Cricket World Cup 2023: Heartbreak For India, Australia Clinch Record-Extending 6th Title

AHMEDABAD, Nov 19: Australia are world champions for a record-extending sixth time. The Pat Cummins-led side played like a champion team against the Rohit Sharma-led India and deservedly won the title in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

Coming into the match, India were clearly the favourites, being the only undefeated team in the tournament.

However, Australia showed once again why they have the most number of World Cup titles as they saved the best for the last. Batting first, the famed Indian cricket team batting line-up failed to fire and set a below-par 241-run target for Australia.

For India, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul scored half-centuries while Rohit Sharma slammed 47 off 31 balls.

In reply, Australia reached home in just 43 overs with Travis Head top-scoring with a 120-ball 137.

It's India vs Australia In Final After Pat Cummins' Men Beat SA In Thriller

KOLKATA, Nov 16: Australia registered a hard-fought win over South Africa to enter the final of Cricket World Cup for a record-extending eighth time on Thursday.

Needing 213 in the second semi-final, Travis Head blazed away to 62 off 48 balls while David Warner smashed 29 off 18 in an opening stand of 60 to lay the foundation for Australia's chase.

However, South Africa had their moments as they struck at regular intervals to dent Australia's chase. In the end, Australia crossed the finishing line with three overs to spare.

Opting to bat, South Africa kept on losing wickets at regular intervals. Miller scored 101 runs while Heinrich Klaasen scored 47.

Shami, Kohli lead India to thrilling win over New Zealand, enter World Cup final

MUMBAI, Nov 15: The pacer captured 7/57 after Kohli’s record 50th ODI century as India won the semis by 70 runs despite Daryl Mitchell’s 134

Knockout games are all about handling pressure. New Zealand are masters of it. On Wednesday, however, at the Wankhede Stadium the Indian batters didn’t give them the chance to bring the game to a juncture when the Black Caps start to prey on the opposition players’ nerves.

In a perfect display of batting, India posted a total of 397/4, leaving their bowlers enough margin for error even if things turned difficult while defending under the lights.

It proved to be the difference in the semifinal game. During their third wicket partnership of 181 (149 balls), Darryl Mitchel and skipper Kane Williamson showed the Black Caps are always in the game no matter the target.

But the total proved too daunting even for their big-hearted effort.

India were well served by their sultan of swing, Mohammed Shami, who captured seven wickets, as they won the game by 70 runs and enter their fourth final. Winning their 10th game on the trot, they will play the winners of the second semi-finals between South Africa and Australia at Ahmedabad on Sunday.

The home team owed it to their batters though. In one of their most dominant displays in a high-stakes game, the entire Indian top-order clicked. Led by Virat Kohli's record-breaking 50th century, everyone played their roles to perfection. After Rohit Sharma came out and again provided a blistering start with a 29-ball 47, Kohli anchored the innings with a 113-ball 117.

Shubman Gill maintained the momentum with 80 of 66 balls; Shreyas Iyer came down the order and put the game beyond New Zealand with a blistering 70-ball 105 and KL Rahul proved his versatility by straightaway coming and playing his strokes in the slog overs for a 20-ball 39 not out.

Defending the target, Shami raised hopes of repeating his show against Sri Lanka at Wankhede in the league stage. He removed Devon Conway off his first delivery and reduced New Zealand to 39/2 in 7.4 overs by inducing an edge off Rachin Ravindra too. But Mitchell and Williamson invoked their famous fighting spirit to get back into the game by taking the total to 220.

As panic started to set in the stands, Shami came back for his second spell and provided the breakthroughs. He got Williamson caught at deep square leg. It brought an end to his 181-run association with Mitchell. Two balls later, Shami trapped Tom Latham for zero to make it 220/4.

India were back in control at 224/4 with the Kiwis needing 174 off 90 balls at a run rate of 11.60. Mitchell continued to blaze away, but ran out of partners before getting out on a heroic 134 (119 balls).

The star of the evening was undoubtedly Kohli. By getting to a record 50th ODI century -- one more than Tendulkar's 49 -- in a World Cup semi-final in Mumbai, Kohli only lived up to his penchant for the sense of occasion. And in a way only Kohli can.

Tendulkar was looking on from the stands when Kohli slumped to his knees and broke away from the man he grew up adoring. It was a moment to remember for football icon David Beckham too, who was enjoying his first cricket World Cup game.

Coming in at the fall of Rohit in the ninth over after India were off to a swift and statement-stamping start, Kohli did what he does best and has done for a major part of his ODI career: drive India’s innings along. Playing almost risk-free and near perfect for over 100 balls in the sweltering Mumbai heat that tested even the physical specimen that he is, Kohli stood out there like a rock as the other batters belted away.

It’s the kind of solidity and consistency that has personified Kohli’s 290-match ODI career as well as his 10-match World Cup so far. In eight out of those 10 outings, Kohli has scored fifty or more, going on to make three hundreds. It is the most fifty-plus scores by a batter in a single men’s World Cup, going past Tendulkar (7, 2003) and Shakib Al Hasan (2019).

In a high-pressure home World Cup where there’s a lot more riding than a mere trophy, he’s scored a whopping 711 runs, the most by any batter in a single men's World Cup.

The toss has been a big factor at Wankhede with batting first being easier. Once their captain did them the favour by calling correctly, New Zealand felt the full might of the home team's batting.

The beauty of this line-up is how they complement each other. The big hitting of the openers has helped Kohli come into his own during this tournament. Not that he needs a lot of support, but it has helped him play to his strength of pacing the knock. They all played to the script. Gill had switched gears to jump to 74 off 57 balls and bring the 150 of the innings in 19.4 overs. It gave Kohli the time to play himself in, getting to 26 off 32 balls.

The challenge for India came when Gill started suffering from cramp. When in full flight, Gill had to retire at the score of 80 in the 23rd over. Their 93-run association had taken the total to 164/1.

It was a crucial juncture of the match. Given the batting friendly surface, the pressure was on India to put up a total which would be beyond the reach of the chasing side.

All eyes were on Iyer. To the delight of the home crowd, the Mumbai batter played the most impactful innings of his international career. Sharing a partnership of 163 runs off 128 balls with Kohli, he went on a six-hitting spree after taking some time to enter his 20s. Both the pacers and spinners were treated with disdain. Pacer Tim Southee was hit over midwicket and off-spinner Glenn Phillips smashed over long-on to raise his fifty off 35 balls. After left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner bowled a maiden over, 35th of the innings, Iyer and Kohli plundered 17 runs off Boult to make up. He went on to smash eight sixes in a 70-ball 105.

It was sweet revenge for India for the 2019 semifinal heartbreak by the Kiwis.

Virat Kohli Equals Sachin Tendulkar's World Record Of 49 ODI Centuries

KOLKATTA, Nov 5: Virat Kohli put up yet another monumental innings in trying conditions on his 35th birthday and in the process, he equalled Sachin Tendulkar's extraordinary record of 49 ODI centuries.

It was a subdued celebration from the former India captain, he played through most of the innings in the humidity of Kolkata. His century led the way in India putting up a mammoth total of 326/5 in 50 overs.

At a venue, where Sachin Tendulkar has had many memorable performances, Virat Kohli equaled a world record, held by the former, in emphatic fashion. Till now, Sachin Tendulkar held the world record of 49 ODI tons.

Now Virat Kohli has reached the mark in 277 innings. And, he will most probably surpass that mark too and set a new world record in the ongoing Cricket World Cup. Interestingly, it was at the Eden Gardens where Virat Kohli had scored his first ODI ton (vs Sri Lanka in 2009).

For long, Virat Kohli has been considered as the worthy successor of Sachin Tendulkar in Indian batting. Over the last decade and half, Virat Kohli has lived up to the expectations by taking India to victories with his batting prowess. But Sunday's feat is extra special for numerous reasons.

First, 49 ODI tons is a feat that was unheard of till Sachin Tendulkar achieved it. Now two Indians have reached that mark. Secondly, this statistical highlight proves once again that Virat Kohli is indeed a worthy successor of Sachin Tendulkar.

This was Virat Kohli's 79th international ton (he has 29 Test tons and 1 century in T20Is). Virat Kohli reached the mark on Sunday in the 49th over with a single of Kagiso Rabada.

"If we talk about cricket, I had never thought of achieving it all, as in where my career is and how God has blessed me with such a career span and performances. I had always dreamt I'd do this, but I had never thought things would pan out this way exactly," Virat Kohli had told Cricket World Cup official broadcasters Star Sports ahead of the Sri Lanka match on Thursday.

"Nobody can plan these things, the way your journey is going, or the way things unfold in front of you. I hadn't thought that I'd score so many hundreds and so many runs in these 12 years."

World Cup 2023: Jadeja runs riot at Eden, India defeats S. Africa by 243 runs

KOLKATA, Nov 5: Rohit Sharma-led Team India continued their supreme run at the ongoing World Cup and defeated South Africa by 243 runs at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Sunday.

Ravindra Jadeja was the architect behind India's splendid show with ball as he completed a five-wicket haul. Riding on his effort, India folded South Africa for 83 in 27.1 overs after handing them a stiff target of 327.

Apart from Jadeja, Mohammed Shami and Kuldeep Yadav scalped two wickets each, while Mohammed Siraj picked one.

Virat Kohli put up yet another monumental innings in trying conditions on his 35th birthday and in the process, he equalled Sachin Tendulkar's extraordinary record of 49 ODI centuries.

It was a subdued celebration from the former India captain, he played through most of the innings in the humidity of Kolkata. His century led the way in India putting up a mammoth total of 326/5 in 50 overs.

India came out all guns blazing with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill belting Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada to all parts of the ground. The run rate slowed down as Keshav Maharaj kept a check on the batters throughout the middle overs after the openers fell but Kohli and Shreyas Iyer soldiered through that phase.

The pair then shifted gears and scored their respective half-centuries. The stand finally ended on 134 off 158 when Iyer fell to Lungi Ngidi on 77 off 87. KL Rahul fell soon thereafter and Suryakumar Yadav then played an entertaining cameo, smashing 22 in 14 balls and Ravindra Jadeja then did the same. The all-rounder stayed unbeaten on 29 off 15 while Kohli at the other end got to his milestone. He finished unbeaten on 101 off 121.

Saudi Prince Eyes Stake In $30 Billion Indian Premier League: Report

RIYADH, Nov 3: Saudi Arabia has expressed interest in buying a multibillion-dollar stake in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the world's richest cricket league, it was reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's advisers have spoken to Indian government officials about moving the IPL into a holding company valued at as much as $30 billion, the report said.

The talks were held when the crown prince visited India in September, the report said, adding that the kingdom proposed investing as much as $5 billion into the league and help lead an expansion into other countries.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the custodian of the IPL, did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.

IPL is one of the richest leagues in the world and has been attracting top players and coaches to India since its inaugural edition in 2008.