The fourth week of October was eventful and controversial, featuring India's women sealing a World Cup semi-final spot, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's show in Sydney, Rishabh Pant's return, and off-field incidents raising concerns over player safety.

The fourth week of October has been quite eventful as well as packed with highs and lows in international cricket. Beginning with India sealing the Women's World Cup 2025 semifinal spot and ending with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's farewell match in Australia, the week also saw Rishabh Pant's return to competitive cricket, Sarfaraz Khan's controversial non-selection, and off-field incidents affecting players' safety.

As the penultimate of October concludes, let's take a look at the top cricket highlights of the week that grabbed headlines.

Following three successive losses, Team India made a strong comeback to seal the last semifinal berth with a 53-run victory over New Zealand in the Women's World Cup 2025 at DY Patil Sports Academy Stadium in Navi Mumbai. With three losses on the trot against South Africa, Australia, and England after a great start to the campaign with wins over Sri Lanka and Pakistan, the Women in Blue were on the verge of an early exit from the tournament.

However, a collective effort from centuries by Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal, and a crucial knock by Jemimah Rodrigues, backed by disciplined bowling and fielding, propelled India to a crucial win that sealed their semifinal spot and reignited their hopes of lifting their maiden World Cup trophy. The Women in Blue will face Australia in the semifinal on October 30 in Navi Mumbai.

Team India lost the three-match ODI series after going down to Australia in the second match at the Adelaide Oval. The Men in Blue had earlier suffered a seven-wicket defeat in the series opener at Optus Stadium in Perth on Sunday, October 19, and were hoping for a win to level the series and force a decider in Sydney.

However, despite a resilient 73-run knock by Rohit Sharma and useful contributions from the middle order, especially Shreyas Iyer (61) and Axar Patel, India fell short again as Australia chased down the 265-run target set by India with 21 balls to spare, sealing the series 2-0 and leaving India to salvage pride in the final ODI at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Team India Test vice-captain Rishabh Pant is set to make a comeback to competitive cricket in the upcoming India's two unofficial Tests against South Africa A, with the opening match set to begin on October 30 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) Ground in Bengaluru. Pant has been out of action since July after sustaining a fractured foot during the Old Trafford Test against England in Manchester.

Rishabh Pant was added to the 15-member squad as a captain after receiving fitness clearance from the BCCI medical team following rehabilitation, recovery, and fitness assessments. Due to injury, Pant missed out on playing the Asia Cup, the West Indies Test series, and the ongoing white-ball tour of Australia. His return is a big positive for Team India ahead of the South Africa Test series, starting on November 14.

India and Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan's exclusion from the India A squad for the upcoming South Africa A series sparked massive debate on social media, with many, including Ravichandran Ashwin, questioning the selectors' decision despite his impressive record in domestic cricket. Sarfaraz Khan's last appearance for India A was in the unofficial Test against England Lions, wherein he scored 92 in the first innings at Canterbury.

The 27-year-old did not play a single match in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia and was not picked for the England Test tour. Sarfaraz Khan missed out on selection for the West Indies Test series due to a quadriceps injury sustained during the Buchi Babu Tournament. Despite returning to competitive cricket for Mumbai in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season, Sarfaraz Khan was overlooked for the India A squad.

Colombo and Rain have been quite the invited duo as they together turned several matches of the ongoing Women's World Cup 2025 into washouts. 11 matches were played at R Premadasa Stadium, out of which five games were abandoned either without a toss or after minimal play. With multiple matches getting washed out in Colombo, several questions were raised on the contingency plan and suitability as a World Cup venue amid unpredictable weather conditions and repeated disruptions.

The latest match to get washed out was between Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The final game in Colombo took place after much delay due to heavy showers, but only 4.2 overs were bowled before the match was called off. Pakistan was the team most affected by rain in Colombo, as they played all their group-stage matches there and failed to win a single game.

Team India finished the ODI leg of the Australia tour on a high with a commanding 9-wicket victory in the third match at Sydney Cricket Ground. Having lost the ODI series with two successive losses in Perth and Adelaide, the Men in Blue earned a consolation win to end the ODI leg on a positive note before the T20I series.

However, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who likely played their last match on Australian soil, stole the spotlight with their unbeaten match-winning 168-run partnership for the second wicket to chase down a 237-run target with 69 balls to spare. Rohit played a brilliant innings of 121 off 125 balls, recording his 50th international century, and Virat Kohli, on the other hand, scored 74 off 81 balls, helping him surpass former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara's tally of 14234 runs to become the second-leading run-getter in ODI history.

Following a 93-run defeat to Pakistan in the first Test at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, South Africa bounced back to level the two-match series with an 8-wicket win at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. After being bundled for 138 in the second innings, Pakistan set a 68-run target for South Africa to chase.

On Day 4, the Proteas chased down the target with Ryan Rickelton hitting a winning six to take the team through the finishing line. Skipper Aiden Markram led the run chase with an innings of 42 off 45 balls and formed an opening 64-run partnership with Rickelton. The star performers of the second Test were Senuran Muthusamy for his unbeaten 89 in the first innings and Keshav Maharaj for his seven-wicket haul across both innings.

In a shocking turn of events, two Australian cricketers playing in the ongoing Women's World Cup 2025 were 'harassed and molested' by a motorcyclist, reportedly named Aqueel Khan, in Indore. Cricket Australia confirmed that two of their players were 'approached and touched inappropriately by a motorcyclist' on Thursday. The incident took place before their match against South Africa, which they won by seven wickets on Saturday.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed the incident and appreciated the Madhya Pradesh Police for their swift action in arresting the accused. Saikia further stated that the board will review security protocols for the visiting players to prevent such incidents from happening in the future and ensure the safety and well-being of all international teams touring India.

New Zealand skipper and legend Sophie Devine has played her ODI match of her career in the Women's World Cup 2025 game against England on Sunday, October 26. Ahead of the marquee event, Devine announced that she would retire from her ODI career after the conclusion of the ongoing Women's World Cup 2025. 

The 36-year-old had a tearful farewell during New Zealand's national anthem as the emotions of ending her nearly two-decade-long ODI career overwhelmed her. Devine finishes with 4,279 runs, 110 wickets, and nine centuries in 159 ODIs, leaving a lasting legacy for the White Ferns.

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