INDORE: As India’s hapless bowlers were taken to the cleaners by New Zealand’s centurions Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips on Sunday at the Holkar Stadium here, one man’s poor form emerged as the big worry with the Men In Blue set to defend their T20 World Cup title at home next month.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!From the point when Mitchell, enjoying supreme form, danced down the track to smash him for a superb straight six off the very first ball that he bowled, coming on the attack in the 17th over, Kuldeep Yadav looked short of confidence, just going through the motions rather than looking to stamp his class on the batters. Later, in the 41st over, Mitchell and Phillips tonked the Chinaman bowler for massive sixes down the ground. Struggling to control the Kiwis’ marauding duo in a ground with small dimensions, Kuldeep ended up with 1-48 in six overs.

This is the second match in a row that the 31-year-old, a class act when in rhythm, looked out of sorts in this series. In Rajkot, the Black Caps, with Mitchell scoring a century (131 not out) and Will Young notching up 85, plundered 82 runs in Kuldeep’s 10 overs. He did take Young’s wicket, but by then it was all over bar the shouting as India failed to defend 284.On the same pitch, India had found both the Kiwi spinners hard to get away earlier in the day. While debutant leftarm spinner Jaydon Lennox conceded 1-42 in 10 overs, NZ skipper Michael Bracewell gave away just 34 (for one wicket) in 10 overs. Of course, dew played its role, but Kuldeep is experienced to counter the conditions.

After he faced criticism for his poor show in the second ODI, Kuldeep’s former spin bowling colleague Yuzvandra Chahal, with whom the Uttar Pradesh bowler had formed a successful partnership from 2017-22, sprung up to the defence of his former India spin bowling colleague. “Kuldeep Yadav is no.1 SPINNER in whole WORLD#Champion #AnyFormat @imkuldeep18,” Chahal posted on X.Indeed, Kuldeep’s quality is beyond doubt. At his best, the Kanpur man can leave batters bamboozled and outfoxed by his tricks. However, the fact remains that presently, his shoddy form is a real concern for India with just about 20 days to go for the T20 World Cup. With ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah rested from the ODI series against the Kiwis, the hosts’ attack appeared even more toothless as Kuldeep, perhaps bowling too slow through the air, was taken to the cleaners by the marauding Black Caps batters. He signed off from the series — perhaps the worst of his ODI career — with just three wickets in three matches at 60.66, at an economy rate of 7.28.

For someone who is amongst the first few picks in all the three formats of the game, Kuldeep plays round the year. At the moment, the tweaker looks jaded, in need of a break, perhaps. The gone year was one of mixed fortunes for him. Despite many experts batting for his inclusion in the XI, Kuldeep didn’t get to play a single Test in the five-Test series in England.Bouncing back from that snub in style, he picked up 17 wickets in seven matches at 9.29 in the T20 Asia Cup in UAE that followed the England tour, finishing as the tournament’s high wicket-taker. In the final against Pakistan at Dubai, he took a decisive haul of four for 30 in four overs, causing a collapse that saw India’s arch-rivals slide from 113 for one in the 13th over to 146 all out in 19.1 overs.However, since then, Kuldeep’s returns have been a mixed bag. In the fifth T20I against Australia at the MCG, he conceded 2-45 in 3.2 overs, though India were defending only 125. This was followed by a 2-12 in two overs against South Africa Dharamshala, helping India wrap up a seven-wicket win.India would hope that the left-arm wrist spinner rediscovers his lost zing in the five-match T20I series that will start from Jan 21 in Nagpur.

Babar Azam’s difficult run in the 2025–26 Big Bash League showed no signs of easing as the Pakistan star endured another low return in Sydney Sixers’ must-win clash against Brisbane Heat at the Gabba on Sunday, January 18. Opening the batting once again alongside Steve Smith, Babar struggled from the outset while chasing a target of 172. On a surface offering early movement, he looked short of rhythm and confidence, managing just one run from seven deliveries before edging Australian quick Xavier Bartlett in the second over. It was another early exit that summed up his tournament so far.

The innings came in the shadow of the controversy from Sixers’ previous match against Sydney Thunder, where Babar’s approach at the top had drawn criticism despite the team winning by five wickets. In that game, Smith blazed his way to a 41-ball century as the pair added 141 for the first wicket. Babar, however, scored 47 off 39 balls, with his strike rate becoming a talking point. Tension was visible during that partnership when, in the 11th over, Smith turned down a single after Babar had played three consecutive dot balls. Keen to take charge during the Power Surge, Smith kept the strike and made the decision count by smashing 32 runs off Ryan Hadley in the next over, the most runs ever scored in a single over in the league’s 15-year history. Babar appeared unhappy at the time and, after being dismissed off the very next ball he faced, walked back angrily, striking the boundary cushion with his bat. Sunday’s failure did little to strengthen Babar’s case. His numbers across the tournament paint a worrying picture. From 10 matches, he has scored 202 runs at an average of 25.26 and a strike rate of 104.12. Among batters who have faced at least 100 balls this season, only Cameron Bancroft and Mohammad Rizwan have scored at a slower rate. Despite Babar’s struggles, the Sixers got the job done. Brisbane Heat posted 171 for 9 after being sent in, with Nathan McSweeney top-scoring with an unbeaten 69 off 54 balls. Mitchell Starc led the bowling effort for Sydney with an impressive four-wicket haul, while Sam Curran chipped in with two wickets. In the chase, Steve Smith steadied the innings with 54 off 40 balls, before Sam Curran produced a match-winning unbeaten 53 off 27 deliveries. The Sixers reached the target in 18.4 overs to seal a five-wicket win, with Curran named Player of the Match. The victory booked Sydney Sixers a place in the first qualifier against Perth Scorchers at Perth Stadium on January 20. For Babar Azam, though, questions around form and tempo in the Big Bash League continue to grow.

Former Indian domestic cricketer Priyank Panchal came out strongly against assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate, calling out his comments on Rohit Sharma and Nitish Kumar Reddy and questioning whether foreign coaches truly understand how to handle relationships within Indian cricket. After the defeat to New Zealand, Ten Doeschate spoke about Rohit’s form, pointing out that the India captain “had not been as fluent as he has been” on what he described as a tough wicket. The comment came despite Rohit scoring 26 and 24 in the two ODIs so far, following a Vijay Hazare Trophy outing for Mumbai in December where the returns were 155* and 0.

The assistant coach also took aim at Nitish Kumar Reddy, who had scored 20 runs and bowled two overs for 13 in the Rajkot game. The assessment was blunt. Nitish, according to Ten Doeschate, gets opportunities but “often ended up not doing a heck of a lot”. Those words triggered backlash online, with fans calling the remarks disrespectful towards Rohit, a senior figure who had already piled up five fifty-plus scores between the Australia tour in October-November and the Vijay Hazare Trophy, including two centuries. There was similar anger over the criticism of Nitish, a 22-year-old still finding his feet at international level, having played only three ODIs at the time, scoring 47 runs across three innings and going wicketless.

Panchal did not hold back. Taking to X, he wrote: “Terrible comments by Ten Doeschate on Rohit and Nitish. There’s a reason foreign coaches don’t succeed in India. The dexterity you require to navigate through relationships here is lacking in them. Especially if they do not have anything notable to show in their CV. #INDvNZ.” The message struck a chord because it went beyond one post-match comment. It tapped into a familiar debate about communication, cultural understanding, and how criticism is delivered within the Indian dressing room. For Panchal, the issue was not analysis alone, but tone, timing and respect. And once those lines are crossed, the fallout is never limited to just one press interaction.

India vs New Zealand Live Score, 3rd ODI: India’s formidable home record in ODIs will face a stern test when they take on a confident New Zealand in the series-deciding third match at the high-scoring Holkar Stadium here on Sunday, with the three-match contest finely poised at 1-1.

India have not lost a bilateral ODI series at home since March 2019, when Australia overturned a 0-2 deficit to clinch the series 3-2, including the decider in Delhi. That long-standing dominance, however, is now firmly under scrutiny.

For New Zealand, the stakes are just as significant. The Black Caps have toured India for bilateral ODIs since 1989 but have never managed to win a series on Indian soil. Given the balance of this contest and India’s recent vulnerabilities, this represents one of their strongest chances yet to end that drought.

India head coach Gautam Gambhir would be keen to avoid another setback at home during his tenure, which has already seen a few unwanted firsts. Under Gambhir, India have lost five Tests at home and also suffered their first-ever bilateral ODI series defeat in Sri Lanka.

India’s loss in the second ODI at Rajkot was shaped not by a single moment of brilliance but by New Zealand’s grip over the middle overs. Daryl Mitchell’s unbeaten century was a study in measured aggression, particularly against spin — an area where India have shown signs of discomfort in recent times.

Indore, with its short boundaries and flat pitch, offers even less margin for error. On a ground where totals can escalate rapidly beyond 350, lapses in the middle overs can prove decisive.

India’s struggles against spin remain a talking point. Despite their batting depth and power, the side has often found it difficult to rotate strike consistently through the middle phase. Those stalled periods have forced batters into riskier options, disrupting rhythm and momentum.

Will there be a RoKo show?
Much of the attention will be on Rohit Sharma, who has endured a lean run in the series. His ultra-aggressive approach at the top has defined India’s ODI blueprint in recent times, but repeated early exits have brought added pressure.

Virat Kohli, meanwhile, continues to be the axis around which India’s ODI batting revolves. With India’s next 50-over assignment for senior players likely to come in July during the tour of England, fans will be hoping for another decisive RoKo partnership.

Selection balance
The choice between Nitish Kumar Reddy and Ayush Badoni presents a classic trade-off between depth and control. Reddy provides seam-bowling cover, albeit used sparingly, along with late-innings power. Badoni, on the other hand, offers composure and a sounder technique against spin in the middle overs.

The case for including left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh also strengthens at Indore, where variations often trump raw pace. His ability to swing the new ball, target the stumps and execute yorkers at the death adds a different tactical layer, especially against New Zealand’s largely right-handed batting order.

His presence could also ease the load on India’s spinners by allowing greater reliance on pace-off deliveries, wide yorkers and hard lengths — strategies better suited to the Holkar Stadium surface. The challenge, however, lies in finding space in the XI. Mohammed Siraj’s role with the new ball makes him hard to omit, leaving a spinner or seam-bowling all-rounder as the likely casualty depending on conditions and batting depth.

One area of clarity is KL Rahul’s role. His consistent returns at No. 5 reinforce the value of keeping him there, rather than pushing him down to six, where his ability to manage tempo and rebuild under pressure is reduced.

New Zealand, meanwhile, arrive with clarity and confidence. Mitchell’s dominance, backed by Devon Conway, reflects the Black Caps’ sharp understanding of match-ups and disciplined execution. Their bowlers, despite lacking big names, have relied on variations and hard lengths to good effect on surfaces offering little assistance.

At a venue where bowlers are often reduced to damage control, the contest is likely to be decided as much by decision-making as by skill. For Shubman Gill and his side, the challenge extends beyond winning the series — it is about showing tactical flexibility and situational awareness when pressure is real and margins are thin.

Teams (from):
India: Shubman Gill (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ayush Badoni, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana.

New Zealand: Michael Bracewell (c), Devon Conway (wk), Mitchell Hay (wk), Nick Kelly, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Josh Clarkson, Zak Foulkes, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Adithya Ashok, Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Jayden Lennox, Michael Rae.

Aiden Markram blazed the second SA20 century of his career to keep Durban’s Super Giants’ season alive.The Proteas T20 captain showed he is the man for the big occasion, flexing his biceps by smashing 108 off 58 balls (12×4, 5×6) with DSG’s season on the line. The Super Giants’ 189/7 proved too much for Paarl Royals, with the home team cruising to a bonus-point 58-run victory.

Defeat for the Super Giants would have seen Lance Klusener’s team eliminated. Instead, they will now watch Joburg Super Kings’ match later this afternoon against Pretoria Capitals with bated breath, as a JSK win will bring an end to DSG’s playoff chances.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!But for now, they will celebrate an audacious Markram innings. The skipper has taken time to settle into his new surroundings at Kingsmead after moving from Sunrisers Eastern Cape, but here he delivered a batting exhibition of the highest calibre.The match was evenly poised when DSG were 53/3 after 7.2 overs, with all three of their big overseas signings, Sunil Narine, Jos Buttler and Kane Williamson, back in the hut.It was therefore left to Markram and Heinrich Klaasen to resurrect the innings with an 81-run partnership off just 48 balls. Klaasen (29 off 21 balls) does not often play second fiddle, but he could only look on in awe as Markram unleashed a power-hitting display of the highest order.Standing tall in the crease, Markram bludgeoned the ball straight down the ground for a flurry of boundaries. He made Royals rue dropping him in the deep on 79 off the bowling of Ottneil Baartman.Markram’s takedown of Royals’ ace all-rounder Sikandar Raza was particularly telling. Raza (0/57) has been one of the standout performers of SA20 Season 4, but on Saturday afternoon at Kingsmead, he met his match.Markram plundered 28 runs, including three sixes and two boundaries, in Raza’s penultimate over of the innings. In the process, he brought up his second T20 century to the great appreciation of the Kingsmead crowd.Even Hardus Viljoen’s excellent career-best figures of 4/21 could not halt DSG’s momentum.Super Giants carried the momentum into their bowling effort as the Royals wilted in Durban’s intense heat and humidity.Royals failed to contend with the high-quality spin of Super Giants duo Sunil Narine (2/18) and Simon Harmer (1/13). The spin twins combined to deliver eight superb overs, conceding just 31 runs and picking up three wickets.The result was inevitable from the moment Royals slumped to 68/8, with the Super Giants eventually restricting the visitors to 131/9 to earn the home side a lifeline, with their fate to be decided later this afternoon at the Wanderers.Brief Scores Durban’s Super Giants: 189 for 7 in 20 overs (Aiden Markram 108; Hardus Viljoen 4/21) Paarl Royals: 131 for 9 in 20 overs (Bjorn Fortuin 35 not out; Sunil Narine 2/18, Geralnd Coetzee 2/31)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru maintained their winning streak in the Women’s Premier League, claiming an eighth-wicket triumph over Delhi Capitals on Saturday, with skipper Smriti Mandhana starring with an elegant half-century. This marked RCB’s fourth successive win, keeping them firmly atop the five-team standings, while Delhi remain at the bottom with three losses in four matches. Sent in to bat, Delhi Capitals endured a rocky start, losing Lizelle Lee and Laura Wolvaardt in the very first over. The slide continued as Jemimah Rodrigues, Marizanne Kapp, Niki Prasad, and Minnu Mani failed to make an impact, leaving DC reeling at 74 for 6 after just 8.1 overs. Amidst the collapse, explosive opener Shafali Verma played a counter-attacking innings, scoring a superb 62 off 41 balls, including five fours and four sixes. She anchored her side with vital partnerships of 59 runs with Niki Prasad and another 34 with Sneh Rana (22), keeping DC’s innings alive. Towards the end, debutant Lucy Hamilton added momentum with a quickfire 36 off 19 deliveries. Despite Shafali’s heroics, DC were restricted to 166 all out.

Chasing the target, RCB stumbled early as Grace Harris fell in the third over. Mandhana, however, took charge with a commanding 96 off 61 balls, striking 13 boundaries and three sixes. She was ably supported by Georgia Voll, who scored a patient 54 not out off 42 balls with five fours and two sixes. The duo stitched together a 142-run partnership for the second wicket, steering RCB home in 18.2 overs with 10 balls to spare. Mandhana fell just short of her century, brilliantly caught by debutant Lucy Hamilton off Nandani Sharma, but the outcome was never in doubt. RCB’s victory highlighted Mandhana’s masterclass and the duo’s composure at the crease, showcasing why they remain at the summit of the WPL standings.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi steadied the innings with calm assurance. He began to open up during the eighth over, smashing 15 runs off Iqbal Hossain Emon to push India to 42 for 2. The innings hit another speed bump when Vihaan Malhotra was dismissed for 7 in the 10th over by Md Azizul Hakim Tamim, leaving India 53 for 3 at the end of the powerplay.Sooryavanshi, however, continued to shine. In the 13th over, the 14-year-old brought up a stunning half-century off just 30 balls. At 14 years and 296 days, he became the youngest player in history to score a fifty at a Men’s U19 World Cup. India moved to 94 for 3 after 20 overs, with Sooryavanshi and Abhigyan Kundu building a vital partnership.

The stand was broken in the 27th over when Iqbal Hossain Emon dismissed Suryavanshi for 72 off 67 balls, an innings laced with six fours and three sixes. The knock also saw him cross 1,000 runs in Youth ODIs, making him the seventh Indian to achieve the milestone.India’s middle order struggled for momentum after that. Harvansh Pangalia managed just 2 as the score slipped to 123 for 5. Kundu then took charge alongside Kanishk Chouhan, guiding India to 152 for 5 by the 33rd over. Chouhan’s fluent 28 ended in the 36th over, breaking a 54-run stand.Kundu reached his fifty off 82 balls as India crossed 180, but rain soon interrupted play, reducing the match to 49 overs per side. After the restart, wickets continued to fall. RS Ambrish was removed for 5 by Sheikh Paevez Jibon, before Al Fahad brought an end to Kundu’s resolute innings. Kundu scored a fighting 80 from 112 deliveries, with four fours and three sixes.India were eventually bowled out for 238 in 48.4 overs. Al Fahad was the standout for Bangladesh, finishing with an impressive five-wicket haul of 5 for 38 in 9.2 overs. Despite the collapse late on, the day belonged to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, whose record-breaking fifty marked a historic moment in U19 World Cup history.

The Big Bash League 2026 was meant to be a stage for Pakistan’s biggest batting stars to showcase their skills in the shortest format of the game. Instead, it has turned into an uncomfortable spotlight. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan now sit at the very top of an unwanted list. Thus far, they are officially the slowest batters of the season among players who have faced at least 120 deliveries. Rizwan leads the list with a strike rate of 102.74. Babar follows closely at 107.48. In a tournament built on relentless aggression, those numbers stand out for all the wrong reasons. Young batter Konstas (110.21) and Australia’s Tom Rogers (127.50) trail behind.

While Babar has amassed 201 runs in nine appearances with an average of 28.71 so far this season, Rizwan has managed to score only 187 in 10 innings with an average of 18.7. Babar’s struggles came into sharp focus during Sydney Sixers’ clash against Sydney Thunder at the SCG. The incident that grabbed attention involved teammate Steve Smith. Ahead of the Power Surge, Smith refused a simple single as he wanted to keep the strike. Babar, left stranded mid-pitch on 47, was visibly furious. Smith took the decision not to go for a run as Babar could only yield two runs from that over. Keeping the strike, Smith unleashed a stunning counterattack, having smashed 32 runs in the next over, the highest-scoring over in BBL history.Babar’s night ended soon after. Attempting to shift gears, he was bowled by Daniel McAndrew off an inside edge. He slammed the boundary cushions with his bat while walking off the pitch. His 47 came off 39 balls, with seven 4s, but the tempo of his innings raised questions.Rizwan’s recent case was even harsher. Playing for Melbourne Renegades, he struggled to accelerate against Sydney Thunder. He scored 26 off 23 balls. With the innings slipping away, the Renegades made a bold call. Rizwan was retired out, and it was a first. No overseas player in BBL history had faced that fate before. Captain Will Sutherland replaced him at the crease.

NEW DELHI: Can the Sports Authority of India (SAI) be absolved of responsibility for the embarrassing mess that unfolded at the India Open Super 750 badminton at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium? That question has grown louder by the day as a cascade of venue-related failures turned one of the BWF World Tour’s marquee events into a case study in administrative neglect.The sight of an MCD dog catching rats stationed at the venue on Friday served as a stark indicator of how serious the situation had become, and how far the tournament had drifted from basic international standards.

The India Open is being staged at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium (part of the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex), a facility owned and maintained by SAI on behalf of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS). While the Badminton Association of India (BAI) is the event organiser, the responsibility for upkeep and maintenance lies with SAI, a point that several stakeholders believe cannot be brushed aside.“Venue hygiene, safety and basic readiness are non-negotiable at a World Tour Super 750 event,” an ex-India shuttler said. “These are not overnight issues. Dirty premises, animal intrusion and unfinished work point to systemic failure, not just last-minute lapses.”Against this backdrop, sources told TOI that the stadium was handed over to the organisers only on January 2. “The window was small,” admitted a BAI source, “but that does not explain animal intrusion or filth in the surroundings. Those are baseline maintenance issues.”“You can’t pass the buck entirely to BAI,” the source said.However, handing the India Open to the IGI Stadium without first stress-testing the venue through a national event was a serious misjudgment on the part of BAI too. Late Thursday night and throughout Friday, frantic cleaning and scrubbing operations were launched at the stadium. “Fixing things after players complain is the worst possible approach,” a former India shuttler said. “By then, the damage is already done — reputationally and otherwise.”While the BAI cannot escape responsibility, especially with the World Championships scheduled at the same venue in August, the spotlight is on SAI’s role as the stadium’s custodian. “The India Open was supposed to be a rehearsal for the Worlds. Instead, it has exposed deep cracks in infrastructure management. If not addressed urgently, August could be more damaging,” an ex-player said.“This is not how the venue of a Super 750 tournament should look, especially one that is supposed to host the World Championships later this year. I find it very difficult to see how the World Championships could be held here,” Danish shuttler Mia Blichfeldt told Instagram on Friday.“The venues were handed over in time to BAI for setting up Field of Play, practice area etc,” a SAI official told TOI. “The routine cleaning and maintenance were done in advance. However, the presence of pigeons in the high altars of stadium premises is a real issue. With large openings (air vents, ducts and shafts) in the stadium, it’s a challenge to completely block entry of pigeons. Protocols and oversight…”

Saurashtra marched into the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025–26 with a dominant nine-wicket win over Punjab in the second semi-final on Friday, riding on a sensational unbeaten century from opener Vishvaraj Jadeja. The victory sets up a title clash against Vidarbha, scheduled for January 18. Chasing a competitive target of 292, Saurashtra made light work of the chase, finishing the job in just 39.3 overs. Jadeja was the standout performer, remaining not out on 165 from 127 balls, an innings that included 18 fours and three sixes. He was well supported at the other end by captain Harvik Desai, who played a composed knock of 64 off 63 deliveries, striking nine boundaries. The opening pair stitched together a decisive 172-run partnership that effectively took the game away from Punjab.

After Desai’s dismissal, Prerak Mankad ensured there were no late hiccups, contributing an unbeaten 52 off 49 balls with seven fours as Saurashtra cruised home. Gurnoor Brar was the only bowler to find success for Punjab, returning figures of 1 for 52. Earlier in the day, Punjab posted 291 after being asked to bat first, thanks largely to Anmolpreet Singh and Prabhsimran Singh. The pair provided stability after a steady opening stand of 60 between Prabhsimran and Harnoor Singh. Harnoor was run out in the 13th over following a sharp effort from Chirag Jani, departing for 33 off 43 balls. Anmolpreet anchored the innings with a well-crafted 100 off 105 deliveries, hitting nine fours and a six, while Prabhsimran chipped in with a fighting 87. Ramandeep Singh added 42 off 38 balls, but the lower order failed to build on the platform. Saurashtra’s bowlers kept things in check, with Chetan Sakariya leading the attack with figures of 4 for 60, supported by Ankur Panwar’s 2 for 54 and Chirag Jani’s 2 for 73.