A lot of instances have seen cricket being differentiated from other sports. Especially, in South Asian countries, where cricket rules a fraternity, "sports" look doomed. An established "Cricket versus Sports" league is not a 2-month long tournament. It's an age-long duel with apparent results. But, is cricket guilty?

If we look back, Cricket was not as big as it is now. Restricted within the allies of a colonized country, cricket was just a time pass. 36 years to Independence, but a famous singer (Lata Mangeshkar) had to arrange a charity musical show to gather prize money for the 1983 World Cup Winners.

India gained some confidence since then. the biggest boost came after the win in the inaugurating T20 World Cup Win. 2007, 24the September, exactly 20 years back, the seed of the cash-rich league got sown. 

Indian Premier League, started in 2008, is the biggest source of money earning for BCCI. Keeping aside BCCI, the neighbouring cricketing nations have their cricket board more powerful than the other boards. But is this a fault of Cricket?

"Athletes" ignites the fire of "Cricket versus Sport" League

India won its second T20I World Cup after ending its 11 years of drought. The fans who were frustrated for a decade finally got one thing to celebrate. The Marine Drive got flooded with people. The Wankahde Stadium showed all its suppresed love to the team.

Felicitations came from their respective state governments. BCCI provided a huge lump of prize money to the players and the support staff.

But this has triggered athletes from different sports. Names like Chirag Shetty and Saina Nehwal came into the limelight criticizing the sport. When Shetty wanted equal recognition for India's win in the last Uber Cup, Saina went a step ahead. Her view was simple- people wouldn't even hate cricket even if she did so. But, why would someone hate cricket?

This is not a once or twice-told story. This widespread competition with cricket is not new. But is cricket a foe to other sports? Here are a few stories of "influence" and "idolization" in the recent past, not only from India but from neighbors too.

Sri Lanka Cricket funded CWG participating athletes.

The pre-2022 Commonwealth Games has seen an economic crisis in Sri Lanka. Not just economic, but the life on the island was distressed. The then Prime Minister Rajadhakshya fled from the country. Sri Lanka since its independence faced their record crisis.

The country fell short of food and fuel. The pandemic had already hit the Sports authorities. The crisis increased the hardships. They ran out of money. The situation was so pathetic that the boards couldn't manage transport to send the accessories to the athletes

At a point, the country thought of withdrawing its name from the Birmingham CWG. But at that very moment, Sri Lanka Cricket stepped in.

The board contributed 22 million Sri Lankan Rupees to the athletes participating. They hosted Australia and gathered the amount, despite the fears of the crowd ruining it.

Cricket Sri Lanka tried to cover all the funds. However, the athletes still had limited athleisure. CWG authorities too came in help for the athletes. Sri Lanka finished the CWG Campaign with four medals (one silver and three bronze).

Pakistan Cricket Board- the unsung sponsor for Arshad Nadeem

The Paris Olympics Gold medallist Arshad Nadeem was initially an age-group cricket player, His focus later shifted to javelin through which Pakistan got its first medal after 1992.

Arshad Nadeem registered a monstrous throw of 92.97 metres sealing the gold for his country. Earlier he won the silver at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, Budapest, with a throw of 87.82 meters. He gave Pakistan’s first-ever medal at the World Athletics Championships.

But what did Pakistan give him? ignorance! The Commonwealth champion earlier expressed that he has been using a javelin for the last 8 years. His bosom friend and admirer Neeraj Chopra from India tweeted, urging the Pakistan Government to buy Nadeem news javelins.

Nadeem hails from Punjab's Miyan Channu village. Struggling themselves, the villagers funded him for his Olympic campaign. Added, that it was the Pakistan Cricket Bard who sponsored him.

PCB also financed Nadeem and his coach Salman Fayyaz Butt's air tickets.

Read also: A Bronze costs just USD 100: Trembling Future of Pakistan Hockey Team

BCCI's baby steps for Olympians

Earlier BCCI secretary Jay Shah announced financial aid for the Olympians.BCCI granted Rs. 8.5 Crores (approximately $1.03 million) to the Indian Olympic Association for their Olympics campaign.

Recently a new NCA (National Cricket Academy) is near completion. The old existing facilities at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in the city center will be upgraded to a multi-sport training facility.

Apart from the cricketers, it will open doors for the Olympians too. NCA will have new facilities that will let them train there.

The new facilities will have World-Class Playing Grounds will have:

• 45 Practice Pitches: A variety of pitches to cater to different training needs.
• Indoor Cricket Facilities: For year-round practice and skill development.
• Olympic-Sized Swimming Pool: To aid in recovery and cross-training for athletes.
• State-of-the-Art Training and Recovery Facilities: Equipped with the latest sports science technology to help athletes maintain peak physical condition and recover efficiently from injuries.

Cricketer- "athlete" collaboration

When one section came forward criticizing the fame, the other one took it handy to make their own.

Mahi's influence

Speaking about Swapnil Kusale, he himself mentioned that he doesn't follow any other sport apart from shooting. But he follows Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Kusale, who is an Indian Railways employee is a ticket checker like Dhoni. It took him 12 years to feature in the Olympics. And take India's first ever 10m Rifle position 3 medal. The Asian Games Champion accepted that MS's calm personality helps him to stay calm in chaos.

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The Kohli aggression

One of the biggest heartbreak for any badminton fan was Lakshya Sen's exit from the Olympics without a medal. The Chinese Lee Zii Jia shattered Sen's bronze medal dream. 

But Sen's popularity is still unmatched in the sports arena. Even though he is "big," he still wants to "be the Virat Kohli of Indian badminton in coming years." In "The Ranveer Show" podcast he expressed his admiration for Kohli.

The other name that comes in the list is Nitesh Kumar. The Olympic Champion in the Men's Singles SL3 category is a Kohli fan. His winning celebration had some glimpses of Kohli's aggression.

But Nitesh's love for Kohli is not limited to celebrations. After succumbing to a deadly injury in Vizag, he started upgrading his badminton skills. Not only that, he delved himself into fitness, inspired by the 2013 version of Kohli.

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The Wall looks upon The Wall

Soon after retirement, Indian Men's Hockey team goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh was assigned to train the junior hockey team. The two-time Olympic Bronze medallist was delighted to get this role. he not only talked about the future prospects but did mentioned about Rahul Dravid.

"The Wall" of Indian Hockey looked upon "The Wall" of Indian Cricket when it came to coaching. The way Dravid devoted himself to training the cricketing juniors, Seejesh is looking forward to doing the same for his sports.

Read also: Hockey India decides to retire jersey No. 16 in honor of goalkeeper PR Sreejesh

Cricket is another sport

The 2028 Olympics will feature Cricket after 128 years. The brand value of Virat Kohli played a pivotal role in the addition of cricket. But as Sunil Chhetri, the Indian former captain of Indian Football once said, Cricket excelling is great for that country. Then, how does that justify other sports not getting the "love" cricket gets?

How does that justify Chirag Shetty repeatedly slipping down on the court, in the Olympics quarterfinal, having his partner Sattwikraj Rankireddy as the lone warrior? 

How does that justify the associations not getting enough funds and definitely investing to find talent?

How does that justify archers failing to read the wind in bigger stages?

It's an open-ended question. Is it cricket the enemy, or the system? Is cricket actually an enemy or a friend in need?

Pink Ball Test, a five-day match contested under lights like a One Day International, was first held in November 2015 after a lot of trials in First-Class cricket across the globe. Day-Night Test was introduced to add more to the longer format as white-ball especially the T20s has taken over the game with crowds preferring the shorter format.

Also Read: Most Runs for India in Pink Ball Test

India are set to play their second Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Adelaide. After winning the Perth Test match by a massive margin of 295 runs, India will face Australia against the pink ball, under lights. So before the start of the series, let's take a look at the Indian bowlers who took the most wickets in the Pink Ball Test. 

1# Ravichandran Ashwin | 18 Wickets

Ravichandran Ashwin is the highest wicket taker for India in the pink ball test. He appeared in all 4 of India's matches, taking 18 wickets at an average of 13.83. In his Test career, he played 105 matches, in which he took 536 wickets at an average of 23.95. Meanwhile, he has taken 5 wickets in 37 innings. Ashwin did not play in the first Test of the current series.

2# Axar Patel | 14 Wickets

Left-arm spinner Axar Patel has played only 2 matches with the pink ball, taking 14 wickets with a strong average of 9.14. In 2021, he took a total of 11 wickets in the day-night test played against England in Ahmedabad. He took 5 wickets in both the innings. In his Test career so far, Axar has taken 55 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 19.34.

3# Umesh Yadav | 11 Wickets

Indian fast bowler Umesh Yadav has also had a strong performance in the day-night test. The Indian fast bowler has taken 11 wickets in 2 matches with an excellent average of 15.54. In his Test career, Umesh has played 57 matches, in which he has taken 170 wickets at an average of 30.95. He is currently out of the Indian team. Umesh played his last Test in 2023.

4# Jasprit Bumrah | 10 Wickets

Jasprit Bumrah, who led the Indian team on the first test, has taken 10 wickets in the pink ball test. Bumrah has taken 10 wickets in 3 day-night tests. He took 5 wicket haul against Sri Lanka. Bumrah is currently on Australia tour. He took a total of 8 wickets in the first Perth Test of the series.

5# Ishant Sharma | 10 Wickets

Ishant Sharma has also taken 10 wickets each in the Pink Ball Test. Ishant took 10 wickets in 2 tests. He took a total of 9 wickets in the match against Bangladesh. He is currently out of the Indian team. Ishant played his last Test in 2021.

The second match of the five-match Border–Gavaskar Trophy series between India and Australia will be played in Adelaide from December 6. This will be a day-night test played with the pink ball. 

The good thing for India is that regular captain Rohit Sharma has returned. Apart from this, Shubman Gill is also on the verge of becoming fit. With the return of these two, Indian batting will become stronger. However, the team management will be worried about the playing 11. Fitting Rohit and Gill into a winning combination is a matter of concern.

Also Read: Indian captains to win POTM awards in Australia in Tests

It is considered certain that Devdutt Padikkal will sit on the bench. Apart from this, Dhruv Jurel can also be seen sitting on the bench. The biggest problem will be whether KL Rahul will be sent to open or he will be sent back to number five. Before that let us look at India's statistics in Day-Night Test or Pink Ball Test.

India has played four pink ball tests so far

India has played four day-night tests so far. Out of these, they have won in three, while they have faced defeat in one. Team India has won 75 percent of the matches in the day-night test. The only Test in which the Indian team lost was played in Adelaide four years ago. This was the first Test of India's tour of Australia in the 2020/21 Border–Gavaskar Trophy. Team India, captained by Virat Kohli, had to face a crushing defeat by eight wickets.

What happened in the India-Australia match in Adelaide in 2020?

Batting first in Adelaide, India had scored 244 runs. Cheteshwar Pujara scored 43 runs and Ajinkya Rahane 42 runs. In reply, Australia's first innings was limited to 191 runs. Marnus Labuschagne scored 47 runs and captain Tim Paine scored 73 runs.

The Indian team was devastated in the second innings and was reduced to just 36 runs. This is also India's lowest score in Tests. Cummins and Hazlewood took four and five wickets respectively. India had set a target of 90 runs by taking the lead against Australia. Australia won the match by scoring 93 runs for two wickets. Matthew Wade scored 33 runs, while Joe Burns remained unbeaten on 51 runs.

India played first pink ball test in 2019

India played its first pink ball test against Bangladesh in 2019 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata and won by 46 runs. After this, after playing against Australia in 2020, Team India defeated England by 10 wickets in the day-night test in Ahmedabad in February 2021 and then Sri Lanka by 238 runs in Bengaluru in March 2022. India's highest score in the day-night test is 347/9.

Indian batter who scored most runs in pink ball test

Virat Kohli has scored the most runs for India in the day-night test. He has scored 277 runs in four such matches at an average of 46.16. At the same time, Rohit Sharma is at second place with 173 runs in three matches at an average of 43.25. Shreyas Iyer is at third place in the list. He has scored 155 runs at an average of 79.50. 

Whereas, if we talk about bowlers, Ravichandran Ashwin has taken the most wickets for India in the day-night test. He has taken 18 wickets in four such matches. At the same time, Akshar Patel has taken 14 wickets in two pink ball tests. Umesh Yadav has taken 11 wickets in two such matches.

Also Read: Highest catches dropped percentages since 2011 (Min 100 chances) | Virat tops the list among batters

Highest runs for India in day-night test

Most wickets for India in day-night test

Australia's figures in day night test

Australia has an exceptional record in day night tests. They have played 12 day-night tests so far, out of which they have won 11 while losing only one. What makes their record even more impressive is that their wins have come against different opponents. These include India, England, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies. Australia defeated New Zealand by three wickets in the first international day-night Test in Adelaide in 2015. 

The matter of concern for Australia is that Josh Hazlewood, who wreaked havoc in 2020, will not play in the second Test of the Border–Gavaskar Trophy due to injury.

India beat Prime Minister XI in the IND vs AUS PM XI 2-day practice match at the Manuka Oval in Canberra. The first day's play could not be played on Saturday (30 November) due to rain and on Day 2, the game was reduced to 46 overs per side.

A five-Test series is being played between IND vs AUS. Team India won the first match of this series by 295 runs. The Indian team is currently leading 1-0 in this series. The next match is to be played in Adelaide. This match will be played with pink ball in day-night format. Team India is preparing for this match.

To strengthen its hold in the Pink Ball Test, the Indian team played a two-day practice match against Australia's Prime Minister's XI. Where the India defeated PM XI in a one-sided manner. Team India won this match by 6 wickets.

Also Read: Border–Gavaskar Trophy: India's record in Pink Ball Test

The first day of the practice match played between IND vs AUS PM XI was washed out due to rain. Due to this, the match was played with some new rules on the second day. Where both the teams got a chance to bat 46-46 overs. Whichever team scores the most runs wins.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma won the toss in this match and decided to bowl first. After which the team of Prime Minister XI came on the field to bat first. His team was all out on the score of 240 runs in 43.2 overs.

For that, 19-year-old batsman Sam Konstas scored 107 runs. Harshit Rana took a maximum 4 wickets for India.

In reply, the Indian team played a full 46 overs and scored 257 runs at the loss of 5 wickets. India's score was higher than Australia's. Due to which Team India was declared the winner of this match. 

Gill scored a brilliant half-century 

Returning from injury, Shubman Gill scored a brilliant half-century in this match. He retired after playing an innings of 50 runs in 62 balls. Before this, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was out after scoring 45 runs. His partner KL Rahul added 27 runs. Captain Rohit Sharma's bat did not work. He could score only 3 runs.

Young Nitish Reddy once again impressed with his batting and scored an inning of 42 runs in 32 balls. Washington Sundar remained unbeaten after scoring 42 runs. Devdutt Padikkal returned unbeaten on 4 runs. Sarfaraz Khan was out on 1 run while Ravindra Jadeja scored 27 runs.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the Indian pacer who last played for the Indian team in 2022, recently became the first Indian pacer to take more than 300 T20 wickets during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Tournament 2024. Captaining the Uttar Pradesh team, the medium pacer showcased even at his age, how he can be good with the ball in hand. In the UP vs Himachal Pradesh match, he claimed his 300 T20 wicket. 

Indian bowlers with most T20 wickets

As Bhuvneshwar Kumar became the first Indian pacer to achieve feat, we will give the list of Indian bowlers with most T20 wickets. 

4. Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 304 T20 wickets

The 35-year-old medium pacer has been one of the highest wicket-takers for India in T20I cricket. In T20 internationals for India, Bhuvnewshwar Kumar has taken 90 wickets in 87 T20I matches at an outstanding economy rate of 6.96, including two five-wicket hauls. 

In Indian Premier League, while playing for Pune Warriors and Sunrisers Hyderabad, Buvi has taken 181 wickets in 176 matches at an excellent economy rate of 7.56 runs per over. In total, Bhuvneshwar so far has taken 304 wickets in T20 cricket in 290 matches at 7.29 runs per over.

Read Also | Is this the end of the road for Bhuvneshwar Kumar? UP ignores the pacer for the Ranji Trophy 2024-25

He stands as the fourth highest wicket-taker among Indians in T20 cricket and is the only Indian fast bowler to take more than 300 wickets in shortest format of the game.

3. Ravichandran Ashwin | 310 T20 Wickets

A test legend in his own rights, Ravichandran Ashwin had started his career with the T20s. It was Chennai Super Kings who had found the spark in him which helped him gain the exposure to evantually get selected for India and flourish as an all-format bowler. The off-spinner from Tamil Nadu has played 324 T20 games so far in his career and took 324 wickets at an astonishing economoy rate of 7.06. 

In IPL, he has played for teams like CSK, Kings XI Punjab, Rajasthan Royals, Rising Pune Supergiants and Delhi Capitals along with playing for the Indian team and Tamil Nadu in his career. In his 212 IPL games, he has taken 180 wickets at 7.12 runs per over. For India, in T20Is, Ashwin has the off-spinner took 72 wickets in only 65 games. 

2. Piyush Chawla | 319 T20 Wickets

The leg spinner has been playing T20s since 2007 and has played a total 297 T20 matches so far in his career. In his career, he has taken 319 T20 wickets with an economy rate of 7.53. However, he only played 7 T20 internationals for India and took only 4 wickets for the country.

In the Indian Premier League, he has featured in 192 games for Chennai Super Kings, Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians. Chawla has been one of the most successful bowlers in the tournament with 192 wickets with an economy rate of 7.96 runs per over.

Moreover, he has played for overseas teams like Sussex in Vitality Blast Tournament in England. 

1. Yuzvendra Chahal | 363 T20 Wickets

Yuzvendra Chahal is perhaps the most Indian successful bowlers in the shortest format of the game. The leg-spinner from Haryana started his career with IPL teams like Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore and made a name for yourself to get into the Indian team.

Chahal spent eight seasons with Royal Challengers Bangalore and with 113 wickets, is still their highest wicket-taker in Indian Premier League history. However, RCB decided not to retain him in the 2022 mega auction, and Chahal headed to Rajasthan Royals. 

In IPL 2025 Mega acution, he became the most expensive spinner in the tournament's history as Punjab Kings bought him for INR 18 cr. Till now, in IPL, Chahal has taken 205 wickets, and is the most successful bowler in the tournament's history. For India, he has played 80 T20I games and once was the highest wicket-taker for India in T20Is with 96 wickets.

Indian men's cricket team will play a single day of match practice with the pink ball to prepare for the Adelaide's day-night Test after Saturday's play against the Prime Minister's XI was abandoned due to rain at the Canberra's Manuka Oval. India were supposed the play a two-day practice match. But, it is now reduced to a single-day match due to rain.

The men in blue were hoping to get going with the preparation for the pink ball test match after dismantaling the Aussie team in the first test at Perth. However, the Indian test captain Rohit Sharma arrived late and along with him, Shubman Gill, who was injured in the first test, were keen to get some practice match before the second test.

Rohit did have some go in the nets against the Indian bowlers while Shubman Gill had a great traninig session at Canberra after returning from the thumb injury.

Shubman Gill hits the nets for the first time since his thumb injury that forced him to miss the Perth Test.

Here’s how the star batter is shaping up! #TeamIndia | #AUSvIND | @ShubmanGill pic.twitter.com/sZtbvQhgLn— BCCI (@BCCI) November 29, 2024

"It was my first day (training) and I just wanted to get a feel to see how the injury is reacting, if there was any jarring or soreness.

"It actually went much better than I expected and I'm very happy with that," Shubman Gill told the BCCI media after the training. If the weather allows, Gautam Gambhir and management will be able to take a look at the young batter.

In his absensce, Devdutt Padikkal was given a chance in the first test, who failed to score big and Gill will surely come straight in the playing eleven. With Rohit coming back, KL Rahul will be pushed back in the middle order to strenthen the batting line up. 

For Australia, Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the pink-ball test due to side injury. He will be replaced by Scott Boland in the squad, who will play for the Primer Minister's XI as well. 

Both teams will play a 50-overs per side match.

Read Also | Indian captains to win POTM awards in Australia in Tests

Prime Minister's XI v India day two session times

First innings: 9:10 am-12.40 pm IST

Interval: 12.40 pm-1.10 pm IST

Second innings: 1.10 pm- 4.40 pm IST

Squads for the Prime Minister's XI v India match

Prime Minister's XI squad: Jack Edwards (c), Charlie Anderson, Mahli Beardman, Scott Boland, Jack Clayton, Aidan O'Connor, Ollie Davies, Jayden Goodwin, Sam Harper, Hanno Jacobs, Sam Konstas, Lloyd Pope, Matthew Renshaw, Jem Ryan

India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, R Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.