Correct Answer :   Rachin Ravindra

New Zealand's top order batter Rachin Ravindra became the youngest recipient of the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal on Wednesday (13th Mar 2024) after being named the country's outstanding male cricketer of the year. Meanwhile, Amelia Kerr became the year's top female cricketer after winning the Debbie Hockley medal for the second time in a row.

Kane Williamson received the ANZ Test Player of the Year Award and won the Redpath Cup for men's first-class batting. Ravindra, 24, is the youngest winner of the award in its history, following a season in which he has established himself as a key member of New Zealand's red and white teams.

Ravindra, who joined the 50-over squad in March of last year, shone in the ODI World Cup in India, scoring 578 runs at an average of 64, including three hundreds and two half-centuries, including an unbeaten 123 against England in Ahmedabad.

Our youngest ever Sir Richard Hadlee Medalist! Full #ANZNZCAwards Summary | https://t.co/PTpJF5quof pic.twitter.com/drlbyg6wlC

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) March 13, 2024

RACHIN'S JOURNEY SO FAR :

As a result, Ravindra was named the ICC's Emerging Player of the Year for 2023, and he also signed a USD 350,000 Indian Premier League deal with the Chennai Super Kings. The Sir Richard Hadlee Medal capped up Ravindra's breakout season on the international scene, during which he contributed to the Kiwis in all three formats.

Ravindra maintained his spectacular rise in Test cricket, scoring New Zealand's highest-ever maiden Test century of 240 against South Africa at Bay Oval and playing an important role in the Black Caps' first Test series victory over South Africa..

Source : India Today

Correct Answer :   Yashasvi Jaiswal

Yashasvi Jaiswal, the young Indian opener, has been named the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for February 2024. Jaiswal beat out stiff competition from veterans like Kane Williamson of New Zealand and Pathum Nissanka of Sri Lanka to claim the coveted award.

* The 22-year-old Jaiswal has made an incredible start to his international career, emerging as one of the best Test openers in the world. His performances in February were nothing short of extraordinary, as he slammed two scintillating double centuries in back-to-back Test matches against England.

Double Centuries and Record-Breaking Feats :

* Jaiswal’s knocks of 219 in Vizag and another double century in Rajkot helped India fight back from a loss in the first Test of the series against England. In the process, he equaled the long-standing Test record for the most sixes (12) in a single innings during his Rajkot knock.

* At the tender age of 22 years and 49 days, Jaiswal became the third-youngest batter in the world to record two double centuries in Tests, after the legendary Sir Donald Bradman and Vinod Kambli.

Stellar Numbers and Continued Form :

* Jaiswal ended February with staggering numbers – 560 runs at an average of 112, including an incredible 20 sixes. He has carried his form into March, becoming the second-quickest Indian to reach the milestone of 1000 Test runs.

Annabel Sutherland Shines for Australia :

* In the women’s category, Annabel Sutherland of Australia claimed the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for February 2024. Sutherland scored 229 runs and claimed seven wickets in four matches, outperforming the UAE duo of Esha Oza and Kavisha Egodage.

Rewriting History Books :

* Sutherland’s standout performance came in the one-off Test against South Africa, where she rewrote history books with a marathon double century. Her rapid 210 off just 248 balls set a new record for the fastest double century in Women’s Test cricket, surpassing fellow Australian Karen Rolton’s previous mark.

* At 22 years old, Sutherland became the second-youngest double centurion in Women’s Test cricket, trailing only Mithali Raj. She joined an elite group as the ninth woman and fifth Australian to score a double hundred in a Test match.

All-Round Brilliance :

* Sutherland’s all-round brilliance was on full display as she also claimed crucial wickets, including that of South Africa’s top-scorer Chloe Tryon, to help Australia record a massive innings and 284-run victory.

* With their exceptional performances, Jaiswal and Sutherland have established themselves as rising stars in the cricketing world, setting new benchmarks and etching their names in the record books.

Correct Answer :   Pat Cummins

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has slammed the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) team management for appointing Pat Cummins as the new captain for IPL 2024. On Monday (4 March 2024), the SRH camp announced Cummins taking over as the new skipper, replacing Aiden Markram. Cummins, who was bought by the franchise in IPL 2024 mini-auction for INR 20.50 crores, doesn't have great numbers in the IPL and isn't even Australia's captain in T20Is. Hence, his appointment hasn't been well received by Chopra.

'That is why Pat Cummins is not the captain of the team where 11 Australians play' :

Talking on his YouTube channel, Chopra pointed out, "You have made Pat Cummins the captain but have you seen his recent IPL numbers? Check attentively, he concedes a lot of runs and doesn't score that many runs with the bat. Only four overseas players play. He neither bowls in the powerplay nor at the death."

"If he is not going to do all those jobs, you are spending 25 per cent of your overseas resources on a player whose place in the XI was not 100 per cent guaranteed in the IPL. That is why Pat Cummins is not the captain of the team where 11 Australians play, although he has won the World Cup, but not T20," Chopra opined.

Chopra's claims are not incorrect, Cummins has an ordinary record in the IPL. The Aussie has only 45 wickets in 42 games, at an economy of 8.54, along with 379 runs. He withdrew from the IPL 2023 season and featured in only 12 matches in 2021 and 2022 editions; managing 16 wickets and 122 runs overall. For Australia, he has played only two T20Is since the 2022 T20 World Cup. Hence, Australia have Mitchell Marsh as their T20I captain despite Cummins winning the WTC and ODI World Cup titles as captain last year.

SRH removed Markram as the captain, who led them in IPL 2023. The South African batter, however, has led the Sunrisers Eastern Cape -- Hyderabad's sister franchise in SA20 -- to two successive titles (in 2023 and 2024). Chopra further stated that Markram could have retained his position as he had led the franchise amid a lot of confusion in the last IPL season..

Source : WIO News

Correct Answer :   Shimla

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu inaugurated the Asian River Rafting Championship, being organized from 4th March to 9th March, 2024 on River Sutlej, near Basantpur, (Sunni) from the Ridge Shimla (4th Mar 2024).

* As many as 20 National and International teams from Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Iran Iraq, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Indonesia are participating in this championship.

* After flagging off the teams participating in the championship, the Chief Minister said that the present State Government was committed to promote adventure tourism in the State and in this direction, a river rafting marathon was also successfully organized at Nadaun in Hamirpur district recently.

* Besides this, a paragliding championship was also hosted at Junga in Shimla district last year in association with a private company involved in organizing adventure sports. 

* He said that apart from promoting tourism, the hosting of adventure sports and other related tourism activities also creates self-employment opportunities and provides employment to the local people thus adding to their economy. He said that the State Government would keep supporting these adventure activities in future as well.

* The Chief Minister said that the tourism sector was the mainstay in strengthening the State's economy and thousands of families were associated with this. The State Government is making earnest efforts to increase the influx of tourists in the State by strengthening the basic infrastructure in the tourism sector. We have fixed a target of attracting five crore tourists in the state annually, he reiterated.

* Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan, Chairman, 7th State Finance Commission Nand Lal, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Mohan Lal Brakta, MLA Harish Janartha, Chairman, H.P. State Cooperative Bank Devender Shyam, Vice Chairman, H.P. State Forest Development Corporation, Kehar Singh Khachi, Mayor Shimla Municipal Corporation Surinder Chauhan, Congress leaders Satpal Raizada and Surender Mankotia, Director Tourism and Civil Aviation Manasi Sahay Thakur, Deputy Commissioner Shimla Anupam Kashyap and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion..

Source : Himachalpr

Correct Answer :   Nicholas Pooran

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Thursday (29th Feb 2024) announced that West Indies wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran has been appointed as their new vice-captain ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. The West Indies star will take over as captain KL Rahul's deputy from all-rounder Krunal Pandya. Rahul handed Pooran the vice-captain's jersey with the number 29 on the back at an event on Wednesday (28th Feb 2024).

KL Rahul (C)
Nicholas Pooran (VC)

This season feels special already ? pic.twitter.com/367JTTeSHL

— Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) February 29, 2024

Pooran, a Trinidadian cricketer known for his explosive batting and adept wicket-keeping, has been a key player in the T20 format globally. His journey with the IPL began with stints at various teams, including Punjab and Hyderabad, before joining Lucknow Super Giants in 2023 for a whopping INR 16 crore.

Pooran, who was playing ahead of South Africa's Quinton de Kock last season, made 15 appearances for LSG in IPL 2024, scoring 358 runs, with two fifties, at an impressive strike rate of 172.94. He has held leadership positions in various teams, including the national team, and will now take on this role for the first time with an IPL team. Notably, Krunal Pandya had filled in for Rahul when the captain was out for a few games in both the first and second season. Pandya won three and lost two of his six matches as captain, with one match ending in a draw..

Source : India Today

Correct Answer :   18

India ended its campaign by winning a total of 18 medals at the Asian Track Cycling Championships 2024 that concluded on 26 February 2024. This competition was organized from 21 to 26 February at Indira Gandhi Sports Complex, New Delhi.

Para and junior players performed best :

* India's 20-member junior and para teams performed well and won 18 medals. There are nine gold, six silver and three bronze medals in total.
* In this competition, para players performed best and contributed eight gold and four silver medals to India's medal tally. In this way, para players won a total of 14 medals for India.
* The remaining medals for India were won by junior players. Sarita Kumari, Niya Sebastian, Sabina Kumari and Zaina Mohammed Ali Peerkhan won gold for India in the junior women's team sprint.
* On the final day, India's Harshita Jakhar won the bronze medal in the women's junior madison category. Earlier, she had won a silver medal in the individual pursuit and a bronze medal in the team pursuit.
* On the last day of the championship, India's Harshita Jakhar and Dhanyadha JP won the bronze medal in the junior women's madison event.
* This is Harshita's third medal in the championship and second medal in the team event. Earlier he had won silver medal in individual pursuit and bronze medal in team pursuit.

Top cyclists disappointed :

The three top-ranked countries in the championship were :

Malaysia topped the Asian Track Cycling Championships 2024 with 37 medals. Whereas Japan got 24 medals and Korea got 23 medals and got second and third place respectively in this competition. This can be seen as follows :

Correct Answer :   New Zealand

Wagner fought back tears as he told reporters he had decided to call time on a 64-Test career after New Zealand Cricket said he would not be in the side for Thursday's (29th Feb 2024) match in Wellington.

"It's never an easy time to do something like this, but the time has obviously come," said the 37-year-old Wagner, who has taken 260 Test wickets.

* "It's been amazing to represent the Black Caps. It's been some of the proudest moments of my life.

* Fiery short-ball specialist Wagner said he would leave the squad before the start of next week's second Test in Christchurch.

* "I'm looking forward to one final week in camp and will be doing everything I can to help prepare and support the boys," he said.

* Wagner cited last year's one-run victory over England in Wellington, where he took the last wicket to draw the series, as among his career highlights along with winning the inaugural World Test Championship in 2021.

* "I've enjoyed every single moment of playing test cricket for the Black Caps and am proud of everything we've been able to achieve as a team," he said.

* Wagner made his New Zealand debut in 2012 after arriving from his native South Africa four years earlier.

* "To the New Zealand public and the fans, I can't thank you enough, for your support, for making me feel welcome, for making me feel like a Kiwi," said Wagner.

* Only Richard Hadlee, current captain Tim Southee, Daniel Vettori and Trent Boult have taken more Test wickets for New Zealand than Wagner.

* New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said on Tuesday (27th Feb 2024) that Wagner was "one of the greats".

* "He has been through an incredible era and been a huge cog of the bowling attack over the years.

* "We'll remember his lion-heartedness, the way he just kept finding a way to make something happen."..

Source : Cricket World

Correct Answer :   Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton

Namibian batter Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton has etched his name in cricket history by hitting the quickest ever hundred in men’s T20Is, Loftie-Eaton created the new record during a T20I against Nepal at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground on Tuesday (27th Feb 2024).

Walking in to bat at no. 5, Loftie-Eaton took just 33 deliveries to reach three figures having belted 11 fours and eight sixes during his record-breaking effort. This is his maiden T20I century.

Namibia were at a middling 62/3 when Loftie-Eaton joined opener Malan Kruger in the middle and he changed the complexion of his team’s innings by peppering the boundary with gorgeous hits.

Loftie-Eaton’s 36-ball 101 propelled Namibia to 206/4 after their captain JJ Smit opted to bat first in the Tri-series opener which also features the Netherlands.

Loftie-Eaton wasn’t done though as he later claimed two wickets in his three overs to cap off a brilliant all-round performance.

Interestingly, the 22-year-old Namibian broke the record of Nepal batter Kushal Malla who was part of the contest. Malla had taken 34 deliveries to smash a century against Namibia last year.

India’s Rohit Sharma, South African David Miller and Sudesh Wickramasekara of Czech Republic have slipped to joint-third on the list of quickest T20I hundreds with each taking 35 balls.

Correct Answer :   Nepal

Head coach Biby Thomas Muttath on Monday (26th Feb 2024) announced a 23-member Indian squad for the upcoming SAFF U16 Women’s Championships to be played in Nepal from March 1–10, 2024.

The Indians had emerged triumphant in the U-15 format in 2018 and 2019, having beaten Bangladesh in the final on both occasions. It’s the first time the event is being held in the U16 format.

The final squad was chosen from a pool of probables who had been training in Goa.

The Young Tigresses will be leaving for Nepal on Tuesday (27th Feb 2024) before playing their opening tie against Bhutan (March 1, 2024), followed by matches against Bangladesh (March 5, 2024) and Nepal (March 7, 2024).

The top two sides from the round-robin stage meet in the final, with all the games to be played at the Chyasal Stadium in Lalitpur.

The Indian Squad : Goalkeepers: Konjengbam Tamphasana Devi, Munni, Surajmuni Kumari.

Defenders : Amrita Ghosh, Bonifila Shullai, Divyani Linda, Elizabed Lakra, Gauri, Rheanna Liz Jacob, Rupashree Munda, Sarangthem Alena Devi.

Midfielders : Anita Dungdung, Anushka Kumari, Anwita Raghuraman, H Yashica, Longajam Nira Chanu, Ritu Badaik, Shveta Rani, Thanda Moni Baskey.

Forwards : Gurleen Kaur, Gurnaz Kaur, Neha Saji, Pearl Fernandes..

Source : The Hindu

Correct Answer :   Gulmarg

In Jammu and Kashmir, Lieutenant Governer Manoj Sinha formally inaugurated the 4th edition of Khelo India winter games in Gulmarg on 21st Feb 2024. Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Nisith Pramanik was also present on the occasion.

The 5-day-event will see the participation of around 1000 athletes and sports persons from 20 different states and UTs of the country. Games like skiing, snow mountaineering, nordic skiing and alpine skiing are the major features of the 4th Khelo India Winter Games.

Speaking on occasion, Mr Sinha said that these events will enhance sporting spirit among the participating youth. Welcoming the athletes, he said, mega events like Khelo India Games give the sportsmen an opportunity to prove their mattle on National as well as International levels.

Mr Pramanik said that this event has added a new chapter in the developmental history of Kashmir. He encouraged the participating athletes to give their best during the event. A video message encouraging the athletes of Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Anurag Thakur, was also played during the inaugural session..

Source : AIR