Stuart Broad highlights India's major blunder in Leeds Test: Team selection was wrong
Former England fast bowler Stuart Broad has highlighted India's major blunder in the first Test at Headingley, Leeds. England beat India by five wickets as they chased down the massive target of 371 in the first innings. As a result, India became the first team in the history of the game to lose a Test after scoring five centuries.Following India's loss, Stuart Broad analysed their tactics and mentioned that they got their playing combination wrong. The former seamer stated that the inclusion of left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav instead of Shardul Thakur would've made a lot of difference in the game, given England's struggles against wrist spin.advertisement'I think they got their team selection wrong, if I'm honest. Kuldeep Yadav should have played instead of Shardul Thakur. Especially with the kind of pitch and England's known struggle against wrist spin, Kuldeep could have made a big difference,' Broad said on 'For the Love of Cricket'.
Furthermore, Broad suggested including Arshdeep Singh into playing XI for the second Test in Birmingham with doubts of Jasprit Bumrah's selection.'If Bumrah is going to be rested at Edgbaston, I'd be tempted to bring in Arshdeep Singh. The left-arm angle and his ability to swing the ball early on could offer something different to India's bowling attack. While Prasidh Krishna improved in the second innings, the attack overall lacked control and wicket-taking threat.It's not panic stations. You can't afford to rip up plans after one loss. India were in control for most of the Test, and just need a few tweaks rather than wholesale changes,' he added.advertisementArshdeep Singh earned his maiden Test call-up for the ongoing series against England. He reaped the benefits of impressing with his ability to swing the new ball in the shorter formats, which makes him an ideal candidate for English conditions.The left-arm seamer has played 21 first-class matches and picked 66 wickets at an average of 30.37 with two five-wicket hauls to his name. It remains to be seen if Arshdeep Singh makes it into the playing XI, especially with the presence of experienced seamer Akash Deep in the squad.- EndsTrending Reel
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
IND v ENG: Sree Charani takes four wickets on WT20I debut at Trent Bridge
N. Sree Charani took four wickets on her debut during the first T20I between India Women and England Women, taking place at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Saturday. She registered the second-best figures for an Indian Woman on T20I debut — four for 12 in 3.5 overs. — after Sravanthi Naidu, who picked up four wickets and gave nine runs in her first match, playing against Bangladesh in 2014. Alice Capsey was the spinner's first scalp — the English all-rounder got a thick, outside edge which landed safe in Arundhati Reddy's arms at short third. In the same match, the youngster took her second wicket after she forced Sophie Ecclestone to go big, but the English all-rounder found Jemimah Rodrigues over at deep mid-wicket. In her last over, she claimed the prized scalp of an in-form Nat Sciver-Brunt. The England skipper, who scored a fighting half-century, was caught behind by keeper Richa Ghosh. While initially not given out, India took the review, which showed that Sciver-Brunt had nicked it. Charani soon wrapped up the innings with the final scalp — her fourth one — taking the wicket of Lauren Bell, who holed out to Jemimah at deep mid-wicket, helping India secure a 97-run victory over England to take the series lead. The 20-year-old made her international debut during last month's Tri-Nation ODI series, which India won after beating Sri Lanka in the summit clash. She took six wickets in five matches in that tournament. Charani also impressed in this year's Women's Premier League, where she took four wickets in two innings and reached the final with the Delhi Capitals.
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
Smriti Mandhana's elegant maiden ton leads India to 97-run win over England in 1st T20I
Stand-in skipper Smriti Mandhana's graceful maiden T20 International hundred adorned India's smooth 97-run win over England in the opening match here on Saturday (June 29, 2025). The visitors now lead the five-match T20I series 1-0. Mandhana (112, 62 balls) and Harleen Deol (43, 23 balls) added 94 runs for the second wicket as India posted a commanding 210 for five after being invited to bat. Skipper Nat Sciver Brunt (66, 42 balls) waged a lone battle for England, who were limited to 113 all out in 14.5 overs by the on-song Indian bowlers. For India, debutante left-arm spinner Shree Charani (4/12) was the most successful bowler, as there was nothing much left in England's innings after they lost half of the line-up inside the first 10 overs for a sub-100 score. Mandhana, who led the team in the absence of injured regular captain Harmanpreet Kaur, stole the day with an innings that was a full-fledged display of her style, aggression and ability to play shots around the field. She gave the Indian innings some early impetus, making 77 runs with a struggling Shafali Varma (20, 22 balls), whose return to top-flight cricket after a gap of eight months was less than satisfactory. Mandhana was the dominant figure in that alliance off just 8.3 overs. Shafali's dismissal did not deter Mandhana as the left-hander raised a further 94 runs for the second wicket with an equally aggressive Harleen, who was dropped on 26 by Danny Wyatt-Hodge off off-spinner Alice Capsey near mid-wicket. Mandhana did not give any such chances to England, and she started off with three boundaries off left-arm spinner Linsey Smith in the fourth over, and hardly took her foot off the accelerator. Later, she also punished another left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone for two sixes in the seventh over as the Indian innings chugged along. Mandhana brought up her fifty in 27 balls, and the next 50 came off just 24 balls. Mandhana soon went past 87, her previous best in T20Is, and touched the three-figure mark for the first time in her career that has 30 fifties. She reached the coveted milestone in style too, hammering pacer Lauren Bell for two consecutive boundaries. Her knock is the highest for India in T20Is, surpassing Harmanpreet's 103. At the other end, Deol relied more on sweeps to fetch boundaries, using the general lack of direction of English bowlers on the day till she fell to Bell, who was England's most successful bowler (3/27). Mandhana was eventually dismissed by Ecclestone but not before taking India to a position of strength. England tried to stage a late comeback as Bell removed Richa Ghosh (12) and Jemimah Rodrigues (0) in the 18th over but by then India were already closing in on the 200-run mark.
Indian Express
3 hours ago
- Indian Express
Why India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak is still admired at Kenilworth Wardens Cricket Club
Malcolm Whitehall, 78, has been at Kenilworth Warden club for the last 55 years. A chairman for over 10 years and now life member, he loves coming to this 12 acre sporting arena that is the home for 5 cricket and 25 football teams. It's Saturday and the club's main cricket team is playing a league game and Malcolm is running on the field with refreshments during drinks. Kenilworth is a town of 20,000 close to Birmingham. Over the years, many overseas players made this picturesque English county their home during summers, not earning much, staying with local families, doing odd jobs – all for that unique English cricket experience. Malcolm is expecting a visitor, a Warden alumni, a former overseas player and part of the Team India touring party. India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak played for Wardens for 20 straight years, starting when he was 19. In his long stay, Kotak left a lasting impression on the club and that can be felt when Malcolm gets emotional speaking about him. 'One of the most impressive things about him was kindness, politeness and also an incredible respect for his family. He left the club long back but we stayed in touch. He is a great ambassador of your country,' he says, his voice choking forcing him to take a small break to gulp down a glass of water. Never to represent the country, Kotak has been a giant on the Indian domestic circuit, playing Ranji Trophy for 20 and scoring over 8000 runs with an average of above 40. He had a reputation of batting for hours and putting a heavy price on his wicket. In the 2009 Ranji Trophy semi-final against Mumbai, he scored 89 in 5 hours. Sachin Tendulkar, fielding in the slips, would tell him: 'I had heard you don't get out now I have seen. Bus maar aur out ho ja (Just hit and get out).' Such instigations don't work with Kotak, who faced Ravi Shastri in his debut game and the last was with Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja. He had the same reputation in these parts but the English loved his methodical approach to batting and appreciated his effort for the team cause. Do the Wardens also remember him as a stodgy batsman? 'He could be stodgy when he needed to be stodgy. But generally speaking, he was a batsman that took his time. He worked on the principle of batting a No.3. Most importantly, he was still there at the end and more likely than not, he'd won the game,' he says. Kotak's captain at Wardens, James Jordan, chips in. 'The only 100 I got in the league, when I joined in batting and he was on 50 but I beat him to 100. He batted slow!' Jordan laughs. Jordan remembers a peculiar match when the opposition packed the legside with all nine fielders. 'There was this one special thing about Kotak. He was very good on the leg-side and kept playing there. So this team called Wellington, they were playing here and we'd virtually won the game. So they put all nine players on the leg side and Kotak still hit it through the boundary for four runs.' An emotional summary lands from the captain. 'Kotak spent 20 years with the Kenilworth Wardens Cricket Club. He was a fantastic player, always committed to the club, and the quality of the man, he never let us down and gave us everything. He even played when he was injured. He'll always be our best friend and at the heart of this club. Yeah, I'm so proud to be here. His batting, coaching and passing on his knowledge of the game to others, that was what he was all about. I remember his hundred against Dorridge; they had this Australian bowler and a Warwickshire opening bowler but Kotak played with ease,' says Jordan. Paul Henderson, the man who batted after Kotak at No.4, too raves: 'He was so committed to the people and the players. He spent a lot of time coaching. We loved him as a player and as a person.' He also had a reputation of a deadly bowler too. 'I don't think he bowled much at home in India. He did bowl his loopy spin that was difficult to handle. But here I think he still holds the Birmingham League record, one season he took 83 wickets. All through those 20 years, 50 wickets was a regular thing for him,' say Malcolm. Commitment to the club is Kotak's legacy here and an example often quoted. They still remember the time when Kotak's father was not well at his home in Rajkot. That was to be a hectic season for him. Kotak would play the weekend games, take a flight to India and return on Friday. His father had told him, at best he could miss just one game for the club, not any more. Kotak didn't contribute to the club as a trusted No.3 and a chief wicket-taker, he gave much more. 'He did a lot of coaching for us. He used to bring on the youngsters to the club. Quite frankly, he didn't come here for the money we paid him, this was just his second home. He would even sit on the roller if the ground needed rolling,' he says. The seeds of coaching were sown in Kotak at Kenilworth. After informally training juniors at Warden, he would take up the English Cricket Board coaching courses. This would prepare him for his second innings after retirement. As soon as he retired, Kotak was made the Saurashtra Ranji coach. He was also with IPL franchise side Gujarat Lions. In the Indian coaching system, Kotak has truly risen from the ranks. NCA, India A and now India batting coach – the graph has seen a steady rise. Malcolm said that the reason Kotak kept returning to Wardens and Kenilworth was the family-oriented nature of the place. All through those 20 years Kotak played here, he stayed at the home of one family – the Joshis. 'I think another reason, he liked to come here even after he got married, was he could spend time here with his family. India cricket kept him out for months. He used to come over with his wife, and then with one child, and then with two children,' says Malcolm. The Wardens club stint would help Kotak polish his new-ball batting and also his English, something that comes in handy as an international coach. But Kotak, always the firm batsmen, didn't change his eating or social habits. 'He's a vegetarian and doesn't drink alcohol. We used to try and persuade him to have a glass of wine about once a season. But it didn't work. He would sit with the boys, everybody would have alcohol and he would just smile and enjoy his soft drinks,' recalls Malcolm. Late in the evening, Kotak meets Malcolm and old mates. They talk about old times, the brotherhood of Wardens very much intact. There is praise for their mate and also leg-pulling. And that explains why the Wardens veteran was torn while watching the Test at Leeds. Does he back his Warden boy or England? In the end, it all worked out well. England won the game, the Indian batsmen, coached by the Wardens boy, scored many centuries.
