Page 44 - Test Cricket

Sundar dazzles in Pune as fans struggle with heat and dehydration

After water became available, MCA secretary Kamlesh Pisal apologized to fans and announced plans to install more water booths across the stands from Friday.

IND vs NZ: Washington Sundar grabs his chance, takes 7-wicket haul in Pune

Washington silenced his critics in style as he claimed his maiden Test seven-wicket haul

Pakistan, England to bank on spin during the third Test at Rawelpindi

Have England pulled an ace by playing mind games with Pakistan and pushing them into fielding three spinners on a pitch which could end up not being a slow bowlers paradise at the Rawalpindi cricket stadium? With the three-match Test series poised at 1-1 and the decisive third match, beginning here from Thursday, both the teams seemed to be unclear about the pitch's nature. It is definitely not going to spin from day one like we say when they used the same first Test pitch for the second Test in Multan, a senior ground staff at the Pindi stadium said on condition of anonymity. Pakistan would have been better off playing with two proper pace bowlers. England have the advantage of having two proper pacers (Ben Stokes, Gus Atkinson) but Pakistan will have to rely on just Aamer Jamal, he offered. The staff said the pitch could assist the spinners, but during the last two days. Before that it will be good for batting and pacers will get some help and reverse swing, he said. He also ..

ICC rankings: Rishabh Pant overtakes Virat Kohli in Test standings

Rishabh Pant on Wednesday overtook his superstar India teammate Virat Kohli to reach the sixth spot in the ICC Test rankings for batters. Fresh from a counter-attacking 99 in the second innings of the opening Test against New Zealand, Pant gained three spots in the rankings while Kohli, who made a fluent 70 in Bengaluru, dropped a place to be eighth. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal remains India's highest ranked batter at four. India captain Rohit Sharma dropped two places to be joint 15th alongside Sri Lanka's Dimuth Karunaratne. England star Joe Root maintains a healthy lead at the top of the charts. New Zealand duo of Rachin Ravindra (up 36 places to 18th) and Devon Conway (up 12 spots to 36th) also made good ground on the latest list for Test batters, while teammate Matt Henry (up two rungs to ninth with a new career-high rating) was the big winner in bowlers' category. Henry picked up eight wickets during the Black Caps' drought-breaking eight-wicket victory over India in Bengaluru,

India vs New Zealand 2nd Test Playing 11, live toss time, live streaming

IND vs NZ 2nd Test Playing 11: Three changes in India's Playing 11 - Gill, Sundar and Akash come in for Rahul, Kuldeep and Siraj

Cook backs Root to surpass Tendulkar as leading run-getter in Test cricket

Former England captain Alastair Cook feels Joe Root has the potential to surpass the legendary Sachin Tendulkar as the leading run-getter in Test cricket thanks to his insatiable hunger and incredible talent. The 33-year-old Root currently has 12716 Test runs and is 3205 short of the Indian icon (15921). Root occupies the fifth spot in the leading run-getter's chart at the moment with Rahul Dravid (13,288), Jacques Kallis (13,289) and Ricky Ponting (13,378) and Tendulkar ahead of him. "I think Joe Root could set a mark, certainly on an English side, that'll be very hard to beat. But, you just never know," Cook was quoted as saying by the ICC. "I hope he can get very close, if not be the first person who scores 16,000 Test runs. It'd be a great achievement." Root overtook Cook as England's leading run-scorer in the longest format during the Multan Test against Pakistan earlier this month. Having watched his compatriot go past him to become England's most decorated batter, the ...

Pakistan vs England 3rd Test playing 11, live telecast and streaming

England announced their Playing 11 for the 3rd Test two days before the scheduled start of the match. Pakistan is likely to reveal their Playing 11 today

IND vs NZ: Will KL Rahul get dropped from India Playing 11 for 2nd Test?

Indian assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has said that there is a battle between KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan for the spot in the playing 11. However, KL Rahul appears to have Gambhir's faith.

BAN vs SA 1st Test: Taijul's 5 wickets help Bangladesh stay in contention

Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam claimed 5-49 as Bangladesh hit back to leave the first cricket Test against South Africa in parity despite being bowled out for 106 in its first innings on Day 1. Thanks to Taijul, who became only second Bangladeshi bowler after Shakib Al Hasan to reach 200 wickets, Bangladesh reduced South Africa to 140-6 before bad light brought a premature end to the day. South Africa now leads by 34 runs after a day when 16 wickets fell, with Kyle Verreynne batting on 18 with Wiaan Mulder on 17. With the pitch showing signs of deteriorating, Bangladesh sensed a chance to deny South Africa a big lead. Mulder (3-22), Kagiso Rabada (3-26) and Keshav Maharaj (3-34) earlier shared nine wickets among them to wreak havoc on Bangladesh after its captain Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and opted to bat first. Mulder took a wicket in each of his first three overs to put Bangladesh in early trouble. The rot began with the dismissal of Shadman Islam, who played a needless

India vs New Zealand HIGHLIGHTS, 2nd Test Day 1: Spinners put India ahead in Pune

IND vs NZ 2nd Test Day 1HIGHLIGHTS: Washinton Sundar and Ravichandran Ashwin combined to take all ten wickets of New Zealand on Thursday

Pant assures fan of a strong comeback after loss in Bengaluru Test

India wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant on Sunday said there will always be ups and downs in the game but what is important is to "rise stronger every time" after a setback. India suffered a rare defeat at home on Sunday when they went down against New Zealand by eight wickets in the first Test. It was New Zealand's first Test win in India in 36 years. "This game will test your limits, knock you down, lift you up and throw you back again. But those who love it rise stronger every time," wrote Pant on X. The southpaw scored a blazing 99 off 105 balls in India's second innings score of 462. He applauded the Bengaluru crowd for their support and vowed to come back stronger in the second Test in Pune beginning October 24. "Thanks to the amazing Bengaluru crowd for the love, support and cheers. We will be back stronger," he wrote.

IND vs AUS: Will Cheteshwar Pujara get a final look-in?

Cheteshwar Pujara was a walking nightmare for Pat Cummins and company on the last two tours of Australia and the seasoned campaigner could be a surprise pick in India's jumbo squad for the upcoming five-Test series Down Under. The selectors are expected to announce the squad on October 28. Pujara could get the selectors' nod if Ajit Agarkar and his team decide to fall back on his experience. The 36-year-old was the leading run-getter in the 2018-19 series with 521 runs off 1258 balls and was once again the backbone of Indian batting three years later when he accumulated 271 runs off 928 balls. Across the two teams, the 103-Test veteran by far faced the most number of balls to wear out the opposition attack comprising Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc. Pujara has not played for India since the World Test Championship final in June last year. His appetite for big runs hasn't satiated yet as he scored 234 off 383 balls against Chattisgarh in the last Ranji Trophy round. Red

Shreyas Iyer targets Test return, working on long-format skills and mindset

Mumbai batter Shreyas Iyer on Saturday expressed his desire to make a comeback to the Indian Test squad, emphasising the hard work he has put into cultivating patience and resilience for the longer format after undergoing a back surgery. The 29-year-old, who had been battling a recurring back injury for which he underwent a surgery last year, scored his first century in red-ball cricket since his Test debut nearly three years ago during the Ranji Trophy second-round match against Maharashtra. His last first-class ton was against New Zealand in the Kanpur Test in November 2021. "It feels special, coming back after a very long time. Obviously, I was feeling a bit down with my injuries, but now, getting a century after a very long time, it's a great feeling overall," Iyer told reporters at the end of day's play. "I am absolutely keen for a comeback, but as we say, control the controllables, and my job is to keep performing, and keep participating as much as possible and also see to it

Sarfaraz's emotional return: From backup role to starting 11 contender

Sarfaraz Khan tore his helmet away and roared like a gladiator as his backfoot punch off Tim Southee touched the ropes. The unbridled celebration was after his emotionally-layered maiden Test hundred, but it was also a statement. Sarfaraz was loudly telling the world that he is no longer a replacement, but a firm contender for a slot in the first eleven even when Shubman Gill's stiff neck is healed. It would have been the moment Sarfaraz and his cricket tragic father Naushad was hoping to see when they started the journey in the modest maidans of Mumbai. Sarfaraz has not forgotten those days either a stingy childhood and travelling to nets at Shivaji Park in a crammed Mumbai local. I talk to my father quite often since he keeps me motivated all the time. I felt good since it was my maiden century playing for India. It has been a dream for me since childhood. Extremely happy, Sarfaraz almost choked on words during the post-day press meet. Touching his dream point was not easy ...

India vs New Zealand HIGHLIGHTS, 1st Test Day 5: Young-Rachin lead NZ to historic win over IND

India vs New Zealand 1st Test day 5 highlights: New Zealand secured their first Test win in India after 36 years to go 1-0 up in the series

WTC 2025 points table: India, New Zealand, Pakistan's latest rankings

India, despite a loss against New Zealand at home, continues to lead the ongoing WTC cycle points table

IND vs NZ: Lowest successfully defended totals by India in Test history

The lowest score defended by India at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru was 188 against Australia in 2017. India also defended 107 runs vs Australia in Mumbai in 2004 and won that game by 13 runs

IND vs NZ 1st Test: How Bengaluru weather could help India eke out a win?

As New Zealand look to win their first Test in India in 36 years, let us take a look at the Bengaluru weather forecast and hourly rain prediction on October 20 - Day 5 of India vs New Zealand 1st Test

IND vs NZ: Kohli's wicket at the end of the day was huge for us - Rachin

Top-order batter Rachin Ravindra was relieved after New Zealand managed to bag the big wicket of Virat Kohli off the final ball of the third day, and hoped the bowlers will keep piling pressure on India on Saturday. Kohli (70) and Sarfaraz Khan (70 not out) added 136 runs for the third wicket to take India to 231 for three at stumps in the opening Test. But the former Indian skipper fell to Glenn Phillips, edging him to stumper Tom Blundell to bring some respite to the visitors. "It's pretty hard to crystal-ball gaze into the future. It's a quality batting line-up on a wicket that's not doing too much, so it's important for us to hold our lines and lengths and do that for long periods. But I think Kohli's wicket at the end was very important," Ravindra told reporters during the post-day press meet. "Obviously, he's a guy who has scored 9,000-plus Test runs, which is pretty mind-blowing, but for us it was a huge wicket. We know things happen quickly in this part of the world, so, ..

India vs New Zealand: Sarfaraz Khan scores maiden Test century for India

After a fiery display on Day 3, he is looking to get India that competitive total in the 2nd innings by building onto his fiery knock alongside Rishabh pant.