Players.bio is a large online platform sharing the best live coverage of your favourite sports: Football, Golf, Rugby, Cricket, F1, Boxing, NFL, NBA, plus the latest sports news, transfers & scores. Exclusive interviews, fresh photos and videos, breaking news. Stay tuned to know everything you wish about your favorite stars 24/7. Check our daily updates and make sure you don't miss anything about celebrities' lives.
Opener David Warner surpassed former skipper and legendary batter Steve Waugh to become the second-highest run-scorer for Australia. Warner made this upward movement in record books during the second Test against Pakistan, a Boxing Day affair, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Tuesday. In the first innings, Warner scored a steady 38 in 83 balls. His knock had three boundaries.
KL Rahul played one pf the most memorable innings by an Indian batter in South Africa on Wednesday as the side put up a decent 245 in the first innings of the first Test in Centurion. The batter almost waged a lone battle scoring 101, while the next best individual score was 38 by Virat Kohli. Battling lean patch in Tests for a while, KL made a comeback playing on a tough Centurion surface, coming to the crease at 92/4, the middle-order batter batted for most of his knock with lower middle-order/lower-order batters to register a memorable comeback ton.
England opener Phil Salt's incredible form has propelled the opener to second on the ICC Men's T20I batting rankings, and a career-high rating of 802. Salt was one of several players from the high-scoring West Indies v England T20I series in the Caribbean to enjoy a jump after the latest update on Wednesday. The England opener's scores of 119 and 38 in Trinidad moved him up 18 places, with a career-high rating of 802, 15 rating points clear of Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan in third (787), as per ICC.
Pakistan's former skipper Babar Azam failed to contribute with the bat one more time as Australia skipper Pat Cummins cleaned him up for a score of just 1 run. Pakistan's top-order did well in tackling Australia's bowling attack, with the likes of Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood scoring half-centuries. Babar was expected to carry the momentum forward after the duo's dismissal but he could only score one run in 6 balls before Cummins bowled a ripper on the 7th delivery to send him packing.
Battling against the likes of Kagiso Rabada and the South African pacers on a tough Centurion pitch, KL Rahul joined the ranks of esteemed Indian batters like Sachin Tendulkar and former captain Mohammad Azharuddin who have delivered memorable centuries on South African soil. Amidst a struggling lower order, KL Rahul stood tall, constructing an innings that resonated with both judgment and intent. His 101 runs, brought up with a six over mid-wicket against Gerald Coetzee, were laced with 14 fours and four sixes and took the team's total to 245. The knock helped Rahul solidify his reputation as India's new Mr. Dependable. This was KL Rahul's eighth century in Test matches and perhaps his most gritty one. His inning was filled with confident strokes and sheer determination and rescued India from a peculiar position in the first Test match of the series.
With Team India's backs against the wall, upstepped KL Rahul to deliver one of the finest innings of his career. The likes of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer all faltered on a tricky pitch as India took on South Africa in 1st Test of the 2-match series. Rahul, forging little partnerships with lower-middle order batters and tailenders, registered his 8th Test century to take India to a respectable first innings total of 245 runs.
Legendary Indian cricket team batter Sunil Gavaskar believes that the presence of veteran star Ajinkya Rahane could have boosted India's top order in the first Test match against South Africa in Centurion on Tuesday. India struggled to get going after the rain-delayed start on Day 1 and none of the top-order batters were able to capitalise on their starts with Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal all losing their wickets early. Rahane has fallen out of favour with the team management and was not included for the South Africa series after less than satisfactory performances in the past. However, Gavaskar said that his overseas record would have proven crucial in the South African conditions.
South Africa is a pace bowler's paradise. The bounce and swing on offer often make travelling teams ditch their traditional plans for a pace-heavy attack in a bid to ace the South African challenge. As the Indian team reached Centurion for the first Test, expectations were from the management to field 4 pacers and just one spinner. As fans looked to track the practice sessions to understand the bowling composition India will proceed with, many were left surprised to see the head coach Rahul Dravid bowl.