Page 53 - Test Cricket

How Kuldeep 2.0 emerged as India's most impactful spinner vs England

As soon as the last wicket fell, Kuldeep Yadav tossed the 57.4 over old red SG Test ball towards his senior colleague and the team's milestone man Ravichandran Ashwin, who promptly tossed it back to him. After another round of catching, like an insistent older brother, Ashwin literally forced the ball into Kuldeep's palms. Ashwin had taken four in his 100th Test but Kuldeep did one better, a five-for that he had missed in the previous game against England. But the 37-year-old's sweet gesture of depositing the ball in Kuldeep's hands may have subtly been a change of guard in terms of who the leader of the spin attack will be in the coming years. Ashwin has had 21 wickets in this series with another innings to go and Kuldeep, who wasn't picked for the opening match, has 17 to his credit. But in terms of impact, the man from Kanpur, after a roller-coaster ride in the past few years, has stood head and shoulders above his esteemed seniors. The traditional 'Chinaman's leg-break', which

India vs England 5th Test Playing 11: Devdutt Padikkal makes debut

IND vs ENG 5th Test Playing 11: England have made one change in their Playing 11, bringing in tearaway pacer Mark Wood in place of Ollie Robinson.

IND vs ENG 5th Test preview: Will Ben Stokes' men end the series on high?

India's premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will be eyeing a memorable outing in his landmark 100th Test when the unassailable hosts face a fallen England in the finale of what has been a riveting five-match series, here on Thursday. India maintained their envious record at home by sealing the series in Ranchi and now, they will be looking for another favourable result to extend their lead in World Test Championships standings. The pitch and the cold weather, that is making the English feel at home, have been the two big talking points going into the game. The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 10 degrees for the opening two days before rising over the weekend. The pitch wore a flat look on the eve of the game but the moisture seeped underneath will keep the pacers interested in the early hours of play on all days. Though traditionally, the venue favours fast bowlers, the role of spinners can't be discounted and they did play a big part in India's win over Austral

IND vs ENG 5th Test: Dharamsala pitch report, stats, win and loss records

Only one Test has been played here which was won by India against Australia by 8 wickets. The wicket at Dharamsala is contrary to the wintry surroundings, It is dry and generally on the slower side

NZ vs AUS 2nd Test: Neil Wagner's retirement was forced reckons Ross Taylor

New Zealand's former star batter Ross Taylor has suggested that fast bowler Neil Wagner's retirement was "forced", hinting at the possibility of unrest in the Kiwi camp. Told that he would not be picked in the XI in the series against Australia, Wagner recently announced his retirement during an emotional press conference before the start of the first Test. The 37-year-old Wagner, however, did take the field during the first Test as a substitute fielder and carried the drinks on occasions. "I think it all makes sense a little bit now. There's no sugarcoating it. I think it's a forced retirement. If you listen to Wagner's press conference, he was retiring, but it was after this last Test match. So he did make himself available," Taylor said while speaking on ESPN's Around the Wicket podcast. "And to see that he isn't selected I think I do like and you do need to plan for the future, but a one-off Test against Australia in a must-win situation, I wouldn't be looking much further tha

IND vs ENG 5th Test: Ashwin, Bairstow set for century of Tests together

Test cricket will see two players featuring in their 100th game together for only the fourth time when India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and England batter Jonny Bairstow take the field here on Thursday. The first such occasion was when former England captain Michael Atherton and Alec Stewart reached the landmark against the West Indies at Old Trafford back in 2000. The second instance involved three players as South Africa's Jacques Kallis, Shaun Pollock and Stephen Fleming played their 100th Test in the South Africa-New Zealand game in Centurion in 2006. The third was Alastair Cook and Michael Clarke in the England-Australia Ashes contest in Perth in 2013. Ashwin and Bairstow will be representing their respective teams in the fifth and final Test here from Thursday. It will also mark only the second occasion when two players from the opposing teams will be playing their 100th Test in the same game. Just a day after the India-England game begins, New Zealand captain Tim Sout

Ashwin 100th Test: Bowiling to Smith, Root, Williamson his favourite battle

R Ashwin is always up for a challenge and two days from his landmark 100th Test, India's premier off-spinner looked back at the on-field battles he has enjoyed in international and domestic cricket. Ahead of the fifth and final Test against England, the visitors' batting mainstay Joe Root spoke glowingly of Ashwin and on Tuesday, the 37-year-old returned the compliment. Besides Root, Ashwin said Steve Smith and Kane Williamson also brought the best out of him. "I have loved bowling to Steve Smith, Williamson and Joe Root. They are some of the finest batters going around the world now," said Ashwin. "When I played first-class, I had the privilege of bowling to some of the gun batters of spin - I have bowled to S Badrinath at the Tamil Nadu nets and he was one of the finest batters of spin, then Mithun Manhas, Rajat Bhatia (both from Delhi). "These are some of the greatest batters of spin who I would have not wanted to encounter in international cricket. They were my finishing schoo

IND vs ENG 5th Test: In Dharamsala, England and their fans feel at home

The results may not have gone their way on the tour of India but England have had no shortage of fan support and it is set to reach its peak this week in the picturesque town of Dharamsala. The fifth and final Test is still two days away but thousands of English fans have flocked to the hill station. The Barmy Army has provided constant support through the series but the prospect of watching Test cricket amid the stunning backdrop of the Himalayas has attracted even more fans from England. Three early morning flights from Delhi Airport to Dharamsala were packed with English fans and a handful of locals including Indian captain Rohit Sharma, giving the impression that the game was being played in the UK. Upon their arrival at the Gaggal Airport, the fans were left in awe of the snowcapped mountains in the background. The weather, unusually cold for this time of the year, is also making the English fans feel right at home. "This is the kind of weather we see in England in April and M

IND vs ENG 5th Test: Get the tissues ready' for Bairstow's emotional week

Set to complete a century of Test matches, England wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow on Tuesday said reaching the landmark "means hell of a lot" to him given that he has had to wade through testing times. The 34-year-old will become the 17th Englishman to get a 100th Test cap when he steps out for the fifth and final Test against India starting here on Thursday and it will be an emotional week for Bairstow, who endured a tough childhood and a long career-threatening injury. "It means a hell of a lot. Every young kid that sets out on a journey playing professional cricket wants to try and play 100 Test matches. You look back to 2012 when I made my debut at Lord's, if 12 years later you'd said I'd be playing 100 Test matches, you'd snap your hand off for one but also pinching yourself as well, he said. Bairstow was just 8 when his father David, a former England wicketkeeper, died by suicide. His mother Janet kept the family together even as she battled and defeated breast cancer ...

Green may skip series against Pakistan to prepare for home Tests vs India

Australia batter Cameron Green is likely to skip the white-ball series in Pakistan later this year and instead play Sheffield Shield to prepare himself for the the big-ticket home Test series against India in December, according to head coach Andrew McDonald. The same template worked for the 24-year-old in the ongoing Test series in New Zealand as he hit a career-best 174 not out in Australia's big win in the first match here on Sunday. He was not included in the recent T20I series against the West Indies and New Zealand and instead earmarked him for West Australia's Sheffield Shield fixture against Tasmania in Hobart, where he struck an unbeaten 103 to provide an ideal warm-up for the first Test against the Kiwis. "It's a big decision to leave anyone out of international cricket when they're potentially in the best eleven, so I'm glad he (Green) embraced that when we had that conversation with him, and the return on it is pretty immediate," MacDonald said. "The next stress point o

IND vs ENG 5th Test: Vaughan wants England to adopt Guardiola's approach

For Michael Vaughan, Pep Guardiola is the best sporting leader in the last 15 years and the former England skipper won't mind if Ben Stokes employs Manchester City manager's approach of never allowing players to take their places for granted. Vaughan made the statement on the back of England's aggressive "Bazball" strategy under coach Brendon McCullum and Stokes which backfired in the ongoing India tour. England have already lost the five-match series 3-1 after winning the first Test in Hyderabad. Vaughan questioned the approach of England batters and demanded greater accountability from them. "I often mention Pep Guardiola's approach. In my eyes he's the best sporting leader of this generation, say the last 15 years. He never allows his players to get comfortable. He always keeps them guessing, and they all know they are guaranteed nothing," he wrote in a column for Daily Telegraph. "If a great sporting leader like Pep has everyone on their toes like that, is it right that an Eng

New Zealand loses O'Rourke for 2nd Test vs Australia, Sears is called up

New Zealand fast bowler Will O'Rourke has been ruled out of the second cricket Test against Australia with a hamstring strain. Ben Sears, who has played 13 Twenty20 Internationals for New Zealand but is uncapped in Tests, has been called into the squad and is likely to play in the match which starts Friday at Hagley Oval in Christchurch. In other injury news, opener Devon Conway will undergo surgery after damaging his left thumb during the T20 series against Australia, which will lengthen his absence from the New Zealand team to at least eight weeks. New Zealand coach Gary Stead said O'Rourke will be out for up to four weeks and said Sears had impressed. "Ben's a young bowler with a quality skill set," Stead said. "He bowls with genuine pace and gets good bounce which is always a great asset in red ball cricket. "We've been really impressed by his performances for the Black Caps in white ball cricket this summer and believe he can make the step up to the test arena if called ...

WTC 2023-25 points table: India latest ranking ahead of IND vs ENG 5th Test

If India manages to win the Dharamsala Test, it will continue to remain at the top of the WTC points table. However a draw could Australia and New Zealand a chance to overtake

AUS vs NZ 1st Test: Australia 13-2, New Zealand strikes back late on Day 2

The almost comical run out of Kane Williamson for a second-ball duck was one of many setbacks suffered by New Zealand on the second day of the first test Friday as it fell 217 runs behind Australia. That was until the very end of the day when Australia batted for a second time after passing up the chance to make New Zealand follow on. Tim Southee dismissed Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne to have Australia 13-2 in its second innings after it had led by 204 on the first. At stumps Usman Khawaja was 5 not out and nightwatchman Nathan Lyon was 6 not out. Lyon was dropped at slip by Tim Southee off the last ball of the day. Smith was out for a duck to the third ball of the innings, bowled by Southee, and Labuschagne fell to Southee in the fifth over for 2. After falling for 1 in the first innings, it was Labuschagne's lowest aggregate score in a test in his career. They were the 12th and 13th wickets to fall in the day which mostly had not gone New Zealand's way. First, New Zealand .

IND vs ENG 5th Test: Vaughan calls Shoaib Bashir the new Ravi Ashwin

Former England captain Michael Vaughan feels England have discovered a "world-class superstar" in young off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, who has the skills to emulate the success of India's Ravichandran Ashwin. Despite England's five-wicket loss in Ranchi, 20-year-old Bashir, playing only his second Test, impressed as he returned with a match haul of eight wickets. His magnificent performance included a five-wicket haul in the first innings. Ashwin, on the other hand, is regarded as one of the best off-spinners in the history of Test cricket. The senior spinner recently became only the second Indian bowler to snare 500 wickets in the longest format and is set for his 100th Test in Dharamsala next week against England. "One of the great weeks, celebrating another world-class superstar that we've unearthed, Shoaib Bashir. That's what we're celebrating. Second Test match, eight wickets, he's the new Ravi Ashwin, and we've unearthed him. "So, we're celebrating a new superstar in English ...

IND vs ENG: I used to watch and learn from Zaheer Khan - James Anderson

James Anderson, England's greatest fast bowler with an unparalleled longevity and nearly 1000 international wickets, says he has learned a few elements of pace bowling, including reverse swing, from Indian great Zaheer Khan. At 41, Anderson continues to lead the England attack and is two short of becoming the first fast bowler in the history of the sport to breach the 700-wicket mark. Spin legends Muttiah Muralitharan and the late Shane Warne are the only bowlers with 700 plus wickets in Test cricket. "For me, Zaheer Khan was someone I used to watch a lot to try and learn from. How he used the reverse swing, how he covered the ball when he ran into bowl, that's something I tried to sort of develop on the back of playing against him quite a few times here," Anderson told JioCinema. Zaheer, one of India's finest seamers, played his last Test in 2014 when Anderson was at the top of his game. Among the current lot of Indian pacers, Anderson is most impressed by Jasprit Bumrah's abilit

IND vs ENG Playing 11: Should Patidar get another chance if KL misses out?

In the four matches, Patidar managed to have two ducks and one thirty-plus score, accumulating a total of 63 runs in six innings.

1st Test: NZ vs AUS Playing 11 - Ravindra in for Kiwis; Aussies unchanged

Devon Conway has been ruled out but Rachin Ravindra has been cleared to play for New Zealand in the first cricket test against Australia starting at the Basin Reserve on Thursday. Conway suffered a thumb injury while keeping wicket in the second Twenty20 international between the teams on Friday last week. While initial scans suggested there was no fracture, additional tests in Wellington in recent days have found there is damage to Conway's left thumb. Conway will have further tests later in the week. Meantime, Will Young open the batting with Tom Latham in Conway's place. Henry Nicholls, who was dropped from the New Zealand team ahead of its two recent tests against South Africa both victories has been recalled to provide reinforcement for the batting lineup. It's disappointing for Devon to be ruled out on the eve of an important match, New Zealand coach Gary Stead said. He's a class player batting at the top of the order for us and I know he was really looking forward to this

IND vs ENG: Stokes concedes they didn't have a chance in hell against India

Skipper Ben Stokes expressed pride in how England have fought toe to toe with India despite not having "a chance in hell of competing" with the hosts in the ongoing series. India registered a five-wicket win in the fourth and penultimate Test to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series against England, who suffered their first Test series defeat under the leadership of captain Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum. "3-1 doesn't look great, but the way in which we've come at India is what I'm most proud of," Stokes told British media. "We didn't have a chance in hell of even competing with India. But even today(Monday), that wasn't an easy win for India, and I think they would admit that," he added. In the fourth Test, England tried to fashion a fight-back before India crossed the line on the fourth day in Ranchi. Chasing 192, India slipped to 120/5, before Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel stitched a 72-run unbroken partnership. "This young, inexperienced team has been .

No place for those who aren't hungry: Rohit tells youngsters to work hard

India skipper Rohit Sharma on Monday had a stern message for aspirants wanting to make the national Test team without putting in the hard yards -- opportunities will only be given to those who show "hunger for success" in the "toughest" format. India sealed a 17th straight Test series win at home after beating England by five wickets in the fourth Test here on Monday. New entrants like Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Akash Deep played decisive roles in the team's overall success, leaving Rohit mighty pleased and also quite clear about the kind of talent he wants in the side. "Jin logon ko bhookh hai, hum unhi logon ko mauka denge (We will give opportunities to only those who are hungry)," Rohit declared, making it clear that the team management is not willing to entertain players who do not display a burning desire to perform. "Agar hunger nahi hai to unko khila ke koi matlab nahi hai (There's point in playing those who don't have the hunger)," he said. His comment