Page 37 - India Vs England

In Virat's absence, great chance for England to win series: Stuart Broad

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'

Real show stealer was Boomball: Ashwin lauds Bumrah's Himalayan feat

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

England spinner Leach ruled out of remaining three Tests against India

England left-arm spinner Jack Leach was on Sunday ruled out of the remaining three Tests against India with a left knee injury, announced the England and Wales Cricket Board. However, no replacement will be called up for Leach, an indication that England will continue with the spin trio of Tom Hartley, Rehan Ahmed and Shoaib Basheer for the rest of the tour. Joe Root is the visitors' fourth spin option behind the three regular spinners. Leach had sustained the injury during England's first Test victory in Hyderabad and missed the second Test in Visakhapatnam as a result. "He will fly home from Abu Dhabi in the next 24 hours, where the England team has been staying ahead of the third Test in Rajkot, which starts on Thursday (February 15). "Leach will work closely with the England and Somerset medical teams in respect of his rehabilitation," stated the ECB in a media release. The 32-year-old Leach has taken 126 wickets in 36 Tests, besides being a handy lower-order batter.

India squad for England Tests 2024: No Kohli; KL, Jadeja subject to fitness

Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul were also named in the squad, but their participation is subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI medical team.

BCCI may announce India squad today; Iyer doubtful for IND vs ENG 3rd Test

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.

IND vs ENG 3rd Test: Vaughan expresses concern over England's Bazball play

Former skipper Michael Vaughan is worried England will become a side that doesn't win much despite putting in the hard yards, adding that the team's batting unit needs to strike a balance between playing aggressive and traditional cricket to succeed in India. Since adopting the 'Bazball' approach, England have enjoyed a good run but the same no-holds-barred approach has also cost them several matches and series, including the Ashes last year. "England have become a difficult team to criticise too much because they are so good to watch. Every game they play has us all absolutely gripped, and they have improved massively under Ben Stokes," Vaughan wrote in his coulmn for 'The Telegraph'. "However, I do worry that they might become a team who do all this great work only to not actually win very much. They didn't win the Ashes when they should have done and now they have let India back into a series when they still have a load of big names, including Virat Kohli, to come back." England

'Kohli's absence, blow for India, blow for series, blow for world cricket'

A player of the stature of Virat Kohli missing the upcoming Tests against England is a blow not just for the Indian team but also for the series and world cricket in general, feels former skipper Nasser Hussain. Hussain though supported the Indian maestro for prioritising his private life. Kohli, who withdrew from the first two Tests against England due to personal reasons, is likely to miss the upcoming matches in Rajkot and Ranchi, and remains a doubtful starter for the Dharamsala game too. The five-match Test series is currently tied at 1-1. "Yeah, well, nothing's confirmed at the moment. There's speculation, whether it's the next two Test matches, they're going to announce their side in the next few hours. Whether it's the next three Test matches, so nothing's confirmed, but it will be a blow. "It'll be a blow for India. It'll be a blow for the series. It'll be a blow for world cricket. It's going to be a special series. It already has been. The first two games have been ...

IND vs ENG 3rd Test: Rehan Ahmed attributes spinners' success to leadership

Exceeding expectations, England's inexperienced spinners have outperformed their seasoned Indian counterparts in the first two Tests, and young Rehan Ahmed attributed it to team environment and Ben Stokes' leadership. The five-match series is level at 1-1 at the moment but, amazingly enough, spin is one area in which the tourists have emerged winners. It is quite remarkable that the trio of Ahmed, Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir have taken more wickets (33) than the formidable group made up of titans such as Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav (23). "That just shows how great the team environment is," Ahmed, 19, was quoted as saying in BBC. "Tommy and Bash, you've seen them come in and not be nervous and that's credit to the team. "The environment and the leadership we have, it does make you kind of forget the players you are playing against - we just focus on what we need to do." Even in terms of economy rate, the England spin attack is ahead of the

IND-ENG 3rd Test: Will Kohli play? Update on Siraj-Rahul's inclusion in XI

The India vs England 2024 Tests have gone interesting. With 10-day break between the 2nd & 3rd Test, check here what could be India squad & Playing 11 for the 3rd test in Rajkot, starting February 15

IND vs ENG 3rd Test: Root reveals, team meetings not part of 'Bazball' era

England under Ben Stokes are not big on team meetings and prefer organic conversations about the game to get the best out of players, says the team's batting mainstay Joe Root. Root, who is yet to make big runs in the ongoing Test series against India, has fully bought into England's aggressive style of play in the longest format. Their five-match series against India is locked at 1-1 after the hosts bounced back to trump 'Bazball' here on Monday in the second Test. "We don't really do team meetings anymore. That's one of the great things about how we do all of our conversations away from the game and just that enjoyment and buzz about spending time with each other," Root had told 'Jio Cinema' before the game here. "We don't have to sit in a meeting room and I think it's more authentic and more genuine when you can have it around a dinner table. Having a coffee in the morning or whatever, I think that's when you do your best learning," he said. England found themselves trailing Ind

IND vs ENG: Bumrah first Indian pacer to top ICC bowler rankings in Tests

Bumrah ended compatriot Ravichandran Ashwin's 11-month-long reign as the world's number-one Test bowler

IND vs ENG 3rd Test: McCullum sure about finding way to counter Bumrah

England were at the receiving end of Jasprit Bumrah's sensational spell in the second Test but head coach Brendon McCullum expects his players to work out a way to tackle the immense threat posed by the star Indian pacer. Bumrah ran through the England batting line-up, known for their ultra-aggressive Bazball approach, returning figures of 6/45 to help dismiss the tourists for 253 in their first innings and set up India's series-levelling win in Visakhapatnam. McCullum, also known for his aggressive batting during his playing days, was non committal when asked how England plan to deal with Bumrah in the remaining three Tests, simply saying that his team does not believe in theories. "We don't really do theories. It is about making sure the guys are totally clear and present, confident and have conviction in their method. They are a lot better than I ever was and they will work it out how best to go about it," McCullum said. "There are contrasting ways of going about it...we will se

IND vs ENG: Vaughan slams England for Abu Dhabi trip before 3rd Test

Michael Atherton revealed that the England team will enjoy the break in Abu Dhabi and have some golf swings. The India vs England Test series is level at 1-1 after first two tests.

IND vs ENG: Here's why Ben Stokes' men went to Abu Dhabi before Rajkot Test

England opted to return to Abu Dhabi during the break between 2nd and 3rd Test. Usually, visiting teams use the break to get used to the conditions. IND vs ENG 3rd Test starts on February 15 in Rajkot

Technology got it wrong on this occasion: Stokes on Crawley's lbw decision

England captain Ben Stokes on Monday felt his opening batter Zak Crawley was at the receiving end of a wrong' DRS call for an LBW, after going down against India in the second Test. Crawley was England's best batter in the game, scoring 76 and 73 in his two innings. On day four, he blended caution with aggression to put the Indian bowlers under pressure before being adjudged LBW off Kuldeep Yadav in a close DRS call before lunch. On the sixth ball of his first over, Kuldeep got one to turn back in from middle stump. It seemed the ball was going down leg but DRS showed that it was hitting the leg-stump. Stokes did not seem to agree with the DRS call. Technology in the game is obviously there. Everyone has an understanding of the reasons it can never be 100% which is why we have the umpire's call. That's why it's in place. When it's not 100% as everyone says, I don't think it's unfair for someone to say I think the technology has got it wrong on this occasion', Stokes said after the

IND-ENG: Shubman Gill undergoes scans on injured finger, says would be fine

Indian batter Shubman Gill on Monday played down the finger injury which kept him off the field on the fourth day of the second Test against England here, revealing that scans have not thrown up anything of concern and he would be fine in the next few days. Though Gill batted on day 3, scoring a 147-ball 104 and playing a crucial role in India's 106-runs series-levelling win in the five-match rubber, he did not come out to field on Monday. Sarfaraz Khan substituted for him on the field. Gill had hurriedly left the ground at the end of day's play on Sunday after hurting his right index finger and after the match drew to a close on Monday, he revealed that he had gone for scans. "I had to go for the scans yesterday, so they rushed me off (to know) like how sore is my finger in the evening... to check that and to know how am I feeling," Gill told the host broadcaster after India's win, adding that he would be fine. Earlier on Monday, the Indian team management issued a statement sayi

Our bowling attack is in transition, I need to guide the youngsters: Bumrah

Mohammed Shami and Ravichandran Ashwin are in the twilight of their Test careers and Jasprit Bumrah on Monday acknowledged that he is now the link between the old order and the new as Indian Test bowling enters a transition phase. The 30-year-old is one of Indian cricket's greatest ever match-winners and someone who has made it to India's 'Fab-Five' list of pacers along with the legendary Kapil Dev, the fiery Javagal Srinath and the two artistic exponents of reverse swing in Zaheer Khan and Shami. Being the second fastest Asian pacer to reach 150 wickets in his 34th game, Bumrah knows that he is the leader of the pack and has to guide the likes of Mukesh Kumar and Avesh Khan (in dug-out) at this juncture in Indian cricket. "We're going through a transition so I feel it's my responsibility to help them in any way I can," Bumrah, who got 'Player of the Match' for his nine-wicket haul in the 106-run win over England in the second Test here, said at the post-match presentation ...

I was just sleeping, waking up, and working; it's a great feeling: Jaiswal

If Yashasvi Jaiswal is happy slamming his first Test double hundred in only his sixth match, he is happier just being able to sleep, wake up, and work. Jaiswal lays great emphasis on routine and goes about his job in a manner that suits his internal clock, leading to good health and better productivity in whatever he does in the field. The 22-year-old left-handed India batter has become the toast of the nation after slamming a magnificent double hundred against England in the second Test, which the hosts won by 106 runs here on Monday to level the five-match series 1-1. Jaiswal came close to scoring a double ton in the West Indies last year, only to miss the landmark by 19 runs. "The last time, when I had scored 171 (against the West Indies), I wanted to score the double-hundred, but it didn't happen. I always think that if I focus on my daily routine, the runs will come. "The process is very important in my life, whatever discipline I follow. What time I sleep, what I eat, how we

IND vs ENG: We don't ask for rank turners, sometimes ...- Dravid on pitches

India head coach Rahul Dravid on Monday said the team management does not ask for rank turners while playing at home and it is tough to predict how a particular pitch would play out over the course of five days in a Test. The previous series against England in 2021 and against Australia last year were played on raging turners with most games ending within three days. However, the first two Tests against England in the ongoing series have gone on for four days. While Hyderabad was a slow turner, Vizag surface remained flat for the major part of the match. Dravid is someone who is regular with his pitch inspections before and during the game and a lot of times in between sessions as well. His longtime teammate Sourav Ganguly recently said that India don't need to play on rank turners as they have a well balanced bowling attack. Asked if more pitches like Vizag could be seen in the next three Tests, Dravid said he was clueless on the subject like anybody else. Curators make the pitc

Jaiswal 200 to Bumrah 150: 10 key takeaways from India vs England 2nd Test

part from Jaiswl and Bumrah, Zak Crawley, James Anderson and Shubman Gill also contributed immensely to make it a great red-ball drama that kept the audiences hooked on all four days in Vizag