India is prioritizing firming up their plans for the T20 World Cup 2022, to be held in Australia in October-November, over the results of bilateral T20Is. That's what Shreyas Iyer said after India lost the second T20I against South Africa in Cuttack to fall 2-0 behind in the five-match series.

Also Read: Do you know who is the first woman to take four wickets in four balls in T20I?

"Our main aim is obviously the World Cup, so we have to see to it that we plan towards it."

Shreyas Iyer said

"So we have that sort of mindset where we are completely free and not thinking about anything else. These are the actual games where we can practice what we were lacking in the past. That's what we keep discussing in the team meeting as well. No matter what happens, whatever plans we discuss in the team meeting, we have to execute those. Even if we fail, we will learn from that and grow as a player and grow as a team. So that's more important till we reach Australia," Iyer added.

One of those plans is for batters to keep attacking even if wickets are falling at the other end. That strategy was on display in the first T20I, where almost every Indian batter threw his bat around to take India to 211 for 4.

"We have made this plan that we will keep going no matter what happens": Shreyas Iyer

"We have made this plan that we will keep going no matter what happens."

"Even if we keep losing wickets, it's our game plan and in the future too, we will go in with the same mindset. We will back ourselves and back our instincts."

Shreyas Iyer explained

"I feel if something we could have done on this wicket is playing until 11 to 15 overs," Iyer said. "But at the same time, you need to keep the scoreboard ticking also. If I look back, I think 160 could have been a really good score on the board to put them under a little bit of pressure but we were around 12 runs short."

Read Also: Hardik becomes the Fastest Indian to complete 100 Sixes

Iyer also said that India wants to use Dinesh Karthik mainly in the last five overs. They lost their fourth wicket in the 13th over and Axar Patel walked in ahead of Karthik. Axar managed only 10 off 11 balls. Karthik came out with 37 balls left in the innings but he too struggled to score quickly. He was on 9 off 16 balls at one point before finishing on 30 not out off 21.

"It's definitely something we have strategized earlier as well. We had seven overs left and Axar Patel is someone who can take singles, who can keep rotating the strike. And we didn't require someone to come in and start hitting from ball one at that point in time. Even DK can do that obviously but DK has been a really good asset for us after 15 overs where he can come and straightaway slog the ball. Even he found it difficult to start well today. Obviously, the wicket played a huge role in today's game, but we will be using this strategy in the next games as well."

However, on a difficult Cuttack pitch on Sunday, the Indian batters failed to score freely despite trying hard. Eventually, they could post only 148 for 6, which didn't prove to be enough.

After the Champions Trophy 2025, India's target in ODI cricket will be the ODI World Cup 2027. In such a situation, know what is Team India's ODI schedule till the World Cup 2027. The Men in Blue have to play a total of 9 series in the next ICC ODI tournament, which includes 27 matches.

Apart from this, some more ODI matches can be scheduled near the tournament. So, know what is the ODI schedule of Indian Cricket Team till 2027 and when India will face which team.

Also Read: The Kohli Effect: Will Indian fans lose interest in Test cricket after Virat Kohli's retirement?

The ODI World Cup2027 will be held around October to December. Before this, the Indian team is going to play a lot of matches. India have to play 3-match ODI series against 8 teams. They will play series twice against one country.

India will play New Zealand twice

India will play Australia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, West Indies and Sri Lanka once each in the upcoming ODI series, while it will play New Zealand twice. Out of the nine series, India will play six series at home, while the rest will be held outside the country.

It will start with the tour of Bangladesh in August, which will be played this year. In October-November 2025, India has to play a three-match ODI series on its tour of Australia. South Africa's team will tour India in November-December.

India will host Sri Lankan team in December 2026

In January 2026, the New Zealand team will play an ODI series in India. After this, India has to play a three-match series against Afghanistan in June. In July 2026, Team India will have to play the same number of ODI series on its tour of England.

The West Indies team is scheduled to tour India in September-October. There will be an ODI series against New Zealand at home in October-November. India will host the Sri Lankan team for an ODI series in December 2026.

Also Read: Fav four in Test cricket: Kohli vs Root vs Williamson vs Smith stats in Tests

India's ODI schedule till World Cup 2027

Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket on Wednesday. 38-year-old Rohit had already retired from T20I cricket. For now, he will continue to play for India in the ODI format and he is also the captain of Team India in this format. After this announcement by Rohit, his 11-year long Test cricket career also came to an end.

Rohit Sharma had a very good Test cricket career and he played for India in this format from number one to number six. However, he was very successful as an opener in Test cricket. 

Also Read: Rohit Sharma stats in tests

Let's take a look at Rohit Sharma stats in Tests as an opener.

Rohit scored most centuries as an opener

Rohit scored 4301 runs in 67 Test matches played in his career at an average of 40.57 with 12 centuries and 18 half-centuries, but he scored the most centuries as an opener.

Rohit was elevated to that role for the first time in October 2019, and since then, no other opener has scored as many tons. Overall, only four batters have scored more Test tons than Rohit in this period.

Rohit Sharma stats in Tests: Most sixes for India

Rohit has hit a total of 88 sixes in his Test cricket career and is second on the list of batsmen who have hit the most sixes for India in the longer format of cricket. If he had hit 3 more sixes in the Test, he would have become the batsman who has hit the most sixes in Tests for India. The record for hitting the most sixes in Tests for India is held by Virender Sehwag who hit a total of 90 sixes.

Rohit Sharma stats in Tests: Most centuries for India in won Test matches

Rohit Sharma is at number 5 in the list of batsmen who have scored the most centuries in Test matches won by India. He has scored a total of 12 centuries in Test matches won by India. Sachin Tendulkar is at the top of this list with 20 centuries.

• 20 - Sachin Tendulkar 
• 15 - Rahul Dravid 
• 14 - Virat Kohli
• 13 - Cheteshwar Pujara 
• 12 - Rohit Sharma

Also Read: Rohit Sharma in ICC tournaments for India

Rohit Sharma stats in Tests as an opener

As an opener in Test cricket, Rohit scored a total of 2697 runs in 66 innings for India. During this period, his average was 42.81 while in these 66 innings, he also scored 9 centuries and 8 half-centuries. His best score as an opener in Tests was 212 runs.

After a promising start, Lucknow Super Giants' 2025 IPL campaign started to sink, leaving slim chances for playoff qualification.

Find out what went wrong and everyone's answer to the ultimate question: Can LSG make it to the top 4 in IPL 2025?

LSG in IPL 2025 so far

LSG won 5 matches out of 11 played so far, with a poor net run rate of -0.469 and 10 points. They had a decent start to the tournament with players like Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Ravi Bishnoi and Digvesh Rathi stepping out for the team. 

They struggled to build momentum later on in the tournament, which led them to just 1 victory in their last 5 matches.

Read Also: IPL Facts: Lowest Total Defended in IPL

Performance breakdown:

• Position: 7th position in points table
• Matches played: 11 matches 
• Wins: 5 matches
• Losses: 6 matches
• Points: 10 points
• Net Run Rate (NRR): -0.469, which is the worst among the top seven teams

What exactly went wrong?

The following factors significantly disrupted LSG's gameplay, which resulted in their miserable position for the playoffs:

• Rishabh Pant's poor form: Captain Rishabh Pant is having a disappointing season with the bat, which has practically crushed the team's backbone. He managed to score only 128 runs in 11 innings with a strike rate below 100.
• Inconsistent top-order: The opening pair, despite having good individual performances, haven't consistently fired together.
• Middle-order Reliance: Players like Ayush Badoni and Abdul Samad have shown brilliance in some matches, but they weren't enough to carry the team forward after their regular collapse of top order.
• Bowling Inconsistencies: LSG's bowling attack has failed with their execution in matches, and was seen struggling to contain the batters in the death overs.
• Poor Fielding: They dropped catches at crucial times in the game, which cost them heavily. Additionally, the players could have saved more runs with more on-field efforts.

Read Also: Rishabh Pant in IPL 2025 so far

Playoff scenario and hopes for a miraculous comeback 

LSG currently has a huge burden of net run rate, which can have a damaging impact even if they win their 3 remaining matches in IPL 2025. They can reach a maximum of 16 points to end the group stage.

In IPL, ending with 16 points would promise a place in the top 4, but the scenario for LSG is different this year. Additionally, they will also need other factors to be in their favour.

Factors and mathematical possibilities

The chances are slim, but here's what they need to consider for qualification:

1. Last 3 hurdles: They have 3 remaining matches to play with RCB (9th May), GT (14th May), and SRH (18th May).
2. Wins required: LSG must win all three matches with huge margins to make their NRR better.
3. Reliance on other teams: They will need to depend on other teams to lose which will be beneficial for them in case of tie-breakers of same points. The team having a better NRR will eventually qualify.
4. Elimination Scenario: LSG will be eliminated from IPL 2025 playoff contention if they lose a single match. They will also lose their chances of being in the top-4 if rain washes away any of their matches.

Fans had high expectations from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain and the most expensive player of this season, Rishabh Pant, in the IPL 2025. Pant, who was bought for Rs 27 crore, was expected to tear apart the opposition bowlers with his aggressive batting, but his performance so far has been extremely disappointing.

Let's take a look at the performance of Rishabh Pant in IPL 2025 so far.

Also Read: Expensive flops? Rishabh Pant and Venkatesh Iyer's IPL 2025 disappointments

Worst strike rate by anyone

More than half of the season has passed in IPL 2025 and Rishabh Pant's bat has remained completely silent. He has scored only 128 runs in 10 innings of 11 matches played so far, out of which 63 runs have come in a single innings. His batting average is only 12.80 and strike rate is also limited to 99.22. Which is the worst among players who played at least 10 innings.

Rishabh Pant in IPL 2025 (Previous 10 Innings)

• vs PBKS: 18 runs (17 balls)
• vs MI: 4 runs (2 balls)
• vs DC: 0 runs (2 balls)
• vs RR: 3 runs (9 balls)
• vs CSK: 63 runs (49 balls)
• vs GT: 21 runs (18 balls)
• vs KKR: 0 runs (0 balls)
• vs MI: 2 runs (6 balls)
• vs PBKS: 2 runs (5 balls)
• vs SRH: 15 runs (15 balls)

LSG under Rishabh Pant's captaincy

The performance of Rishabh Pant in IPL 2025 as captain has also not been up to expectations. Lucknow Super Giants have won only 5 out of 11 matches, and their net run rate is -0.469. The team is at the seventh position in the IPL 2025 points table with 10 points. The hopes of playoffs seem almost over.

LSG have lost 4 of their last 5 matches, and the one match they won was also by just 2 runs against Rajasthan Royals. In such a situation, the team's confidence seems to be continuously declining. A minimum of 16 points will be required to make it to the playoffs in IPL 2025. However, looking at the current situation, it seems that even 16 points will not be enough for the fourth position, and the net run rate (NRR) can play a decisive role.

Also Read: IPL Table toppers: IPL Playoffs teams from 2008 to 2024

If LSG wants to stay in the playoff race, they will have to win all three of their remaining matches, that too by a big margin, so that their net run rate can improve. Lucknow will play its last three matches against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on May 9, Gujarat Titans (GT) on May 14 and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on May 18.

In a competitive league like the IPL, the role of the captain is extremely important. Here we are about to spotlight the skippers who did not just lead from the front, but also tasted victory.

We have some renowned names for the most wins after 76 games as captain in the IPL.

MS Dhoni (46 wins after 76 games)

Focusing on the most wins after 76 games in IPL, MS Dhoni is a clear winner. He captained 2 teams, Chennai Super Kings and Rising Pune Supergiants, in the span of 2008-2025.

Dhoni holds a record of 46 wins after 76 games in IPL which is the highest so far. He also played the most number of matches as a captain (231 matches) and won 134 among them, with a win percentage of 58%.

Also Read: Most ICC Finals as captain

Rohit Sharma (46 wins after 76 games)

Rohit Sharma is another big name that comes to everyone's mind when we track captaincy record in IPL, who also happens to level Dhoni's record of 46 wins after 76 games. He served as a captain for Mumbai Indians from 2013 to 2023.

The five-times IPL winning captain has played a total of 158 matches and won 87 as the skipper, with a win percentage of 56%.

Also Read: Most Wickets in IPL as a Captain

Shreyas Iyer (44 wins in 76 games)

Shreyas Iyer is another successful IPL captain who is doing impressively well in the current years of this tournament. Shreyas has been a part of 3 teams as a captain, namely- Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings. 

He led Kolkata Knight Riders to lift the IPL 2024 trophy with his magnificent captaincy throughout the season. He also helped DC reached their first IPL final as a captain in IPL 2019. Shreyas is yet again doing a pretty commendable job as a captain for PBKS in IPL 2025.

Iyer has 44 wins after 76 games under his name as a captain and is set to win more.