Lord's ready for ‘pacy' battle
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Business Standard
an hour ago
- Business Standard
Not Bumrah, nor Akash: This all-rounder takes two wickets in Lord's Test
Nitish Kumar Reddy, whose inclusion in the Indian Test team as an all-rounder is always a point of debate due to his subpar numbers with the ball so far in his seven-Test career, arrived in style at Lord's for the third Test between India and England. Brought into the Indian bowling attack early on Day 1 of the Test, Reddy matched his career-best wicket numbers in a match after just one over, with the wickets of both English openers to his name. Before today, Reddy had last taken two wickets in a match against Australia in the Sydney Test of the 2024–25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. ENG vs IND 3rd Test: First session recap The opening session of Day 1 at Lord's saw a balanced contest between bat and ball, as England went to lunch at 83 for 2 after being put in to bat under overcast skies. Indian bowlers found some movement as the session progressed, pulling things back after a brisk start by the English openers. England captain Ben Stokes won his third consecutive toss of the series and, unlike the first two matches, chose to bat first on a seemingly flat and trimmed surface at Lord's. His decision initially looked justified as openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett made a steady and confident start, keeping India's pace trio at bay and adding 43 runs for the opening stand without much trouble. But the game turned after the first drinks break, when Nitish Reddy—introduced into the attack—delivered a breakthrough over that jolted the hosts. Reddy removed Duckett (23) with a short ball down the leg side and followed it up by dismissing Crawley (18) with a superb delivery that found the edge—two wickets in three balls that shifted momentum towards India. Despite that double blow, Joe Root (24)* and Ollie Pope (12)* steadied the innings with an unbeaten 39-run stand for the third wicket. They saw off some tricky movement towards the end of the session and will aim to consolidate in the second session. With the pitch starting to offer swing and seam as the morning wore on, the second session promises an engaging battle, especially if India can capitalise on the movement while England looks to reassert their Bazball approach. England 1st innings scorecard at lunch on day 1: England 1st Inning 83-2 (25 ov) CRR:3.32 Batter Dismissal R B 4s 6s SR Zak Crawley c R Pant b N K Reddy 18 43 4 0 41.86 Ben Duckett c R Pant b N K Reddy 23 40 3 0 57.5 Ollie Pope Not out 12 34 1 0 35.29 Joe Root Not out 24 34 3 0 70.59 Extras 6 (b 1, Ib 4, w 0, nb 1, p 0) Total 83 (2 wkts, 25 Ov) Bowler O M R W NB ECO Jasprit Bumrah 8 1 13 0 0 1.63 Akash Deep 7 2 33 0 1 4.71 Mohammed Siraj 5 2 17 0 0 3.4 Nitish Kumar Reddy 5 0 15 2 0 3
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Andy Farrell: 'This is the most important game of the tour'
Andy Farrell has told his British & Irish Lions players that Saturday's match is not a last-chance saloon scenario but the most important game of the tour so far. The head coach named his team on Thursday to face an AUSNZ Invitational XV at the Adelaide Bowl on Saturday, a last run out before the opening game in a three-Test series with Australia seven days later. Tadhg Beirne captains the side from the second row, having started at blindside flanker in his last appearance against the Waratahs last Saturday, named alongside fellow Ireland lock James Ryan. Neither featured in Wednesday's clash with the Brumbies in Canberra, when Farrell selected his strongest line-up of the tour to date in what was seen as a dry run for the first Test in Brisbane. Yet Farrell does not see his line-up for Saturday as a last chance for his players to stake their claims for Test selection and insists that he views it as an ongoing audition for the series as a whole against the Wallabies as well as a cherished opportunity to pull on the famous red jersey. 'This is a three-game series that takes a whole squad to compete and keep competing throughout up until the final whistle of the third Test,' Farrell said at the Lions new training base at the private boarding school for boys St Peter's College in northern Adelaide. 'So these guys who get to take the field on Saturday, we've literally just come out of a meeting and the message is that this is the most important game of the tour. It has to be. "Not just because it's a week out from the Test match but because it's the next one. Whenever you put a Lions jersey on, that's the respect you have to live up to." Ireland's Hugo Keenan gets the start to face the combined Australia/New Zealand side on Saturday with the Test number 15 jersey now up for grabs after Farrell revealed Blair Kinghorn was having scans of the left knee he injured in the 36-24 win over the Brumbies. The Leinster man has been named in a back three with Connacht's Mack Hansen on the right wing and Scotland's Duhan van der Merwe on the left, outside an all-Scottish centre partnership of Sione Tuitupulotu and Huw Jones. Fin Smith returns at fly-half with scrum-half Ben White, the fourth Scot in the Lions backline, handed the number nine jersey. There is a front row of Pierre Schoeman, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Will Stuart while the back row comprises Henry Pollock at blindside flanker, Jac Morgan at openside and Ben Earl at No.8. The bench sees late arrival Owen Farrell given his first opportunity of the tour by his head coach and father, as the outside back replacement with Marcus Smith nominally acting as fly-half cover and scrum-half Alex Mitchell maintaining his ever-present record in Australia. There is an all-Irish front row in reserve with Ronan Kelleher, Andrew Porter and Finlay Bealham named, while Scott Cummings covers the locks and Josh van der Flier is asked to cover the back row once again. Farrell was eagerly awaiting the assessment of Kinghorn's injured knee, but his sense was that the issue was not a serious one for the Toulouse and Scotland star. "Blair's OK. He's not too bad. He's actually gone for the scan as we speak now, so waiting with regards to the news on that. But same as he always is, he's in good spirits, so we'll wait and see what the outcome is of that. 'I don't think it's as bad as what could have been. It was something innocuous really, just a rugby accident that was unfortunate. Fingers crossed when we get back to the hotel, we get some good news." AUSNZ head coach Les Kiss named a strong invitational side featuring eight All Blacks and also including Bordeaux-Begles Champions Cup-winning back row Pete Samu on his return to Australia from France. Farrell is wary of his opponents' strength and the depth of coaching knowledge on Kiss's staff, with former New Zealand head coach Ian Foster assisting. "Well, we know the coaches and we know the players individually and collectively from the Reds, Waratahs, or New Zealand. A lot of the lads have played against them before but as a unit, how they gel together, there's obviously a little bit of unknown there. But the reality is that when you look at the side, it looks like a formidable side that's going to be hard to stop." 'Knowing Les and Ian Foster and how they prepare the team, they'll be very thorough and I'm sure they'll be preparing them to play some good rugby and, at the same time, winning rugby. The side they've picked is very strong and able to do that." AUNZ INVITATIONAL XV: S Stevenson; AJ Lam, N Laumape, D Havili (co-captain), M Koroibete; T Edmed, F Fakatava; A Ross, B Paenga-Amosa, J Toomaga-Allen; A Blyth, L Salakaia-Loto (co-captain); S Frizell, P Samu, H Sotutu. Replacements: K Eklund, J Fusitu'a, G Dyer, M Philip, J Brial, K Thomas, H McLaughlin-Phillips, J Campbell. BRITISH & IRISH LIONS: H Keenan; M Hansen, H Jones, S Tuipulotu, D van der Merwe; F Smith, B White; P Schoeman, L Cowan-Dickie, W Stuart; T Beirne – captain, J Ryan; H Pollock, J Morgan, B Earl. Replacements: R Kelleher, A Porter, F Bealham, S Cummings, J van der Flier, A Mitchell, M Smith, O Farrell.
NDTV
3 hours ago
- NDTV
Not Djokovic, Nadal Or Federer, Sunil Gavaskar Compares Rishabh Pant To This Tennis Star
Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, who is celebrating his 76th birthday on Thursday, drew a similarity between tennis star Carlos Alcaraz and swashbuckling batter Rishab Pant, saying that both are showmen and unexpected in their respective games. In the ongoing grass court major, Alcaraz outclassed Cameron Norrie to progress to the semis where he will face American Taylor Fritz on Friday. On the other hand, Pant has been on song in the ongoing Test series against England. He became the first Indian wicketkeeper-batter to score a century in both innings of a Test in England. Speaking about his regular visits to Wimbledon and favourite tennis players, Gavaskar said on Star Sports, "Every time I am in England around this time, I go to Wimbledon, but I hardly go to Lord's if India isn't playing there. So yes, one could say that I come here more often than I go to Lord's. I would like Djokovic to win because it would be his 25th Grand Slam title. Nobody has ever won 25 majors, so that would be fantastic. My heart says Djokovic, but I guess my mind says Alcaraz. Also, Alcaraz, simply because I think Sinner is injured. Whether he's going to be 100% for the remainder of the tournament, we don't know.' 'Alcaraz is moving around so well, and he's got all the shots in the book. He can be a bit of a showman sometimes, trying those drop shots when you think he should be finishing the point. But that's what people come to watch, it's like watching Rishabh Pant. With Pant, you have to expect the unexpected. Similarly, with Alcaraz, you have got to expect the unexpected. That's what makes him so exciting," Gavaskar added. Beyond the gripping action on the grass courts of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon 2025 has already seen some of the globally most reputable names across sports and entertainment occupy the Royal Box. Besides Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, and Deepak Chahar, Gavaskar and Pant were also spotted at the tennis this week. Speaking about what drew him to Wimbledon, Pant said, "A lot of things. The first thing that comes to mind is excitement. You want to experience something as a fan as well, because we are always playing cricket. But here, you get to watch someone who can inspire you. That inspiration comes from athletes, the kind who play tennis. It's amazing. And I finally get to dress well! We are usually in shorts and t-shirts, so wearing a suit feels good sometimes.' On his all-time favourite tennis player, Pant added, 'It has to be Roger Federer. His backhand, I would watch it again and again. That was something that really brought me to the court. From the current players in this year's Wimbledon, I really like the new generation. Alcaraz is amazing, the kind of fight he showed in the French Open was incredible. Even when you are in a tough spot, he showed you can still fight back, and he actually won! That was so inspiring. I also like Jannik Sinner. These two are the ones I'm really looking forward to watching.' Reflecting on what cricket and tennis have in common at the highest level, Pant explained, "One thing I would take is mindset. You can play any sport, but if your mindset isn't right, you can't make it to the top. That's the difference between a good player and an excellent one. It sets you apart.'
