The day was all about a hero and his fans, and by the time they left the stadium, 18 fours and nine sixes from the former India skipper had more than satiated their appetite.
India produced a record-breaking batting display, piling up 402 runs against Afghanistan in the second ODI of the three-match series in Lucknow on Wednesday, in a match filled with major individual milestones.
Indian all-rounder Axar Patel has surged into the top 10 of the ICC ODI rankings for all-rounders, reaching ninth position following his impressive performance against England.
Andy Flower has ruled himself out of contention for the vacant England Test head coach position, saying he is happy in franchise cricket and intends to remain in his current roles.
At 15, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has not just won a match. He has led from the front, lifted a struggling side, and announced -- loudly and clearly -- that he is here to stay, applauds R K Nayar.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia stated that India's roadmap for the 2027 World Cup, including discussions on senior players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, is confidential and not for public consumption. He also clarified that the BCCI adheres strictly to the Government of India's policies regarding bilateral tours, such as the potential resumption of ties with Bangladesh, without concern for the political situation in other countries.
Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya and senior batter Rohit Sharma have been cleared by the Sports Science team of BCCI's Centre of Excellence to participate in the upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, starting in Dharamsala on Sunday.
England's Harry Brook and India's Shreyas Iyer have made significant advancements in the ICC Men's T20I Player Rankings, with Brook entering the top 10 and Iyer rocketing 62 spots.
The 38 year old has transformed his physique ahead of the coming ODI series in Australia, shedding noticeable weight and showing the results of intense off-field training since the conclusion of IPL 2025 in June.
Former Indian cricketer and assistant coach Abhishek Nayar spoke on star batter Rohit Sharma's physical transformation over the last 12 weeks before the tour to Australia, keeping the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup in mind, saying that he has transformed himself into a "mean machine".
Suryakumar Yadav, despite being stripped of T20I captaincy and dropped from the squad, can still make a comeback to the Indian side if he consistently performs in domestic cricket, according to a BCCI source.
Young pacer Harshit Rana and veteran spinner Varun Chakravarthy have been ruled out of India's upcoming ODI and T20I assignments due to hamstring injuries. Prince Yadav will replace Rana in the ODI squad for England, while Ravi Bishnoi steps in for Chakravarthy for the T20I series in Zimbabwe.
Joe Root's patient, unbeaten 99 anchored England's chase of 234 against India, securing a four-wicket victory and levelling the three-match ODI series 1-1. India captain Shubman Gill attributed his side's defeat to a middle-order collapse, which saw them slump from 178 for 3 to 193 for 7.
India comfortably chased down 259 to beat England by six wickets in the first ODI, with Shubman Gill scoring 80 before Axar Patel and Washington Sundar guided the visitors home with unbeaten fifties.
Rohit, who turned back the clock with a crafty hundred in the final ODI in Sydney, shared an image of him entering the departure area at the Sydney airport via his official 'X' handle and captioned the post: "One last time, signing off from Sydney."
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan discusses India's ODI series against Afghanistan as a crucial opportunity to assess squad depth for the upcoming ICC World Cup, highlighting key players and their roles, especially for South African conditions.
India may still have two ODIs remaining against Afghanistan, but conversations about the future are never far away when it comes to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
A look at what went wrong for India in the England ODI series.
Rajaneesh Gupta lists the amazing numbers that make Rohit Sharma one of the finest ODI batters of his time.
Vijay Amritraj gets Padma Bhushan; Rohit Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur receive Padma Shri
India begin their 2027 ODI World Cup preparations against Afghanistan with Rohit Sharma's fitness and Nitish Kumar Reddy's all-round abilities under scrutiny, while Shubman Gill continues to shape his leadership credentials.
Virat Kohli was on Sunday named in India's squad for the three-match ODI series against England next month, subject to fitness clearance.
Australian legend Ricky Ponting believes Indian superstars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are capable of playing until the ODI World Cup in 2027, citing their passion and determination.
India wicketkeeper-batter Kona Srikar Bharat has announced his retirement from international cricket after playing seven Tests for the country. The 32-year-old debuted in 2023 and played his last Test a year later, scoring 221 runs. He also holds the record for the first triple century by a wicketkeeper-batter in Ranji Trophy.
Sobers excelled at many sports, including soccer and basketball, but cricket was his passion. His first memories of the sport were of playing in the road or on the beach, aged eight.
Having observed Rohit Sharma up close during his stint with Mumbai Indians, Afghanistan's rising spin star AM Ghazanfar is eager to put those learnings to the test when he takes on the Indian batting great in the upcoming ODI series.
Indian Pacer Prasidh Krishna took a career-best 5/23 to restrict Afghanistan to 218 in the third ODI, despite a valiant maiden century from skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi
No communication from Rohit on playing Vijay Hazare for Mumbai: MCA official
Former cricketer and selector Saba Karim discusses the prospects of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for the 2027 ODI World Cup, highlighting Kohli's assured spot due to fitness and performance, while Rohit needs to prove himself. Karim also praises Kohli's multi-format adaptability and addresses Rishabh Pant's struggles in white-ball cricket.
'Should a player with such deep understanding of the ODI format be removed from captaincy when neither age nor performance has dimmed his brilliance?', asks veteran cricket correspondent K R Nayar.
Former captain Rohit Sharma highlighted Arshdeep Singh's effectiveness with the new ball and in the death overs.
Pacer Harshit Rana has joined the Indian ODI squad for the final match against Afghanistan in Chennai after recovering from a knee injury. Rana, who underwent surgery in February, missed the T20 World Cup and IPL due to the ligament strain. India has already secured the series with a 2-0 lead.
Skipper Shubman Gill battled the oppressive heat and cramps to produce a magnificent 154 while Ishan Kishan ended a three-year wait for an ODI hundred as India beat Afghanistan by 170 runs in the second ODI to take 2-0 unassailable lead in the three-match series, in Lucknow on Wednesday.
Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara and ex-assistant coach Abhishek Nayar have offered critical insights into India's recent T20I series defeat against England, highlighting issues with middle-order depth, all-rounders, poor fielding, and struggles against short balls.
Following India's dominant win over Afghanistan in the second ODI in Lucknow, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar praised young fast bowler Gurnoor Brar for his standout performance, highlighting his rhythm, run-up and ability to extract steep bounce.
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur has become the first cricketer, male or female, to play 200 T20 Internationals, achieving this milestone during a World Cup clash against South Africa.
Sanju Samson has been dropped from the Indian T20I squad for the upcoming series against Zimbabwe, making way for Punjab Kings' wicketkeeper-batter Prabhsimran Singh.
Tilak Varma's match-winning innings for Mumbai Indians against Punjab Kings was followed by a touching tribute to Rohit Sharma, celebrating his iconic jersey number.
Rohit Sharma followed up his knock of 73 in the second ODI in Adelaide with a match-winning unbeaten 121 in Sydney to be named the Player of the Series.
Indian cricket star Virat Kohli has been ruled out of the upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan due to a hamstring injury, a rare occurrence for the exceptionally fit batsman. The news comes amidst uncertainty over Rohit Sharma's full availability for the series, also due to a hamstring issue, sparking discussions about the future of both senior players in the ODI format.
