Tamilians and Keralites believe he is one of them, and people from Karnataka also consider him their hero.
These five men bring invaluable experience, match-winning ability and composure under pressure -- crucial assets in India's quest for their third Champions Trophy title.
Having recently made his international comeback against England in both T20Is and ODIs, the stretchable knee caps did not go unnoticed as Mohammed Shami first tried to get a feel of the conditions by bowling a few deliveries with a short run-up.
Will Jacks took 2/14 in three overs before he hit 36 from 26 balls, setting up a comfortable chase, and was rightly adjudged Player of the Match.
After a much-needed two-day respite, Team India returned to the training grounds with renewed vigour, setting their sights on a pivotal showdown against New Zealand on Sunday.
Virat Kohli and Babar Azam shared a brief yet significant exchange before Pakistan began their innings.
MI will hope Jasprit Bumrah returns to his menacing best, which is essential for them to stop an explosive Sunrisers Hyderabad batting unit in its tracks.
India captain Harmanpreet Singh and senior goalkeeper Savita Punia won the Hockey India Balbir Singh Senior Player of the Year award.
Hardik Pandya replaced Rohit Sharma as the captain of Mumbai Indians for IPL 2024 next year.
As IPL 2025 enters a crucial phase, both Rohit Sharma and SRH's misfiring stars are running out of time and excuses.
Jaffer appreciated Ashwani's skill-set, as someone capable of bowling close to 140 kmph, having a great bouncer and yorker.
Mumbai Indians bowled out Kolkata Knight Riders for a paltry 116 runs in their latest IPL encounter, winning the match by eight wickets.
Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer expressed his disappointment with fans trolling Indian all-rounder and Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya for his poor performances in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), saying that during the T20 World Cup starting from June 1 in West Indies and USA, the all-rounder will play some crucial knocks and the trolls will be singing his praise.
Gujarat Titans head coach Ashish Nehra on Saturday said he never tried to convince Hardik Pandya against returning to Mumbai Indians but conceded that the star all-rounder's experience would be dearly missed by the team in the IPL beginning on March 22.
As GT gears up to face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2025 season, Nehra reaffirmed his confidence in captain Shubman Gill, who is in his second season as the franchise's leader.
IMAGES from the IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday
Rachin Ravindra had two reprieves before being sent back by Kuldeep Yadav.
The most powerful man in world cricket today himself retrieved the ball from amidst the seats and threw it back onto the field. It was then that everyone realised Jay Shah is a left-hander.
Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has nothing but empathy for Hardik Pandya as he navigates a challenging phase in his career and is hopeful that the all-rounder, who "hasn't been a free man in the last two months", will become one during next month's T20 World Cup.
'These are areas that we're trying to tidy up and try and be much more consistent all around.'
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for their first Champions Trophy match against Bangladesh on Thursday?
Pandya sustained the injury during the ICC Cricket World Cup, ruling him out of subsequent matches.
The batters who will be salivating at the prospect of breaching the 300-mark when IPL 2025 gets under way on Saturday.
Catch the 4th episode of Sports and Pastime, a new podcast, featuring Prem Panicker and Faisal Shariff with Ramiz Raja as a special guest.
After his stellar performance, Chakaravarthy credited senior players for helping him settle his nerves during the game.
Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Umran Malik and Kuldeep Yadav, along with the support staff, enjoyed a delightful outing by the sea in Barbados.
Former allrounder Irfan Pathan on Monday questioned Hardik Pandya's leadership skills, saying his inability to adapt to match situations and failure to come up with a proper plan has cost Mumbai Indians dearly so far in this IPL.
There was some reprieve for Hardik Pandya at last as the Mumbai Indians' captain did not face crowd hostility at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai during their IPL clash against Delhi Capitals on Sunday.
"He looked like taking a wicket off every ball": India skipper Rohit Sharma lauds Hardik Pandya
India's long tail was questioned after the loss in the first two games of the five-match series against West Indies.
Indian batter Abhishek Sharma and bowler Varun Chakaravarthy retained their career-best number two positions in the latest ICC T20I rankings.
Karnataka ended the Ranji Trophy season with a draw against Haryana in their Elite Group C match in Bengaluru on Sunday.
Hardik Pandya confirmed that he has recovered completely from his ankle injury and will be back to bowling in IPL 2024.
With Mumbai Indians refusing to comment on the development, one would need to wait till November 26, the closing day for IPL's trading window.
Arshdeep Singh grabbed five wickets and opener Prabhsimran Singh smashed a marauding unbeaten 150 as Punjab defeated Mumbai by eight wickets
Successful in keeping opponents and vitriol at bay so far, India will have to rise above traditional bugbear New Zealand and a rigmarole of emotions surrounding stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to reclaim the Champions Trophy after 12 years in Dubai on Sunday.
Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene has expressed his faith in the senior players despite the team's poor performance in the IPL. Despite losing four out of their five matches, Jayawardene has ruled out making major changes to the playing eleven, citing the experience and skill of the players. He believes that the team is playing good cricket and needs to be more ruthless, particularly in the powerplay. Jayawardene also defended Rohit Sharma's struggles against left-arm pace, highlighting his experience and the need to credit the bowlers. He acknowledged that MI is not playing its best cricket and emphasized the need for consistency. Jayawardene also expressed satisfaction with Tilak Varma's performance, highlighting his ability and potential.
After the game, Hardik searched for the little lady in the stands. When he spotted her, he said sorry once again and handed her an autographed match ball.
The MI skipper was full of praise for Ashutosh's whirlwind knock, which kept PBKS in the hunt till the end.
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