"We Messed Up": Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid Accused Of 'Doctoring' ODI World Cup Final Pitch

17.03.2024 - 08:31 sports.ndtv.com

Unbeaten in the tournament until the final, India suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Australia in the summit clash for the ODI World Cup 2023.

With India's loss, ended the dream of millions of people to see the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and others lifting the coveted trophy.

While there were several factors behind the team's loss, one of the biggest ones that has been discussed since the catastrophic result is the nature of the pitch.

Many feel that the curator did a little too much to swing the game in India's favour. Now, former India batter Mohammad Kaif has admitted that the hosts did try to doctor the match, and unfortunately, went overboard. "I was there for three days.

cricket Australia Cricket Team India Cricket Team Pat Cummins Mitchell Starc Rohit Sharma Rahul Dravid Mohammad Kaif Australia India

Former Indian cricket team star Manoj Tiwary believes that Mumbai Indians can give the Mumbai Indians captaincy back to Rohit Sharma ahead of the franchise's next game in IPL 2024. Under new skipper Hardik Pandya's leadership, MI have lost three matches in a row and they currently lie at the bottom of the points table. The decision to replace Rohit with Hardik as the MI skipper caused a lot of stir among the fans and experts ahead of the tournament. With MI facing Delhi Capitals next on April 7, Tiwary said that the change in captaincy can happen in the break.

'Rohit Sharma' Placards Not Allowed At Wankhede Stadium? Video Goes Viral During MI vs RR IPL Game

Mumbai Indians had a very torrid start to their home campaign at the IPL 2024 against Rajasthan Royals on Monday as their batters failed to fire. It has been a season to forget for Mumbai Indians with three successive losses seeing them at the bottom of the 10-team points table. To add to MI's troubles, the captaincy change from Rohit Sharma to Hardik Pandya has left many fans angry. Pandya has been getting booed during MI's matches, same was the case on Monday at the Wankhede Stadium.

Watch: Rohit Sharma Scared As Massive Security Breach At Wankhede Stadium Startles All

It was a night to forget for five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians as their wait for a win at the IPL 2024 continued. Facing Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium, in their first home game this season, MI slumped to a six-wicket loss. This is their third straight defeat, thus making their comeback all the harder. Opting to bowl first, Rajasthan Royals stopped Mumbai Indians at 125 for nine and then chased down the target with 27 balls to spare. The in-form Riyan Parag again played very well to remain not out on 54 off 39 balls.

Watch: Rohit Sharma's Message For Fans Booing Hardik Pandya Amid Captaincy Row

Another day in the IPL for Mumbai Indians, and yet again Hardik Pandya felt the crowd's ire. Since he replaced Rohit Sharma as MI skipper, Pandya has been receiving an unprecedented amount of hate on social media and at the ground. This time it happened at the Wankhede Stadium - MI's home ground. Fans started booing the Mumbai Indians skipper as he walked out for the toss in their IPL match against Rajasthan Royals on Monday, even as chants of 'Rohit... Rohit' reverberated across the Wankhede Stadium.

India's Squad For 2024 T20 World Cup: Likely Dates For Rohit Sharma-led Side's Announcement Out

India's 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies is likely to be named in last week of April as the ICC's cut-off date for submission of teams is May 1, a BCCI source said on Saturday. However, every participating team will get a chance to change players in their initial squad till May 25. "The Indian team will be selected some time during the last week of April, the time by which the first half of IPL will be over and national selection committee will be in a position to assess form and fitness of the contenders," the senior BCCI source told PTI on condition of anonymity.

"Elephant Covered In Dust": Navjot Sidhu's Praise For Rohit Sharma, Mentions 'Dog Chained With Gold'

Former India opening batter Navjot Singh Sidhu lavished big praise on star batter Rohit Sharma, who is currently playing for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Rohit is playing under Hardik Pandya's captaincy at MI this season, having been removed from his role before the start of the season. So far, MI have lost both of their games in IPL 2024, against Gujarat Titans (GT) and SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). Rohit has managed scores of 43 and 26, respectively, in those games.