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 best of preparations are not enough to counter the rank turners in India and over the course of the upcoming five Tests, England batters will also have their task cut out while dealing with the odd ball that doesn't spin, something that contributed to their dramatic downfall in their previous trip three years ago. After the loss in the opening Test, the Indian think tank went for raging turners in the next three games in the 2021 series, and got the desired results. R Ashwin got the most wickets in that four-match rubber with 28 scalps and left-arm spinner Axar Patel more than made up for Ravindra Jadeja's absence by running through the England line-up in his debut series, collecting 27 wickets in three games at a staggering average of 10.59. While the clueless England batters anticipated every ball to turn square, Axar got a major chunk of his wickets by darting the ball into the stumps, resulting in 13 bowled and lbw dismissals. The low bounce on those pitches also helped his
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
Captain Ben Stokes is like a "greyhound" and he is "good to go" for the five-match Test series against India beginning here on Thursday, England coach Brendon McCullum said on Monday. The 32-year-old Stokes underwent surgery in November last for his long-standing left-knee problem. "He (Stokes) looks like a greyhound. He's put the work in, everyone knows his work ethic is phenomenal," said McCullum. England arrived in India on Sunday and trained for the first time at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium on Monday. Stokes had trained with the squad during their camp in Abu Dhabi last week, but did not bowl. He is unlikely to bowl in the Test series also. "I've seen him running around and I think he's good to go. We'll obviously make that call as late as what we need to. But he's put all the work in, and we'll just have to wait and see," McCullum was quoted as saying by BBC. England have reached here without batter Harry Brook, who has returned to the UK for personal reasons. Dan Lawrence has
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
England's "lack of match preparation" in India ahead of the gruelling five-Test series could be a "problem" but the team can bank on its 'Bazball' approach to upstage Rohit Sharma and his men, feels Alastair Cook, who led the Englishmen to a memorable Test triumph in the country back in 2012. Having opted for a month-long training camp in 'subcontinent-like conditions' of Abu Dhabi, Ben Stokes and Co. arrived in Hyderabad on Sunday, just four days before the opening Test on Thursday. "A problem England will have is a lack of match preparation," Cook, who had top-scored with 562 runs in the 2-1 come-from-behind win over India in the 2012-13 series, wrote in his column for 'The Sunday Times'. "It is the nature of the modern tour. When we won in India in 2012 we had three warm-up games against good sides -- Yuvraj Singh, Ajinkya Rahane and Murali Vijay were in the top four in the India A side we faced and Cheteshwar Pujara played in one of the other games," he recalled. "...I can ...
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
With Harry Brook pulling out of the series, batter Dan Lawrence was roped in as his replacement. Check the England full squad and the IND vs ENG Tests 2024 full schedule here
England selectors will confirm the replacement of Brook in due course of time
England Lions continued to dominate India A despite a rollicking unbeaten hundred from Rajat Patidar on the second day of their first unofficial Test here on Thursday. Patidar made 140 off 132 balls with 18 fours and five sixes but India A could only make 215 for eight at close, replying to England's mammoth 553 for eight declared in first innings. India A are still trailing by 338 runs. Pacer Matthew Fisher led England's bowling with a four-wicket burst (4/57) while he received strong support from fellow pacer Matthew Potts (2/26) and left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson (2/43). India A were, in fact, in all kind of trouble early on at 24 for four and later slipped to 95 for seven. However, Patidar found some late support from Tushar Deshpande, who scored India's second highest individual score of 23, and Navdeep Saini as India A struggled past the 200-run mark. Earlier, England, starting from their overnight 382 for 3, motored on riding on a fine 125 off 182 balls by captain Josh
Rishabh Pant on Tuesday gave another hint of improving fitness and match-readiness while batting for some 20 minutes at the Chinnaswamy nets before his Indian teammates entered the venue for practice. Clad in black shots and T-shirt, Pant faced throwdowns from NCA staff, dishing out some drives on the off-side and a few nudges to the on-side. He exchanged a few words with Indian team's side-arm specialist Raghu before proceeding to meet other members like Virat Kohli, Rinku Singh among others. Pant is continuing his recovery at the NCA from a horrible car accident in late 2022, an accident that forced him to have ligament reconstruction surgeries. Pant is expected to return to action during the IPL 2024 as he has been named as Delhi Capitals captain. The 26-year-old had attended the Capitals camp in November last year, besides being present at the franchise's auction table at Dubai in December. Sourav Ganguly, the Capitals' director of cricket, too had exuded confidence in Pant's