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Tilak Varma Heroics, Arshdeep Cricketer Of Year And Noman Hat-Trick – January 25 Cricket Highlights

Aakash Saini

Tilak Varma and Pakistan players [Source: @BCCI, @TheRealPCB/x]Tilak Varma and Pakistan players [Source: @BCCI, @TheRealPCB/x]

Tilak Varma steamrolled England with a match-winning 72* in the second T20I in Chennai. As many as four Indian cricketers made a cut into the ICC’s T20I Team of the Year, while fast bowler Arshdeep Singh defeated the likes of Babar Azam and Travis Head to bag a prestigious ICC award.

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 Saturday, January 25.

Rinku Singh, Nitish Reddy Injured For 2nd T20I

Rinku Singh and all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy were ruled out of the Indian squad ahead of the second T20I match against England in Chennai. Nitish Kumar, moreover, has been ruled out of the remainder of the series after suffering a side strain. Rinku Singh will be out of action from the second and third T20I matches for suffering a lower back spasm.

The two cricketers were replaced by Washington Sundar and Dhruv Jurel in the Indian playing XI for the second T20I, with the likes of Shivam Dube and Ramandeep Singh joining the ‘Men in Blue’ squad for the time being.

Tilak Varma Takes India 2-0 Up Over England

Team India took an unassailable 2-0 lead over England in the five-match T20I series with a thrilling two-wicket win in the second game at Chennai’s Chepauk Stadium. Batting first, England carted 165-9, with captain Jos Buttler top-scoring by whacking 45 from just 30 balls. Comeback man Brydon Carse also made valiant runs in the lower-order by scoring 31 off just 17 with a boundary and three sixes.

For India, spinners Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy picked up two wickets after the early strikes of Arshdeep Singh and Washington Sundar. Chasing 166, the ‘Men in Blue’ romped to victory in the final over courtesy of a run-chase masterclass from young middle-order batter Tilak Varma (72* off 55 balls).

Noman Ali Takes Hat-Trick On Bowling Friendly Day 1

Noman Ali became the first Pakistani spinner, and fifth bowler from his country overall to pick up a hat-trick in Test cricket. The left-arm spinner achieved the significant landmark during the course of his remarkable six-wicket haul against West Indies on Day 1 of the second Multan Test. Sajid Khan, Kashif Ali and Abrar Ahmed picked up the remaining four wickets to wrap up the entire West Indies innings for just 163 in 41.1 overs.

In response, the Pakistani line-up got folded up for just 154 before stumps to concede a nine-run advantage to the visitors. Visiting spinners Jomel Warrican (4-43) and Gudakesh Motie (3-49) picked up seven wickets between them, as Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan both failed to pile up the desired runs for the hosts.

Arshdeep Singh Wins T20I Cricketer Of The Year 2024

Indian fast bowler Arshdeep Singh won the ICC T20I Cricketer of the Year 2024 award, beating some heavy competition from fellow nominees Babar Azam, Travis Head and Sikandar Raza. The Indian speedster picked up 36 wickets from just 18 innings throughout the 12-month period, at an exceptional bowling average of just 13.50 and with a strike rate of 10.80. Remarkably, Arshdeep collected 17 of those wickets during India’s victorious 2024 T20 World Cup campaign in the USA and the West Indies to finish the tournament as its joint-highest wicket-taker.

Rohit Sharma To Lead ICC T20I Team Of The Year 2024

Rohit Sharma, who led the Indian team to 2024 T20 World Cup win in the West Indies back in June, was fittingly selected as the captain of the ICC T20I Team of the Year 2024 as part of the ICC Awards. Sharma was also appointed as the team’s opening batter alongside Travis Head, with the likes of Phil Salt, Babar Azam and Nicholas Pooran composing the middle order of a star-studded playing XI.

Sikandar Raza and Hardik Pandya were selected as the primary all-rounders of the team, while Rashid Khan and Wanindu Hasaranga were picked as the two specialist spinners. Rohit Sharma’s national teammates and fellow T20 World Cup winners Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh were chosen as the two primary pace options.