England were all at sea against the mastery of India spinner Kuldeep Yadav, whose fourth five-wicket haul reduced the visitors to 194 for eight at tea on day one of the fifth Test here on Thursday. Kuldeep engineered a middle-order collapse that saw England lose three wickets for no run and all of a sudden they found themselves reeling at 175 for six from three down on the same score. The left-arm wrist spinner, who struck twice in the morning, added three more wickets to his tally in the afternoon while R Ashwin took two. England lost six wickets in the session for 94 runs. Kuldeep could have got rid of Zak Crawley (79 off 108) on the second ball of the day but India opted against DRS for a catch. But the 29-year-old spinner did not have to wait long thereafter as he got one to turn massively from the imaginary fifth stump to shatter the England opener's leg-stump. Both the inward drift and the sharp turn led to Crawley's dismissal. Jonny Bairstow (29 off 19), who like Ashwin is
IND vs ENG 5th Test Playing 11: England have made one change in their Playing 11, bringing in tearaway pacer Mark Wood in place of Ollie Robinson.
The contest against England's 'Bazballers' was probably the biggest Test of Rohit Sharma's captaincy at home and not only did the India skipper ace it, he also got to "learn a lot" about his leadership in what he described as a "series of comebacks" India have been put under pressure in all the four Tests played thus far but after the Hyderabad debacle, the hosts managed to put the pressure back on the opposition to seal the series in Ranchi. The finale starts here on Thursday. Rohit struggled to define the 'Bazball' approach adopted by England but gave the opponents due credit. "Honestly, I don't know what Bazball means... whether it is to go and strike? whether it is to go and defend and wait for the loose ball? because I've not seen any wild swinging from anyone. I don't know exactly what this term means," Rohit said on Wednesday. "But yeah clearly they've played better cricket than the last series they were here. And you've got to give credit to two of their batters who got big
India's premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will be eyeing a memorable outing in his landmark 100th Test when the unassailable hosts face a fallen England in the finale of what has been a riveting five-match series, here on Thursday. India maintained their envious record at home by sealing the series in Ranchi and now, they will be looking for another favourable result to extend their lead in World Test Championships standings. The pitch and the cold weather, that is making the English feel at home, have been the two big talking points going into the game. The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 10 degrees for the opening two days before rising over the weekend. The pitch wore a flat look on the eve of the game but the moisture seeped underneath will keep the pacers interested in the early hours of play on all days. Though traditionally, the venue favours fast bowlers, the role of spinners can't be discounted and they did play a big part in India's win over Austral
Only one Test has been played here which was won by India against Australia by 8 wickets. The wicket at Dharamsala is contrary to the wintry surroundings, It is dry and generally on the slower side
The results may not have gone their way on the tour of India but England have had no shortage of fan support and it is set to reach its peak this week in the picturesque town of Dharamsala. The fifth and final Test is still two days away but thousands of English fans have flocked to the hill station. The Barmy Army has provided constant support through the series but the prospect of watching Test cricket amid the stunning backdrop of the Himalayas has attracted even more fans from England. Three early morning flights from Delhi Airport to Dharamsala were packed with English fans and a handful of locals including Indian captain Rohit Sharma, giving the impression that the game was being played in the UK. Upon their arrival at the Gaggal Airport, the fans were left in awe of the snowcapped mountains in the background. The weather, unusually cold for this time of the year, is also making the English fans feel right at home. "This is the kind of weather we see in England in April and M
Set to complete a century of Test matches, England wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow on Tuesday said reaching the landmark "means hell of a lot" to him given that he has had to wade through testing times. The 34-year-old will become the 17th Englishman to get a 100th Test cap when he steps out for the fifth and final Test against India starting here on Thursday and it will be an emotional week for Bairstow, who endured a tough childhood and a long career-threatening injury. "It means a hell of a lot. Every young kid that sets out on a journey playing professional cricket wants to try and play 100 Test matches. You look back to 2012 when I made my debut at Lord's, if 12 years later you'd said I'd be playing 100 Test matches, you'd snap your hand off for one but also pinching yourself as well, he said. Bairstow was just 8 when his father David, a former England wicketkeeper, died by suicide. His mother Janet kept the family together even as she battled and defeated breast cancer ...
Thursday, March 7 will be the coldest with the highest temperature being seven degrees Celsius and the lowest being four. The day will also face morning showers and afternoon thunderstorms
For Michael Vaughan, Pep Guardiola is the best sporting leader in the last 15 years and the former England skipper won't mind if Ben Stokes employs Manchester City manager's approach of never allowing players to take their places for granted. Vaughan made the statement on the back of England's aggressive "Bazball" strategy under coach Brendon McCullum and Stokes which backfired in the ongoing India tour. England have already lost the five-match series 3-1 after winning the first Test in Hyderabad. Vaughan questioned the approach of England batters and demanded greater accountability from them. "I often mention Pep Guardiola's approach. In my eyes he's the best sporting leader of this generation, say the last 15 years. He never allows his players to get comfortable. He always keeps them guessing, and they all know they are guaranteed nothing," he wrote in a column for Daily Telegraph. "If a great sporting leader like Pep has everyone on their toes like that, is it right that an Eng
If India manages to win the Dharamsala Test, it will continue to remain at the top of the WTC points table. However a draw could Australia and New Zealand a chance to overtake
James Anderson, England's greatest fast bowler with an unparalleled longevity and nearly 1000 international wickets, says he has learned a few elements of pace bowling, including reverse swing, from Indian great Zaheer Khan. At 41, Anderson continues to lead the England attack and is two short of becoming the first fast bowler in the history of the sport to breach the 700-wicket mark. Spin legends Muttiah Muralitharan and the late Shane Warne are the only bowlers with 700 plus wickets in Test cricket. "For me, Zaheer Khan was someone I used to watch a lot to try and learn from. How he used the reverse swing, how he covered the ball when he ran into bowl, that's something I tried to sort of develop on the back of playing against him quite a few times here," Anderson told JioCinema. Zaheer, one of India's finest seamers, played his last Test in 2014 when Anderson was at the top of his game. Among the current lot of Indian pacers, Anderson is most impressed by Jasprit Bumrah's abilit
Skipper Ben Stokes expressed pride in how England have fought toe to toe with India despite not having "a chance in hell of competing" with the hosts in the ongoing series. India registered a five-wicket win in the fourth and penultimate Test to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series against England, who suffered their first Test series defeat under the leadership of captain Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum. "3-1 doesn't look great, but the way in which we've come at India is what I'm most proud of," Stokes told British media. "We didn't have a chance in hell of even competing with India. But even today(Monday), that wasn't an easy win for India, and I think they would admit that," he added. In the fourth Test, England tried to fashion a fight-back before India crossed the line on the fourth day in Ranchi. Chasing 192, India slipped to 120/5, before Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel stitched a 72-run unbroken partnership. "This young, inexperienced team has been .
The England Test squad members will split across Chandigarh and Bengaluru during the one-week break they have got ahead of the fifth and final Test against India beginning March 7 in Dharamsala. The side has conceded a series-deciding 1-3 lead after going down by five wickets in the fourth Test here on Monday. In the long break between the second and third Test, the whole of England squad had spent its free time in Abu Dhabi. It was also in Abu Dhabi that the Ben Stokes-led side had trained before arriving in India for the series that began on January 25. However, the players have chosen Chandigarh and Bengaluru for the week leading up to the Dharamsala Test. "The squad will be split across Chandigarh and Bengaluru before the fifth Test. They are unlikely to hit the nets during the break. The squad arrives in Dharamsala about three days before the Test (March 4)," an ECB source told PTI. The loss against India is the visitors' first series defeat in the 'Bazball' era.
Former captain Nasser Hussain on Monday said that England should not feel ashamed of losing the Test series to India, as Rohit Sharma's side are the deserved winners in view of the skill-set as well as the mental toughness they possess. England suffered their first Test series defeat of the 'Bazball' era after India beat them by five wickets in the fourth and penultimate Test in Ranchi to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match affair. "India deserve credit for the way they've played throughout the series, they have been without some star names...Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah in this one, Mohammed Shami, KL Rahul for most of the series and Rishabh Pant," Hussain wrote on Sky Sports. "There's a long list of people that India are missing and yet they've managed to put in performances. You have to give credit to India, not only for the skill they have, but the mental toughness to have another home series win. "Their record at home is absolutely phenomenal, so there's no shame in
There were many key moments which transferred the match from England's grip to India. Here are the top five of them
The percentage of points (POP) for team India sits at 64.58 which is nearly 11 behind league leader New Zealand, who have a POP of 75 with three wins in four games
4th Test, Day 4, India vs England Highlights: Dhruv Jurel played crucial knocks of 90 and 39* as India won the Ranchi Test by five wickets to take unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series
Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, who became the second youngest England bowler to grab a Test five-for, dedicated his feat to his late grandfathers who were avid fans of the red-ball cricket. At 20 years and 135 days, Bashir grabbed his maiden five-for -- 5/119 -- during India's first innings on the third day of the fourth Test here. He was playing in just his second Test. "It was a very special moment on my journey. Two years ago, I wouldn't have thought anything like this (would happen) but that was really special," Bashir told reporters after day's play. "It was quite emotional as well, actually -- I lost my two grand dads about a year and a half ago and they used to just sit and watch Test cricket all the time. Their wish was to see me out on the TV, I know they're supporting me from up above." Bashir bowled across three sessions and had 32 overs under his belt, including 31 overs on the trot from the dressing room end. The youngster said the Ben Stokes-led side supported him ...
4th Test, Day 3, India vs England highlights: India did brilliantly to bowl England out for 145 in the second innings and then not lose any of their wickets as they would need 152 more to win on Day 4
Root, who has 11.615 runs in Tests, 6,522 in ODIs and 893 in T20Is, has amassed a total of 19,030 runs across all three formats in 443 innings