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Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Pant's on fire: Rudraneil Sengupta on India's fearless Test batter
Who is India's most successful Test batter today? Rishabh Pant during the Test series against England this week. (AFP) If not for his exuberant twin centuries in India's first Test against England this week, Rishabh Pant might not have been the most obvious answer to that question. Yet, it is him. This compact bundle of fast-twitch muscle fibre with a maverick batting style that can be deceptively technical or totally outrageous, but is always defined by a sense of freedom and joy, stands a mile apart from all other Indian batters. Since his debut in 2018, Pant has scored 3,200 runs at an average of nearly 45 and a strike rate just above 74. That's better than the now-retired Virat Kohli, who, with 2,140 runs, comes in second (others such as KL Rahul, Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma all have aggregates far lower than 2,000 runs). Pant's strike rate is audacious too (everyone else in the top five has a strike rate in the 40s). What a joy to see the 27-year-old storm the stage as he is doing. If the Test series in England proves anything, it is this: India's new Test generation is packed with fantastic batting talent, and Kohli and Sharma's retirements have helped, not hurt, the team, by allowing this next generation to blossom. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Gill and Rahul all proved they have what it takes to achieve true Test greatness: the temperament and technique. If Pant was doing his uniquely destructive and freewheeling dance at one end, Jaiswal, Gill and Rahul were the epitome of poise and classical correctness, marked by one gorgeous drive after another. All sport thrives on such diversity. It is Bharatnatyam meets Breaking. Pant announced his batting prowess soon after making his Test debut, when he became the first Indian wicketkeeper to score a century in Australia, in January 2019. His career-changing knock came in the Sydney Test in the 2020-21 Border Gavaskar Trophy series, where he not only helped India survive the final day and earn a draw, but hit back with a rapid, roaring 97 off 118 balls. Then he outdid himself: in the next Test on the infamous pitch at The Gabba, he led a highly depleted Indian squad to victory with a frenzied, unbeaten 89 on the final day of the Test, to overcome the Aussie total, in a match that went down as one of the most improbable chases in Test cricket history. Now, Pant is truly building his legacy. The twin centuries have made him the first Indian and only the second wicketkeeper in the world (after Andy Flower) to score centuries in both innings of a Test in England. His match aggregate of 252 (134 and 118) is the highest by any Indian wicketkeeper in a Test. His four Test hundreds in England bring him at par with Sachin Tendulkar and Dilip Vengsarkar, and behind only Rahul Dravid (six), when it comes to Indian centurions in England. It is possible he will not only equal Dravid's record by the end of the series, but surpass it. A less-important but very Pant statistic is that the nine sixes he hit in the second innings also equals the record for most sixes in an innings by any batter in England (putting him at par with Andrew Flintoff and Ben Stokes on this front). There are few things more seductive in cricket than the combination of superb skill and a maverick attitude and, in this, Pant follows in the footsteps of giants such as Viv Richards (swaggering onto the field chewing gum, a rakishly angled cap instead of a helmet on his head), Shoaib Akhtar (a run-up that started near the boundary, long hair flying, a missile of a delivery, and Akhtar wheeling away in 'airplane' celebration) and Steve Smith (all Chaplinesque twitches and ticks, but one of the greatest batting techniques in the history of the game). Pant brings with him his nutty rolling-and-tumbling scoop shot, brings up his century with a one-handed six (in the first innings in the first Test), does backflips to celebrate milestones, steps out to hit the most ferocious bowlers like their reputations mean nothing, and smiles impishly through it all. 'It is hard for us to understand the mindset,' Rahul told reporters, after the first Test, 'but you let Rishabh Pant be Rishabh Pant. There is obviously… a lot of thought behind the outrageous shots he plays.' Pant is just the maverick Indian cricket needs. (To reach Rudraneil Sengupta with feedback, email rudraneil@
NDTV
2 hours ago
- Sport
- NDTV
"Gautam Gambhir Must...": Jasprit Bumrah's Test Future 'Going To Be An Issue' As Star Needs 'Long Gap'
If the loss against England in the first Test in Leeds was not enough, the Indian cricket team were dealt another blow as news came that Jasprit Bumrah would be rested for the second Test starting on July 2. BCCI sources confirmed the development to NDTV. Even before India departed for the long Tour of England, it had been declared that Bumrah would play only three of the five Tests due to workload management. Bumrah had been out of team for a lengthy period after a back issue during the Border Gavaskar Trophy. However, now question are being raised on the future of Bumrah's Test career, considering he is not available for all the matches despite significant gap between them. The first Test ran from June 20-24, while the second match in Birmingham will start from July 2. That's a week's gap. The third Test at Lord's will start from July 10, before the the action shifts to Manchester for the fourth Test starting on July 23. The fifth Test starts on July 31. "Jasprit Bumrah will not be available. It's not official, but maybe it's official, for all we know. He will be rested for the second match and will directly play the third match, and you wonder, as there was a seven-day gap between the two matches, and he is not playing," Aakash Chopra, former India star, said on his YouTube channel. "Then there will be a five-day Test and a three-day gap. He will be available on the 10th of July now. That is a serious concern. If you need such big gaps, Bumrah's future as a Test cricketer, it is going to be an issue. Gautam Gambhir must find himself in a tricky position now. There was an old interview, 'I do not believe in workload management' that was Gautam's stand back then. That makes it a little different. He is an important player." Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh are the two other specialist pacers in the squad. Medium pace allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy is another option. Most indications point towards left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh replacing Bumrah in the XI. But again, no one could confirm the development. While Arshdeep has not played any Test, he has ODI and T20I experience. In T20Is, he is India's all-time highest wicket-taker with 99 scalps in 63 games.
Indian Express
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Jofra and Jasprit, the speed guns without speed breakers destined to make cricket great again
England's foremost cricket pundit Nasser Hussain thinks Jofra Archer should sit out the Edgbaston Test but train with the team – bowling at nets, jogging during breaks, getting his body Test match ready. Last Sunday, Archer, England's very own Jasprit Bumrah, played a first-class game after 1,500 days. Finally, fit to play the longer format, he bowled 18 overs for Sussex and got a wicket. If you are a 150kph bowler with a sparkling red-ball history that was enough to get a Test recall. But Hussain advises caution, he wants Archer to press restart at Lord's, ironically the Test Bumrah is expected to return to, after his likely miss of the second Test that starts on July 2. At the Home of Cricket, the two diehard Test cricket lovers will terrorise batsmen and for once the lopsided bat-versus-ball contest will be even. Bumrah and Jofra have lost out a lot because of their passion and commitment towards Tests. They could have taken the easy way out, like many of their contemporaries who just focused on white-ball cricket, cut down on workload and earned a lot. But they haven't. Jofra sacrificed money, Bumrah the captaincy. When Jofra was recalled, BBC spoke to his close friend Saqib Mahmood. The two had roomed when they were dealing with similar injuries. 'With Jof the easiest thing for him to have done is just gone purely white ball. He'd have been financially better off and had all of that. But I could always tell he wanted to play Test cricket. I just knew it,' Mahmood said. During the Headingley Test where he took five wickets, Bumrah, at a press conference, expressed his angst when asked about the constant speculation about his injury-ridden future. It's where India's MVP, a captaincy candidate till as recently as the Border Gavaskar Trophy at the end of last year, dropped a line that was about his regret at not being able to be India's long-term captain. It was a rare slip by the guarded professional who weighs every word he utters in public and even maintains a happy expression and positive tone when talking about 'dropped catches.' 'Mann tha, karna bhi tha, but Indian cricket se upar kuch nahi hai. (I wanted it and could do it but there is nothing bigger than Indian cricket),' he said, explaining how the high probability of missing games due to his workload saw him step back. He said it wouldn't be fair to the team, if they can't play all the Tests as it would impact continuity. Can we declare Jasprit Bumrah a national treasure already? 😅 #SonySportsNetwork #GroundTumharaJeetHamari #ENGvIND #NayaIndia #DhaakadIndia #TeamIndia — Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) June 22, 2025 Fast bowlers, the ones putting their body on the line to pursue real speed, are a different breed. Always risking career-threatening injury, they are known to live on the edge. They are cricket's fighter jocks, the proud men who walk around the dressing room with a swagger. The team's popular stars, the batsmen keep a distance from them, but they know their importance. In contrast, the pacers mock the team's star batsmen, they are to them what boyband artists are to hardened rock stars. Even when Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were in the team, no one fooled around with Bumrah. Jofra's mate Mahmood says there are a few no-go areas for him too. While the two trained, they would keep comparing his calf muscles. Jofra would have a retort that only those in 'Club 150' could possibly offer with a comeback line. 'What's the fastest you have bowled?' In a game in the early part of IPL, Jofra, turning up for Rajasthan Royals, took a serious beating. Against SunRisers Hyderabad, he went for 76 in four overs. It proved to be the most expensive IPL spell. Ishan Kishan and Travis Head were responsible for the nightmarish figures. 90 seconds of Jofra Archer being absolutely RAPID 🔥 Happy birthday, @jofraarcher 🎂 — England Cricket (@englandcricket) April 1, 2024 RR coach, the Kiwi speedster Shane Bond, saw how the game impacted Jofra. 'There's no doubt he was hurting a bit. I think that's a credit to how quickly he bounced back. He got back to the training ground, trained brilliantly, was really focused and knew what he wanted to do and had to do,' Bond told the BBC. By the end of the season, that spell was forgotten as Archer ended with 11 wickets. Bumrah too doesn't take injudicious batting adventurism kindly. In the 2024-25 BGT, the young Aussie opener Sam Konstas, their Ishan Kishan, riled Bumrah with his batting bravado. By the end of the tour, the Aussies were rethinking their opening options. The uncertainty over the fitness, and at times even about their pace, has resulted in the two getting targeted by fans. There was a time when it was said that Bumrah would miss India games because of his health but would get magically match-fit during IPL. Jofra too faced taunts during his long recovery and rehabilitation when ECB stood by him. There were comments that Jofra was on the longest paid holiday. Though, used to such sly sledges, there comes a point when it hurts. 'You try to not let it get to you but you can ignore 100 of them but sometimes that 101st is the straw that breaks the camel's back,' he once said. But Jofra would take criticism as motivation. Something that even Bumrah too is good at. Though the pacer now has legions of fans and is considered the team's rare match winner, his every injury coincides with some doomsday prediction. Bumrah, the other day, laughed at the regularity with which he gets written off. 'Everybody is free to write whatever they want. It doesn't matter to me. If those thoughts come into my mind, I will start believing it. I get dictated by what I believe in,' he says. 'I have played cricket on my belief since people have said 'no' to me all my life. First they said you wouldn't be able to play, next they said you will play for 6 months, after 8 months … now I have finished 10 years of international cricket.' And then he would get philosophical, he talks about barkat – the divine favour. 'I prepare the best I can and after that I leave it to the almighty. My barkat will decide how much I play,' he said. Here's hoping Lord's extends divine favour to the two men working towards making Tests great again.
India.com
7 hours ago
- Sport
- India.com
Selection Conundrum: India's Nets Session Hints At Big Changes For 2nd Test VS England
Shubman Gill-led Team India started practice for their next test and Edgbaston. After suffering a gloomy defeat in the first Test at Headingley, Leeds the team has regrouped and is focusing to fix the mistakes that stopped them from starting the series on a high. The Net sessions on Friday gives a major reading and hint of what can be unfolded when India steps in at Edgbaston. Jasprit Bumrah who is expected to miss the second test following his workload management was a present during the net sessions but was out of action not bowling even a single bowl during the day as reported by Times of India. This more or so confirms that Bumrah could miss the second test confirming the reports. Bowling Lineup Overhaul While Bumrah was deadly during the first test taking a fifer in the first innings, lack of support from other end by Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur and Mohammad Siraj proved to be a key reason behind India's defeat. The Indian bowlers loocked lacklustre in second innings failing to defend 371. Prasidh was also absent from training on Friday further hinting that there could be another major change for the next test. Krishna who took five wickets in the game conceded runs at a high rate of over 6 with English batters attacking him in both the innings. Discussions With Head Coach Other than Bumrah and Prasidh's absence, another key story of this training session was lengthy discussions Akashdeep Singh and Arshdeep Dingh had with head coach Gautam Gambhir. Akashdeep was a part of Indian Playing 11 during Border Gavaskar Trophy and did considerably well Down Under. Arshdeep on the other hand is yet to debut in white for India. If Krishna is snubbed, Either of Akashdeep or Arshdeep could join Siraj for next test. Mohammad Siraj spent significant time batting in the nets as India's lower order collapse in both the innings proved to be the difference of the game in hindsight. India's Collapse 1st innings :- 7/41 2nd innings :- 6/31 India squad for five-match Test series: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav
India.com
a day ago
- Sport
- India.com
One Of The Greatest Bluffs Ever: Alastair Cook Drops A Bombshell Statement on Jasprit Bumrah Playing Three Test In This Series
Former England Captain Alastair Cook jokingly called out Team India's decision to publicly announce the number of Test matches their speedster Jasprit Bumrah would play in this series. The ongoing series is a five-match Test series with Ben-Stokes led team winning the Headingley test by five wickets. India's Chiefs Selector Ajit Agarkar made it clear even before the series started that Bumrah's workload management will be the key and the team will not risk their star bowler overusing him like Border Gavaskar Trophy. The Fact that India lost its first game with a Bumrah and the two out of four remaining tests will be without Bumrah is tailormade stuff for the hosts. Michael Vaughan on Stick To Cricket asked Why is India so vocal about Bumrah's status giving a full served platter of opportunities to England. Cook jokingly replied it could be a bluff. "Why are they announcing that their best bowler is only going to play 3 Tests?" Vaughan said "Unless it is one of the greatest bluffs ever. You would rather play Bumrah at Lord's wouldn't you?" Cook replied. Bumrah To Miss the Second Test According to a report by Indian Express, Jasprit Bumrah will miss the second test due to workload management. Bumrah, India's most crucial asset in this series, bowled a mammoth 44 overs in the first Test at Headingley. Despite his valiant effort, the Indian bowling unit struggled as a whole, particularly with their line and consistency, eventually failing to defend a sizeable target of 371 on the final day. Gambhir Gambhir shared clarity on Bumrah's status during post-match press conference- "I think for us to manage Bumrah's workload is more important because there's a lot of cricket going forward and we know what he brings to the table as well. So before he came on this tour, it was already decided that he's going to play three Test matches, but let's see how his body turns up. But we haven't decided which two other Test matches he's going to play". India squad for five-match Test series: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav
