Top Stories: Things that made news in the cricket world today

KL Rahul jets to career-best 2nd rank in the latest ICC T20I player rankings

• KL Rahul’s series topping aggregate of 224 runs against New Zealand has lifted him four places to a career best-equaling second place while Rohit Sharma (up three places to 10th), Shreyas Iyer (up 63 places to 55th) and Manish Pandey (up 12 places to 58th) are others advancing in the latest T20I rankings update that also includes the Pakistan-Bangladesh series.
• There are now three Indians in the top 10 batsmen, as captain Virat Kohli has retained his ninth position with 105 runs from four matches.
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MS Dhoni is the best captain India has seen: Rohit Sharma

• Cricket is a mental game. And, the recently concluded five-match series between New Zealand and India testified that to the hilt when the Kiwis. d
• Despite being in winnable positions in all the past three games were not able to keep their calm and finish the proceedings. Being mentally calm in a pressure situation is the key to success for champion cricketers and champion teams.
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Indian fan banned from Bay Oval for verbally abusing commentator in the fifth T20I

• The recently concluded five-match Twenty20 International series between New Zealand and India was a pulsating affair which was played between the ‘Spirit of the Game’.
• However, it was marred by spectators breaching the security and running onto the ground, not once but twice during the fourth T20I at Westpac Stadium in Wellington.
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Rohit Sharma spotted travelling with Team India to Hamilton despite being ruled out from the series

• Ace India batsman Rohit Sharma has been ruled out of the ODI and Test series against New Zealand kicking off this Wednesday.
• Rohit, who was leading India in the fifth and final T20I in Mount Maunganui on Sunday, hurt himself while taking a quick single with Shreyas Iyer.
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Shoaib Akhtar picks his ‘X-Factor’ of Team India after T20I series victory

• India has been on top ever since winning the T20I series against New Zealand with a full-strength team.
• They decided to go with heir benched player in the last two matches as well and the story remained the same.
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‘It seems like India have moved on from MS Dhoni’ – RCB’s Mike Hesson

• India registered a thumping 5-0 win over New Zealand in the just-concluded T20I series.
• It was sweeter-than-sweet revenge for the Indian supporters whose hearts were left broken by the Kiwis in the semi-final of the ICC World Cup last July.
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If MS Dhoni is Mercedes version, Manish Pandey is Alto version: Ajay Jadeja

• New Zealand suffered a humiliating 5-0 series loss at the hand of the Indian team in the T20I format recently, making Team India the first team achieve such a feat.
• India won the fifth and final T20I at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui by 7 runs and whitewashed the Black Caps in their own backyard, to register their maiden T20I series victory.
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Hardik Pandya should be patient and not rush his comeback, feels Zaheer Khan

• Ace all-rounder Hardik Pandya has also been ruled out of India’s upcoming two-Test series in New Zealand starting later this month and this will only extend his absence from the cricket field for more time.
• Former India spearhead Zaheer Khan has stood by Hardik asking him to be patient and not rush a comeback.
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Lungi Ngidi reveals he lost 4-5 kilos due to immense training ahead of ODI series against England

• South Africa will be looking forward to putting back the sorrow of the 1-3 defeat against England in the Test series and will be engaging in the upcoming three-match ODI series starting February 4 in cape Town.
• The Proteas have gone in for a completely revamped side with Quinton de Kock being named the new captain of the limited-overs side.
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Virat Kohli to not shoot Man vs Wild episode with Bear Grylls

• Virat Kohli, the Indian skipper has turned himself into a big brand. The 31-year-old is rated as one of the batsmen across the globe and he has dominated the world cricket with his wooden sword.
• Recently, there were some reports that he will be the part of the famous show Man vs Wild in one of its episode.
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‘If you haven’t played for so long, you cannot come back from anywhere’ – Kapil Dev on MS Dhoni’s return

• Former Indian captain and a three-time ICC trophy (T20 World Cup, 50-over World Cup and Champions Trophy) winner, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been on a sabbatical from international cricket and no one really knows when or if he’ll turn out for the Men in Blue ever again.
• Dhoni last played for India in the semi-final of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup against New Zealand where he was run-out by a brilliant direct throw from Martin Guptill.
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Unacademy becomes title sponsor of Road Safety World Series

The education technology platform, Unacademy, has been announced as the title sponsor of the Road Safety World Series, which is a five-nation T20 tournament.

The tournament will see some of the top cricketers from India, Australia, Sri Lanka, West Indies and South Africa lock horns.

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India fined 20% of match fee for slow over-rate in 5th T20I against New Zealand

• India have been fined 20 per cent of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate against New Zealand in the fifth and final Twenty20 International in Tauranga on Sunday.
• Chris Broad of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanction after Rohit Sharma’s side was ruled to be one over short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration.
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Rohit Sharma has been ruled out of ODI and Test series against New Zealand: BCCI Source

• India whitewashed New Zealand in the five-match T20I series which concluded on Sunday.
• Both the teams will now be facing each other in the three One-Day Internationals followed by a Test series.
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