"I'm Going On Record...": Zaheer Khan's Big Take On IPL Rule; Differs With Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma

29.08.2024 - 14:33 sports.ndtv.com

Despite calls for the 'Impact Player' rule to be removed, there is still no official word on whether it will be in place for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season or not.

Several top stars, including Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, have suggested that they are not big fans of the Impact Player rule.

However, some players have also claimed that the 'Impact Player' should keep its place for the upcoming season and beyond. India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin backed the Impact Player rule, saying that it adds a bit more value for "strategy". "Why I think the Impact Player rule is not so bad is because it gives a little more value for strategy.

The other side of that argument is it doesn't encourage all-rounders. But no one is stopping them," Ashwin said on Kris Srikkanth's YouTube show Cheeky Cheeka.

cricket Lucknow Super Giants Mumbai Indians Virat Kohli Rohit Sharma Ravichandran Ashwin Royal Challengers Bengaluru India

In a freewheeling chat, India head coach Gautam Gambhir sat down with star batter and former teammate Virat Kohli and recalled fond memories of playing together. On the eve of the first Test against Bangladesh, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a video of Kohli interviewing Gambhir and vice-versa. Kohli got the conversation underway by asking Gambhir about his double hundred against Australia in a Test in Delhi in 2008 and what kept the former India going during that knock.

Bangladesh Tests 'No Dress Rehearsal', Says India Skipper Rohit Sharma

Captain Rohit Sharma on Tuesday warned his India team there is "no dress rehearsal" in cricket as they face a Bangladesh side fresh from a historic Test series win over Pakistan. India lead the World Test Championship (WTC) standings ahead of Australia, where Rohit's team will tour for a five-match series later in the year. But first they host Bangladesh in a two-Test series, starting with the opener in the northern Indian city of Chennai from Thursday. India are clear favourites but the visitors recently celebrated a landmark 2-0 series sweep in Pakistan. "There is no dress rehearsal kind of stuff happening here," Rohit told reporters, cautioning against minds turning too quickly to Australia.

With Virat Kohli-MS Dhoni Reference, Ex-India Star Highlights Shubman Gill's Biggest Quality

Former India batter Aakash Chopra has backed young batter Shubman Gill hto become the next big thing in world cricket, praising the youngster for his excellent game awareness. Gill, who made his India debut in 2019, was recently elevated to the leadership role in white-ball cricket, having established himself as a vital cog in the team across formats. Chopra feels Gill has the instincts to understand the pulse of the game, which was also the case with former India captain MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli when they first burst onto the scene.

Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma Snubbed As R Ashwin Picks Batters With Best Cover Drive, Pull Shot

Veteran India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin left a few fans scratching their heads as he named the finest players to play cover drive and pull shot. In a video shared on YouTube, Ashwin engaged in a rapid-fire Q&A session, where he was asked some tricky questions. From picking the best picking the best batter he has come across to the finest spinner he himself has faced as a batter, Ashwin had to dig deep into his cricketing experience to answer the questions.

"You Think New Captain Will Bring Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli?": Ex-Pakistan Star Lashes Out At PCB

Former wicketkeeper batter Kamran Akmal urged Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) top brass not to make any captaincy changes and suggested that the players should get the basic right to avoid blunders. Last week, reports started to surface that Babar Azam could lose the white-ball captaincy. Sources told Geo News that wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan has become the top contender to replace Babar Azam for the white ball captaincy. With Pakistan set to host the ICC Champions Trophy next year, Akmal questioned the need to change the captain. He stated that the change should have been imposed when Pakistan had an underwhelming campaign in last year's ODI World Cup and this year's T20 World Cup.

"Rohit Sharma Is Like Aamir Khan" From 'Lagaan': India Star's Heartfelt Praise For Captain

India captain Rohit Sharma continues to receive praises from the players, who have played under him. Rohit, who is currently India's captain in ODI and Test formats, quit T20Is after leading the team to the 2024 T20 World Cup title in June this year. Be it the experienced ones like Ravichandran Ashwin, KL Rahul and Mohammed Shami or youngster like Yashasvi Jaiswal, the players always get short of words while talking about Rohit's captaincy. Recently, young batter Sarfaraz Khan also heaped praises on the skipper and said that he is the Aamir Khan of movie 'Lagaan'.