India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj believes England's much-hyped 'Bazball' strategy won't work in Indian conditions and if the visitors go with their ultra-aggressive approach then the match may get over within two days. 'Bazball', a hell-for-leather attacking batting approach, coined after Test team head coach Brendon McCullum, has given England tremendous success last year but it will face its baptism by fire on sub-continental tracks, which offer turn and bounce in equal measure. "If England play Bazball in Indian conditions, the match might get over within a day-and-a-half or two. It's not easy to hit every time here as the ball turns sometimes and straightens on other occasions," Siraj told 'Jio Cinema' on the eve of the opening Test beginning here on Thursday. "So, I think it'll be difficult to see Bazball here. But if they play it, it'll be good for us as the match may get over quickly." Talking about his preparations for the tour, Siraj said: "On their previous tour to India,
India might be an indomitable force at home, but captain Rohit Sharma on Wednesday said he wouldn't want to label themselves as "unbeatable" and they need to play consistent cricket to trump England in the five-match series. The first Test between India and England will start here from Thursday, and Rohit said his primary focus is the strategies of his side. India have remained unbeaten at home for past 12 years and the last team to beat the hosts in their own backyard was England under Alastair Cook, back in 2012. "I don't think we are unbeatable. We don't want to think like that. But whatever past records that we have over the last decade or so, do not guarantee that we will come out on top in this series. We have to play well to win this series," said Rohit during his pre-match press meet here on Wednesday. Rohit also said the win over South Africa in the second Test at Cape Town has given the side a lot of confidence ahead of the series against England. "The Cape Town win was
India's unalloyed dominance at home over the last 12 years will be put through its most unique examination till date when Rohit Sharma's side faces a trend-defying England in the first match of what promises to be a stirring five-Test series from Thursday. No team has been as invincible as India at home since their 1-2 defeat against the Three Lions led by Alastair Cook in 2012, stitching together a bull run of 16 successive series wins, including seven series sweeps. If one further breaks down the stats, India have lost just three Tests out of 44 they played in their own backyard in this phase, and this is a power walk even beyond the all-conquering West Indies in the '80s or Australia of the turn of the century. Several factors have contributed to this astonishing run over the last decade, including favourable pitches, bowlers who knew how to exploit those tracks and batters who churned out runs like popcorn from a vending machine. But two players have stood head and shoulders ab
Gill reigned supreme in 2022-23 as he amassed 1325 runs in 25 matches with his highest knock of 208 coming against New Zealand in the ODI clash.
When BCCI selected Shubman Gill for the Cricketer of the Year award, it was a just reflection of the wonder 2023 he had in white ball formats. Last year, Gill became the fastest batter to the 2000-run mark in ODIs, while making 1584 runs from 29 matches at an average of 63.36 including five hundreds. Gill, who made his T20 debut in January last year, had a fair run in that format too while playing 14 matches for 335 runs with a hundred, also becoming one of those rare batters to score a century in all three versions of the sport. But all this glitter masked a rather underwhelming season Gill had in Test cricket. Gill made just 304 runs from seven Tests at an average of 27.63 with a 128 against Australia being the lone saving grace. By no means, Gill has not been bundled into any last chance saloon but he will be mindful of the increasing competition from players such as Rajat Patidar, who made a rollicking hundred against England Lions in Ahmedabad recently. But the elegant ...
Head coach Rahul Dravid did not see Indian batters replying to England's 'Bazball' in kind but he said they will not be taking a backward step in the five-match Test series beginning here from Thursday. Dravid said India will formulate their game plans as per the situations that the match throws up at them in the rubber. "I don't think we are going out there to try to be ultra-attacking. I think we look to play what's in front of us, what the situation demands. But by nature, if you look at our top six-seven batsmen, there are a lot of guys who are naturally positive and look to take the game on. "So, they're not going to be looking to change that in any particular way. There'll be some different situations in which we may need to look to push the game along or we might have to bat for long periods. "But I can't see any of my batsmen taking a backward step or look to be defensive," Dravid said in an interaction here on Tuesday. However, Dravid did not have much doubt that England
India head coach Rahul Dravid's words contained a mild warning to the England camp when he said the pitch for the first Test would offer assistance to spinners as the game moves on. Ahead of the first Test starting here from Thursday, the 22-yard trampoline here spotted a dry look, especially from the good length area on either side of it. Hard one to say (nature of pitch). We will have a look once it (match) starts and figure it out. It looks a good one from what I've seen, Dravid began his statement during Tuesday's media interaction in a rather mundane manner. Then he added: But may spin a little bit. How quickly and how fast, I'm not sure. But it might spin a little bit certainly as the game goes on. Fast bowler Mark Wood, on the other hand, admitted that the England camp has had a discussion about the nature of pitch but without creating a bedlam in their minds. We've discussed the pitch. But I wouldn't say we discuss it at that length to worry about it. We have enough ...
The live toss between India and England during the five-match Test series will take place at 9 PM IST. Sports 18 will live telecast India vs England Test matches in India.
England won't wear me out if they're playing fast and aggressively, so I could get a ton of wickets, says Jasprit Bumrah ahead of IND vs ENG 1st test in Hyderabad
Ahead of the India vs England 1st Test in Hyderabad Jan 25, Dravid stated, "Rahul will not be playing as a wicketkeeper in this series and we are clear about that in the selection itself."
Bharat smashed a fifty and a hundred against the touring England Lions in a two-day practice and four-day First-Class match respectively. He has one of the finest records as a wicket-keeper in India
Indian fans can watch the budding star during the ICC Under 19 World Cup 2024 on Star Sports Network. Fans can watch the live streaming of India matches of the U-19 World Cup on Disney+Hotstar
White-ball specialist Rinku Singh was on Tuesday drafted into the India 'A' squad for the second four-day match against England Lions in Ahmedabad starting Wednesday. The explosive middle-order batter, known for his exploits in the T20I format, had made his ODI debut in the South Africa series where he played two matches scoring 17 and 38. The Uttar Pradesh lefthander has played 44 first-class matches, scoring 3109 runs at an average of 57.57. India 'A' had drawn the first four-day match against the England Lions last week. India 'A' squad: Abhimanyu Easwaran (Captain), Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Tilak Varma, Kumar Kushagra, Washington Sundar, Sourabh Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Tushar Deshpande, Vidwath Kaverappa, Upendra Yadav, Akash Deep, Yash Dayal, Rinku Singh.
Having got to play only eight Tests since making his debut against Australia in 2017 does make Kuldeep Yadav one of the unluckiest Indian cricketers in recent times. And if the Indian team management under Rahul Dravid follow the "rank turner" template for the upcoming England series starting January 25, Kuldeep can be seen warming the bench at least in the initial stage of the five-match series. India spin great Harbhajan Singh, who is known for his forthright opinions, feels that although in terms of skill and quality Kuldeep will be ahead of the Gujarat left-arm spinner, there is no better choice than Axar if pitches are diabolical in nature. "Look, the way I look at it that when both R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are in playing eleven and you are looking at a third specialist spinner, it should be Kuldeep. "Because Kuldeep as a wrist spinner will bring that variation. But I believe Axar's selection in Test matches is purely on his batting skills. At No 8 or 9, he can bat and tha
Young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal could cement his place in the Indian Test side during the upcoming five-Test series against England at home, feels the legendary Sunil Gavaskar. The former captain believes that the Indian pitches would allow the 20-year-old to express himself in a better manner than the hard and bouncy tracks of South Africa. India last played a Test series in South Africa. "The home pitches would be different. The pitches in South Africa were tough due to extra bounce, and even experienced batters struggle, whereas Yashasvi is a youngster," Gavaskar told Star Sports. "However, with the approach that he displayed in Centurion and even in the West Indies, there's a belief that he would cement himself on the Indian tracks. "You need a left-hander in the top order. Although I cannot say it with all certainty, he is likely to cement himself in the Test side in this series." Since his debut in the longest format last year in the West Indies, Jaiswal has scored 316 runs i
Bashir, an uncapped teenage off-spinner is the son of parents of Pakistani heritage and therefore his visa was not instantly approved by the Indian government
India is set to play the first Test against England starting January 25 at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, while the second Test will begin on February 2 in Vishakhapatnam.
Former India left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan on Monday described Rohit Sharma as a leader who "walks the talk" and reckoned he will contribute handsomely both as a captain and batter in the upcoming five-Test series against England. "Everyone knows of the influence and impact that Rohit has had on the whole group," Zaheer said on JioCinema. Zaheer said the hallmark of Rohit's captaincy is his ability to communicate well. "He talks about communication. He gives enough confidence to every player and brings out the best in them. "That has been the hallmark of his captaincy and he leads from the front as seen in the World Cup. He walks the talk. "When you have a leader walking the talk, it gives you better efficiency within the whole group. So, I think he's a proven leader." Ever since Rohit took on the role of an opener in Tests, he has achieved notable success, including scoring impressive centuries in challenging conditions. "You've seen him adapt nicely in England when it came to le
From most wickets to most runs and head-to-head, check out all the stats involving India and England in the Test format since 1932
Former England cricketer Darren Gough is full of admiration for James Anderson's unwavering commitment to the game, especially as the 41-year-old fast bowler made adjustments to his run-up ahead of the gruelling five-Test series in India. Set to become the oldest player to feature in an overseas Test for England in almost three decades, Anderson in an interview has earlier revealed that he is coming with a "better run-up to get that speed and momentum". He has worked on it after a forgettable Ashes at home last year where he returned with five wickets from four Tests at 85.40 apiece. "It just goes to show the desire to carry on playing. The only thing is when you've been doing something so long as Jimmy has, when you start quickening up, you bring more injuries into play, more hamstring, calf, groin-type injuries," Darren Gough told English publication inews. "Let's hope not because I think even at his age he can perform. Everybody talks about his age but with Jimmy you have to tak