Test Cricket

One for history: How India dominated first-ever women's Test at Lord's

Harmanpreet Kaur's side became the first team to win a women's Test at the Home of Cricket, with Yastika Bhatia and Kranti Gaud earning places on the iconic Lord's honours boards

Kranti Gaud cherishes place on Lord's Honours Board with immense pride

India pacer Kranti Gaud said becoming the first woman to have her name etched on the Lord's Honours Board after claiming a five-wicket haul in the one-off Test against England was a moment of immense pride for her and her family. Gaud's superb 5/37 helped India bundle out England for 170, securing a commanding 115-run first-innings lead. India then extended their advantage to 269 by stumps on Day 2, reaching 154/1 in the second innings with Smriti Mandhana unbeaten on 69. "It's a completely different feeling for me. I am very proud to be the first woman to get my name on the Lord's Honours Board. It's a proud moment for my family," said the 22-year-old Gaud after the day's play. Gaud had also claimed a five-wicket haul (6/52) in an ODI against England last year. "Every player dreams of taking a five-wicket haul. It's the first time we are playing at Lord's, so I was thinking if I can take five wickets and get my name on the board and also take wickets for the team and help it win,"

McCullum to step down as England Test coach after four years in charge

Former New Zealand captain will continue to lead England's white-ball teams as ECB begins search for a new Test coach

Deepti confident India can make early inroads on crucial second day vs ENG

Seasoned India all-rounder Deepti Sharma said the first hour of the second day will be crucial, adding that the visitors will look to strike early and put England under pressure in the one-off women's Test here. Invited to bat, India posted 285 in their first innings, courtesy half-centuries from senior batters Smriti Mandhana (83), Harmanpreet Kaur (58) and Deepti (57). The visitors then removed opener Tammy Beaumont before stumps, leaving England at 21 for 1. "Initial one hour is really important," Deepti said after the end of the opening day's play on Friday. "I think the total is decent. If there were 20-25 more runs, there would have been an extra margin. But the earlier we take wickets tomorrow, the better it will be for us," she added. England left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone claimed three wickets, exploiting variable bounce and turn on the surface and Deepti expects the pitch to continue assisting the bowlers. "The wicket is turning slightly and sometimes keeping low. Th

ENG-W vs IND-W One-Off Test: Playing 11, live match time (IST), streaming

The one-off Test between England women and India women will mark the first women's Test at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground, 142 years after it staged its inaugural men's Test

McCullum says he tried to change Ben Stokes' mind over retirement call

England head coach Brendon McCullum revealed that he tried to persuade Ben Stokes to reconsider his decision to retire from international cricket, but said the captain had made up his mind by then. England lost the third and final Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge by 160 on Monday, conceding the series 1-2. But Stokes announced his adieu on the fourth day of the match itself, shocking everyone around. But McCullum said he "tried to talk him down." "When he confirmed to me that he was going to retire, first I tried to talk him down (laughs) and... (it) became pretty obvious that he had made his decision and he was at peace within," McCullum told Sky Sports. "From that point of view, I guess your emotion then leads on to just a bit of sadness really because you have been on this journey together for four years and it's been a real thrill. I feel very privileged that I've been able to work intimately with Stokesy throughout that and consider him a friend, a good friend." McCul

England Test skipper Ben Stokes announces retirement from int'l cricket

Stokes bows out as one of England's most accomplished all-rounders, having played pivotal roles in the country's ODI World Cup triumph in 2019 and the T20 World Cup title in 2022

Latham-Conway's 317 rewrites New Zealand's Test record book vs England

Latham and Conway became only the third visiting opening pair to post a 300-plus stand in a Test in England, after Australia's Marsh-Taylor (329, 1989) and South Africa's Smith-Gibbs (338, 2003).

Can India solve their spin problem before Sri Lanka Test challenge?

India have lost five of their last nine Tests on spin-friendly tracks and now face a Sri Lankan side whose home success still rests heavily on slow bowling

IND vs AFG Test: Manav Suthar joins elite list with fifer on Test debut

Manav is now the tenth Indian bowler to take a five-wicket haul on Test debut

IND vs AFG Test, Day 2: Manav's dream debut leaves Afghanistan reeling

After declaring their first innings at a commanding 564/8, India struck regularly with the ball, with Suthar claiming three wickets and Prasidh Krishna adding two

IND vs AFG Test Day 2: Sundar slams unbeaten 52 as India declare on 564/8

Rishabh Pant missed out on his hundred while Washington Sundar hit an unbeaten 52 as India declared their first innings at a formidable 564 for eight against Afghanistan on the second day of the one-off Test here Sunday. KL Rahul had struck a patient 100 off 165 balls while Sai Sudharsan contributed 81 on the opening day. Skipper Shubhman Gill led from the front with a commanding 126 before getting out in the morning session on Sunday. Pant added an entertaining 81 as India's top and middle order batters dominated the Afghanistan attack after resuming at overnight 368 for three. Lower down the order, Sundar remained unbeaten on 52, while Manav Suthar made 28 and Mohammed Siraj chipped in with a quickfire 22 as India accelerated before captain Gill called his batters back after 127 overs. For Afghanistan, pacer Mohammad Saleem was the standout performer with figures of 6/140 from 27 overs. Ziaur Rahman and Hashmatullah Shahidi claimed a wicket each, but the visitors struggled to ..

Who is Saleem Safi? First Afghan pacer to take a fifer vs India in Tests

Saleem, who went wicketless in his Test debut against Sri Lanka, performed with brilliant consistency and added big names like Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan to his wicket column in Mullanpur

IND vs AFG Test, Day 1: Centuries from Gill and Rahul propel India to 368/3

Sai Sudharsan and Rishabh Pant also dominated the Afghanistan bowling attack with brilliant half-centuries

IND vs AFG Test: Manav Suthar becomes 319th player to debut for India

Manav is the first specialist spinner to make his India debut in red-ball cricket since Axar Patel in 2021

India vs Afghanistan one-off Test playing 11, live match time, streaming

The last time the two sides played a Test match against each other was back in 2018, when India secured a mammoth innings-and-262-run win over Afghanistan

WTC-bound India search for missing pieces against resilient Afghanistan

Battling demons of a horrendous home Test run in the not so distant past but nevertheless a formidable unit, India are pitted against a plucky Afghanistan in a one-off Test here that might help the hosts figure out a balanced combination, starting Saturday. In 2018, Afghanistan lost 10 wickets in a session between lunch and tea on the second day of the Test against India. The next 10 fell by the wayside between tea and end of day's play which also was end of the game. In 2026, Hashmatullah Shahidi would want his team to at least stretch the home side which is going through a tough transition phase and will be in experimental mode during this game trying different combinations. However, the Indians would not have forgotten the 0-2 drubbing handed by a meticulously prepared South Africa last year and would do well to not take the opposition lightly despite the gulf in experience. Sai or Dev? That's the question ==================== A stable No.3 and Ravindra Jadeja's potential succ

India should stick with someone at no. 3: Assistant coach Ten Doeschate

India's assistant coach Ryan Ten Doeschate conceded that too many players have batted at number three in Test matches after Cheteshwar Pujara's retirement and it was time that either Sai Sudharsan or Devdutt Padikkal is given a long rope at the key batting position. Pujara announced his retirement in 2025 but last played in white flannels for India in the WTC final in 2023. Since then Shubman Gill, Padikkal, Sudharsan, Karun Nair and Washington Sundar have all been tried in that position. Sudharsan has played six Tests and has managed a not-so-impressive average of 27 plus. "There's been a lot of changes in that spot and and that's not ideal, you know. You need to look at the incumbents for that role and and maybe stick with someone," Ten Doeschate said at a press conference on Thursday. While both Sudharsan and Padikkal have been getting long rope at nets, Ten Doeschate didnt want to spill the beans about the one who would make it. On the day, during slip formation, Padikkal was

Rishabh doesn't need a formal title to lead: Assistant coach Ten Doeschate

The lofted strokes still carry the same thrill, but two days before his landmark 50th Test appearance, Rishabh Pant was seen embracing a different approach. During India's training session ahead of the one-off Test against Afghanistan, the dynamic wicketkeeper-batter appeared more measured, both in body language and intent, seemingly heeding the advice of head coach Gautam Gambhir. It is no secret within Indian cricket circles that Gambhir was deeply frustrated by Pant's reckless shot selection during India's previous red-ball outing against South Africa in Guwahati. Pant's dismissal in both innings became a major talking point, drawing criticism at a time when the team expected greater responsibility from one of its senior players. And when Pant was seen negotiating spinners during the nets, the intent was on rock solid defence with Gambhir's hawk-eye prying on him from behind the nets. The head down copybook front-foot defence and backfoot defence were on display time and again.

Switching formats not easy; devoted time at nets for AFG Test: Kuldeep

Switching formats in a short span of time is never easy, concedes Kuldeep Yadav and the senior India spinner hopes that players coming off a gruelling IPL season have prepared well for this week's one-off Test against Afghanistan just as he did with extended red-ball practice. Kuldeep's franchise Delhi Capitals failed to make the IPL play-offs and he himself had an underwhelming season with only 10 wickets from 12 games. In an interview to PTI ahead of the Test beginning on Saturday, Kuldeep talked about how he had been personally doing net sessions for the past two weeks to get into the red-ball groove. "It is tough when you switch from IPL cricket to red-ball cricket. Preparation becomes very necessary. Luckily, I got time. I practised for at least 10 to 15 days and got the feel of the red ball," Kuldeep said in the exclusive interaction facilitated by series broadcasters 'JioHotstar'. "In T20, you are always attacking. You always think about going after the batter. You stay in th