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SA v IND, 1st Test: It’s a super special year for Team India, says KL Rahul

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Following Team India’s first-ever Test victory at Centurion, stylish opener KL Rahul on Thursday said that 2021 will go down as one of the great years in the history of Indian cricket, especially with regards to Test format.

He added that his 123 against South Africa in the first Test here is right up there for him alongside his other overseas hundreds.

Rahul’s seventh Test hundred apart from sharing a 117-run opening partnership with Mayank Agarwal in the first innings set the base for India registering a 113-run win in the Boxing Day Test. The win has enabled the tourists to go 1-0 up in the three-match series.

“I think right up there, in terms of the conditions, wicket and how challenging it was, I think this innings will be right up there for me because I had to take lots of guts, determination and discipline to get this century and get my team to a winning position. So, yeah, it’s right up there for me,” said Rahul in the virtual press conference.

The Test vice-captain summed up 2021 for Indian cricket as a ‘super special year’ due to stunning overseas wins in Australia, England and now South Africa. “It’s a super special year for Team India. The kind of achievements we have gotten in this year has been truly special. It will go down as one of the greatest years in Indian cricket history, specially Test cricket. We have worked really, really hard as a team for the last few years and have truly started to see results and be really happy.”

Talking about the mood in the dressing room after the win, Rahul remarked, “The dressing room atmosphere is amazing at the moment. Obviously, it’s a great Test victory. No Asian team has come here and won in Centurion. The kind of hard work we have put in the last two weeks leading up to this Test match, we worked really hard as a team and had a lot of fun at the training and practice.”

“To go out there in the first game of the series and to put up a performance like that, which has been a complete team performance gives us a lot of confidence. We can enjoy this victory for a day and then get back to training and start focusing on the next Test match.”

The 29-year-old, who picked the ‘Player of the Match’ award, attributed the win in the series opener to lessons from the last tour of the Rainbow Nation in 2018. “We learnt a lot from the last tour. A lot have been on two and three tours prior to this. There’s been a lot of learning and have sat down as a unit and discussed the mistakes we made in the previous series, what we need to do better and what it takes to be successful and consistent in a country like South Africa.”

“We have shared our experiences with the group. I think that’s really helped us and have come better prepared this time around. The training, preparation and mindset grit of the team is what has given us such a brilliant start to the series.”

Rahul signed off by saying India will look to build upon the brilliant start at Centurion in the next Test at Johannesburg. “We will look to build from here and take it one game at a time. What we did brilliantly in this Test match was we stayed in the moment, took it one session at a time and didn’t think about the result, pitch and weather. We just stayed in the moment and tried to do our best and will continue to do that and build on it.”

International

Champions Trophy 2025: Pakistan’s Cricket Stadiums Far From Ready, Tournament Could Be Moved To Dubai, Claims Report

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Problems seem to be mounting for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as they face a race against time to handover a proper stadium to the International Cricket Council (ICC) before the Champions Trophy gets underway. According to The Times Of India report, the construction and upgradation work is still underway at the National Stadium in Karachi, Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore and the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium

A source following the developments said,”It is a very disappointing picture. All three stadiums are far from ready and it’s not renovation or refurbishment, but proper construction which is underway. There is so much work left with seats, floodlights, facilities and even the outfield and playing surfaces,”

The report further states there is not much time left for the venues to be handed over and it’s not a surprise that there are discussions about moving the entire tournament to the UAE. 

The PCB has to hand over the tournament venues to ICC by February 12, however, the stadium work which was scheduled to be finished by December 31, is yet to be completed.

A team of from the ICC will leave for Pakistan towards the end of the week to do a status check and informal contingency discussions are underway in Dubai corridors.

What is the Current stadium of Champions Trophy venues?

Lahore and Karachi are the two centres where heavy construction work is underway and their multi-storied enclosures, which will have dressing rooms and hospitality boxes, are yet to enter the finishing stages. In addition to the new enclosures, there is fencing work, placement of floodlights and seats which is far from the finish line.

The source added, “The weather is not ideal for construction and finishing work to happen at a rapid pace. At Gadaffi, even the plaster work isn’t completed yet. And most of the time is taken by finishing work because we are talking about dressing rooms etc. They just can’t be random rooms/enclosures for an ICC event. ICC has a checklist which needs to be met. National Stadium has decided to not completely finish the new enclosure because there is no time,”

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AFC Asian Cup 2027 to take place in Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar from Jan 7 to Feb 5

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Kuala Lumpur, Jan 7: The AFC Asian Cup 2027 will take place from January 7 to February 5 across three cities – Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar – in Saudi Arabia, the AFC announced on Tuesday.

A total of five stadiums in Riyadh will host the tournament’s matches; the King Fahd Sports City Stadium, the King Saud University Stadium, Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud University Stadium, Kingdom Arena and the Al Shabab Stadium.

Two stadiums have been confirmed for Jeddah – King Abdullah Sports City and Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium – with a new state-of-the-art venue to be built in Al Khobar, completing the world-class infrastructure set to provide the backdrop for Asia’s top 24 national teams.

Saudi Arabia was announced as the host nation for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in 2023. This will be the first time Suadi Arabia will host the tournament.

“Confirming the dates and selecting the stadiums for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ is a strategic milestone in our journey to host the tournament. This announcement goes beyond simply identifying locations and schedules; it reflects the ongoing high-level collaboration between us and the AFC as we work towards delivering an exceptional tournament that fulfills the aspirations of the entire Asian continent,” Saudi Arabian Football Federation chief Yasser Al Misehal.

Eighteen teams have already sealed their places at the AFC Asian Cup 2027. The remaining berths will be decided via the Qualifiers Final Round, which is scheduled to commence from March 2025 and features six groups of four teams – confirmed at last month’s draw – with the winners of each group making up the final cast.

India, aiming for its fifth appearance at the AFC Asian Cup, has been placed in Group C alongside Singapore, Hong Kong, and Bangladesh. The team will look to replicate or surpass its 2019 performance, where it showcased significant progress on the continental stage.

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Bumrah, Head nominated for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year

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Dubai, Dec 30: India’s premium fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is nominated for the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for Men’s Cricketer of the Year. Alongside Indian ace, who is also nominated for the Test Cricketer of the year, Australia’s Travis Head and the English batting duo of Joe Root and Harry Brook also made the list for the prestigious honour.

Bumrah nabbed 15 wickets from eight outings, including a couple in the final against South Africa, as India went unbeaten at the 2024 T20 World Cup.

India’s spearhead also had a memorable year in the longest format by picking 71 wickets in 13 Tests, the most scalps taken by a bowler this year.

In the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, Bumrah is leading the wicket-takers charts with 30 wickets at an average of 12.83. He also completed 200 Test wickets and became the first bowler to achieve the feat with an average less than 20.

Indian bowling attack’s nemesis Head also made the list after shining across all formats for his country. After playing a vital role in the 2023 ICC World Cup final, Head continued his form as he was the third highest scorer in the 2024 T20 World Cup with 255 runs in seven innings, with his highest score being 76 against India. The left-hander is also the leading run scorer during the ongoing BGT helping Australia get in a good position to solidify their spot in the 2025 WTC final.

Root, England’s premier batter, made 1556 runs from 17 Tests at an average of 55.57, his second-best annual run tally in Tests after amassing 1708 runs in 2021. It was also the fifth instance of Root scoring over 1000 Test runs in a calendar year.

With six Test hundreds to go alongside five fifties, Root’s impressive run saw him become the joint-fifth highest century maker in Tests (36) alongside Rahul Dravid. In addition to his batting exploits, Root impressed by picking a four-wicket haul in the Test series against India.

His teammate Brook scored 1100 runs in 12 Tests at an average of 55, comprising three fifties and four hundred-plus scores, including a maiden triple century coming in Pakistan, and became England’s breakthrough batter in the format.

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