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Will not be easy to fill big shoes of Rahane, Pujara: Rohit Sharma

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The last time India played a Test match without Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, it was in the 2012 Adelaide Test against Australia. At that time, Virat Kohli didn’t have a Test hundred against his name.

Cut to now, after a run of 98 Tests, Rahane and Pujara are not in the playing eleven while Kohli is on the verge of completing a century of Test appearances.

For now, Rahane and Pujara are still in the reckoning as they try to get runs and rhythm back in Ranji Trophy. This leaves India with three contenders in Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill and Hanuma Vihari to fill the vacant spots in the batting order. It will not be an easy task to figure out who will be the closest to being the next dependable Test middle order batters, something which even Rohit Sharma conceded during the pre-match virtual press conference.

“Look, those guys (Rahane and Pujara) are big shoes to fill in, it’s never easy for the guys who will come in. Even I don’t know who is going to come in place of Rahane and Pujara. You have to wait till tomorrow morning for who’s going to play. What Pujara and Rahane have done for this team, you can’t put it out in words. There’s years of hard work and playing 80-90 odd Tests respectively; all those overseas Test wins. India getting to No.1 in Test format, these guys helped us in that situation and have played a big part in that.”

“There is no way that these guys would not be looked upon in the future, they will definitely be in part of our plans. That’s for sure; it’s just that, like the selector (Chetan Sharma) also said, it is just for now that we did not consider them. But there is no guarantee or there is nothing written about them not being considered for any of the series thereafter.”

Gill had a great start when he was impressive in the 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. But a tough run and shin injuries meant Gill had to miss series against England in 2021 and South Africa later on. With him being the local lad, expect Gill to make a fresh start in middle-order. Same goes for Iyer, who had a fabulous introduction to Test cricket with 105 and 65 in first Test against New Zealand at Kanpur and Vihari, averaging 34.20 in 13 Tests, including a century and four fifties.

“Whenever there are changes in the squad, it’s always a fresh start for the guys coming in. It’s never easy but those guys who are going to replace these two guys, Pujara and Rahane, I mean those guys have done exceedingly well. Whenever those guys have gotten an opportunity, whether it’s first-class cricket at home or in India A tours and the limited opportunities of playing Test cricket, we need to back these guys to come good for us.”

“At times, you need to look forward and those guys have been waiting for a while now. Hopefully, if they get an opportunity, they can turn things around for us. It’s not just about one or two games, I am looking at number of years for them playing for India and doing well for us.”

Sharma didn’t give much hint into who will be edging whom in the three-way race for two spots in the middle order or in the potential toss-up between Gill and Mayank Agarwal for being his opening partner in the first Test against Sri Lanka on Friday.

“I am a captain; I’ll prefer everyone to part of the team and have no preferences like that. We will see and analyze everything and then we will take a call. Mayank, Shubman, Vihari, Iyer, all are brilliant and they are the future of Indian cricket. I think they need to be given a solid run for them to excel in this particular format and it is important for us to do that.”

“It will start from the management to show enough support and backing. So hopefully, these guys with enough backing and support, not just from me, but also from you guys (media), will help.”

With Rahul Dravid, under whom Gill, Iyer and Vihari got chances with the India A side, now at the helm in the senior side, expect the team to take time in deciding the ideal middle-order batters who could potentially fill in for Rahane and Pujara in future.

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Champions Trophy: Pakistan’s dismal show likely to be discussed in cabinet and parliament

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Islamabad, Feb 27: The Pakistan cricket team’s depressing, dismal, and cheerless performance in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, resulting in its early exit from the tournament, has not only broken the hearts of home fans but also knocked on the doors of the country’s Prime Minister.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has personally taken notice of the team’s early departure and the below-par performance and is likely to take up the issues related to the cricket team in the cabinet and the parliament. Pakistan’s final Group A fixture against Bangladesh was washed out in Rawalpindi due to rain on Thursday, which meant that they ended their campaign without a win. With only one point, thanks to a washout, Pakistan will finish at the bottom of the group.

Prime Minister’s aide on Political and Public Affairs, Rana Sanaullah, has said that PM Shehbaz will also take up the matter at the parliament. “The Prime Minister will personally take notice, and we will also ask him to raise these cricket-related issues in the cabinet as well as in the parliament,” said Rana Sanaullah.

It is pertinent to note that Pakistan is hosting the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Special arrangements have been made to glorify the event, with Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Karachi cricket stadiums renovated to increase audience capacity and further enhance the facilities. However, the team’s fans were left dejected after Pakistan lost both its matches and was knocked out of the tournament when their final league match with Bangladesh was rained off.

While anger persists among cricket fans, questions are being raised over the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), its chief Mohsin Naqvi, and the selection committee, which selected the squad. Aqib Javed, head coach of Pakistan, has tried to justify the team selection, stating that all players were selected on the basis of their recent performances.

On the other hand, internal issues within the PCB are also being linked with the team’s bad performance as many believe that the cricket board’s decision-making regarding playing eleven, the team, and the players has prompted foreign coaches like Jason Gillespie to part ways.

Rana Sanaullah said that he will also call on PM Sharif to address the ongoing issues within the PCB, emphasising that the cricket sport as a whole is in bad shape. “The sport at college and district levels is in a bad position, and the amount that has been spent on a professional level should be revealed before the public”, said Rana Sanaullah.

Rana Sanaullah also raised concerns over amounts being paid to mentors, who he highlighted admitted that they were unaware of their responsibilities and were being remunerated for doing nothing. “You will be surprised after hearing about the perks and privileges of other officer-bearers. You will be confused whether they are officials of a Pakistani institution or those belonging to a developed nation”, he said.

It would not be wrong to say that Pakistan’s performance on home grounds has certainly left fans heartbroken. In major ICC events, Pakistan’s performance in the past years has also not been mentionable.

In 2023, Pakistan only won four out of nine matches during the ODI World Cup in India and ended in fifth position on the points table. Pakistan also made an early exit from last year’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA after losing to India and the USA in the preliminary stage.

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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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