomenal career draws to a close.@StuartBroad8, your relentless spells and unwavering dedication will forever be etched in cricket's annals. A fitting end to your career. Enjoy the next innings! pic.twitter.com/CqYcjUIaOb
Been a long long time since I witnessed batting of this caliber in a world cup game. Astonishing partnership, Conway & Ravindran. To do it against the reigning World champions!
~Total four double centuries will be scored and one of them will be by Virat Kohli ~Final will be played between India and England ~The biggest upset with be Sri Lanka beating England ~Bumrah will be player of the match in final ~Pakistan will be disqualified…
Is this allowed @ICC ? I remember Dhoni was asked to remove the Army insignia from his gloves during the World Cup 2019 Aren’t cricketers prohibited from making political and religious statements during ICC events? https://t.co/3k5uKf4mXH
ICC ODI WC in India will inevitably get political colour. Keep watching players of Pakistan/Bangladesh & Moeen Ali. Indian govt should be stern without bothering about the outcome. If situation demands let us abandon the tournament itself. But no compromise with "Save Gaza" gang
South Africa is a lethal batting order batting first. For the first time since 1999 and perhaps 2015 are we looking at a genuinely capable South African team that can go all the way.
His own team does not have much left in the 50 over format, else this is still the “real deal” as far as world cups go. Yet another deplorable performance by the English and you have them indulging in diversion tactics. ODI cricket is here to stay, no 2 ways about it.
Just the other week we had Matthew Hayden, in full-bore no-bullshit mode, calling for “agitation” and “visionary thinking” around the programming of cricket because, get this: “The majority of it is irrelevant”. Next up we had Mark Nicholas, inaugurating his tenure as MCC president with the announcement that bilateral ODIs may as well be scrapped because, come on guys, “In a free market the most money wins – and that’s just the endgame”.
Soon enough it was Joe Root, emerging from England’s last-but-one mess to wonder if “the 50-over format is relevant any more anyway” – amid reports that the ICC will be meeting next month, just as soon as this piddling tournament is sorted, to discuss what’s left of the format’s future.
Almost the same old South Africa x Almost the same old Pakistan produce a fantastic game of cricket. Some serious steel from Maharaj – Some serious last spells from the pacers ! Pak twenty runs short – Squandered it in their last few overs. #PAKvsSA
The worst kept secret in football. World Cup win cemented this. Only way someone else was taking it was if they scored hattricks in semi finals and finals of CL. Haaland went cold in all of City’s big matches in last season. He blanked in the semi and finals of all the CL and FA Cup ties and Mbappe like Messi got knocked out early in CL at PSG. 8 ballon d’or is just too big a record for anyone playing currently to reach. Haaland and Mbappe haven’t won one yet.
Bellingham has to be early favourite for 2024.
Irfan bhai, I'm happy that you understand the pain of children, and I stand with you on that. But please do speak about Pakistani Hindus as well. The situation is not very different here in Pakistan. https://t.co/lr8Rth5s90
Ok thanks for this. So here is the thing. If Pakistan qualifies, which there is a decent chance of, and India loses the toss at Eden, they are out, given the 96 World Cup semi-final replica they have created. pic.twitter.com/oaDEpSGx1X
Just witnessed the greatest ODI innings and best chase ever! All hail Maxwell. 200 in chase and when 7 wickets down without any support is only stuff in dreams. Lifetime innings.
So Pakistan have to beat England by a ‘mere’ 287 runs. Or, if they chase, they’ve got to chase down whatever England get in 16 balls. It’s All Over for Pakistan.
Have said this before, Public/Media hype is inversely proportional to Indian Cricket Team ‘s on field performance. 1983, Kolkata 2001, Gabba 2020 & 2019/2023 WC & the Under 19 world cup wins are ample proof. Stop the rabid excessive hyperbole on the Cricket team , perhaps we might just win in 2027 🤦
The team played a good WC..memorable performances. Could have just left the pitch as it is and it would have been same throughout the day. Too much tinkering when we had anyways won on all types of pitches. Backfired like 1996 semis
Scoring at 7.5 an over and when he had 10 off that over, Rohit Sharma’s shot selection is one of the rashest piece of batting ever witnessed in a big game right out of the Sehwag manual. Very unbecoming of a responsible captain and not the first time he’s been this casual (remember similar brashness in the Gabba test to Nathan Lyon when all he needed to do was defend on the last session of the day). This is what it is about “nerves” on the big moments. Something the battle hardened Aussies have in abundance unlike India, South Africa or New Zealand.
IMO the problem is that any competent cricketeer feels and acts like superstars and the silly junta worships them. In such a scenario its difficult to keep a level-headed attitude and consistency in any field, not just sports.
“IMO the problem is that any competent cricketeer feels and acts like superstars and the silly junta worships them. In such a scenario its difficult to keep a level-headed attitude and consistency in any field, not just sports.” – this is what I mean by hardened, ability to isolate the professionalism from the noise. An ability possessed by only a few at the highest level like MSD, SRT etc. Good riddance the junta isn’t crazy and fanatical about javeline throwing or shooting or even Hockey though. We’d never win an Olympic medal else, thanks in part to the media.
I wanted India to avoid Australia in the final simply because it was Australia. I still fancied India to win but as Master mentioned Sharma got ahead of himself.
Forget India but Australia showed exactly how good they are. India seem to reserve their best for Pakistan and Australia don’t care who it is in the final – they will do the main job. They find a way. But yesterday was nothing much about finding a way ‘during’ the match. They were clearly prepared with a plan for each Indian player.
And the bowling changes. Masterful. I think I only counted once where one of fast 3 did not bowl in consecutive overs. So India were always under pressure at one end and they failed to take any calculated risk against Australian part timers or Zampa. 2 long stretches of 70+ balls without a boundary killed the innings, this with lack of rotation is a crime.
Australia at 3 down at 50 odd. Once it’s 100 for 3 and you’ve stood still it was game over.
Australian fielding incredible. Boundaries were 2’s on a number of occasions. India’s bowling fell apart in first few overs. No control from seasoned bowlers known for control. Reminiscent of Hayden/Gilchrist ripping Khan/Nehra in 03 final.
The bigger picture is India don’t turn up unless it’s Pakistan. I reckon India would have beaten anybody yesterday except Australia. Australia just know what to do and when. Game judgement, when to attack, when to defend under final and managing the occasion is a lesson India fail to learn from.
It is about winning. India lose too many semis and finals. For all the money they should spend more on sports psychologists because skill/talent wise they are there but in the head they are way off Australian beast mode.
Sharma should have just calmed a bit. Gill felt like a desperate attempt to get into the match. Kohli definitely unlucky. And sorry Sky and tail was not street smart. Maxwell vs Afghanistan showed exactly how you bat with lesser batsmen. You hog the strike and take the 1 on the 6th ball not the 1st and then lesser batsmen get dot, dot, dot.
Pitiful performance and media shouldn’t spare them.
Also no 6th bowling option is a huge sin. Australia had 7 bowlers and they utilised part timers when new batsmen arrived and snuck in so many cheap overs.
If hardik was playing, I drop SKY and kuldeep for hardik and ashwin. The extra bowling is needed. The extra firepower from hardik and ashwin’s winning mentality is required.
A joke how Ashwin is neglected in the big matches. Australian team had great balance and fielding just incredible. The will to win is sickeningly the best. 6 wins from 8 finals and I didn’t like how many took Australia lightly. Whatever they lack in skill they make up in the mind.
The job guys like Ganguly, Tendulkar, Sehwag and Yuvraj use to do was crucial. The odd over to change things up a bit…India doesn’t produce a 90% batsman with a bit of bowling. Maxwell, Head and Marsh together bowled 10 overs, went for 44 runs and only Pat Cummins had better economy than that. So India didn’t punish the 5th bowler or even target one of them. Scandalous.
Didn’t I mention the same thing about psychology in the group stage itself? Unless you have a spiritually calm head like MSD or Rahane at the helm, the only way Indian cricket (not just cricket, even other sports, PV Sindhu’s repeated failures in knockout games is another example) thrives is when they’re the underdogs with zilch expectations and have a fearless approach with nothing to lose & no toxic media/public hype. 1983, 2001, 2020.. and no wonder why even the U19 colts have a better WC record than the Aussies but the seniors are far off.
Agree on the all rounders thing. Not just batsmen who can bowl, but even bowlers who can score runs down the order like Harbhajan, Zaheer, Srinath etc are missing. Exactly why an Ashwin at #8 was critical.
So players can’t have their own moment after loss and be alone? Modi will barge in with entourage of media folks and then this keeps flashing 24/7 in news channel. Who wants to be part or media circus at this moment after loss? This is ridiculous. I doubt you would have seen Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma infront of media at this momebt if not for this publicity stubt by Modi. Politicians have no connection with BCCI’s Cricket body and shouldn’t buy even that line is crossed after JayShah’s connection.
#WATCH | PM Modi visited the Indian dressing room after the #INDvsAUS match & met the players to motivate them.
#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Team India in their dressing room after the ICC World Cup Finals at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on 19th November.
The PM spoke to the players and encouraged them for their performance throughout the tournament.
The whole narrative was there, Modi made the biggest stadium under his name and India luckily came to the final in the World Cup and Modi also came with a full entourage and would have been a great legacy and lifetime opportunity. But alas, the architect he gave the job proved to incompetent fool and scared to shit while going to performance review meeting, Lol. (ignore the post’s comments…posting for video).
VOWS OF OBEDIENCE.!
—Why is Home Minister Amit Shah's son Jayshah walking like a NUN?
Shah Criticises Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi, but he forgets to teach his son how to talk, walk, speak.!
Of course you’d have the dirty politically motivated opposition proxies seeking brownie points out of every event without noticing that unlike their worthless bosses, certain heads of states care about anything & anyone donning the national uniform right from Olympics to Cricket to theIsro.
Jokes aside, I really think India would win 8 out of 10 time on same pitch against Australia.
Luck was not on India side and give credit where it’s due. Aussie did their homework, right from 1st second on giving India batting despite winning the toss. They knew the pitch was in sh!t condition.
Only if it isn’t a World Cup Final will they win 8 of 10. This is a team that’s won 5 consecutive WC finals since 1999 and even in 96, Aravinda played an innings of his life to stop them. At 47/3 this is the closest they have gotten to losing a WC final since 1996. The wins in 99,03,07 and 2015 were complete one sided dominance. The only way to prevent the Aussies from winning a WC is to eliminate them by the semis like England did in 2019 and we did in the 2011 QF. Anything beyond is most likely a lost cause considering their mental strength and preparation before a WC finale.
Yes very true. I was hoping for Afghanistan to beat them in groups simply to halt the momentum BUT the Maxwell innings gave them greater confidence. Even SA turned the screw but not enough. You simply have to knock them out early. They lost their first 2 games and still won the whole thing.
Australian mentality is another level to everybody else.
ODI superiority is more likely to benefit Test consistency and vice versa. T20 won’t do the same. WI and Australia dominated both.
This WC especially Australian set up showed the value of traditional test players playing major role in ODI set up alongside maverick players like Maxwell.
T20 is a junk format fit for cash drawing leagues alone. Even playing that at the international level is a joke on the game. Its the cricketing equal of a Rohit Shetty film. Even an Asia cup win has more value than that poor man’s world cup of T20 (media exaggeration aside).
As for the Windies of the 80s, even they were not par with the Aussies of the 00s in ODIs. They eventually did lose the 83 final and had lost a league game earlier to India as well. But the Aussies steam rolled 2003 & 07 remaining undefeated after their lucky escape in 99. And even in 2015 & now in 2023 when they are nowhere close to their best, they’re still mentally strong & prepared enough to go all the way.
Pointless whining over spilt milk, however cannot stop thinking about this game 12 years ago, same opposition, same venue. And why Ravi Ashwin was completely ignored in a big game unlike the last time around, especially considering he’s a competent #8 batsman as well. Anyhow, last of my posts on the World cup. Well played Team India for the greatest ODI performances in a world cup, congratulations to the Aussies yet again!
FIFA World Cup Final, 2022: Quatar: France Vs Argentina. France lost.
"French President Emmanuel Macron was going around the Lusail Stadium in Qatar consoling the football team after Les Bleus' heartbreaking loss to Argentina in the FIFA World Cup finals on Sunday.
Winning a World cup by a fluke does NOT make you #1 in the world, esp when your team cannot defeat a depleted second rung side in a T20 format.. SHAME on the “so called” World Champions!
SATYAMSHOT 
January 13, 2023 at 11:00 AM
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 18, 2023 at 6:05 AM
Pointless having technology when you have idiots sitting behind the box..
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January 21, 2023 at 4:04 AM
NZ 15/5!!! Crazy; will this be another Bracewell storm? Pandey catch was fantastic…
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January 21, 2023 at 5:49 AM
108 all out NZ!!
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January 21, 2023 at 7:01 AM
Finally our bowlers didn’t screw up the tail like they did in B’desh & the 1st ODI.
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January 24, 2023 at 5:54 AM
INDIA committing hara-kiri after a powerful start: also, why would NZ elect to field after winning toss on such a wicket?
and why am I seeing the vimal gutka ad with AK, SRK, and AD even after AK apologized is supposed to have withdrawn the ad😒
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January 24, 2023 at 6:12 AM
* He had said it will continue to be aired*
I would like to apologise to you, all my fans and well-wishers. Your reaction over the past few days has deeply affected me. While I have not and will not endorse tobacco, I respect the outpouring of your feelings in light of my association with Vimal Elaichi. With all humility, I step back,” Kumar said in a tweet.
The actor said that he has decided to direct his entire endorsement fee towards a worthy cause. Kumar said that the ad will continue to be aired during its legal duration, however, ..
Read more at:
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/akshay-kumar-issues-apology-to-fans-after-his-gutka-ad-with-srk-ajay-devgn-says-he-hasnt-endorsed-tobacco/articleshow/90969914.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
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February 1, 2023 at 10:56 AM
Thanks for confirming Krish. I didn’t know about this.
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January 24, 2023 at 6:31 AM
Alright India back and high on drugs; 379/7 48.3
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January 24, 2023 at 6:55 AM
3/100.. most paradoxical figures for Jacob Duffy
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January 26, 2023 at 2:43 AM
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February 1, 2023 at 10:55 AM
IS the NZ curse broken? NZ 21/5!! Loving it!
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February 1, 2023 at 11:42 AM
Broken, cracked and thrown down the drain. The real breakage is awaited in the WC of course.
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February 2, 2023 at 10:24 AM
Btw, this thread is soon gonna be spammed from next week on once the love of our lives, Ind vs Aus face off in a test series. None of the cinematic nonsense matter for that one month 😉
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February 3, 2023 at 3:30 PM
https://images.dawn.com/news/1191480/shaheen-shah-afridi-ties-the-knot-with-shahid-afridis-daughter-ansha-in-an-intimate-nikah-in-karachi
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February 6, 2023 at 2:07 PM
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February 8, 2023 at 1:40 AM
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/35611846/lakers-lebron-james-passes-kareem-abdul-jabbar-become-nba-all-scoring-leader
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February 9, 2023 at 6:16 AM
Wonderful display by the Indians. That stumping was a joy to watch!! Not for nothing is test cricket the ‘penultimate’ test!!
And whenever San Manju bhai derides Jaddu, Jaddu comes back with a bang! Lage rao Manju bhai, aur ek do twitter post daal do ☺
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February 9, 2023 at 7:06 AM
Excellent. Good to bash Aussies. Match over in 3 days hopefully!
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February 10, 2023 at 2:12 AM
Oh God! Kohli gone first ball after lunch: That too caught-behind on a ball going leg-side!! Now Surya gone. Rohit Sharma still standing…Should be an interesting showdown…
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February 12, 2023 at 3:04 AM
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February 13, 2023 at 11:23 AM
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/wpl-auction-2023-full-list-of-sold-and-unsold-players-101676271490797.html
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February 15, 2023 at 12:32 PM
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February 18, 2023 at 3:14 AM
Kohli was clearly not out. A very difficult LBW decision but not out. What a series this. This is turning out to be a damn good series. Test cricket at one of its best. And wonderful seeing a major number in the crowd for a test match.
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February 19, 2023 at 3:07 AM
What a test series this is turning out to be! Can’t imagine better test matches than the first 2. TEST match is the BAAP for reasons…26 to win..Kohli gone; Shreyas smashed a 4 and 6 and left. Might go down the wire.
PATHAAN ya SHEHZAADE gaye tel lene. ANYDAY, it is India-Aus test match for me. All my relatives are pissed off in India; Saala 8 saal ke baad aake sirf cricket dekh raha hai…accha hota udhar he dekh leta 😂
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February 19, 2023 at 3:25 AM
Even in these times,nothing more special than beating the Aussies in TESTS 🏏#IndvAus
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February 19, 2023 at 3:27 AM
30 years & counting.. undefeated @Kotla aka Arun Jaitley stadium 🏏 🤘
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February 22, 2023 at 2:14 AM
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/andrew-mcdonald-says-australia-batters-were-pretty-poor-in-the-delhi-test-loss-to-india-1360058?platform=amp
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February 28, 2023 at 12:19 AM
https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/england-tour-of-new-zealand-2022-23-1322349/new-zealand-vs-england-2nd-test-1322356/full-scorecard
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March 12, 2023 at 10:30 AM
https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/cricket/kohlis-ahmedabad-ton-reminiscent-of-tendulkars-disciplined-241-at-sydney-1199470.html
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March 12, 2023 at 12:00 PM
One of the Master’s many best:
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March 13, 2023 at 2:47 AM
A difference of daylights between the 2. Sydney wasn’t as flat and dead a wicket and lets not get into the quality of opposition bowlers. Kohli’s miles away from the master in the red ball format. He isn’t even the best of this gen. Check out Kane Williamson’s astonishing match winning 126 vs SL today!
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March 13, 2023 at 2:48 AM
This is how the media manipulates.. and LIES!! The same as some of these Khans being equated with AB
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March 13, 2023 at 3:45 AM
That Sydney test was a road too only like this one. Close to 1700 runs were scored in the game. There was no Warne or mcgrath in the game.
But more importantly it is unfair to compare such tests. The only similarity is that both batsmen were in some form of a patch and had to concentrate hard over 350 + balls to get a good score. Whether a road or tough pitch playing so many balls demand lot of concentration for sure. As you just need one false shot to get out like how Pujara and Rohit found out as they looked good to get a big scor too
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March 13, 2023 at 3:50 AM
There was a lot on that Sydney test. It was Steve Waugh’s last test, Tendulkar got some awful decisions against him. He scored 300+ unanswered runs and if Patel had his gloves on on the final day maybe India could have won. Plus it was an epic test series.
India’s performance was remarkable in that series…Ganguly hit a ton, Dravid/Laxman played the whole day again!, Sehwag smashed nearly 200 in a day.
I genuinely think that test series was crucial milestone for India.
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March 13, 2023 at 3:47 AM
Smith is the best test player of this generation. Kane would be worst of the fab 4. His record outside NZL is quite poor…Kohli if not for that last 3 years would have challenged Smith a pity he had such a bad patch, His SENA record of 11 tons is still excellent though specially in this era when pitches have been largely poor
But i agree that the last 3 years will affect his test legacy unless he recovers in next 2 years to get back the lost 3 years
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March 13, 2023 at 5:01 AM
It is not that bad for Kane but Smith is quite good..
http://www.howstat.com/cricket/statistics/players/PlayerHomeAway.asp?PlayerID=3817
http://www.howstat.com/cricket/statistics/players/PlayerHomeAway.asp?PlayerID=3756
http://www.howstat.com/cricket/statistics/players/PlayerHomeAway.asp?PlayerID=3600
http://howstat.com/cricket/Statistics/Players/PlayerHomeAway.asp?PlayerID=3981
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March 13, 2023 at 4:13 AM
Sydney test had the Aussies losing 16 wickets across both innings. The match went well into the second innings. Kohli has a poor record in NZ and comparing the first class level bowlers Aus & SA have today compared to the likes of Warne, McGrath, Gillespie, Donald, Pollock etc itself makes a Kohli-SRT comparison void. Plus Kohli isn’t playing Pakistan or facing Ambrose & Walsh in the WI. It was a lot more than just SENA back then. As for Kane, its about getting runs when it matters the most rather than the sheer numbers. Kohli’s contribution in every major ODI world cup or the overseas Aussie series wins of 2018 & 2020 is pale compared to Rohit/Dhawan in ODIs and Pujara in those 2 Aussie series. Very typical of Virat to get a 180 on a dead track where Gill’s already put you on track. Barring the T20 format (which is hardly cricket anyway) his contributions at critical tournaments and matches in both tests & ODIs is highly circumspect.
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March 13, 2023 at 4:17 AM
I’d rather have him quit T20s for good and focus on ensuring India a strong performance in the 2023 and 27 WCs as well as the next Eng and SA test series. Misplaced priorities is what tarnishes legacies.
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March 13, 2023 at 4:43 AM
No doubt that was a great test series but it was also played on some very good batting pitches. You rarely get those kind of runs in a series these days. Just about 25 wickets fell in that Sydney test, India declared twice if i remember, thats not too different from this test. Just that run scoring is always easier on Aus true tracks rather than the slow tracks of India. It was an important test series as we probably started believing in ourselves playing away far more…
I do think that the last decade in tests have been played on some really poor tracks. Draws are very less now and tests are ending sooner than even 4 days…And one cant say with certainty that playing Steyn/Morkel/Philander or Starc/hazelwood/cummins or Anderson/Broad/Waokes or Trent/Southee/Wagner on pitches that dont support batting are easier.
One reason why there are not as many players having above 50 Avg in tests now is i feel the last decade has not been very kind to batsman. Cricinfo had an article on this few years why this eras pitches are the worst for batters as compared to the 2000s
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March 13, 2023 at 6:35 AM
Tests getting over within 4 days is more to do with lack of quality batsmanship than pitches. Indian wickets in the 90s during the Sachin/Azhar era were as much rank turners as today yet those guys scored far more than this lot. The Aussie wickets in the 2003 series might have been true to bat on but had a lot of bounce compared to the 2018 series where the bounce was barely till knee high (yet no one barring Pujara got big runs).
The current line up on this Headingly surface under overcast conditions would come a cropper. Likes of Dravid and Sachin with Sehwag, VVS & Sourav is a batting order any team would pay a bounty for, even on today’s so called poor pitches (which are still true compared to the early 90s and early 00s).
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March 13, 2023 at 6:38 AM
When youngsters grow up playing more T20 than tests, temperament and application issues are bound to be there. Gavaskar/Richards/Lara/Tendulkar/Dravid/Kallis/Sanga didn’t play on highways all their lives.
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March 13, 2023 at 6:41 AM
“No doubt that was a great test series but it was also played on some very good batting pitches” – so was the 2018-19 and 2020-21 series in Australia (barring the pink ball test). Yet batsmen from both sides struggled far more than the 2003-04 series.
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March 13, 2023 at 10:22 AM
Headingley Day 1 and what Bangar and Dravid did was too good. Remember seeing that test like a hawk and it was amazing batting, The surface was toughest to bat when they batted.
2018 the Melbourne and Sydney were flat trackers (Think Pant too had a ton and Virat a 80 odd) but the first test was a tough pitch and second test in perth was a very low scoring affair (That Virat ton is a masterclass there)
The 2018 England and SA series away were on very difficult tracks. In fact the lords test 2018 has a record of having highest swing on a particular morning in many years. Those twin test series eng away and SA away were as tough batting surfaces as i have ever seen since the 1987 when i started watching cricket.
Will see if i can dig out the cricinfo article which compared the degree of batting difficulty
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March 13, 2023 at 10:36 AM
Are you comparing the batting ability of SRT and Kohli in the red ball format? 🤔
Tracks in SA and UK during the 2018 tours can possibly not be tougher than ’96, Centurion 2001 and the 2002/06 tours. They can be at par at best.. not tougher! Today’s batsmen have lost the art of playing gritty test innings, Pujara and Kohli are the last 2 standing. Next gens gonna be worse! Even the talented AJ Rahane who got 8 hundreds in his first 29 tests lost the plot once he was addicted to the IPL. Cricinfo might have an obligation to defend modern day test cricket but anyone’s whose watched the red ball format from the 80s to 00s knows how its degraded.
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March 13, 2023 at 10:43 AM
In red ball Dravid Sachin and Sunny towers above rest of Indian greats anyday. I was more pointing on how the pitches have changed to becoming more result oriented. As you say it could be due to IPL but at same time DRS also has an influence as a batsman cannot survive a bad decision anymore. The main reason why we have only 3 batters with over 50 runs average could be due to the pitches.
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March 13, 2023 at 12:04 PM
DRS works both ways. In past batsmen both survived or were wrongfully given out.
I will agree with Shivaay, quality of test cricket has gone down but the excitement is there due to more results.
There is no doubt the golden generation of bowlers were in 70s to 00s. Also i have no doubt that Kohli would have prospered in that generation too. He is star quality. Likewise Pujara too.
The average batsman and bowler is less than before and because both skills have diminished it still throws up exciting test cricket.
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March 13, 2023 at 12:09 PM
Averages are probably lower because of impatience and higher strike rates. Too much of the short format has influenced the outcome of test cricket.
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March 13, 2023 at 12:32 PM
Also I’m not sure on point wrt lower test averages. Looking at highest 63 ranked…8 are active players…4 have higher test averages than Tendulkar/lara/Dravid/yousuf/Ponting. Voges too if I count you get 5 players and only Sangkarra and Kallis sneak above Williamson. I’d argue the exact opposite. The truly ‘elite’ batsmen of today’s era end up with higher averages than the elite of previous era less Bradman! Probably because they are smart enough to separate the 3 formats of the game. The batsman today need a wider range of skills to prosper. Skills in past were narrower but they were just better at mastering the skill.
Bowlers get no benefit from the game in decades. Majority of rules aid batsmen. The shorter boundaries.
The strategies evolve. Who declared at 300 odd ever? England did few weeks back. There is too much impatience to score runs fast.
Test cricket is 5 days for a reason. Teams should spend that time…
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March 13, 2023 at 11:16 AM
“batsman cannot survive a bad decision anymore.” – but they sure can survive the shockers like one’s given to SRT by Daryl Harper in 99 and Bucknor in 2003 and 08.
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March 13, 2023 at 11:24 AM
Under 40 test averages are now a global trend, not just in India. Batsmen score quicker (leading to results) yet the lack of temperament is surely impacting test batsmanship. Check out some of the atrocious batting here
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March 13, 2023 at 2:58 AM
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March 13, 2023 at 10:33 AM
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/kartikeya-date-how-good-a-year-was-2018-for-bowlers-in-test-cricket-1170675
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/decade-review-why-the-2000s-belonged-to-batsmen-442008
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/why-the-last-five-years-have-been-tougher-for-test-batters-than-the-rest-of-this-century-1266454
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March 13, 2023 at 11:49 AM
Most of the 2000s legends did equally well on the landmines of the 90s as well. Cannot say the same for the current crop. Its media’s obligation to distort a picture for the present benefit (just like they’d have u believe Pathaan > BB2).
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March 13, 2023 at 11:46 AM
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March 14, 2023 at 2:50 AM
This is doing rounds on social media
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March 17, 2023 at 7:20 AM
Weird play by the Aussies; weirder, is that India chose to bowl first after winning the toss–though I know India isn’t afraid of chasing 300+ scores–on a flat wicket like Wankhede!
But loved the comeback! I was so confident Aussies would glide to 330+ easily after the start. 188 AO !!
Great fielding, bowling, and captaincy.
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March 17, 2023 at 8:48 AM
India not looking good here….
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March 17, 2023 at 1:31 PM
Don’t worry, Kanth Sir’s ‘ENDHIRAN’ is in the stands. He will sail us through victory with his ‘whoosh whoosh’ antics like he did in the 2011 world cup. After all, these are the days in Satyamshot where Satish Kaushik deserves applause for AB’s special appearance success in JALWA…
And Endhiran did sail us through! Hoorah!!
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March 22, 2023 at 6:05 PM
Maybe the Longest goal ever
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March 23, 2023 at 3:43 AM
Goalkeepers have scored from goal kicks or there box before
This is the world record I think. From kick off to goalkeeper to goal – 13 seconds!
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March 23, 2023 at 3:45 AM
One above from Begovic was 101 yards.
This one broke record at 105 yards.
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March 23, 2023 at 3:49 AM
The one you posted may be the new record holder. Looks like it has beaten the Newport County goal.
Leandro Requena = 101 metres vs Tom King = 96 metres.
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March 24, 2023 at 2:34 AM
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April 4, 2023 at 4:03 PM
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April 9, 2023 at 3:51 PM
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April 9, 2023 at 6:19 PM
RIKU singh…What an inninngs..increable innings to change the game in the last over..
One of the best games in IPL ever
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April 18, 2023 at 2:17 AM
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April 18, 2023 at 10:12 AM
So even the great Dhoni is playing with a knee injury; just to make money.
And when I talk of IPL being a bane more than a ‘David Boon’, people say ‘Buddha Saala.’
And this is Tendulkar, with diarrhea and stomach cramps, abdominal pain, food poisoning, when he smashed Akram, Waqar, and Shoaib all over the park. And remember, Tendulkar only revealed this ONLY when pressed multiple times…This, is his greatest KNOCK ever…for me at least…smashing all over the Centurion…
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April 24, 2023 at 11:17 AM
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April 27, 2023 at 2:48 AM
NBA First round of playoffs the First seeded -Milwaukee bucks lost to Miami Heat, by four games to 1 in close fought series.
Please check out Giannis’ passionate response to if he considers the Bucks’ season a failure.
Giving us some life perspective!
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May 1, 2023 at 3:39 AM
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May 2, 2023 at 3:59 PM
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May 3, 2023 at 2:14 PM
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May 7, 2023 at 7:17 PM
Laggan like ending in IPL today. What a games we are having this season.
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May 14, 2023 at 1:42 AM
https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/cricket/story/former-zimbabwe-skipper-heath-streak-critically-ill-with-stage-4-cancer-2378913-2023-05-13
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May 21, 2023 at 5:30 PM
Hole in one today!
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May 22, 2023 at 12:00 AM
https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/sports/twitter-goes-crazy-after-michael-block-buries-hole-in-one-at-pga-championship/3157194/
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May 26, 2023 at 8:17 PM
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May 28, 2023 at 5:34 AM
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May 29, 2023 at 4:10 PM
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May 29, 2023 at 4:18 PM
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May 30, 2023 at 3:13 PM
Sachin- Dhoni
Bachchan- Ranvir
# Kya yaar !!
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June 7, 2023 at 3:10 PM
https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/lionel-messi-to-inter-miami-mls-club-set-to-sign-argentine-superstar-beating-barcelona-saudi-arabia/
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June 9, 2023 at 12:06 PM
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June 10, 2023 at 10:29 AM
An absolutely riveting feline-for-feline game going on between Swiatek and Muchova at the Rolland Garros. Don’t miss it.
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June 11, 2023 at 11:11 AM
Disappointed: Pathetic performance from the IPL players in WTC. Deserve not one but multitude of eggs on their faces. Pathetic performance; disgusting selection
https://www.rediff.com/cricket/report/boland-dismisses-kohli-leaves-anushka-shell-shocked-wtc-final/20230611.htm
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June 11, 2023 at 4:41 PM
Missed Pant and Bumrah. But what rubbish selection of Umesh over Ashwin
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June 11, 2023 at 7:38 PM
With Bazball being a rage England are a good bet to win the next WTC, never mind what happens at the ashes this summer.
There goes the next WTC too given that finals will be in England
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June 11, 2023 at 5:34 PM
Even though I agree with Rohit on the final being a best of 3 but as of now these are nothing more than excuses for an irresponsible performance. Its been well known since the last 2 years that the WTC final is a one off test and the dates were out well in advance. IPL has no business clashing with international commitments (the BCCI seems to think otherwise!) and with the current state and preparation of the team, even a best of 3 final would have been a whitewash (unless played on dustbowls). Its the IPL that needs to be scheduled based on the international calendar, here it seems the other way round. I had said this way back in April itself that the same clown celebrating the CSKs and RCBs last month would now point fingers at the national team for a lackluster effort despite knowing this was always an eventuality.
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June 11, 2023 at 7:40 PM
Just award the team winning the table instead of having a final in English conditions
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June 11, 2023 at 2:47 PM
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June 11, 2023 at 6:05 PM
Is he a bigger GOAT than Federer and Nadal?
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June 13, 2023 at 1:32 AM
Goat debate is for social media..but he probably will win some more before he wraps up..
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June 13, 2023 at 5:24 PM
He missed a Golden Slam in 2021,but on track for Grand Slam this year
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June 13, 2023 at 5:27 PM
Who is holding the cup? Doesn’t look like his wife
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June 13, 2023 at 5:49 PM
Some fan I guess…
This is with family
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June 11, 2023 at 9:18 PM
Classy
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June 13, 2023 at 1:31 AM
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June 13, 2023 at 2:36 AM
Nikola Jokic legacy is now established in NBA, after couple of MVP award in regular seasons finally wins an much deserved championship
Serbia is most happening sports country now 🙂
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2023/06/10/serbia-novak-djokovic-nikola-jokic-mens-french-open-nba-finals/70308738007/
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June 13, 2023 at 6:41 PM
GOAT debate at media level in tennis has all been about # of slams so Djokovic is definitely the GOAT. And I think he’ll get 25 by the end of August. Then it’s up to him whether he wants to play for 2 more seasons and push himself towards 30.
But for me Federer remains my favourite tennis player. But his 20 is now looking a distant 3rd in this generation. Though I do think the courts have advantaged the baseliners post 2000s. The close Wimbledon matches vs Djokovic/Nadal, Federer would have won in 90s court.
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June 13, 2023 at 7:21 PM
Djokovic & Nadal wouldn’t hold a candle against the real GOAT of grass Pete Sampras on those 90s Wimbledon courts of low bounce & more organic grass. Homogenized tennis courts to favor unidimensional baseline play has ruined the sport. On paper Bjorn Borg is the real GOAT among the lads with 5 Wimbledon & 6 French titles on surfaces as different as chalk & cheese during pre homogenized days.
https://nationalpost.com/sports/tennis/surface-changes-at-wimbledon-other-grand-slams-have-all-but-eliminated-place-for-specialty-players
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June 14, 2023 at 3:12 AM
My personal favourites are Federer and Agassi. Agassi had a complete game. Federer is up a notch. But Djokovic’s comeback capability is 2nd to nobody. Nadal’s fighting spirit and determination is also extraordinary.
Federer has been found wanting in some Wimbledon classics vs both of them. In a 90s style court 08, 14 and 19 Wimbledon finals Federer would not have been taken to 5 sets. Guys like Roddick would have done better too.
On clay Federer did as well as possible. Losing 4 finals to Nadal is no embarrassment considering Nadal has 14 titles.
Fact Djokovic has won 3 on each surface is remarkable. He’s beaten Nadal at FO too.
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June 13, 2023 at 7:24 PM
Agassi was as good an all round player as Djo & Nadal but Sampras on those 90s grass courts was a Beast!
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June 14, 2023 at 12:08 AM
lost twice to Edberg, once to Krajicek, once to Becker at Wimbledon, Sampras has no French Open titles to his name
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June 14, 2023 at 3:23 AM
No one’s talking of his credentials on clay. Losing one or two times to the likes of Edberg & Becker (who themselves are legends) isn’t a big deal when you consider the number of times he’s defeated them in his prime. He almost finished Becker’s illustrious grass court career, something he himself confessed in his biography. Grass courts of the 90s were not meant for boring baseline rallies which makes Agassi’s career slam more valuable than the current lot.
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June 14, 2023 at 10:11 AM
So one Wimbledon title of Agassi in 90s in a marathon five setter final is greater than 7 Wimbledon titles in 2020s? I think not
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June 14, 2023 at 11:13 AM
GOAT differs from gen to gen. Federer is still greater than Djo in this era and Sampras is the GOAT of grass & hard courts of his. No one can guess how Agassi would fare today or how Novak would fare in the 90s apart from educated guesswork.
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June 14, 2023 at 11:45 AM
Agassi may not be the best tennis player in his family 🤣
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June 14, 2023 at 11:55 AM
Not maybe.. he definitely isn’t for sure 🙌
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June 14, 2023 at 11:54 AM
By the argument that 90s was tougher to play on grass, Steffi is much higher above Serena
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June 14, 2023 at 11:56 AM
True.. she is
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June 14, 2023 at 1:00 PM
IN those days grass game was serve and volley..If your serve was good, there was good chance you would be in top tier. Goran Ivanisevic use to be monster with aces (actually rooted for him to win inspire of his bad temper).
Serena is just too powerful not sure how would they fare in different eras.
Agassi won with his returns and passing shots.
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June 14, 2023 at 1:19 PM
Djokovic’s game of baseline passing winners and returns is very similar to peak Agassi. Andre had temperamental issues else he’d have done much better at the French open. Yet peak Agassi struggled against Sampras on grass and the faster acrylic hard courts of New York. I’m sure Djoko too would have had a struggle with his game on these slams of that era. Only Federer is capable of matching peak Sampras on the erstwhile Wimbledon and US acrylic courts of the bygone era.
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June 14, 2023 at 1:29 PM
Based on your suggestion 23 Grand Slam titles is easily attainable in this era. Let’s see
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June 14, 2023 at 2:34 PM
3 guys have already won above 20 in the same era, so yes.
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June 15, 2023 at 4:43 PM
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June 17, 2023 at 12:02 AM
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June 19, 2023 at 5:09 AM
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June 20, 2023 at 3:40 PM
What a start to the Ashes series. Humdinger of a match. Kudos to Australia to win on back of the WTC victory.
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June 20, 2023 at 8:29 PM
Enough reason for T20 addicted advocates of 4 day tests to be hanged.. the same gen z nincompoops who claim Messi > Maradona and this unidimensonal anti vax clown Djo is a goat!
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June 21, 2023 at 7:38 AM
Only concern for Oz would be Warner’s form. If they had a suitable replacement, he is pretty disposable currently
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June 26, 2023 at 5:38 PM
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June 27, 2023 at 3:05 AM
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June 27, 2023 at 3:08 AM
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July 1, 2023 at 10:00 AM
West Indies out of WC 2023
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July 1, 2023 at 5:56 PM
Another engrossing Test at the Ashes, although Australia look firm favorites for a 2-0 lead, can Stokes repeat 2019 Headingley miracle or Bairstow 2022 Edgbaston
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July 1, 2023 at 6:07 PM
Australia without Lyon in 4th inning on a belter of a pitch
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July 2, 2023 at 7:22 PM
Stokes what a knock. England were with a realistic chance of winning the game till he was in.
Where was the spirit of cricket when Bairstow was runout? But his dismissal woke up the monster in Stokes
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July 4, 2023 at 10:35 AM
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July 7, 2023 at 3:19 PM
Seems like its gonna be 0-3 now! Bazball approach in tests is like expecting Salman Khan to act in Pink..
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July 7, 2023 at 3:22 PM
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July 7, 2023 at 3:23 PM
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July 8, 2023 at 3:25 AM
Lol!
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July 10, 2023 at 3:10 AM
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July 14, 2023 at 7:13 PM
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July 14, 2023 at 9:31 PM
Gone are the days of pace bowlers such as Joel Garner, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall, Ambrose, Walsh. They still got a good pace attack in Roach, Alzar Joseph, Holder, Shannon Gabriel etc.
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July 15, 2023 at 3:05 AM
Yet prepare wickets slower than Kotla & Chepauk.
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July 15, 2023 at 10:33 AM
India are missing Bumrah and Shami. Heavily reliant on Siraj. Wonder how Unadkat keeps getting selected so often despite no performance at international level?
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July 15, 2023 at 5:17 PM
https://www.yahoo.com/sports/wimbledon-2023-marketa-vondrousova-beats-ons-jabeur-for-1st-grand-slam-title-145347395.html
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July 16, 2023 at 5:55 AM
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July 16, 2023 at 2:07 PM
https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/15/sport/wimbledon-mens-final-novak-djokovic-carlos-alcaraz-spt-intl/index.html
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July 16, 2023 at 2:16 PM
Astonishing game played by Alcaraz. Tennis world’s got a new champion 🏆
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July 16, 2023 at 4:28 PM
He managed to frustrate Novak that Novak smashed and broke his racket…That’s the greater achievement.
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July 16, 2023 at 2:29 PM
Beginning of new era ..
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July 19, 2023 at 1:04 PM
Cricket equivalent?
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July 19, 2023 at 1:16 PM
Running 3 byes?
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July 19, 2023 at 1:24 PM
but it is a strike out!
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July 19, 2023 at 3:43 PM
And getting runout on the 4th.
Or getting bowled off a no ball and running 3 byes and getting RO on the 4tjh
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July 20, 2023 at 9:31 PM
Why is he hated wo much despite being a good human being
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July 20, 2023 at 9:37 PM
Because his anti vax, pseudo scientific views match the physics of a Raja Mulli film.. I’m sure he’s got more fans than Roger on this forum, just like Mulli’s a classic on SS.
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July 24, 2023 at 3:03 PM
Jay – What do you do during matches?
https://twitter.com/footbalIfights/status/1683209945662013440
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July 25, 2023 at 2:15 AM
Haha not like this 🤣
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July 26, 2023 at 4:24 AM
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July 26, 2023 at 9:59 AM
Wow
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July 27, 2023 at 8:26 PM
POTM I feel Jaddu deserved it more than Kuldeep, first ODI vs Windies 3/37 including middle order batsmen Hetmeyer, Povell, Shepard versus tail ender wickets of #7 – 10 for Kuldeep with 4/6. Jaddu also took a brilliant catch of Athanaze, the batsman who troubled the Indian bowlers the most in Tests as well as 16*(21) with the bat
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July 28, 2023 at 5:03 AM
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July 30, 2023 at 11:57 PM
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July 31, 2023 at 3:02 PM
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July 31, 2023 at 4:28 PM
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August 20, 2023 at 10:49 AM
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August 20, 2023 at 3:58 PM
What is the response to Messi in US?
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August 22, 2023 at 4:16 PM
Not follow much.. but I think people are aware…and ticket prices have soared. His goal in Leagues cup final was a beauty.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/22/business/leo-messi-inter-miami-ticket-prices/index.html
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August 22, 2023 at 4:21 PM
different angle..
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September 4, 2023 at 4:02 AM
celebrities were in attendance for LA match..
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September 4, 2023 at 6:07 PM
Yep saw. Messi is running the show!
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August 27, 2023 at 2:54 AM
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August 27, 2023 at 4:12 AM
great run!
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August 27, 2023 at 3:47 PM
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August 28, 2023 at 1:39 PM
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September 5, 2023 at 1:30 PM
Gautam Gambhir Rocks.
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September 10, 2023 at 4:38 AM
Jay, how about this?
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September 10, 2023 at 4:41 AM
He uno’ed him LOL
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September 10, 2023 at 8:26 PM
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September 14, 2023 at 4:42 PM
What a moving and unique way of announcing the ODI squad . Maza aa gaya !!
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September 14, 2023 at 9:19 PM
https://twitter.com/DzamposuEddison/status/1698646850159436053
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September 15, 2023 at 6:36 PM
Astonishing!
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September 17, 2023 at 7:27 AM
Truly astonishing! 👏
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September 17, 2023 at 7:30 AM
Hopefully India save some of this form for the WC!
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September 17, 2023 at 7:55 AM
50 All Out 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Shame I don’t know any SL fans. Seems like SL team wanted to watch Jawan tonight.
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September 17, 2023 at 8:40 AM
India’s 54 all out of 2000 Sharjah vs SL has been overhauled now.
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September 23, 2023 at 4:00 AM
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September 23, 2023 at 1:10 PM
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September 26, 2023 at 8:28 PM
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September 27, 2023 at 1:26 PM
LOL !!
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September 29, 2023 at 11:16 AM
In the contentious video, Ashraf is heard stating, “We have awarded these contracts to our players with immense love and affection. Never before in Pakistan’s history has such a substantial amount been allocated to players. My objective was to ensure that our players’ morale remains high as they travel to compete in countries, including the so-called ‘enemy country.'”
https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/trending-news/story/viral-video-pakistan-cricket-board-chief-calls-india-dushman-mulk-2442207-2023-09-29
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September 29, 2023 at 11:18 AM
Pakistan Coach calls Bharat – Dushman Mulk
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October 3, 2023 at 1:30 PM
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October 4, 2023 at 8:48 PM
🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🙏
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October 5, 2023 at 5:24 PM
Been a long long time since I witnessed batting of this caliber in a world cup game. Astonishing partnership, Conway & Ravindran. To do it against the reigning World champions!
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October 7, 2023 at 12:11 AM
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October 8, 2023 at 2:32 PM
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October 8, 2023 at 5:21 PM
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October 8, 2023 at 5:21 PM
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October 8, 2023 at 5:41 PM
He’s lethal when its turning square since he turns it without much flight and at considerable speed.
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October 9, 2023 at 4:30 PM
Presenter leaves Bharat ( hopefully will not be censored)
https://sports.ndtv.com/icc-cricket-world-cup-2023/pakistan-presenter-zainab-abbas-covering-cricket-world-cup-2023-leaves-india-amid-social-media-backlash-report-4464937#pfrom=home-ndtv_lateststories
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October 10, 2023 at 10:47 AM
Insha Ram jee
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October 10, 2023 at 1:55 PM
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October 11, 2023 at 10:44 AM
Hmmmm
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October 11, 2023 at 10:45 AM
No idea why but aaj KK Menon bada yaad aa raha hai !!
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October 11, 2023 at 10:47 AM
I agree with this, hope everyone else here too?
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October 11, 2023 at 4:21 PM
Totally agree with Sushant Sareen here, why special treatment, Mazaak bana diya hai !!
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October 12, 2023 at 12:37 PM
BCCI has lost it !!
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October 14, 2023 at 8:57 PM
https://www.timesnownews.com/sports/cricket/international-olympics-committee-approves-crickets-inclusion-in-2028-la-olympics-article-104398352
Finally cricket getting its deserved recognition.
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October 15, 2023 at 12:07 PM
Shocker for the Barmy Army! World champs in serious pressure now..
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October 15, 2023 at 3:32 PM
Finally the Afghans live up to their promising potential. No one can be taken lightly these days.
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October 16, 2023 at 3:42 PM
https://www.yahoo.com/sports/cricket-squash-among-six-sports-143811673.html
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October 17, 2023 at 4:28 AM
This handle has good analysis (The Pavilion) of every match albeit somewhat Pakistan centric.
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October 17, 2023 at 8:21 PM
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October 18, 2023 at 10:59 AM
Gajab- e Hind hai !!
https://sports.ndtv.com/icc-cricket-world-cup-2023/pakistani-actress-bold-date-promise-if-bangladesh-beat-india-in-cricket-world-cup-2023-match-4491956#pfrom=home-ndtv_lateststories
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October 20, 2023 at 1:57 PM
Jai Ho !!!
Australia beat Pakistan by 62 runs
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/australia-vs-pakistan-live-score-icc-odi-18th-world-cup-2023-today-20-october-aus-vs-pak-match-in-m-chinnaswamy-stadium-101697778510305.html
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October 23, 2023 at 12:57 PM
Chalo Bhai, ab Afghanistan ney bhee lapet diya Pakistan ko !!! LOL!!
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October 21, 2023 at 6:27 PM
South Africa is a lethal batting order batting first. For the first time since 1999 and perhaps 2015 are we looking at a genuinely capable South African team that can go all the way.
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October 23, 2023 at 11:44 PM
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/cricket/joe-root-i-m-not-sure-how-long-50-over-cricket-has-left/ar-AA1iIl1m
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October 26, 2023 at 4:42 PM
https://www.cricketworldcup.com/video/3753385
His own team does not have much left in the 50 over format, else this is still the “real deal” as far as world cups go. Yet another deplorable performance by the English and you have them indulging in diversion tactics. ODI cricket is here to stay, no 2 ways about it.
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October 27, 2023 at 9:23 AM
Just the other week we had Matthew Hayden, in full-bore no-bullshit mode, calling for “agitation” and “visionary thinking” around the programming of cricket because, get this: “The majority of it is irrelevant”. Next up we had Mark Nicholas, inaugurating his tenure as MCC president with the announcement that bilateral ODIs may as well be scrapped because, come on guys, “In a free market the most money wins – and that’s just the endgame”.
Soon enough it was Joe Root, emerging from England’s last-but-one mess to wonder if “the 50-over format is relevant any more anyway” – amid reports that the ICC will be meeting next month, just as soon as this piddling tournament is sorted, to discuss what’s left of the format’s future.
Read rest from below link:
https://wisden.com/series-stories/cricket-world-cup-2023/gravitas-cant-be-measured-in-cash-losing-odis-would-be-catastrophic-for-the-sport
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October 27, 2023 at 3:07 PM
Shoiab Akhtar crying , the Pakistani media is brutal
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October 27, 2023 at 3:09 PM
SAs almost knocked both England and Pakistan out.. Respect! ❤
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October 28, 2023 at 11:30 AM
And these are the clowns for whom the heart of humanitarian mules bleeds in the name of sportsmanship! *slow claps
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October 30, 2023 at 5:56 PM
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October 31, 2023 at 1:55 AM
The worst kept secret in football. World Cup win cemented this. Only way someone else was taking it was if they scored hattricks in semi finals and finals of CL. Haaland went cold in all of City’s big matches in last season. He blanked in the semi and finals of all the CL and FA Cup ties and Mbappe like Messi got knocked out early in CL at PSG. 8 ballon d’or is just too big a record for anyone playing currently to reach. Haaland and Mbappe haven’t won one yet.
Bellingham has to be early favourite for 2024.
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October 30, 2023 at 6:36 PM
Wait, what was wrong with the Arzoo Kazmi Interview of Danish ?
It was totally sports related
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October 31, 2023 at 3:23 AM
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November 1, 2023 at 7:14 PM
https://twitter.com/espn/status/1719848502342107437
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November 2, 2023 at 5:32 PM
😜😜
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November 3, 2023 at 12:14 PM
Two Cricketers ka vartalaap
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November 6, 2023 at 6:30 AM
https://twitter.com/shawstopper_100/status/1721481627463790653
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November 6, 2023 at 10:36 AM
Damn !!
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November 7, 2023 at 11:54 AM
Just witnessed the greatest ODI innings and best chase ever! All hail Maxwell. 200 in chase and when 7 wickets down without any support is only stuff in dreams. Lifetime innings.
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November 9, 2023 at 9:55 AM
Game Over ?
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November 9, 2023 at 1:24 PM
Mujeeb ur Rahman dropping Maxwell with Aus at 105-7 cost the Afghans a SF berth & a win of a lifetime ☹️
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November 11, 2023 at 1:19 PM
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November 14, 2023 at 9:54 PM
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November 15, 2023 at 6:44 AM
Kohli’s 50th 💯
Top moment in Indian cricket history, glad to see it live.
Congrats Kohli!!
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November 15, 2023 at 7:29 AM
What a freaking batting by team India.
Kohli, you were king but this world cup has put a sealed stamp on your status.
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November 15, 2023 at 12:18 PM
Congrats Team India…
Great bowling by Shami.
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November 19, 2023 at 3:50 PM
Talk about shooting yourself on the foot!
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November 19, 2023 at 3:52 PM
Have said this before, Public/Media hype is inversely proportional to Indian Cricket Team ‘s on field performance. 1983, Kolkata 2001, Gabba 2020 & 2019/2023 WC & the Under 19 world cup wins are ample proof. Stop the rabid excessive hyperbole on the Cricket team , perhaps we might just win in 2027 🤦
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November 20, 2023 at 12:06 AM
The team played a good WC..memorable performances. Could have just left the pitch as it is and it would have been same throughout the day. Too much tinkering when we had anyways won on all types of pitches. Backfired like 1996 semis
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November 20, 2023 at 5:19 AM
Felt most bad for Kohli and Sharma.
Kohli for his most unlucky and unfortunate dismissal, and Rohit for leading the team all the way to the final and then losing it when it mattered.
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November 20, 2023 at 5:54 AM
Scoring at 7.5 an over and when he had 10 off that over, Rohit Sharma’s shot selection is one of the rashest piece of batting ever witnessed in a big game right out of the Sehwag manual. Very unbecoming of a responsible captain and not the first time he’s been this casual (remember similar brashness in the Gabba test to Nathan Lyon when all he needed to do was defend on the last session of the day). This is what it is about “nerves” on the big moments. Something the battle hardened Aussies have in abundance unlike India, South Africa or New Zealand.
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November 20, 2023 at 6:17 AM
What do you mean battle-hardened? Indian team plays as many games in average that the Aussie team does.
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November 20, 2023 at 6:23 AM
IMO the problem is that any competent cricketeer feels and acts like superstars and the silly junta worships them. In such a scenario its difficult to keep a level-headed attitude and consistency in any field, not just sports.
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November 20, 2023 at 6:47 AM
“IMO the problem is that any competent cricketeer feels and acts like superstars and the silly junta worships them. In such a scenario its difficult to keep a level-headed attitude and consistency in any field, not just sports.” – this is what I mean by hardened, ability to isolate the professionalism from the noise. An ability possessed by only a few at the highest level like MSD, SRT etc. Good riddance the junta isn’t crazy and fanatical about javeline throwing or shooting or even Hockey though. We’d never win an Olympic medal else, thanks in part to the media.
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November 20, 2023 at 12:20 PM
I wanted India to avoid Australia in the final simply because it was Australia. I still fancied India to win but as Master mentioned Sharma got ahead of himself.
Forget India but Australia showed exactly how good they are. India seem to reserve their best for Pakistan and Australia don’t care who it is in the final – they will do the main job. They find a way. But yesterday was nothing much about finding a way ‘during’ the match. They were clearly prepared with a plan for each Indian player.
And the bowling changes. Masterful. I think I only counted once where one of fast 3 did not bowl in consecutive overs. So India were always under pressure at one end and they failed to take any calculated risk against Australian part timers or Zampa. 2 long stretches of 70+ balls without a boundary killed the innings, this with lack of rotation is a crime.
Australia at 3 down at 50 odd. Once it’s 100 for 3 and you’ve stood still it was game over.
Australian fielding incredible. Boundaries were 2’s on a number of occasions. India’s bowling fell apart in first few overs. No control from seasoned bowlers known for control. Reminiscent of Hayden/Gilchrist ripping Khan/Nehra in 03 final.
The bigger picture is India don’t turn up unless it’s Pakistan. I reckon India would have beaten anybody yesterday except Australia. Australia just know what to do and when. Game judgement, when to attack, when to defend under final and managing the occasion is a lesson India fail to learn from.
It is about winning. India lose too many semis and finals. For all the money they should spend more on sports psychologists because skill/talent wise they are there but in the head they are way off Australian beast mode.
Sharma should have just calmed a bit. Gill felt like a desperate attempt to get into the match. Kohli definitely unlucky. And sorry Sky and tail was not street smart. Maxwell vs Afghanistan showed exactly how you bat with lesser batsmen. You hog the strike and take the 1 on the 6th ball not the 1st and then lesser batsmen get dot, dot, dot.
Pitiful performance and media shouldn’t spare them.
Also no 6th bowling option is a huge sin. Australia had 7 bowlers and they utilised part timers when new batsmen arrived and snuck in so many cheap overs.
If hardik was playing, I drop SKY and kuldeep for hardik and ashwin. The extra bowling is needed. The extra firepower from hardik and ashwin’s winning mentality is required.
A joke how Ashwin is neglected in the big matches. Australian team had great balance and fielding just incredible. The will to win is sickeningly the best. 6 wins from 8 finals and I didn’t like how many took Australia lightly. Whatever they lack in skill they make up in the mind.
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November 20, 2023 at 12:26 PM
The job guys like Ganguly, Tendulkar, Sehwag and Yuvraj use to do was crucial. The odd over to change things up a bit…India doesn’t produce a 90% batsman with a bit of bowling. Maxwell, Head and Marsh together bowled 10 overs, went for 44 runs and only Pat Cummins had better economy than that. So India didn’t punish the 5th bowler or even target one of them. Scandalous.
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November 20, 2023 at 2:03 PM
Didn’t I mention the same thing about psychology in the group stage itself? Unless you have a spiritually calm head like MSD or Rahane at the helm, the only way Indian cricket (not just cricket, even other sports, PV Sindhu’s repeated failures in knockout games is another example) thrives is when they’re the underdogs with zilch expectations and have a fearless approach with nothing to lose & no toxic media/public hype. 1983, 2001, 2020.. and no wonder why even the U19 colts have a better WC record than the Aussies but the seniors are far off.
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November 20, 2023 at 2:07 PM
Agree on the all rounders thing. Not just batsmen who can bowl, but even bowlers who can score runs down the order like Harbhajan, Zaheer, Srinath etc are missing. Exactly why an Ashwin at #8 was critical.
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November 20, 2023 at 11:55 PM
So players can’t have their own moment after loss and be alone? Modi will barge in with entourage of media folks and then this keeps flashing 24/7 in news channel. Who wants to be part or media circus at this moment after loss? This is ridiculous. I doubt you would have seen Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma infront of media at this momebt if not for this publicity stubt by Modi. Politicians have no connection with BCCI’s Cricket body and shouldn’t buy even that line is crossed after JayShah’s connection.
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November 21, 2023 at 3:08 AM
Little bit awkward at start then it is fine..
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November 21, 2023 at 2:32 PM
The whole narrative was there, Modi made the biggest stadium under his name and India luckily came to the final in the World Cup and Modi also came with a full entourage and would have been a great legacy and lifetime opportunity. But alas, the architect he gave the job proved to incompetent fool and scared to shit while going to performance review meeting, Lol. (ignore the post’s comments…posting for video).
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November 21, 2023 at 1:27 AM
Of course you’d have the dirty politically motivated opposition proxies seeking brownie points out of every event without noticing that unlike their worthless bosses, certain heads of states care about anything & anyone donning the national uniform right from Olympics to Cricket to theIsro.
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November 21, 2023 at 8:40 AM
Only thing that bugs me is why weren’t Kapil Dev and Dhoni invited?
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November 21, 2023 at 9:05 AM
Jokes aside, I really think India would win 8 out of 10 time on same pitch against Australia.
Luck was not on India side and give credit where it’s due. Aussie did their homework, right from 1st second on giving India batting despite winning the toss. They knew the pitch was in sh!t condition.
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November 21, 2023 at 9:22 AM
Only if it isn’t a World Cup Final will they win 8 of 10. This is a team that’s won 5 consecutive WC finals since 1999 and even in 96, Aravinda played an innings of his life to stop them. At 47/3 this is the closest they have gotten to losing a WC final since 1996. The wins in 99,03,07 and 2015 were complete one sided dominance. The only way to prevent the Aussies from winning a WC is to eliminate them by the semis like England did in 2019 and we did in the 2011 QF. Anything beyond is most likely a lost cause considering their mental strength and preparation before a WC finale.
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November 21, 2023 at 10:06 AM
“mental strength and preparation before a WC finale”
This does play a huge part. But Team India is a big team with home ground advantage, so much talent.
This sh!t will hurt for at least few more days then i’ll be over it.
The golden chance was there. Everything was in place. It still feels unbelievable that we lost.
I’m not going to blame the coaching staff or the players because if they were bad, you don’t win as many games as they did.
They just got outplayed by a team who has history of playing well in the WC final.
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November 21, 2023 at 5:15 PM
Yes very true. I was hoping for Afghanistan to beat them in groups simply to halt the momentum BUT the Maxwell innings gave them greater confidence. Even SA turned the screw but not enough. You simply have to knock them out early. They lost their first 2 games and still won the whole thing.
Australian mentality is another level to everybody else.
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November 21, 2023 at 5:56 PM
ODI superiority is more likely to benefit Test consistency and vice versa. T20 won’t do the same. WI and Australia dominated both.
This WC especially Australian set up showed the value of traditional test players playing major role in ODI set up alongside maverick players like Maxwell.
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November 21, 2023 at 8:01 PM
T20 is a junk format fit for cash drawing leagues alone. Even playing that at the international level is a joke on the game. Its the cricketing equal of a Rohit Shetty film. Even an Asia cup win has more value than that poor man’s world cup of T20 (media exaggeration aside).
As for the Windies of the 80s, even they were not par with the Aussies of the 00s in ODIs. They eventually did lose the 83 final and had lost a league game earlier to India as well. But the Aussies steam rolled 2003 & 07 remaining undefeated after their lucky escape in 99. And even in 2015 & now in 2023 when they are nowhere close to their best, they’re still mentally strong & prepared enough to go all the way.
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November 21, 2023 at 9:20 AM
Also, it’s sad that some of the players who played very well may not be there next world cup.
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November 21, 2023 at 4:04 PM
Pointless whining over spilt milk, however cannot stop thinking about this game 12 years ago, same opposition, same venue. And why Ravi Ashwin was completely ignored in a big game unlike the last time around, especially considering he’s a competent #8 batsman as well. Anyhow, last of my posts on the World cup. Well played Team India for the greatest ODI performances in a world cup, congratulations to the Aussies yet again!
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November 21, 2023 at 9:27 PM
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November 24, 2023 at 8:43 PM
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/mumbai-indians-plotting-shock-comeback-for-hardik-pandya-heres-what-gt-is-likely-to-get-101700844272260.html
Not sure why would Pandya go from being captain to a player role…In last two years Gujarat has done better than Mumbai…?
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December 1, 2023 at 5:59 AM
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December 1, 2023 at 5:50 PM
Winning a World cup by a fluke does NOT make you #1 in the world, esp when your team cannot defeat a depleted second rung side in a T20 format.. SHAME on the “so called” World Champions!
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December 21, 2023 at 1:13 PM
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December 21, 2023 at 2:06 PM
https://twitter.com/Haroon_HMM7/status/1737909195226382535
Literally winning against the WC Semi Finalist in their own backyard with a second rung team.. World #1 for a reason 😉
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December 25, 2023 at 1:55 PM
I don’t know if they are the best..but they look good..deceving batsmen with speed..
https://twitter.com/CricketKalra/status/1739255940464128165
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