Ishan Kishan and India U19 team [Source: AFP, @BCCI/x]MS Dhoni has backed Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. Ishan Kishan justified his promotion at the top of the order in the warm-up match against South Africa. In other news, the India U19 team cruised into the final of the 2026 ICC U19 World Cup.Capping an eventful day in the world of cricket, here we take a look at five of the biggest cricketing news that emerged out of Wednesday, February 4. MS Dhoni backs Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma Former Indian captain MS Dhoni has backed Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to play till the 2027 ICC Men’s ODI Cricket World Cup in South Africa. Both Kohli and Sharma will be approaching 40s at the time of the tournament, an age that often raises questions around longevity at the highest level. However, MS Dhoni believes that age should not be a factor as long as competing cricketers are fit enough to play. Notably, Dhoni himself is about to turn up for the CSK franchise in the upcoming IPL 2026 season at an age of nearly 45. Saim Ayub regains number one ICC rankings Pakistan cricketer Saim Ayub has regained his number one spot on the ICC T20I rankings for men’s all-rounders. The youngster dethroned Zimbabwe senior pro Sikandar Raza from the position. As per the updated charts, Saim Ayub is sitting at the top of the ICC T20I all-rounder’s rankings with 290 rating points. Raza slipped to second with 289 rating points while Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya retained his third spot with 247 points. Saim Ayub recently impressed one-and-all during Pakistan’s three-match home T20I series against Australia last week. Devon Conway joins Islamabad United for PSL 2026 New Zealand batter Devon Conway has been roped in by the Islamabad United franchise for the upcoming PSL 2026 season. The cricketer was signed for a sum of PKR 63 million. Late last year, Devon Conway was released by the CSK franchise for IPL 2026. The New Zealander also failed to attract any bids at the IPL 2026 auction in December. As of now, Devon Conway is in India as part of the New Zealand squad for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The impending PSL 2026 season in Pakistan will mark Conway’s maiden PSL stint. Aaron George, Vaibhav Suryavanshi cruise India U19 to World Cup final India U19 blanked Afghanistan by seven wickets in the second semifinal of the 2026 ICC Men’s U19 World Cup in Harare. The Ayush Mhatre-led side will now face England for the title clash this weekend. Chasing 311, teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi blasted 68 off just 33 balls at the top of the order. Opening batter Aaron George compiled a scintillating 115 from 104 balls with 15 fours and two sixes. Captain Mhatre also belted a swift 59-ball 62 as India U19 reached its target in just 41.1 overs. Ishan Kishan clubs 20-ball 53 in warm-up vs South Africa Ishan Kishan replaced Sanju Samson at the top of the order and bludgeoned 53 runs off just 20 balls. The blistering left-hander smeared two fours and seven huge sixes against South Africa in the warm-up match of the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup in Navi Mumbai. His innings helped India mount 240-5 in 20 overs, with Tilak Varma (45 off 19), captain Suryakumar Yadav (30 off 16), Axar Patel (35* off 23) and Hardik Pandya (30 off 10) also making their presence felt with the bat.
