Sarfaraz is one of the few Indian players to have a First-Class average of more than 50 at the time of his Test debut
India released pacer Mukesh Kumar from the squad before the third Test against England here, allowing him to join Bengal for their Ranji Trophy game against Bihar on Friday. The right-armer, who played the second Test in Visakhapatnam, will join back the Indian squad for the fourth game, scheduled to be played in Ranchi from February 23. "Mr Mukesh Kumar has been released from the India squad for the third Test against England in Rajkot, the BCCI said in statement "He will join his Ranji Trophy team, Bengal, for the team's next fixture before linking up with Team India in Ranchi," it added. Mukesh, who was replaced by Mohammed Siraj in the playing XI for the thirst Test on Thursday, struggled in Visakhpatnam, with the England batters taking him to the cleaners. The 30-year-old bowled the least number of overs, registering figures of 0/44 in 7 overs in the first innings and 1/26 in 5 overs in the second essay. His sole wicket was that of England number 10 Shoaib Bashir. The ...
Dane Piedt took a career-best 5-89 as South Africa bowled out New Zealand for 211 to take an unexpected first-innings lead Wednesday on the second day of the second cricket test. South Africa was bowled out for 242 after resuming Day 2 at 220-6 and New Zealand conceded a 31 run lead as bowlers dominated and 14 wickets fell in the day. New Zealand had been 183-9 and the deficit might have been greater but for a late innings of 33 by the redoubtable Neil Wagner. Piedt reached the high point of a checkered test career as he captured the wickets of Tom Latham, Kane Williamson, Will Young and Glenn Phillips to highlight an excellent bowling performance by the Proteas. Dane Paterson took the wicket of Devon Conway (0) in the first over of the New Zealand innings and finished with 3-39. My test career has been ups and downs with injuries and I'm seriously proud of the way we fought today, Piedt said. We had a nice talk out in the middle, reflecting on the first test (which New Zealand won
32-year-old Ben Stokes is the only player alongside West Indien legend Gary Sobers and South Africa's Jacques Kallis to score more than 6000 Test runs and take more than 190 wickets
India vs England 3rd Test Day 1 Highlights: Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja hit centuries while Sarfaraz Khan won hearts with his quickfire 62 as India dominated the English bowlers at Rajkot
India will need to be ruthless and tactful in equal measure while dealing with an unpredictable England when the third chapter of a riveting Test series begins here on Thursday. After England shocked India in the series opener at Hyderabad, the hosts came back strong in Vizag to get on level footing, leaving the five-match series perfectly poised. The brilliance of Yashasvi Jaiswal (321 runs) and Jasprit Bumrah (15) allowed India to make a comeback in the series but concerns remain over a misfiring middle-order, which will now be relying on the young talent to deliver the goods. Skipper Rohit Sharma's form with the bat before the eight-day break only added to the growing concern surrounding the Indian batting, which will be without K L Rahul in this game and Virat Kohli for the entirety of the series. Over the last one year or so, Rohit's aggressive approach with the bat has not yielded him big scores and the current situation demands the Indian skipper to perhaps contemplate ...
England captain Ben Stokes tried hard to be self-effacing on the eve of his 100th Test appearance, saying "milestones are what they are" but he is looking forward to the "theatre" that would come with playing the marquee game against a star-studded India. Stokes will become the 16th England player to appear in 100 Tests when he will lead the side out in the third Test against India here on Thursday. In the pre-match press conference, the dashing big-hitter tried his best to downplay the hype around his achievement. "Milestones are what they are. I've always enjoyed playing against India because of the contest, the theatre it brings," he said in a brief reply when asked about his thoughts on the match. The series is currently locked 1-1 after England won the opener in Hyderabad before India bounced back to claim the second in Visakhapatnam. Stokes said his mind is focused on decoding the conditions and having a solid strategy in place for the crucial game. "You look down and there'
Only two Tests have been played in Rajkot so far and India has won one and drawn another. They had to settle for a draw against England in 2016
India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja on Wednesday said England are not a difficult side to beat and the hosts only need to get used to their ultra attacking style of play to secure the five-match Test series. England shocked India in the series opener in Hyderabad before the hosts came back strong in Visakhapatnam to get on level footing. The third Test begins here on Thursday. "I won't term England as (one of the most difficult) teams. It hasn't been easy for other teams to come to India and win. They have an aggressive style of play. We need to get used to that and plan accordingly for them," said Jadeja on the eve of the game. "If it wasn't for small mistakes in the second innings of first Test, we wouldn't have lost," said the player who missed the second Test due to a hamstring injury. On the injuries he has had to deal with of late, Jadeja said he can't hide himself on the field. It is frustrating but the cricket has increased these days and that is at the back of the mind alwa
The India vs England 3rd Test live telecast will be available on Sports 18 HD/SD. Jio Cinemas will provide the live streaming of the India vs England Test match in India for free.
The lack of multiple entry India visa had delayed Rehan Ahmed's exit from the airport after England arrived here for the third Test, but the spinner's teammate Ollie Pope hoped that the issue will be resolved ahead of the match, beginning on Thursday. England had flown to Abu Dhabi on an extended 10-day break after the second Test at Visakhapatnam but on the team's return on Monday, Ahmed was stopped from leaving the Hirasar airport here because he had only a single-entry visa. The local immigration authorities managed to give the 19-year-old an interim two-day visa to facilitate his entry, and Pope was optimistic that the entire episode would come to an end sooner than later. "Hopefully it (Ahmed's visa issue) will be sorted in a day or so," said Pope while addressing a press conference here on Tuesday. Ahmed took two wickets in the first Test which England won by 28 runs, while in the second Test at Visakhapatnam he grabbed six wickets but India won by 106 runs to level the ...
An injury-hit India could well go into the third Test against England with two debutants in domestic run-machine Sarfaraz Khan and hard-hitting keeper-batter Dhruv Chand Jurel on a track that will be quite similar to the first two Test matches. However last match's centurion Shubman Gill however did not attend the optional training on Tuesday. It must be noted that Gill had hurt his right index finger while fielding in the second Test in Visakhapatnam. He didn't field during the England second innings and also said that the injury isn't too serious. With Shreyas Iyer being dropped and KL Rahul yet to recover, doors have opened for Sarfaraz, who has been one of the most prolific performers in Ranji Trophy. In case of Jurel, it is his superior batting quality that could get him the nod ahead of Kona Bharat, who has failed to score a single half-century in seven successive Tests. With Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz and Jurel batting between Nos 4 to 7, three of the four middle order players
Indian immigration officials held Rehan on arrival at Rajkot airport, given he had a single-entry visa. Among the 31 members, only Rehan did not have the right visa.
KL and Jasprit Bumrah were due to join the team on Monday in Rajkot, but the Karnataka batter has not left the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru yet.
Former Australia skipper Ian Chappell feels England under Ben Stokes will give India tough competition in the remainder of the Test series but backed the hosts to win it. The marquee five-match series is locked at 1-1 after India and England pulled off thrilling victories in Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad respectively. "As the home side India should eventually win a tough series, but it has a real battle on their hands," Chappell wrote in his column for 'ESPNCricinfo'. "England under the aggressive leadership of Stokes are a far cry from the poorly captained Joe Root team that capitulated against spin on their last tour of the country," he added. In their previous tour of India in 2021, England, playing under Joe Root, had surrendered the Test series after winning the opener. While star batter Virat Kohli will not be part of the series, the India team will be bolstered by the return of the KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja, who have been included in the squad for the remaining three ...
Former pacer Stuart Broad says the ongoing India-England Test series is the most evenly-matched contest that he has seen between the two sides but the visitors have a strong chance of emerging triumphant as the "fire, passion and competitiveness" of Virat Kohli is missing from the home team's arsenal. Speaking to PTI on the sidelines of the just-concluded SA20, where he was a commentator, Broad said the absence of Kohli due to personal reasons is a downer but the matches so far have been engrossing. The five-match series is locked 1-1 and the two teams will now square off in the third game in Rajkot, beginning February 15. "(The) first two matches were very competitive and it is one of the most exciting India-England Test series that I have seen. It is the most level series," he said. "India won the last Test but England's playing style ('Bazball') is quite effective in India. With Virat not in the team, it is a great opportunity for the England team," he added. Broad feels Kohli'
The year changed from 2023 to 2024, but the fortunes of an Indian side facing Australia in the final of a world-level event in cricket did not as they lost yet another final
Lavishing praise on teammate Jasprit Bumrah, senior India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said "Boomball" stole the show in the second Test against England and the pacer reaching top of the ICC rankings across three formats is a "Himalayan feat". Bumrah displayed brilliance with the ball to play a key role in the team's series-levelling 106-run win in the second Test in Visakhapatnam. He put up a reverse swing master-class in England's first innings that yielded him six wickets (6/45), following it up with a three-wicket haul in their second essay for match figures of 9 for 91. His performance enabled him to jump to number one in the Test rankings list, becoming the first Indian pacer to achieve the feat. Bumrah has also held the top spot in the ODI and T20 rankings previously. "The real show stealer was BoomBall. Jasprit Bumrah has bowled extraordinarily," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. "He is the leading wicket-taker with 14 wickets and also the No.1 ranked Test bowler. The
Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul were also named in the squad, but their participation is subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI medical team.
Shreyas Iyer has complained of back stiffness after the Vizag Test and might miss the 3rd Test in Rajkot. In the two Tests vs England, Iyer scored only 104 runs in 4 innings at an average of 26.