Sports News: Abhishek Sharma's Maiden Century Inspires India; Shubman Gill Cheers in Victory

A day after a stunning upset, desperation was an evident writ in the eyes of Shubman Gill as he inspired India to level the T20I series against Zimbabwe with an emphatic 100-run win. Abhishek Sharma's maiden hundred and an unbeaten 77 in support from Ruturaj Gaikwad powered India to 234/2 in 20 overs. Mukesh Kumar and Avesh Khan took three wickets each to round off Zimbabwe for 134 in their inning. Sharma's awesome hitting was studded with eight mighty sixes and seven crisp fours; it set a record margin of victory and posed a few selection conundrums for the next match.

Abhishek Sharma shone in India's second T20I against Zimbabwe, making 100 off 47 balls, with 7 fours and 8 sixes. He shared a partnership of 137 runs with Ruturaj Gaikwad 77*, unmoved, to help India get to 234/2. The early loss of Shubman Gill for 2 notwithstanding, the India bowlers, with Avesh Khan and Mukesh Kumar returning with three wickets each, restricted Zimbabwe to 134 all out in 18.4 overs. This win thus leveled the series 1-1 for India. The third T20I is slated to go underway on July 10 at the Harare Sports Club.

Sourav Ganguly, credited with infusing a bit of aggression into Indian cricket, became captain at a time of crisis—the match-fixing scandal—in 2000. He made his international debut in 1992 but had to wait until 1996 to leave an imprint on Test cricket, with successive centuries in his first two Tests. He led India to the 2003 World Cup final and famously celebrated the 2002 NatWest series win. Ganguly bounced back admirably in 2006 after some rough times in 2005 with Greg Chappell as the coach. He retired in 2008 before taking up commentary and administrative duties, becoming the BCCI President until 2022 and currently being the Director of Cricket for Delhi Capitals.

Ravindra Jadeja posted an MS Dhoni birthday wish on Instagram—a picture from the 2023 IPL final in which he had been lifted into the air, following a win, by a visibly emotional Dhoni. The post went viral, as it was titled "my only favourite person in cricket." Jadeja had spent many seasons—starting 2012—at CSK and starred in their impending success in the 2018, 2021, and 2023 IPL wins. Dhoni celebrated the birthday with wife Sakshi and actor Salman Khan. The captain had announced his retirement in 2020 from international cricket, but his fate still remains in dilemma for the upcoming IPL 2025.

Sunil Gavaskar heaped praise on Rohit Sharma for guiding India to the T20 World Cup 2024 win and ending the drought for an ICC title in 11 years. Rohit led from the front and guided India to a seven-run victory over South Africa in the final. He scored 257 runs in this entire tournament. He also called Rohit a "people's captain," equating him with Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni. He is also full of praise for some notable contributions from the outgoing coach, Rahul Dravid. It was his win that made Rohit the first captain with 50 T20I victories and to win the T20 World Cup with a percent record.

The Mumbai Cricket Association is building a new stadium in Thane with a capacity of 100,000 fans. It would be around 68 km from the Wankhede Stadium. The proposed stadium area would be on 50 acres in Amane village, for which the project is now awaiting clearance from the Maharashtra government after MCA submitted a tender to acquire land from MSRDC. This has come up in response to a call by Maharashtra's deputy Chief Minister for Mumbai to have a larger stadium, recognizing Wankhede's sentimental value when it comes to conducting big cricket events.

Bukayo Saka—suspended for Euro 2020, redeemed himself with a major equalizer, then scored confidently from the penalty spot to finally seal England's passage through to the semis at Euro 2024 against Switzerland. The show has been hailed by manager Gareth Southgate as proof that England can win those tight moments yet again in such a tense penalty shootout. With this, England sealed a berth in the semis against either the Netherlands or Turkey, and all worries regarding attacking form took a backseat. He was so cool under pressure.

Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman heaped praise on the fighting spirit of his team, hailing them for making it to the Euro 2024 quarter-final defeat of Turkey, 2-1. Leakage through Stefan de Vrij made it all square, before Murt Muldur turned into his own net to seal victory for the Dutch. They now face England in the semi-finals, but despite raucous support for opponents Turkey in Berlin, it was Koeman's team that showed that little bit extra regarding desire and heart. He was keen to express their pride in joining the likes of England, France, and Spain in the semi-finals.