England have finally revealed their playing XI for the fourth Test against India which is scheduled to start from February 23 in Ranchi. Ben Stokes-led England have made two changes to their lineup. Mark Wood and Rehan Ahmed have been excluded from the England squad for the Ranchi Test, with Ollie Robinson and Shoaib Bashir stepping in as their replacements. Meanwhile, on the eve of the fourth Test against England, India's batting coach Vikram Rathour gave a big update on KL Rahul's fitness and comeback as the star batter has been ruled out of the Ranchi showdown.
Let's have a look at the top 10 trending sports news on February 22's sports roundup:
England announce playing XI
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes (wk), Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir, James Anderson, Ollie Robinson.
Vikram Rathour on KL Rahul's fitness
India's batting coach Vikratm Rathour during pre-match press conference said:
“KL Rahul is not fit at the moment. wo kitne percent fit hai abhi aur kya stage hai usko medical team will be able to advise that. (I don’t know about the percentage but as far as I am concerned, it’s either fit or unfit. As of now, he is unfit. BCCI’s medical team will be in a better position to know about the injury)”.
Ranchi's pitch shocks Ben Stokes
"I've never seen something like that before. I have got no idea so I don't know what could happen. If you looked down one side of opposite ends it just looked different to what I am used to seeing, especially out in India. It looked green and grassy up in the changing rooms, but then you go out there it looked different: very dark and crumbly and quite a few cracks in it," England skipper Ben Stokes told BBC Sport.
Andhra batter Vamsi Krishna smashes 6 sixes in an over
Young batter from Andhra Pradesh Vamsi Krishna smashed Railways spinner Damandeep Singh for six sixes in an over, which is considered one of the rarest occurrences in cricket. He achieved this feat during the Colonel CK Nayudu trophy match in Vizag against Railways on February 21.
Shivam Dube doubtful for IPL starter?
In a big blow to Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) title defense in IPL 2024, Shivam Dube has suffered a bilateral side strain injury which might see him missing the initial phase of the upcoming glitzy league.
Pathirana shatters Lasith Malinga's five-year old record
Matheesha Pathirana stormed into the record books by becoming the Sri Lankan fast bowler with the most wickets in a single bilateral T20I series. Matheesha Pathirana achieved this towering feat during Sri Lanka's dramatic defeat against Afghanistan in the third T20I on Wednesday, February 21. During the series against Afghanistan, Pathirana claimed eight wickets across three matches, boasting an economy rate of 8. This achievement saw Pathirana surpass the previous record held by the iconic Lasith Malinga, who took 7 wickets in three matches against New Zealand in 2019.
Sumit Nagal out of top 100 in latest ATP rankings
India's ace tennis player, Sumit Nagal, dropped out of the top 100 in the latest ATP rankings after losing 16 points from his previous ranking, causing him to slide three spots to 101st place.
Ronaldo bags 26th goal of the season as Al-Nassr keep Asian Champions League hopes alive
Cristiano Ronaldo netted his 26th goal of the season, propelling Al-Nassr into the quarter-finals of the Asian Champions League with a total 3-0 victory over Al-Fayha in a match featuring two Saudi Arabian teams.
India suffer defeat against Netherlands
India lost 4-2 to Netherlands in an FIH Men's Pro League fixture in Rourkela.
PKL: Bengaluru Bulls jolt Haryana Steelers, Puneri Paltan finish league stage on top
Bengaluru Bulls triumphed over the Haryana Steelers with a score of 53-39 at the Tau Devilal Indoor Stadium in Panchkula on Wednesday, February 21 in the final league game of the Pro Kabaddi League Season 10. Raider Sushil played a pivotal role for the Bulls, earning an impressive 22 points, marking the key difference in the match. In a dramatic turn of events, Puneri Paltan staged an incredible recovery, erasing a 13-point deficit to defeat U.P. Yoddhas 40-38, securing the top spot in the Pro Kabaddi League Season 10 standings. Despite U.P. Yoddhas' Gagana Gowda leading the evening with 16 raid points, it was Pankaj Mohite who emerged as Puneri Paltan’s leading scorer with 12 raid points.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
Drama around Shreyas Iyer as NCA overturns his back pain claim, declares him match-ready
Is Abhishek Sharma involved in model Tanya Singh's suicide case? Police come up with big update
Sarfaraz Khan to be roped in by Chennai Super Kings for IPL 2024? Know here
