India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan’s captain Salman Agha (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder has weighed in on the India–Pakistan rivalry following the Asia Cup 2025, calling out what he described as excessive on-field theatrics and expressing disappointment over how events unfolded. The Asia Cup once again showcased why clashes between India and Pakistan remain cricket’s most intense rivalry. While the contest has always been charged with emotion and history, the 2025 edition went beyond the 22 yards, with off-field drama capturing almost as much attention as the cricket itself.

India lifted the Asia Cup after defeating Pakistan by five wickets in the final, extending their dominance over their arch-rivals in multi-team tournaments. Yet, the post-match scenes drew widespread debate when Indian players chose not to collect the trophy from PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, amid the backdrop of the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor. Naqvi eventually took the trophy back, resulting in India returning home without the trophy despite their victory. Speaking on the Willow by Cricbuzz podcast, Holder was candid about his discomfort with the situation. “I don’t like the India–Pakistan beef. I saw India win the Asia Cup and they didn’t go to accept the trophy. It’s just too much, man,” he said. Holder then broadened the discussion, offering his perspective on how politics and ownership dynamics have influenced franchise cricket. He noted the limited opportunities for Pakistani players in T20 leagues, especially those owned by Indian stakeholders. “Certain Pakistanis can’t be involved in certain teams because they’re owned by Indian owners. It’s just sad, man,” he added. The former West Indies captain stressed the influence top cricketers wield beyond results. “If you’re inspiring a generation and inspiring the world, then we have to find a way to come together,” Holder said. While acknowledging the long political history between the two nations, he believes cricket can still be a starting point for change. “I understand how big this rivalry is off the field,” he noted. “But if change is going to happen, it can start on the cricket field. A way to soften things is by India and Pakistan coming together through sport.” Holder sees potential for sport to influence life beyond cricket. “If it’s possible at a sporting level, maybe it becomes possible in everyday life too,” he said. “Stopping the fighting and tension would be huge.” He also spoke about the cultural impact of athletes as role models: “There’s always a trickle-down effect. When people see their heroes behaving a certain way, it influences them. That’s why it’s sad to see this play out.” Despite the tensions, Holder emphasised his respect for both nations. “They’re beautiful countries with incredible people and cultures,” he said. “That’s why moments like this hurt everyone who loves cricket.” He concluded with a call to uphold the spirit of the game: “We talk about unity and growing the game. So let’s practise what we preach — bring cricket together and build healthier relationships.” India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral series for several years, making ICC and ACC events the only stages where the rivalry now unfolds. Asia Cup 2025 saw the two sides clash three times, including the final, keeping the spotlight firmly on the rivalry throughout the tournament.

Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly (AFP Photo)

NEW DELHI: The past week was quite turbulent for the cricket world — from Mustafizur Rahman being released by the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, to the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s decision not to send its team to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup, and now the ICC stepping in to reassure the BCB.Bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh have remained strained since the mass uprising in Bangladesh in 2024 that led to the removal of then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and the ripple effects are now being felt strongly in the sporting sphere as well.

Amid this ongoing tussle between the two neighbours, former Bangladesh batter Rajin Saleh revisited a significant moment from his career, recalling the ‘big’ support he received from batting legend Sachin Tendulkar and former India captain Sourav Ganguly.Saleh took fans down memory lane to the 2004 tour, when India visited Bangladesh for a Test and ODI series. The assignment proved memorable not just on the field but also for the camaraderie and guidance he experienced from two of Indian cricket’s biggest icons.“I was struggling with the bat in that series. I scored two ducks in a Test match and then didn’t have a good outing in the ODIs either. I scored 14 and 0 in the first two matches. I was feeling so down and dejected. My morale was completely low. That’s when I decided to speak to Sourav and Sachin,” Saleh told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.“Ahead of the third ODI, I knocked on Sachin’s door and he welcomed me. I told him about my poor form. He smiled and gave me some tips. He told me how to stay mentally fit going into a game by burying past performances. He said when you walk off the ground after getting out, just leave that innings there and start afresh in the next match,” Saleh said.“Ganguly also came in at that moment and sat quietly, listening to what Sachin was telling me. Ganguly then said, ‘veer ki tarah khelo, yoddha bano’. He asked me to bat fearlessly at the crease. Those words really egged me on. In the next match, I scored in the 80s against India. I scored runs against top bowlers — Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh — in that game,” he added.“One is God (Sachin) and the other is one of the finest captains India has ever produced (Ganguly). I truly admire them. I am grateful that I played against both those stars. Sachin is the god of cricket — I have witnessed that on the ground. The atmosphere was magical whenever he came out to bat. It was only Sachin, Sachin and nothing else. It was really hard to concentrate when he was batting,” Saleh, who played 24 Tests and 43 ODIs between 2003 and 2008, said.Saleh currently serves as the national high-performance batting coach with Bangladesh cricket.“I am currently coaching one of the teams in the BPL season. I am also coaching the Bangladesh senior team and working with the national high-performance setup. We miss playing against India. I played the Under-19 World Cup with Kaif, Yuvraj and many others, and I really miss competing against India.“I even asked Yuvraj for bats on a couple of occasions. He took me to the dressing room and said, ‘le lo jo bhi bat chahiye’. He has such a big heart,” Saleh signed off, leaving fans nostalgic.

Cheteshwar Pujara is forced to dance with his teammates after the 2-1 series win at Sydney Cricket Ground on January 07, 2019. (Getty Images)

On this day, seven years ago, India created history by becoming the first Asian team to win a Test series against Australia in Australia. It was a truly stunning tour Down Under for the Virat Kohli-led Indian side as they went on to win both the Test and ODI series after drawing the T20I series.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The historic victory came after a 71-year wait for India, who first toured Australia in 1947–48. The scoreline at the end of the four-match series read 2-1 in favour of the visitors. In fact, it could have been an emphatic 3-1 if not for rain washing out most of the final two days of the fourth match in Sydney, such was India’s dominance in the contest.

Nonetheless, Team India set plenty of records in that historic series, which started with a 31-run victory in Adelaide in the first Test. Australia bounced back with an emphatic 146-run win in the second Test in Perth to level the series 1-1.India replied to that thrashing with one of their own, registering a 137-run victory in Melbourne to take a decisive 2-1 lead before the series moved to the SCG.India dominated the series finale in Sydney, posting a mammoth 622 for 7 declared after batting first, then bowling out Australia for 300 and enforcing the follow-on. It was the first follow-on at home for Australia since 1988. But rain somehow saved the hosts from defeat in Sydney.

The main architects of the historic series win Down Under for India were Cheteshwar Pujara with the bat and Jasprit Bumrah with the ball, along with contributions from other members of the team. Pujara was the top-scorer with 521 runs at an average of 74.42 in seven innings and deservedly won the Player of the Series award. Bumrah was the joint-leading wicket-taker of the series with Nathan Lyon, picking up 21 wickets at a stunning average of 17 in eight innings.Overall, India’s batters had a brilliant series, with the top three run-getters all being Indians. Apart from Pujara, young wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant had a breakthrough series, scoring 350 runs at an average of 58.33, including 159 not out in the final Test. Captain Kohli also contributed 282 runs, more than Australia’s top run-getter of the series, Marcus Harris (258).Among bowlers, Bumrah’s new-ball partner Mohammed Shami claimed 16 wickets at 26.18. The Indian pace duo outperformed their Australian counterparts on their own turf, giving the visitors a decisive edge in the series.The famed Australian trio of Pat Cummins (14), Josh Hazlewood (13) and Mitchell Starc (13) followed in the list of wicket-takers, with India’s Ishant Sharma also chipping in with 11 wickets in three matches.Australia had a chance to level the series when they arrived in Sydney for the finale, with India leading 2-1. But it was not to be.

Player of the Series Cheteshwar Pujara (Getty Images)

Here’s how the final match of the historic series panned out at the SCG:On January 3, Kohli won the toss and decided to put runs on the board first. The decision looked to have backfired when India lost opener KL Rahul in the second over to Hazlewood for 9. But it proved to be just a small hurdle before the Indian batters took control of the situation.Mayank Agarwal and No.3 batter Pujara then scored their fifties and added 116 runs for the second wicket to shake off the initial hiccup. Agarwal missed out on a well-deserved hundred when he fell for 77 off 112 balls to Lyon.The wicket did not bring further success for Australia as Pujara held one end firm and continued stitching partnerships. He added 54 with Kohli (23), followed by 48 with Ajinkya Rahane (18). Pujara brought up his hundred and took India to 303/4 at stumps on Day 1, batting on 130 not out, with Hanuma Vihari (39*) for company.When India lost Vihari for 42 the next day, he had already added 101 runs for the fifth wicket with Pujara. India’s No.3 did not stop there, adding another substantial 89-run partnership with Pant before falling for a majestic 193 off 373 balls. India were 418/6 when Pujara departed.Australia were still coming to terms with Pujara’s knock when the floodgates suddenly opened and runs began to flow freely from the bats of Pant and Ravindra Jadeja. Their stunning 204-run stand ended all hopes of a series-levelling win for the hosts on Day 2 itself.Pant remained unbeaten on 159 off 189 balls when India declared at 622/7 following the fall of Jadeja’s wicket. Jadeja departed after smashing 81 off just 114 balls.Australia ended the second day at 24/0, but knew they had a mountain to climb even to salvage a draw, let alone win the match.Harris and Usman Khawaja gave the hosts a solid start, adding 72 before the latter was dismissed for 27 by Kuldeep Yadav. Harris then added 56 with Marnus Labuschagne before falling for 79 to Jadeja. Australia lost four more wickets before rain and bad light ended the third day early, with the hosts at 236/6.The fourth day also began with rain in Sydney, washing out the first session. After a delayed start, India bundled out Australia for 300 in their first innings and enforced the follow-on. It was Australia’s first follow-on at home in 31 years. They were 6 without loss when rain returned and washed out the third session as well.The fifth day — January 7, 2019 — also began with more rain, much to the relief of the hosts. After lunch was taken without a ball being bowled, officials finally decided to call off the match during the second session.Rain, however, did not dampen the Indian celebrations as they clinched their first-ever Test series win in Australia. More importantly, they went on to replicate the feat on their next assignment Down Under as well.

Joe Root and Sachin Tendulkar

New Delhi: Joe Root has shared the field with Sachin Tendulkar only once — on his Test debut in Nagpur in December 2012.Sachin, 39 at the time, was in the twilight of his career. He played six more Tests before retiring a year later. In that Nagpur Test, Root, just days shy of his 22nd birthday, stamped his class against India’s four-pronged spin attack, scoring 73 and 20 not out.

Few realised it then, but the pursuit had already begun, with Root quietly setting off on Tendulkar’s trail.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Cut to the present, Root has started 2026 with a century, his second of the ongoing Ashes in Australia. The England batter now needs 1,978 more runs to surpass Tendulkar’s record. Root’s Test tally currently reads: 13,943 runs from 163 Tests.

Root is hunting down Sachin’s record

At 35, Joe Root is showing no signs of slowing down.Following his century at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), former England captain Michael Vaughan said on Cricbuzz that Root will break Tendulkar’s record.

England’s Joe Root walks from the field after he was dismissed during play on day four of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

“There is no doubt Root will break Sachin’s record. The real question is whether he will be back for the next Ashes in Australia, which is four years away,” Vaughan said.England’s Test calendar is mapped out until the end of the 2027 home summer. This year brings three home Tests each against New Zealand and Pakistan. The 2026–27 winter includes three Tests in South Africa, two in Bangladesh, and a one-off 150th anniversary Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). In 2027, England will play seven Tests, including another Ashes series. In total, that presents a possible 20 Tests over the next 18 months.

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has also backed Root to seriously challenge Tendulkar’s unrivalled Test legacy. Speaking during commentary in the India vs England fourth Test at Old Trafford last year, Shastri said Root has time firmly on his side.“Look at his age (35). Look at the number of matches. He’s got about 40 Tests left. Sachin played 200 Tests. Root has played around 160. He’s still young. He has four years of cricket ahead of him. And what will separate him and Tendulkar will be around 3,000 runs. When you’re hot, you’re hot, and he has age on his side,” Shastri said.

Argentina’s Lionel Messi, right, and former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar pose for picture during his India tour in Mumbai, India, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Professional sport rarely follows a neat script. Root has enjoyed remarkable fortune so far, missing just two Tests since his debut, never because of an injury.

Root vs Kohli vs Smith vs Williamson

Legendary India batter Sunil Gavaskar had famously said that Root was a notch below the other memembers of the famed Fab Four — Virat Kohli, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson.Gavaskar was not wrong.In January 2021, the contrast among the Fab Four was stark. Kohli had 27 Test centuries from 73 matches, Smith 26 from 70, Williamson 23 from 64, while Root lagged behind with just 17 hundreds despite having played 96 Tests.

(L-R) Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Joe Root and Kane Williamson

More tellingly, Root had accumulated 48 half-centuries — more than Kohli and Smith’s combined tally — underlining how often he got starts without converting them into a triple digit score.Reaching 50 was never Root’s problem. Time and again, he cruised through the first half of an innings, only to fall before reaching the landmark that defines elite Test batters.Fast forward to 2025, and the narrative has flipped completely. Over the past four years, Root has struck 24 centuries and just 17 fifties across 67 Tests. By comparison, Williamson has ten hundreds in 24 matches, Smith 11 in 47, while Kohli managed only three in 36 Tests before retiring from the format in May 2025.

England’s Joe Root bats during play on day two of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Root has credited his resurgence to work done during the Covid-19 pandemic and detailed conversations with former England captain Nasser Hussain.“I actually spoke to Nass quite a bit,” Root said on Sky Sports. “I asked if I could get some footage and looked at my modes of dismissal to see if there were any patterns — the different ways I was getting out at various stages of my innings.“Early in my career, a lot of it was about technique — where my hands were, where my head was, whether I was lined up right, whether my trigger was correct. In this second phase, it’s been more about managing risk and eliminating as many modes of dismissal as possible while still producing the highest output.”In 2025, Root stands alone among his peers as the only realistic contender to chase down Sachin Tendulkar’s all-time Test run record.

Sachin vs Root in numbers

Age, numbers and timing are beginning to align for Root in a way few would have imagined a decade ago.

England’s Joe Root gestures with his bat during play on day two of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

At 34, just before the Sydney Test, Root had accumulated 13,777 runs at an average of 50.83 across 296 innings in 162 Tests. At the same age, Tendulkar stood at 11,782 runs at 55.31 after 147 Tests — fewer matches, a higher average, but significantly fewer runs.By the time both reached 298 innings, Tendulkar had surged to 14,965 runs at 56.95, while Root stood at 13,943 at 51.07.Milestones underline the contrast. Root reached his 41st Test century in his 297th innings — the slowest among batters to reach that mark. Tendulkar, by contrast, brought up his 51st hundred in his 289th innings.

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After turning 35, Tendulkar added another 4,139 runs in 91 innings at an average of 49.86, including 12 centuries.For Root, the arithmetic is demanding but not implausible. To match Tendulkar’s final tally within the same number of innings — 329 — he needs 1,978 runs from his next 31 innings.Unlike Tendulkar, who played 463 ODIs, Root has largely focused on one format. He has featured in just 218 white-ball internationals (186 ODIs and 32 T20Is). With age and fitness on his side, the Yorkshire-born batter may yet cruise past Sachin’s once-unfathomable mark of 15,921 Test runs.