During his knock, Rohit broke a massive record of former explosive West Indies opener Chris Gayle for hitting the most sixes in international cricket.

Rohit has so far struck 555 sixes in 453 matches while Gayle ended his international career with 553 sixes.

The ‘Universe Boss’ (as Gayle is popularly known) was quick to praise the ‘Hitman’ (as Rohit is called by fans) on social media platform ‘X’ (earlier known as Twitter) after the ‘sixes’ record was broken.

“Congrats, @ImRo45 – Most Sixes in International cricket. #45 Special,” tweeted Gayle.

Responding to Gayle’s tweet, Rohit wrote, “Thanks CG 4&5 on the back but our favorite number is 6”.

Earlier in a video message to Gayle, Rohit had written, “Universe boss is Universe Boss. Obviously I have taken a leaf out of his books. Over the years we have seen him, such a six hitting machine he is, wherever he plays.”

Earlier Pakistan had outclassed Bangladesh before meeting India in the Super Four phase of the tournament. Pakistan only have one match left to play in the Super 4 stage. They will take on Sri Lanka in their final Super 4 fixture. The Green Army are behind Sri Lanka in the Super Four standings. Meanwhile, Bangladesh are virtually out of the race for the summit clash.

Currently, Sri Lanka (+0.420) have a superior net run rate than Pakistan (-1.892). Pakistan will have to beat Sri Lanka in its final Super Four fixture to remain alive in the qualification race. If India win its remaining two Super Four games (vs Sri Lanka and Bangladesh), Rohit’s men will top the Super Four standings to enter the final.

If Sri Lanka end up upstaging India and Pakistan in the Super stage, the reigning champions can seal their place for the Asia Cup final. Pakistan will then only have an outside chance if India suffer a defeat at the hands of Bangladesh. Pakistan will have a much better chance of qualifying for the final if India beat Sri Lanka on Tuesday. That way, net run rate will not come into play and they can play a virtual quarter-final with Sri Lanka to decide the finalist.

“I am super excited for my performance at the FIG World Challenge Cup 2023. I have been training at the Odisha AM/NS Gymnastics High-Performance Centre for the tournament and aim to give my best to secure medals for the country,” said Pranati Nayak.

ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India) – a joint venture between ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel has partnered with the Government of Odisha to promote gymnastics in India and transform Odisha into a premier gymnastics excellence hub. The ‘Odisha AM/NS India Gymnastics High-Performance Centre’, in Kalinga Stadium is meant for senior athletes participating in the ‘Elite Senior Gymnastics Programme’.

Additionally, it includes three ‘Odisha AM/NS India Gymnastics Academies’ located in Puri, Jeypore, and Rourkela for grassroots-level athletes. AM/NS India operates these activities under its CSR initiative ‘Udaan’ and aims to train 360 sportspeople every year with world-class coaching by international and national gymnastics coaches. The athletes will receive international and national exposure in addition to academic support. The Gymnastics High Performance Centre was recently inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik in July this year.

As per Indian star batsman Virat Kohli, one has to be at his absolute best to face a high quality bowling attack like Pakistan’s.

“I feel bowling is Pakistan’s strength. They have got some really impactful bowlers who can change the course of the game anytime based on their skill set. So, you have to be at your absolute best to face them,” said Kohli during an interview.

Talking about his approach to batting, Kohli said, “I only try to understand how I can better my game. Every day, every practice session, every year, every season, this is what has helped me play this well for so long and to perform for my team.”

“I don’t think you can perform consistently without that mindset because if your performance is your only goal, then you can be satisfied and stop working hard. There is no limit to it,” he added.

Notably, the Men in Blue have won their last three ODIs against Pakistan. The last one was played between the arch-rivals during the 2019 World Cup.

Kohli needs 102 more runs to complete 13,000 ODI runs and join the elite list with the likes of Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar and former Australian great Ricky Ponting.

If Kohli manages to score 102 runs in the mega event, he will become the fifth international and second Indian batter to reach this milestone.

Sachin, Kumar Sangakkara, Ricky Ponting, and Sanath Jayasuriya are the only other batters to reach this milestone. Apart from that, Kohli will also have the opportunity to become the fastest batter to reach this milestone. He will be surpassing Sachin in the process.

Currently, the record is held by legendary Tendulkar who reached the milestone in 321 innings. Virat has around 55 more innings to break this record.

After a well deserved break, Kohli will return to action for India in Asia Cup 2023 to be co-hosted by both Pakistan and Sri Lanka from August 30 to September 17. India will lock horns with arch-rivals Pakistan in the group stage on September 2.

This initiative comes on the heels of the remarkable success achieved by Indian grandmasters at the recently concluded FIDE World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan where four of the eight quarterfinals were Indians.

“Committed to providing unwavering support and top-notch facilities, the AICF coaching camp aims to enhance the players’ skills and strategies ahead of the anticipated Asian Games, set to take place in Hangzhou from September 23 to October 8, 2023, the AICF informed in a release on Saturday.

The women’s coaching camp, currently underway from August 25 to 29, includes participants Savitha Shri B and Vankita Agarwal.

The men’s coaching camp is scheduled to run from August 30 to September 3, boasting a lineup of esteemed players such as Vidit Gujrathi, Arjun Erigaisi, Pentala Harikrishna, D Gukesh, and Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa.

Assisting these talents is a distinguished coaching team led by head coach Boris Gelfand, alongside coach Srinath Narayanan and assistant coaches Vaibhav Suri and Arjun Kalyan.

“AICF’s commitment is etched in unwavering support and cutting-edge facilities for our players. This coaching camp stands as a testament to that commitment, providing an immersive experience that delves deep into strategy and finesse, enriching players’ abilities in anticipation of the Asian Games scheduled in Hangzhou,” said AICF President Sanjay Kapoor,

President Kapoor’s sentiments resonate with the nation’s pride and admiration for the remarkable accomplishments of Indian players at the recent World Cup.

Remaining an unwavering pillar of support, the AICF is resolute in nurturing India’s chess prodigies, nurturing their aspirations and ambitions. With every initiative, it cements India’s reputation as an undeniable force in the global chess arena, eagerly anticipating a triumphant performance as players step onto the grand stage of the Asian Games, the chess body said in a release on Saturday.

Tiyana, Sakshi Suryavanshi and Kirandeep Kaur combined to win the team gold in the Women’s 50m Pistol, even as Tiyana also won an individual bronze in the event.

Tiyana shot 533 for the individual bronze, while Sakshi Suryavanshi shot 531 to place fifth in the Women’s 50m Pistol. Kirandeep Kaur was 11th with 509. The trio however totalled 1573 to claim gold as China finished with 1567 and Mongolia 1566.

India also won two bronze medals in the Men’s 50m Pistol, when Ravinder Singh shot 556 in the individual event to nail third place and then combine with Kamaljeet (547 for 11th) and Vikram Shinde (543 for 18th) for the team bronze as well. They totalled 1646.

In the final Olympic event of the World Championship, the Indian pair of Prithviraj Tondaiman and Manisha Keer shot 133 to finish 22nd, while Kynan Chenai and Preeti Rajak also shot the same score but were placed 24th in the end calculations.

In the Olympic events at Baku, India won a gold and two bronze medals while having seven finalists and picking up four Paris Olympic quota places.

The Asian Games next month will be the next big assignment of the Indian Shooting team.

The tournament is scheduled to take place from 25th to 28th August, 2023. India are in the Elite Pool along with Japan, Malaysia, and Thailand. The second, Challengers Pool, consists of Hong Kong China, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Iran, and Oman.

A total of 16 teams will be taking part in the 2024 FIH Hockey 5s World Cup. Oman, being the host nation has already qualified. For the Indian Women’s Hockey Team to qualify for the 2024 FIH Hockey 5s World Cup, they need to finish in the top 3. Besides this, the top 3 teams from Africa, America, Europe and Oceania will also qualify for the 2024 FIH Hockey 5s World Cup.

The last time, the Indian Women’s Hockey Team played against Malaysia was during the Women’s Hockey Asia Cup 2022. The Indian Women’s Hockey Team won by 9-0. Against Japan, they locked horns at the Women’s Hockey Asia Cup 2022. The Indian team went down 2-0. They faced Thailand last in the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy in Donghae, South Korea, where the Indian Women’s Team won by a margin of 13-0.

“There are some quality teams in the qualifiers, so we have to be at our best,” said Captain Navjot Kaur, before adding, “We cannot take anything for granted. We will take things slowly, try to play fluid attacking hockey and work hard to qualify for the 2024 FIH Hockey 5s World Cup. In every match, we will put our best foot forward. We will aim to be the best and finish first after working on our strengths and weaknesses over the last few months.”

Meanwhile, sharing her Captain’s sentiments, Vice-Captain Jyoti said, “Every team participating here wants to be the best. We understand what is at stake, and we will not take any team lightly. We’ve been putting in a lot of work in the gym. The preparations have been excellent, and our previous performances will boost the players’ confidence. We want to represent the country at the highest level in this format, and the players are eager to deliver.”

However, Rohit himself feels that Virat is a better batsman than him in all the three formats of the game.

“I have seen that many of my fans compare me with Virat Kohli, but I don’t see any comparison there. I accept that Virat is better than me in every format of the game,” said Rohit recently.

Let’s take a look at the records of both the great batsmen across all three formats.

Virat vs Rohit in ODIs

In the 50-over format, Rohit has crossed 200 on three occasions, including that incredible 173-ball 264 against Sri Lanka in 2014. Kohli’s highest score is 183, but his average is an impressive 57.32 after 265 innings. Rohit averages an imposing 48.69, but that’s still nearly 10 runs an innings less than Kohli.

As far as strike rate is concerned, Kohli nudges ahead with 93.62 in comparison to 89.97 by Rohit.

Virat vs Rohit in T20Is

Rohit has four international hundreds in T20s, compared to Kohli’s one. However, Kohli’s (52.73) average is way superior than Rohit (31.32). Rohit (139.24) has a marginally better strike rate than Kohli (137.96). However, Kohli’s consistency has been nothing short of mind-boggling. He was player of the tournament at the T20 World Cup in both 2014 and 2016.

Virat vs Rohit in Tests

In the longer format of the game, there is no comparison between Virat and Rohit. Kohli has played more than twice as many matches (108 to 49), scored nearly 5,000 more runs, and made 29 centuries in the longest format of the game with an average just a touch under 50.

While KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, both middle-order batters rehabilitating from a thigh and a back injury respectively at the National Cricket Academy, have been declared fit for the Asia Cup, Jasprit Bumrah is returning to ODI cricket after a gap of more than a year having proved his fitness in the ongoing T20I series against Ireland. Tilak Varma and Prasidh Krishna also found a place in the squad, with Sanju Samson as the back-up player.

“Shreyas Iyer is completely fit, KL Rahul is having a niggle, That is why Sanju is travelling. We expect him to be fit, he is well on track. If not at the start of Asia Cup, may be by the second or the third game,” chief selector Ajit Agarkar said after the selection committee meeting in Delhi.

On Yuzvendra Chahal, who is missing from squad, Agarkar said: “You can’t fit in two wrist spinners and at the moment Kuldeep Yadav is ahead of him.”

Squad: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, and Sanju Samson (back up).

The first match in the Asia Cup will be played between Pakistan and Nepal in Multan. India will play all their matches in Sri Lanka, beginning with the game against arch-rivals Pakistan on September 2 in Kandy. While a total of 13 matches will be played, the final is scheduled for September 17 in Colombo.