Sunday's India-Pakistan match will go down in the annals as the Hardik Pandya game where the Gujarat all-rounder embossed his stamp on the field of play.
Ahead of the start of India's 3-match T20I series against New Zealand, Hardik Pandya and his mates -- Washington Sundar, Umran Malik, Shreyas Iyer, Arshdeep Singh, Shardul Thakur -- were spotted shirtless -- much like what Salman Khan used to do in the late 1990s and early 2000s -- at a lovely beach.
'...You see someone like Ben Stokes, what he does for England, brings in great balance as an all-rounder. I see no reason why Hardik Pandya can't become that for India'
'We think he is a deserving captain and we will see how he fits into the role.'
Gujarat Titans put up a dazzling show to hand Rajasthan Royals a crushing 9-wicket defeat at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.
In a couple of pictures Ravi Shastri posted on Wednesday, Agastya, who will be 8 months old on Tuesday, March 30, is clearly comfortable in Rahul Uncle's arms.
'Rohit Sharma could be given back the captaincy from Hardik Pandya.'
'Lights Camera Laughter Shoot day with the one and only @hardikpandya93', Krunal posted on his Facebook page.
Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan and Shikhar Dhawan looked in great touch
Members of the Indian cricket fraternity expressed deep sorrow and extended heartfelt condolences to the victims and their families on Thursday after a London-bound Air India flight crashed shortly after takeoff in Gujarat's Ahmedabad.
With an aggressive mindset and intense training sessions, India looks set to make a powerful statement when they step onto the field, observes K R Nayar, the veteran cricket writer, from Dubai.
Having got off to a start so typical of themselves in the Indian Premier League, Mumbai Indians will hope for a quick turnaround when they take on defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai on Monday.
India all-rounder Hardik Pandya was on Wednesday stretchered off the field during the Asia Cup group league encounter against Pakistan after sustaining a back injury.
'Bring out the speed guns, the pace battery has arrived,' BCCI captioned a video posted on its X handle.
Hardik, who last rolled his arms over in the Sri Lanka series in July, did not bowl a single over for Mumbai Indians in the second leg of IPL in the UAE.
Rohit Sharma scored a fluent 70 off 46 balls, laced with 8 boundaries and 3 sixes, helping his side comfortably chase down a target of 144.
Shubman Gill and Jasprit Bumrah returned to India's T20 squad for next month's Asia Cup, but IPL star performers Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal missed out.
Mumbai Indians pacer Trent Boult has backed "world-class" Rohit Sharma to play a pivotal role in the team's pursuit for a record-extending sixth IPL title, following back-to-back half-centuries that signalled his timely return to form.
Gujarat Titans (GT) defeated Mumbai Indians (MI) by three wickets under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method in a dramatic Indian Premier League match at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on Tuesday.
Pandya, however, praised the pair of Varma and Wadhera for doing the heavy lifting, particularly after MI were reduced to 20 for three at one stage.
Dhoni said the rule does give teams the comfort of an extra batter for crunch situations.
The India all-rounder is expected to be out of action for five months.
New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner also said it was "a bit of a shock" for everyone the way ball spun in the second innings.
Arshdeep Singh starred as India ended their wait for a major ICC trophy win with victory in the T20 World Cup last year.
KKR's Rinku Singh was unlucky not to make it to India's 15-member T20 World Cup squad as he made it as one of the reserves.
A round-up of Monday's action in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament.
Gautam Gambhir broke into a rare smile, trading shayari with Navjot Singh Sidhu, and even (almost) breaking into a dance.
Krunal, however, conceded that his side allowed GT to run away with the game with far too many runs on the board.
It was an exhibition of brutal strokeplay as the Mumbai Indians's dangerous duo of Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya tore the Kings XI Punjab bowling apart at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya was named as India's T20I captain for the three-match series against Sri Lanka, with Rohit Sharma retaining the ODI leadership role.
Hardik Pandya hasn't looked back since leading Gujarat Titans to the IPL title in their maiden appearance last year. For all the success that's come his way, India's new T20I skipper credits Ashish Nehra, his franchise coach.
Krunal's intense and massive black shaded tattoo on his arm signifies 'subconscious mind'.
Missus Hardik Pandya revealed how much she misses being in the pool during the lockdown as she posted a throwback pic in a black two-piece bikini.
Pandya took to Twitter and shared a video of him running on the field and exercising in the gym.
India take on Bangladesh in the first of the three-match T20I series in Gwalior, on Sunday.
Mahela Jayawardene, MI's head coach, had last spoken about Bumrah's situation on March 19, admitting the challenge of starting the season without their premier fast bowler.
'The stakes are too high and it would have been a complete embarrassment had Bumrah broken down in a match.'
Hardik Pandya posts, 'Brothers for life !!!!! No matter what'
The former cricketer took to social media to celebrate the series win, sharing a photo of the team with the trophy and captioning it, "A tour de force!"
India all-rounder Hardik Pandya said he is open to assuming the captaincy on a full-time basis after leading the side to a comprehensive victory in the fifth and final match of their Twenty20 series against West Indies.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances