The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru recently welcomed a special guest as former India pace spearhead Zaheer Khan shared his expertise with a select group of fast bowlers at Bengaluru on March 2. 

The specialised camp had a clear focus on red-ball bowling and allowed India’s emerging pacers to work closely with one of the country’s finest fast bowlers.

Head of Cricket at the CoE, VVS Laxman, expressed gratitude to Zaheer for his involvement and contribution. Laxman acknowledged that having a stalwart like Zaheer interact with young bowlers not only sharpens their technical skills but also offers invaluable insights into the mental and tactical aspects of fast bowling.

He took to social media to express his gratitude towards his former India teammate.

“Thank you Zak for spending valuable time with our targeted fast bowlers and sharing your experiences so generously. Your journey of resilience, preparation and excellence is a powerful example for the next generation. Grateful for your guidance and the belief you have instilled in them,” he wrote.  

According to reports, the camp was designed to strengthen India’s fast-bowling bench strength in the longer format. The BCCI also shared some of the snippets, showing Zaheer passing on his wisdom to India’s new generation of fast bowlers.

Check the post here:

The initiative, spearheaded by Centre of Excellence head of cricket VVS Laxman, is part of a roadmap aimed at bringing former international players into mentoring roles for a select group of cricketers identified as future prospects. The camp featured fast bowlers from multiple state associations who are currently being closely monitored by the national selection committee.

Zaheer, 45, is one of India’s greatest fast bowlers to ever grace the game. The left-arm pacer picked up 610 international wickets at an average of 31.14 in his illustrious career.

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 is currently on course to become the most digitally engaged and globally accessible edition in history, with ICC.tv and the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) social media channels setting new benchmarks across digital platforms.

Record-breaking tournament

The ICC’s streaming service, which serves fans in growth territories, set a new concurrent streaming record during the Super 8 fixture between India and the West Indies, surpassing the previous peak achieved during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 final.

ICC.tv has also already exceeded the total number of users and total minutes watched across the entirety of the 2024 event. Compared to this same stage of the previous tournament, unique users have grown by 28 per cent, and total playtime has increased by 56 per cent.

Across social media platforms, the ICC has surpassed 10 billion video views and remains on track to exceed the 16 billion video views achieved in 2024.

Deep fan engagement

Beyond scale, the data show more fans are watching more of the tournament than ever before.

Average watch time per unique user has increased to 58 minutes, up from 47 minutes at the end of the Super 8 stage in 2024.

Multi-language feeds continue to enrich and personalise the fan experience in markets around the world, too, and have accounted for nearly half of the total playtime. Three of the top five streams during the tournament have been non-English feeds, with ICC.tv broadcasting in Hindi, Urdu, Nepali, Japanese and Bahasa Indonesia.

This focus on language accessibility remains central to driving connections with viewers in diverse cricket communities all over the world.

Emerging markets on the rise

The strongest percentage growth has come from non-traditional markets, which have seen a 69 percent increase in users.

Germany has recorded a 150 percent increase from the 2024 event in unique users, with Italy also up 136 percent. Japan and South Korea have also delivered growth of more than 100 percent across both views and unique users.

Most global ICC event in history

These record-breaking trends demonstrate tangible progress against the ICC’s stated ambition to deliver its most global and accessible event ever.

The data shows sustained growth across consumption, engagement and geographic distribution, supported by expanded language feeds and increased uptake in emerging European and Asian markets.

With record concurrent audiences, higher average watch times and a materially increased share of users and views coming from non-traditional territories, there has never been an ICC event more available, or engaged with, globally.

Indian opener Abhishek Sharma has struggled to find consistency in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 so far. His only notable contribution came in the second Super Eight fixture against Zimbabwe, where he registered a half-century. Apart from that effort, the left-hander endured a difficult group stage, recording three consecutive ducks and battling to rediscover his rhythm at the top of the order.

In India’s recent clash against the West Indies, effectively a virtual quarter-final, Abhishek showed brief promise with a couple of crisp boundaries but failed to convert his start, departing cheaply once again. Despite his lean run, India have secured a place in the semi-finals, where they will face England on March 5 at Wankhede Stadium. As defending champions, India will aim to seal a spot in the final scheduled for March 8 at Narendra Modi Stadium, where they will meet either South Africa or New Zealand.

What is Abhishek Sharma’s record against England in T20Is?

Interestingly, Abhishek boasts an impressive record against the England cricket team in T20Is. In five innings, he has amassed 279 runs at a remarkable average of 55.80, including one century and one half-century. His performances against England suggest he could play a decisive role in the high-stakes semi-final.

In his first T20I against England, the visitors managed a modest total of 132, aided by a three-wicket haul from Varun Chakravarthy. During the chase, Abhishek blazed 79 off just 34 balls, smashing five fours and eight sixes to steer India comfortably home.

Although he endured three quiet outings thereafter, he made a stunning statement in the fifth match of the series. India piled up 247/9, powered by Abhishek’s sensational 135 off 54 deliveries, which included seven fours and 13 sixes at an astonishing strike rate of 250. His innings came against a formidable English attack featuring Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Jamie Overton and Brydon Carse.