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India Win Series, Virat Kohli Fails And Marsh Ruled Out – January 31 Cricket Highlights

Aakash Saini

Team India, Virat Kohli and Mitchell Marsh [Source: @BCCI/x, PTI and @ICC/x]Team India, Virat Kohli and Mitchell Marsh [Source: @BCCI/x, PTI and @ICC/x]

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Team India defeated England in the fourth T20I to take a 3-1 lead in the five-match series. Virat Kohli failed to make the most of his return to Ranji Trophy cricket, while a certain Australian all-rounder has been ruled out of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.

Capping an eventful day in the world of cricket, here we take a look at five of the biggest cricketing news that emerged out of Friday, January 31.

Hardik Pandya, Dube And Bishnoi Star In India’s Series-Clinching Win

Team India crushed England’s spirited fightback by a 15-run margin in the fourth T20I at the MCA Stadium in Pune. Taking a 3-1 lead, the outcome also helped the ‘Men in Blue’ clinch the five-match series with a game to spare. Batting first after losing the toss, a triple-wicket opening burst from England’s comeback man Saqib Mahmood reduced India to 12-3 in two overs. However, identical half-centuries from Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube lifted the hosts to a competitive 181-9 by the completion of their innings.

In response, the Englishmen dusted out for just 166 to fall 15 runs short of their target, despite featuring a 62-run powerplay start at the top. Harry Brook made a fiery 26-ball 51, but his lone resistance was overpowered by India’s collective spin brilliance of Ravi Bishnoi (3-28) and Varun Chakravarthy (2-28), as well as that from debutant and concussion substitute Harshit Rana (3-33).

Virat Kohli Out For Six On Ranji Trophy Return

Indian batting giant Virat Kohli was knocked over for just six by Railways fast bowler Himanshu Sangwan on his much-awaited Ranji Trophy return. After hitting a boundary, Kohli went for another drive, only for the ball to find the gap between the cricketer’s bat and pad to crash on to the stumps.

Kohli’s latest batting failure further degraded his dwindling form with the bat, especially after undergoing a horrid Test series against Bangladesh, New Zealand and Australia in succession.

PCB Announce Pakistan Squad For Champions Trophy 2025

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced Pakistan’s 15-player squad for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at home and in the UAE. Mohammad Rizwan is set to continue as skipper, and he will be accompanied by fellow senior pro Babar Azam. Fast bowlers Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf also made a cut into the national side, alongside comeback man and surprise pick Faheem Ashraf.

Saim Ayub, who sustained an ankle injury earlier this month during a Test match in South Africa, was ruled out of the squad as he is yet to attain full recovery.

Sachin Tendulkar To Receive Lifetime Achievement Award - Report

Legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar will likely receive a lifetime achievement award in the form of the prestigious CK Nayudu award at the BCCI annual awards function. The ceremony is set to take place in Mumbai on Saturday, February 1.

The prestigious award was previously won by former Indian all-rounder and active commentator Ravi Shastri back in 2024. Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Syed Mushtaq Ali, Vijay Hazare, Mohinder Amarnath and Bishan Singh Bedi among others have been among the previous recipients of the award.

Mitchell Marsh Ruled Out Of Australia’s Champions Trophy Squad

Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has been ruled out of the national squad for the upcoming 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. Cricket Australia (CA) confirmed that the cricketer has been suffering from lower back pain, and his rehabilitation process has not yielded the desired results.

The 2025 ICC Champions Trophy is set to commence from February 19 onwards, with Australia’s opening game taking place on February 22 against age-old rivals England in Lahore.