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Karnataka Beat Vidarbha In Final To Clinch Fifth Vijay Hazare Trophy Title
Dhruv Shorey's third consecutive hundred went in vain as Karnataka rode on unfancied Smaran Ravichandran's stylish ton to win their fifth Vijay Hazare Trophy title, defeating Vidarbha by 36 runs in a high-scoring final in Vadodara on Saturday. Karnataka has an unprecedented record of reaching five finals and winning all of them. Left-handed Smaran smashed 101 off just 92 deliveries, while the unheralded keeper-batter Krishnan Srijith chipped in with a plucky 78 off 74 balls. T20 star Abhinav Manohar provided the final flourish with a blistering 79 off 42 deliveries, propelling the Karnataka to a commanding total of 348 for 6 in 50 overs In reply, Vidarbha, which had reached the final without losing a single game in the group stage, paid the price for most of their batters outside the top three failing to get significant time at the crease.
India, England Arrive In Kolkata For T20I Opener At Eden Gardens
The world champions, Team India, and the visiting England squad arrived in batches on Saturday evening ahead of their series-opening T20I here on Wednesday. With a slight nip in the air, cricket fever is set to grip Kolkata once again as the iconic Eden Gardens prepares to host its first T20 International in nearly three years. Beginning with the Eden T20I, the two teams will fight it out in a full white ball series, consisting five T20Is and three ODIs, which will serve as a crucial warm-up for the Champions Trophy, slated to begin on February 19 in Pakistan and Dubai.
"Someone From RCB": IPL Franchise Fires Shots Back At Ruturaj Gaikwad After Jitesh Sharma Stunner
Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) took to social media to continue a back-and-forth banter with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, following the latter's dismissal in the Vijay Hazare Trophy semi-final on Thursday. Gaikwad - playing in the game for Maharashtra against Vidarbha - had to depart after a stunning diving catch by Jitesh Sharma, who will turn out for RCB in IPL 2025. The incident led to RCB firing shots back at Gaikwad, building on a subtle dig by the batter from a few weeks ago.
"Slap On The Face...": Internet Divided Over Shubman Gill Vice-Captaincy For India's Champions Trophy Squad
Team India's Champions Trophy 2025 squad was announced on Saturday, with captain Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar addressing the media via a press conference. Shubman Gill being made vice-captain was one of the major talking points, while Jasprit Bumrah was provisionally included despite injury concerns. However, Vijay Hazare Trophy run machine Karun Nair was overlooked despite scoring 752 runs in seven innings. The selection decisions divided opinion on social media, with fans not hesitating to put forth their views on the 15-man side.
"I Was Afraid...": 33-Year-Old Star After Terrific Form In Vijay Hazare Trophy
After a prolonged wait on the sidelines and a melancholic social media post nearly three years back, Karun Nair has made a sensational reunion with cricket, scoring five hundreds in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Karun, who scored 779 runs at a mind-blowing average of 389.5 for Vidarbha, now looks hungry for runs, and is a far cry from the forlorn player who scribbled: "Dear Cricket, please give me another chance."
Double Whammy For Karun Nair: After Champions Trophy Snub, Star Fails In Vijay Hazare Final
Hours after his omission from Team India's squad for the Champions Trophy, Vidarbha captain Karun Nair dream run in the Vijay Hazare Trophy came to an end with a 27-run knock in the final against Karnataka. Nair, who had scored 752 runs in seven games in the lead up to the final, was undone by an excellent delivery from pacer Prasidh Krishna. Nair was beaten all ends up as the ball kept low and nipped back in sharply to rattle the stumps.
"Last Thing You Want Is Virat Kohli...": Sanjay Manjrekar's Massive Fear For Out-Of-Form Star
Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar had a word of advice for star batter Virat Kohli, struggling with his form, saying that he should play the County Championship in the UK ahead of the Test tour of England this year and just needs to play a lot of red-ball cricket to find his groove back. Manjrekar was speaking on the Star Sports' Deep Point podcast series. Manjrekar suggested that Kohli should consider playing a season of County cricket in England to enhance his Test game in English conditions, similar to what Cheteshwar Pujara has done.