Zaheer Khan feels ‘Impact Player’ rule has given a huge boost to young Indian players.© BCCI

Away from the chaos, star India batter Virat Kohli is spending time with his family in London. In a viral video, Kohli was seen catching a train somewhere in London, before some locals recognised him and approached him for a picture. Kohli, however, seemed to be in a rush as he told a fan that he will only click one picture, that too in a group. Kohli then went inside the station to catch a train. In the video, Kohli was seen wearing a Hazelnut coloured hoodie paired with a black track pant and white sneakers.

He was getting out of shuttle when a fan approached him for a pic. It is fair to say that Kohli, even in London, is finding it hard to not be recognised by fans. The viral video is a testament to Kohli’s worldwide fan following.

Last week, Kohli completed 16 years in international cricket. He made his international cricket debut on August 18, 2008 against Sri Lanka at Dambulla, a couple of months after he became the Under-19 World Cup-winning captain at Kuala Lumpur.

On his debut, the 35-year-old opened the batting with current India head coach Gautam Gambhir and made just 12 runs. He ended his maiden international series with 159 runs in five matches at an average of 31.80.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Kohli’s IPL franchise since 2008, also took to ‘X’ to congratulate the batter for completing 16 years in international cricket. “16 years of the King, and an eternity-old Kingdom of magic. All hail, all hail King Kohli. From debut to certified GOAT status. Through 16 years of relentless passion, Virat didn’t just play the game, he set the blueprint for a new perfect brand of cricket!”

Since then, Kohli has emerged as a formidable batting force for India, amassing 13,906 runs in 295 ODIs and also holds the record for most centuries by a male batter in the format – 50 centuries, 27 of which have come in run-chases. He has also amassed 8,848 runs in 113 Test matches and made 4,188 runs in 125 T20Is.

Kohli has won the ODI World Cup in 2011, the Champions Trophy in 2013 and the T20 World Cup in 2024, following which he retired from the shortest format. He also holds the record for most wins by an Indian Test captain, as the side won 40 out of 68 matches when Kohli was the skipper.

Star India batter Virat Kohli is undoubtedly one of the greatest players in the world. Ever since his debut in 2008, Kohli has taken Indian cricket to different heights with his powerful batting and also broke numerous records. Despite retiring from the T20Is, Kohli is en-route to break legendary Sachin Tendulkar‘s record of scoring hundred centuries in his international cricket. Apart from Team India, Kohli has immensely contributed for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL. Kohli joined RCB in the inaugural IPL season in 2008 and has been a part of the franchise ever since.

Despite playing an amazing brand of cricket, RCB are yet to lift an IPL trophy. However, RCB is one of the biggest IPL franchises with a large fan base.

Recently, Kohli was asked to chose his favorite rival between five-time champions Mumbai Indians and three-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders. Kohli opted for KKR as his favorite rivals in IPL.

Earlier on Sunday, Kohli completed 16 years of playing international cricket. In 2008, Kohli made his international cricket debut in India’s ODI against Sri Lanka at Dambulla, a couple of months after he became the Under-19 World Cup-winning captain at Kuala Lumpur.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), BCCI secretary Jay Shah congratulated the talismanic batter and wrote, “16 years ago today, a 19-year-old @imVkohli stepped onto the international stage for the first time, marking the beginning of what has become a truly legendary career. Congratulations to the King on completing 16 years in international cricket!”

In his debut international game, Kohli opened the batting with current India head coach Gautam Gambhir and made just 12 runs. He ended his maiden international series with 159 runs in five matches at an average of 31.80.

Since then, Kohli has emerged as a formidable batting force for India, amassing 13,906 runs in 295 ODIs and also holds the record for most centuries by a male batter in the format – 50 centuries, 27 of which have come in run-chases. He has also amassed 8,848 runs in 113 Test matches and made 4,188 runs in 125 T20Is.

(With IANS Inputs)

Rinku Singh in action© BCCI

File image of Dinesh Karthik© BCCI

Lucknow Super Giants spinner Amit Mishra’s remarks on star India batter Virat Kohli have sparked a huge debate. Mishra, who recently appeared on a podcast, stated that due to immense power and fame, Virat has changed a lot as a person and the relationship between the duo is not the same anymore. As Mishra’s statement went viral, the social media divided as many came in support of Kohli and criticised the spinner. Recently, former India batter Robin Uthappa also hailed Kohli for his hard work and personality.

Uthappa, who was a part of the Indian team that won the 2007 T20 World Cup, said that the former Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper has evolved into a mature human being. 

“I have actually seen Virat kind of evolve from a brash young Delhi boy to an evolved human being. You know the evolution has been quite tremendous, to be honest. Today he’s practically reaping what he had sown 15 years ago. One of the things that has always stood out to me about Cheeku has been his conviction in himself,” Uthappa said on cricket.com/tv.

“When I listen to a young 19-year-old Virat Kohli, you know talking about himself or his conviction in himself, you’ll get mortified, you’ll be like ‘What is this dude talking about?’. “But fast forward 10 years and you be like ‘Okay now that makes sense,” he added. 

Earlier, Punjab Kings star batter Shashank Singh also came in support of Kohli and shared an interesting tale from the IPL.

“He was standing, I was standing. We were standing for 40 minutes. I didn’t even know when 40 minutes passed. Our team position was 12:45. It was 12:40, I didn’t know when 40 minutes passed. And we were talking about cricket, about technique, about shots, about mental chatter,” Shashank Singh told InsideSport.

“And the way he was answering, it felt like, keep doing it, keep doing it. It felt like, he is one of our Chhattisgarh players. He was so friendly, talking to me to help me understand. It felt so good to talk to him,” he added.

Veteran Indian spinner Amit Mishra dropped a few bombs during a podcast, as he shared details from some of the most controversial incidents in Indian cricket. Mishra shared the inside details from the Virat Kohli vs Naveen-ul-Haq battle during Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, revealing how the Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter abused the Lucknow Super Giants pacer. Mishra even suggested that though everything seems normal between the two on social media, it would be difficult for Naveen to respect Kohli after after that IPL incident. Now, Naveen has responded to Mishra’s remarks.

“For social media, it all seemed to be over between them. But do you think Naveen will respect Kohli ever again? What about the youngsters who saw the incident where a big star was abusing others,” Mishra had said on Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast “Unplugged”.

Naveen, who is playing for the Texas Super Kings in USA’s Major League Cricket, reiterated that all is well between him and Virat, with the IPL clash only being a ‘heat of the moment’ incident.

“That was just the heat of the moment during the match and nothing personal. And I and Virat Kohli both have forgotten and in the ODI World Cup, we finished, hugged and we moved on from that. But social media nowadays keeps these things going on and on,” Naveen said in a video shared by the Texas Super Kings.

Naveen’s connect with the king kohli! #WhistleForTexas#AllYouNeedIsYellove#CognizantMajorLeagueCricket#MLC2024 pic.twitter.com/qshjxUpN5r

— Texas Super Kings (@TexasSuperKings) July 17, 2024

Mishra, who is one of the top wicket-takers in the Indian Premier League, had revealed that Virat abused many LSG players during the IPL 2023 clash, after supposedly getting triggered by Gautam Gambhir‘s ‘finger on lips’ gesture during the reverse fixture in Bengaluru.

“He started abusing our players (in the LSG vs RCB rematch in Lucknow). He didn’t have any grudges with Kyle Myers but he abused him as well. Naveen-ul-Haq was bowling, he would abuse him too. A lot of things would have been avoided but Kohli chose not to,” the former Indian leg-spinner had said.

Kohli himself hasn’t yet spoken on the matter.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 campaign produced some fiery clashes on the field, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru superstar Virat Kohli taking on Lucknow Super Giants’ Naveen-ul-Haq. The clash between the two spiralled on beyond the match, with LSG coach Gautam Gambhir also throwing himself in the altercation. Gambhir and Kohli had a heated argument that prompted forced their teammates to intervene. Now, Lucknow spinner Amit Mishra has revealed what exactly was the reason behind such an explosive clash that season.

In a chat during a podcast on YouTube, LSG’s veteran spinner Amit Mishra revealed that the story started a few matches before in Bengaluru when Lucknow mentor Gautam Gambhir had done the ‘finger on mouth’ gesture towards Bengaluru fans.

“It all started in Bengaluru where we (LSG) won the game and Gambhir expressed his aggression. The public was going mad so Gautam gestured them to keep quiet. Probably Virat Kohli didn’t like that. We thought the matter ended with the game but not for Kohli,” Mishra said.

Kohli, according to Mishra, was probably not happy with Gambhir’s gesture and started to abuse LSG players when the two teams met again. Mishra said that Virat could’ve avoided certain things but he chose not to.

“He started abusing our players (in the LSG vs RCB rematch in Lucknow). He didn’t have any grudges with Kyle Myers but he abused him as well. Naveen-ul-Haq was bowling, he would abuse him too. Bohot cheezein avoid ho sakti thi but Virat Kohli ne nahi ki (a lot of things would have been avoided but Kohli chose not to).

Kohli even had an altercation with Mishra when he was batting with Naven in the middle. As Mishra tried to calm things down, Virat told him to explain the same to Naveen, not him.

“When I was batting with Naveen, I asked Kohli, ‘Who are you even talking to He’s just a youngster and not even close to your stature. Whatever happened has happened.’ He answered back, saying, “You make him understand that, not me.”

As per Mishra, Virat didn’t calm down even after the match concluded and continued to abuse Naveen, this is when Gambhir decided to intervene.

“But the problem began after the game. He (Kohli) started abusing him again during the customary handshakes. That’s when Gambhir intervened, questing why are you starting it again when the game has ended and you guys have won. I moved Gambhir away but Naveen later came to the dressing and said that Kohli started abusing again,” he added.

While Kohli and Naveen seemed to have buried to hatchet, having played against each other on multiple occasions since the incident, Mishra doesn’t thing the Afghanistan pacer will ever respect the Team India batter again.

“For social media, it all seemed to be over between them. But do you think Naveen will respect Kohli ever again? What about the youngsters who saw the incident where a big star was abusing others,” Mishra wondered.

India’s T20 World Cup-winning captain Rohit Sharma made a special appearance at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club to watch the men’s singles semi-finals of the ongoing Wimbledon. Rohit was pictured near courtside and was seen wearing an olive suit with tean brown tie and leather shoes. Last month, Rohit led India to just their second T20 World Cup title, and first in 17 years. In the final, India beat South Africa by 7 runs in Barbados. 

Just over a week after the Indian players celebrated the T20 World Cup success with the fans in Mumbai, Rohit was spotted watching the Wimbledon semi-finals.

As pictures of Rohit standing near the Centre Court went viral, IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) poked fun at the Indian skipper with a hilarious post on Instagram.

“Skipper himself in the garden,” RCB captioned the post.

For the unversed, Rohit made the word garden his patent after he urged the Indian youngsters not to roam in the ground during the Test series against England earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Rohit attended the first semi-final between Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz at the centre court on Friday.

After winning the T20 World Cup, Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from the 20-over format. The Men in Blue got hold of the prestigious T20 WC trophy for the second time, defeating South Africa by seven runs in Barbados on June 29.

With 4231 runs in 159 games, Rohit is the format’s best scorer going out. He also owns the record for most hundreds (five) in T20 internationals. He has won two T20 World Cups: the first in 2007 while competing and the current one in 2024 as captain.

Alcaraz advanced to Wimbledon 2024 men’s singles final after beating Medvedev 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

The defending champions will now take on four-time Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic, who defeated Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets the other semi-final.

(With ANI Inputs)

Former cricketers Manoj Tiwary and Munaf Patel extended wishes to former India captain Sourav Ganguly on his 52nd birthday. Ganguly, who was regarded as the ‘God of Off-side’ by former teammate Rahul Dravid, made many spectacular contributions in the field of cricket and continues to do so as Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Capitals’ Director of Cricket. “You are, you were and you will always be an inspiration. Love you Dada and wishing you a very happy birthday,” Tiwary wrote on X.

While extending his wishes, Patel heaped praise on Ganguly for his role in the development of Indian cricket.

“A big hand of this guy in development of #IndianCricketTeam where we are today. A very #HAPPYBIRTHDAY legend @SGanguly99. Wishing you healthy life ahead #Dada,” Patel wrote on X.

During his illustrious career, Ganguly led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) during his time in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The IPL franchise wished their former captain and captioned their post on X, “Maharaja. Dada. The Prince of Kolkata. Happy Birthday, Sourav Ganguly.”

Even though he was a batter who could play with both grace and surgical accuracy, his career had come to a grinding halt until he struck a brilliant hundred on his debut at Lord’s in 1996. He was elevated to the top of the ODI order later that year, and he and Sachin Tendulkar together constituted one of the most potent opening combinations in history.

Ganguly was noted for his distinct leadership style throughout his time on the pitch. In the summer of 1996, he made his Test debut against England, earning the nickname ‘Dada’. He quickly made headlines after scoring a century in his first Test at Lord’s and the ‘Prince of Kolkata’ then went on to smash a ton in the second Test, becoming the third batter in history to make a hundred in each of his first two innings.

You are, you wer and you will always be an inspiration!!

Love you Dada and wishing you a very happy birthday @SGanguly99 #HappyBirthdayDada #SouravGanguly pic.twitter.com/GOrhAdU8S8

— MANOJ TIWARY (@tiwarymanoj) July 7, 2024

A big hand of this guy in development of #IndianCricketTeam where we are today.

A very #HAPPYBIRTHDAY legend @SGanguly99

Wishing you healthy life ahead #Dada#SouravGanguly#HappyBirthdayDada pic.twitter.com/Kd5Wub0CDS

— Munaf Patel (@munafpa99881129) July 8, 2024

Maharaja. Dada. The Prince of Kolkata.

Happy Birthday, Sourav Ganguly! pic.twitter.com/cEuBQDq0DG

— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) July 8, 2024

From Taunton to Lords, Sourav Ganguly conquered it all. He personified the early signs of Indian aggression.

Today we wish the Warrior Prince, Dada of India Cricket, a very happy birthday! #PlayBold #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/kBVhVOUoCk

— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) July 8, 2024