Rohit Sharma turns nostalgic in stirring video post for Angelo Mathews before farewell Test: 'Had pretty good battles'
Former Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews is all set to draw curtains on his Test career, and ahead of his final appearance, which will be in the opening game of the two-match series against Bangladesh at home, India legend Rohit Sharma sent a stirring video message for his old rival.
In his first social media post since announcing his very own Test retirement, Rohit turned nostalgic as he recalled his "pretty good battles" with Mathews before wishing him all the luck.
"Hey Angie, congratulations on your fantastic career. Over the years we had some pretty good battles from our under-19 days to now. You've been a true servant for your nation and I'm pretty sure everyone back at home appreciates what you've done for your country," Rohit said.
Bangladesh won the toss on Tuesday, in the opening game in Galle, and opted to bat first against Sri Lanka. Mathews, who is set to retire as Sri Lanka's third-highest scorer in Test cricket, and is into his 119th appearance in the format, was given a guard of honour by his teammates. It was all the more special for the all-rounder because it was at the very same venue where his Test journey had begun 16 years back.
"It's a coincidence. I had my debut in Galle. I played my 100th Test in Galle. And I'm going to say goodbye in Galle," Mathews told reporters on Monday. "The main reason is that we don't have many games coming up. After this, our next Test assignment is a year away. That's a very long time.
"I thought it's best to give an opportunity to the one replacing me in the second Test match because he's not going to get another chance till next year. And in a year, you never know what could happen. So I thought I'll play one game and then step aside to let the other guy have his opportunity."
Mathews also revealed that he sees the 2026 T20 World Cup as his swansong and has already conveyed this to the selectors.
"There are six more months until the next T20 World Cup, and I'll give it a try depending on what my body tells me," he said. "I hope to retire from white-ball cricket at that World Cup. If we can win another World Cup, I'll try to contribute toward that. So I'll do everything I can to improve my fitness and skills over the next six months."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Historic India versus England Mixed Disability T20 Cricket Series starts in England on June 21
Jaipur: History will be made when the first-ever mixed disability T20 series between India and England starts in England on Saturday (June 21) at Taunton, the home of Somerset County Cricket Club. During the landmark seven-match T20Is tour, the teams will also play a match at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground on June 25. Led by Mumbai's Ravindra Gopinath Sante, India's mixed disability team arrived in London for the tour on June 15. The 16-member team, picked by the Differently abled Cricket Council of India (DCCI), has prepared for the series by playing three practice matches against the England Lions Mixed Disability team at the Budleigh Salterton Cricket Club in Exeter. Virendra Singh is the vice-captain of the team, while the team's head coach is former Rajasthan captain Rohit Jhalani. Before travelling to England, the Indian team had a week-long preperatory camp at the Jaipuria Cricket Academy ground in Jaipur. The team comprises six deaf, six physical disability and four intellectual disability players. This format has been approved by the International Cricket Council (ICC). by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025 Top Trending local enterprise accounting software [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo "We thank the English Cricket Board and the BCCI for providing us with all the facilities which are given to the international players for this tour. We are playing all our matches on this tour on the first-class ground of England," said Ravi Chauhan, general secretary of the DCCI. "Our preparations have been good. We are looking forward to an exciting series, which will raise the profile of mixed disability cricket," said Abhay Pratap Singh, Jt. Secretary, DCCI. In a first incident, all the seven matches of the series will be streamed live on Sony Liv. "As the BCCI secretary, Jay Shah provided us with complete support from the BCCI. We wish that as the ICC Chair, he would support this format too," Ravi Chauhan said. Before the first match at Taunton, both the teams will hold a two-minute silence and wear black armbands to pay their respects to the victims of the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad on June 12. The highlight of the tour will, of course, be the third T20I at Lord's on June 25, giving India's mixed disability team the rare honour of competing at the iconic 'Home of Cricket.' The date and the venue both make for a tremendous coincidence- 42 years back, India, led by the legendary Kapil Dev, had clinched the 1983 World Cup on June 25 at Lord's in 1983. June 25 is incidentally celebrated as the 'World Mixed Disability Day.' The other standout fixture of the tour is scheduled for July 1 in Bristol, where the Indian mixed disability team will play their English counterparts, followed by a T201 between the women's teams of India and England in a double-header. The Bristol match will be shown live on Sky Sports, stated Ravikant Chauhan, general secretary, Differently Abled Cricket Council Of India (DCCI) BCCI Member, Differently Abled Cricket Committee.
India Today
5 hours ago
- India Today
Mature Shubman Gill was gorgeous vs England: Sunil Gavaskar on Headingley 127
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar lavished praise on Shubman Gill for his composed and mature century on Day 1 of the Headingley Test against England. On his Test captaincy debut, Gill remained unbeaten on 127, showcasing both poise and authority as he guided India to a dominant on Sony Sports, Gavaskar highlighted the 25-year-old's development as a batter and leader, calling his innings a reflection of how far he has come since his early days. Taking over at No.4 following Virat Kohli's retirement, and shouldering the added weight of captaincy, Gill responded with calm assurance at the vs IND, 1st Test Day 1: Highlights|Report "He's (Shubman Gill) looking absolutely gorgeous at the crease. That shot early on in his innings—playing straight down the ground—is not an easy one to execute. It showed just how well he was seeing the ball: the speed, the timing, the control—everything was spot on," Gavaskar said."We've seen him grow up in front of the camera—from the U-19 World Cup days to now anchoring a Test innings. Every time he walks out now, you can see how much more solid and mature he looks. Early on, he had a bit of a weakness around the off stump, often playing across the line and getting caught out. But now, he's much more assured," he were cruising at 91 for no loss before a mini-collapse saw KL Rahul fall for 42 to Brydon Carse, followed by debutant Sai Sudharsan departing for a duck to Ben Stokes. Suddenly at 92 for 2, the momentum had shifted slightly, but Gill's arrival helped settle pointed to how Gill handled the pressure brilliantly, first by absorbing the conditions and letting Yashasvi Jaiswal dictate the scoring. Once settled, Gill accelerated with purpose, bringing up his half-century in just 56 balls. Facing a quality England bowling attack—featuring Chris Woakes, Josh Tongue, Brydon Carse, captain Ben Stokes, and Shoaib Bashir—Gill stayed composed and former India opener was particularly impressed with Gill's range of shots and decision-making, noting that his technique around the off-stump had improved significantly. Straight drives, cover punches, and the well-timed flicks spoke of a batter in control of both his game and the match situation - which ultimately saw him finish his 140-ball century with a sublime cover moment that stood out was Gill's gesture after reaching his century—a small bow towards the Indian dressing room. Gavaskar praised the humility and meaning behind the act, saying it reflected the gratitude a player shows to those behind the scenes—the coaches, teammates, and support staff who prepare and push each other every day.'That little bow to the dressing room was a nice touch. It means so much, because those are the people you train with, run between the wickets with, and who've been part of your preparation. It was a gesture of appreciation—'thank you, guys, I wouldn't have reached here without you," Gavaskar Jaiswal's dismissal for 101, Gill took on the mantle of guiding the innings alongside Rishabh Pant, who added a brisk, unbeaten 65. By stumps, India had reached 359 for 3, firmly in control of the match.
Hindustan Times
6 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
HT Archives: Kapil's heroic 175 helps keep World Cup dream alive
Indian captain Kapil Dev lashed a record-breaking unbeaten 175 to lead his team out of a crisis and beat Zimbabwe by 32 runs in an exciting World Cup Group B match in Tunbridge Wells on Saturday. India batsman Kapil Dev hits out during his innings of 175 not out during the 1983 Cricket World Cup finals Match between India and Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells on June 18th, 1983 in Tunbridge Wells, England. (Hulton Archive) India collapsed to 17 for five in the first 13 overs against pacers Peter Rawson and Kevin Curran, and were later reduced to 78 for seven, before Kapil Dev's breathtaking rescue lifted the score to 266 for eight in the 60 overs. Zimbabwe, struggling at one time at 113 for six, made a late burst through Kevin Curran, who hit a brilliant 71, to total 234 in 57 overs. Kevin at one stage raised his side's hopes of another victory by the sheer nature of his aggression. Of his eight boundaries six came in the last 45 runs. He was caught brilliantly by Shastri on his second attempt off Madan Lal, who had come in for a heavy battering in the previous over. All-rounder Kapil Dev's hundred was the first by an Indian in the competition and beat the previous Cup highest of 171 not out by New Zealand's Glenn Turner against East Africa in the inaugural 1975 tournament. India's skipper dominated with key partnerships, putting on 60 for the sixth wicket with Roger Binny, who made 22 and 62 for the eight-wicket with Madan Lal, who contributed 17. The revival reached its peak in Kapil Dev's unfinished ninth wicket partnership of 123 with Syed Kirmani, who scored 24. Kapil hit 17 fours and six soaring sixes. India made a disastrous start, losing five wickets for 17 runs in 12.5 overs. Peter Rawson, the Zimbabwe paceman, snapped up two of the wickets and Kevin Curran got the third, with the aid of a brilliant catch by Ian Butchart. With the last ball of the first over Rawson trapped Gavaskar LBW without a run on the board. Gavaskar had returned to the side after missing the previous two games. In the fifth over Rawson struck again with a fine delivery which came back at Amarnath, caught the inside edge and was snapped up by wicketkeeper Houghton. There was obviously movement in the wicket for the bowlers and in the sixth over Srikkanth drove at Curran, skied the ball and Butchart ran from mid-off to extra cover to take a brilliant catch. India lost her fourth wicket at nine off the last ball of the tenth over when Patil, trying to turn Curran down the leg side, became Houghton's second victim. Yashpal turned Rawson to the square leg boundary and then on-drove Curran for three, but in the 13th over he edged one to Houghton. India's hopes flicked for the first time as skipper Kapil Dev and Roger Binny survived to take them to 77 in the 27th over, when Binny swept at Traicos and was lbw. One run later, in the next over, Shastri drove at Fletcher and was caught at cover by Pycroft. From 106 for seven at lunch Madan Lal and Kapil took the score to 144 before Madan was caught behind off Curran at 17. However, nobody outside the stadium watched the innings, with the BBC prioritising other games.
