Morgan Rogers of Aston Villa celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with teammate Ezri Konsa. (Getty Images)

Aston Villa continued their stunning Premier League title charge on Sunday as Morgan Rogers’ brilliant brace sealed a 2-1 victory over Manchester United at a raucous Villa Park, extending Unai Emery’s side’s extraordinary winning run.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Rogers put Villa ahead late in the first half with a moment of individual brilliance before restoring the lead after the break, his goals securing a 10th consecutive victory in all competitions and keeping the Midlands club firmly in the title conversation.

Third-placed Villa now sit just three points behind leaders Arsenal and one adrift of Manchester City, chasing what would be their first English league title since 1981. Their current run is their best in all competitions since 1914, while seven straight top-flight wins marks their strongest league streak since the 1989-90 season.Villa’s rise has been remarkable given their dismal start to the campaign, when they collected just two points and scored a single goal from their opening five matches — their worst beginning for 28 years. Under Emery, however, Villa Park has become a fortress, with only one Premier League home defeat in 2025, fewer than any other side.

Even Manchester United, who had lost just once in their previous 26 visits to Villa, could not halt Emery’s momentum. United briefly responded after Villa’s opener, Matheus Cunha finishing clinically after Matty Cash gifted possession on the stroke of half-time.But the loss of captain Bruno Fernandes to an apparent hamstring injury at the interval proved decisive. Already depleted by injuries, suspension and Africa Cup of Nations absences, Ruben Amorim’s side lacked control after the break.Villa regained the lead in the 57th minute when Rogers showed greater hunger than Leny Yoro, pouncing on a loose ball in the box and finishing confidently for his sixth goal in as many league appearances. Emery celebrated wildly on the touchline, tossing his jacket skywards as Villa closed in on another statement win.United had chances to respond, with Emiliano Martinez producing key saves and Cunha wasting a gilt-edged header, but Villa held firm. Amorim handed a debut to teenager Jack Fletcher late on, yet the evening belonged to the hosts.

Hardik Pandya (PTI Photo)

MUMBAI: The recently concluded T20I series against South Africa, which India won 3–1, once again underlined why Hardik Pandya is India’s Most Valuable Player in the T20 format. The series also marked the premier allrounder’s rousing comeback from a quadriceps injury that had kept him out of the Indian team for nearly two-and-a-half months.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Using his bat like an axe, Pandya bludgeoned 142 runs in four matches at an average of 71.00 and a strike rate of 186.84, with two fifties. He also chipped in with three wickets at 38.00, conceding runs at an economy rate of 10.36. In the first T20I at Cuttack, the Baroda man smashed an unbeaten 59 off 28 balls and returned figures of 1 for 16 in two overs to play a key role in India’s 101-run win. On Friday night, he cracked a 16-ball fifty — the second-fastest by an Indian in T20Is.

While India produced several fine individual performances in their 30-run win over South Africa in the fifth and final T20I at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Pandya was the standout performer.His power-packed 63 off 25 balls, featuring five sixes and five fours, left the Proteas completely flattened. Later, he also dismissed the dangerous Dewald Brevis, conceding 41 runs in three overs, and was rightly adjudged Player of the Match.South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad, unaware that the Player of the Series award had gone to Varun Chakravarthy, remarked during the postmatch press conference that he would be “surprised” if Pandya did not win the honour.

“If I were brutally honest, in taking nothing away from Bumrah, I think Hardik’s been the difference between the two teams. His knock tonight was the difference between us winning and losing. He played a knock in the first one as well, where he just walked in and we had him in a little bit of trouble,” Conrad said.“There’s a reason why he’s one of the best in the world in this format. His performances have been right up there. I don’t know who the Player of the Series is, but I’d be very surprised if it’s not him,” he added.

A source close to Pandya offered an insight into the 32-year-old’s mindset. “Post his injury, Pandya spent almost 40 days recovering at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. His mindset is sort of ‘lethal’ right now. He’s totally focused on the World Cup,” the source said.Pandya could have played the ODI series against South Africa, but it was decided at the CoE to ease him back through the T20 format, considering his injury history. He also featured in two Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy matches for Baroda in Hyderabad. In his first competitive game since late Sept, he smashed 77 off 42 balls to help Baroda chase down 223 against Punjab.With skipper Suryakumar Yadav out of form, and modern greats Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja having retired from T20Is, India will bank heavily on Pandya, Abhishek Sharma, Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy as they seek to defend their title at the 2026 T20 World Cup in February–March.The low of 2024, and the highPandya was among the key architects of India’s triumph in the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA. He produced a superb all-round performance, scoring 144 runs in eight matches at 48.00 and taking 11 wickets at 17.36, shrugging off a difficult IPL season earlier that year where he was booed by MI fans. “Though he didn’t have a great IPL, I was confident as a selector that he and Axar Patel would deliver for us in the World Cup,” former India pacer and selector Salil Ankola told TOI.“He’s a tough cookie and a world-class player,” he added.

Sanju Samson (Pic credit: BCCI)

Sanju Samson has forever been in queue. His selection in India’s T20 World Cup team as an opener is his moment, at the age of 31 after nearly a decade of debates on him finding a definite place in India’s XI. Clearly this moment has not come without any chaos.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The call looks strategically on point, especially after his exploits at the top of the order in Shubman Gill‘s absence after the T20 World Cup in 2024. Yet, all Samson got in reward was utter confusion in 2025.

And it’s not just Samson. Over the past three years, the Indian team management seemed to have struggled to zero in on their wicketkeeper in T20Is. Managements have changed, but the musical chairs between Dinesh Karthik, Rishabh Pant, Samson and Ishan Kishan continued. Jitesh Sharma was the latest addition to that list, till he too was not picked for the World Cup early next year in India and Sri Lanka.The selectors and team management had locked Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal as their T20I openers after Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retired from the format. Neither Gill nor Jaiswal are now in the T20 World Cup team.The management ceded to Abhishek Sharma‘s brutal hitting abilities at the top of the order while Jaiswal was away on Test duties, it abstained from giving the same freedom to Samson once Gill became available for T20Is. That Samson had superior numbers than even Abhishek in the period they batted together, was conveniently ignored.

After the last IPL, the word spread that the team management wanted the wicketkeeper to bat down the order. And Samson was again thrown out of his comfort zone despite captain Suryakumar Yadav assuring him complete backing at top of the order last year.In this period, there were suggestions that he struggled outside the powerplay and against top-notch pace. But then, none of the other wicketkeepers in contention could command a place based on the numbers. Ishan Kishan, brought in as the second wicketkeeper after two years at the expense of Jitesh, has a lower strike-rate and average than even Pant.After a stirring comeback in the last T20I against South Africa in Ahmedabad on Friday, Samson was put in a spot when the broadcasters asked him if he was going to open from here on. “Please don’t put me in such positions,” a coy Samson replied after maintaining that he understood the team management’s call in the previous matches.

“To be fair to him, he only got to play if someone was rested or with the second-string sides. One felt he was trying too hard to impress and outdo himself,” former India batting coach Vikram Rathour had told TOI last Nov before mentioning how Samson has become calm and stopped complaining even when he sat out of the XI during the last T20 World Cup.The team management had the chance to have absolute clarity around wicketkeepers once Samson found his calling as an opener. But they deviated from him before pivoting back to him at the last moment.Now, with Surya claiming that the team management isn’t bothered about the left-right combinations, there could potentially be another twist to the Samson tale.For all his prowess, Samson has always been the dispensable one. After long, there is some clarity around a wicketkeeper in the T20Is setup. It’s for both Samson and the team management to have some consistency of thought and put the debate to rest, at least till the runup to the T20 World Cup.

Rohit Sharma (Getty Images)

NEW DELHI: In a stunning and deeply personal revelation, former India captain Rohit Sharma has admitted that he contemplated walking away from cricket altogether after India’s crushing loss to Australia in the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup in Ahmedabad.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Speaking at a Masters’ Union event on Sunday, Rohit laid bare the emotional toll of the defeat, describing a period when the sport he loved felt like it had “taken everything” out of him.“After the 2023 World Cup final, I was completely distraught and felt like I didn’t want to play this sport anymore because it had taken everything out of me and I felt I had nothing left,” Rohit said.

India, under Rohit’s leadership, had enjoyed a near-perfect campaign at home, storming into the final with ten straight wins. But in the match that mattered most, Australia executed their plans to perfection. After India were restricted to 240, Travis Head’s match-winning century guided the Pat Cummins-led side to a six-wicket victory, leaving a stunned Narendra Modi Stadium in silence.Rohit said the pain was amplified by the sheer emotional investment he had made since taking over the captaincy in 2022. “Everybody was extremely disappointed, and we just couldn’t believe what had happened. It was a very tough time for me personally because I had put everything into that World Cup — not just two or three months before it, but ever since I became captain.”

The 38-year-old admitted it took months to recover mentally. “There was no energy left in my body. It took me a couple of months to recover and bring myself back,” he said, adding that self-reflection and a reminder of his love for the game helped him find his way back.That resilience would soon define the next chapter. Less than a year after the Ahmedabad heartbreak, Rohit led India to the T20 World Cup title in the USA and West Indies, a triumph he described as a lesson in resetting after disappointment.“I knew life doesn’t end there. It was a big lesson — how to deal with disappointment, reset, and start fresh,” Rohit said. “It’s very easy to say this now, but at that moment, it was extremely difficult.”Though he has since retired from Tests and T20Is and no longer captains the ODI side, Rohit continues in the 50-over format, with one final dream still driving him — a last shot at World Cup glory in 2027.

A Pakistani fan with PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi (Screengrabs)

NEW DELHI: Pakistan’s Under-19 team produced a dominant performance to beat India in the U19 Asia Cup final in Dubai on Sunday. Pakistan won the match by a massive 191 runs, and that made the fans delighted and emotional.

Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed was at the centre of attention after the victory, even though he was not playing. He was serving as the mentor of the U19 team and watched the match from the dugout.After the final, a video from the stadium went viral on social media. In the clip, a passionate Pakistan fan stopped PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi while he was leaving the venue. The fan praised Sarfaraz and said, “Sarfaraz kabhi dhoka nahi deta” (“Sarfaraz never lets you down”). He then made an emotional request, saying, “He won you the Champions Trophy in 2017. Today, we won another title. Please make him the mentor for the T20 World Cup (2026). Please.” Mohsin Naqvi listened with a smile and replied with a thumbs-up, which excited many fans.Watch:This win was special because it was the third time Pakistan defeated India in a final with Sarfaraz involved. Back in 2004, he captained Pakistan to victory against India in the ICC U19 World Cup final. Later, in 2017, he led the senior team to a famous Champions Trophy win over India in England. On Sunday, Pakistan once again beat their biggest rivals in a final, with Sarfaraz guiding the team from the sidelines.Pakistan’s win also ended a long wait, as they lifted the U19 Asia Cup for the first time in 13 years and only the second time in their history.In the match, Pakistan posted a huge total of 347 runs for eight wickets. Sameer Minhas played a stunning innings, scoring 172 runs off 113 balls and completely dominating the Indian bowlers.India started the chase with some attacking intent, but things went downhill quickly. Captain Ayush Mhatre was dismissed early, and the rest of the batting line-up struggled against Pakistan’s fast bowlers. Ali Raza, Mohammad Sayyam, and Abdul Subhan bowled with pace and accuracy as they took regular wickets. India were eventually bowled out for 156 runs in just 26.2 overs as Pakistan sealed a memorable and one-sided win.

Ben Stokes. (Image: File)

Australia secured the Ashes with a commanding 82-run victory over England in the third Test at Adelaide Oval on Sunday. This result gave the hosts an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.Jamie Smith’s attacking 60 and partnerships with Jacks and Carse briefly raised England’s hopes after starting Day 5 at 207 for 6. Mitchell Starc broke the resistance after lunch, with key catches in the deep helping Australia wrap up the innings.

With Australia securing a fourth consecutive Ashes series triumph at home, here’s some of the standout reaction: “It feels pretty awesome. It wasn’t easy today, but we got it done. It’s an excited changing room” said Australia captain Pat Cummins praising his side’s resolve after a tough finish.Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc felt England made Australia earn the victory, “They made us work for it. A bit of a flat wicket and they played pretty well but another Ashes win and it’s been a great atmosphere all week, all series.”“A little bit of nerves there with some really good batting by Jamie Smith and Will Jacks. We held firm as we have been all series” admitted Australia batsman Marnus Labuschagne. England captain Ben Stokes was honest about the pain of defeat, “Everyone is hurting and quite emotional about it. It hurts, it sucks, but we ain’t going to stop.”The English team captain also acknowledged how Australia outplayed England in just 11 days of cricket.“Australia have been able to execute things on a much more consistent basis than us, with the ball, with the bat and in the field. They’ve been able to outdo us on a much higher level.” Australia’s Alex Carey, named player of the match, said “We know England are such a good cricket team and we’re going to be challenged right to the end today it was a real grind.” England head coach Brendon McCullum praised his players’ effort, “I think the boys were excellent today. They showed some great application. They bounced off each other and tried to take the game as deep as they could. We didn’t get there, but I thought it was a fine achievement.”“A moment Scott Boland will never forget. He goes down in history as the man who took the wicket to win the Ashes. That is a special moment for any player and any team.” Former England captain Alastair Cook commentating on TV as the final wicket fell.Ex-spinner Phil Tufnell said “It has been a thoroughly professional performance. Australia have out-thought England in many situations. You have got to take your hat off.” Pat Cummins cast doubt on injured spinner Nathan Lyon’s chances of featuring in the remaining Tests in Melbourne and Sydney and said “I doubt he’d be right.” Despite the setback, Stokes struck a defiant note, “We have got so much to play for, and we will be flying into these next two games.”

India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal (BCCI X/ANI Photo)

Former India opener Wasim Jaffer has openly questioned the selection choices for India’s 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup squad, suggesting that Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jitesh Sharma should have been preferred over Ishan Kishan and Washington Sundar. Jaffer’s comments come in the wake of a shock announcement on Saturday that saw Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill axed from the squad, ahead of both the World Cup title defence and a preparatory five-match T20 series against New Zealand.

All-rounder Axar Patel has been appointed vice-captain, while Kishan earned his place following a standout campaign in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Rinku Singh also returned to the squad, taking a spot over Jitesh Sharma, partly due to India’s strategy of having two wicketkeeper-batsmen capable of opening the innings.

Wasim Jaffer post

“Why not Jaiswal and Jitesh? I would have picked them instead of Ishan and Washi. Axar is VC so he’s guaranteed to play and you can’t play Washi ahead of Varun and Kuldeep. Jitesh hasn’t done anything wrong to be dropped, and Yashasvi… there’s no need to explain why he should be in the squad in the first place,” Jaffer wrote on his X account on Sunday. Jaiswal last featured in T20Is during India’s tour of Sri Lanka in July 2024 but missed out on consistent opportunities due to his ongoing Test commitments. The 10th edition of the Men’s T20 World Cup, co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India, will feature 20 teams. India, the defending champions after a thrilling seven-run victory over South Africa in the 2024 final in Barbados, have been drawn in Group A with Pakistan, USA, Netherlands, and Namibia. India will kick off their campaign against the USA at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on February 7, followed by a clash against Namibia at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, on February 12. The marquee India-Pakistan showdown is scheduled for February 15 at R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, before finishing the league stage against the Netherlands at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on February 18.

India’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues greet Sri Lankan players (PTI Photo)

Jemimah Rodrigues played a brilliant innings to help India register a comfortable win over Sri Lanka in the first Women’s T20 International on Sunday. She remained unbeaten on 69 runs from 44 balls, showcasing great control and confidence throughout her knock. Her performance helped India win the match by eight wickets and take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. India chose to field first and did well to restrict Sri Lanka to 121 runs for six wickets. The Sri Lankan batters found it difficult to score freely, even when they were given loose balls. Dew arrived earlier than expected, but the Indian bowlers adjusted well and kept things under control. During the chase, India made light work of the target and finished the match with 32 balls still remaining. Jemimah Rodrigues played the anchor role and built important partnerships. She added 54 runs with Smriti Mandhana, who scored 25 runs off 25 balls, and later shared a 55-run stand with captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who stayed not out on 15 off 16 balls. Rodrigues played several classy shots, but the standout moment of her innings came when she smashed four boundaries in a single over bowled by left-arm wrist spinner Shashini Gimhani. That over tilted the game firmly in India’s favour. India’s innings began aggressively, with Shafali Verma hitting three boundaries in the very first over. However, she could not stay long at the crease and was dismissed soon after. Mandhana had a few lucky moments early on but settled well before becoming the latest batter to cross 4,000 T20I runs. Her innings was cut short by Inoka Ranaweera, but by then India was well in control. Earlier, Sri Lanka’s innings was held together by opener Vishmi Gunaratne, who top-scored with 39 runs off 43 balls. Hasini Perera and Harshitha Samarawickrama also contributed with small but useful scores. India’s bowlers remained disciplined despite the wet ball. Deepti Sharma bowled economically, while debutant Vaishnavi Sharma impressed on her international debut with a tight four-over spell, conceding just 16 runs.

Deepti Sharma (Photo credit: ANI)

Kahaan baithoon? Yahaan? Yahaan? Ya wahaan (Where do I sit? Here? Here or there)?” Women’s Cricket World Cup Player of the Tournament Deepti Sharma is in a mild tizzy, a picture of confused, mock irritation, all of it in good humour. She can’t decide which chair to occupy, with her room in an upscale city hotel having been taken over by us— armed with camera, tripod, recorder, the works. Yes, the day’s newspaper too, for she is our Guest Sports Editor.As she is still figuring out her best position for the cameras, she decides it’s best to look at the options as fielding positions. “That’s silly point, this one’s short leg,” she mutters to herself, immediately narrowing down the field.

“Which one would you prefer?”“Silly point, any time,” says the allrounder. “Short leg pey ball bahut aati hai, aur bahut tez aati hai (the ball comes a lot to you at short leg, and at great pace too),” she says with eyebrow-raised, wide-eyed wonder, as if letting you in on a state secret.Time is short, the deadline’s looming and despite Deepti stealing a glance at her watch every now and then, she has broken the ice and set the tone for an interesting chat. It’s not every day that we have a women’s World Cup winner in our midst. Excerpts…Life is hectic for you these days, after India’s World Cup win…Yes. (But) it feels good. I’m enjoying this a lot because I haven’t experienced this kind of life before. Now, we’re busy with events and shows. It feels like life abhi shuru hui hai (my actual life has begun now).You made it to the World Cup final in 2017 but lost, so this kind of public adulation has taken a while to arrive…As a team, we’ve been patient. That’s been our hallmark. We believe that things happen only when they are meant to happen. I keep reminding myself about that.We made sure we didn’t let our hard work go waste. We always had one goal—to win the Cup. It has come after so long. It was scripted that it had to happen in India. We just supported each other, didn’t think about the big things that could follow.How different is your public life after the World Cup win?It’s very different now. Now, they recognize me very easily. From the time I board a flight to the time I get off and make it to the car outside, people are crazy about clicking selfies with me. After the 2017 World Cup, people started to get to know the names of India’s women cricketers. Now, life has gone to the next level.Recently in Mumbai, we had gone to have tea and vada pav . I was wearing a mask but the shopkeeper recognized me. He refused to take money when I was about to pay. He said the tea and food were a gift from him. I insisted on paying but he said, “You are doing good things for the country and you have recently won the World Cup. We don’t want your money.” This made me very happy.If you had to choose only one thing that makes this team special, what would it be and why?We never give up. We learn from every match. For instance, we couldn’t win the 2017 World Cup final but we learned a lot from it. We learned how to perform well as a team and handle pressure situations. We learnt where we are behind and how far we have to go. We told ourselves we have to be one of the best teams. We focus on what we have to achieve as a team. We always think that we have to fight till the very last ball.How did the dressing-room atmosphere change as this tournament progressed?We knew we were playing on home soil. That has its own pressures, playing in front of friends and families and fans. (But) we were not nervous. We started the tournament well. The dressingroom atmosphere was a bit up and down after the defeats to South Africa and England. We learned a lot from that. We sat down in the dressing room and had discussions. We talked about where we were making mistakes. We learnt how to come back. We did not want to beat ourselves up thinking we had lost. Everyone had good morale even after those two defeats.You performed in crunch situations, so hopefully you’ve banished the demons of 2017 and that infamous no-ball against South Africa in 2022…I think God sends you to this world for tough situations. When I initially started playing for Uttar Pradesh, I played one tough innings where wickets were tumbling at the other end and I had to hold on to mine. That match changed my mindset forever. I understood how to play with my partner in any given situation. This time, it was my dream to qualify for the semifinals after the struggle in the group games. I wanted to contribute to the team. I was carrying the learning from previous memories, be it the no-ball or the 2017 World Cup final. It’s easy to sulk about bad things. I choose to see how I can emerge better from them.You are always handed the ball in the toughest of situations…I feel building trust with the captain is important. I always want to maintain that trust. Harry di (captain Harmanpreet Kaur) always supports me at every point. She also gives me the freedom to bowl with any plan I have. No matter what situation you bowl in, you just have to know which areas you want to bowl in. I bowl in all three phases, with both the new ball and the old. I know how to get the batter out.What was your favourite wicket in this whole World Cup campaign?It’s difficult to choose one. I’ll pick two. One is dismissing Laura Wolvaardt in the final. The second is the last wicket (Nadine de Klerk) to win the World Cup. I have already seen that last-wicket video many times on loop. I haven’t seen any of my own videos so many times in my life (Laughs)!Is there any particular process that you follow to handle pressure?When we practice before the match, we practice the role we are going to play in the middle. If I have to bat at a particular number, I have a plan in mind to make it easy for me. If I have any doubts on the process to handle pressure, I discuss it with my brother. He always tells me to focus on the present and not think about what happened in the past or what is going to happen in the future.Jemimah Rodrigues spoke openly about battling stress and mental pressure after her great innings in the semifinal. Is there anybody in the team set-up you go to when you feel you are under pressure?When I feel I need to talk to someone, say, if I don’t understand certain things or if I’m not getting results despite my best effort, I seek out Amol (Muzumdar, head coach) sir. He is always there. He is very close to us all.When you started playing, women’s matches weren’t shown live on TV. Who were your idols?When I began watching cricket, I was a fan of Sachin (Tendulkar) and in particular, Suresh Raina. People say my batting style is similar to Raina’s. I like watching his batting videos. He was an outstanding fielder too, so that inspired me. Our idols came from men’s cricket. Now, youngsters will hopefully consider us their idols or favourites. It feels amazing.Your batting strike rates have improved a lot in recent times. How have you been training towards that?It’s simple — power-hitting with a heavy ball during training. You get an idea of how far you can hit when you play afterwards with a leather ball, which is a lot lighter. You can see the difference. Always work on your power hitting.You are a DSP (in the UP Police). What do you want to tell youngsters about maintaining balance in life beyond the cricket field?You’ve to take one step at a time. If I’m a good human being, only then will I be able to do well at cricket. Even after playing for so many years, there has to be a commitment towards wearing the India jersey. You have to stay committed to not only playing for your country, but also to win big ones like the World Cup. The same works for life too.Tell us more about the dressing room. At the World Cup, it looked more like a sisterhood than a team…It’s a fun, relaxed place. Anyone can make fun of the other person. Whether it is Jemimah (Rodrigues), Harleen (Deol) or Radha (Yadav), they can mimic anyone in the dressing room. It keeps the dressing room in a good mood. We are very serious most of the time, but we enjoy the girls pulling each others’ legs.How do you destress? Do you have any favourite hobbies?I like to listen to Hanuman bhajans before every match. In fact, I start the day with them. I also listen to Arijit Singh’s songs. I like them a lot. I like all types of music. I save bhajans in my browsing history, they keep playing on the loop.Why did you move to Bengal from UP in domestic cricket?Jhulu di (Jhulan Goswami) and Sourav Ganguly requested me. They said they wanted me for Bengal, that was the only reason. It was a good experience playing under the legends of Indian cricket. I speak Bangla well now too.Is it time to treat women’s cricket in isolation, and not always compare it with the men’s team?Earlier, only women cricket players supported the men’s team. This time, the men’s players were supporting us! Both (teams) are different and both should get the same importance. There have been a lot of changes, like in terms of pay parity. Thanks to BCCI, they have given women’s cricket the same importance as men’s cricket. WPL has also started. It has been a long wait for this. You are from Agra, which tends to produce so many quality women cricketers…The special thing is that there is a lot of talent in Agra. When I started playing, there were two senior players who represented India for so many years. It was good learning experience for us.In Agra, young women and senior players always had the passion to play cricket and go to academies. There used to be very few academies earlier.I started playing at Ekalavya stadium. I have seen a lot of girls coming up from there. If you look at the domestic circuit, there are a lot of girls who are selected from Agra. It’s a good sign. There are so many girls and they get strong support from their families too.