July 7 belonged to two people, MS Dhoni and Abhishek Sharma. The former Indian skipper was celebrating his 43rd birthday yesterday, while the young southpaw scored his maiden international century. Of course, that’s not all that happened. Sunil Gavaskar urged the government to give Rahul Dravid a Bharat Ratna after he won India its first ICC title in 11 years. Jay Shah confirmed that Rohit Sharma will remain as India’s skipper (ODI and Tests) until the WTC 2025 Final, and Gambhir Gambhir is almost certain to become India’s next head coach.
MS Dhoni the birthday boy
India’s most successful captain, MS Dhoni, celebrated his 43rd birthday by eating some eggless cake with his wife, Sakshi Dhoni and Bollywood superstar Salman Khan. Later in the day, he received a gift from Chennai Super Kings captain and teammate, Ruturaj Gaikwad, all the way from Harare, Zimbabwe.
Rohit Sharma to remain India’s captain until June 2025
BCCI Secretary Jay Shah has confirmed that Rohit Sharma will remain as India’s ODI and Test captain for at least one more year. He’ll lead the team in two upcoming ICC tournaments: the Champions Trophy (February–March 2025) and the World Test Championship (likely June 2025). Both of these tournaments will take place away from home.
Sharma for Sharma
A week later, after Rohit Sharma’s retirement, India’s found another Sharma, and he might be even more lethal than the modern great. Abhishek Sharma scored a 46-ball century against Zimbabwe, the third fastest by an Indian, and broke Rohit’s record for the most sixes hit by an Indian in 2024. He scored his first fifty runs in 33 balls and the next fifty in just 13 balls. Talk about finding the right man at the right time.
Bharat Ratna for Rahul Dravid?
After ending his tenure as India’s head coach with the T20 World Cup trophy, Sunil Gavaskar wants Rahul Dravid to get the highest civilian award in India, the Bharat Ratna. Gavaskar claimed that Dravid deserves it after serving Indian cricket as a captain, coach, and head of the NCA.
Gautam Gambhir bids KKR adieu: Report
It seems like Gautam Gambhir is all set to take the India head coach job. The Kolkata Knight Riders mentor, who’d helped them lift the IPL 2024 title in the first year of his return, had left the franchise and even recorded a message for the fans at the Eden Gardens.
Brazil out of Copa America 2024
Brazil’s dream of making the Copa America 2024 finals and even lifting the trophy was shattered. The Selecao were handed a shocking defeated by dark horses Uruguay in the Quarterfinals. The match ended goal less after 90 minutes, and the game directly headed into the penalties. Uruguay scored 4 goals while Brazil managed to score twice. For the Selecao, Eder Militao and Douglas Luiz missed from the spot.