Woakes outlines Pant's threat, confirms discussions in place to neutralise his threat at Edgbaston
In the series opener at Headingley, while Indian bowlers fell flat and tried to force breakthroughs with a toothless attack, batters took centre stage and led a valiant attack. India had five centurions in the five-wicket defeat in Leeds, featuring Yashasvi Jaiswal (101), Shubman Gill (147), KL Rahul (137) and Pant (134 and 118).
With the second Test of the five-match gruelling series on the horizon, Woakes expressed the excitement that comes while bowling against the explosive Pant, who is capable of putting the opposition bowlers on the back foot.
'Rishabh's a player who you don't really know what's coming next. He's a player who keeps you on your toes as a bowler, which is sometimes exciting to bowl against. But sometimes, he can put you on the back foot as a bowler. He makes the game move forward. It's exciting to be a part of the game when he's at the crease,' Woakes told reporters in a press conference on Monday.
With the Pant threat looming yet again at Edgbaston, Woakes remains hopeful of pulling the curtains down early on the much-anticipated fireworks from the southpaw, along with other Indian stars, whom he refrained from mentioning.
'But look, he scored two hundreds, obviously up at Headingley, he played really well, chanced his arm on a few occasions and came off. Hopefully, this week, we can get him a little bit earlier. I think we haven't really met up yet, but I'm sure we'll have some discussions around some of the players that we came up against last week and how we can bowl at them a little bit better,' he added.
Pant will hope to end his winless streak when he scores an away Test ton for India. The swashbuckling wicketkeeper is known to tantalise the Three Lions on English soil with his rollicking strokeplay. In 10 Tests, Pant has garnered 808 runs at a handsome average of 42.52 while striking at 69.89.
England Men's Test squad for 2nd Test: Ben Stokes (capt), Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.
India's squad: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav. (ANI)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
11 minutes ago
- Indian Express
‘I'm a little baffled that Kuldeep Yadav wasn't picked': Sunil Gavaskar slams Indian team management over leg-spinner's exclusion
With Indian team management not picking up spinner Kuldeep Yadav for the second Test against England at Edgbaston, it meant that the 30-year-old spinner would miss a Test in England for the second successive time. The spinner was excluded from the playing XI with the Indian team management preferring all-rounder Washington Sundar as the second spinner in the team besides Ravindra Jadeja and former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has termed Yadav's exclusion as baffling. 'I'm a little baffled that Kuldeep wasn't picked, because on a pitch like this, where everybody says there's a little more turn.' Gavaskar said while commentating on Sony Sports. Shubman Gill led Indian team made three changes in the side, which played in the five-wicket loss against England in the first Test against England at Leeds. With Sai Sudarshan being dropped along with Shardul Thakur, the Indian team management also went with the decision to rest Jasprit Bumrah. Along with all-round Nitish Kumar Reddy, pacer Akash Deep and Sundar were included in the playing XI for the second Test. With five centuries coming from an Indian batsman in the opening Test at Leeds, Gavaskar shared India needed to strengthen the wicket-taking department. 'If your top-order batters are not giving you the runs you expect, then Washington at seven or Nitish Reddy at eight won't necessarily fix that, because those weren't the batters who failed you in the first Test. You scored 830 runs. You didn't score 380 in two innings — it was 830-plus. That's a lot of runs. So, where you needed strengthening was in the wicket-taking department, not so much in the batting,' Gavaskar added. Former England pacer Stuart Broad termed the decision to rest Jasprit Bumrah as a surprising decision. 'A week is a very good time off for a fast bowler. Bumrah's (Jasprit) omission does surprise me and what also surprised me was him saying before the series he will only play three of the five Tests. You keep those cards close to your chest and play each week as it comes. They will definitely want Bumrah at Lord's because of the movement you can get through the air, so can they risk him here?' Broad told Sky Sports during commentary.
India.com
11 minutes ago
- India.com
Top 10 Players With Most Runs In T20: Chris Gayle Leads, Keiron Pollard Overtakes Alex Hales, Virat Kohli At…
photoDetails english 2925656 Updated:Jul 02, 2025, 09:01 PM IST Chris Gayle – 14,562 Runs 1 / 10 The undisputed king of T20 cricket, Chris Gayle, revolutionized the format with his brutal hitting and staggering consistency. With 22 centuries and over 1,000 sixes, Gayle's records may stand the test of time. Kieron Pollard – 13,738 Runs 2 / 10 A global T20 journeyman, Pollard is known for finishing games with flair. His ability to clear the ropes and deliver under pressure has made him a sought-after asset in leagues like the IPL, CPL, and PSL. His rise to second place highlights his longevity and consistency. Alex Hales – 13,735 Runs 3 / 10 One of England's most explosive openers, Hales has found great success in franchise cricket globally. Known for his aggressive approach, he's been a key performer in the BBL, PSL, and The Hundred, combining elegance with firepower at the top. Shoaib Malik – 13,571 Runs 4 / 10 A veteran of the game, Malik's ability to adapt across eras and conditions makes him one of the most consistent T20 performers. His calm presence in the middle order and all-round value have kept him relevant well into his 40s. Virat Kohli – 13,543 Runs 5 / 10 Kohli stands out for his technical excellence and unmatched chase-master ability in T20s. While he may not be known for brute force, his timing, placement, and ability to pace innings have made him a cornerstone for both India and RCB. David Warner – 13,386 Runs 6 / 10 Warner combines aggression with consistency as a T20 opener. A top run-getter in the IPL and BBL, his left-handed flair and match-winning knocks have made him one of Australia's finest white-ball cricketers. Jos Buttler – 12,816 Runs 7 / 10 England's white-ball captain is a modern-day T20 superstar. Known for his explosive batting, especially in the powerplay and death overs, Buttler's ability to switch gears makes him lethal across all formats. Rohit Sharma – 12,248 Runs 8 / 10 One of the most stylish and impactful openers in T20s, Rohit blends elegance with big-match temperament. His five IPL titles as captain and multiple centuries in international T20s reflect his class and leadership. James Vince – 12,218 Runs 9 / 10 An under-the-radar run machine, Vince has quietly built a prolific T20 career through English domestic cricket and leagues like the BBL. His timing and stroke play suit the format, especially on good batting tracks. Faf du Plessis – 11,755 Runs 10 / 10 Faf brings experience, composure, and explosive middle-order hitting. A consistent performer across IPL, CPL, and SA20, his leadership and fitness have kept him competitive at the top level well into his late 30s.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
14 minutes ago
- First Post
Yashasvi Jaiswal breaks Rohit Sharma's record with another classy knock against England
Yashasvi Jaiswal scored a fluent 87 on Day 1 of the second Test against England at Edgbaston. In the process, he surpassed former captain Rohit Sharma's record. Jaiswal was dismissed by Ben Stokes before tea break. read more Yashasvi Jaiswal was looking good to score another century but fell short by 13 runs. Image: Reuters Yashasvi Jaiswal is slowly turning into a star for India in Test cricket, and he showed it again on at Edgbaston. Jaiswal played another excellent knock, scoring 87 runs off 107 balls with 13 boundaries. His innings helped India cross the 150-run mark before tea. Jaiswal breaks Rohit's record With this innings, Jaiswal now has five 50-plus scores as an opener in SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia), which is more than his former opening partner Rohit Sharma, who has four such scores. Interestingly, Jaiswal has played just 21 games in his career so far. India were put in to bat after England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to field first. KL Rahul was dismissed early by Chris Woakes for just 2 runs, but Jaiswal and Karun Nair steadied the innings with a strong partnership. Nair scored 31 before falling to Brydon Carse. Jaiswal continued to bat fluently and reached his half-century with a flurry of boundaries, looking all set for another century. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, the Indian opener was dismissed by Stokes while trying to cut a wide delivery right before lunch. At the time of writing this copy, India were 202 for 3. Shubman Gill is batting on 53 off 134 balls, and Rishabh Pant is on 23 off 39 balls. Among the England bowlers, Woakes, Carse and Stokes have picked up a wicket each.
